Journal of veterinary internal medicine
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J. Vet. Intern. Med. · May 2012
ReviewThe immunopathology of sepsis: pathogen recognition, systemic inflammation, the compensatory anti-inflammatory response, and regulatory T cells.
Sepsis, the systemic inflammatory response to infection, represents the major cause of death in critically ill veterinary patients. Whereas important advances in our understanding of the pathophysiology of this syndrome have been made, much remains to be elucidated. ⋯ More recently, the concept of immunoparalysis in sepsis has also been advanced, together with an increasing recognition of the interplay between regulatory T cells and the innate immune response. However, the heterogeneous nature of this syndrome and the difficulty of modeling it in vitro or in vivo has both frustrated the advancement of new therapies and emphasized the continuing importance of patient-based clinical research in this area of human and veterinary medicine.
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J. Vet. Intern. Med. · May 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialImportance of the effective strong ion difference of an intravenous solution in the treatment of diarrheic calves with naturally acquired acidemia and strong ion (metabolic) acidosis.
The effect of sodium bicarbonate on acid-base balance in metabolic acidosis is interpreted differently by Henderson-Hasselbalch and strong ion acid-base approaches. Application of the traditional bicarbonate-centric approach indicates that bicarbonate administration corrects the metabolic acidosis by buffering hydrogen ions, whereas strong ion difference theory indicates that the co-administration of the strong cation sodium with a volatile buffer (bicarbonate) corrects the strong ion acidosis by increasing the strong ion difference (SID) in plasma. ⋯ A solution containing a high effective SID (sodium bicarbonate) is much more effective in alkalinizing diarrheic calves with strong ion acidosis than a solution with a low effective SID (sodium gluconate). Sodium gluconate is ineffective in correcting acidemia, which can be explained using traditional acid-base theory but requires a new parameter, effective SID, to be understood using the strong ion approach.
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J. Vet. Intern. Med. · Mar 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialDouble-masked, placebo-controlled study of intravenous levetiracetam for the treatment of status epilepticus and acute repetitive seizures in dogs.
Status epilepticus (SE) and acute repetitive seizures (ARS) are common canine neurologic emergencies. No evidence-based studies are available to guide treatment in veterinary patients. Parenteral levetiracetam (LEV) has many favorable properties for the emergency treatment of seizures, but its safety and efficacy in dogs for SE and ARS are unknown. ⋯ LEV was safe and potentially effective for the treatment of SE and ARS in these client-owned dogs. Larger, controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm this preliminary observation.
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J. Vet. Intern. Med. · Jan 2012
Latent equine herpesvirus-1 in trigeminal ganglia and equine idiopathic headshaking.
Trigeminal neuralgia or neuropathic pain has been regarded as a putative cause of idiopathic headshaking in horses. Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infection and resultant postherpetic pain have been suggested as a possible cause of such neuropathic pain. ⋯ This study does not support a role for EHV-1 infection and presumed postherpetic pain in the etiopathogenesis of equine headshaking.