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Approximately 66 per cent of all airbag deployments in the USA result in at least one skin injury, with 47 per cent of these skin injuries attributed directly to the airbag deployment. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the risk of skin abrasions from the airbag fabric seam design by using a new shear testing methodology. High-rate shear loading was performed with a pneumatic impactor that propelled a section of airbag fabric across porcine skin at 85 m/s. Twenty-seven tests (three control and 24 with fabric) were performed using eight different seam designs. A 40 cm × 10 cm section of airbag fabric with each seam was forced across a 5 cm × 5 cm section of fresh porcine skin that was acquired within 2 h post-mortem. No abrasions were observed in the three control tests, but abrasions were observed in all 24 of the tests conducted using airbag fabric. The unturned, sewn seam orientation resulted in significantly more severe abrasions than the woven, unturned seam orientation (P = 0.01). This new system and results illustrate that different seam designs can result in different skin abrasion risk. Moreover, the data show that severe abrasions can be caused by normal pressures well below the 1.75 MPa injury threshold previously published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence and progression of vascular complications of spontaneous diabetes mellitus (DM) in dogs have not been described., Objectives: To investigate the effects of duration of disease, as estimated by time since DM diagnosis, and glycemic control on prevalence of systemic hypertension, proteinuria, and diabetic retinopathy in dogs with spontaneous DM., Animals: Seventeen client-owned dogs with spontaneous DM., Methods: Prospective, longitudinal observational study. Dogs with DM of less than 1 year's duration were recruited and evaluated once every 6 months for 24 months. Recorded measures included indirect BP, urine albumin, protein and creatinine concentrations, serial blood glucose and serum fructosamine concentrations, ophthalmic examination, and a standardized behavioral questionnaire., Results: Eleven dogs completed the 2-year follow-up period, during which the highest recorded prevalence of systolic and diastolic hypertension was 55 and 64%, respectively. Prevalence of microalbuminuria and elevated urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) ranged up to 73 and 55%, respectively. Prevalence of retinopathy ranged up to 20%. No significant effect of time since DM diagnosis or glycemic control was detected for any of the measures examined. Additionally, no significant associations between BP, urine albumin concentration, UPC and retinopathy were detected., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: With the exception of proteinuria, which was substantial in some cases, clinically deleterious diabetic vascular complications were not identified in dogs in this study., (Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)

The purpose of this study was to determine if polymerase chain reaction (PCR) could be used to detect FeLV proviral DNA in bone marrow samples of cats with varying suspicion of latent infection. Blood and bone marrow samples from 50 cats and bone marrow from one fetus were collected, including 16 cats with diseases suspected to be FeLV-associated. Serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), blood and bone marrow immunofluorescent antibody test (IFA), and blood and bone marrow PCR were performed on each cat, and IFA and PCR on bone marrow of the fetus. Forty-one cats were FeLV negative. Five cats and one fetus were persistently infected with FeLV. Four cats had discordant test results. No cats were positive on bone marrow PCR only. It appears persistent or latent FeLV infection is not always present in conditions classically associated with FeLV., (Copyright 2001 European Society of Feline Medicine.)

Objectives: To determine the presence of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) in the corneas of FeLV-infected cats., Animals Studied: Thirty-four random source cats., Procedures: Seventeen cats were found positive for FeLV serum p27 antigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Twelve ELISA positive cats were also positive on peripheral blood samples by immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) testing. Seventeen ELISA negative cats served as negative controls. Full thickness corneal specimens were collected from the left cornea of all cats and analyzed for FeLV proviral DNA and gp70 antigen by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemical (IHC) testing, respectively., Results: Eleven (64.7%) positive corneal PCR results were obtained from 17 ELISA positive cats. Of 12 cats that were both ELISA and IFA positive on peripheral blood, 10 (83.3%) had positive corneal PCR results. All corneal tissues from ELISA negative cats were PCR negative. IHC staining of corneal sections revealed the presence of FeLV gp70 in corneal tissues of nine (52.9%) ELISA positive cats. Of the 12 cats that were both ELISA and IFA positive on peripheral blood, eight (66.7%) had positive corneal IHC results. Positive IHC staining was localized to the corneal epithelium. Corneal tissues of all ELISA negative cats and all IFA negative cats were negative on IHC testing., Conclusions: FeLV antigens and proviral DNA are present in corneal tissues of some FeLV-infected cats. Screening corneal donors for FeLV infection is warranted.

Pre- and postanesthetic Schirmer tear test (STT) values were measured in 46 dogs. All subjects had normal preanesthetic STT values (18.3 +/- 2.8 mm per min in the left eye [OS] and 18.3 +/- 3.0 mm per min in the right eye [OD]). Significant differences were found between pre- and postanesthetic STT values. Significant decreases in tear production were evident for up to 24 hours following the anesthetic event. Subject age did not significantly influence the results. Duration of anesthesia significantly affected the rate of return to preanesthetic STT values, with anesthetic events greater than two hours in duration having a prolonged effect as compared to anesthetic events less than two hours in duration. Anticholinergic administration prior to or during anesthesia further lowered postanesthetic STT values.