Search

This study focuses on lab-scale experimental runoff hydrographs from a linear completely impervious plane subcatchment. An improved method of surface runoff physical modelling was developed, allowing for expanded laboratory hydrograph simulations up to a linear scale of 10. Model rains of different intensities and durations were applied, and digital online data processing techniques were employed to ensure high time resolution and accurate flow rate determination. The experimental hydrographs were analyzed in a dimensionless form to facilitate generalization and comparison with widely used nonlinear reservoir method and unit hydrograph method. Wave-like fluctuations of the flow rate were observed in most experimental hydrographs as they approached the maximum runoff. The dimensionless phase time of the experimental hydrographs showed an increasing trend with higher rainfall intensity, and a power-law equation was derived to approximate this relationship. An averaged dimensionless runoff hydrograph was obtained by processing individual hydrographs, and it was approximated by the DR-Hill-Zerobackground model for the initial stage during the rainfall and by the Weibull model for the later stage, after the rainfall stopped. The findings of this study have significant implications for modelling surface runoff from small urban subcatchments, particularly under critical rainfall events with extremely high intensity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common skin diseases in small animal practice. Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is the only curative treatment for the disease, and oral, subcutaneous and intralymphatic administration of allergens are commonly employed., Objectives: To compare the efficacy of AIT following an induction phase with intralymphatic injections (ILIT) or rush immunotherapy (RIT)., Animals: Fifty privately owned dogs with AD., Materials and Methods: In a double-blinded study, dogs were randomly assigned to either four monthly ILIT of allergen extract or RIT with five injections administered subcutaneously at hourly intervals on the first day. They were assessed by validated scores; Canine Atopic Dermatitis Lesion Index (CADLI) and pruritus Visual Analog Scale (PVAS) at the beginning of the study and after 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. The latter were performed daily for 7 days before each revisit. Medication scores and a total clinical score were calculated and compared between each group and time point., Results: There was no significant difference in CADLI and PVAS scores, or CADLI and medication scores between groups at any of the time points. A significant improvement with both ILIT and RIT was seen in total and pruritus scores, respectively. An owner global assessment of good-to-excellent treatment efficacy was seen in 40% of the dogs; total scores improved by 27% and 35% in the RIT and ILIT group, respectively. Adverse effects were not seen., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Induction of AIT can be conducted either as RIT or ILIT with no loss in efficacy., (© 2022 The Authors. Veterinary Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of ESVD and ACVD.)

Background: Chronic otitis externa (OE) in dogs frequently requires anaesthetised ear flushing., Objectives: To evaluate hypochlorous acid as an ear flushing and antimicrobial agent in dogs with chronic OE., Animals: Twenty dogs with chronic OE caused by the same organisms bilaterally., Materials and Methods: One ear was flushed under anaesthesia with hypochlorous acid, the other with saline solution. Subsequently, the ear flushed with hypochlorous acid was cleaned with the same solution twice daily for 2 weeks, the other ear with a commercial ear cleaner. An ear medication containing miconazole, polymyxin B and prednisolone was used once daily in both ears. Clinical scores were determined before the flush. Ear cytological results were obtained, a hearing test was conducted before and after the ear flush, and a culture was taken directly after flushing. Ears were evaluated after 2 weeks of therapy., Results: Yeast was present in the ears of 11, cocci in one and a mixed infection in eight dogs. Five ears were negative on culture after flushing with hypochlorous acid, one after the saline flush. Clinical and cytological scores decreased significantly with both solutions after 2 weeks of treatment. There was no difference between treatments in any of the scores at any time point between treatments and in the results of the hearing test before and after the flushing procedure. Adverse effects were not seen., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Hypochlorous acid is a suitable cleaning solution for canine OE., (© 2022 The Authors. Veterinary Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of ESVD and ACVD.)

Background: Women of reproductive age are recommended to consume folic acid and other supplements before conception and during pregnancy. We aimed to investigate the association of the serum folate and total magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) levels before ovarian stimulation with the outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in normogonadotropic women., Methods: We used a subanalysis of data obtained from a multicentre, randomized prospective study (NCT03088137). A total of 110 normogonadotropic, non-advanced aged, non-obese women with tubal and/or male infertility factors were enrolled for the single fresh ovarian stimulation GnRH antagonist cycle. The main outcome measures were the total oocyte yield, mature oocytes, fertilization rate, biochemical, clinical pregnancy, and live birth. Multivariable generalized linear models adjusted for covariates were used with a Poisson distribution and the log link function for adjusted oocyte counts, and a binomial distribution and the log link function were used for adjusted clinical ART outcomes., Results: The medians (interquartile range (IQR)) were as follows: baseline serum folate, 20.55 ng/ml (10.8, 32.9); Mg, 19.4 mg/L (18.7, 20.7); Ca, 94 mg/L (91.2, 96.4); and Ca/Mg ratio, 4.78 (4.55, 5.02). Women with higher serum folate concentrations (Q4≥33.0 ng/ml) had significantly lower total numbers of oocytes retrieved (adjusted mean (95% CI) 9.2 (7.6-11.3) vs 12.9 (10.9-15.4, p-trend=0.006)) and lower odds ratios (ORs) (95% CI) of 0.12 (0.02, 0.79) for clinical pregnancy and 0.10 (0.01, 0.70) for live birth compared with women in the lowest quartile (<10.8 ng/ml), all p-trend<0.001. Women in the highest Ca/Mg ratio quartile (≥5.02) had ORs (95% CI) of 6.58 (1.31, 33.04) for biochemical pregnancy, 4.85 (1.02, 23.08) for clinical pregnancy and 4.07 (0.83, 19.9) for the live birth rate compared with women in the lowest quartile (<4.55), all p-trend<0.001., Conclusions: Using multivariable models, we suggested that a baseline elevated serum folate level (≥33.0 ng/ml) and a lower Ca/Mg ratio were associated with worse ART outcomes in normogonadotropic women. Our findings might be useful for choosing safe dosages of folate, calcium, magnesium and complex supplementation for both fertile women and women undergoing infertility treatment. Further preconception large-scale studies with known micro- and macronutrient statuses of both parents and serum folate, Ca, Mg, and hormone levels, are needed., Competing Interests: MP is employed by IVFarma LLC; the parental study NCT03088137 was financed by IVFarma LLC. DB served as a medical affairs consultant to Sanofi, Merck and Dr. Reddy’s. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Polzikov, Blinov, Barakhoeva, Vovk, Fetisova, Ovchinnikova, Tischenko, Zorina, Yurasov, Ushakova and Sergeyev.)

Objective: Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a common skin disease in dogs. Prior studies were able to determine beneficial effects of essential fatty acids (EFA) on the clinical signs of CAD. The aim of this study was set to evaluate the effects of a newly designed, EFA-enriched diet on the clinical signs of CAD compared to another EFA-enriched diet., Materials and Methods: In this prospective, randomized, double-blinded study, 31 privately owned dogs with atopic dermatitis received either the control diet (diet A, Hill's Prescription Diet™ d/d™ Salmon & Rice, n = 17) or the test diet (diet B, Veterinary HPM™ Dermatology Support D1, Virbac, n = 14) for 12 weeks. At the beginning of the study as well as after 4, 8 and 12 weeks, skin lesions and pruritus were evaluated via validated scores and the administered medication was documented. At the same time, the dogs' coat quality was evaluated via a distinct scoring system. In both groups, a total of 7 dogs each completed the entire study., Results: After 12 weeks, there was a mild improvement in lesion scores, pruritus and coat quality with both diets., Clinical Relevance: In this study, both diets improved the patients' skin lesions pruritus and coat quality., Competing Interests: The food was funded by Virbac, France. This company did not have any influence on the choice of patients, medication, clinical evaluation or the manuscript. Ralf Mueller has given scientific and educational lectures sponsored by Virbac and Hill’s, respectively, over the past 3 years., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Background: Serum testing for allergen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E is commonly employed to identify allergens used for allergen-specific immunotherapy in dogs, yet the reliability of results has been a matter of debate., Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of serum tests for environmental allergen-specific IgE in three European laboratories., Animals/methods: Serum was obtained from 33 client-owned dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, divided into three aliquots and sent to the laboratories under different names. Two aliquots were sent simultaneously to one of the laboratories on the first day; the third sample was then sent to the same laboratory on the subsequent day. The laboratory for each patient was chosen according to a predetermined randomization list. The agreement between different samples from the same dog for each of the laboratories was calculated with a Cohen's Kappa test. Spearman's rank coefficients (r sp ) as well as the coefficients of variation (CV) additionally were calculated., Results: The intra- and interassay agreements for laboratories A, B and C were 0.79 and 0.75, 0.92 and 0.90, and 0.90 and 0.85, respectively. The CVs were 18.92% and 22.95%, 14.43% and 18.79%, and 15.38% and 18.75% (respectively) and the r sp 0.73 and 0.68, 0.95 and 0.92, and 0.82 and 0.74 (respectively)., Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: The differences in reproducibility between laboratories complicate test interpretation and underline the importance of interpreting results of serum testing for allergen-specific IgE in the context of the patient's clinical history., (© 2021 The Authors. Veterinary Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the ESVD and ACVD.)

Background: The aim of this study was to compare serum interleukin (IL)-31 concentrations in dogs with lymphoma and mast cell tumours (MCT) without pruritus to those of healthy dogs., Hypothesis/objectives: To determine if IL-31 plays a role in tumour pathogenesis and if IL-31 could be a biological marker for disease progression., Animals: Forty-eight healthy dogs and 36 dogs with neoplasia [multicentric lymphoma (14), MCT (15) and cutaneous lymphoma (7)] were included in the study., Methods and Materials: Dogs with neoplasia were assigned to three different groups. Group 1 consisted of patients with multicentric lymphoma, which were diagnosed by cytological, histopathological and clonality investigations. Thoracic radiographs, ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity, and fine-needle aspirates from liver and spleen were used to determine the lymphoma stage Patients with cutaneous lymphoma, diagnosed by cytological and histopathological findings, were included in Group 2. Patients with MCT, diagnosed by cytological and histopathological findings, were included in Group 3. Serum was frozen at -80ºC before measuring the concentration of IL-31 via a Simoa ultra-sensitive, fully automated two-step immunoassay., Results: Serum concentrations of IL-31, regardless of the disease and its staging, were within the normal range in all patients; there was no difference between any of the different tumour groups and healthy dogs., Conclusions and Clinical Importance: IL-31 is not likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of canine MCT or lymphoma without pruritus., (© 2020 The Authors. Veterinary Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology and the American College of Veterinary Dermatology.)

Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

To describe a case of a recurrent Candida tropicalis otitis externa, media and interna in a dog with an ear polyp. A 9-year-old Irish Setter was presented with 2 episodes of otitis sinistra, left-sided vestibular syndrome and Horner syndrome 7 months apart. At the first episode a benign ear polyp was extracted and Candida tropicalis cultured from the left middle ear. The neurological signs disappeared within 7 days, the Candida infection was more difficult to treat. Seven months later, a polyp was found in the ear again and cytology was consistent with Candida tropicalis . A unilateral left total ear canal ablation with lateral bulla osteotomy was performed and a middle ear culture confirmed Candida tropicalis . Treatment led to resolution of clinical signs. Candida tropicalis , an emerging pathogen, should be considered in cases of recurrent yeast otitis and may be difficult to treat., Competing Interests: The authors confirm that they do not have any conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic equivalence between the follitropin alpha biosimilar and the reference medication in women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies (ART)., Study Design: This multicenter, randomized (1:1), embryologist-blinded, parallel-group, comparative phase III study involved 110 women aged 20-35 years old with tubal and/or male factors of infertility. All of the subjects underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) using a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH-ant) protocol. Over the 5-day fixed-dose regimen, the women received 150 IU/day of follitropin alpha biosimilar (n = 55) or original follitropin alpha (n = 55), followed by dose adaptation. The primary endpoint for assessing the therapeutic equivalence was the number of retrieved oocytes using a pre-determined clinical equivalence margin of ± 3.4 oocytes., Results: Similar numbers of oocytes were retrieved in both groups: 12.16 ± 7.28 in the follitropin alpha biosimilar group and 11.62 ± 6.29 in the original follitropin alpha group, with mean difference of 0.546 ± 1.297 oocytes (95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.026, 3.116), p = 0.002 (intention-to-treat [ITT] population). Additionally, no statistically significant differences were found for secondary endpoints: the onset of biochemical (34.7% and 36.7%, p = 0.883), clinical pregnancy (26.5% and 32.7%, p = 0.507), delivery (26.5% and 24.5%, p = 0.817) and take-home baby rate (28.6% and 26.5%, p = 0.816) for the follitropin biosimilar and original follitropin groups (per-protocol [PP] population). Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome was observed in subjects with a positive pregnancy test in 0% and 3.64% of cases and after triggering ovulation in 7.27% and 3.64% for the follitropin biosimilar and original follitropin groups, respectively., Conclusions: This study demonstrated similar therapeutic equivalence and safety profiles between the follitropin alpha biosimilar and the reference follitropin in women who underwent COH in GnRH-ant cycles., Trial Registration Number: 1. Name of the registry: ClinicalTrials.gov., Trial Registration Number: NCT03088137. Date of registration: 02.03.2017, retrospectively registered. Trial conducted between 08.02.2017 and 17.08.2018, the date of enrollment of the first participant - 08.02.2017. 2. Name of the registry: Russian Ministry of Health, grls.rosminzdrav.ru., Trial Registration Number: RCT 754. Date of registration: 26.10.2016, prospectively registered., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mucous membrane pemphigoid was diagnosed in a 2.5-year-old male intact foxhound-beagle cross which was presented with an acute onset of non-pruritic, multifocal, slowly progressive erosive-ulcerative dermatitis predominantly affecting the nasal planum, eyelids and muzzle with multiple vesicles on the inner pinnae, oral mucosa and tongue. The diagnosis was based on clinical signs and histological examination of skin biopsies. The patient did not respond to immunosuppressive prednisolone therapy, but went into complete remission with oral doxycycline and niacinamide and stayed in remission on long-term exclusive niacinamide treatment., Competing Interests: None of the authors reports a possible conflict of interest., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)