Merging the Worlds of Pets and Pills: Development and Evaluation of an Interprofessional Activity Linking Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine.

Interprofessional education (IPE) is noticeably lacking between pharmacy and veterinary medicine students despite the two health professions overlapping in practice. To address this, an asynchronous IPE activity was developed together with practicing pharmacists and veterinarians. Students worked in groups across two campuses to discuss clinical cases, specifically requiring input from both professions. Students reported they learned more about the two professions' interconnection, felt prepared to interact with the other professionals in the future, and found value in learning from each other. Overall, the results of this study outline a successful pilot IPE activity between veterinary medicine and pharmacy students.

Flexor tenectomy: salvage surgery following feline onychectomy.

OBJECTIVES: Onychectomized cats (Felis catus) with inappropriate elimination behaviors or aggression may be responding to painful paw pathology, even several years after the initial onychectomy. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the onychectomized toes of this population of cats for pain (thorough physical examination and/or buprenorphine trial), pathological changes (using high-resolution radiographs) and response to tenectomy in those with hyperflexion of the proximal interphalangeal joint. METHODS: Cats in this study were previously onychectomized and exhibited inappropriate behaviors (inappropriate elimination, biting), exhibited pain associated with the onychectomy site or had behavioral improvements when put on a 2-week buprenorphine trial. A detailed history was obtained, including verification of proper litter box placement and management. Physical examinations included a close analysis of the onychectomized digits for resistance to extension and pain on palpation. Only cats with a normal urinalysis were included in the study. High-resolution radiographic imaging was performed on all study cats. A total flexor tenectomy was performed on cats with hyperflexion of the proximal interphalangeal joints. RESULTS: All 42 cats included in the study benefited from total flexor tenectomy surgery. Two cats remained biters, even after a long course of analgesic medication. All cats walked more comfortably post-tenectomy surgery. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Onychectomy can lead to pain, inappropriate elimination and aggressive behavior. The presented salvage tenectomy procedure can alleviate or eliminate inappropriate behaviors by reducing the pain from the original onychectomy.

Improvement of Spatial and Non-verbal General Reasoning Abilities in Female Veterinary Medical Students Over the First 64 Weeks of an Integrated Curriculum.

Spatial visualization ability is defined as the ability to mentally rotate two- and three-dimensional figures. Visual reasoning is the ability to manipulate mental images of an object to reach a certain conclusion and has been linked to spatial ability. There is currently limited information about how entry-level spatial and visual reasoning abilities may be enhanced with progression through the rigorous veterinary medical curriculum. The present study made use of two tests that measure spatial ability and one test that measures non-verbal general reasoning ability in female veterinary students: Guay's Visualization of Views Test, Adapted Version (VVT), Mental Rotations Test (MRT), and Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test, short form (APMT). Tests were given immediately before commencing the integrated veterinary medical curriculum (T0), at week 32 (T1), and at week 64 (T2) into the program. Results showed improved spatial visualization ability as measured by VVT and MRT and improved non-verbal general reasoning ability as measured by APMT at both 32 and 64 weeks. The spatial ability scores measured by VVT and MRT showed a positive correlation with non-verbal general reasoning ability scores (APMT), supporting the idea that these abilities are linked.

Use of Examination Wrappers to Direct Student Self-Assessment of Examination Preparation: A Pilot Study.

Metacognition is the act of thinking about one's own thought processes. There are long-term gains in learning among students who are trained to understand how the brain works and how they can control their own learning. Wrappers are short questionnaires provided at or near the time of completion of a lecture, assignment, or assessment to coach the student in thinking through the steps of metacognition (planning, monitoring, and adapting). As students completed the second and third of four examinations in a first-year veterinary anatomy course, they were invited to fill out an examination wrapper that asked them questions about examination preparation, where they felt they had had the most trouble with the examination, and what they might do differently before the next examination. Neither percentage change in scores from the second to the third and from the third to the fourth lecture or laboratory examination nor final grade for the course varied between the group of students who completed an examination wrapper and the group that did not. Students did not appear to change their behavior from one examination to the next. This was most likely because students lacked formal training in metacognition and therefore did not understand the value of completing the examination wrapper or the potential benefits of using their reflections. Future work will describe outcomes when learning objectives specific to metacognition are included in coursework in the veterinary curriculum.

Comparisons of phenotype and immunomodulatory capacity among rhesus bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, multipotent adult progenitor cells, and dermal fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: Potent immunomodulatory effects have been reported for mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs), and fibroblasts. However, side-by-side comparisons of these cells specifically regarding immunophenotype, gene expression, and suppression of proliferation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocyte populations have not been reported. METHODS: We developed MAPC and MSC lines from rhesus macaque bone marrow and fibroblast cell lines from rhesus dermis and assessed phenotypes based upon differentiation potential, flow cytometric analysis of immunophenotype, and quantitative RT-PCR analysis of gene expression. Using allogeneic lymphocyte proliferation assays, we compared the in vitro immunomodulatory potency of each cell type. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Extensive phenotypic similarities exist among each cell type, although immunosuppressive potencies are distinct. MAPCs are most potent, and fibroblasts are the least potent cell type. All three cell types demonstrated immunomodulatory capacity such that each may have potential therapeutic applications such as in organ transplantation, where reduced local immune response is desirable.

Applications of magnetic resonance imaging for cardiac stem cell therapy.

BACKGROUND: The latest generation of interactive cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) scanners has made cardiac interventions with real-time MRI possible. To date, cardiac MRI has been mostly applied to measure myocardial perfusion, viability, and regional function, but now the application of cardiac MRI can be extended to cardiovascular interventions. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the potential of MRI in stem cell therapy for cardiac restoration. METHODS: We have applied MRI to (1) interactively target myocardial injections with a novel stem cell delivery catheter, and to compare gadolinium/blue dye injections to pathology; (2) assess myocardial perfusion with MR first pass imaging in an infarct model treated with stem cell therapy versus control animals; (3) measure regional functional changes using myocardial tissue tagging in the same animals. RESULTS: We were able to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of myocardial injections under MR fluoroscopy. The intramyocardial distribution of the blue dye at necropsy correlated well with the extent of gadolinium, as detected with a three-dimensional inversion recovery MR pulse sequence for late enhancement immediately after contrast injection. Preliminary results show that myocardial perfusion reserve and regional wall motion improved in the stem-cell-treated group, compared to a control group. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that (1) injections into the LV myocardium can be performed under real-time MRI guidance using a directed catheter approach, and (2) regional myocardial perfusion and function, measured with MRI, both improve after stem cell therapy. This ongoing study demonstrates the potential of MRI for image-guided interventions, combined with detailed evaluation of anatomy, function, perfusion, and viability.

Comparison of colloid, thyroid follicular epithelium, and thyroid hormone concentrations in healthy and severely sick dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To compare serum concentrations of total thyroxine (TT4), free thyroxine (fT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), as well as measures of thyroid follicular colloid and epithelium, between groups of healthy dogs and severely sick dogs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS: 61 healthy dogs and 66 severely sick dogs. PROCEDURE: Serum samples were obtained before euthanasia, and both thyroid lobes were removed immediately after euthanasia. Morphometric analyses were performed on each lobe, and serum TT4, fT4, and TSH concentrations were measured. RESULTS: In the sick group, serum TT4 and fT4 concentrations were less than reference range values in 39 (59%) and 21 (32%) dogs, respectively; only 5 (8%) dogs had high TSH concentrations. Mean serum TT4 and fT4 concentrations were significantly lower in the sick group, compared with the healthy group. In the healthy group, a significant negative correlation was found between volume percentage of colloid and TT4 or fT4 concentrations, and a significant positive correlation was found between volume percentage of follicular epithelium and TT4 or fT4 concentrations. A significant negative correlation was observed between volume percentages of colloid and follicular epithelium in both groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: TT4 and fT4 concentrations are frequently less than reference range values in severely sick dogs. Therefore, thyroid status should not be evaluated during severe illness. The absence of any significant differences in mean volume percentages of follicular epithelium between healthy and severely sick dogs suggests that these 2 groups had similar potential for synthesizing and secreting thyroid hormones.