Maternal responsiveness to infant crying

Colic is a disorder in which an infant has episodes of uncontrollable crying, which often occurs at a predictable times of day or night. The aim of this work is to determine the frequency rate of various calming technique, and how mothers soothed their crying infants. Four hundred twenty one mothers with infants of six months old or below were recruited in this study in Hilla city. A questionnaire comprise on the gender of the baby, mother age and her education level [measured on a scale of 0-6 from illiterate, to postgraduate training], and asking about 21 calming methods of how the mothers soothed her crying baby. It was completed though direct interview of the mothers. Data were analyzed using the statistical package SPSS [version 15.0]. The most common quieting technique used by mothers was holding and carrying the infant [93.1%]. The other common techniques were infant rocking [91.7%], abdominal massage [87.9%], taking to bed [87.2%], administer breast feeding [68.4%], swaddling infant [64.6%], prone sleeping position [64.1%], music [62.5%], night bottle [53.7%], bathing [51.1%], and around one third [36.1%] of mothers preferred to use pacifier. Herbs were used as a remedy for soothing crying infants in [16.4%]. Pain killer was used by 33% of mothers to quiet their babies. Forty six mothers and another 11 mothers had used smothering and slapping of their infants as calming techniques respectively. There was a clear effect of cultural differences in the selection of calming technique. A potentially injurious method for calming infants such as slapping, and smothering was reported in this study

Alterações morfológicas de tecido laminar do casco e parâmetros clínicos e laboratoriais de equinos com síndrome cólica letal / Morphologic alterations of the hoof lamellar tissue, and clinic and laboratorial analyses of horses with lethal colic syndrome

As afecções gastrintestinais dos cavalos são agravadas por complicações como a laminite, cuja etiopatogenia está relacionada à degradação da membrana basal do tecido laminar por metaloproteinases (MMPs). A ativação das MMPs pode ocorrer devido à liberação local de citocinas inflamatórias ou enzimas provenientes de leucócitos infiltrados no tecido laminar. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as alterações morfológicas do tecido laminar de equinos com síndrome cólica letal e sua provável associação com parâmetros clínicos e laboratoriais. Observou-se intensa destruição da arquitetura laminar, principalmente nos animais com alterações físicas e laboratoriais mais acentuadas, como tempo de preenchimento capilar prolongado (TPC), membranas mucosas congestas, taquicardia, hemoconcentração e redução nas contagens de plaquetas e leucócitos. Os resultados sinalizam o provável momento do desenvolvimento de lesões do tecido laminar em equinos com síndrome cólica, no qual é possível adotar medidas preventivas contra a laminite.

The gastrointestinal diseases of horses are aggravated by complications such as laminitis. The laminitis etiopathogeny are connected with lamellar basement membrane degradation by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Inflammatory cytokines and leukocytes enzymes can active MMPs. The object of this study was to evaluate morphological changes on lamellar tissue of horses with colic syndrome and its association with clinical and laboratorial parameters. It was observed intensive destruction of lamellar architecture, mainly on animals with severe physical and laboratorial alterations, such as delayed capillary refill time, congested mucous membrane, tachycardia, hemoconcentration and low count of platelet and leukocytes. The results sign to the most likely moment of development of lamellar tissue injuries in horses with colic syndrome, which can be adopted preventive measures against laminitis.

Cholelithiasis associated with recurrent colic in a Thoroughbred mare

A 13-year-old Thoroughbred mare, retired from race, was admitted to Equine Hospital, Korea Racing Association with signs of colic. One and a half months following the previous treatment (second time) and 11 days following her previous discharge (third time), the mare repeatedly exhibited signs of colic and finally along with icteric eyes. Routine medical treatment with intravenous fluids, analgesics resulted in resolution of signs of colic in the first and second admission. The condition of the mare did not improve in the third admission despite over one month supportive treatment and she was subject to euthanasia at the request of the owner on the thirtyeighth day of hospitalization (95 days from her first admission). The clinical signs (fever, icterus, mild intermittent colic) in conjunction with clinical laboratory findings (leukocytosis, elevations of serum total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl transferase, creatine phosphokinase, lactic dehydrogenase and blood fibrinogen indicative of obstructive biliary disease) in this mare suggested possible chlolelithiasis. However, liver enzymes and bilirubin estimations are often not part of routine screening in emergency colic cases. At necropsy, multiple dark brown choleliths of various sizes obstructing hepatopancreatic ampulla were found in the hepatic duct. The choleliths were found as large as 3-5 cm in diameter, faceted to each other, dark brown in color and showed soap consistency. Histopathologic findings revealed: biliary fibrosis, plugging of the bile canaliculi with bile pigments, cholangiohepatitis and pigmentation of the hepatic lymph node with bile pigment laden macrophages. Although definitive diagnosis of cholelithiasis might be challenging, clinicians should consider this condition in the differential diagnosis of recurrent colic.