Emphysematous pyometra and emphysematous hepatitis caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae infection in a diabetic dog.

A 14-year-old intact female diabetic dog presented with seizures and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome. Radiographs revealed gas-filled tubular structures in the right and left caudal abdomen, raising concerns of emphysematous pyometra or small intestinal ileus. Ultrasonography played a pivotal role in confirming emphysematous pyometra, a technique previously documented only once in veterinary practice. This report also presents the first documented case of emphysematous pyometra in a diabetic dog attributed to Klebsiella pneumoniae and complicated by emphysematous hepatitis.

Effect of Honey, Coenzyme Q10, and ß-Carotene/α-Tocopherol as Novel Additives in Rabbit-Sperm Cryopreservation Extender.

The effectiveness of rabbit-sperm cryopreservation is still below average compared to other domestic species. After the sperm cryopreservation process, post-thawing parameters like motility and membrane integrity are significantly compromised. The use of new extender constituents is an approach that can be used to improve the effectiveness of cryopreservation. Accordingly, we used honey (1.25, 2.5, 5, and 10%), coenzyme Q10 (100 and 200 µM), and ß-carotene/α-tocopherol (500 µM/620 µM and 250 µM/310 µM) as candidate components for rabbit-sperm extenders during cryopreservation. Ejaculates from commercial adult rabbit bucks (n = 5) were cryopreserved using conventional freezing. Several post-thawing sperm parameters were assessed, including total motility, membrane integrity, viability, nuclear membrane integrity, acrosome reaction, and mitochondrial membrane potential and activation. Additionally, we performed hormonal analyses of the seminal plasma. Moreover, we analyzed the post-thawing levels of a molecular marker of sperm quality, proAKAP4, which was used in rabbits for the first time. Our findings showed that the 2.5% honey supplementation increased the post-thawing sperm motility (13.75 ± 3.75%) compared to the greater concentrations employed. However, the post-thawing motility was negatively affected by the coenzyme Q10 (0%, in both groups) but was not affected by the ß-carotene/α-tocopherol supplementation (22 ± 18.15%, and 11.67 ± 10.17%). In conclusion, the cryopreservation protocols of this study did not help to maintain the sperm parameters after thawing. Further studies are required to identify novel protocols to mitigate the damage caused to rabbit sperm during cryopreservation.

Needle tract seeding and malignant transformation of hepatocellular adenoma into well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma in a dog.

An 11-year-old neutered female Golden Retriever was referred for investigation of marked increases in liver enzyme activities. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a large pedunculated liver mass. Diagnosis of hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) was made when the mass was excised after a first unsuccessful attempt through ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy. One and a half years after presentation, a nodule embedded between muscles of the abdominal wall appeared. The mass was first diagnosed as a well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through cytologic examination, which was later confirmed with histopathology. Ki 67 immunostaining of the abdominal wall nodule showed an increased immunoreactivity compared with the liver mass. Therefore, the present case documents the first needle-tract seeding of a hepatocellular epithelial tumor with possible malignant transformation of HCA into a well-differentiated HCC in a dog.

'My biggest fear is that people will forget about him': Mothers' emotional transitions after terminating their pregnancy for medical reasons.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore women's emotional responses throughout the process of terminating a pregnancy for medical reasons. BACKGROUND: Making the choice to terminate a desired pregnancy for medical reasons has a negative impact on women's health, as it is a distressing process that involves making hard decisions and readjusting one's expectations of an idealised pregnancy. METHODS: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted following the COREQ checklist. Fifteen semi-structured interviews and two focus groups were conducted with women who had terminated their pregnancies for medical reasons, previous to and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Subsequently, we analysed the content. RESULTS: One main category, emotional journey during the process of terminating the pregnancy, and six subcategories were identified: (I) representation and desire to become a mother, (II) main concerns, (III) impact of the news, (IV) decision-making, (V) emotional responses before termination for medical reasons and (VI) emotional responses after termination for medical reasons. All contributed to understanding the specificities of the different phases that make up the emotional journey of terminating a pregnancy for medical reasons. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that there are a number of predominant emotions that professionals need to be aware of in order to help women work through them and lessen the impact of pregnancy termination on their mental health. COVID-19 had different connotations depending on the women's experiences. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Our results highlight how important the role of healthcare staff is in caring for these women and their partners, which involves recognising their emotions throughout the process. Our results also underline how useful it is to conduct qualitative studies in this context, since they constitute a set of activities and interventions that result in the administration of nursing care in itself. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The ultimate goal of the action research study is to design a positive mental health intervention. Participants will contribute to the design and final approval of the intervention.

Validation and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the questionnaire for assessing the childbirth experience (QACE).

OBJECTIVE: When evaluating childbirth experience, some of the factors considered by women include their previous births experience, pain management during birth, and companion and healthcare professional support received. The objective of this paper is to validate the Questionnaire for Assessing the Childbirth Experience (QACE) into the Spanish population by assessing its psychometric properties. METHODS: Due to the differences between the Spanish and English languages, a careful translation process was the first step to making the QACE useable to Spanish speaking cohorts, once thoroughly translated their conceptual equivalence was evaluated by a group of experts and tested later via interviews with postpartum women for comprehensibility evaluation. Secondly, the validation process was obtained throughout the factorial analysis, internal consistency, test-retest evaluation and convergent and discriminant validity. RESULTS: A total of 268 postpartum women participated in the validity study. The KMO (0.84) and Bartlett test (p < 0.001) confirmed the adequacy of factor analysis and the Screen plot showed four factors with the predictive power of 52.63%, which supported total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an adequate/good fitness for the new model (χ2/df = 1.47, GFI = 0.979, RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.889, NFI = 0.727, NNFI = 0.873, and SRMR = 0.155). Internal consistency was confirmed with McDonal's Omega level of 0.818. Test-retest evaluation supported test stability (r = 0.79, p < 0.01). Convergent and discriminant validity were obtained with 0.803 and 0.475 Pearson coefficients respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of QACE is a relevant tool for measuring childbirth experience into the Spanish context with acceptable validity and stability.