Patterning amyloid-ß aggregation under the effect of acetylcholinesterase using a biological nanopore - an in vitro study.

Aggregation of amyloid-ß peptide (Aß) is hypothesized to be the primary cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. Aß aggregation has been widely studied using conventional sensing tools like emission fluorescence, electron microscopy, mass spectroscopy, and circular dichroism. However, none of these techniques can provide cost-efficient, highly sensitive quantification of Aß aggregation kinetics at the molecular level. Among the influences on Aß aggregation of interest to disease progression is the acceleration of Aß aggregation by acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which is present in the brain and inflicts the fast progression of disease due to its direct interaction with Aß. In this work, we demonstrate the ability of a biological nanopore to map and quantify AChE accelerated aggregation of Aß monomers to mixed oligomers and small soluble aggregates with single-molecule precision. This method will allow future work on testing direct and indirect effects of therapeutic drugs on AChE accelerated Aß aggregation as well as disease prognosis.

Understanding the Motivations of Foster Caregivers at Animal Shelters.

Foster care programs in animal shelters have been shown to benefit animals and shelters, but little is known about what motivates foster caregivers to volunteer. This cross-sectional study explored the motivations and expectations of 131 foster caregivers from five shelters within the United States who completed a pre-foster survey between March 2022 and March 2023. The most common motivations were animal- or community-based, such as the desire to provide an animal with love or do something positive for the community. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to investigate associations between caregivers' motivations and their prior foster experience, pet ownership history, age, gender, and foster animal species. The 18- to 29-year-old caregivers were most likely to expect companionship (OR 5.18, 95% CI 1.79-15.04), emotional support (OR 4.25, 95% CI 1.40-12.89), and to meet other community members through fostering (OR 5.04, 95% CI 1.85-13.74). Male caregivers were less likely to foster for emotional support than females (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.03-0.48), while dog caregivers (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.04-4.76) and non-pet-owners (OR 2.66, 95% CI 1.17-6.05) had greater odds of expecting companionship. This study highlights the importance of animal- and community-related benefits for foster caregivers and provides useful direction for shelters wanting to increase recruitment to expand their foster care programs.

Human in vitro blood barrier models: architectures and applications.

Blood barriers serve as key points of transport for essential molecules as well as lines of defense to protect against toxins. In vitro modeling of these barriers is common practice in the study of their physiology and related diseases. This review describes a common method of using an adaptable, low cost, semipermeable, suspended membrane to experimentally model three blood barriers in the human body: the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the gut-blood barrier (GBB), and the air-blood barrier (ABB). The GBB and ABB both protect from the outside environment, while the BBB protects the central nervous system from potential neurotoxic agents in the blood. These barriers share several commonalities, including the formation of tight junctions, polarized cellular monolayers, and circulatory system contact. Cell architectures used to mimic barrier anatomy as well as applications to study function, dysfunction, and response provide an overview of the versatility enabled by these cultural systems.

A Survey of Veterinary Student and Veterinarian Perceptions of Shelter Medicine Employment.

Shelter medicine appears to be popular among prospective veterinarians, but there is a shortage of veterinarians entering the field to fill available positions. The reasons for this discordance are not well understand. This study describes veterinary students' interest in shelter medicine, their perceptions of common duties, and their perceptions of employment attributes in shelter medicine, compared with those of current veterinarians. The sample included 146 first-year students, 155 final-year students, and 221 veterinarians who self-completed an online survey between September 2020 and March 2021. We found high levels of interest in shelter medicine, with 40% of first- and 43% of final-year students indicating they were likely to consider working in shelter medicine. Outreach clinics (84% of first-year students, 86% of final-year students), access-to-care clinics (82%, 83%), and loan forgiveness programs (75%, 64%) encouraged many veterinary students to consider working in shelter medicine. The risk of compassion fatigue, burnout, and stress (70%, 68%); weekend work (51%, 59%); euthanasia decision making (49%, 47%); euthanasia (43%, 41%); and expected salaries of shelter veterinarians (39%, 37%) acted as deterrents. Kruskal-Wallis H tests revealed students reported more positive ratings than veterinarians for most shelter medicine duties and employment characteristics, with moderate to strong consensus within groups. Little difference appeared between first- and final-year students. This study highlights target areas for animal shelters to boost recruitment of newly graduated veterinarians. Increasing veterinary students' exposure to shelter medicine throughout their veterinary training may also help address their concerns regarding euthanasia, salary, and quality of care.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis among Shelter-Housed Felines in a Philadelphia Suburb.

Members of the Felidae family are the definitive host of the ubiquitous zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Few studies have been conducted to determine the epidemiology of T. gondii in domestic felines within animal shelter populations. The goal of this study was to assess seroprevalence in a limited-admission shelter in the greater Philadelphia area. Serum samples were collected from cats at a shelter in Media, Pennsylvania during the summer of 2018 to assess the proportion of the population that was IgM or IgG seropositive for antibodies against T. gondii, using a commercially available ELISA. Out of the 84 cats that were sampled, 24 cats were seropositive, giving a population prevalence of 28.6%. Nine cats were seropositive for IgM, nine were seropositive for IgG, and six were seropositive for both IgM and IgG. Based on our data, we found that a large percentage of this population was seronegative. Although the sample size in this study was limited and prevented us from obtaining statistically significant results, this research can serve as a pilot study for further investigations into the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis among shelter-housed felines.

A Pilot Study Examining the Experience of Veterinary Telehealth in an Underserved Population Through a University Program Integrating Veterinary Students.

Cost and transportation are two commonly cited barriers to accessing health care in both human and veterinary medicine within underserved communities. While human medicine has utilized telehealth as a means of breaking down this barrier, limited research exists to describe its use in veterinary medicine. The Pets for Life (PFL) program has partnered with the Penn Vet Shelter Medicine Program to provide veterinary appointments to clients, at no cost to the client, in underserved zip codes through virtual telehealth visits. These visits incorporated veterinary students as part of their clinical rotations through a service learning based model. Between January and August 2021, 31 PFL clients and nine veterinary students completed surveys to describe the role of telehealth in addressing barriers to accessing veterinary care, their perceptions of telehealth appointments, the human-animal bond, and changes in veterinary student empathy. PFL clients completed the survey immediately following their telehealth appointment, and veterinary students completed surveys prior to and following their participation in the PFL appointments during the rotation. Nearly 25% of clients reported that they would not have been able to secure transportation and 58% reported they would not have been able to afford an appointment at an in-person veterinary clinic. The population of clients who responded that cost was a significant barrier to accessing care did not entirely overlap with those who responded that transportation was a significant barrier to accessing care, indicating support for the use of telehealth in providing an alternative modality to address transportation challenges as a barrier to accessing veterinary care. Additional data suggests that both client and student experience was overwhelmingly positive, providing support for further service learning initiatives in veterinary student education. Further research is warranted to continue to assess the emerging role of telehealth in improving veterinary care for underserved communities.

Returning a Shelter Dog: The Role of Owner Expectations and Dog Behavior.

Millions of animals are adopted from animal shelters in the United States each year, although some are returned post-adoption, which can decrease both the animals' chances of future adoptions and the owners' willingness to adopt again. In this study, we investigated the impact of adopter expectations for ownership and animal behavioral problems on post-adoptive dog returns at a large animal shelter in South Carolina. Between June-September 2021, 132 dog adopters completed a survey about their expectations for ownership through Qualtrics. Twenty-nine adopters returned their dogs to the shelter within three months of adoption, with a median length of ownership of eight days. Owners completed follow-up questionnaires about their perceptions of adoption and dog behavior at two days, two weeks, and four months post-adoption. Categorical principal component analysis revealed three factors pertaining to adopters' expectations for ownership. Independent t-tests showed returning owners had significantly higher expectations for dog behavior and health (t = -2.32, p = 0.02) and the human-dog bond compared with non-returning owners (t = -2.36, p = 0.02). Expectations for ownership responsibilities did not differ between the groups. Two-thirds of adopters experienced dog behavioral problems post-adoption, although training difficulty decreased significantly between two days and four months (F = 5.22, p = 0.01) and nonsocial fear decreased between two weeks and four months post-adoption (X2 = 10.17, p = 0.01). Shelters may benefit from utilizing adoption counselling to ensure adopters understand the potential for dog behavioral problems in the early stages of ownership and develop appropriate expectations for the human-dog relationship. Post-adoption behavioral support may also help some owners to overcome behavioral difficulties as their dogs adapt to the new environment.

Pet Owners' Perceptions of COVID-19, Zoonotic Disease, and Veterinary Medicine: The Impact of Demographic Characteristics.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of sociodemographic characteristics on pet owners' concern about the transmission of zoonotic disease and SARS-CoV-2, and to describe owners' perceptions of veterinarians and physicians as resources for zoonoses information. Between September and October 2020, 1154 individuals completed an online survey via Qualtrics. Binary logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between owner demographics and perceptions of zoonoses and SARS-CoV-2. Most participants were minimally concerned about their pets contracting or transmitting zoonotic diseases or SARS-CoV-2, although perceptions of risk differed based on age, race, and education. Older participants were typically less concerned about the transmission of zoonotic diseases and SARS-CoV-2. Considering where participants obtained information about zoonoses, pet owners were more likely to contact their veterinarian for advice (43%) than their physician (17%). However, 17% of pet owners struggled to access veterinary care, and 51% said their access to veterinary care had become more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings highlight a need for further education about zoonoses and SARS-CoV-2, and suggest veterinarians may play a key role in these communications. The results also emphasize the need to address access to care issues in veterinary medicine.

A Qualitative Analysis of Clinical Year Veterinary Student Journal Entries for a Shelter Medicine Rotation.

Veterinary medical schools are tasked with not only providing experiences necessary to graduate veterinarians proficient in the skills and knowledge used most frequently in private practice, but also develop expertise in animal behavior, welfare, ethics, veterinary forensics, and cultural competency. Integrating all these knowledge areas into the curriculum can be challenging. Shelter medicine is increasingly identified by educators as an optimal learning environment to offer exposure to these topics. It can not only meet learning objectives in veterinary medical curriculum, but also provide students with authentic learning experiences to engage in and gain a deeper understanding of cultural humility, implicit bias, diversity, and inclusion. This includes documentation of international learning outcomes for shelter medicine in veterinary medical curriculum. There have been no studies evaluating authentic learning experiences specific to shelter medicine programs and their impacts on students. The aim of this study was to determine the individual activities and thematic categories on which veterinary students chose to reflect on and their potential impacts during a clinical rotation in shelter medicine at Penn Vet through qualitative content analysis of their journal entries. In our study, students found experiences on the shelter medicine rotation to be beneficial to their growth as a future veterinarian, provided them with takeaways that they found applicable and practical, helped them self-identify knowledge gaps, and changed their perspectives on several important topics related to collective human and animal welfare. These results speak to the value perceived by students of the rotation and suggest an authentic learning experience through a shelter medicine program can help cultivate more practice-ready and culturally competent veterinary graduates.

One Health clinic promotes veterinarian-client trust among underserved pet owners and provides learning opportunities for veterinary students.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of a free One Health clinic with human and veterinary services on the veterinary-client relationship for underserved pet owners. A secondary aim was to understand the experience of veterinary students and volunteers who participated in the clinic. SAMPLE: 78 pet owners, 55 students and 32 volunteers who attended the Delaware Humane Association One Health Clinic between December 2018 and November 2019. PROCEDURES: Pet owners completed an anonymous questionnaire prior to and following their veterinary appointment regarding their trust in the veterinary profession, feelings of enablement and veterinarian-client concordance. Students and volunteers completed a questionnaire within 72 hours of clinic participation about their perceptions of the educational value of the clinic. RESULTS: Following the One Health clinic, client trust in the veterinary profession increased significantly (t = -5.50, P < 0.001). Clients also reported high levels of enablement and veterinarian-client concordance. Students and volunteers agreed the clinic was a valuable educational experience (97.7%) and reported increased compassion, enhanced leadership, communication and teamwork skills, and an improved ability to identify social issues and think critically. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results support the utilization of One Health clinics to improve access to veterinary care for underserved pet owners. Clients reported high levels of trust, enablement and concordance following the clinic which could have long-lasting effects on their willingness to seek veterinary care and comply with veterinarians' recommendations. The positive experiences of students and volunteers also highlights the potential of low-cost veterinary clinics as unique educational experiences.

The impact of returning a pet to the shelter on future animal adoptions.

Unsuccessful animal adoptions are stressful for many owners and may reduce their willingness to adopt again. The goal of this study was to determine the proportion of return owners who adopted post-return and investigate return characteristics that affected the likelihood of post-return adoption. We analyzed adoption records from a South Carolina animal shelter between 2015 and 2019 (n = 1999) using a logistic regression model including post-return adoption (binary) and return reason, species, animal sex and age. We found one in 10 individuals adopted from the shelter within 12 months of return, and post-return adoption was associated with return reason and species. Returns due to owner-related reasons, such as the owner's health (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.07, 0.57) or unrealistic expectations (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.19, 0.94) were associated with significantly lower odds of post-return adoption. Owners who returned due to the animal's health exhibited four times greater odds of post-return adoption compared with behavioral returns (OR 4.20, 95% CI 2.37, 7.45). Our findings highlight the value of ensuring adopters' expectations are aligned with the reality of ownership and minimizing adopter-animal behavioral incompatibility as unsuccessful animal adoptions can reduce the owner's willingness to adopt again and may affect the adopter's relationship with the shelter.

A Retrospective Analysis of Pre-/Post-Test Scores of Students Participating in Online Asynchronous Shelter Surgery Coursework.

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine first offered the elective Student Shelter Opportunities I (SSOI) course in 2016 to provide pre-clinical students with an opportunity to engage with shelter medicine and high-quality, high-volume surgery (HQHVS) concepts. The course utilized online asynchronous coursework to deliver content that was completed on a self-guided timeline by students. With most of the veterinary medical curriculum delivered in a traditional classroom format, it is important to assess learning in this unique course format. There is also limited information on educational experiences in online shelter medicine coursework. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate student learning in the asynchronous online portion of the SSOI elective course using paired pre- and post-test scores from a multiple-choice type assessment. The study investigated how students' pre-test and post-test scores compared and whether time to completion of material influenced student assessment performance. Paired assessments from 400 students were analyzed, and a statistically significant increase was found in post-test scores compared to pre-test following completion of the online coursework (p < .001). There was no significant difference in the mean change in score from pre-test to post-test for students who completed the online course material in 30 days or less compared to those who completed it in greater than 30 days. This study's findings support online asynchronous learning as an effective option to teach veterinary students and can be considered in the development of veterinary coursework, including for curricular adjustments to increase online learning during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Behavior Education and Intervention Program at a Small Shelter I. Effect on Behavior Knowledge and Safety.

Behavior knowledge is a critical component of shelter staff and volunteer training. Canine behavior knowledge was assessed at a small shelter before and after a six-month program of educational seminars and real-time case interventions for staff and volunteers. Participants were asked to complete surveys assessing their knowledge of body language, motivation, and training methodology, as well as rank their own comfort with these topics. Staff and volunteers who participated in the program and interacted with the dogs were compared to board members (who do not interact with the dogs) and feline-only volunteers. Prior to the program, both groups demonstrated poor scores and self-assessments did not correlate with knowledge scores. Those who participated in the program were more likely to be high performers on the post-program survey, odds ratio: 1.594 (95%CI 1.10-2.137) p = 0.002. Psychometric evaluation of the survey answers themselves illustrated gaps in behavior knowledge in shelter members and suggests that both seminar and case interventions can improve this. Formalized behavior education and measurement of behavior knowledge may facilitate the mission of shelters and safety there-in.

Shelter Medicine Sustainability from an Academic Perspective: Challenges and Issues.

A meeting of veterinary school faculty and partners, many associated with shelter medicine, and/or community medicine programming, was convened at the 2019 Shelter Medicine Veterinary Educators Conference in Pullman, WA to discuss challenges with shelter medicine program sustainability and defining the future. The discussion was facilitated by an outside consultant and is summarized in this manuscript. The goal of the meeting was to identify challenges and issues concerning the needs and goals for shelter medicine curricula to have long-term success in academic training. Four themes were identified in the transcripts including external pressure from leadership and other stakeholders, funder expectations, time horizons, and perceptions of shelters and shelter veterinarians. Addressing these challenges will be critical to ensuring stability in academic training in shelter medicine, a critical tool for both learning outcomes for general graduates and specific for veterinarians pursuing shelter medicine as a career.

Relinquishing Owners Underestimate Their Dog's Behavioral Problems: Deception or Lack of Knowledge?

Undesirable behavior is a leading cause of canine relinquishment. Relinquishing owners could provide valuable information about their dog's behavior, although the reliability of their reports has been questioned by the sheltering community. This study aimed to investigate (a) whether relinquishing owners' reports of dog behavior differed based on the behavioral screening method; (b) whether relinquishing owners' reports were impacted by the confidentiality of their responses; and (c) whether relinquishing and non-relinquishing owners perceived the behavior of their dogs differently. The sample included 427 relinquished dogs from three animal shelters and 427 pet dogs, matched for sex and breed. Owners responded to a direct question about whether they were experiencing problems with their dog's behavior and completed the mini C-BARQ which includes 42 questions about the frequency and severity of specific canine behaviors in various circumstances. More than two-thirds (69.3%) of relinquishing owners indicated they were not experiencing problems with their dog's behavior when asked directly, compared with only 34.5% of pet owners. Yet, relinquished dogs had significantly higher (less desirable) scores than pet dogs across most C-BARQ scales. The disparity between C-BARQ scores and the single, direct question does not appear to be the result of deliberately biased reporting by relinquishing owners as the perceived confidentiality (or lack thereof) did not affect their responses (X 2 = 1.44, p = 0.97). It is possible that relinquishing owners had less understanding of dog behavior and did not recognize behavior problems as a problem. Our findings support the use of standardized behavioral questionnaires, such as the mini C-BARQ, to collect behavioral information from owners at the time of relinquishment and highlight opportunities for animal shelters to reduce relinquishment by assisting owners to recognize and manage behavioral problems.

Workplace Relations and Opportunities for Career Development Impact the Retention of Veterinarians in Shelter Medicine.

Shelter medicine has grown considerably over recent years with many shelters hiring veterinarians for the first time or expanding their veterinary teams. As a result, there is a dearth of shelter veterinarians and retention has become a key concern for the field. The goal of this study was to describe veterinarians' perceptions of shelter medicine, and their feelings of job satisfaction, loneliness, and professional fulfillment. The sample included 52 shelter veterinarians, 39 previous shelter veterinarians and 130 non-shelter veterinarians (n = 221) who each completed an online survey. Current and previous shelter veterinarians had comparable perceptions regarding the appeal of most shelter medicine duties, although there were differences in the duties they performed within their job. More current shelter veterinarians participated in population management, policy development, administrative duties, and decision-making for individual patients (euthanasia, treatment, and adoptability). Considering other employment attributes, we found previous shelter veterinarians had lower mean rankings than current and non-shelter veterinarians regarding their interactions with administrative staff, ability to be part of a multiple veterinarian team and the availability of mentorship. Loneliness and professional fulfillment were mostly comparable between the groups, although previous shelter veterinarians were more likely to report they felt unhappy (X 2 = 16.60, p = 0.02) and left out at work (X 2 = 12.43, p = 0.02). Our findings suggest veterinarians who participate in decision-making for patients and shelter management procedures may be more willing to continue working in shelter medicine. Animal shelters should also employ strategies to improve workplace relationships and offer career development opportunities to improve job satisfaction and retention of veterinarians within the field.

Animal Shelters' Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Survey of 14 Shelters in the Northeastern United States.

Anecdotal reports indicate that many animal shelters experienced increased adoption and foster care rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet peer-reviewed evidence is lacking. In this pilot survey of 14 animal shelters in the Northeastern United States, we aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on animal intakes, foster care and five outcome types and describe operational changes reported by shelters in response to COVID-19. Paired sample t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare intake, adoption, euthanasia and foster care rates and numbers between March-June 2019 and 2020. The number of dogs and cats that entered shelters was significantly lower during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the same months of 2019 (t = 3.41, p = 0.01, t = 2.69, p = 0.02). Although the overall rate of adoption and euthanasia did not differ, the numbers adopted and euthanized decreased significantly for both dogs and cats, reflecting the significantly decreased intake. We also found significant variability between shelters. During the pandemic, several shelters sought to expand their foster care networks through operational changes (n = 6) and statements made to the public (n = 7). However, the proportion of dogs and cats housed in foster care did not differ between March-June 2019 and 2020 in our sample. Our findings offer preliminary insights regarding the impact of a worldwide pandemic on the functioning of animal shelters.

Educational Research Report Development of International Learning Outcomes for Shelter Medicine in Veterinary Education: A Delphi Approach.

Shelter medicine is a veterinary discipline of growing importance. Formally accepted as a clinical specialty in the US in 2014, the practice of shelter medicine worldwide is expanding. As a topic in veterinary pre-registration (undergraduate) education, it is frequently used as an opportunity to teach primary care skills, but increasingly recognized as a subject worthy of teaching in its own right. The aim of this study was to use a Delphi consensus methodology to identify learning outcomes relevant to shelter medicine education. Shelter medicine educators worldwide in a variety of settings, including universities, non-governmental organizations and shelters were invited to participate. Participants were initially invited to share shelter medicine teaching materials. These were synthesized and formatted into Learning Outcomes (LOs) based on Bloom's taxonomy and organized into five subject-specific domains. Participants were then asked to develop and evaluate the identified LOs in two rounds of online surveys. Consensus was determined at > 80% of panelists selecting "agree" or "strongly agree" in response to the statement "please indicate whether you would advise that it should be included in a shelter medicine education program" for each LO. In the second survey, where re-wording of accepted LOs was suggested, preference was determined at > 50% agreement. Through this method, 102 agreed LOs have been identified and refined. These LOs, as well as those which did not reach consensus, are presented here. These are intended for use by shelter medicine educators worldwide, to enable and encourage the further development of this important veterinary discipline.