Prevalence of enteropathogens in cats with and without diarrhea in four different management models for unowned cats in the southeast United States.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of enteropathogens in cats with and without diarrhea in four different models for managing unowned cats: short-term animal shelter, long-term sanctuary, home-based foster care, and trap-neuter-return. Fecal samples from 482 cats, approximately half of the cats with normal fecal consistency and half with diarrhea, were tested by zinc sulfate centrifugation and by real-time PCR for a panel of enteropathogens. At least one enteropathogen of feline or zoonotic importance was detected in a majority of cats, regardless of management model. For most enteropathogens, the presence or absence of diarrhea was not significantly associated with infection, the exceptions being Tritrichomonas foetus in sanctuary cats with diarrhea (26%) and normal fecal consistency (10%), respectively (P≤0.04), and feline coronavirus in foster cats (80% and 58%) (P≤0.001). The types of enteropathogens detected were related to the type of management model, e.g., viral and protozoal infections were most common in shelters, sanctuaries, and foster homes (confinement systems), whereas helminth infections were most common in trap-neuter-return programs (free-roaming cats). These results suggest that management practices for unowned cats are inadequate for control of enteropathogens and that the presence of diarrhea is a poor indicator of enteropathogen carriage. Risk-management strategies to reduce transmission to people and other animals should focus on sanitation, housing, compliance with preventive care guidelines, periodic surveillance, response to specific enteropathogens, humane population management of free-roaming community cats, public health education, and minimizing the duration and number of cats in mass confinement.

Prevalence of upper respiratory pathogens in four management models for unowned cats in the Southeast United States.

Upper respiratory infection (URI) is a pervasive problem in cats and impacts the capacity and cost of sheltering programs. This study determined the pattern of respiratory pathogens in cats with and without clinical signs of URI in four different models for managing unowned cats, namely, (1) short-term animal shelters (STS), (2) long-term sanctuaries (LTS), (3) home-based foster care programs (FCP), and (4) trap-neuter-return programs for community cats (TNR). Conjunctival and oropharyngeal swabs from 543 cats, approximately half of which showed clinical signs of URI, were tested for feline herpes virus-1 (FHV), feline calicivirus (FCV), Chlamydia felis, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Mycoplasma felis, and canine influenza virus by real-time PCR. FHV (59%, 41%) and B. bronchiseptica (33%, 24%) were more prevalent in both clinically affected and nonclinical cats, respectively, in STS than other management models. FCV (67%, 51%) and M. felis (84%, 86%) were more prevalent in LTS than any other management model. Clinically affected cats in FCP were more likely to carry FHV (23%, 6%), C. felis (24%, 10%), or M. felis (58%, 38%) than were nonclinical cats. Clinically affected cats in TNR were more likely to carry FCV (55%, 36%) or C. felis (23%, 4%) than were nonclinical cats. The prevalence of individual pathogens varied between different management models, but the majority of the cats in each model carried one or more respiratory pathogens regardless of clinical signs. Both confined and free-roaming cats are at risk of developing infectious respiratory disease and their health should be protected by strategic vaccination, appropriate antibiotic therapy, effective biosecurity, feline stress mitigation, and alternatives to high-density confinement.

A randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study of ginger extracts and ibuprofen in osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Alternative medicine is used extensively by patients with chronic pain due to e.g., osteoarthritis. Only few of these drugs have be tested in a controlled setting and the present study was undertaken to examine the effect of ginger extract, one of the most popular herbal medications. DESIGN: Ginger extract was compared to placebo and Ibuprofen in patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee in a controlled, double blind, double dummy, cross-over study with a wash-out period of one week followed by three treatment periods in a randomized sequence, each of three weeks duration. Acetaminophen was used as rescue medication throughout the study. The study was conducted in accordance with Good Clinical Practice (European Guideline for GCP). RESULTS: A ranking of efficacy of the three treatment periods: Ibuprofen>ginger extract>placebo was found for visual analogue scale of pain (Friedman test: 24.65, P< 0.00001) and the Lequesne-index (Friedman test: 20.76, P< 0.00005). In the cross-over study, no significant difference between placebo and ginger extract could be demonstrated (Siegel-Castellan test), while explorative tests of differences in the first treatment period showed a better effect of both Ibuprofen and ginger extract than placebo (Chi-square, P< 0.05). There were no serious adverse events reported during the periods with active medications. CONCLUSION: In the present study a statistically significant effect of ginger extract could only be demonstrated by explorative statistical methods in the first period of treatment before cross-over, while a significant difference was not observed in the study as a whole.

Enteric-coated and plain naproxen tablets in osteoarthritis; tolerability and efficacy.

The aim of this 8 week study, was to compare the tolerability and efficacy of enteric-coated (ECT) and plain naproxen tablets (PT). Ninety eight patients (mean age 66 years) with osteoarthritis were included in a randomized, multi-centre, double-blind, cross-over study. Response variables were monitored at 2 week intervals for the duration of the study. Sixteen patients withdrew from the study, eight because of gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (ECT 5, PT3). There was no significant difference in patients preference. Eighteen patients reported GI adverse events only on PT compared to 9 on ECT (n.s.). In the first treatment period the severity of adverse events was significantly less on ECT (P = 0.015). Both enteric-coated and plain naproxen tablets were effective and well tolerated. In conclusion, the study did not show any clinical significant difference in tolerability or efficacy between the formulations in osteoarthritis of the knee and/or the hip, although some of the variables did show statistical significant difference or tendency in favour of the enteric coated tablets.

Naproxen and aspirin in acute musculoskeletal disorders: a double-blind, parallel study in patients with sports injuries.

Seventy-nine patients with injuries of less than 14-days' duration were treated with either 750 mg naproxen or 2 g acetylsalicylic acid daily for 7 days in a double-blind trial. A statistically significant improvement (p less than 0.001) was noted in both treatment groups in respect of tenderness on palpation, pain on movement and functional capacity. However, there were no significant differences between the groups. Fresh injuries were over-represented in the acetylsalicylic acid group (p less than 0.01), and when all patients were analyzed together, a significantly better treatment result was obtained the shorter the interval between injury and start of treatment. This might have influenced the results from this study. Fifteen side-effects were reported by 11 patients, 5 in the naproxen group and 6 in the acetylsalicylic acid group. None was serious, and only 2 patients interrupted the treatment for this reason. It is suggested that treatment with analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs should start as early as possible after the injury.

Acetylsalicylic acid in the prevention of stroke in patients with reversible cerebral ischemic attacks. A Danish cooperative study.

Two hundred and three patients, 148 males and 55 females, who during the last month before admission had experienced at least one reversible cerebral ischemic attack of less than 72 hours duration, were randomly assigned to treatment with either acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) 1000 mg daily (101 patients) or placebo (102 patients). The average follow-up period was 25 months. The two treatment groups were comparable with respect to age, sex, associated diseases, risk factors, number and duration of cerebral ischemic attacks. No statistically significant differences were found between the treatment groups as to the primary end point: stroke or death (ASA group 20.8%, placebo group 16.7%). Occurrence of transient ischemic attacks during the treatment period was not reduced by ASA treatment, whereas there was a trend suggesting fewer myocardial infarctions in the ASA group (5.9%) than in the placebo group (13.7%). The difference, however, was not statistically significant (p = 0.10). We were thus unable to demonstrate any favorable influence of ASA 1000 mg daily in patients with reversible ischemic attacks. This study does not, of course, prove that ASA treatment is ineffective in stroke prevention.

ADP-induced platelet aggregation in vitro in patients with ischemic heart disease and peripheral thromboatherosclerosis.

ADP-induced platelet aggregation in vitro has been studied in 90 normal controls and in 30 patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and 22 with peripheral thromboatherosclerosis (PTA). The sensitivity to ADP was defined by the threshold concentration which produced secondary aggregation with an amplitude corresponding to not less than 80% of the transmission obtained by platelet-poor plasma. In the normal controls the threshold concentration was significantly lower in women aged 50 or more than in women under that age. The geometric means were lower in the patients than in the controls. Significantly lower threshold concentrations than in the corresponding age groups of controls were found in the following age groups of patients: Men and women greater than or equal to 50 years with IHD (p less than 0.005 and p less than 0.001, respectively), men and women under 50 with IHD (p less than 0.05). Men and women greater than or equal to 50 years with PTA (p less than 0.002 and p less than 0.01, respectively), men and women under 50 with PTA (p less than 0.005).

Platelet aggregation and fibrinolytic activity in transient cerebral ischemia.

The present study was performed in 34 patients with transient cerebral ischemia, TCI. Twenty-four of the patients were examined angiographically. Atherosclerotic abnormalities were demonstrated in 13 and a total occlusion of the interior carotid artery was found in one patient. The angiograms were normal in 10 patients. One patient suffered from hyperlipoproteinemia, type IV, and one from diabetes mellitus. The platelet aggregation in vitro was increased significantly, as more patients than normal controls showed secondary aggregation with low ADP-concentration: less than or equal to 1 mumol (p less than 0.001). The fibrinolytic capacity was significantly reduced (p less than 0.01) but not particularly in the patients with increased tendency for platelet aggregation. No correlation found between changes in platelet aggregation, the fibrinolytic activity and the angiographic findings. The results described may favor the concept that a prophylactic use of drug excerting an antiaggregation effect on platelets might be useful in patients suffering from TCI.