Background: The Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED) is an established standard nomenclature for the expression of human and veterinary medical concepts. Nomenclature standards ease sharing of medical information, create common points of understanding, and improve data aggregation and analysis. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine whether SNOMED adequately represented concepts relevant to veterinary clinical pathology. Methods: Concepts were isolated from 3 different types of clinical pathology documents: 1) a textbook (Textbook), 2) the Results sections of industry pathology reports (Findings), and Discussion sections from industry pathology reports (Discussion). Concepts were matched (mapped) by 2 reviewers to semantically‐equivalent SNOMED concepts. A quality score of 3 (good match), 2 (problem match), or 1 (no match) was recorded along with the SNOMED hierarchical location of each mapped concept. Results were analyzed using Cohen's Kappa statistic to assess reviewer agreement and chi‐square tests to evaluate association between document type and quality score. Results: The percentage of good matches was 48.3% for the Textbook, 45.4% for Findings, and 47.5% for Discussion documents, with no significant difference among documents. Of remaining concepts, 40% were partially expressed by SNOMED and 14% did not match. Mean reviewer agreement on quality score assignments was 76.8%. Conclusions: Although SNOMED representation of veterinary clinical pathology content was limited, missing and problem concepts were confined to a relatively small area of terminology. This limitation should be addressed in revisions of SNOMED to optimize SNOMED for veterinary clinical pathology applications.
Abstract Background Despite advances in transplant surgery and general medicine, the number of patients awaiting transplant organs continues to grow, while the supply of organs does not. This work outlines a method of organ decellularization using non-thermal irreversible electroporation (N-TIRE) which, in combination with reseeding, may help supplement the supply of organs for transplant. Methods In our study, brief but intense electric pulses were applied to porcine livers while under active low temperature cardio-emulation perfusion. Histological analysis and lesion measurements were used to determine the effects of the pulses in decellularizing the livers as a first step towards the development of extracellular scaffolds that may be used with stem cell reseeding. A dynamic conductivity numerical model was developed to simulate the treatment parameters used and determine an irreversible electroporation threshold. Results Ninety-nine individual 1000 V/cm 100-μs square pulses with repetition rates between 0.25 and 4 Hz were found to produce a lesion within 24 hours post-treatment. The livers maintained intact bile ducts and vascular structures while demonstrating hepatocytic cord disruption and cell delamination from cord basal laminae after 24 hours of perfusion. A numerical model found an electric field threshold of 423 V/cm under specific experimental conditions, which may be used in the future to plan treatments for the decellularization of entire organs. Analysis of the pulse repetition rate shows that the largest treated area and the lowest interstitial density score was achieved for a pulse frequency of 1 Hz. After 24 hours of perfusion, a maximum density score reduction of 58.5 percent had been achieved. Conclusions This method is the first effort towards creating decellularized tissue scaffolds that could be used for organ transplantation using N-TIRE. In addition, it provides a versatile platform to study the effects of pulse parameters such as pulse length, repetition rate, and field strength on whole organ structures.
Hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops X Morone saxatilis ) are an important aquaculture species yet there are few diagnostic tools available to assess their health. Hematology and clinical chemistry analyses are not used extensively in fish medicine due to the lack of reference intervals for various fish species, and because factors such as age can affect blood values. There is little published information regarding age-related changes in blood values of juvenile fish. It is important to evaluate juvenile fish, as this is the time they are raised in aquaculture settings. Determining age-related changes in the blood values of fishes would further develop clinical pathology as a diagnostic tool, enhancing both fish medicine and the aquaculture industry. The results of standard hematology and clinical chemistry analysis were evaluated in juvenile hybrid striped bass at 4, 6, 9, 15, and 19 months of age. Values for PCV and RBC indices were significantly lower, and plasma protein concentration was significantly higher in younger fish. Total WBC and lymphocyte counts were significantly higher in fish at 6 and 9 months of age, while neutrophil and monocyte counts were higher at 6, 9, and 15 months. Eosinophil counts were significantly higher in 9-month-old fish. The majority of hematologic values fell within previously established reference intervals, indicating that only slight modification to the intervals is necessary for evaluating hematologic results of hybrid striped bass at different ages. The following analytes deviated sufficiently from adult reference intervals to warrant separate reference values: plasma protein concentration at 4 months, WBC and lymphocyte counts at 15 and 19 months, and thrombocyte-like-cells at 9 months of age. Values for most biochemical analytes were significantly different among age groups except for creatinine and potassium concentrations. Comparisons with reference intervals were not made for biochemical analytes, because established reference intervals were not available. Age-related changes in hematologic and biochemical values of striped bass were similar to those reported for rainbow trout and mammals.
Spontaneous cardiac neoplasms were diagnosed in one Sprague-Dawley and seven Fischer 344 rats ranging in age from eight months to two years. All eight neoplasms were diagnosed as neurilemmomas. One neoplasm was composed of dense Antoni type A tissue with Verocay body formation, while seven others were composed principally of loose Antoni type B tissue. No specific site predilection was found.
Measurement of the real dielectric constant of bulk buffer solutions containing short sequences of DNA as a function of temperature through the DNA melting or denaturiztion transition can be used to determine melting temperatures, T(m), and to estimate the binding energy of the complimentary strands. We describe a preliminary dielectric measurement and analysis protocol to determine these parameters and its application to two known short sequences. The relative real dielectric constant for the bulk solutions was determined over the frequency range of 50 Hz-20 kHz and temperature range of <40-65 degrees C. The measurements were performed on dilute solutions and utilized low electric field strengths. Based on fits to the data by modified sigmoid functions, the melting temperatures, width of transition, and binding energy for the two sequences in solution were estimated. It was observed that the order of the transition appeared to be second order. The results were then compared against predictions of a number of models from the literature that provide theoretical estimates for the melting temperatures of known short sequences of DNA.
Renal disease is common in dogs. The incidence of significant renal disease increases with age. Many disease processes are subtle and subacute, and so many are not detected until they result in chronic renal failure. The causes of many renal diseases are not known but one must suspect immune-mediated damage in some.
Purpose: This study evaluates the effects of various pulsing paradigms, on the irreversible electroporation (IRE) lesion, induced electric current, and temperature changes using a perfused porcine liver model.Materials and methods: A 4-monopolar electrode array delivered IRE therapy varying the pulse length and inter-pulse delay to six porcine mechanically perfused livers. Pulse paradigms included six forms of cycled pulsing schemes and the conventional pulsing scheme. Finite element models provided further insight into the effects of cycled pulsing on the temperature and thermal injury distribution.Results: 'Single pulse cycle with no interpulse delay' deposited maximum average energy (2.34 ± 0.35 kJ) and produced the largest ratio of thermally damaged tissue area and IRE ablation area from all other pulse schemes (18.22% ± 8.11, p < .0001 all pairwise comparisons). These compared favorably to the conventional algorithm (2.09 ± 0.37 kJ, 3.49% ± 2.20, p < .0001, all comparisons). Though no statistical significance was found between groups, the '5 pulse cycle, 0 s delay' pulse paradigm produced the largest average IRE ablation cross sectional area (11.81 ± 1.97 cm2), while conventional paradigm yielded an average of 8.90 ± 0.91 cm2. Finite element modeling indicated a '10 pulse cycle, 10 s delay' generated the least thermal tissue damage and '1 pulse cycle, 0 s delay' pulse cycle sequence the most (0.47 vs. 3.76 cm2), over a lengthier treatment time (16.5 vs. 6.67 minutes).Conclusions: Subdividing IRE pulses and adding delays throughout the treatment can reduce white tissue coagulation and electric current, while maintaining IRE treatment sizes.
