All You Need to Know About Veterinary Blood Transfusions.

All You Need to Know About Veterinary Blood Transfusions.The decision to clinically transfuse a patient with blood products depends on several factors, including: 1)Availability of blood products. 2)Stability of the patient. 3)Chronicity of anemia. 4)Clinical signs of the patient If a patient is demonstrating signs of hemorrhagic shock such as pallor, tachycardia, tachypnea, snappy or thread pulses and decreased mentation, it likely needs a blood transfusion. But wait! Before reaching immediately for that unit of blood, reach for a bag of crystalloids first. Why? In general, most patients requiring a blood transfusion often have concurrent interstitial fluid loss and could benefit from IV fluid therapy. A hemorrhagic shock patient example: Start with a 20 mL/kg IV crystalloid bolus over 20 minutes, followed by patient reassessment. If signs consistent with hemorrhagic shock are still apparent, administer a second bolus (20 mL/kg crystalloids IV), followed by 5 mL/kg smaller aliquots of a colloid (eg, Hetastarch) if the patient fails to respond to crystalloids. If the patient still fails to respond, a blood product is warranted, regardless of what the PCV may be. In human medicine, the transfusion trigger is a hematocrit (HCT) of 25%, whereas in veterinary medicine it is approximately 20%. However, push this to the back of your brain, as some patients need a transfusion regardless of what the PCV is. Take, for example, that classic traumatic hemoabdomen patient. At presentation, the PCV may only be 30%, but they may have catastrophic bleeding, requiring multiple transfusions. To the contrary, a cat with FeLV may present with a PCV of 10%, only to find out that—because of the chronicity—this patient is hemodynamically stable (ie, it doesn’t need an emergency transfusion). Before transfusing, patients should ideally undergo blood-typing or cross-matching (depending on previous transfusions, history of pregnancy, or if there is risk for transfusion reaction). In dogs, if the disease process precludes testing (eg, immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, catastrophic bleed), a universal donor (DEA 1.1 negative or A-) should be used.However, dogs can receive a first time transfusion safely without being typed or cross-matched. Keep in mind that if it’s the dog’s first transfusion, a transfusion reaction is not anticipated, as antibodies haven’t formed yet (which typically take 3-7 days to develop). It’s the second transfusion that we worry about for transfusion reactions in dogs. Cats can die if they get the wrong type of blood. There is no universal blood donor for cats. As cats have natural alloantibodies, all cats should always be blood typed or cross-matched prior to transfusion, due to risk for fatal blood transfusion reactions. As little as 1 mL of A blood to a B cat can be fatal (Just as B students may hate A students, B blood hates A blood!). There’s no universal donor in cats. The dosage for ANY blood product is 10-20 mL/kg. Owners should be made aware that their pet has received transfusions, and should inform future veterinarians or caregivers in order to prevent reaction to second transfusions. Antibodies against a transfusion take 3 to 7 days to develop, so the use of cross matching should be implemented when multiple transfusions may occur during prolonged hospitalization. The use of blood typing cards may not beneficial once the patient has been transfused, as it’s testing for antigen.

Scientists develop groundnut resistant to aflatoxin.

Scientists develop groundnut resistant to aflatoxin. The discovery has the potential to drastically improve food safety and reduce losses caused by the contamination from the poisonous carcinogen, aflatoxin. 

The discovery was recently published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal. Aflatoxins pose a major risk to human and animal health worldwide and result in an enormous amount of food waste. 

The molds, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which infect groundnut, maize, cottonseed and chilly, produce these toxins which suppress the immune system, hinder growth in children and even cause liver cancer. The fungus which produces these toxins can stay dormant in soil for years. It infects maize and groundnut during drought and heat stress. 

 Contamination also happens when grain is stored in hot, humid and poorly-ventilated conditions. Since aflatoxins are potent carcinogens, the United States does not allow the sale and export of food with aflatoxin levels exceeding 20 parts per billion (ppb). European Union standards are more stringent; the bar is 2 ppb.

Women's long work hours linked to alarming increases in cancer, heart disease.

Women's long work hours linked to alarming increases in cancer, heart disease.Women who put in long hours for the bulk of their careers may pay a steep price: life-threatening illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. Work weeks that averaged 60 hours or more over three decades appear to triple the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis for women, according to new research. Women who put in long hours for the bulk of their careers may pay a steep price: life-threatening illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. Work weeks that averaged 60 hours or more over three decades appear to triple the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis for women, according to new research from The Ohio State University. The risk begins to climb when women put in more than 40 hours and takes a decidedly bad turn above 50 hours, researchers found. "Women -- especially women who have to juggle multiple roles -- feel the effects of intensive work experiences and that can set the table for a variety of illnesses and disability," said Allard Dembe, professor of health services management and policy and lead author of the study, published online this week in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Livestock-associated MRSA found among MRSA from humans.

Livestock-associated MRSA found among MRSA from humans. New survey results show more frequent detections and geographical dispersion of LA-MRSA in humans in the EU/EEA since 2007, and highlight the public health and veterinary importance of LA-MRSA as a 'One Health' issue. The ECDC advocates for periodic systematic surveys or integrated multi-sectorial surveillance to facilitate control measures. Livestock-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) poses a zoonotic risk, particularly for those working in close contact with livestock. Nonetheless, surveillance of LA-MRSA in humans in Europe is currently not systematic, but mainly event-based. In 2014, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) initiated a questionnaire survey to collect data on the numbers of LA-MRSA from human samples at national or regional reference laboratories in EU/EEA countries in 2013. ECDC received responses from 28 reference laboratories from 27 (90%) EU/EEA countries.

Explosion of rats, clovers, bedbugs, mosquitoes unintended evolutionary consequence of urbanization.

Explosion of rats, clovers, bedbugs, mosquitoes unintended evolutionary consequence of urbanization.The recent uproar about seats on a British Airways flight crawling with bedbugs is only one of the unintended consequences that urbanization worldwide has on evolution, say Marc Johnson, an associate professor of biology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, and Jason Munshi-South, who is an associate professor of biological sciences at Fordham University. "As we build cities, we have little understanding of how they are influencing organisms that live there," says Johnson, who is also director of the University of Toronto's Centre for Urban Environments. "It's good news that some organisms are able to adapt, such as native species that have important ecological functions in the environment. But it can also be bad news that the ability of some of these organisms to adapt to our cities might increase the transmission of disease. Bedbugs, for example, were scarce two decades ago, but they've adapted to the insecticides used to keep them at bay and have exploded in abundance worldwide." In the first study to take a comprehensive look at the way urbanization is affecting evolution, Johnson and Munshi-South reviewed all existing research studies about urbanization and evolution and synthesized the results.

CDC; One Health: From Concept to Action.

CDC; One Health: From Concept to Action.The One Health concept recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. This video provides a brief introduction to One Health and why it is important for public health professionals, veterinarians, ecologists, and environmental health professionals to work together. By promoting this collaboration, CDC keeps people safe and healthy.

One Health for Man ,Animal and Nature.

One Health for Man ,Animal and Nature. One Health concept which is aimed at harmony among man, animal and nature. It is based on promoting the health and well being of the humans, animals and the environment through a holistic multidisciplinary approach. One Health focuses on zoonoses, emerging diseases and issues like food safety and environmental hazards at the human-animal-ecosystem interface.