scholarly journals Walking on Tiptoes: Digital Pads Deserve Increased Attention When Scoring Footpad Dermatitis as an Animal Welfare Indicator in Turkeys

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Stracke ◽  
Nina Volkmann ◽  
Franziska May ◽  
Stefanie Döhring ◽  
Nicole Kemper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Strong Correlations ◽  
European Standard ◽  
Camera System ◽  
Welfare Indicators ◽  
Welfare Indicator ◽  
Detailed Outline

Animal welfare is one of the most challenging issues in modern farm animal husbandry. Animal welfare indicators can be used to monitor welfare on farms or at slaughterhouses, with footpad dermatitis (FPD) being one of the most important indicators used in turkeys. Up to now, the severity of FPD has been measured by evaluating the size of altered lesions on the metatarsal pad of birds. However, such lesions are not only found on the metatarsal pads, but alterations can also occur on the digital pads of the animals, the latter is not included in the European standard scoring systems for turkeys so far. The aim of the present study was to give a detailed outline of alterations on the digital pads of turkeys and associate their occurrence to a standardly used five-point scoring system, which is based on alterations of the metatarsal pad only. Therefore, pictures of 500 feet of turkeys from 16 flocks at the end of the fattening phase were taken, using an automatic camera system. Based on these pictures, alterations on the digits were scored according to different parameters (lesions, swellings, and number of affected digits). Furthermore, detailed measurements were conducted using an imaging software. Results were compared with a standardly used five-point scoring system (standard FPD scoring system), based on the metatarsal pad as reference. Results provide no equivalence in occurrence and severity of alterations on the metatarsal pads compared to those found on the digits. Pathologic alterations on the digits were already present at standard FPD scoring level 0; no differentiation became obvious between the higher scoring levels 2–4. Strong correlations were found when comparing percentage of alterations of the standard FPD scoring system to those of a system including alterations on the digits and the metatarsal pad, using the total foot as a reference (rp = 0.9, p < 0.001). This was the first study conducting a detailed analysis of alterations on the digits of turkeys. In conclusion, results of this study show that including the evaluation of alterations on digits could refine the present FPD scoring system, especially when using FPD as an animal welfare indicator.

Prevalence and severity of tail lesions as a possible welfare indicator for rabbit does

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-518
Author(s):  
J Bill ◽  
SL Rauterberg ◽  
J Stracke ◽  
N Kemper ◽  
M Fels
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Behavioural Disorders ◽  
Observer Reliability ◽  
Tail Biting ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

The impact of behavioural disorders on animal welfare in modern animal husbandry has been much debated. While other abnormal behaviours have been explored at length, there are a paucity of studies on tail-biting in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In the present study, severe tail lesions were observed in group-reared rabbit does on a commercial rabbit farm. In the subsequent investigations, the occurrence of tail lesions in 219 rabbit does from nine batches was compared between group- or single-housing and a scoring system recording the severity of tail lesions was developed and verified. This five-grade scoring system was applied to evaluate the progression of prevalence and severity of tail lesions in 21 groups during rearing in two batches. The results revealed a significant difference in the score level between housing types with a higher prevalence of injured tails in group- (60.4%) compared to single-reared (4.0%) does. An increase in severity and frequency of tail lesions was observed in groups during the course of a rearing period. Furthermore, the established scoring system was characterised by adequate observer reliability. Overall, tail injuries occurred on a regular basis in the investigated rearing groups, indicating tail-biting to be a prevalent problem. This could be considered relevant in terms of animal welfare, both for the animal doing the biting and the individual being bitten. The findings draw attention to an inadequately described problem in rabbit husbandry. However, the search for preventive measures needs to scrutinise the role of single-housing, without failing to consider the gregarious nature of rabbits.

The Reliability of Ultrasound in the Assessment of Hyaline Cartilage in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Healthy Metacarpal Heads

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edoardo Cipolletta ◽  
Emilio Filippucci ◽  
Andrea Di Matteo ◽  
Giulia Tesei ◽  
Micaela Ana Cosatti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Quantitative Assessment ◽  
Hyaline Cartilage ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Thickness Measurement ◽  
Cartilage Thickness ◽  
Observer Agreement ◽  
Very High Frequency ◽  
Observer Reliability

Abstract Purpose i) To assess the inter- and intra-observer reliability of ultrasound (US) in the evaluation of the hyaline cartilage (HC) of the metacarpal head (MH) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in healthy subjects (HS) both qualitatively and quantitatively. ii) To calculate the smallest detectable difference (SDD) of the MH cartilage thickness measurement. iii) To correlate the qualitative scoring system and the quantitative assessment. Materials and Methods US examination was performed on 280 MHs of 20 patients with RA and 15 HS using a very high frequency probe (up to 22 MHz). HC status was evaluated both qualitatively (using a five-grade scoring system) and quantitatively (using the average value of the longitudinal and transverse measures). The HC of MHs from II to V metacarpophalangeal joint of both hands were scanned independently on the same day by two rheumatologists to assess inter-observer reliability. All subjects were re-examined using the same scanning protocol and the same US setting by one sonographer after a week to assess intra-observer reliability. Results The inter-observer agreement and intra-observer agreement were moderate to substantial (k = 0.66 and k = 0.73) for the qualitative scoring system and high (ICC = 0.93 and ICC = 0.94) for the quantitative assessment. The SDD of the MH cartilage thickness measurement was 0.09 mm. A significant correlation between the two scoring systems was found (r = –0.35; p < 0.001). Conclusion The present study describes the main methodological issues of HC assessment. Using a standardized protocol, both the qualitative and the quantitative scoring systems can be reliable.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Inter-Observer Reliability of Animal Welfare Indicators: Which Is the Best Index to Use?

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1445
Author(s):  
Mauro Giammarino ◽  
Silvana Mattiello ◽  
Monica Battini ◽  
Piero Quatto ◽  
Luca Maria Battaglini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Confidence Intervals ◽  
Bootstrap Method ◽  
Dairy Goat ◽  
Microsoft Excel ◽  
Bootstrap Methods ◽  
Welfare Indicators ◽  
Observer Reliability ◽  
High Concordance ◽  
Variance Estimates

This study focuses on the problem of assessing inter-observer reliability (IOR) in the case of dichotomous categorical animal-based welfare indicators and the presence of two observers. Based on observations obtained from Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) project surveys conducted on nine dairy goat farms, and using udder asymmetry as an indicator, we compared the performance of the most popular agreement indexes available in the literature: Scott’s π, Cohen’s k, kPABAK, Holsti’s H, Krippendorff’s α, Hubert’s Γ, Janson and Vegelius’ J, Bangdiwala’s B, Andrés and Marzo’s ∆, and Gwet’s γ(AC1). Confidence intervals were calculated using closed formulas of variance estimates for π, k, kPABAK, H, α, Γ, J, ∆, and γ(AC1), while the bootstrap and exact bootstrap methods were used for all the indexes. All the indexes and closed formulas of variance estimates were calculated using Microsoft Excel. The bootstrap method was performed with R software, while the exact bootstrap method was performed with SAS software. k, π, and α exhibited a paradoxical behavior, showing unacceptably low values even in the presence of very high concordance rates. B and γ(AC1) showed values very close to the concordance rate, independently of its value. Both bootstrap and exact bootstrap methods turned out to be simpler compared to the implementation of closed variance formulas and provided effective confidence intervals for all the considered indexes. The best approach for measuring IOR in these cases is the use of B or γ(AC1), with bootstrap or exact bootstrap methods for confidence interval calculation.

scholarly journals Application of YOLOv4 for Detection and Motion Monitoring of Red Foxes

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1723
Author(s):  
Anne K. Schütz ◽  
Verena Schöler  ◽  
E. Tobias Krause  ◽  
Mareike Fischer  ◽  
Thomas Müller  ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Early Recognition ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Automatic Detection ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Video Data ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Animal Activity

Animal activity is an indicator for its welfare and manual observation is time and cost intensive. To this end, automatic detection and monitoring of live captive animals is of major importance for assessing animal activity, and, thereby, allowing for early recognition of changes indicative for diseases and animal welfare issues. We demonstrate that machine learning methods can provide a gap-less monitoring of red foxes in an experimental lab-setting, including a classification into activity patterns. Therefore, bounding boxes are used to measure fox movements, and, thus, the activity level of the animals. We use computer vision, being a non-invasive method for the automatic monitoring of foxes. More specifically, we train the existing algorithm ‘you only look once’ version 4 (YOLOv4) to detect foxes, and the trained classifier is applied to video data of an experiment involving foxes. As we show, computer evaluation outperforms other evaluation methods. Application of automatic detection of foxes can be used for detecting different movement patterns. These, in turn, can be used for animal behavioral analysis and, thus, animal welfare monitoring. Once established for a specific animal species, such systems could be used for animal monitoring in real-time under experimental conditions, or other areas of animal husbandry.

scholarly journals Animal welfare indicators for sheep during sea transport: the effect of voyage day and time of day

2021 ◽  
pp. 105304
Author(s):  
Renee S. Willis ◽  
Patricia A. Fleming ◽  
Emma J. Dunston-Clarke ◽  
Anne L. Barnes ◽  
David W. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Sea Transport ◽  
Welfare Indicators

Two-dimensional-Wilkins and real-time transesophageal three-dimensional scoring systems: Which one is preferred to mitral valve morphological assessment?

2021 ◽  
pp. 021849232110304
Author(s):  
Mehrnoush Toufan ◽  
Zahra Jabbary ◽  
Naser Khezerlou aghdam
Keyword(s):  
Mitral Valve ◽  
Transthoracic Echocardiography ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Mitral Valve Area ◽  
2D And 3D ◽  
Morphological Assessment ◽  
Valve Area

Background To quantify valvular morphological assessment, some two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) scoring systems have been developed to target the patients for balloon mitral valvuloplasty; however, each scoring system has some potential limitations. To achieve the best scoring system with the most features and the least restrictions, it is necessary to check the degree of overlap of these systems. Also the factors related to the accuracy of these systems should be studied. We aimed to determine the correlation between the 2D Wilkins and real-time transesophageal three-dimensional (RT3D-TEE) scoring systems. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on 156 patients with moderate to severe mitral stenosis who were candidates for percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty. To morphologic assessment of mitral valve, patients were examined by 2D-transthoracic echocardiography and RT3D-TEE techniques on the same day. Results A strong association was found between total Wilkins and total RT3D-TEE scores (r = 0.809, p < 0.001). The mean mitral valve area assessed by the 2D and 3D was 1.07 ± 0.25 and 1.03 ± 0.26, respectively, indicating a mean difference of 0.037 cm2 (p = 0.001). We found a strong correlation between the values of mitral valve area assessed by 2D and 3D techniques (r = 0.846, p < 0.001). Conclusion There is a high correlation between the two scoring systems in terms of evaluating dominant morphological features. Partially, mitral valve area overestimation in the 2D-transthoracic echocardiography and its inability to assess commissural involvement as well as its dependence on patient age were exceptions in this study.

scholarly journals Accuracy of conventional and novel scoring systems in predicting severity and outcomes of acute pancreatitis: a retrospective study

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Wu ◽  
Jie Wang ◽  
Mengbin Qin ◽  
Huiying Yang ◽  
Zhihai Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Pancreatitis ◽  
Organ Failure ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Failure Prediction ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Mortality Prediction ◽  
Severity Prediction ◽  
Index Of Severity ◽  
Glasgow Score

Abstract Background Recently, several novel scoring systems have been developed to evaluate the severity and outcomes of acute pancreatitis. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of novel and conventional scoring systems in predicting the severity and outcomes of acute pancreatitis. Methods Patients treated between January 2003 and August 2020 were reviewed. The Ranson score (RS), Glasgow score (GS), bedside index of severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP), pancreatic activity scoring system (PASS), and Chinese simple scoring system (CSSS) were determined within 48 h after admission. Multivariate logistic regression was used for severity, mortality, and organ failure prediction. Optimum cutoffs were identified using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results A total of 1848 patients were included. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of RS, GS, BISAP, PASS, and CSSS for severity prediction were 0.861, 0.865, 0.829, 0.778, and 0.816, respectively. The corresponding AUCs for mortality prediction were 0.693, 0.736, 0.789, 0.858, and 0.759. The corresponding AUCs for acute respiratory distress syndrome prediction were 0.745, 0.784, 0.834, 0.936, and 0.820. Finally, the corresponding AUCs for acute renal failure prediction were 0.707, 0.734, 0.781, 0.868, and 0.816. Conclusions RS and GS predicted severity better than they predicted mortality and organ failure, while PASS predicted mortality and organ failure better. BISAP and CSSS performed equally well in severity and outcome predictions.

“A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RIPASA SCORE AND ALVARADO SCORE IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS”

2021 ◽  
pp. 25-28
Author(s):  
M. Vijaya Kumar ◽  
Manasa Manasa
Keyword(s):  
Acute Appendicitis ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Alvarado Score ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Ripasa Score

Acute appendicitis is the most common condition encountered in the Emergency department .Alvarado and Modied Alvarado scores are the most commonly used scoring system used for diagnosing acute appendicitis.,but its performance has been found to be poor in certain population . Hence our aim was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of RIPASA and ALVARADO Scoring system and study and compare sensitivity, specicity and predictive values of these scoring systems. The study was conducted in Government district hospital Nandyal . We enrolled 176 patients who presented with RIF pain . Both RIPASA and ALVARADO were applied to them. Final diagnosis was conrmed either by CT scan, intra operative nding or post operative HPE report. Sensitivity,specicity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, diagnostic accuracy was calculated both for RIPASA and ALVARADO. It was found that sensitivity and specicity of the RIPASA score in our study are 98.7% and 83.3%, respectively. PPV and NPV were 98.1% and 88.2% and sensitivity and specicity of the Alvardo score in our study are 94.3% and 83.3%, respectively. PPV and NPV were 98% and 62.5%.Diagnostic accuracy of RIPASA score and Alvarado score are 97% and 93% respectively. RIPASA is a more specic and accurate scoring system in our local population when compared to ALVARADO . It reduces the number of missed appendicitis cases and also convincingly lters out the group of patients that would need a CT scan for diagnosis (score 5-7.5 ) BACKGROUND: Acute appendicitis is one of the most commonly dealt surgical emergencies, with a lifetime prevalence rate of approximately 1 one in seven. The incidence is 1.5–1.9 per 1,000 in the male and female population, and is approximately 1.4 times greater in men than in women. Despite being a common problem, it remains a difcult diagnosis to establish, particularly among the young, the elderly and females of reproductive age, where a host of other genitourinary and gynaecological inammatory conditions can present with signs and symptoms that are 2 similar to those of acute appendicitis. A delay in performing an appendectomy in order to improve its diagnostic accuracy increases the risk of appendicular perforation and peritonitis, which in turn increases morbidity and mortality. A variable combination of clinical signs and symptoms has been used together with laboratory ndings in several scoring systems proposed for suggesting the probability of Acute Appendicitis and the possible subsequent management pathway. The Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Appendicitis (RIPASA) and ALVARADO score are new diagnostic scoring systems developed for the diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis and has been shown to have signicantly higher sensitivity, specicity and diagnostic accuracy. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES PRIMARY OBJECT 1. To compare RIPASA Scoring system and ALVARADO Scoring system in terms of diagnostic accuracy in Acute Appendicitis. 2. To study and compare sensitivity, specicity and predictive values of above scoring systems. SECONDARY OBJECT 1. To study the rate of negative appendicectomy based on above scoring systems. CONCLUSION: The RIPASA score is a simple scoring system with high sensitivity and specicity for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The 14 clinical parameters are all present in a good clinical history and examination and can be easily and quickly applied. Therefore, a decision on the management can be made early. Although the RIPASA score was developed for the local population of Brunei, we believe that it should be applicable to other regions. The RIPASA score presents greater Diagnostic accuracy and Sensitivity and equal specicity as a diagnostic test compared to the Alvarado score and is helpful in making appropriate therapeutic decisions. In hospitals like ours, the diagnosis of AA relies greatly on the clinical evaluation performed by surgeons. An adequate clinical scoring system would avoid diagnostic errors, maintaining a satisfactory low rate of negative appendectomies by adequate patient stratication, while limiting patient exposure to ionizing radiation, since 21 there is an increased risk of developing cancer with computed tomography, particularly for the paediatric age group.

scholarly journals The Characteristics of Mortality Predictor Scoring for Sepsis Patients in Haji Adam Malik Hospital

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 339-344
Author(s):  
Abdul Halim Harahap ◽  
Franciscus Ginting ◽  
Lenni Evalena Sihotang
Keyword(s):  
Sofa Score ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Apache Ii ◽  
Apache Ii Score ◽  
P Value ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Score Apache

Introduction: Sepsis is a leading cause of death in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in developed countries and its incidence is increasing. Many scoring systems are used to assess the severity of disease in patients admitted to the ICU. SOFA score to assess the degree of organ dysfunction in septic patients. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scoring system is most often used for patients admitted to the ICU. CCI scoring system to assess the effect of comorbid disease in critically ill patients on mortality. The study aimed to describe the characteristics of the use of scoring to predict patients’ mortality admitted to Haji Adam Malik Hospital. Methods: This is an observational study with a cross-sectional design. A total of 299 study subjects met the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, three types of scoring, namely SOFA score, APACHE II score, and CCI score were used to assess the prognosis of septic patients. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 252 people (84.3%) of sepsis patients died. The mean age of the septic patients who died was 54.25 years. The SOFA score ranged from 0-24, the median SOFA score in deceased sepsis patients was 5.0. The APACHE II score ranged from 0-71, the median APACHE II score in deceased sepsis patients was 23.0. The CCI score ranged from 0-37, the median CCI score in deceased sepsis patients was 5.0. Conclusion: Higher scores are associated with an increased probability of death in septic patients. Keywords: Sepsis; mortality predictor; SOFA score; APACHE II score, CCI score.

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