Effect of Music on Stress Parameters in Dogs during a Mock Veterinary Visit

Veterinary visits can be stressful for dogs, but how their wellbeing changes during a visit is not well understood. Music therapy has been successfully used in clinical practice to alleviate stress and anxiety in people. The present study aimed to understand how canine stress changes during a veterinary visit, establish the effect of music, and highlight measures which may be of practical use. In a randomized crossover design, dogs were exposed to no music and a bespoke piece of classical music at a tempo designed to match their resting heart rate during a mock veterinary visit. Dogs were scored as more “afraid” during the physical examination compared to when they were in the hospital kennel (p < 0.001). Salivary cortisol, IgA, and infrared temperature all increased significantly (p < 0.05) from baseline to post-kennel and post-examination, with no effect of music treatment. Core body temperature (p = 0.010) and the odds of ‘relaxed’ lips (p = 0.020) were lower when dogs were exposed to music compared to control visits. Overall, dogs experienced changes in physiology and behavior, indicative of increased stress, over the course of the visit. Additional research is required to further understand the effect that bespoke music may have in alleviating canine stress during veterinary visits.

Is the Clinical Course of Non-Arteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Associated with Oxidative Damage and the Dynamics of the Antioxidant Response?

Purpose: Oxidative stress is known to be a decisive factor in the wide etiopathogenesis of optic neuropathy. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the interaction of optic neuropathy’s clinical course with systemic oxidative damage and antioxidant response dynamics in a large series.Methods: This case-controlled clinical study included 33 non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy patients and 32 healthy individuals. Extensive systemic oxidation profiles were statistically compared between the two groups, and correlations between the clinical and biochemical data in the patient group were analyzed.Results: Vitamin E and MDA levels were significantly higher in the patient group. Significant correlations were observed in the analyses between clinical findings and oxidative stress parameters. Correlations between vitamin E and intraocular pressure, between B12 and cup-to-disc ratio, between antioxidant glutathione and SOD enzyme systems, and between uric acid and age were found to be very significant. As significant correlations were found in either clinical and biochemical data or in oxidative stress parameters, correlations between vitamin E and cholesterol, MDA was found to be very significant. Conclusions: This study not only supplies significant information regarding oxidative damage and antioxidant response in NAION, but also points out the specific interactions of neuromodulators, like vitamin E, in intracellular signaling pathways and regulation mechanisms. A better reading of these connections may help improve diagnosis, follow-ups and treatment criteria and strategies.

Effects of Kangaroo Mother Care in the NICU on the Physiological Stress Parameters of Premature Infants: A Meta-Analysis of RCTs

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the randomised controlled trials that explored the effect of kangaroo mother care on physiological stress parameters of premature infants. Methods: Two independent researchers performed a systematic review of indexed studies in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane and Scopus. We included data from randomized controlled trials measuring the effects of kangaroo care compared to standard incubator care on physiological stress outcomes, defined as oxygen saturation, body temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate. The PRISMA model was used to conduct data extraction. We performed a narrative synthesis of all studies and a meta-analysis when data were available from multiple studies that compared the same physiological parameters with the kangaroo method as an intervention and controls and used the same outcome measures. Results: Twelve studies were eligible for inclusion in this meta-analysis. According to statistical analysis, the mean respiratory rate of preterm infants receiving KMC was lower than that of infants receiving standard incubator care (MD, −3.50; 95% CI, −5.17 to −1.83; p < 0.00001). Infants who received kangaroo mother care had a higher mean heart rate, oxygen saturation and temperature, although these results were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Current evidence suggests that kangaroo care in the neonatal intensive care unit setting is a safe method that may have a significant effect on some of the physiological parameters of stress in preterm infants. However, due to clinical heterogeneity, further studies are needed to assess the effects of physiological stress in the neonatal intensive care unit on the development of preterm infants.

Assessment of Glycemic Control, Renal Function, and Oxidative Stress Parameters in Type 2 Diabetes MellitusPatients

Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multifactorial syndrome that israpidly rising in all the continents ofthe globe, causing elevated blood sugar levels in affected people. A sample of 81 Iraqi T2DM patients was investigated based on several parameters. Glycemic control parameters includedlevels of fasting blood glucose (FBG),glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), and insulin, along with insulin resistance (IR) and insulin sensitivity (IS). Renal function tests includedmeasuring the blood levels of urea and creatinine. Oxidative stress parameters included total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and thelevel of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The results of the presentstudy showed a highly significant (P˂0.01) increase in FBG, HbA1c, insulin and IR levels in T2DM patients as compared to control.Insulin sensitivity showed a highly significant (p˂0.01) decrease in patients compared with control.Urea and creatinine levelsincreased in T2DM patients, but the differences were insignificant. TAC levelsignificantly (P<0.05) increased in patients compared with control. Also, the levels of ROSrevealed a highly significant (P<0.01) increasein T2DM patients compared with the control. Correlation analysis showedthat FBG has a highly significant (P<0.01) positive correlation with IR, urea, creatinine and ROS, as well as a significant (P<0.05) positive correlation with TAC. However, FBG shows a highlysignificant (P< 0.01) inverse correlation with IS. The levels of HbA1C show a significant (P<0.05) positive correlation with IR, creatinine, and TAC, whereas ithas a highly significant (P<0.01) positive relation with ROS. However, HbA1C level has a highly significant (P<0.01) inverse relation with IS. Insulin has highly significant (P<0.01) positive and negative associations with IR and IS, respectively.IR showshighlya significant (P<0.01) inverse correlation with IS, significant (P<0.05) positive correlation with creatinine, and highly significant (P<0.01) positive correlation with ROS. IS has a significant(P< 0.05) inverse correlation with urea. Urea shows a highly significant (P<0.01) positive correlation with creatinine. TAC has a significant (P<0.05) inverse correlation with ROS. Conclusion: diabetic patients revealed poor glycemic control. Fluctuating blood glucose concentrations may contribute significantly to oxidative stress, probablyeven more than chronic hyperglycemia. The observed significant positive correlation between FBG and the other tested parameters revealed that hyperglycemia is an obvious independent risk factor for T2DM progression.

Determining the features of oscillations in prestressed pipelines

This paper considers the structural solution for a main above-ground pipeline with a pre-stressed winding, which makes it possible to improve the efficiency of operation and reduce material consumption. The results from studying experimentally the features in the operation of prestressed pipelines under static operating loads are given. It is shown that the radial movements of the wall of a pre-stressed pipeline are constrained by the strained winding, which prevents its deformation. It was revealed that increasing the tension force of the winding wire reduces circular stresses in the pipeline wall by 1.3...1.6 times and increases meridional ones by 1.2...1.4 times. The experimental study into the models of prestressed pipelines with free vertical and horizontal oscillations has established the dependence of frequency characteristics on the operating conditions and pre-stress parameters. It was found that the envelope amplitude on the oscillogram of free attenuated oscillations takes the shape of an exponent, which indicates the damping effect of the pre-stress. Analysis of the change in the dynamic characteristics of the models depending on the pre-stress force has revealed that the frequencies of free oscillations increase by 1.5÷1.6 times while the oscillation decrement decreases by 1.2÷1.25 times. This paper reports the results of studying the influence of pre-stress parameters on the stressed-strained state of the pipeline model under forced horizontal and vertical oscillations. It is shown that the diagrams of circular dynamic stresses and deformations in the models of a prestressed pipeline are smoother compared to similar characteristics of a conventional pipeline tested at the same experimental parameters. The study results have made it possible to quantify the features in the operation of a pre-stressed pipeline under static and dynamic influences, taking into consideration the pre-stress parameters and operating conditions.

The possible alleviating effect of garlic supplement on the neural retina in a rat model of hypercholesterolemia: a histological and immunohistochemical study

The purpose of this work was to prove that oxidative stress is the main mechanism responsible for retinal neurodegenerative changes, subsequent apoptosis, and inflammatory cytokine release in rats fed with a high cholesterol diet (HCD) and determine the role of garlic in alleviating these changes. Forty rats were equally divided into four groups: control, garlic-treated (positive control), HCD, and HCD + garlic-treated (HCD + G). By the end of the experiment (24 weeks) blood samples were collected for assessment of serum lipid profile, oxidative stress parameters, and plasma levels of IL-6 and TNF-α. Both eyes of the rats were enucleated; one was used for light microscopic examination and the other for electron microscopic examination. There was a significant increase in the levels of serum lipids, oxidative stress parameters, IL-6 and TNF-α, and area of expression of caspase-3 in the HCD group compared to both the control and HCD + G groups. Histological examination revealed degenerative changes in all layers of the neural retina in the HCD group. Garlic administration resulted in a significant improvement in the biochemical, immunohistochemical, and histological characteristics of hypercholesterolemic rats. These findings support the hypotheses that garlic has strong antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic ameliorates the neurodegenerative changes in the neural retina of hypercholesteremic rats.