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Considering the widespread use of rabbits in research that potentially causes pain and discomfort and the limited number of pain assessment validated tools in this species, we aimed to develop and validate a scale of acute postoperative pain in rabbits (RPBS). Footage of 58 rabbits from previous studies were used, recorded at ‘baseline’ (before orthopaedic and soft tissue surgeries), ‘pain’ (after surgery), ‘analgesia’ (after analgesic), and ‘24h post’ (24 hours after surgery). The videos were randomised and assessed twice by four evaluators, within one-month interval between evaluations. After content validation, RBPS was further refined using the criteria from the validation. According to the principal component analysis, RPBS was considered unidimensional. The intra- and inter-observer reliability was excellent (ICC>0.80) for all evaluators. There was a high Spearman’s correlation of the RPBS with unidimensional scales (>0.80) and a moderate correlation with the Rabbit Grimace Scale (0.68), confirming criterion validity. According to the mixed linear model, the scale was responsive, shown by the increase in pain scores after surgery. Construct validity was confirmed by known-group approach and internal relationships among items. Adequate item-total correlation (>0.3) was observed for all items, except for the attention to the affected area (0.04). The internal consistency was very good (Cronbach’s α coefficient = 0.78; Mcdonald’s ω coefficient = 0.83). The cut-off score for rescue analgesia was ≥3, with an area under the curve >0.95, demonstrating a high discriminatory capacity of the instrument. Scores 3 and 4 were within the uncertainty diagnostic zone. Specificity was 87% and sensitivity was 90%. It was concluded that the RPBS presented content, criterion, and construct validities, responsiveness, and reliability to assess acute pain in rabbits submitted to orthopaedic and soft tissue surgeries. The cut-off for rescue analgesia serves as a basis for the administration of analgesics to rabbits submitted to painful procedures.

Background:The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest south american canid and deemed a near threatened species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Typically found in Brazilian Cerrado, it is often a victim of animal trappings and vehicular accidents, where it may get deeply injured or end up fractured, demanding orthopedic procedures. Even though maned wolves are similar to the domestic dog, little is described regarding general anesthesia and its complications for major procedures in ill patients in the scientific database. This case report describes a successful blood transfusion and anesthetic management of a critically ill C. brachyurus. Case: An adult female maned wolf was rescued after getting steel-jaw trapped. After chemical restraint with intramuscular (IM) ketamine (12 mg/kg), midazolam (0.3 mg/kg) and methadone (0.3 mg/kg), physical examination showed exposed bones to the distal end of the right hind limb, pronounced dehydration and moderate anemia and thrombocytopenia according to blood count. Radiographic images enlightened multiple right tarsus fractures. As the wound was highly infected, which made the osteosynthesis procedure impossible, it was decided to amputate the limb on the following day. Subcutaneous (SC) lactated Ringer's solution (250 mL), IM meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg) and IM enrofloxacin (10 mg/kg) were also administered at first. On the following day, after aforementioned chemical immobilization, anesthesia was induced with dose-effect intravenous (IV) propofol (2 mg/kg) until orotracheal intubation was possible, and general anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane diluted in oxygen. Lumbosacral epidural anesthesia was obtained with 0.5% bupivacaine (0.25 mL/kg) and morphine (0.1 mg/kg) to provide analgesia and to reduce inhalant agent requirement. During surgery, hypotension was unresponsive to IV fluid challenges (5 mL/kg of third generation hydroxyethyl starch solution [6% tetrastarch] twice and 10 mL/kg of lactated Ringer's solution, both over 15 minutes) and enduring blood loss led to life-threatening hypovolemic anemia. Dopamine (7.5-12.5 µg/kg/min) and norepinephrine (0.1-0.6 µg/kg/min) IV infusions were not able to fully restore blood pressure, thus whole blood transfusion (300 mL) was carried out after blood collection from a healthy maned wolf. Several premature ventricular contractions (PVC) that promptly evolved to sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) were observed and treated with 2% lidocaine (bolus of 2 mg/kg followed by constant rate infusion set at 50 µg/kg/ min). By extubation, electrocardiogram displayed sparse PVC and normotension could be achieved. Discussion: Even though there was no cardiovascular instability by the time epidural anesthesia was carried out, the latter could have contributed to the hypotensive crisis (mean arterial pressure < 40 mmHg) observed during general anesthesia. The decreasing MAP was also probably influenced by intense blood loss and previous dehydration and hypovolemia, as packed cell volume (...

Background The red‐handed howler monkey (Alouatta belzebul) is one of 116 imperiled Brazilian primate species. We aimed to determine the serum biochemical profile of free‐ranging red‐handed howler monkeys in a highly disturbed area of the eastern Amazon. Methods We obtained serum samples from 26 monkeys, in which we analyzed 20 biochemical variables. Results and Conclusions Calcium concentration was significantly lower in adult males (1.82 ± 0.25 mmol/L) than in adult females (2.10 ± 0.50 mmol/L). Both adults (males = 89 ± 85 UI/L, females = 62 ± 23 UI/L) had lower alkaline phosphatase serum activity than juvenile females (178 ± 120 UI/L). Adult male had higher levels of the direct bilirubin (13.9 ± 8.2 µmol/L) and creatinine (74.3 ± 19.4 µmol/L) than juvenile females (5.1 ± 1.4 µmol/L and 38.9 ± 15.0 µmol/L, respectively). This detailed biochemical profile may be useful for the management of red‐handed howler monkeys in the wild and to support further studies at ex situ facilities.

Anthropogenic activities are the main reason for the current alarming conservation status of non-human primates (NHP) worldwide, and also lead to habitat-sharing, facilitating human-NHP (interspecific) viral transmission. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is well-known for its large genome plasticity and spike proteins (S proteins) highly adaptable to human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2). NHP have been used as models for clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic studies on SARS-CoV-2 and their correlates. However, the lack of systematic sanitary surveillance in NHP in the Neotropics, as well as the limited capacity to detect infections in their populations, challenge the implementation of consistent epidemiological connections regarding the potential interspecific transmission in the natural environment. Although the natural cross-transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between humans and NHP has not been demonstrated, the global spread of the virus represents a potential threat. Thus, establishing preventive, surveillance, and control measures for viruses of the family Coronaviridae in Neotropical NHP populations is crucial for their conservation.

Background: The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an essential process in the tumor progression and metastasis. In human prostate carcinoma (PCa), the upregulation of cytokeratin and E-cadherin and down-regulation of vimentin have been associated with aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis. Due to the importance of canine cancer model it was evaluated the immunoexpression of AE1/AE3, E-cadherin and vimentin in canine prostatic lesions. Patients and Methods: A total of 75 prostatic tissues formalin-fixed paraffin embedded from dogs was selected: 10 normal prostatic tissues, 20 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 25 proliferative inflammatory atrophy (PIA) and 20 PCa. AE1/AE3 was detected with a monoclonal antibody (Invitrogen, 180132) at a 1:300 dilution, applied for 45 min at room temperature (RT). The antibody against Vimentin (V9, Invitrogen) and E-cadherin (NCH-38, Dako cytomatiomn) were monoclonal mouse antibodies, used at a 1:300 and 1:200, respectively, for 45 min at RT. The immunolabelling was performed by a polymer method (Histofine, Nichirei Biosciences,). A negative control was performed for all antibodies by omitting the primary antibody and substituting with Tris-buffered saline. The percentage of C-MYC, E-cadherin, and p63- positive cells per lesion was evaluated according to Prowatke et al. (2007). The samples were scored separately according to staining intensity and graded semi-quantitatively as negative, weakly positive, moderately positive, and strongly positive. The score was done in one 400 magnification field, considering only the lesion, since this was done in a TMA core of 1 mm. For statistical analyses, the immunostaining classifications were reduced to two categories: negative and positive. The negative category included negative and weakly positive staining. Chi-square or Fisher exact test was used to determine the association between the categorical variables. Results: All prostatic normal and BPH tissue were positive for cytokeratin, E-cadherin and negative for vimentin. Similarly, all PIA samples were positive for AE1/AE3. From those samples, 48% (12/25) were also positive for vimentin. 55% of PCa (11/25) was positive for vimentin and among these samples 75% (6/11) was also positive for AE1/AE3 and 45% (5/11) was negative for AE1/AE3. PIA and PCa presented a higher number of vimentin positive cells when compared with normal tissue (p=0.032). E-cadherin expression had no statistical difference among diagnosis groups, but we found a higher number of positive cases, with more than 51% of positive immunostaining in BPH and PIA (81.25% and 78.60% of the cases, respectively) than in PCa (55.55%). Conclusion: The carcinogenesis process regarding prostatic epithelial cells in dogs showed higher vimentin protein expression associated with concomitant loss of the cytokeratin and E-cadherin, similar in humans. Financial Support: Sao Paulo State Foundation (FAPESP) and CNPq. Citation Format: Carlos Eduardo Fonseca-Alves, Igor Simoes Tiagua Vicente, Luis Gabriel Rivera Calderon, Andre Augusto Justo, Silvia Regina Rogatto, Renée Laufer-Amorim. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition occurs in preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of canine prostate. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 88. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-88

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