Study Design:Observational study.Objectives:To determine the publication rate of podium presentations from the North American Spine Society (NASS) annual meetings from the years 2009 to 2011.Methods:In April 2015, a PubMed search was conducted using titles from the paper presentations as well as the authors. Of the search results that were found, the specific scientific journal in which the article was published was recorded. We analyzed further the top 4 destination journals and trends in publications in these journals over the study period. No study funding was obtained for this research, and there are no potential conflicts of interest or associated biases.Results:Over the study period, 671 paper presentations were available and 342 were published (51% publication rate). The highest publication rate was from the 2011 annual meeting, with 55.3%, and the lowest year was 2010, with a rate of 46.43%. Spine (32.75%), The Spine Journal (19.01%), Journal of Neurosurgery Spine (7.31%), and European Spine Journal (6.73%) were the top 4 destination journals. Over the study period, we found a significant decrease in publication rate in Spine (P = .001) and a significant increase in publication rate in The Spine Journal (P = .003). There were no significant difference in publication rate over the study period in Journal of Neurosurgery Spine (P = .15) or European Spine Journal (P = .23).Conclusions:This is the first study to our knowledge evaluating the publication rate of podium presentations from recent North American Spine Society annual meetings. We found an overall publication rate of 51%.

Study Design Retrospective evaluation of prospectively collected data. Objective To evaluate infection rates following intrawound vancomycin powder application during spine tumor surgery. Methods Patients ≥18 years old undergoing spine tumor surgery and receiving intrawound vancomycin powder at a single center between January 2008 and January 2015 were enrolled. Patient demographics (age, sex, body mass index [BMI]), tumor type (metastatic, primary) and location, surgical data (estimated blood loss [EBL], levels fused, type of decompression, length of surgery and hospitalization, discharge status from hospital), radiation therapy use, and infection rates (surgery to a minimum of 30 days postoperative) were evaluated. Results Forty patients (46 procedures) undergoing spine tumor surgery and intrawound vancomycin powder application were identified. Five were excluded because of death less than 30 days postoperatively, and 35 patients (41 procedures) were enrolled: 11 women and 24 men with an average age of 61.4 years (range 19 to 92) and average BMI of 27.3 (range 17.4 to 36.8). Three cases were primary spine tumors. Five were hematologic malignancies, and 27 were metastatic cancers. Twenty-one tumors were in the thoracic spine, 12 in the lumbar spine, and 8 in the cervical spine. Average EBL was 899 mL (range 25 to 3,500), average length of surgery was 241 minutes (range 78 to 495), and average hospital stay was 15.1 days (range 3 to 49). Two culture-proven infections (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloacae) were noted in 41 procedures (4.9%). Ten patients (28.6%) had preoperative radiation only; 14 (40%) had postoperative radiation only, 5 (14.3%) had both preoperative and postoperative radiation, and 6 (17.1%) had no radiation. There were no associations between radiation treatment and postsurgical infections (p = 0.19). Conclusion In this first study evaluating intrawound vancomycin powder for spine tumor surgery, we report an infection rate of 4.9%. We found no correlations between radiation treatment and postsurgical infections.

The study evaluates effects of varied doses of ascorbic acid and piroxicam on behavioural signs of pain in orchidectomised Savannah Brown goats during their postsurgical pain management. The goats were divided into 6 groups of 3 goats each. Orchidectomy was performed on all animals under sedation with xylazine and linear infiltration with lignocaine. After surgery, varied doses of piroxicam (IM) and ascorbic acid (IV) were administered to the goats: Group A = piroxicam, 5 mg/kg + ascorbic acid, 100 mg/kg; Group B = piroxicam, 5 mg/kg + ascorbic acid, 200 mg/kg; Group C = piroxicam, 10 mg/kg + ascorbic acid, 100 mg/kg; Group D = piroxicam, 5 mg/kg; Group E: ascorbic acid, 100 mg/kg together with antibiotics, procaine penicillin, 20,000 IU/kg + streptomycin, 10 mg/kg (IM); and Group F (control) received only the antibiotics. After surgery, pain intensity was determined in each goat by numerical rating scale. Vocalisation, teeth grinding, rapid and shallow breathing, tail wagging, occasionally bleating, neck extension, and dorsal lip curling were recorded at varying degrees across the experimental groups. The goats in the control group showed the highest degree of behavioural signs of pain. It is concluded that treatment with a combination of piroxicam and ascorbic acid ameliorated pain more than either of the agents in orchidectomised Savannah Brown goats.

The sense of pain is of practical significance in human and veterinary medicine. Its management and prevention constitute integral and fundamental parts of quality and compassionate care of patients. In order to recognise, assess, prevent and treat pain, an understanding of its pathway and the pathophysiologic mechanisms is necessary. This review discusses definitions of pain, its classification, description, pathophysiologic mechanisms, neuro-transmission and evaluation of pain as well as physiological responses to pain, with special reference to domestic animals. It is concluded that adequate understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms of pain and the physiologic responses of animals to pain may aid its efficient management.

Evaluation of the effect of piroxicam and ascorbic acid combination on live weight and rectal temperature of savannah brown goats during post-operative pain management,

Due to the increased use of ultrasound in the diagnosis of cyesis, it is necessary to study the possible adverse effect of insonation on thyroid hormone in fetuses. Sixteen (16) adult rabbit does that had kindled at least once were used for the study and were scanned using a Medison S600V ® Ultrasound machine with a 6.5MHz transcutaneous curve-linear probe. All does were mated naturally by the introduction of a doe to a buck and then divided randomly into two groups. The does that were scanned (insonated)-, were properly restrained on dorsal recumbency, liberally shaved; aquasonic gel applied and scanned using a transcutaneous curve-linear probe for 5 minutes on the 5 th day post coitus and thereafter on days 7, 12, 15, 20, 25, 27 and 29. The restrain and scanning procedures were mimicked on the group of does that were not scanned (non-insonated). Upon parturition, blood was collected from kits and serum was extracted and used to assay for total thyroxine (tT4) and triiodothyronine (tT3). Fetal thyroid glands were also harvested for histologic study. Mean tT3 concentration was 1.60 ± 0.90 µg/dl and 1.58 ± 0.03 µg/dl while mean tT4 was 1.46 ± 0.10 µg/dl and 1.39 ± 0.07 µg/dl for the non-insonated and insonated groups, respectively. P values of 0.610 and 0.132 for tT3 and tT4 concentration respectively showed that there is no statistically significant difference in the values even though there was a numerical difference between the groups. No histopathologic change on fetal thyroid gland from both groups was observed. In conclusion, although the values were not significantly different, the numerical decrease of both tT3 and tT4 in the insonated rabbits suggest the possibility that insonation could alter their values in fetuses when the threshold of ultrasound waves are increased and insonation prolonged.

Body fluid constitutes averagely 60% of the body weight of ruminants and this must be maintained in order to ensure optimal bodily function. Several homoeostatic mechanisms go on within the body in order to keep these fluids and electrolytes relatively constant. When these mechanisms are overwhelmed, life-threatening imbalances can occur rapidly. The use of fluid therapy is viewed as a medical therapy just as important as other medications in the management of sick or debilitated livestock where anaesthesia and/or surgery is required. It therefore, becomes imperative to review its uses and effect in small ruminants. Fluid therapy in any patient should aim to; replace existing deficits, replace on-going water and electrolyte loss, meet maintenance requirements and serve as a vehicle for the infusion of certain intravenous medications. In order to ensure appropriate fluid therapy, the volume of fluid deficit, type of fluid required and the route of administration should be punctiliously considered.

A day-old Bunaji bull calf weighing 15 kg from a herd of 59 was presented to the large animal unit of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, with the chief complaint of inability to defecate. History revealed that the bull calf was calved 17 hours prior to presentation and had not defecated since then. On further clinical examination, it was observed that there was no anal opening and there was intermittent straining characterized by the bulging of the anal region anytime the calf strained. A diagnosis of atresia ani type II was made and was surgically managed with local infiltration of lidocaine hydrochloride to achieve local desensitization of the surgical site using a ring block. The calf recovered fully uneventfully 15 days postoperation. This report presents a classical form of a congenital anomaly of atresia ani type II and a successful surgical intervention.