The overall survival is good with both surgical options, and even calves with liver involvement and septic arthritis associated can be successfully treated with a combination of long term antibiotics and umbilical vein marsupialization.

Polymeric tissue-engineering scaffolds must provide mechanical support while host-appropriate cells populate the structure and deposit extracellular matrix (ECM) components specific to the organ targeted for replacement. Even though this concept is widely shared, changes in polymer modulus and other mechanical properties versus biological exposure are largely unknown. This work shows that specific interactions of biological milieu with electrospun scaffolds can exert control over scaffold modulus. The net effects of biological and non-biological environments on electrospun structures following 7 and 28 days of in vitro exposure are established. Reduction of modulus, ultimate tensile strength and elongation occurs without the apparent involvement of classic hydrolysis mechanisms. We describe this phenomenon as deposition-induced inhibition of nanofiber rearrangement. This phenomenon shows that both mechanical and morphological characterization of electrospun structure under load in biological environments is required to tailor scaffold design to pursue specific tissue-engineering goals.

OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical and clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment, and outcome for cattle that developed a retroperitoneal abscess (RA) following paralumbar fossa laparotomy (PFL). ANIMALS 32 Holstein cows with RA. PROCEDURES The record database of a veterinary teaching hospital was searched to identify cattle that were treated for an RA between January 1995 and March 2017. Cattle with an RA > 30 cm in diameter located 3.5 cm subjacent to the skin that had undergone a PFL < 3 months before examination for the RA were evaluated. Information extracted from the record of each cow included signalment; physical examination, clinicopathologic, and transabdominal ultrasonographic findings; treatments administered; and outcome. Milk production data were analyzed for the lactations before, during, and after RA treatment. RESULTS Common physical examination findings were rumen hypomotility, anorexia, and fever, and common clinicopathologic findings were anemia and neutrophilia. Abdominal palpation per rectum and transabdominal ultrasonography facilitated RA diagnosis and identification of the optimal location for drainage. Thirty of 32 cows underwent surgical drainage of the RA and prolonged administration of systemic antimicrobials. Two cows were euthanized because of concurrent peritonitis, including 1 that underwent surgical RA drainage. Thirty cows were discharged from the hospital alive, and most returned to their previous level of milk production. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Although uncommon, RA should be suspected in cows that develop anorexia and fever within 3 months after PFL. Cows with RA often returned to their previous level of milk production, but treatment was generally prolonged and costly.

Conservative treatment of femur fracture in cattle is possible but associated with complications during the convalescence. Continued research is needed to optimise distal diaphyseal fracture stabilisation in young cattle.

BackgroundDowner cow syndrome, a common problem in dairy cattle, represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for the attending veterinarian. Identifying prognostic indicators and assessing the odds of survival may improve the accuracy of the clinician's prognosis at the time of diagnosis.ObjectiveTo describe a population of downer dairy cows referred to a hospital and investigate predictors of outcome.AnimalsRecumbent adult dairy cows (cows unable or unwilling to stand without help) treated at a referral hospital.MethodsData at the time of admission were collected from medical records of downer dairy cows treated at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vétérinaire between 1994 and 2016. Simple and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association of predictors with the outcome.ResultsAmong 1318 cows included, 727 (55%) cows were discharged, and 591 (45%) cows died or were euthanized. Cows with longer time of recumbency before referral (odds ratio [OR] = 3.6), tachycardia (100‐120 beats per minute [bpm], OR = 1.93; >120 bpm, OR = 2.92), tachypnea (OR = 1.76), hypothermia (OR = 2.08), anemia (OR = 3.30), neutropenia (OR = 1.7), high aspartate aminotransferase activity (500‐1000 U/L, OR = 2.16; >1000 U/L, OR = 6.69), and increased serum creatinine concentration (OR = 1.75) had higher odds of nonsurvival.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceThese findings may help the practitioner to consider treatment options and decide if referral is likely beneficial based on the odds of success. Early recognition of low chance of survival may facilitate an early decision for euthanasia.