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Background: Cognitive decline is a common condition, but is still underrepresented in studies conducted in developing countries. Objective: To calculate the prevalence of cognitive decline and depression in an elderly community-dwelling population in a city in southern Brazil. Methods: We calculated the prevalences of dementia, cognitive impairment with no dementia (CIND) and symptoms of depression in an elderly population relying on the public healthcare system. This epidemiological study in Pelotas, Brazil, was conducted within the primary care setting. It included 299 older adults (mean age = 69.75 ± 7.6 years) who presented low levels of education (mean = 4.16 ± 3.17 years of education). They underwent cognitive screening and their medical records were analyzed. Results: Among these older adults, 142 (47.5%) presented cognitive decline: 104 (34.8%) matching the cognitive criteria for CIND and 38 (12.7%) matching the cognitive criteria for dementia. Among all the individuals who completed the cognitive screening, 141 (48.4%) were positive for symptoms of depression, of whom 99 (34%) did not have any previous diagnosis in their medical records. Conclusion: There was high prevalence of cognitive impairment among these older adults in a primary care setting. A large number of older adults were found to have symptoms of depression without any diagnosis.

Background: There are few publications on occurrence of nonthyroidal illness syndrome in foals and on the prognostic value of cortisol and thyroid hormone (TH) concentrations in newborn foals.Objectives: To determine serum cortisol and TH concentrations (total and free thyroxine: T 4 and F T 4 ; total and free triiodothyronine: T 3 and F T 3 ) in foals born from mares with placentitis, to determine their association with survival, and their use as prognostic markers.Animals: A cohort of 29 newborn foals comprising 5 Control, 14 Low-risk, and 10 Sick foals were evaluated over the first week of life.Methods: In this prospective study foals born to mares with experimentally-induced placentitis were assigned to Low-risk or Sick groups while foals born to control mares were classified as Control based on clinical findings. Foals were also classified as Term (n = 13), Dysmature (n = 7), or Premature (n = 9), and survival rate was recorded. Serum cortisol and TH hormone concentrations were measured at 0, 12, 24, 48, and 168 hours of life.Results: Sick non-surviving foals had lower (P < .05) T 3 : cortisol ratio at 12 (3.68 ± 1.06 versus 18.58 ± 2.78), 24 (5.47 ± 2.34 versus 23.40 ± 3.82), and 48 (10.47 ± 6.29 versus 26.6 ± 2.90) hours of life when compared to Sick surviving foals and lower (P < .05) T 4 : cortisol ratio at 12 (75.12 ± 21.71 versus 414.47 ± 58.47) and 24 hours (127.83 ± 55.21 versus 430.87 ± 80.31) after birth than Sick surviving foals. Conclusion and Clinical Importance: Placental infections can impair fetal thyroid function. Low T 3 : cortisol and T 4 : cortisol ratios seem to be good prognostic markers in newborn foals. K E Y W O R D S critical ill foals, rognostic marker, thyroxine, triiodothyronine

The aim of the present study was to describe the dynamics of glucose and insulin curves in pregnant mares, and to evaluate the curves according to body condition score, identifying the presence of insulin resistance and correlating these values with the weight, height and clinical changes of the neonates. For this, pregnant mares were evaluated and then grouped according to body condition score during the gestation length until lactation. GrM corresponds to mares with moderate body score (BCS 5-6); GrOv were mares with overweight body score (BCS 7) and GrOb were obese mares (BCS 8-9). A two-step oral sugar test (OST) was used to determine the data. Cortisol analysis was performed with 300-320 days of gestation, at foaling and after parturition. For evaluation of the neonate, a general clinical examination and, weight and height measurements were performed. The results showed hyperglycemia in response to OST with normal insulin values at foaling with a subsequent fall in both values at lactation disregarding group division. Baseline glucose was decreased in GrM compared to GrOv and GrOb with 70-100 days of gestation and with 130-160 days of gestation. With 270-300 days of gestation and post-partum GrOb had increased baseline glucose than GrM. After OST, glucose at foaling day in GrOb presented increased values than GrM. Baseline insulin values did not differ between groups. Post OST insulin levels were higher in GrOb than GrM and GrOv at parturition. No difference in cortisol between moments was identified. GrOb and GrOv maintained increased concentrations after foaling while GrM had a decrease. No correlation was found between maternal glucose and insulin values with foal weight and height, however, a lower ratio between neonatal weight and mare’s weight in GrOb and GrOv was identified in relation to the GrM. At foaling, mares presented glucose dysregulation, with obese and overweight mares presenting a greater response to OST.

Background: Wry nose is a congenital deformity that causes respiratory obstruction and decreased oxygenation rate. Gestation in a wry nose mare may be considered a risk to the neonate since it depends on the maternal environment for development. Compromised oxygenation during pregnancy can lead to fetal distress and cause consequences on fetal development. However, depending on the degree of the impairment, the fetus may still be able to adapt. The aim of the present study was to report the gestation in a mare with facial deviation until term and to assess blood gases in the mare and neonate, and to evaluate the histomorphometry of the placenta. Case: A Criollo breed mare presenting facial deviation (Wry Nose) was donated to Equine Medicine Research Group (ClinEq) of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) due to the presence of the physical deformity. When the mare was five years old, it was inseminated and had a pregnancy confirmed. At the fifth month of gestation, evaluation of fetal aorta diameter, fetal orbital diameter and combined thickness of the uterus and placenta (CTUP) started to be performed monthly to assess gestation health. The assessment of the fetal orbit and aorta diameter revealed a linear increase of both variables with the progress of gestation indicating a normal fetal development. CTUP remained in the normal reference range, presenting no alterations during the gestational length. The mare foaled at 324 days of gestation a coat showing no congenital deformities. The foaling was monitored until the complete passage of fetal membranes. A complete clinical and hematological evaluation of the foal was carried out after birth. The foal showed normal adaptive behavior, clinical and hematological parameters during the first hours of life, although presenting physical signs of immaturity. Venous blood samples were collected from the mare at 315 days of gestation, immediately after foaling and 24 h post-partum for lactate and blood gas analysis. Mild changes were observed in the mare's blood gas analysis at foaling that were compensated within 24 h post-partum. Venous blood samples were collected from the umbilical cord and from the foal after birth, at 12 and 24 h post-partum to measure blood gases and lactate. The newborn foal presented respiratory acidosis immediately after birth, which was metabolically compensated at 24 h post-partum. Both mare's and foal's lactate evaluation were within the normal reference ranges. After expulsion of the placenta, samples from the gravid horn, uterine body and non-gravid horn were collected for histological and histomorphometric evaluation. In the histological evaluation, avillous areas were detected in the gravid horn and uterine body and mild hypoplasia was found in the uterine body. Placental histomorphometry revealed larger total microcotiledonary and capillary areas on the non-gravid horn when compared to the remaining areas of the placenta (gravid horn and uterine body). No abnormalities on the placental vasculature were detected. Discussion: To date,...

Horses are extremely dependent on the correct functioning of the digestive system for energy production and the performance of their physiological functions. The intestinal microbiota plays a key role in maintaining health, being related to the modulation of the immune system, protection against pathogenic microorganisms and also for obtaining nutrients. Due to the importance of the microbiota in maintaining health from the beginning of life, this review aims to address the early composition, development and factors that influence the intestinal microbiota in foals. A qualitative review was carried out in the main research databases. Data referring to the early microbial colonization suggest that it occurs since intrauterine life, despite the fact that at birth, the foals acquire a large part of the microorganisms that will form its microbiota. The main phyla involved in this process are Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes, which are aquired from a combination of bacteria present in the feces, vagina and other maternal environments. From birth until the first weeks of life, the microbiota gradually changes due to several factors, which include the composition of food, coprophagy, exposure to different environments and medications. The foal's microbiota becomes more stable in the first and second months of life. It is suggested that changes in the composition (dysbiosis) and diversity of the different phyla are a risk factor for the development of diseases, since the microbiota directly influences the immune system. From advances in sequencing technologies it was possible to investigate the components and factors associated with early colonization of microbiota in horses as well as factors related to the development of dysbiosis and disease. Nevertheless, many facts are still unclear and should be adressed in the future.

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