Master of Science / Department of Clinical Sciences / Thomas Schermerhorn / The use of continuous blood glucose monitors (CBGMs) has recently come into favor in human medicine for the control and monitoring of the diabetic patient. It allows for a higher degree of accuracy of the true glucose curve throughout a 72-hour period. With this information, physicians are better equipped to treat and manage diabetic patients. Recently, this modality has been verified for use in veterinary patients including cats and dogs. This is an excellent source of information, especially in the management of difficult to regulate veterinary patients. This device has potential for use in various applications, particularly for the monitoring of patients with various diseases under general anesthesia. In order to ensure accurate results do occur when an animal is under general anesthesia, the continuous blood glucose monitor was evaluated on apparently healthy patients under anesthesia for routine procedures such as ovariohysterectomies and orchiectomies. In this manner, the monitor was tested on anesthetized patients that had the potential to experience hypothermia, hypotension, and other anesthesia-associated complications that can be typical of patients that could benefit from the CGMS.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Physiology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Theory of mind, the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others, has traditionally been investigated in humans and nonhuman primates. However, non-primate species, such as domestic dogs, may also be potential candidates for such a faculty. Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) evolved from a social-living, wolf-like ancestor, and were the first species to be domesticated, with likely selection for sensitivity to human cues and human-like cognitive abilities. Dogs typically spend their lives in the rich social environment of human families, and thus dogs are naturally enculturated. The combination of these factors make dogs an excellent candidate for having a functional theory of mind. Yet perhaps surprisingly, prior research on theory of mind in dogs is limited, with inconclusive and contradictory results. The research described in this thesis is a systematic investigation of dogs' potential to demonstrate a functional theory of mind in their interactions with humans. Four experiments are presented, based on the Knower-Guesser paradigm (Povinelli et al., 1990), in which a knowledgeable and an ignorant human informant indicated the location of hidden food to the dog. In Experiment 1, one informant was absent (Guesser) and one present (Knower) during the food-hiding, and the dogs chose the Knower. However, when both informants were present, the dogs chose the informant that did the baiting, but this preference was less than when the Guesser was absent. In Experiments 2 and 3, a third experimenter hid the food while the informants covered their cheeks (Knower) or eyes (Guesser) with their hands, or were attentive (Knower) or inattentive (Guesser) to the food-hiding. In both cases, the dogs showed a significant preference for the Knower. In Experiment 4, the dogs showed no preference between the informants when they had equal perceptual access to the baiting, and were unsuccessful at selecting any container when the informants did not provide communicative cues. Overall, the present research provides the most definitive evidence yet that domestic dogs may be able to attribute differential states of knowledge to human observers, and thus may possess a functional theory of mind.

This study evaluated the effects of programming a variability contingency on one object and the generalization of variability across other objects and contingencies when the defining features of the variable responses were topographical differences. A dog's interactions with five different objects were measured under both ANY (where any physical contact with the object would be reinforced on a fixed ratio schedule) and the VAR contingencies (where only the novel responses per trial would be reinforced). The ANY contingency produced stereotyped responding of behavior with all objects. When one of the dog-object interactions was changed to the VAR contingency, a marked decrease in stereotypic behavior and an increase in novel responses in the form of topographical combinations were observed across both contingencies.

Nikkomycin Z (NikZ) is a chitin synthase inhibitor with antifungal efficacy against Coccidioides spp. and other endemic fungi. Dogs suffer a rate and range of natural coccidioidomycosis similar to humans and were considered an excellent model for initially testing NikZ against naturally acquired disease. Twelve dogs with coccidioidal pneumonia that had been present for an average of three months were treated with 250 mg (5 - 15 kg) or 500 mg (> 15 - 30 kg) twice daily for 60 days. Nine dogs completed the course of treatment and seven dogs had improvement in disease based on radiographs, clinicopathological parameters, physical examination findings, and subjective assessment by the owners; three dogs had resolution or near resolution of disease. Based on this small study, NikZ shows efficacy to treat naturally acquired coccidioidomycosis and merits further development for trials in humans.

This dissertation addresses how Victorian class hierarchy persisted on the frontier, and manifested in aspects of military life at Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Historians have argued that Victorian culture was omnipresent, but forts were located on the frontier, which was removed from the cultural core. While social status differences were a central aspect of Victorian culture, few studies have investigated how resilient class divisions were in differing landscapes. The U.S. western frontier was a landscape of conflict, and under the continual stress of potential violence, it is possible that Victorian social status differences weakened. While status differences in the military were primarily signaled through rank insignia and uniforms, this research focuses on subtle everyday inequalities, such as diet and pet dogs. Three independent lines of evidence from Fort Laramie, Wyoming (1849–1890) suggest that Victorian social status differences did persist despite the location. The Rustic Hotel (1876–1890), a private hotel at Fort Laramie, served standardized Victorian hotel dishes, which could be found in urban upper-class hotels. Within the military, the upper-class officers dined on the best cuts of beef, hunted prestige game birds, and supplemented their diet with sauger/walleye fish. Enlisted men consumed poorer cuts of beef, hunted smaller game mammals, and caught catfish. Officers also owned well-bred hunting dogs, which were integrated into the family. In contrast, a company of enlisted men frequently adopted a communal mongrel as a pet. This project increases our knowledge of the everyday life on the frontier and social relationships between officers and enlisted men in the U.S. Army. It also contributes to a larger understanding of Victorian culture class differences in frontier regions.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 F72 / Master of Science / Clinical Sciences

Orientador: Valéria Marçal Felix de Lima / Resumo: A leishmaniose canina (CanL) é causada pelo parasito intracelular Leishmania infantum. Devido ao alto parasitismo na pele o cão é considerado o principal reservatório urbano da L. Infantum. A prostaglandina-E2 (PGE2) possui propriedades reguladoras potentes do sistema imunológico e pode se ligar aos receptores EP1, EP2 e EP4 que geram ativação celular ou EP3 que gera inibição de resposta celular. Na CanL o papel regulador da PGE2 ainda não foi estudado, por isso, os parâmetros foram avaliados em cultura de leucócitos esplênicos de cães com CanL. Avaliando o nível de PGE2, seus receptores, e seu efeito modulador sobre a PGE2 na atividade da arginase, NO2, citocinas IL-10, IL-17 e TNF-α e carga. Para isso utilizamos seus agonistas, antagonista e inibidor. Nossos resultados mostraram que a expressão do receptor EP2 diminuiu nos leucócitos esplênicos dos cães com CanL quando comparado aos cães saudáveis. Observamos que o NO2 diminuiu quando tratados com os agonistas dos receptores de PGE2 (EP1/EP2/EP3), antagonista dos receptores de PGE2 (AH-6809) e inibidor de COX-2 (NS-398). A concentração das citocinas TNF-α e a IL-17 diminuíram quando tratadas com agonista do receptor de PGE2 (EP2), e quando estimuladas com a PGE2. A carga parasitária diminuiu na cultura de leucócitos esplênicos de cães com CanL estimulados com PGE2. Concluímos que a infecção por Leishmania modula os receptores de PGE2 em cães, e que a ligação da PGE2 aos receptores pode ativar a capacidade microbicida das cé... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Doutor

Este estudo define a inter-relação microvascular materno-fetal e o desenvolvimento dos hematomas placentários durante diferentes períodos gestacionais em cães SRD. Placentas de 20, 35, 45 e 55 dias da prenhez foram perfundidas e fixadas para a investigação histológica e confecção de moldes vasculares, injetados com Mercox, e submetidos a corrosão para análise ao microscópio eletrônico de varredura. Os componentes fetais da placenta endoteliocorial e zonária anular do cão são irrigadas por dois ramos arteriais do cordão umbilical, um endereçado à cinta placentária, e outro ao hematoma marginal. Da artéria principal central, originam-se colaterais destinados às lamelas e vilos do labirinto no sentido feto-uterino. O desenvolvimento lamelar mostrou-se progressivo com o avançar da prenhez. Os complexos capilares na periferia dos vilos têm a forma de tufos de pêlos, cujos capilares são contínuos com o sistema venoso. Da artéria hematomal organizam-se os lóbulos microvasculares circulares, que aparecem no septo ou barreiras entre o hematoma marginal e o labirinto. Os capilares placentários maternos dispõem-se de maneira a cruzar os capilares fetais. Conseqüentemente, o fluxo sangüíneo placentário de cães Sem Raça Definida é caracterizado por um tipo de sentido único de corrente cruzada simples. O desenvolvimento dos hematomas marginais foi quantificado por morfometria. Os primeiros traços dos hematomas apareceram entre o 18º a 20º dia da prenhez como áreas hemorrágicas, delimitadas por sincíciotrofoblasto e pelo tecido septal materno. Sua justaposição à artéria materna principal, confirma a origem de sangue extravasado como oriundo dos capilares endometriais. Entre 30 a 45 dias de prenhez, os hematomas são orientados no sentido alanto-uterino, alcançando a região das glândulas endometriais, caracterizando canais de sangue extravasado, organizados em hematomas marginais ou bolsas laterais à cinta placentária central. Mediante análise estatística (KS-400 Zeiss®) correlacionamos a área dos hematomas e da cintura placentária, utilizado o teste de Pearson, o que nos revelou que os hematomas crescem até 46º dia da gestação. Do 46º dia até o parto, o tamanho da cintura ultrapassou o desenvolvimento dos hematomas, sinalizando que a fonte de nutrição do feto de cães no terço final de gestação, depende da troca transplacentária, mesmo considerada a atividade fagocitária exercida pelos hematomas. / That study defines the maternal-fetal microvascular interrelationship and the placental hematomes development during different pregnant periods in the mongrel dog placenta. Placentae from 20, 35, 45 and 55 days of pregnancy were perfusion-fixed for histological investigation and vascular corrosion casts were prepared for scanning electron microscopy. Two main umbilical cord arterial branches irrigate the fetal components of annular zonary endotheliochorial dog placentae, one tributary to the centre of the girdle and the other one to the marginal hematome. From the central main artery many stem arteries arise and move through the lamellae or villi of the labyrinth in feto-maternal directions. The lamellar development showed increased substantially with progressing pregnancy. The capillary complexes at the periphery of the villi have the shape of hair tufts and lead into the venous drainage system. The hematomal artery supplies the circular lobules, which appear as a septum-like barrier between the marginal hematome and the labyrinth. The maternal placental capillaries, generally cross the fetal capillaries. Therefore, the placental blood flow in mongrel dogs is characterized by a one-way crosscurrent type interrelationship. Were analyzed the development of the marginal hematomes in dog placentae by morphometry. The first traces of hematomes appeared at 18-20 days of pregnancy as hemorrhagic area lines, and were delimited by syncytiotrophoblast and maternal septal tissue. Its location near the maternal stem artery confirms the endometrial capillary origin of the extravasated blood. Between 30-45 days of pregnancy, the hematomes were oriented in allantoic-uterine direction reaching the endometrial gland region, thus forming channels of extravasated blood, which were organized as marginal hematomes or lateral pockets to the placental girdle. Statistical analysis (KS-400 Zeiss®) was used to quantify the area of hematomes and placental labyrinth, and Pearson test correlation revealed that hematomes grow until 46 days of pregnancy. From day 46 until parturition, the size of the placental labyrinth increased and passed the development of the hematomes. We conclude that the supply of the dog fetus in the last third of pregnancy, depends more on transplacental exchange than on phagocytosis done by hematomes.