Burin Boonsri

Background and Aim: Early identification of critically ill dogs and cats at high-risk of mortality is essential for timely intervention and improved clinical outcomes in veterinary emergency and critical-care practice. Several prognostic indicators, including the quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA), blood lactate concentration, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), have been proposed for risk-stratification; however, comparative evidence in mixed populations of critically ill small animals remains limited. This study aimed to compare the prognostic performance of qSOFA, lactate, SIRS, and NLR for predicting mortality in critically ill dogs and cats admitted to a critical-care unit (CCU). Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 76 client-owned critically ill animals, including 39 dogs and 37 cats, admitted to the CCU of the Small Animal Hospital, Chiang Mai University, Thailand. Admission qSOFA scores, blood lactate concentrations, SIRS criteria, and NLR values were recorded. Survival status at 21 days post-admission was used as the primary outcome measure. Prognostic performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity at clinically relevant cut-offs. Results: The overall 21-day survival rate was 47.4%, with survival rates of 51.3% in dogs and 43.2% in cats. qSOFA demonstrated the best prognostic performance for mortality prediction, with an AUC of 0.72 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.61–0.82). Animals with qSOFA scores ≥ 2 showed significantly higher mortality risk. The combined qSOFA+lactate model produced a slightly higher AUC of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.62–0.88), although the improvement was not statistically significant. Lactate thresholds showed high sensitivity but poor specificity, particularly at lower cut-offs. SIRS and NLR exhibited limited discriminative ability and poor overall predictive performance. Among evaluated triage rules, qSOFA ≥ 2 provided the most balanced sensitivity and specificity for identifying non-survivors. Conclusion: qSOFA was the most reliable and clinically practical prognostic indicator among the evaluated parameters in critically ill dogs and cats. Lactate may serve as an adjunctive escalation marker for closer monitoring, whereas SIRS and NLR showed limited prognostic utility. These findings support the integration of qSOFA into evidence-based triage and risk-stratification protocols in veterinary critical-care. Keywords: cats, critical-care, dogs, lactate, mortality prediction, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, qSOFA, systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings improve implant bioactivity but suffer from brittleness and limited functionality. Here, we report a hybrid coating strategy combining flame-sprayed HA/TiO₂ with in situ hydrogel growth. TiO₂ incorporated into the HA matrix acted as a photocatalytic initiator for acrylamide polymerization under UV. Unlike conventional hydrogel coatings that require added photoinitiators or separate surface modification steps, TiO₂ incorporated into the HA layer serves as a built-in photocatalytic initiator, enabling direct polymerization of acrylamide monomers on the sprayed surface. The resulting HA/TiO₂–hydrogel coatings exhibited a continuous hydrogel layer with intimate contact to the ceramic surface, as evidenced by SEM cross-sections and elemental mapping. The HA/TiO₂ 1% coating produced a continuous coverage in close contact with the surface, while excessive TiO₂(5%) led to uncontrolled hydrogel growth and partial coating failure. SEM cross-sections revealed a dense, well-adhered coating with homogeneously distributed Ca, P, O, and finely dispersed Ti. Upon immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), submicron globular deposits progressively developed on the coating surface. EDS showed an increase in Ca/P ratio from ~1.66 (as-sprayed) to ~1.92 (14 days). These findings highlight a straightforward approach for combining flame-sprayed ceramics with photocatalytic hydrogel growth, providing a practical route toward multifunctional implant surface modification.

Background: Sexual dimorphism in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) is evident in external features, but skeletal differences remain underexplored. This study aimed to examine the skull, scapula, and pelvis using traditional morphometric methods to assess sex-related variation. Methods: Eleven skeletal specimens were analyzed, including nine skulls, eleven pelves, and eighteen scapulae. Linear measurements were obtained using measuring tape and calipers. Statistical analyses included Mann–Whitney U tests, Pearson’s correlation, and logistic regression for sex prediction. Results: No significant differences were found in skull measurements between sexes. However, the pelvis and scapula exhibited notable variation. Significant pelvic parameters included pelvic girdle length (p = 0.024), symphysis length (p = 0.012), and pubis shaft perimeter (p = 0.048). Scapular differences were observed in diagonal breadth, mediolateral width, and spine length. Logistic regression using pelvic measurements yielded 100% accuracy for female classification and 66.67% for males, with an overall prediction accuracy of 90.91%. Conclusions: The pelvis demonstrated the highest reliability for sex determination. These findings enhance the anatomical understanding of Asian elephants and support applications in conservation, forensic science, and population studies. Future research with larger sample sizes and advanced imaging may improve the precision of morphometric sex prediction models.

Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common heart disease in small-breed dogs, often leading to heart failure. Oxidative stress in MMVD can harm mitochondria, decreasing their DNA content. This study assesses dogs’ oxidative stress and mitochondrial DNA at different MMVD stages. Fifty-five small-breed dogs were categorized into four groups, including: A—healthy (n = 15); B—subclinical (n = 15); C—heart failure (n = 15); and D—end-stage MMVD (n = 10). Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and mitochondrial DNA in peripheral blood were analyzed. Quantitative real-time PCR measured mitochondrial DNA, and PCR data were analyzed via the fold-change Ct method. Serum MDA levels were assessed using competitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Mitochondrial DNA was significantly lower in group B (−0.89 ± 2.82) than in group A (1.50 ± 2.01), but significantly higher in groups C (2.02 ± 1.44) and D (2.77 ± 1.76) than B. MDA levels were notably elevated in groups B (19.07 ± 11.87 µg/mL), C (23.41 ± 12.87 μg/mL), and D (19.72 ± 16.81 μg/mL) in comparison to group A (9.37 ± 4.67 μg/mL). Nevertheless, this observed difference did not reach statistical significance. It is noteworthy that mitochondrial DNA content experiences a decline during the subclinical stage but undergoes an increase in cases of heart failure. Concurrently, oxidative stress exhibits an upward trend in dogs with MMVD. These findings collectively suggest a potential association between mitochondrial DNA, oxidative stress, and the progression of MMVD in small-breed dogs.