Page 3 - Clinical Connections - Spring 2022

 

 

 

 

 

Page 3 - Clinical Connections - Spring 2022
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

                                    Veterinary Breakthroughs Amid the Daffodils

               Welcome to our spring edition of                             that there is more we can do to manage these
          Clinical  Connections,  again  highlighting  the                  steroid-resistant cases.
          core principle of our clinical centres – cutting-                   Our Orthopaedic Service, led by Professor
          edge practice informed by applied and, on                         Richard Meeson,  has  continued  to go  from
          occasions, basic research in environments                         strength to strength, and on Page 7 the
          that are supportive of both undergraduate                         team  describes  highlights  from  a  typical
          and  postgraduate  training  and  experiential                    week, including a comminuted fracture of
          learning.                                                         the shoulder joint of a young dog, which was
            One  of  the  most  challenging  things  our                    one of a number of injuries sustained after he
          teams  manage  is  owner  expectations  and,                      ran into a wild boar! This followed by a total
          in particular, anxieties around pets coping                       hip replacement for a two-year-old Bernese
          with advanced treatment protocols and                             mountain dog and stem cell therapy for
          management practices. Nowhere is this more                        severe elbow osteoarthritis, outlining how we
          of a concern than when we are dealing with                        are using quantitative data generated using a
          cancer patients. Our lead story reports on the                    pressure mat to more objectively evaluate the
          development of a dedicated chemotherapy                           benefits of this form regenerative surgery.
          administration room. This will help us provide                      Dirk  Werling,  Professor  of  Molecular
          the best possible experience for patients. Creating a positive   Immunology,  discusses  flow  cytometry  for  companion  animal
          and supportive environment that can be adjusted for individual   cancer research on Page 8. As part of the current investment of
          preferences is paramount for all our patients, but especially so   the Hawkshead Campus, with support from Hertfordshire Local
          for those attending for regular chemotherapy sessions, and this is   Enterprise Partnership and the Animal Care Trust, we were able
          equally important for the peace of mind of clients.   to purchase two flow cytometers, one of which is a fluorescence-
            There is an  interesting article  from Bettina  Dunkel,  Head  of   activated cell sorter, and a new microscope, to enable live-cell
           Equine, on a hot topic in veterinary practice – antimicrobial   imaging.  The  Flow  Cytology  Core  Facility  is  available  to  both
          stewardship. Bettina discusses a range of considerations around   internal and external users.
          responsible antimicrobial use in horses. As Bettina emphasises,   On Page 9, members of the Internal Medicine Service discuss
          there are numerous causes of systemic inflammation in the horse.   exciting developments that have meant the once inevitably fatal
          While a significant bacterial infection is one explanation, there are   FIP can be treated with parenteral and then oral antiviral agents.
          many more and the clinical signs invariably do not provide a clue   One of the few silver linings of the COVID-19 era has been
          as to the underlying cause. She outlines this complexity in the   the possibility of more easily gaining access to drugs, such as
          context of antimicrobial use and overuse.           remdesivir and GS 441524, that target certain coronaviruses.
            Our exotics article on Page 5, by Nadene Stapleton, discusses   It has been extremely gratifying to have been able to work with
          one of the more common problems we deal with in rabbits –   Bova UK to save the lives of an ever-increasing number of young
          ear disease. Nadene explains why, despite being potentially   cats, using a combination of injectable and oral preparations,
          particularly painful, the disease is often not picked up until it   who but for the pioneering work of the UC Davis’s Niels Pedersen
          has progressed and requires surgery.  As well as discussing   would certainly have died from this horrible disease.
          treatment, Nadene talks about interesting research showing that   Last but certainly not least, Page 10 has a fascinating
          a great many cases are picked up when rabbits have CT scans   article  by  Balázs  Szladovits,  Associate  Professor  of  Clinical
          for other conditions, thus underlining the problem of the disease   Pathology, on the epigenetic clock, which he has been working
          going unnoticed due to rabbits’ stoicism.           on collaboratively, including with Professor Steve Horvath at
            On Page 6 Erica Tinson, from our Emergency and Critical Care   UCLA. This new tool based on analysis of the epigenetic data
          team, discusses a severe case of immune-mediated haemolytic   of an individual can reveal their biological age, which can differ
          anaemia. Buddy, a six-year-old Labrador, required packed   markedly from chronological age.  This research has great
          red  blood  cell  transfusions  on  five  occasions  and  underwent   implications for veterinary and human medicine, and will no doubt
          therapeutic plasma exchange. He ultimately had 10 units of   help vets explain disease risks to owners and how these risks
          red blood cells and eight plasma exchanges before recovering   could be mitigated by attention to factors within their control. It
          completely. We can probably all recall frustrating IMHA cases that   really is a most exciting area of future research.
          seemed completely intransigent to aggressive initial therapy with   Professor David Church, Deputy Principal and Acting Vice
          “steroids and another agent”; Erica’s article is a timely reminder   Principal (Clinical Affairs)


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