Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) it?s a clinical condition that includes obesity, regional adiposity, insulin resistance (IR) and laminitis. A similar syndrome exists in human medi-cine, the metabolic syndrome (MS), were systemic hypertension also is a prominent fea-ture. The systemic hypertension seen in humans with MS is partly due to a vascular endo-thelial dysfunction with an enhanced endothelin-1 (ET-1) mediated vasoconstriction. There are indications that systemic hypertension might be a feature in EMS as well but if ET-1 is involved in the development of the systemic hypertension in horses is not known.

Prostatacancer är den vanligaste orsaken till cancerdöd hos män i Sverige. Cirka 9500 patienter får diagnosen prostatacancer varje år. Prostatacancer diagnostiseras med hjälp av analys av tumörmarkören prostataspecifikt antigen (PSA) i Plasma.Syftet med den aktuella studien var att undersöka den preanalytiska stabiliteten av PSA i Plasma och att undersöka hur förändrade provtagningsanvisningar och provtagningsrutiner påverkade analysresultat, arbetsförhållanden och patientsäkerhet.Analysmetoden som användes vid studien var electrochemiluminiscence immunoassay (ECLIA), vilken nyttjar ljus för detektion av antigen-/antikroppskomplex.I en första studie visades att centrifugerade PSA-prover med icke avhälld Plasma, förvarade i 6o C, kan analyseras upp till 5 dagar efter provtagning. Detta till skillnad från nuvarande metodbeskrivning som kräver avhälld Plasma vid analys 24 timmar efter provtagning. En andra studie visade att PSA-prov, förvarat i 6o C, centrifugerat och analyserat 24 timmar efter provtagning gav oförändrade PSA-värden jämfört med PSA-prov som centrifugerats och analyserats direkt efter provtagning.

Pyometra, chronic purulent metritis in metoestrus, is a common disease in intact bitches. About 25% of all bitches in Sweden have contracted the disease before ten years of age. Clinical signs of the disease are varied, and the course may be either slow or acute. The diagnosis is most commonly made by radiographical or ultrasonographical examination of the abdomen in combination with blood biochemical and hematological analyses. The safest and most efficient treatment of pyometra is surgical ovariohysterectomy.There is room for improvement of both diagnostic tools and possible prognostic indicators for pyometra.Mast cells are large leucocytes, with granule that contain inflammatory mediators.

The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the possibility to use sampling of faeces, urine and Plasma, and measurements of blood pressure as methods of discovering hypomagnesemia in horses, as well as the application handiness of these methods. The most commonly used method of checking the magnesium status of a horse is to analyze samples of serum or Plasma. The trial was of a switch-back design, in which the horses were used as their own controls. The animal material was five Swedish warm blooded trotters between six to ten years old, and weighing between 485-620 kg. The trial consisted of three periods that were two months each.

Det sker ingen överföring av immunglobuliner från modern till fostret via placentan hos nötkreatur, istället tillförs immunglobulinerna till kalven genom höga koncentrationer i de första dagarnas råmjölk. För att uppnå en god immunisering är det viktigt att kalven så snart som möjligt efter födseln utfodras med råmjölk av hög kvalitet. De tre faktorer som anses ha störst påverkan på kalvens immunisering är koncentrationen av IgG i råmjölken, mängden konsumerad råmjölk och tidpunkten för första råmjölksgivan. Det finns även indikationer på att det finns skillnader mellan olika raser vad gäller kvaliteten på råmjölken och kalvens upptag av IgG. Den allmänna uppfattningen är att IgG-koncentrationen i Plasma påverkar kalvens hälsa och tillväxt genom att kalvar med låga IgG-koncentrationer oftare drabbas av sjukdomar vilket indirekt kan leda till sämre tillväxt.

Examensarbetet behandlar ett designförslag på en Mediabox till ett svenskt företag som tillverkar TV-skärmar (LCD, Plasma).

När en hund diagnosticerats med hypoadrenocorticism bör bakomliggande orsak utredas. I detta ingår en analys av Plasmakoncentrationen av adrenokortikotropt hormon (ACTH). ACTH anses dock brytas ner snabbt och riktlinjerna för hur provtagning och provhantering är därför omfattande. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka stabiliteten hos hundens ACTH för att utvärdera möjligheterna till förenklad provhantering. Detta görs genom att studera hur mycket ACTH-koncentrationen i Plasma minskar vid olika förvaringstemperaturer och förvaringstider. Vid förvaring i frys under en veckas tid var minskningen av ACTHkoncentration liten.

Working horses in developing countries are mostly used for transportation. They are often owned by people with limited economical resources and lack of knowledge about how to take care of the horses and due to this the horses often suffer from problems such as dehydration, poor body condition, lesions and parasitic infections. The aim of this master thesis was to investigate if free veterinary care improved the health and hydration status of working horses in Nicaragua and it was performed as a part of a project called ?Free veterinary assistance for working horses and training of their owners as veterinary promoters in the Pacific coast of Nicaragua?. Five parameters were used to investigate whether free care improved the health of working horses in six towns along the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) meloxicam in connection with dehorning of goat kids. Six 2-3,5 weeks old dehorned kids were given daily intramuscular injections of meloxicam (0,5 mg/kg; MG) and five age-matched dehorned kids were given isotonic NaCl (NG) for 3 days. The study was randomized and double blinded. The behavior of the kids was studied one day before dehorning, on the dehorning day and three days after. Blood samples were collected each day before the treatment and analyzed for Plasma concentrations of meloxicam, hematocrit, cortisol, progesterone and glucose.

Phenylbutazone has been discussed in the world of the equestrian sport several times and different countries have diverse opinions on its use in competitions. The progressive list that permits phenylbutazone with Plasma levels up to 8 µg/ml was presented at the FEI General Assembly in November 2009. The list was voted to be accepted, but later several countries realized the consequences and after protests the list was rejected and is going to be discussed again at the FEI General Assembly 2010. In this literature study I have studied the relationship between the concentrations of phenylbutazone in Plasma and the effects on lameness. The purpose was to establish whether the limit of 8 µg/ml phenylbutazone in Plasma affects the equestrian sport.

Measurement of Plasma concentrations of natriuretic peptides have been suggested to be of diagnostic and prognostic value in canine cardiac disease. In several previous canine studies, however, a considerable overlap between investigated groups has been identified. A reliable natriuretic peptide test for use in clinical practice requires establishment of reference values for natriuretic peptides in healthy dogs and cut-off values for subclinical disease as well as for clinical signs of congestive heart failure. Numerous physiological, pathological and pharmacological factors, aside heart function, may influence concentration of natriuretic peptides. A potential effect of dog breed on natriuretic peptide concentration has been suggested but has, to our knowledge, not previously been specifically studied.

Incompatibility between donors and recipients can cause fatal hemolytic transfusion reactions (HTR), kidney damage and death and immunization of the recipient. Antigens on the surface of erythrocytes in the ABO blood group system and regular natural antibodies against these in the patient?s Plasma must be considered. An individual always has a corresponding antibody of IgM in their Plasma. Irregular antibodies acquired by transfusion or pregnancy and active in body temperature also cause the HTR incompatibility.

Användning av prestationshöjande- eller prestationsåterställande läkemedel har ökat inom många av hästsportens tävlingsdiscipliner. För att motverka detta arbetar anti-doping-laboratorier ständigt med att förfina sina analysmetoder för påvisande av otillåtna substanser. En konsekvens av detta är att även tillåtna läkemedel kan spåras under mycket lång tid efter behandling vilket har lett till ett behov av rapporteringsnivåer för läkemedel som glukokortikoider. Detta för att irrelevanta koncentrationer i Plasma och urin med säkerhet kan bedömas ej ha effekt och därför ge ett negativt svar vid dopingkontroll. Ett projekt pågår just nu för att fastställa ett samband mellan Plasma- och urinkoncentration med och effekt vilket kommer ligga till grund för ett fastställande av rapporteringsnivåer och adekvata karenstider. Studiens syfte är att, som en liten del i projektet, undersöka möjligheten att analysera proteinuttrycket av interleukin-10 i Plasma hos häst samt att undersöka hur dexametason påverkar interleukin-10 över tid. Sex varmblodstravare deltog sammanlagt under 2 försök där olika koncentrationer med dexametason alternativt placebo gavs intravenöst över 3 timmar.

The bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri, which natural habitat is in the intestine of mammals and birds, uses glycerol as a substrate for production of the antimicrobial compound reuterin. Glycerol has been shown to decrease the number of Escherichia coli in human feces and it is believed to be due to in situ production of reuterin. E. coli belongs to the large family of Enterobacteriaceae, naturally occurring in the intestine, and pathogenic strains of E. coli have been shown to be one of several bacteria causing diarrhoea in calves.

Methadone is frequently used as an analgesic drug for dogs although there are very few studies describing the pharmacokinetics of methadone in this species. In man methadone has a long half-life and there are considerable differences in pharmacokinetics between individuals. The dose interval is lengthened when the drug is used fore longer periods of time due to prolonged half-life. Therefore the drug dose must be adjusted individually. The purpose of this study was to study the fundamental pharmacokinetics of methadone in dogs, and to find an optimal drug dosage.