Anna Rita Attili

Autologous Platelet Gel to Treat Chronic Decubital Ulcers: A Randomized, Blind Controlled Clinical Trial in Dogs

OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of topical application of the autologous platelet gel (PG) in canine chronic protracted decubital ulcers. STUDY DESIGN Prospective, randomized, blind controlled clinical trial. ANIMALS Dogs (n = 18) with bilateral chronic wounds caused by protracted decubitus ulcers. METHODS For each dog, wound side was randomized to receive either platelet gel (group PG) every 5 days for 5 dressing changes, or paraffin gauzes dressings (group C), as negative control. Wound healing and wound surfaces were compared at admission and then evaluated every 5th day, until day 25. Outcome variables were: open wound area, reduction of open wound surface compared to admission and to each preceding dressing change, time to complete epithelialization. RESULTS Significant differences in healing process were observed at day 5 and continued throughout the entire study period (P < .00001). At 25 days, mean percent reduction in wound area was 93.5% in group PG and 13.2% in group C (P < .00001). CONCLUSIONS Appropriately prepared autologous PG, an inexpensive, readily available blood derivative, applied topically results in more rapid healing of chronic non-healing decubital ulcers in dogs than those treated by use of paraffin-impregnated gauzes.

Conjunctival bacterial and fungal flora in clinically normal sheep.

Objectives The aim was to identify conjunctival bacterial and fungal flora in clinically normal sheep. Design Prospective study. Setting Tuscany. Participants 100 eyes from 50 adult Massese female sheep were examined. The sheep included in the study were considered free of anterior ophthalmic abnormalities. Primary and secondary outcome measures Bacteria were identified by morphological assessment, Gram staining, biochemical tests. Identification of filamentous fungi was achieved at the genus level, and Aspergillus species were identified based on keys provided by other authors. Yeast colonies were highlighted, but not identified. Results Positive cultures were obtained from 100/100 eyes for bacteria, and from 86/100 eyes for fungi. A total of 14 types of bacteria and 5 types of fungi were isolated. Yeasts were isolated from 13/100 eyes. The most frequent fungal isolates were saprophytic fungi. Conclusions Conjunctival bacterial and fungal flora of clinically normal eyes were reported in sheep. The positivity obtained for conjunctival bacteria was higher compared to findings in the literature by other authors in the same species (100 per cent v 40 per cent), while our results were in line with a recent work performed on mouflons (Ovis Musimon) with a 100 per cent positivity for bacterial conjunctival fornix. In our survey, Gram-positive species were prevalent, as reported by other authors in different species. Few data are available in the literature regarding conjunctival fungal flora in healthy small ruminants. The prevalence of conjunctival fungal flora in this study was higher than findings reported in mouflons (86 per cent v 45 per cent). Differences in fungal prevalence may be due to different methods of managing herds, though further studies are required to verify this hypothesis. The similarities in bacterial and fungal isolates between sheep and mouflons suggest a genera pattern of conjunctival colonisation by bacteria and fungi.

Platelet-rich plasma to treat experimentally-induced skin wounds in animals: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The objective of the study was to review current literature to determine whether the topical application of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) promotes healing in experimentally-induced full-thickness skin wounds in animals. The hypothesis was that the adjunct of PRP has a positive effect on wound healing. An electronic search was carried out on the following databases: Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Research Gate, Cochrane Wounds Group, Veterinary Information Network. No publication date nor language restrictions were applied. Randomised and not randomised controlled clinical trials comparing PRP with placebo or with other treatments were included. The reduction of open wound area in PRP-treated (test) wounds compared to control wounds was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were healing time and number of healed cases in test group compared to control. The following effect sizes were calculated: the Hedges’ g for continuous variables; the odds ratio for binary data. Eighteen controlled clinical trials were included in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis, with a total of 661 wounds. All studies were published in the period 2007–2016. Eight studies were carried out on rodent/lagomorph mammals and 10 on non-rodent/lagomorph mammals. In all included studies, control wounds underwent placebo or were left untreated. The PRP group showed a better healing performance than the control group in each outcome. The effect size was statistically significant considering the primary outcome and the overall aggregation of the three outcomes. The effect size, although in favour of the treatment with PRP, was not significant considering the healing time and the number of healings. The overall heterogeneity was mild or moderate. Five studies reported a high risk of selection bias. The publication bias was always mild or absent. The results support the hypothesis of the positive effects of the PRP when compared to control groups in the treatment of experimentally-induced full-thickness skin wounds in animals. PRP can therefore be considered an effective adjunctive therapy in stimulating second intention healing of acute wounds in healthy animals.