The mean age (and standard deviation) of the patients was 67 3 +/

The mean age (and standard deviation) of the patients was 67.3 +/- 10.2 years. Obesity (a body mass index [BMI] of >= 30 kg/m(2)) was documented in 61.2% of cases, 18.2% of patients had diabetes, and 50% were graded as Class 3 or higher on the basis of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification system. The thirty-day mortality rate was 0.18%, and 5.6% of the patients experienced complications. Patient age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06

to 1.17) and diabetes (OR = 2.99; 95% CI = 1.35 to 6.62) were independent predictors of mortality. A BMI of >= 40 kg/m(2) was an independent predictor of postoperative complications (OR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.98). Patient age of eighty years or older, an ASA classification of >= 3, and an operative https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ch5183284-debio-1347.html time of >135 minutes influenced the development of any postoperative complication as well as major and minor systemic complications. Cardiac disease (OR = 4.32; 95% CI = 1.01 to 18.45) and a BMI of >= 40 kg/m(2) (OR = 2.01; 95% CI = 1.02 to 3.97) were associated with minor local complications.\n\nConclusions: Patient age and diabetes increased the risk of mortality after primary total unilateral knee arthroplasty. Predictive factors impacting the development of

postoperative complications included an ASA classification of increased operative time, increased age, and greater body mass.”
“Fifteen LY2835219 order morphometric traits and body weight (BW) from 319 adult Crioula Lanada ewes were evaluated. The influence of wool type and geographic location (fixed effects) was tested, in addition to Pearson correlation, factor and discriminatory analysis according to geographic regions and breed ecotypes. Analysis was carried out using the Statistical Analysis System Program. Geographic location revealed significant effect (P < 0.001) on morphometric traits. Most correlations were significant (P < 0.05), thoracic perimeter (TP) with BW this website (0.72) being the strongest. Correlations between head and body measurements were medium or weak, strongest being between BWs. Multivariate

analysis revealed 81% of variance using two factors, where three groups of variables were identified (general body, head and one group including thoracic and BW, respectively). Fine discrimination between herds and also the Fronteira and Serrana ecotypes were observed which opens door to valuable validation of how phenotype relates to genotype and associated SNPs in the Crioula Lanada breed. Published by Elsevier B.V.”
“Due to sympathetic de-centralization, individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), especially those with tetraplegia, often present with hypotension, worsened with upright posture. Several investigations in the non-SCI population have noted a relationship between chronic hypotension and deficits in memory, attention and processing speed and delayed reaction times.

The C-3 cycle enzyme sedoheptulose-1,7 bisphosphatase (SBPase, EC

The C-3 cycle enzyme sedoheptulose-1,7 bisphosphatase (SBPase, EC 3.1.3.17) has been shown to exert strong metabolic control over RuBP regeneration at light saturation.\n\nResults: We tested the hypothesis that tobacco transformed to overexpressing SBPase GW4869 will exhibit greater stimulation of A than wild type (WT) tobacco when grown under field conditions at elevated [CO2] (585 ppm) under fully open air fumigation. Growth under elevated [CO2] stimulated instantaneous A and the diurnal photosynthetic integral (A’) more in transformants than WT. There was evidence of photosynthetic acclimation to elevated [CO2] via downregulation of V-c,V-max in both

WT and transformants. Nevertheless, greater carbon assimilation and electron transport rates (J and J(max)) for transformants led to greater yield increases than WT at elevated LDK378 [CO2] compared to ambient grown plants.\n\nConclusion: These results provide proof of concept that increasing content and activity of a single photosynthesis enzyme can enhance carbon assimilation and yield of C-3 crops grown at [CO2] expected by the middle of the 21st century.”
“The effects of Si doping on the evolution of stress in AlxGa1-xN:Si thin films (x approximate to 0.4-0.6) grown on 6H-SiC by metal organic chemical vapor deposition were investigated using

in situ wafer curvature measurements. The results were correlated with changes in film microstructure as observed by transmission electron microscopy. The incorporation of Si into the films resulted in a compressive-to-tensile transition in the biaxial stress at the surface, and the magnitude of the tensile stress

was found to increase in proportion to the Si concentration. The stress gradient was attributed to Si-induced dislocation inclination resulting from an effective climb mechanism. Si doping also resulted in a decrease in the threading dislocation density in the AlxGa1-xN layers, which was attributed to increased dislocation Blasticidin S nmr interaction and annihilation. The model describing tensile stress generated by dislocation effective climb was modified to account for the dislocation reduction and was found to yield an improved fit to the experimental stress-thickness data. (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3160331]“
“Significant differences exist in the respiratory adaptation to exercise in different equine breeds. This research describes the ergoespirometric response to exercise of Andalusian (AN) and Arabian (A) horses, both selected according to morphological criteria. Thirteen untrained male horses (6 AN and 7 A) performed a treadmill exercise test (TET) with a slope of 6%, with workloads starting from 5 m/s and increasing 1 m/s every 3 min until the horses were not able to keep the required velocity.

The dose-response relationships between cigarette smoking and the

The dose-response relationships between cigarette smoking and the outcomes were assessed selleckchem by using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for clinically relevant factors. The primary outcome was a 30% decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The secondary

outcome was first complete remission (CR) of proteinuria. Results: During the observation period (median, 37 months; interquartile range, 16-71 months), 37 (21.6%) patients developed a 30% decline in eGFR and 2 (1.2%) progressed to ESRD. CR occurred in 103 (60.2%) patients. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models revealed current smoking (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 7.81 [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.17-19.7]), female sex (adjusted HR, 3.58 [95% CI, 1.87-8.00]), older age (adjusted HR, 1.71 [95% CI, 1.13-2.62] per 10 years), the number of cigarettes smoked daily (adjusted HR, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.23-2.09] per 10 cigarettes daily), and cumulative smoking of bigger than = 40 pack-years (adjusted

HR, 5.56 [95% CI, 2.17-14.6]) to be associated with a 30% decline in eGFR. However, smoking was not associated with CR. Conclusion: Smoking is a significant and dose-dependent risk factor for IMN progression. All patients with IMN who smoke should be encouraged to quit.”
“Intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator is currently the standard therapy for acute ischaemic stroke when

started within 4.5 h of symptom onset. Systemic thrombolytic therapy can, however, lead to potentially PHA-739358 lethal bleeding complications and is contra-indicated in several circumstances. Intra-arterial thrombolysis and/or intra-arterial thrombectomy can overcome these drawbacks and even increase the rate of recanalization. While intravenous thrombolysis is a relatively non-complex treatment, intra-arterial therapy in acute ischaemic stroke patients requires a dedicated intervention team which has to be available at all www.selleckchem.com/products/hmpl-504-azd6094-volitinib.html times. In this case report, we describe the multidisciplinary approach of a rare complication of a trapped mechanical thrombectomy device.”
“Due to the complexity of investigating deformation mechanisms in helical rolling (HR) process with traditional analytical method, it is significant to develop a 3D finite element (FE) model of HR process. The key forming conditions of cold HR of bearing steel-balls were detailedly described. Then, by taking steel-ball rolling elements of the B7008C angular contact ball bearing as an example, a completed 3D elastic-plastic FE model of cold HR forming process was established under SIMUFACT software environment. Furthermore, the deformation characteristics in HR process were discovered, including the forming process, evolution and distribution laws of strain, stress and damage based on Lemaitre relative damage model.

First, we demonstrated pyrophosphate

First, we demonstrated pyrophosphate Dibutyryl-cAMP manufacturer (PPi) detection assuming that DNA polymerization occurred. This result showed a sensitivity of -12.3 mV/decade for a logarithmic concentration of PPi in the range of 0.05-1 mM. To investigate the

appropriateness of this measurement result, we conducted a theoretical analysis using the equilibrium constant. Next, we demonstrated DNA single-base polymerization detection. There was a 5.65 mV difference between the reaction solutions with a mismatched deoxynucleotide triphosphate (dNTP) and with a matched dNTP. This voltage difference is reasonable given the PPi detection result, which achieves a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of more than 20 dB. (C) 2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics”
“BACKGROUND: Prediction models combine

patient characteristics and test results to predict the presence of a disease or the occurrence of an event in the future. In the event that test results (predictor) are unavailable, a strategy is needed to help users applying a prediction model to deal with such missing values. We evaluated 6 strategies to deal with missing GSK1904529A values.\n\nMETHODS: We developed and validated (in 1295 and 532 primary care patients, respectively) a prediction model to predict the risk of deep venous thrombosis. In an application set (259 patients), we mimicked 3 situations in which (1) an important predictor (D-dimer test), (2) a weaker predictor (difference in calf circumference), and (3) both predictors simultaneously

were missing. The 6 strategies to deal with missing values were (1) ignoring the predictor, (2) overall mean imputation, (3) subgroup mean imputation, (4) multiple imputation, (5) applying a submodel including only the observed predictors as derived from the development set, or (6) the “one-step-sweep” method. We compared the model’s discriminative ability (expressed by the ROC area) with the true ROC area (no missing values) and the model’s estimated calibration slope and intercept with the ideal values of I and 0, respectively.\n\nRESULTS: Ignoring the predictor led to the worst and multiple imputation to the best discrimination. Multiple BMS-777607 nmr imputation led to calibration intercepts closest to the true value. The effect of the strategies on the slope differed between the 3 scenarios.\n\nCONCLUSIONS: Multiple imputation is preferred if a predictor value is missing. (C) 2009 American Association for Clinical Chemistry”
“The neural mechanism of bottom-up attention and its relationship to top-down attention are poorly understood. Visual stimuli that differ from others in their component features are salient and tend to draw attention in a bottom-up manner. “Popout” stimuli differ uniformly from surrounding items and are more easily detected than stimuli composed of a conjunction of surrounding features.

Euthymic individuals with a parental history of depression demons

Euthymic individuals with a parental history of depression demonstrate increased activation of hippocampal-related neural networks during a memory task, particularly in brain regions involved in processing the salience of stimuli. Changes in the activity of the ACC replicate previous findings in FH+ participants using different psychological tasks; this suggests that task-related abnormalities in the ACC may be a marker of vulnerability click here to depression. Increased levels of Glx in the hippocampus might also represent a risk biomarker but follow-up studies will be

required to test these various possibilities.”
“Radiation has large influence on the cytotoxicity, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. The bioactivity of ruthenium(II) complex [Ru(dmb)(2)(DBHIP)](ClO4)(2) (Ru1) (DBHIP = 2-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxylphenyl)imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline) was investigated in the absence and presence of radiation. The cytotoxicity of Ru1 against MG-63 cells was evaluated by CCK-8 method. Ru1 shows high cytotoxicity upon radiation. Radiation can enhance the cytotoxicity of Ru1 on MG-63 cells. The apoptosis was studied by Hoechst 33258 staining method and flow cytometry. The reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial membrane potential, cell cycle arrest and western blot analysis were investigated in detail. The complex induces the apoptosis

LY411575 nmr in MG-63 cells through ROS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction pathway. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“The patient’s own evaluation of treatment can simplify communication between the patient and the treating physician; it provides additional important information for therapy control and improves patient compliance. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have already been examined in clinical studies among patients suffering from advanced ovarian cancer for a long time now and have made an important contribution with respect to the definition of a recognized standard of treatment for first-line therapy. This article describes the significance of PROs from the point of view of a social scientist,

a gynaecologist, and an affected patient.”
“Primary objective: This study examined the effectiveness S63845 molecular weight of a group approach to the treatment of anger management difficulties for people with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).\n\nResearch design: Repeated-measures design with convenience sampling.\n\nMethod and procedure: Participants were community living clients of a tertiary brain injury service. The group programme consisted of 12 weekly sessions based on a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) model, with modifications to incorporate compensations for TBI-related cognitive impairment. Treatment effectiveness was measured using the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), at pre-treatment, post-treatment and follow-up.\n\nMain outcomes and results: The programme was completed by 52 people across nine groups over the years 1998-2006 and 31 of these attended a follow-up session.

Close examination of the frequency distribution of vascular perim

Close examination of the frequency distribution of vascular perimeter highlights that alterations in vascular morphology persist in the near term fetal brain for up to 48 h following a brief (10 min) hypoxia in white but not gray matter. These findings suggest that the near term brain may still be vulnerable to white selleck chemicals matter injury following in utero hypoxia. (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“High level of apoptosis and low AKT activation in mass screening as opposed to standard neuroblastoma\n\nAims:\n\nNeuroblastoma is a paediatric solid tumour with a poor outcome except in children < 1 year old. Based on catecholamine

urinary excretion, mass screening (MS) programmes have been organized but failed to decrease the mortality of this tumour. To test the hypotheses of a spontaneous maturation/differentiation or regression, the levels of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-1, an Selleck GSK1904529A early apoptosis marker,

of PhosphoAKT, a major apoptosis inhibitor, and of maturation/differentiation were compared in standard and in MS neuroblastomas.\n\nMethods and results:\n\nWe performed a case-control study of 55 primary tumours and 21 metastases of MS neuroblastomas. Matched controls were standard unscreened neuroblastomas and were paired according to age, stage, and MYCN amplification. The tumours were included in tissue microarrays. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using antibodies against, AKT, phosphoAKT, TRKB and PARP-1. The expression of PARP-1 and that of phosphoAKT were significantly higher in standard than in MS neuroblastomas independently of age and stage of the tumour. PhosphoAKT and PARP-1 expression was significantly correlated in both tumours.\n\nConclusions:\n\nThese data suggest that the better prognosis of patients with MS neuroblastomas compared with MAPK Inhibitor Library price classical neuroblastomas was secondary to spontaneous tumour regression mediated by higher levels of apoptosis associated with low activation

of AKT.”
“Endogenes rarely support transitive silencing, whereas most transgenes generally allow the spread of silencing to occur along the primary target. To determine whether the presence of introns might explain the difference, we investigated the influence of introns in the primary target on 3′-5′ silencing transitivity. When present in a transgene, an intron-containing endogene fragment does not prohibit the spread of silencing across this fragment, indicating that introns do not preclude silencing transitivity along endogenes. Also, a multiple intron-containing genomic gene fragment that had previously been shown not to support transitivity in an endogenous context could support transitivity when present in a transgene.

Given the large size and predominantly extracellular receptor int

Given the large size and predominantly extracellular receptor interaction of endogenous chemokines, small molecules often act more deeply in an allosteric mode. However, opposed to the well described molecular interaction of allosteric modulators

in class C7-transmembrane helix (7TM) receptors, the interaction in class A, to which the chemokine receptors belong, is more sparsely described. Using the CCR5 chemokine receptor as a model system, we studied the molecular interaction and conformational interchange required for proper action of various orthosteric chemokines this website and allosteric small molecules, including the well known CCR5 antagonists TAK-779, SCH-C, and aplaviroc, and four novel CCR5 ago-allosteric molecules. A chimera was successfully constructed between CCR5 and the closely related

CCR2 by transferring all extracellular regions of CCR2 to CCR5, i.e. a Trojan horse that resembles CCR2 extracellularly but signals through a CCR5 transmembrane unit. The chimera bound CCR2 (CCL2 and CCL7), but not CCR5 chemokines (CCL3 and CCL5), with CCR2-like high affinities and potencies throughout the CCR5 signaling unit. Concomitantly, high affinity binding of small molecule CCR5 agonists and antagonists was retained in the transmembrane region. Importantly, AZD1152-HQPA whereas the agonistic and antagonistic properties were preserved, the allosteric enhancement of chemokine binding was disrupted. In summary, the Trojan horse chimera revealed that orthosteric and allosteric sites could be structurally separated and still act together with transmission of agonism and antagonism across the different receptor units.”
“Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a significant problem underlying the poor prognosis associated with gliomas. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) is thought to induce the genes expression involved in MDR. To evaluate the effect of silencing HIF-1 alpha in human glioma T98G cells, cells were transfected with HIF-1 alpha-small interference RNA (HIF-1 alpha-siRNA) and cultured under hypoxic conditions. The effect of HIF-1 alpha-siRNA on HIF-1 alpha and multidrug resistance-associated

protein 1 gene (MRP1) and protein levels was determined. Silencing rates of HIF-1 Sapitinib in vitro alpha were 90%, 85%, and 88% at 24, 48, 72 h post-transfection, respectively. Corresponding rates of HIF-1 alpha protein were 74.5%, 61.1% and 59.1%. MRP1 protein levels decreased by 7.6%, 36.8% and 45.2%. HIF-1 alpha-siRNA transfected cells were significantly more sensitive to doxorubicin and etoposide compared to non-transfected cells. These findings suggest that the HIF-1 alpha plays a role in mediating chemotherapeutic drug resistance in glioma cells. HIF-1 alpha silencing may prove to be an effective therapeutic means of treating gliomas.”
“Background: The true benefit of pharmacologic intervention to improve cognition in schizophrenia may not be evident without regular cognitive enrichment.

05) and higher PMN elastase concentrations (P smaller than 05)

05) and higher PMN elastase concentrations (P smaller than .05) than that of the

basketball athletes after the game. A number of important differences between these 2 sports, such as duration or total aerobic and anaerobic demands, may affect oxidative status. These parameters need to be further examined in order to elucidate the different effects of these TPCA-1 clinical trial 2 sports on postexercise oxidative status.”
“Introduction: Presepsin, the circulating soluble form of CD14 subtype (sCD14-ST) is a new emerging early marker for sepsis. Various cutoff levels of presepsin have been proposed, to discriminate between systemic bacterial and nonbacterial infectious diseases. The aim of this work was to define the reference interval for presepsin according to the CLSI C28-A3c approved guideline. Materials and methods: Reference individuals (N = 200; 120 females) aged 18-75 years (median 39 years), free from inflammatory diseases, were selected for the study. Presepsin concentrations were measured by a commercially

available chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (PATHFAST (TM), Mitsubishi Chemical Europe GmbH, Dusseldorf, Germany). Reference limits were calculated using the non-parametric percentile method. Results: Overall, the reference limits for the presepsin were 55-184 pg/mL (90% confidence DZNeP manufacturer intervals, CI, were 45 to 58 and 161 to 214, respectively). There were no significant differences between males and females and the presepsin concentrations PD98059 molecular weight were not even particularly influenced by age. The upper reference limit for the presepsin is much lower than every cut-off limit so far proposed, both for sepsis and also for systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Conclusion: Specific decision levels are required to define the diagnostic and prognostic roles of presepsin in different settings of inflammatory

and infectious diseases. Reference values can help to distinguish and quickly rule out healthy subjects or patients with other pathologies.”
“Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) is an enzyme that metabolizes asymmetrical N-G, N(G-)dimethyl-L-arginine (ADMA) and N-G-monomethyl-L-arginine (MMA), which are competitive endogenous inhibitors of NO synthase. However, it remains unknown whether NO itself influences DDAH activity and/or ADMA/MMA contents to regulate NO generation via a biofeedback mechanism. The present study was designed to examine the effects of NO on intracellular ADMA and MMA contents and DDAH gene expression levels and enzymatic activities in cultured rat aortic endothelial cells. The NO donors SNAP and NOR3 did not influence DDAH-1 expression but increased DDAH-2 mRNA and protein levels in concentration-dependent manners. SNAP upregulated DDAH enzymatic activity and reduced the MMA and ADMA contents but did not affect the symmetrical N-G, N’(G)-dimethyl-L-arginine and L-arginine levels, thereby negating a mediatory role for system y(+) in ADMA/MMA downregulation.


“OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to characteri


“OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to characterize emergency department (ED) visits for pediatric sport-related concussion (SRC) in pre-high school-versus

high school-aged athletes.\n\nMETHODS: A stratified probability sample of US hospitals that provide emergency services in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (1997-2007) and All Injury Program (2001-2005) was used. Concussion-related ED visits were analyzed for 8- to 13- and 14- to 19-year-old patients. Population data were obtained from the US Census Bureau; sport participation data were obtained from National Sporting Goods Association.\n\nRESULTS: From 2001 to 2005, US children who were aged 8 to 19 years had an estimated Selleckchem Ferroptosis inhibitor 502 000 ED visits for concussion. The 8- to

13-year-old group accounted for similar ARN-509 to 35% of these visits. Approximately half of all ED visits for concussion were SRC. The 8- to 13-year-old group sustained 40% of these, which represents 58% of all concussions in this group. Approximately 25% of all SRC visits in the 8- to 13-year-old group occurred during organized team sport (OTS). During the study period, similar to 4 in 1000 children aged 8 to 13 years and 6 in 1000 children aged 14 to 19 years had an ED visit for SRC, and 1 in 1000 children aged 8 to 13 years and 3 in 1000 children aged 14 to 19 years had an ED visit for concussion sustained during OTS. From

1997 to 2007, although participation had declined, ED visits for concussions in OTS in 8- to 13-year-old children had doubled and had increased by >200% in the 14- to 19-year-old group.\n\nCONCLUSIONS: The number of SRCs in young athletes is noteworthy. Additional research is required. Pediatrics 2010;126:e550-e556″
“The first five zoeal stages of Plesionika narval were obtained from 15 days of laboratory culture. All larval buy Bafilomycin A1 stages are described and illustrated in detail. Zoeal characters are compared with the previous described larvae of Plesionika acanthonotus and Plesionika edwardsii and with undetermined zoeas of Pandalidae from plankton samples.”
“Accurate diagnosis of exposure to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is important for maintaining negative farms. In the present study, the ability of a dual-plate complement fixation (CF) assay and 3 commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs; quad-plate ELISA-1, single-plate ELISA-2, and single-plate ELISA-3) in detecting serological evidence of A. pleuropneumoniae exposure was compared using serum samples of experimentally infected or vaccinated pigs, or field samples from the United States. Forty-two pigs were divided into groups of 2 pigs and were inoculated with 1 of 15 A. pleuropneumoniae strains representing all known serovars of A.

To examine the prediction, femurs from two strains of mice (C57BL

To examine the prediction, femurs from two strains of mice (C57BL/6J, N = 10 and C3H/HeJ, N = 11) that have distinct mineralization levels were fatigued under four-point bending to create damage in the bone tissues. After testing, the microdamage morphology of the bone samples was examined using bulk-staining technique with basic fuchsin. The results demonstrate that more linear microcracks are observed in femurs of C3H/HeJ (higher mineralization), whereas more diffuse-like damage is found

in C57BL/6J femurs (less mineralized). Compared with linear microcracks, the formation PF-00299804 molecular weight of diffuse damage tends to dissipate more energy and help bone to avoid catastrophic failures. Therefore, results from this study may help explain why highly mineralized bone tends to be more brittle. Observations from this study are consistent with the numerical prediction from the previous study, suggesting that mineralization has a significant effect on the microdamage morphology of bone.”
“Ticks transmit various important pathogens to humans and animals, and dogs are frequently exposed to tick infestation. The objective of this study was to examine tick infestation and

the characteristics of tick prophylaxis of dogs in the Berlin/Brandenburg area. A total of 441 dogs (392 owners) was examined from March 2010 to April 2011. The dog owners participated in the study for a period of 1-13 months (10.33 +/- 2.85; median 11.00). BMS-777607 chemical structure The prevalences of a total of 1728 ticks collected from 251 (57%) of these dogs were: 46.0% Ixodes ricinus, 45.1% Dermacentor reticulatus, 8.8% Ixodes hexagonus, and 0.1% Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The ticks were 75.2% adult females and 24.4% adult males, and 0.4% were nymphs. The average Nepicastat prevalence of apparent infestation of tick-positive dogs was 0.78 ticks/month (median 0.38). Tick infestation was highest in October (5.9 +/- 5.8

ticks/dog) and lowest in December (1 +/- 0 tick/dog). The highest frequency of infestation was observed during May (117 dogs). The number of ticks found on dogs by owners on a single day varied from one to 70 (median 1). The scutal index indicated that more than 60% of I. ricinus and more than 40% of D. reticulatus had been removed after they had fed for more than 2 days. The heads, necks, chests, and limbs of the dogs were the most common attachment sites. Data for tick prophylaxis with substances licensed for dogs by the Medicinal Products Act (MPA) were available for 124 dogs; a total of 1195 ticks was obtained from these dogs. About two-thirds of the ticks were collected from dogs that were treated incorrectly (n = 96) or were not treated (n = 60). One third of the ticks were collected from dogs (n=96) that had been treated correctly. Dog-specific characteristics such as length of coat (p = 0.011) and body size (p = 0.