The family context in which babies are born is of continuing interest to policy makers. This article begins by reviewing trends in births within and outside marriage in England and Wales in the last two decades. It then examines the driving factors behind the ongoing rise in the proportion of births outside marriage, with particular focus on the proportion of married women of childbearing age, and changes in marital and non-marital fertility rates. Given the variety of modern living arrangements into which children are born, the emphasis of the article then shifts to non-marital births within cohabiting partnerships. For the first time estimates of fertility for cohabiting women of different ages are presented. These are based on information collected at birth registration and survey estimates of the cohabiting population. Fertility rates for cohabiting women are then compared with those of married women and other (non-married, non-cohabiting) women. Although there are limitations to the methodology, the article shows that over the past two decades, cohabiting women in England and Wales have had an overall level of fertility below that of married women but considerably above that of other unmarried women.

Objective To evaluate compounded famciclovir suspensions for accuracy, precision, and consistency in drug content. Procedures Two compounded famciclovir concentrations were evaluated (250 and 400 mg/mL, 30 preparations total from nine 503A compounding pharmacies) with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)‐approved famciclovir tablets as control. Drug quantification via high‐performance liquid chromatography (with famciclovir reference standard and pramipexole internal standard) was performed at 0, 14, and 28 days with concentrations of 90%–110% of labeled dose considered acceptable (US Pharmacopoeia standards). Results FDA‐approved tablets from three different manufacturers were found to be accurate and precise with acceptable drug content. A significantly greater mean deviation from labeled content was noted for 400 mg/mL suspensions (–52.9%) compared to 250 mg/mL suspensions (–18.0%). When assessing time points separately, 15/63 (24%) samples of 250 mg/mL and 0/27 (0%) samples of 400 mg/mL suspensions met the acceptance standards. Coefficients of variation (CV) in drug content among pharmacy batches ranged from 0.5% to 29%, with 5/10 formulations having significantly lower CV% compared to control (decreased precision). Similarly, drug content changed over time (0–28 days) in all compounded formulations, with both downward and upward trends observed (variable consistency). Conclusions Most compounded famciclovir formulations were inaccurate, imprecise, and inconsistent. FDA‐approved famciclovir tablets may be preferred over compounded famciclovir formulations for the management of feline herpesvirus‐1. If compounded famciclovir is used in practice, a concentration of 250 mg/mL is preferred over 400 mg/mL given the lower accuracy of the higher concentration.

An approximately 2-year-old female Doberman Pinscher was referred for the evaluation of bilateral, chronic proliferative conjunctivitis. Ophthalmic examination revealed bilateral thick, opaque pseudomembranes originating from the conjunctivae that prevented visualization of the cornea and interior structures of the eye. Histopathological findings of biopsies of the pseudomembranes were consistent with ligneous conjunctivitis. Serum plasminogen activity levels were within the normal range. Treatment with topical and systemic anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs did not improve the conjunctival lesions. The pseudomembranes were surgically excised, and the conjunctival surfaces were reconstructed with amniotic membrane. At final re-examination two years postsurgery, there was no evidence of recurrence of the pseudomembranes. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of the successful treatment of canine ligneous conjunctivitis with amniotic membrane transplantation.

This case series describes acute corneal hydrops in three young horses. Due to similarities in the clinical appearance and progression of the disease with that which is reported in humans and cats with acute corneal hydrops, traumatic Descemet's membrane rupture was suspected to be the underlying aetiology in these equine cases. The horses presented with acute severe corneal oedema with intrastromal bullae formation and anterior bulging of the corneal contour. Focal posterior corneal changes were also seen in two of three cases. Mild anterior uveitis was also present. Other causes of corneal oedema (e.g. glaucoma) were ruled out based on presentation and clinical examination. Treatment approaches were medical and included various combinations of prophylactic topical antimicrobial therapy in case of secondary corneal ulceration, anti-inflammatory therapy for uveitis, targeted oedema therapy with topical hypertonic saline and corneal cross-linking, and placement of a temporary partial tarsorrhaphy for corneal tamponade. The outcome was excellent in all cases, with rapid resolution of the ocular changes. Acute corneal hydrops of presumed traumatic Descemet's membrane rupture origin should be considered in cases of young horses presenting with acute corneal oedema. However, further studies are warranted to better characterise the disease and to try to confirm the suspected aetiology.

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