C-reactive protein concentrations in canine acute pancreatitis

Objective: To determine if C‐reactive protein (CRP) concentration is elevated in spontaneously occurring canine acute pancreatitis (AP), and to measure changes in CRP during the course of hospitalization. Design: Prospective study. Setting: Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine Foster Hospital for Small Animals. Animals: Sixteen client‐owned dogs with AP and 16 healthy controls. Interventions: Blood samples were obtained from the AP group on the day of diagnosis (Day 1), and on Days 3 and 5, unless the dog died or was discharged from the hospital. Blood was obtained from the control dogs once. Measurements and main results: Serum CRP was measured using a commercial immunoassay for each dog with AP and for healthy controls. Day 1 CRP concentrations were significantly higher in the AP group (56.1±12.7 μg/mL) compared with controls (2.8±1.3 μg/mL; P<0.001). For the 7 dogs that had samples collected on all 3 days, the mean CRP concentrations decreased significantly (P=0.043) over the 5 days of measurement. Of the 16 dogs with AP, 14 were discharged from the hospital and 2 were euthanized. Conclusions: Serum CRP concentrations were elevated in this group of 16 dogs with spontaneously occurring AP. In the 7 dogs that had measurements on all 3 days, the mean CRP concentration decreased from the day of diagnosis to the measurement made 5 days later.     

Hypernatremia secondary to homemade play dough ingestion in dogs: a review of 14 cases from 1998 to 2001

Objective: To correlate the sodium chloride dosage and the serum sodium concentration to clinical signs, to determine if the dosage of homemade play dough (and, therefore, sodium chloride) is the most reliable way to predict clinical signs and prognosis, and to review previously reported treatment options. Design: Retrospective case series. Animals: Fourteen dogs with a history of homemade play dough ingestion. Procedure: Cases were examined for each animal's signalment including body weight, age, approximate amount of play dough ingested, the estimated sodium chloride dosage, clinical signs, serum sodium concentration, and outcome when available. The literature was reviewed to determine pathophysiology and treatment regimens. Results: Twelve of 14 dogs (86%) that ingested homemade play dough showed clinical signs. Vomiting (9 of 14, 64%), polydipsia, and seizures (4 of 14 each, 29%) were the most common signs followed by polyuria, tremors (3 of 14 each, 21%), and hyperthermia (2 of 14, 14%). The lowest calculated dosage associated with objective clinical signs was 1.9 g/kg. Seizures were reported in all animals with serum sodium levels greater than 180 mEq/L. Conclusions and clinical relevance: Homemade play dough ingestion can be a serious and life‐threatening problem. Many factors can contribute to the toxicity of homemade play dough. This study indicates that the serum sodium concentration is a more reliable indicator of the clinical course of the toxicity rather than the amount of play dough and, therefore, the dosage of sodium chloride ingested. Treatment should be based on a clinical evaluation of the patient and laboratory results, and consists of controlling seizures, reducing serum sodium concentrations slowly, and supportive care.     

An indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of bovine antibodies to multiple Leptospira serovars

An indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was developed for the detection of bovine antibodies to multiple pathogenic Leptospira serovars, including canicola, copenhageni (represents icterohaemorrhagiae), grippotyphosa, hardjobovis, pomona, and sejroe. The antigen utilized in this assay was a sonicated mixture of equal parts of killed whole cells of each of the 6 serovars named above. A mouse monoclonal antibody against bovine immunoglobulin (Ig)G₁ that was conjugated with horseradish peroxidase was used for detection of bound antibodies. This assay was evaluated with sera (n = 3107) that were microscopic agglutination test (MAT)-negative (at a 1:100 dilution) for each of the 6 serovars listed above and sera (n = 601) that were MAT-positive (at a 1:100 dilution) for 1, or any combination of the 6 listed serovars. In addition, sera from serial weekly bleedings of cows, which were individually experimentally infected with serovars hardjobovis, copenhageni, grippotyphosa, or canicola, were also tested in this assay.

At an optimal cut-off point determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the relative sensitivity and specificity of the assay were 93.5% (95% confidence interval = 91.2% to 95.3%) and 94.7% (95% confidence interval = 93.9% to 95.5%), respectively. This assay was able to detect antibody in the sera of animals experimentally infected with serovar hardjobovis as early as 1 week postinoculation

     

Adherence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 to swine buccal epithelial cells involves fibronectin

The swine pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 was investigated for its ability to adhere to swine, rat, and human buccal epithelial cells (BEC). The highest number of bacteria adhered was to swine BEC. This binding ability was affected by heating, extreme pH, treatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate, ethylenediamine tetraacetate, or periodate, and proteolysis, suggesting that cell-surface glycoproteins participate in adherence and that adherence is based mostly on ionic interactions. Mannose and swine fibronectin may play a direct role in this interaction. Convalescent-phase serum from naturally infected pigs inhibited the adhesion. There was a correlation between bacterial pathogenicity as well as host specificity and the capacity for adherence to swine BEC. Adhesion to swine BEC provides a convenient method to study in vitro the adherence of A. pleuropneumoniae and other pathogens of the pig respiratory tract.     

A computer program for calculation of doses and prices of injectable medications based on body weight or body surface area

A computer program (CalcAnesth) was developed with Visual Basic for the purpose of calculating the doses and prices of injectable medications on the basis of body weight or body surface area. The drug names, concentrations, and prices are loaded from a drug database. This database is a simple text file, that the user can easily create or modify. The animal names and body weights can be loaded from a similar database. After typing the dose and the units into the user interface, the results will be automatically displayed. The program is able to open and save anesthetic protocols, and export or print the results. This CalcAnesth program can be useful in clinical veterinary anesthesiology and research. The rationale for dosing on the basis of body surface area is also discussed in this article.     

仙居鸡染色体G带和Ag-NORs的研究

运用改进的鸡外周血淋巴细胞培养——空气干燥法，分析了仙居鸡染色体G带和Ag—NORs。G带研究结果表明：前10对大型染色体可分为30个区，144条带，同时对G带带型特征进行了具体描述，并绘制了G带模式图。Ag—NORs处理发现：仙居鸡的Ag—NORs常分布于1p、3p、4p、Zp、2q上，均数为3．26，众数为3。不同个体间以及同一个体的不同细胞间。Ag—NORs数目存在多态性；此外研究还发现Ag—NORs联合现象。     

仔猪小肠肌间神经丛NDP阳性神经元形态的定量研究

采用小肠铺片NADPH黄递酶组化染色和细胞影像分析的方法对0、5、28日龄的仔猪小肠肌间神经丛神经元群体的形态参数进行定量测定。结果表明:随日龄增长,小肠肌间神经元胞体面积增大,出生后的头几天尤为明显。NDP阳性肌间神经元胞核面积平均值与胞体面积平均值呈正相关。胞体面积平均值在0日龄为234.98±23.48μm2,5日龄为346.30±33.07μm2,28日龄为364.17μm2;胞核面积平均值在0日龄为69.85±6.27μm2,5日龄为88.25±2.39μm2,28日龄为84.15μm2。核质比随日龄呈下降趋势,核质比在0日龄为0.298±0.003,5日龄为0.257±0.027,28日龄为0.231。上述测量值不仅表现出日龄差异,而且在同一日龄小肠的前后段亦有所不同。NDP阳性神经元胞体和胞核大小都以十二指肠最大,空肠前段次之,回肠最小。0日龄仔猪神经元胞体面积分布在100～300μm2之间的占70.79%,5日龄和28日龄胞体面积分布在100～400μm2之间的分别占64.81%和63.22%。肌间神经丛NDP阳性神经元主要为Dogiel 型神经元。     

猪伪狂犬病抗体免疫金标快速检测试纸法

应用免疫学原理与胶体金层析技术相结合，采用双抗原夹心法建立了检测猪伪狂犬病抗体水平的“猪伪狂犬病抗体免疫胶体金快速检测试纸法”，用该法与美国Idexx公司的猪伪狂犬病ELISA试剂盒，同时对16纷猪血液或血清进行抗体水平检测，符合率达100％。同时使用金标法对100份猪血液和对应血清进行检测，结果也相同。试验结果显示．金标法与ELISA一样，具有微量、特异、准确等优点，且操作简易，而金标法不需要任何仪器，检测时间短．结果直观，容易判定，适用于基层兽医站、养猪场使用和大面积猪伪狂犬病抗体普查。     

微卫星DNA在动物亲子鉴定中的应用及研究进展

本文概述了微卫星DNA进行亲子鉴定的基本原理与方法,将其用于亲子鉴定的优点以及研究进展,最后对未来的应用进行了展望。     

司帕沙星在雏鸡体内药代动力学及残留的研究

选用30日龄健康海兰鸡65只,按5mg／kg体重口服给予司帕沙星,定期采样,以高效液相色谱法测定血浆、肝、肾、心、肺和肌肉中司帕沙星的含量,研究司帕沙星在鸡体内的药动学与残留。结果表明:司帕沙星在血液中经时过程符合一级吸收二室开放模型,其主要动力学参数如下:t1／2α0.9585h,t1／2β11.7447h,tmax0,6514 h,Cmax0.5271 μg／ml,AUC1.7908mg／L／h。肾脏、心脏的药时数据符合一级吸收二项指数方程,其主要动力学参数分别为:t1/2Ka0.3733 h、0.1530h,t1／2k1.3007 h、2.1013h,tmax1.01420h、0.6239 h,Cmax2.1104μg／ml、1.6721 μg／ml,AUC6.51764 mg／L／h、6.2286mg／L／h。司帕沙星在肝脏、肺脏、肌肉中的经时过程符合一级吸收三项指数方程,主要动力学参数分别为t1/2α0.3672 h、0.6156 h、1.5835 h,t1/2β3.9998 h、15.0271 h、12.0103h,tmax0.7458 h、0.7322 h、1.3726 h,Cmax4.4709μg／ml、2.5267μg／ml、0.9760μg／ml,AUC20.893 mg／L／h,27.242 mg／L／h、9.7943mg/L/h。建议司帕沙星在鸡体内的休药期为7d。