Use of M-mode echocardiography in the diagnosis of congestive cardiomyopathy in Doberman pinschers

M-mode echocardiography performed on 3 groups of Doberman Pinschers--healthy, early cardiomyopathy, and advanced cardiomyopathy (pulmonary edema present). Echocardiographic measurements in those dogs with advanced cardiomyopathy were typical of the disease in human beings and other breeds of dogs. Significant differences were detected between dogs with early cardiomyopathy and those with advanced disease. The E-point septal separation was determined to be the most sensitive and specific criterion for the recognition of early cardiomyopathy.     

Plasma indicators of muscle damage in a model of nutritional myopathy in weaner sheep

SUMMARY Subclinical nutritional myopathy was induced in 5-month-old sheep by feeding them a diet low in vitamin E and selenium. Subsequently clinical myopathy was induced by dosing with protected polyunsaturated fatty acids. Plasma activities of creatine kinase (CK), pyruvate kinase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase and aldolase, enzymes of muscle origin, all remained above their reference ranges in clinically affected sheep, but fluctuated widely. Similar fluctuations occurred in subclinically affected animals, resulting in some activities being within the reference ranges and some above, at different times. Plasma malondialdehyde, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, proved of no diagnostic value. Terminal plasma CK activities were significantly correlated with microscopic damage in the vastus lateralis (VL), but not the vastus intermedius (VI) or the tensor fascia lata (TFL) muscles. AST was the most highly correlated with damage in VI and VL. In two clinically affected sheep successfully treated with an oral dose of α-tocopherol actetate all enzymes decreased steadily to within their reference ranges, at rates probably related to their plasma half-lives. These results suggest that measurement of plasma CK activity would be useful in monitoring recovery of treated sheep.     

Gluconeogenesis in isolated lamb hepatocytes

Isolated sheep hepatocytes were used to obtain estimates of kinetic parameters, identify substrate preference and interactions and study regulation of gluconeogenesis. Respective Vmax estimates for propionate, pyruvate and alanine conversion to glucose were 59.5, 12.8 and 21.5 mol glucose formed X (h X g dry weight)-1. Respective KS estimates for propionate and pyruvate were 1 mM and 18 to 40 microM. Rates of lactate utilization varied among cell preparations, possibly because of loss of lactate dehydrogenase during isolation. Dihydroxyacetone and glycerol were utilized for glucose synthesis at similar rates of 8.6 and 8.7 mumol glucose formed X (h X g dry weight)-1, respectively. Respective rates of glucose synthesis from 5 mM fructose and 10 mM galactose were 63.2 and 31.4 mumol X (h X g dry weight)-1. Maximum rates of pyruvate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase were estimated to be 101.6 and 160.4 mumol substrate converted X (h X g dry weight)-1, respectively. Neither butyrate nor acetate accelerated gluconeogenesis from propionate while acetate increased glucose synthesis from pyruvate, presumably through activation of pyruvate carboxylase. Glucagon stimulated gluconeogenesis from propionate. Dibutyrylcyclic AMP mimicked the effect of glucagon, implying that the glucagon effect is translated via the adenyl cyclase system as in rats. The kinetic parameters established in these experiments should be useful in future experiments and in computer modeling analyses of ruminant liver and whole animal metabolism where Michaelis-Menten type equations are widely used.     

Uptake of drugs from topically applied anti-inflammatory preparations applied to racing animals

Objective To determine whether a drug detected in the blood or urine of a racing animal could have penetrated through the skin from a topically applied preparation.
Design Blood and urine of dogs and horses were analysed after topical administration of three common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory preparations.
Experimental method Dimethylsulphoxide was analysed using a gas chromatograph with a flame photometric detector. Phenylbutazone, its metabolites and lignocaine were analysed using a gas chromatograph with a mass selective detector.
Results Dimethylsulphoxide, phenylbutazone and ligno-caine were detected in dog urine after muliple applications of the preparations. The maximum concentration of dimethyl-sulphoxide in dog urine correlated with the concentration of dimethylsulphoxide in the preparation. Phenylbutazone penetrated the skin more effectively from the cream than from the solution or gel preparations. This penetration was independent of the concentration of dimethylsulphoxide.
Conclusion The superior penetration of phenylbutazone from the cream can be explained by it being present as a neutral molecule in an hydrophobic medium. It is proposed that phenylbutazone penetrates the skin of greyhounds most effectively by a hydrophobic lipid route which is likely to be different from the path by which dimethylsulphoxide penetrates the skin.     

Cryptococcal Infection in Cats: Factors Influencing Treatment Outcome, and Results of Sequential Serum Antigen Titers in 35 Cats

The relationship between treatment outcome and location of cryptococcal infection, gender, magnitude of pretreatment cryptococcal antigen titers, results of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) serology, and serial changes in antigen titers during and after treatment were evaluated in a prospective and nonrandomized study of 35 cats with cryptococcosis. A commercial cryptococcal latex agglutination kit (CALAS; Meridian Diagnostic Inc, Cincinnati, OH) was used to detect cryptococcal antigen in sera. All cats were treated with itraconazole (Sporanox; Janssen Pharmaceutica Inc, Titusville, NJ). Pre-treatment mean log titers for serum cryptococcal antigen were not influenced by location of the infection. Treatment outcome was not influenced by gender, location of the infection, or magnitude of pretreatment serum antigen titer. Treatment outcome was influenced by FeLV and FIV status; cats seropositive for FeLV or FIV had a higher likelihood of treatment failure ( P = .008). The cryptococcal antigen titers of cats successfully treated decreased with significant linearity over time during treatment (r = -.64, P < .000001), whereas the corresponding titers for cats not treated successfully did not decrease with significant linearity ( r = -.03, P > .9). For cats in which treatment was successful, antigen titers decreased significantly from pretreatment values by 1.3 orders of magnitude at 2 months after initiation of treatment. By 10 months after initiating treatment, log titers decreased by at least 2 orders of magnitude in all cats successfully treated, and 9 of 16 cats had undetectable titers. In contrast, in 5 of 6 cats in which treatment failed, antigen titers were unchanged or increased in magnitude even after at least 6 months of treatment.