A systematic review of sevoflurane and isoflurane minimum alveolar concentration in domestic cats

ObjectiveThe purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the results of studies which have determined the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane and sevoflurane in domestic cats.Study DesignSystematic review.AnimalsCats.Methods usedA comprehensive search of research literature was performed without language restriction. The search utilized the Pubmed, Google Scholar, and CAB Abstracts electronic databases using a combination of free text terms ‘Minimum alveolar concentration’, ‘sevoflurane’, ‘isoflurane’, ‘anesthetic’, ‘cat’, ‘cats’ or ‘feline’. The search was conducted from November 2010 to June 2012.ResultsThe MAC for isoflurane ranged from 1.20 ± 0.13% to 2.22 ± 0.35% and the MAC for sevoflurane ranged from 2.5 ± 0.2% to 3.95 ± 0.33%. The average MAC for isoflurane was 1.71 ± 0.07% and for sevoflurane was 3.08 ± 0.4%.Conclusions &; Clinical RelevanceThe average MAC for isoflurane was 1.71 ± 0.07% and for sevoflurane was 3.08 ± 0.4%. Methodology differed among studies, and particular attention should be paid in the future to appropriate reporting of methods to allow sound conclusions to be made from the results.     

Development,implementation and impact of simple patient safety interventions in a university teaching hospital

ObjectiveTo determine the incidence of anesthesia patient safety incidents at a university teaching hospital, develop interventions to address the most common incidents, and determine the effectiveness of these interventions.Study designPre-post intervention observational.AnimalsFour thousand, one hundred forty dogs and cats anesthetized by the anesthesia service.MethodsThe study was divided into two 11.5 month periods. During each period, incidents were logged (e.g. closed adjustable pressure limiting (APL) valve, esophageal intubation, and medication error). At the end of the first period, four countermeasures were incorporated into the service’s protocols: 1) prior to any drug injection, the individual would read out aloud the drug name, patient name, and route of administration; 2) use of a uniquely colored occlusive wrap over arterial catheters; 3) a check box on the anesthesia record labeled “Technician Confirmed Intubation”; 4) a check box on the anesthesia record labeled “Technician Checked OR (operating room)”. The number of patient safety incidents during period 1 and period 2 were compared using Fisher’s Exact Test.ResultsDuring Period 1, there were 74 incidents documented in 2028 patients (3.6%) including 25 medication errors, 20 closed APL valves, and 16 of esophageal intubation. During Period 2, there were 30 incidents documented in 2112 patients (1.4%) including 14 medication errors, 5 closed APL valves, and 4 of esophageal intubation. The proportion of events during Period 2 was significantly smaller than during Period 1 (p < 0.0001).Conclusions and Clinical relevanceImplementation of four simple interventions was associated with a significant decrease in the number of incidents.     

Fiber effects in nutrition and gut health in pigs

Dietary fiber is associated with impaired nutrient utilization and reduced net energy values. However, fiber has to be included in the diet to maintain normal physiological functions in the digestive tract. Moreover, the negative impact of dietary fiber will be determined by the fiber properties and may differ considerably between fiber sources. Various techniques can be applied to enhance nutritional value and utilization of available feed resources. In addition, the extent of fiber utilization is affected by the age of the pig and the pig breed. The use of potential prebiotic effects of dietary fiber is an attractive way to stimulate gut health and thereby minimize the use of anti-microbial growth promoters. Inclusion of soluble non-starch polysaccharides （NSP） in the diet can stimulate the growth of commensal gut microbes, inclusion of NSP from chicory results in changes in gut micro-environment and gut morphology of pigs, while growth performance remains unaffected and digestibility was only marginally reduced. The fermentation products and pH in digesta responded to diet type and were correlated with shifts in the microbiota. Interestingly, fiber intake will have an impact on the expression of intestinal epithelial heat-shock proteins in the pig. Heat-shock proteins have an important physiological role in the gut and carry out crucial housekeeping functions in order to maintain the mucosal barrier integrity. Thus, there are increasing evidence showing that fiber can have prebiotic effects in pigs due to interactions with the gut micro-environment and the gut associated immune system.     

Forest management and forest state in southern Sweden before and after the impact of storm Gudrun in the winter of 2005

About three times the annual cut in southern Sweden (Götaland) was damaged by the storm Gudrun in January 2005, i.e. almost as much as the normal annual cut for all of Sweden. To establish any differences in forest management and state before and after the storm, measures such as growing stock volume, age-class distribution, and species composition were analyzed within the damaged area. As a reference the situation before and after the storm within the area in Götaland not damaged by the storm was also analyzed. For all analyses, sample plots from the Swedish National Forest Inventory were used. Results based on mean values for the years 2000–2004/2005–2009 showed that the total growing stock for the damaged area decreased by approximately 30 million m³ after the storm. This was mainly caused by a decrease in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst). Annual growth for pine, spruce, and deciduous trees decreased by 1.8 million m³ in the damaged area. This mainly included stands already thinned and not, as expected, in the stands ready for final felling. Also, the proportional area within each of the age classes 21–40, 41–60, and 61–80 years decreased. The storm led to an increased area in immediate need of precommercial thinning. No changes in choice of species when regenerating could be observed. Furthermore, only marginal adaptation by forest owners to future risk of wind throw could be detected.     

Stimulated activity of the soil nitrifying community accelerates community adaptation to Zn stress

Field data have shown that soil nitrifying communities gradually adapt to zinc (Zn) after a single contamination event with reported adaptation times exceeding 1 year. It was hypothesized that this relatively slow adaptation relates to the restricted microbial diversity and low growth rate of the soil nitrifying community. This hypothesis was tested experimentally by recording adaptation rates under varying nitrification activities (assumed to affect growth rates) and by monitoring shifts in community composition. Soils were spiked at various Zn concentrations (0-4000 mg Zn kg⁻¹) and two NH₄⁺-N doses (N1, N2) were applied to stimulate growth. A control series receiving no extra NH₄⁺-N was also included. Soils were incubated in pots under field conditions with free drainage. The pore water Zn concentration at which nitrification was halved (EC50, mg Zn l⁻¹) did not change significantly during 12 months in the control series (without NH₄⁺-N applications), although nitrification recovered after 12 months at the highest Zn dose only. The EC50 after 12 months incubation increased by more than a factor 10 with increasing NH₄⁺-N dose (p < 0.05) illustrating that increased activity accelerates adaptation to Zn. Zinc tolerance tests confirmed the role of Zn exposure, time and NH₄⁺-N dose on adaptation. Zinc tolerance development was ascribed to the AOB community since the AOB/AOA ratio (AOB = ammonia oxidizing bacteria; AOA = ammonia oxidizing archaea) increased from 0.4 in the control to 1.4 in the most tolerant community. Moreover, the AOB amoA DGGE profile changed during Zn adaptation whereas the AOA amoA DGGE profile remained unaffected. These data confirm the slow but pronounced adaptation of nitrifiers to Zn contamination. We showed that adaptation to Zn was accelerated at higher activity and was associated with a shift in soil AOB community that gradually dominated the nitrifying community.     

Quantitative PCR assays to enumerate Rhizobium leguminosarum strains in soil also target non viable cells and overestimate those detected by the plant infection method

The plant infection method is commonly used to estimate the Most Probable Number (MPN) of soil rhizobia. Here, a qPCR method was set-up and validated with newly developed ANU (strain specific) and RHIZ (more general) primers to quantify the specific Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii ANU843 strain or general R. leguminosarum strains. Detection limits of qPCR protocols in soil were 1.2 × 10⁴ (ANU) and 4.2 × 10³ (RHIZ) cells per g soil. The qPCR assay appears robust and accurate in freshly inoculated soils but overestimated MPN for indigenous soil rhizobia. An incubation experiment showed that qPCR detected added DNA or non viable cells in soils up to 5 months after addition and incubation at 20 °C in moist conditions.     

HIGH-RESOLUTION PARATHYROID SONOGRAPHY

The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic utility of parathyroid ultrasonography to differentiate causes of hypercalcemia in dogs. We analyzed qualitative and quantitative ultrasound imaging findings and clinical pathology data from 33 dogs that underwent parathyroid ultrasound examination as part of the diagnostic evaluation for hypercalcemia. Diagnoses of the diseases causing hypercalcemia included parathyroid carcinoma (n = S), parathyroid adenoma (n = 15), parathyroid adenomatous hyperplasia (n = 6), chronic renal insufficiency (n = 3), and hypercalcemia of malignancy (n = 4). All parathyroid lesions were round or oval and hypoechoic compared with surrounding thyroid parenchyma. Adenomatous and adenocarcinomatous glands were 4 mm or larger in longest linear measurement on US examination and were statistically significantly larger than hyperplastic glands. (p < 0.001) Linear measurements of parathyroid glands acquired at the time of ultrasound examination correlated well with direct siz determination after surgical excision. (r²= 0.9, p < 0.0001) Parathyroid lesions <4 mm are highly suspicious for parathyroid adenoma or carcinoma, while US lesions <4 mm most likely represent primary adenomatous hyperplasia or secondary parathyroid hyperplasia. Parathyroid size estimation from ultrasound examination is an accurate predictor of true size.     

QUANTIFICATION OF CEREBRAL VENTRICULAR VOLUME IN ENGLISH BULLDOGS

Quantitative measurement of cerebral ventricle volume of eight English bulldogs was performed using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The mean ventricular volume was 14.8 ml. with a range of 8.6 m1.-38.1 ml. The mean ventricular volume of two beagles was 2.2 ml with a range of 0.7 m1.3.7 ml. The percent of intracranial volume occupied by ventricle was found to be significantly larger in bulldogs (14.0%; S.D. = 7.9%) than in beagles (Range = 1.048%). The relationship between the percent of intracranial volume occupied by ventricle and measurements of body weight, age, sex, and various measures of skull anatomy of the bulldog was also determined. The relationship between ventricular volume and neurologic dysfunction was examined. There was a possible trend between high percent of intracranial volume occupied by ventricle and low body weight. This study will serve as a pilot study for examining the relationship between ventricular volume and neurologic disease in bulldogs.