Sedative and cardiovascular effects of romifidine, alone and in combination with butorphanol, in the horse

The behavioural and sedative effects of intravenous (iv) romifidine (40 and 80 μg/kg bodyweight [bwt]) alone or in combination with iv butorphanol (50 μg/kg bwt) were investigated in four ponies and one Thoroughbred horse. Apparent sedation, as judged by the lowering of the head, and by the response to imposed touch, visual and sound stimuli was assessed. The combination with butorphanol reduced the animals' response to imposed stimuli when compared with the effect of the same dose of romifidine alone. Following the administration of romifidine/butorphanol combinations muzzle tremor was noted and some animals attempted to walk forward. In a separate series, the cardiopulmonary effects of iv romifidine (80 μg/kg bwt) alone, or in combination with butorphanol (50 μg/kg bwt) were investigated. Romifidine and the romifidine/butorphanol combination caused similar cardiovascular changes, these being bradycardia with heart block, and hypertension followed by hypotension. Romifidine caused a transient decrease in arterial oxygen tensions and arterial carbon dioxide tensions had increased significantly by the end of the 90 min recording period. Romifidine/butorphanol combinations produced significantly higher arterial carbon dioxide tensions during the first 15 mins after drug administration than did romifidine alone. Butorphanol at 50 μg/kg bwt iv reduced the response to imposed stimuli in horses sedated with romifidine. The combination produced no cardiovascular changes beyond those induced by romifidine alone, but did increase the degree of respiratory depression.     

A comparison of N-butylscopolammonium bromide and butorphanol tartrate for analgesia using a balloon model of abdominal pain in ponies.

The analgesic effect of N-butylscopolammonium bromide (0.3 mg/kg) using a balloon-induced model of colic in ponies was evaluated and compared with butorphanol tartrate (0.1 mg/kg). Eight adult ponies were used and each received both treatments during the two different trials. The order in which the treatment was received was randomly assigned. At the start of each trial, moderate abdominal pain was induced by inflation of a balloon placed in the lumen of the caecum. The ponies were evaluated every 5 minutes, and a cumulative pain score (CPS) was assigned. Two baseline measurements were recorded, followed by the administration of one of the two treatments. Assessments were continued for 60 minutes, or until moderate abdominal pain returned. Three ponies out of 8 responded to treatment with butorphanol tartrate, while 6 out of 8 ponies responded to N-butylscopolammonium bromide. There were no statistical differences in the CPS or duration of drug action between treatments.     

Susceptibility of trypanotolerant West African Dwarf goats and F1 crosses with the susceptible Sahelian breed to experimental Trypanosoma congolense infection and interactions with helminth infections and different levels of diet

Forty pure West African Dwarf (WAD) goats and 35 of its F1 crosses with the Sahelian breed were used in a multifactorial experimental design to evaluate the effects of an experimental Trypanosoma congolense infection and interactions with natural helminth infections and different levels of diet on health and productivity of these two breeds. Trypanosome infection caused a severe drop in packed cell volume (PCV), but this was not significantly affected by breed. Neither deworming nor diet had any effect on the course of anaemia after trypanosome infection. The mean score of parasitaemia tended to be higher in crossbreeds than in WAD goats although this was not significant (P>0.05). Similarly, the antibody response to trypanosome infection was not significantly different between breeds. Parasitaemia level was significantly influenced by the level of diet with the group under high supplementation having a higher mean parasitaemia score than the group under low supplementation. Weight loss due to trypanosome infection tended to be greater in crossbreeds than in WAD goats (P>0.05).During this study, there was no difference in mean helminth egg output between crossbred and WAD goats. However, between weeks 4 and 10 after trypanosome infection (corresponding to a period of heavy rainfall and highly infective pastures), the mean egg output was higher in the crossbreeds.The immunosuppressive effect of trypanosome infections was revealed by a lower antibody response to Haemonchus contortus in infected animals compared to the uninfected controls. Trypanosome infection tended to increase strongyle egg output. This study did no reveal any superior trypanotolerance of WAD goats compared to crossbreeds.     

Response to Insulin Treatment and Survival in 104 Cats with Diabetes Mellitus (1985–1995)

Medical records of 104 cats with diabetes mellitus were reviewed. Information from 54 cats that had multiple blood glucose concentrations evaluated at least 5 times over a minimum of 3 months, beginning at the time insulin treatment was initiated, was used to evaluate the efficacy of insulin in treating diabetes mellitus. Fourteen of 54 cats were treated with protamine zinc insulin (PZI), 26 with ultralente insulin, and 14 with lente insulin. Six, 29, and 19 cats had good, mediocre, and poor glycemic control, respectively, based on mean blood glucose concentrations, whereas 31, 21, and 2 owners thought clinical response was good, mediocre, and poor, respectively. No significant difference was found in glycemic control among cats treated with PZI, ultralente, or lente insulin. Glycemic control was significantly (P < .05) better in 33 cats without than in 21 cats with concurrent disease. All 104 cats were used to calculate survival data. Fifty-one of 104 cats were alive at the time of the study. Mean (± standard deviation [SD]) and median survival times were 24 (± 16) and 20 months, respectively, in the 51 cats still alive at the end of the evaluation, and 25 (± 4) and 17 months, respectively, in the 53 cats that had died during the period of evaluation. Pancreatic abnormalities identified in 37 cats that underwent necropsy included chronic pancreatitis (n = 17), acute to subacute pancreatitis (n = 2), exocrine pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n = 7) and adenoma (n = 1), islet cell atrophy and vacuolar degeneration (n = 27), and islet amyloidosis (n = 8). No association was found between glycemic control and islet amyloidosis or exocrine pancreatic neoplasia, or between survival time and chronic pancreatitis, islet amyloidosis, or exocrine pancreatic neoplasia. In conclusion, diabetic cats evaluated in this study showed a variable response to exogenously administered insulin, ranging from excellent to poor. By maintaining mean blood glucose concentrations under 300 mg/dL, clinical signs were improved, and owners were satisfied with insulin treatment. Concurrent potentially insulin-antagonistic diseases were common and deleteriously affected glycemic control and survival time.     

Comparative host suitability of selected crop plants toMeloidogyne chitwoodi Golden et al. 1980 andM. fallax Karssen 1996

Several tests were conducted in the greenhouse to compare the reproduction ofM. chitwoodi andM. fallax on some field crops grown at the type locality ofM. fallax and in the region were both nematodes occur. In addition some related crops andTagetes erecta andT. patula were also tested. The French bean cv. Masai, the chicory cvs Hybrid F1, Mid-Early and Groenlof, the dahlia cv. Vuurvogel and an unknown cv. of borage supported low populations of bothM. chitwoodi andM. fallax. The French bean cvs Strike and Groffy showed a differential response toward both nematodes: both cvs were good hosts forM. chitwoodi and non-hosts forM. fallax.With 1 table     

A diffusion model for a settling non-consolidated dust mass

A physical model, describing and predicting the lateral diffusion of a non-consolidated dust mass that settles down freely in air, is presented. It appears that in the total diffusion process a distinction has to be made between two (in origin totally different) types of diffusion. In the case of the first diffusion type, the settling dust mass acts as a closed system and all the particles fall with the same velocity. In the second diffusion type, the dust mass no longer acts as a closed system and each particle settles with its own fall velocity. Both of these diffusion types are investigated. The result is a set of four equations: the first and the second describe the starting point of the lateral diffusion, the third describes the lateral diffusion of the first type and the fourth describes the lateral diffusion of the second type. The equations are tested in six diffusion experiments and their validity seems to be very high.The physical and mathematical construction of the model allows extension of the formulae so that the frame of the model can be used in several other sedimentological, fluid dynamical or geomorphological research domains.The model shows clearly that the classical sedimentation techniques, which are very frequently used in grain size distribution measurements, can lead to completely wrong results if no extreme care is observed in connection with the concentration of the settling sediment.     

A quantitative and qualitative study of the diuretic effects of romifidine in the horse

Romifidine (80 μg/kg bwt) was injected iv into 6 healthy mares producing a marked increase in urine production over 90 min (from control value of 0.55 ml/kg/min to mean production of 5.39 ml/kg/min). This increase was accompanied by a relative increase in sodium excretion and a small increase in glucose excretion while the excretion and clearance of creatinine remained constant. Except for hyperglycaemia and a small but significant increase in serum phosphorus concentration, romifidine had little effect on serum and plasma constituents. Possible aetiological factors are discussed.     

Gene Discovery and Characterization from Non-sequenced Medicinal Plants

Plant-derived secondary metabolites still constitute important resources for currently prescribed drugs and for the discovery of active principles which are effective in new indication areas. Promising compounds are often exclusively found in wild medicinal plants and the classical plant-based pharmaceutical production approach has been hampered by low yields, lack of reproducibility and the high complexity of plant extracts （Rischer and Oksman-Caldentey, 2005）. Influencing the accumulation of target compounds by breeding or genetic engineering is greatly impeded because in most cases the general biosynthetic routes are incompletely understood.     

Central Diabetes Insipidus in a Dog With a Pro-Opiomelanocortin-Producing Pituitary Tumor ot Causing Hyperadrenocorticism

Central diabetes insipidus was diagnosed by vasopressin measurements during hypertonic stimulation in a 9-year-old male giant Schnauzer with polyuria and polydipsia. The impaired release of vasopressin was believed to be caused by a large pituitary tumor, which was visualized by computed tomography. Studies of the function of the anterior lobe and the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland were conducted, and high concentrations of ACTH and α-melanotrophic hormone (α-MSH) were found without concomitant hyperadrenocorticism. Studies of the molecular size of the immunoreactive ACTH in plasma by gel filtration revealed that most of the circulating immunoreactivity was not ACTH but its precursor pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and low-molecular-weight POMC-derived peptides. The pituitary tumor of this dog probably originated from melanotrophic cells of the pars intermedia. The sensitivity of the pituitary-adrenocortical system for the suppressive effect of dexamethasone was unaffected.     

Field evaluation of the efficacy of fenbendazole in captive wild ruminants

The efficacy of in-feed fenbendazole at a dose rate of 7.5 mg/kg bodyweight for three consecutive days was assessed in five Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), six scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah), 14 slender-horned gazelles (Gazella leptoceros), eight Soay sheep (Ovis aries aries soay), 13 alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex), six red deer (Cervus elaphus hippelaphus) and 11 Nelson's elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) kept in five herds in a zoo. The efficacy was assessed by means of repeated faecal egg count reduction (fecr) tests and in vitro egg hatch assays. Fenbendazole was highly effective against nematodes in five of the seven species, consistently reducing egg shedding by more than 90 per cent. In the egg hatch assays of the five herds, 50 per cent inhibition of hatching (ld50) was observed at a concentration of thiabendazole below 0.1 microg/ml. In the Arabian oryx and alpine ibex the efficacy of fenbendazole was less than 90 per cent, and the ld50 in the egg hatch assays was between 0.1 and 0.2 microg/ml thiabendazole.