Risk factors influencing death prior to discharge in 302 dogs undergoing unilateral adrenalectomy for treatment of primary adrenal gland tumours

Adrenalectomies for canine adrenal tumours are associated with peri-operative morbidity and mortality. Objectives of this study included assessing the prognostic value of tumour- or surgery-related variables in predicting peri-operative mortality and overall survival in dogs undergoing adrenalectomies for primary adrenal tumours as well as pre-treatment with phenoxybenzamine on survival to discharge with pheochromocytomas specifically. A multi-institutional retrospective cohort study was performed across nine institutions. Electronic medical record searches identified 302 dogs which met the inclusion criteria. Data collected included dog-related, tumour-related, treatment-related, surgery-related, and outcome variables. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression and cox proportional hazards models were used to identify variables associated with death prior to discharge and tumour-related survival. Overall, 87% of dogs survived to discharge with a tumour-related survival time of 3.96 years. Post-operative complications were reported in 25%. Increased surgical time (p = 0.002) and pre-surgical medical treatment other than phenoxybenzamine (p = 0.024) were significantly associated with increased peri-operative mortality while ureteronephrectomy (p = 0.021), post-operative pancreatitis (p = 0.025), and post-operative aspiration pneumonia (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with decreased overall survival. Phenoxybenzamine pretreatment had no effect on peri-operative mortality. Thirty-seven of 45 (82%) dogs with pheochromocytomas not pretreated survived to discharge, and 50 of 59 (85%) dogs with pheochromocytomas pretreated with phenoxybenzamine survived to discharge (p = 0.730). This study provides information on risk factors for death prior to discharge and tumour-related survival that may help guide clinical management and owner expectations. In addition, the study findings challenge the previously reported benefit of phenoxybenzamine for pretreatment of dogs undergoing adrenalectomies for pheochromocytomas.     

Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus canis,and Arcanobacterium phocae of healthy Canadian farmed mink and mink with pododermatitis

Pododermatitis is a disease of concern for mink breeders in Canada and worldwide, as it causes discomfort and lowers the breeding rates on farms affected by the disease. Unfortunately, the etiology and pathogenesis of pododermatitis are still unknown. In this study, we compared Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus canis isolates from healthy mink with isolates from animals with pododermatitis on 2 farms in Ontario. Almost all hemolytic Staphylococcus spp. isolated were shown to be Staphylococcus delphini Group A by 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) sequence analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) did not reveal any S. delphini or S. canis clonal lineages specifically associated with pododermatitis, which suggests that these bacteria do not act as primary pathogens, but does not dismiss their potential roles as opportunistic pathogens. While S. delphini and S. canis were the most prevalent bacterial pathogens in mink pododermatitis, they were also present in samples from healthy mink. Arcanobacterium phocae is occasionally isolated from pododermatitis cases, but is difficult to recover with conventional culture methods due to its slow growth. A quantitative real-time PCR was developed for the detection of A. phocae and was tested on 138 samples of footpad tissues from 14 farms. The bacterium was detected only in pododermatitis-endemic farms in Canada and was at higher concentrations in tissues from infected footpads than in healthy tissues. This finding suggests that A. phocae is involved in the pathogenesis of pododermatitis.     

Oocyte Transfer as an Analytical Tool:Vintage Experiments in Domestic Farm Animals

Four transplant studies are described that focus on fertilisation and early development or the progression of unfertilised oocytes (eggs) in the oviduct.(1) Pig eggs transplanted from ovulations induce...     

Wood drying and Fick's second law

Summary The diffusion equation (sometimes referred to as Fick's second law) is derived in terms of water movement under the action of capillary forces. The mass diffusivity is thereby expressed in terms of the capillary diffusion coefficient. A numerical calculation is given for yellow poplar.Notations C diffusion coefficient for water in wood with capillary pressure as the driving force, kg/msPa - D diffusion coefficient for water in wood with moisture content as the driving force, kg/ms - F mass flux, kg/m²s - p_c capillary pressure, Pa - p_cf capillary pressure extrapolated linearly to fibre saturation, Pa - T absolute temperature, K - t time, s - x distance ordinale in the direction of flow, m - mass diffusivity, m²/s - density of liquid water, kg/m³ - _g basic density (dry mass/green volume), kg/m³ - _w density of wood substance, kg/m³ - moisture content of wood - _cls moisture content at continuous liquid saturation - _cs moisture content at complete saturation - _f moisture content at fibre saturation     

A further note on the activation energy of diffusion

Summary The activation energy of diffusion can be expressed in terms of thermodynamic quantities such as entropy and enthalpy of sorption. A substantial simplification to such a published expression is presented.     

The distinction between average enthalpy and the isosteric heat of water sorbed on wood; and the spatial distribution of the specific enthalpy of the sorbed water

Summary It is commonly assumed that specific enthalpy is uniform throughout water sorbed on wood. It is suggested here that this is not the case and that as a result the isosteric heat and the differential heat of wetting are two distinct functions. An analysis is developed which enables the distribution of specific enthalpy within the adsorbed water to be approximated. The results are presented with reference to klinki pine.Symbols a parameter, Eq. (14) - h specific enthalpy of sorbed water, J/kg - h average specific enthalpy of sorbed water, J/kg - h isosteric heat, J/kg - h₁ integral heat of wetting, J/kg - k a constant - l latent heat of vaporization of free water, J/kg - P_s pressure of water vapour at saturation, Pa - q differential heat of wetting, J/kg - R specific gas constant for water, J/kg K - r relative humidity - T temperature, K - enthalpy function defined in Eq. (10), J/kg - moisture content - _p prevailing moisture content The author is grateful to Dr. A. N. Stokes for a substantial simplification of the original derivation of Eq. (13)     

On movement of water through wood — The diffusion coefficient

Summary It is demonstrated that there can be only one driving potential for the movement of water through wood and this will be a function of wood state. On the assumption that the driving potential is the partial pressure of water vapour, a theoretical expression is derived for the diffusion coefficient. Such expression is fitted to diffusion coefficients for Scots pine and a remarkably good fit is obtained.Symbols a reciprocal mean radius of curvature of a capillary meniscus; also taken to be the radius of the corresponding exposed liquid surface, m - b spacing between flow paths in the cell wall, m - D diffusion coefficient for water in wood with vapour pressure as the driving potential, kg/ms Pa - D_a diffusion coefficient for water vapour through air, kg/ms Pa - D diffusion coefficient for water in wood with the driving potential - D diffusion coefficient for water in wood with the driving potential - D₀ diffusion coefficient for water in wood with vapour pressure as the driving potential, which is associated with leakage paths through the wood, kg/ms Pa - D_f diffusion coefficient for water in wood with vapour pressure as the driving potential, corresponding to fibre saturation and with no leakage paths, kg/ms Pa - D_c diffusion coefficient for water in wood with vapour pressure as the driving potential, which is associated with the constriction of the vapour flow as it approaches the cell wall, kg/ms Pa - D diffusion coefficient for water in wood with moisture content as the driving potential, kg/ms - diffusivity for water vapour in air, m²/s - F flux of water, kg/m² s - p partial pressure of water vapour, Pa - R specific gas constant for water, J/kg K - r fractional relative humidity - T temperature, K - x length coordinate in direction of flow, m - the dimensionless ratio D_f/D_c evaluated at r=1/e - arbitrary driving potential for movement of water in wood - cell spacing in the direction of water flux, m - density of liquid water, kg/m³ - coefficient of surface tension, N/m - arbitrary driving potential for movement of water in wood - fractional moisture content     

Mycosphaerella species associated with leaf disease of Eucalyptus globulus in Ethiopia

Eucalyptus spp. are among the most widely planted exotic trees in Ethiopia. Several damaging leaf pathogens are known from Eucalyptus spp. worldwide. Of these, Mycosphaerella spp. are among the most important, causing the disease known as Mycosphaerella leaf disease (MLD). Characteristic symptoms of MLD include leaf spot, premature defoliation, shoot and twig dieback. Recent disease surveys conducted in Ethiopian Eucalyptus plantations have revealed disease symptoms similar to those caused by Mycosphaerella spp. These symptoms were restricted to E. globulus trees growing in several localities in south, south western and western Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to identify the fungi associated with this disease. This was achieved by examining ascospore germination patterns, anamorph associations and sequence data from the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of the rRNA operon, for representative isolates. Several different ascospore germination patterns were observed, suggesting that more than one species of Mycosphaerella is responsible for MLD on E. globulus in Ethiopia. Analysis of sequence data showed that three Mycosphaerella spp., M. marksii, M. nubilosa and M. parva were present. This is the first report of these three species from Ethiopia and represents a valuable basis on which to build further studies in the region.