Changes in the concentrations of bile acids in the plasma of sheep with liver damage

The concentration of total plasma bile acids was measured in normal sheep and in sheep in which liver damage was induced by chronic copper poisoning, ligated bile ducts or induced ketosis. All three treatments produced a rise in total bile acid concentration in plasma which was proportional to the degree of hepatic damage seen histologically and which tended to parallel changes in activity of iditol, and glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate amino-transferase in plasma. Plasma bile acid concentration was a more sensitive method of detecting these types of liver damage than was the measurement of total plasma bilirubin concentration, and could be used to assess alterations in liver function in sheep.     

Limy bile syndrome in a dog

A 11-year-old spayed female golden retriever was examined because of lethargy, anorexia, vomiting and abdominal pain. Plain abdominal radiography showed a uniform radiopacity of the gallbladder. Ultrasonography demonstrated hyperechoic material in the gallbladder lumen associated with an acoustic shadow and findings consistent with acute pancreatitis. Fine-needle aspiration of the bile revealed bacterial cholecystitis. Following cholecystectomy, it was apparent that the gallbladder was filled with a semi-solid, pasty-like greenish-brown material composed of 80% calcium carbonate, consistent with a diagnosis of ‘limy bile’. After surgery and medical treatment, the dog's condition improved. Two months after discharge, the dog had fully recovered a good appetite and no relapse has been observed after 11 months of follow-up. To our knowledge, this is the first report of limy bile syndrome in a dog.     

Cystadenocarcinoma of the intrahepatic bile duct in a dog

A 14-year-old spayed female Shih-Tzu was referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of Konkuk University for evaluation of an abdominal mass. In diagnostic imaging, two large cystic masses were identified. The affected liver lobes were surgically resected, and the specimens were submitted for histopathological evaluation and immunohistochemical staining. The two cystic lesions were diagnosed as biliary cystadenocarcinoma (BCAC). Recurrence and regional invasion were identified on ultrasonography 36 days postoperatively. The patient died on postoperative day 271. To the best of our knowledge, previously reported case studies of BCAC in dogs presented limited clinical information. In this report, we present a detailed picture comprising a range of clinical information and histopathological examination of BCAC in a dog.     

Elevated bile acids in the plasma of laying hens fed rapeseed meal

A simple procedure was developed for the estimation of bile acid taurine conjugates in fowl plasma. Laying hens fed a diet containing rapeseed meal (RSM) (400 g kg-1) for 12 weeks had higher bile acid levels (154 mumol litre-1) than hens fed a control soyabean diet (116 mumol litre-1) (P less than 0.01). The incidence of liver haemorrhages was higher (34.8 per cent) in RSM-fed hens than in controls (21 per cent), but the severity of the lesions did not correlate with the bile acid concentration in affected birds. Histological examination of sections from livers of RSM-fed birds did not reveal significant hepatocyte degeneration outside the immediate vicinity of the haemorrhage. Canalicular bile plugs were never seen. The incidence of liver haemorrhages (13 per cent) and plasma bile acids (85 mumol litre-1) were lower in hens fed a diet containing beta-aminopropionitrile (0.5 g kg-1), a known lathyrogen. Acute treatment of hens with the hepatotoxin alpha-naphthyl isothiocyanate over four days induced necrosis of hepatocytes and resulted in elevated bile acid concentrations (262 mumol litre-1) compared with controls (73 mumol litre-1) given arachis oil. It was concluded that laying hens fed high levels of RSM develop cholestasis but the toxic principle is not known.     

Traumatic rupture of the common bile duct in a dog

Extrahepatic biliary tract rupture only rarely occur secondary to blunt or sharp trauma to the abdomen. Clinical symptoms result from chemical peritonitis and are unspecific. Recognition most often is delayed from several days to weeks, when patients suffer from ascites, icterus, dehydration and apathy. Surgical therapy depends of the site of laceration. In the present case, a dog with bile peritonitis was presented two weeks after being hit by a car. Explorative celiotomy revealed a rupture of the common bile duct. A cholecystojejunostomy was performed.     

Diurnal and individual variations in bile acids in the plasma of normal dairy cows

Blood samples were collected every 2 h during a 24 h period from 6 cows of one herd and 10 cows of another herd. In a third herd 9 cows were sampled every 2 h from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Concentrations of total bile acids, acetoacetate, glucose and free fatty acids were determined in blood plasma. A marked difference in individual bile acid concentrations and patterns of diurnal variation was found. For most cows the highest bile acid values were observed between 2 and 6 a.m. (overall mean (+/- SD) at 6 a.m.: 104 +/- 84 mumol/l, range: 20-307 mumol/l). Fourteen cows with a bile acid value greater than 90 mumol/l at 6 a.m. ("high BA") were characterized as a group by showing a pronounced decrease in the mean bile acid concentration after morning feeding. In the group of 11 cows with a 6 a.m. bile acid value less than 90 mumol/l ("low BA") the time of day did not contribute significantly to the bile acid variation. For the "high BA" group a nearly synchronous variation between the mean values of the 3 feeding dependent parameters (acetoacetate, glucose and free fatty acids) and the mean values of bile acids was found. The within animal coefficients of correlation between bile acids and the feeding dependent parameters were significantly higher in the "high BA" group than in the "low BA" group. No direct connection was found between bile acid levels and the quantity of concentrates fed or the individual milk yield.     

犬血浆中特比萘芬的高效液相色谱检测方法

建立并优化一种简单、快速、灵敏、高选择性的HPLC方法测定犬血浆中特比萘芬血药浓度,并考察方法的稳定性。特比萘芬血浆样品经提取剂乙腈-异丙醇(用磷酸调p H至3.0)(40:60,V/V)液-液萃取后,提取液经40℃氮气吹干,用流动相复溶后离心过滤,取上清液20μL进样分析,对血样处理后及标准溶液保存不同时间后的稳定性进行了考察。色谱柱Agilent 5 HC-C18(2)柱(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm);流动相甲醇-0.1%磷酸水(59:41,V/V);流速0.8 m L/min;紫外检测波长223 nm;柱温35℃。色谱峰分离良好,无干扰。特比萘芬最低检测浓度为0.01μg/m L,线性范围是0.02~5μg/m L,相关回归方程:y=356.28x-2.0311(r2=0.99989)。低、中、高血浆质控样品日内RSD均小于5%,日间RSD均小于7%,方法平均回收率分别为108.9%,100.4%,102.1%。血样处理后8 h内样品能保持较好稳定性,血样处理后3次循环冻融能保持较好稳定性。血样处理后于-20℃条件下冻存能够保持稳定2个月,标准溶液有效保存期同样为2个月。本研究建立的特比萘芬血样浓度测定方法有较高的准确度和灵敏度,适用于候选化合物的体内药代动力学研究。     

Changes in plasma bile acids,plasma amino acids,and hepatic enzyme pools as indices of functional impairment in liver-damaged sheep

Plasma bile acids, plasma amino acids, and the total hepatic pools of aspartate aminotransferase, gamma glutamyltransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase, and sorbitol dehydrogenase were compared in control sheep (Group 1), sheep with subclinical pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicosis (Group 2), and in sheep with acute hepatocellular necrosis associated with the hemolytic phase of chronic copper poisoning (Group 3). Subclinical pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicosis was not associated with any changes in bile acid or amino acid status but was associated with a significant decline in the hepatic pools of sorbitol dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase. This observation could not be explained in terms of enzyme leakage from damaged hepatocytes and suggested that pyrrolizidine alkaloids might specifically inhibit hepatocellular enzyme synthesis. Group 3 sheep also had reduced hepatic enzyme pools which were at least partly referable to enzyme leakage from damaged hepatocytes. In these sheep, increases in plasma bile acids were a more sensitive index of hepatic function than were either increased aromatic amino acid concentration or the ratio between branched chain and aromatic amino acids.     

Choledocholithiasis in the dog; a review and a report of a case with rupture of the common bile duct

Cholelithiasis is the presence of concretions in the gall bladder or bile duct. The veterinary literature is reviewed and a case reported. The subject was a seven-year-old male Schnauzer with presenting signs of depression, dehydration, pyrexia, icterus, vomiting and diarrhoea. Laboratory evaluation revealed a marked neutrophilia and elevation of SGPT and BUN. A radiopaque cholelith was seen on an abdominal X-ray. Euthanasia was requested because of the patient's poor condition. On post mortem examination, local peritonitis and abscess formation around the common bile duct were occluding the outflow of bile and causing adhesions to small and large intestine. The cholelith was analysed and was found to consist mainly of calcium bilirubinate.     

Common bile duct obstruction due to a duodenal gastrinoma in a dog

In dogs gastrinomas are rare endocrine neoplasms that have always been reported to arise from the pancreas. We report here what we believe to be the first case of a duodenal gastrinoma in a dog. A nine-year-old, male, Pekinese dog was presented with a three-day history of anorexia, vomiting and mucous diarrhoea. Clinical examination and laboratory findings suggested the presence of a severe hepatobiliary disorder. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a diffuse increase in echogenicity of the liver, with severe gallbladder dilation and marked dilation of the cystic duct, common bile duct and extrahepatic bile ducts. Based on these findings, an extrahepatic biliary tract obstruction (EBTO) of unknown cause was suspected. At laparotomy, the gallbladder and the extrahepatic bile ducts appeared severely dilated. The gallbladder was tense and could not be compressed suggesting an outflow obstruction. The duodenum at the level of the common duct orifice appeared slightly thickened and severely hardened for a length of 1 cm. Biopsies from the duodenum and liver were obtained and a cholecystoduodenostomy was performed. The duodenal biopsy revealed severe fibrosis of the submucosa and a infiltrate of small pockets and cords of round to polygonal cells with granular cytoplasm. Based on this appearance the differential diagnoses included neuroendocrine tumours and poorly differentiated carcinoma. Despite surgery and supportive therapy the dog continued to be anorexic and to vomit 3-6 times daily. After euthanasia and necropsy, histopathology showed the presence of a neuroendocrine neoplasia involving the duodenal wall with focal invasion of the adjacent pancreas and small liver metastases. On immunohistochemistry, the cytoplasm of approximately 90% of neoplastic cells intensely expressed neuron specific enolase and gastrin. These findings were consistent with a diagnosis of gastrinoma.     

Traumatic rupture of the bile duct in the dog: a report of seven cases

The paper describes the clinical signs, treatment and post-operative management of seven dogs with bile duct rupture, all of which recovered.     

Serum lipase determination in the dog: a comparison of a titrimetric method with an automated kinetic method

An enzymatic, kinetic method for determining serum lipase activity was evaluated and compared to a standard manual method for use in dogs. The kinetic method was a commercial kit adapted for use on a tandem access clinical chemistry analyzer and utilized a series of coupled enzymatic reactions based on the hydrolysis of 1,2-diglyceride by lipase. The manual method was the Cherry-Crandall technique based on the titration of base against the acid formed by hydrolysis of an olive oil substrate by lipase. The correlation between the two methods was very good (r = 0.94). The reference range for 56 clinically healthy dogs assayed by the kinetic method was 90 to 527 U/L. Diseases associated with a greater than twofold elevation in serum lipase activity as determined by the kinetic method included pancreatitis, gastritis with liver disease, and oliguric renal failure with metabolic acidosis. In some cases, pancreatitis was seen with other clinical problems, such as gastroenteritis, diabetic ketoacidosis, duodenal mass, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and septic peritonitis. Diseases associated with serum lipase activity within the reference range or elevated less than twofold included gastritis, gastric ulcer, cholestasis, phenobarbital-induced hepatopathy, colitis, copper hepatopathy, abdominal hematoma, apocrine gland adenocarcinoma, and thrombocytopenia with pneumonia.     

"Flaming" plasma cells in a dog with IgA multiple myeloma

Multiple Myeloma with "flaming" plasma cell infiltration of the bone marrow was found in an 8-year-old Shetland sheepdog. Immuno-electrophoresis results indicated that the myeloma protein was IgA. Flaming plasma cells frequently have been associated with human IgA myeloma.     

Secondary polycythaemia associated with high plasma erythropoietin concentrations in a dog with a necrotising pyelonephritis

An 11-year-old mixed breed dog was presented with anorexia, apathy and intermittent macrohaematuria, absolute polycythaemia (packed cell volume, 80 per cent; red blood cell, 12.2 x 10(6)/microl) and elevated erythropoietin concentrations. A renal mass was detected by ultrasonography and, following total nephrectomy, diagnosed as necrotising pyelonephritis. After surgery, the haematological parameters and erythropoietin values returned to normal, suggesting that the pyelonephritis was the cause of the polycythaemia. While secondary polycythaemia because of a non-neoplastic condition of the kidneys occasionally occurs in human beings, it has only extremely rarely been reported in dogs. This is the first case report of a unilateral pyelonephritis causing secondary polycythaemia in a dog.     

Lidocaine plasma concentrations obtained with a standardized infusion in the awake and anaesthetized dog

Lidocaine was administered intravenously on several occasions to three healthy mongrel dogs. The lidocaine treatment consisted of an infusion of 0.8 mg/kg/ min over 10 min, followed by an infusion of 0.085 mg/kg/min over 3 h. This lidocaine treatment was given once in the awake state and on two other occasions the infusion was started before or during the following anaesthetic regimen: atropine-meperidine premedication, thiopental induction and maintenance nitrous oxide-methoxyflurane anaesthesia.
In most instances plasma levels were somewhat higher at the end of the loading infusion (>5 μg/ml) than subsequendy, but steady-state values were obtained soon after starting the 3-h infusion. There were no striking differences between the plasma profiles and half-lives found in the three series of experiments: mean plasma concentrations of lidocaine during steady state were between 3.5 and 5.0 μg/ml and the half-life of lidocaine was 1 to 2 h.
Signs of intoxication were not seen in any of the dogs at any stage of the procedures. It is concluded that with the loading and maintenance doses used in this study steady-state values, probably within the therapeutic range, are obtained within a few minutes. The plasma concentrations are not influenced by the anaesthetic regimen used.     

Reconstruction of the bile ducts after complex injury of the gallbladder and the bile ducts after blunt abdominal trauma in a dog

Solitary injuries of the gall bladder and the bile ducts are very seldom and dangerous. The prognosis of such injuries depends of the delay until the diagnosis is made and of the method of the bile ducts reconstruction. Several methods have been described; we present a method of reconstruction of the bile ducts after cholecystectomy with a bilio-digestive anastomosis with following advantages: no tension on the anastomosis, possibility of several anastomoses on the same jejunal loop, exact adaptation of the mucosa and elimination of the reflux of intestinal contain in the bile ducts with a long and isoperistaltic Roux-loop.     

Cholecystography and cholecystoduodenostomy in the diagnosis and treatment of bile duct obstruction in a dog

A common bile duct obstruction was documented in a dog, by performing cholecystography haparoscopic visualization facilitated performance of the cholecystography. Target cells were a consistent hematologic finding. Cholecystoduodenostomy, an easily performed surgical technique, allowed for restoration of bile flow and resolution of clinical signs.