Use of sodium monoiodoacetate to fuse the distal hock joints in horses

SUMMARY Intra-articular injection of sodium monoiodoacetate (MIA) was investigated as an agent for chemical arthrodesis of the distal hock joints in the horse. Five horses diagnosed with either spavin (three horses), a small tarsal bone fracture or a failed surgical arthrodesis, had 150 mg of MIA injected into the tarsometatarsal (TMT) joint of the affected hock(s). Eight joints were treated in the five horses. Follow-up evaluation by clinical and radiological examination took place over 9 to 14 months. Two of the five horses were sound at the conclusion of the study and one horse, although lame after flexion, was considered by the owner to have been treated successfully. One of eight TMT joints showed complete radiographic fusion. Complications after treatment included pain, chronic lameness and swelling. It was concluded that chemical arthrodesis using this technique can not be recommended as being a superior treatment as compared with surgical arthrodesis at this time but is deserving of further clinical evaluation.     

Hyoscine‐N‐butylbromide premedication on cardiovascular variables of horses sedated with medetomidine

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) hyoscine premedication on physiologic variables following IV administration of medetomidine in horses.Study designRandomized, crossover experimental study.AnimalsEight healthy crossbred horses weighing 330 ± 39 kg and aged 7 ± 4 years.MethodsBaseline measurements of heart rate (HR), cardiac index (CI), respiratory rate, systemic vascular resistance (SVR), percentage of patients with second degree atrioventricular (2^oAV) block, mean arterial pressure (MAP), pH, and arterial partial pressures of carbon dioxide (PaCO₂) and oxygen (PaO₂) were obtained 5 minutes before administration of IV hyoscine (0.14 mg kg^?1; group HIV), IM hyoscine (0.3 mg kg^?1; group HIM), or an equal volume of physiologic saline IV (group C). Five minutes later, medetomidine (7.5 μg kg^?1) was administered IV and measurements were recorded at various time points for 130 minutes.ResultsMedetomidine induced bradycardia, 2^oAV blocks and increased SVR immediately after administration, without significant changes in CI or MAP in C. Hyoscine administration induced tachycardia and hypertension, and decreased the percentage of 2^oAV blocks induced by medetomidine. Peak HR and MAP were higher in HIV than HIM at 88 ± 18 beats minute^?1 and 241 ± 37 mmHg versus 65 ± 16 beats minute^?1 and 192 ± 38 mmHg, respectively. CI was increased significantly in HIV (p ≤ 0.05). Respiratory rate decreased significantly in all groups during the recording period. pH, PaCO₂ and PaO₂ were not significantly changed by administration of medetomidine with or without hyoscine.Conclusion and clinical relevanceHyoscine administered IV or IM before medetomidine in horses resulted in tachycardia and hypertension under the conditions of this study. The significance of these changes, and responses to other dose rates, requires further investigation.     

Melatonin reduces apoptotic cells,SOD2 and HSPB1 and improves the in vitro production and quality of bovine blastocysts

Effects of adding different concentrations of melatonin (10^?7, 10^?9 and 10^?11 M) to maturation (Experiment 1; Control, IVM  + 10^?7, IVM  + 10^?9, IVM  + 10^?11) and culture media (Experiment 2; Control, IVC  + 10^?7, IVC  + 10^?9, IVC  + 10^?11) were evaluated on in vitro bovine embryonic development. The optimal concentration of melatonin (10^?9 M) from Experiments 1–2 was tested in both maturation and/or culture media of Experiment 3 (Control, IVM  + 10^?9, IVC  + 10^?9, IVM /IVC  + 10^?9). In Experiment 1, maturated oocytes from Control and IVM  + 10^?9 treatments showed increased glutathione content, mitochondrial membrane potential and percentage of Grade I blastocysts (40.6% and 43%, respectively). In Experiment 2, an increase in the percentage of Grade I blastocysts was detected in IVC  + 10^?7 (43.5%; 56.7%) and IVC  + 10^?9 (47.4%; 57.4%). Moreover, a lower number and percentage of apoptotic cells in blastocysts were observed in the IVC  + 10^?9 group compared to Control (3.8 ± 0.6; 3.6% versus 6.1 ± 0.6; 5.3%). In Experiment 3, the IVC  + 10^?9 treatment increased percentage of Grade I blastocysts with a lower number of apoptotic cells compared to IVM /IVC  + 10^?9 group (52.6%; 3.0 ± 0.5 versus 46.0%; 5.4 ± 1.0). The IVC  + 10^?9 treatment also had a higher mRNA expression of antioxidant gene (SOD 2) compared to the Control, as well as the heat shock protein (HSPB 1) compared to the IVM  + 10^?9. Reactive oxygen species production was greater in the IVM /IVC  + 10^?9 treatment group. In conclusion, the 10^?9 M concentration of melatonin and the in vitro production phase in which it is used directly affected embryonic development and quality.     

Apparent ileal and total-tract nutrient digestion by pigs as affected by dietary nondigestible oligosaccharides

The effects of two types of nondigestible oligosaccharides (NDO), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and transgalactooligosaccharides (TOS) were studied on growing and weanling pigs' nutrient digestion. Dietary NDO were included at the expense of purified cellulose. Twenty-five 57-d-old growing pigs, averaging 15.9+/-.6 kg on d 0 of the experiment, were fed a corn-based control diet or the control with 6.8 or 13.5 g of FOS/kg or 4.0 or 8.0 g of TOS/kg (five pigs per diet). Feces were collected on d 28 to 32, and small-intestinal digesta were collected (slaughter technique) on d 42 to 47 of the experiment. Feeds, feces, and digesta were analyzed for DM, inorganic matter, CP, ether extract, and crude fiber. Dietary NDO did not significantly affect apparent fecal and small intestinal digestion of nutrients in growing pigs. After being fed a NDO-free diet through d 10 after weaning, 38-d-old weanling pigs (n = 20), averaging 10.4+/-.8 kg on d 0 of the experiment, were fed a control diet (based on cornstarch, casein, and oat husk meal) or the control with 10 or 40 g of FOS or TOS/kg (four pigs per diet). Feces and urine were collected on d 13 to 17, and ileal digesta were collected via a postvalve T-cecum cannula on d 33 to 37 of the experiment. Feeds, feces, and digesta were analyzed for DM, inorganic matter, CP, ether extract, starch, NDF, ADF, ADL, Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Cu, and Zn. Nonstarch neutral-detergent soluble carbohydrates (NNSC) completed the mass balance for the carbohydrates. Urine was analyzed for N and minerals. The apparent fecal digestion of NNSC increased in the NDO-supplemented diets. The TOS-fed pigs tended (P<.10) to have a higher apparent fecal digestion of CP than the FOS-fed and control pigs but excreted more N via the urine (P<.01). Nitrogen and mineral balances were not affected. The FOS was nearly completely degraded prececally. Mean fiber digestion was lower at the fecal compared with the ileal level, as was the extent of NDO effects. This indicates that fiber digestion requires more than 2 wk to adapt to dietary NDO. Apparent ileal digestion of hemicellulose increased for the NDO-supplemented diets (P<.05), but that of NNSC decreased (P<.001). Thus, under the well-controlled conditions of this experiment, dietary NDO hardly affected nutrient digestion in well-kept growing and weanling pigs. However, digestion of dietary nonstarch carbohydrates may be affected.     

Production responses to internal parasite control in dairy cattle

A significant increase in milk production, averaging 164 litres per cow per lactation (a 4.8% increase), was seen after cows infected with gastrointestinal nematodes, paramphistomes and Fasciola hepatica were treated with broad-spectrum anthelmintics. Three hundred and ninety pairs of cows from eight herds with year-round calving were studied. One cow in each matched pair was given 7.5 mg/kg fenbendazole, 7.5 mg/kg levamisole hydrochloride and 15 mg/kg oxyclozanide in March, May and August of one year; the other cow in the pair received no anthelmintic. The number of nematode and trematode eggs was significantly decreased in the faeces of treated cows.     

Web-based, interactive simulation of an anesthesia machine

Gases are transparent and the piping layout in anesthesia machines is not obvious, making it hard to understand anesthesia machine function, potential failure modes, and recovery from faults. We experimented with an approach that simplified the layout of the anesthesia machine piping by removing extraneous details and making gases not only visible, but also color-coded. More than 15 anesthesia machine controls were represented by icons that a user can adjust by clicking on the icon with a pointing device and subsequently observing the effect of his/her intervention on anesthesia machine function in real time. We simulated two anesthesia machine failures and also supported non-English languages and non-US gas color codes. Further, we initiated an experiment in Web philanthropy by deliberately choosing to make the educational module accessible without charge and selected the Web as the preferred medium for dissemination of the Virtual Anesthesia Machine (VAM) viewable at http://www.anest.ufl.edu/vam . Originally designed for use in human anesthesiology, a significant percentage (about 30%) of the 54 000 international visitors, as tracked by an independent third-party Web traffic monitoring service, for the period 9/00–5/02, were from the veterinary field. VAM is being used as part of the curriculum in veterinary programs in the US and overseas and has been well received by the global anesthesia community (human and veterinary).     

Transient phase-induced nucleation

A transient metastable rotator phase occurring on crystallization of hexadecane into its triclinic phase from the supercooled melt was directly observed with time-resolved synchrotron x-ray scattering. In this system, the limit of supercooling (the crystallization temperature) is determined by the thermodynamic stability of the transient phase with respect to the liquid. The crystallization kinetics of the homologous series of n-alkanes was measured and explained in terms of a crossover from stability to "long-lived" metastability to transient metastability. This crossover allowed further confirmation of the nature of the transient phase.