Efficacy and Toxicity of Doxorubicin/Cyclophosphamide Maintenance Therapy in Dogs with Multicentric Lymphosarcoma

Doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide were evaluated as maintenance drugs for dogs with multicentric lymphosarcoma (n = 28). Median remission time of all dogs was 173 days. Remission duration was shorter, however, in dogs with stage IV/V disease, in dogs with pretreatment hypoalbuminemia, and in dogs that had received glucocorticoids before initiation of chemotherapy (P less than 0.04). Nineteen dogs were evaluable for toxicity. Dose-limiting gastrointestinal toxicosis was observed in three dogs, neutropenia was observed in three dogs, and cardiomyopathy was observed in three dogs. The doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide protocol described in this report is safe and effective in treating canine multicentric lymphosarcoma. Clinical stage, pretreatment steroid therapy, and hypoalbuminemia are prognostic factors for response to this protocol.     

Surface temperature variability patterns within irrigated fields

During 1981, an experiment was conducted to examine the spatial variability of surface temperature within differentially irrigated grain sorghum fields. The measurements were performed at the University of California-Davis in 85 m long transects measured with an infrared thermometer reading at 1.0 m intervals. These measurements were made repeatedly throughout the season. When the data were analyzed to evaluate the spatial variability along each transect, it was found that along the transects the readings at 1 m intervals were not correlated. This lack of structure or spatial dependence within a given field suggests that a random sampling in a field would be adequate for infrared thermometer measurements. During a drying cycle from one irrigation to the next, the variance of surface temperature along a transect increased. However, there was not a statistically significant relationship between the amount of water extracted from the upper 150 cm of the profile when more than 40% of the available water remained. When more than 60% of the available water had been removed, the variance increased above 0.5°C² but below this amount the variances did not exhibit any significant pattern. These data suggest that the variance of surface temperature within a field may not be a sensitive indicator of the soil water status. Utilizing the fact that the surface temperatures along the transects were random and normally distributed, we calculated that the number of samples needed to achieve a confidence limit of 1.0°C about the mean was 10 samples for a field with more than 40% available soil water and increased to 20 samples as the field dried below the 60% extraction level. These data suggest that the spatial variability techniques could be utilized to evaluate agricultural fields for their distribution efficiencies and problems. In application the samples required per field are a manageable number and could be analyzed with classical statistical methods.     

A comparative study of two antimicrobial/anti-inflammatory formulations in the treatment of canine otitis externa

The efficacy and tolerability of a marbofloxacin-clotrimazole-dexamethasone otic suspension (MCD) was compared with a standard topical treatment using a phase III clinical trial protocol. In a total of 140 dogs with clinical signs of acute or subacute otitis externa, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae and Malassezia were isolated from samples taken at inclusion to identify the causative pathogen; a further sample was collected in the event of failure or relapse, and from dogs (at day 14) for which Pseudomonas species had been isolated at inclusion. One group received MCD (10 drops per affected ear) once daily and a second received Surolan (containing polymyxin B, miconazole and prednisolone) (5 drops per affected ear), twice daily. Each group received treatment for 7 or 14 days according to the clinical outcome on day 7. Efficacy and tolerability were evaluated on days 7, 14 and, if necessary, 28 for dogs treated for 14 days. The trial demonstrated equivalence of both treatments in terms of efficacy, with a cure rate of 58.3% for MCD and 41.2% for Surolan. Both medications were equally well tolerated by dogs, but MCD was superior in terms of pain relief, decrease in pus quantity and smell, response rate and investigator's assessment on day 14.     

Tick- and flea-borne rickettsial emerging zoonoses

Between 1984 and 2004, nine more species or subspecies of spotted fever rickettsiae were identified as emerging agents of tick-borne rickettsioses throughout the world. Six of these species had first been isolated from ticks and later found to be pathogenic to humans. The most recent example is Rickettsia parkeri, recognized as a human pathogen more than 60 years after its initial isolation from ticks. A new spotted fever rickettsia, R. felis was also found to be associated with fleas and to be a human pathogen. Similarly, bacteria within the family Anaplasmataceae have been considered to be of veterinary importance only, yet three species have been implicated in human diseases in recent years, including Ehrlichia chaffeensis, the agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the agent of human anaplasmosis (formerly known as "human granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent", E. equi and E. phagocytophila), and finally Ehrlichia ewingii, which causes granulocytic ehrlichiosis in humans. We present here an overview of the various tick- and flea-borne rickettsial zoonoses described in the last 20 years, focusing on the ecological, epidemiological and clinical aspects.     

Phosphate flow into mycorrhizal roots

Ectotrophic mycorrhizas have been studied intensively and their value to some tree species is well known. Endotrophic mycorrhizas have received less attention and their potential value to plants has only been fully substantiated within the last 12 years. Responses of the host to mycorrhizal infection seem always to be associated with improved phosphorus nutrition of the plant. The mechanism whereby this occurs is considered. There is evidence that the ultimate limitation on phosphorus uptake by a simple cylindrical root is the diffusion impedance in the soil around it, and that widely spreading hyphae effectively short-circuit this impedance. Some data on hyphal length, and estimated net flux of phosphorus through the hyphae are given, with a discussion of possible mechanisms driving this flux.     

Variations in serum sorbitol dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, and isoenzyme 5 of lactate dehydrogenase activities in horses given carbon tetrachloride

Seven horses were given 0.5 mg of carbon tetrachloride/kg of body weight via a nasogastric tube. Subsequent hepatocellular damage was monitored by serum enzyme determinations of sorbitol dehydrogenase, isoenzyme 5 of lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate transaminase activities. Creatinine kinase activity was evaluated as an indicator of muscle cell damage. Sorbitol dehydrogenase, isoenzyme 5 of lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate transaminase activities were significantly (P less than 0.05) increased by 24 hours after carbon tetrachloride administration. Isoenzyme 5 of lactate dehydrogenase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activities returned to baseline several days before aspartate transaminase activity returned to baseline. Creatine kinase activity remained unchanged.     

Characteristics and diffusion in the rabbit of a phage for Escherichia coli 0103. Attempts to use this phage for therapy.

A bacteriophage for Escherichia coli 0103 was isolated during a study on E. coli diarrhoea in intensive breeding units of rabbits. The phage had an isometric head and a short tail and resembled coliphage N4 (Podoviridae). It had a very narrow host range and seemed to be specific for serogroup 0103, suggesting that it might be used for preliminary identification of E. coli strains of this serogroup instead of the usual slide agglutination. In view of its possible use as a therapeutic phage, we investigated its dissemination in rabbit organs after oral administration. The phage persisted in the spleen for at least 12 days. However, in vivo studies showed that this phage and a mixture of more virulent phages for E. coli 0103 were ineffective in preventing disease in rabbits inoculated with an enteropathogenic strain of E. coli 0103.     

Pancreatolithiasis and pancreatic pseudobladder associated with pancreatitis in a cat

Pancreatolithiasis has been documented to occur naturally in humans and cattle. It has been associated with chronic pancreatitis in humans, and, when found, it may signify the presence of chronic pancreatic disease. This is the first report of a case involving a cat that had both an apparent obstruction with pancreatolithiasis as well as concurrent evidence of chronic pancreatic changes on histopathological evaluation. Additionally, this case documents the presence of a suspected congenital abnormality of a feline exocrine pancreas.