Uptake of pesticides from water and soil by earthworms

The uptake of pesticides by earthworms from aqueous solutions was examined and shown to be a reversible physical process. Measurements of distributions of pesticides between aqueous solutions and worm solids showed that adsorption coefficients were related to octanol-water distribution coefficients, as are soil-water distributions. From these relationships it was calculated that concentration factors of stable chemicals in earthworms from soil should be similar, except for polar substances which penetrate poorly, and be determined mainly by the soil organic matter content. Examination of uptake from soils indicated that the calculated concentration factors are unlikely to be achieved because of slow diffusion of chemicals in soils and because of metabolism in the soil or the worm.     

Influence of compost amendments on the hydraulic functioning of brownfield soils

This study assessed the impact of compost on the hydraulic properties of three soils (sandy loam, clay loam and diesel‐contaminated sandy loam) with relatively poor physical quality typical of brownfield sites. Soils were amended with two composts at 750 t/ha. Samples were also collected from a clay‐capped brownfield site, previously amended with 250, 500 or 750 t/ha of compost. Water‐release characteristics and saturated hydraulic conductivity were determined for all soils and physical quality indicators derived. Unsaturated flow in field profiles after compost application with two depths of incorporation and two indigenous subsoils was simulated using Hydrus‐1D. Compost generally increased water retention. Hydraulic conductivity tended to decrease following compost application in sandy loam but increased in clay and clay loam, where compost addition resulted in a larger dominant pore size. Although compost improved physical quality indicators, they remained suboptimum in clay and clay loam soil, which exhibited poor aeration, and in the contaminated sandy loam, where available water capacity was limited, possibly due to changes in wettability. Increasing application rates in the field enhanced water retention at low potentials and hydraulic conductivity near saturation but did not alter physical quality indicators. Numerical simulation indicated that the 500 t/ha application resulted in the best soil moisture regime. Increasing the depth of incorporation in the clay cap improved drainage and reduced waterlogging, but incorporation in more permeable subsoil resulted in prolonged dry conditions to greater depths.     

Prevalence of elevated alanine transaminase activity in dogs treated with CCNU (Lomustine)*

The purpose of this study was to evaluate prevalence of serum alanine transaminase (ALT) elevation in dogs receiving lomustine (CCNU) and to analyse the pattern of occurrence and potential risk factors. Serum ALT activity in 109 dogs during single‐agent CCNU chemotherapy was retrospectively analysed. The median initial dose, dose‐intensity and cumulative dose of CCNU were 64 mg m^?2, 21 mg m^?2 week^?1 and 171 mg m^?2, respectively. The overall prevalence of major ALT elevation [> 5‐fold upper reference limit (URL)] was 29% (32/109) and developed most commonly after one to three doses of CCNU. These ALT elevations occurred without preceding mild ALT elevation in 53% (17/32) of the cases. Three dogs (2.8%) developed clinical hepatopathy. For severe ALT elevation (>10‐fold URL), age ≤5‐year‐old was associated with higher risk. The findings of this study showed that elevation of ALT is common during CCNU chemotherapy in dogs and severe elevation can develop on a sudden onset.     

Reader performance in radiographic diagnosis of signs of mitral regurgitation in cavalier King Charles spaniels

O bjectives : To measure accuracy and variability of diagnosis by radiography of heart enlargement (HE) and heart failure (HF) in mitral regurgitation (MR).
M ethods : Sixteen readers representing four levels of experience evaluated 50 sets of radiographs with varying severity of MR for presence or absence of HE, left atrial enlargement (LAE) and HF. The performance of the readers was compared with a reference standard, using area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The interreader agreement value kappa (K) was calculated. A subset of difficult cases of HF was analysed before and after removing an outlying reader from each group.
R esults : AUC for HE was 0·89, for LAE it was 0·93 and for HF it was 0·92. Experience increased certainty of diagnosis but not accuracy. K ranges were HE, 0·53 to 0·67; LAE, 0·61 to 0·69 and HF, 0·49 to 0·58. When only difficult cases of HF were read, accuracy decreased and experienced readers performed better than inexperienced. When outlying readers were excluded, the differences between experienced and inexperienced readers increased.
C linical S ignificance : LAE, not HE, should be used to evaluate the heart size and indirectly the severity of MR on radiographs. For HF, agreement among individual readers was only moderate. Studies of reader accuracy should consider the effects of interreader variability.     

High detail radiography and histology of the centrodistal tarsal joint of Icelandic horses age 6 months to 6 years

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Osteoarthrosis (OA) in the distal tarsal joints, bone spavin, is a well known condition which is common in Icelandic horses age 6-12 years. OBJECTIVES: To determine the nature, location and age of appearance of early radiographic and histological changes in the centrodistal tarsal joint (CD) of young Icelandic horses. METHODS: Slab sections from the CD of young Icelandic horses were examined by high detail radiography (age 6 months to 6 years, n = 111) and histology (age 6 months to 4 years, n = 82) to detect and describe the early changes indicative of OA. Horses younger than 5 years were unridden. RESULTS: Chondronecrotic lesions histologically similar to those described in the early pathogenesis of OA were seen in 33% of the joints, located both medially and laterally. Radiographic sclerosis of the subchondral bone was recorded in 60% of the specimens, most often medially. Medial location was not associated with chondronecrosis, but was strongly related to age. Sclerosis was an infrequent finding on the lateral side, and was probably secondary to chondronecrosis in the corresponding part of the joint. Small defects in the subchondral bone were considered to be the most specific radiographic sign of OA as they were strongly associated with chondronecrosis. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of chondronecrosis in the young horses indicates an early onset and slow progression of the disease. The early appearance also shows that the initiation of the disease is unrelated to the use of horses for riding. As clinical manifestation of OA in the distal tarsal joints is most often described in mature or old horses, the first stages of the disease are not likely to result in clinical signs. Subchondral bone sclerosis did not appear to be a primary factor in the development of OA in the CD but was considered to reflect an uneven distribution of biomechanical forces within the joint. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The development of OA in the CD of young Icelandic horses seems to be due to poor conformation or joint architecture rather than trauma or overloading. These aetiological factors are likely to be of importance for OA in the distal tarsal joints in other breeds as well. The influence of hindlimb conformation and the architecture of the distal tarsal joints on the biomechanics of joints need to be investigated, preferably by locomotion analysis in young horses.     

Relationship between scintigraphic and radiographic evaluations of spinous processes in the thoracolumbar spine in riding horses without clinical signs of back problems

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Radiography and scintigraphy are used to aid diagnosis of the cause of back pain, but a large variation in appearance and radiopharmaceutical uptake in fully functioning horses make diagnosis difficult. OBJECTIVES: To describe the range of and compare scintigraphic and radiographic findings in the spinous processes of horses without clinical signs of back problems. METHODS: Thirty-three apparently normal riding horses underwent scintigraphic and radiographic examinations of the spinous processes in the thoracolumbar spine. Scintigraphic images were evaluated in a continuous blue, green and red colour scale, and the level of radiopharmaceutical uptake in the spinous processes from T10-L2 was graded into none, mild, moderate or severe increased radiopharmaceutical uptake. Structural changes along the borders of the spinous processes and the width of the interspinous spaces from T10-L2 were recorded. RESULTS: Only 7 horses had no scintigraphic or radiographic findings. Nine horses had no increased radiopharmaceutical uptake, 17 had no sclerosis, 21 had no radiolucencies and 11 had normal spacing of the spinous processes (>4 mm wide). The majority of findings in 26 horses were located from T13-18 and were mild. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of a wide spectrum of scintigraphic and radiographic changes leads to the conclusion that changes within this range found in affected horses cannot be interpreted as clinically significant. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: To determine whether scintigraphy and/or radiography can be used to separate horses with back pain from horses without clinical signs, the results from this study should be compared to the scintigraphic and radiographic findings in horses with clinical signs.     

Increased pulmonary transit times in asymptomatic dogs with mitral regurgitation

Pulmonary transit time (PTT) normalized to heart rate (nPTT) is a measure of the pulmonary blood volume (PBV) to stroke volume ratio (PBV/SV). It is an index of cardiac performance. To determine the effect of compensated mitral regurgitation (CMR) and decompensated mitral regurgitation (DMR) caused by valvular endocardiosis on the index nPTT, we measured nPTT by first-pass radionuclide angiocardiography and ECG in 13 normal dogs, 18 dogs with CMR, and 13 dogs with DMR. PTT was measured as time between onset of appearance of activity at the pulmonary trunk and the left atrium. In the normal dogs, the relationship between PTT and mean R-R interval (mRR) was PTT = 4.08 x mRR + 0.15 (R2 = 0.71). Normal nPTT was 4.4 +/- 0.6 (SD) (range. 3.6-5.3). in CMR, 6.3 +/- 1.6 (SD) (range, 4.0-9.7). and in DMR, 11.9 +/- 3.4 (SD) (range, 8.0-18.8). The differences among all groups were significant. Heart rates were 110 +/- 22 bpm in normal dogs, 111 +/- 20 in dogs with CMR, and 144 +/- 18 in dogs with DMR (P < .001 for difference between DMR group and normal and CMR groups). Increased nPTT in CMR indicates preclinical heart pump dysfunction. Heart rate-normalized pulmonary transit times may be a useful index of heart function in mitral regurgitation.