Long term use of hydraulic artificial urethral sphincters in nine dogs from New Zealand with urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence

AIMS: To report on the long-term outcomes of hydraulic artificial urethral sphincter (HAUS) placement for the correction of urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence (USMI) in New Zealand dogs.

METHODS: Retrospective data were obtained from cases of dogs which had a HAUS placed after failed medical and/or surgical management of USMI between August 2012 and November 2016. Owner assessment of urinary incontinence was evaluated by an online survey in May 2017 using a visual analogue scale (0 being normal, 100 being severely affected) for the frequency, volume and severity of any straining to urinate, immediately prior to the placement of the HAUS and at the time of the survey. The number of days between surgery and the completion of survey were recorded.

RESULTS: Seven females and two male dogs, which were all desexed except for one female, were eligible for inclusion in the study. The period of follow-up following HAUS placement ranged from 206–1,685 days. Following HAUS placement, frequency and volume of urinary incontinence decreased for six dogs and were practically unchanged for three dogs. The median frequency score decreased from 70 to 13 and the volume score decreased from 73 to 12. There was no consistent change in the perceived degree of straining to urinate. Complications occurred in three dogs; one required repositioning of a dislodged injection port, one required management for haematuria and a hypoplastic bladder, and one required surgical removal of fibrous tissue around the HAUS cuff.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVENCE: HAUS placement was an effective method for the treatment of persistent USMI in most dogs and provided good clinical results based on owner assessment. The technique was associated with few complications and allowed successful long-term control of urinary incontinence without the need for medical management.     

Comparative spermatology of two morphologically similar species of Solen (Mollusca: Bivalvia)

The fine structure of the spermatozoa and spermatogenesis in Solen cylindraceus and S. capensis were studied by electron microscopy. The morphology of the sperm of both species is similar. Both are of the primitive type with a head about 1,5 μm long), mid-piece of five mitochondria, and tail. The head comprises a barrel-shaped electron-opaque nucleus (about 1,1 μm × 1,2 μm) which is capped by a small conical acrosome. The morphology of the acrosome of Solen is typical of heterodont bivalves, however, each species has an acrosome of differing dimensions which can thus be used to separate these two closely related bivalves. During spermatogenesis the pattern of nuclear chromatin condensation is granular. The acrosome is formed by a single Golgi body, and the five large mitochondria of the mid-piece are probably formed by fusion of several small mitochondria.     

Impact of injuries and disease on a cohort of two- and three-year-old thoroughbreds in training

A prospective study of injuries and disease in a cohort of Australian thoroughbreds in training was conducted with the participation of 24 trainers. From the horses catalogued at a major yearling sale in 1995, 169 were enrolled in the study and followed through their two- and three-year-old racing seasons. The principal aim was to quantify the time lost in training as a result of the various categories of injuries and disease, recorded as either days of modified training, or weeks rested at pasture. Shin soreness was the most common condition in two-year-olds (affecting 42 per cent of the horses that had entered training), followed by fetlock problems (25 per cent), and coughs and nasal discharge (16 per cent). Lameness, excluding lacerations and traumatic injuries, was the most common reason for lost training days (56.2 per cent of total days modified) and for resting horses at pasture (81.2 per cent of total weeks rested for injury or disease). Of the individual categories of injury or disease, lacerations and traumatic injuries, coughs and nasal discharge, shin soreness, carpal problems and fetlock problems were the most important causes of modified training days. In terms of weeks rested at pasture, fetlock problems, shin soreness, carpal problems, and coughs and nasal discharge had the greatest impact. Major injury was uncommon in young horses in training, but there was a high incidence of relatively low-grade injuries and disease during the training of two-year-olds.     

The synovial response to exogenous phospholipid (synovial surfactant) injected into the equine radiocarpal joint compared with that to prilocaine, hyaluronan and propylene glycol

AIMS: To determine the effects of the intra-articular injection of surface-active phospholipid in a propylene glycol carrier on synovial fluid composition and joint function of horses, and to compare these effects with those observed after the intra-articular administration of prilocaine, hyaluronan and propylene glycol alone. METHODS: Twenty-four horses were randomly allocated to four treatment groups: Group 1 100 mg of surface-active phospholipid in 1 ml of propylene glycol; Group 2 1 ml of propylene glycol; Group 3 10 ml of prilocaine; Group 4 2 ml of hyaluronan. Left radiocarpal joints were injected with the treatments and the right radiocarpal joints were injected with volume-matched saline as controls. Examinations for lameness, arthrocenteses and synovial fluid analyses were performed before and at 1, 3 and 7 days after injection. RESULTS: No horses became lame but treated joints temporarily developed mild to moderate effusions. Synovial fluid analyses indicated significantly greater inflammation in treated compared to control joints and this difference was greatest 24 hours after injection. There were no differences between the four treatments based on synovial fluid analysis except for neutrophil counts and alkaline phosphatase activities, which were significantly higher in prilocaine-treated joints. CONCLUSION: In horses, the intra-articular injection of surface-active phospholipid in a propylene glycol carrier induces clinically insignificant, temporary abnormalities in synovial fluid. Surface-active phospholipid was no more injurious to the synovium than prilocaine or hyaluronan. None of the agents used in this experiment caused lameness when injected into the joints of horses. RELEVANCE: This dose and formulation appear suitable for use in future experiments investigating the efficacy of surface-active phospholipid in the treatment or prevention of osteoarthritis in horses.     

Owner-reported equine health disorders: results of an Australia-wide postal survey

OBJECTIVE: To establish the prevalence of health disorders reported by horse owners registered with veterinary practices in Australia. DESIGN AND METHOD: Mailed questionnaire-based study of horse owners in Australia conducted in 2001. RESULTS: Data were obtained for 3901 horses belonging to 621 owners. The most prevalent health disorders were non-laminitic lameness (13.0%), skin disorders (6.1%) and behavioural disorders (4.5%). Prevalence of health disorders varied among different age, breed and sex categories within the study population, and disorders were more prevalent in male and older horses. CONCLUSION: The most frequent disorders reported by owners were lameness, skin disorders and behavioural disorders. The disease profile was similar to that described in other owner reported studies conducted in the UK and USA.     

Pathophysiological and immune cell responses in calves prior to and following lung challenge with formalin-killed Pasteurella multocida biotype A:3 and protection studies involving subsequent homologous live challenge

Pneumonic pasteurellosis is a common respiratory infection in cattle that has major economic and welfare implications world-wide and the incidence in the UK due to Pasteurella multocida, currently the same as that associated with Mannheimia haemolytica, is increasing. Whereas much is known regarding the pathogenesis of M. haemolytica infections little information is available on the pathogenic process of pasteurellosis initiated by P. multocida. In the present work calf systemic and innate immune responses to intratracheal challenge with formalin-killed P. multocida biotype A:3 and to subsequent experimental lung infection with live P. multocida were investigated. Eight-week-old calves were challenged intratracheally on day 0 with either 10⁹ colony forming units (cfu) of formalin-killed P. multocida biotype A:3 in 300 ml saline (n=10) or 300 ml saline alone (n=10), followed, at day 21, by challenge with 10⁹ cfu live P. multocida. Pathophysiological and lung phagocyte responses were assessed by clinical monitoring, sequential lung lavage and blood sampling. Results for samples obtained before, during and after challenge showed clinical and acute phase protein responses to both bacterial culture and saline control treatments, although higher responses were associated with bacterial challenge. Phagocytosis of P. multocida during 1 h incubation periods with lavaged cells in vitro was unaffected by exposure in vivo to killed P. multocida and there was evidence that P. multocida was able to survive intracellularly during this assay. There was no indication that lung exposure to formalin-killed P. multocida conferred protection against subsequent homologous live challenge.     

The effect of recombinant equine growth hormone on the biomechanical properties of healing superficial digital flexor tendons in horses

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of recombinant equine growth hormone (rEGH) on the in vitro biomechanical properties of healing superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) in horses. STUDY DESIGN: Completely randomized design. SAMPLE POPULATION: Twelve Standardbred horses, 3 to 7 years of age, with ultrasonographically normal forelimb SDFT. METHODS: One week after induction of collagenase (2,000 U) induced superficial flexor tendonitis, horses were randomly divided into groups of 6. One group was administered intramuscular rEGH (10 microg/kg/day for 1 week, then 20 microg/kg/day for 5 weeks), whereas the other group (control subjects) were administered an equivalent volume of saline (0.9% NaCl) solution. At the end of this 6-week treatment, horses were killed and one forelimb SDFT from each horse was harvested for biomechanical testing under uniaxial tension. Results were analyzed using an unpaired Student's t test; significance was set at P 相似文献