Measurement of glycosaminoglycans and keratan sulphate in canine arthropathies

Glycosaminoglycans (gag) and keratan sulphate (ks) were measured in sera and synovial fluids from dogs with either osteoarthritis (oa) or rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament (ccl) and normal dogs. The dogs with oa had higher synovial fluid gag levels (P<0·002) and serum KS (P<0·03) compared to the normal dogs. No significant differences in serum gag were found in either group. In both oa and rupture of the ccl, gag levels were increased in the synovial fluid from the affected joint compared with the clinically normal (inactive) contralateral joint. Neither gag nor ks measurements correlated with serum and synovial fluid antibodies to collagen type II, synovial fluid white cell count or age of dog. It is unlikely that the measurement of these cartilage breakdown products is of value for diagnostic or prognostic use in canine arthropathies.     

SPONTANEOUS RESOLUTION OF A PSEUDOANEURYSM IN A HORSE FOLLOWING ANGIOGRAPHIC DIAGNOSIS

Angiography in a horse was used to confirm a pseudoaneurysm of the dorsal metatarsal artery originating from trauma. Gradual clinical resolution of the pseudoaneurysm occurred within days following the procedure. A follow-up angiogram confirmed the clinical impression. An etiology of the spontaneous resolution is presented. Probable influences included technical factors of the injection procedure that caused prolonged presence of the contrast medium within the aneurysmal sac and factors that enhance thrombus formation during angiography.     

ULTRASONOGRAPHIC EXAMINATION OF THE THYROID GLAND OF HYPERTHYROID CATS: COMPARISON TO 99mTcO−4 SCINTIGRAPHY

High-resolution ultrasonography was evaluated as an alternative to ^99mTcO^-₄ scintigraphy for examining size and appearance of thyroid glands in hyperthyroid cats. Thyroid ultrasound examinations were performed on 6 normal cats and 14 cats with hyperthyroidism. Thyroid lobe volume was estimated from ultrasound images using the equation for a prolate ellipsoid, π/6 (length * height * width). Total thyroid volume was estimated by adding the volume estimations of the left and right lobes. Thyroid lobes of hyperthyroid cats were considered abnormal if estimated volume exceeded the 99% confidence interval for normal thyroid volume determined from the control group. Scintigraphic examinations performed on hyperthyroid cats were evaluated for unilateral versus bilateral disease and for the presence of ectopic activity. Mean thyroid lobe volume and total thyroid volume for normal cats was 85 and 169 mm³, respectively. Mean thyroid lobe volume and total thyroid volume for hyperthyroid cats was 578 and 889 mm³. There was a significant difference in mean estimated total thyroid volume of normal and hyperthyroid cats. Thyroid lobes with greater than normal TcO^-₄ uptake on scintigraphy were larger and had variable homogeneity, echogenicity, and margination on ultrasound examination. There also was an 85.7% agreement of scintigraphy and ultrasonography in differentiating normal from abnormal thyroid lobes. A fair correlation between estimated total thyroid volume of hyperthyroid cats and most recent pretherapy serum thyroxine values were also found. This preliminary study indicates that thyroid ultrasound examination may provide information that is useful for diagnosis and treatment of feline hyperthyroidism. Although ultrasound provides accurate evaluation of the thyroid glands, it cannot replace ^99mTcO^-₄ scintigraphy for screening of metastatic lesions and ectopic glands.     

The mode of action of chlorsulfuron: The lack of direct inhibition of plant DNA synthesis

Chlorsulfuron (2-chloro-N-[(4-methoxy-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)aminocarbonyl]benzene-sulfonamide), the active ingredient in DuPont Glean Weed Killer, has been proposed to act by inhibiting plant cell division. In order to further define the mode of action of this new herbicide, studies were made of the effects of chlorsulfuron on processes associated with plant DNA synthesis. No inhibitory effects were observed on DNA synthesis in isolated plant nuclei, and the enzymes DNA polymerase and thymidine kinase. Nucleoside precursors of DNA were not effective in lessening chlorsulfuron inhibition of thymidine incorporation into DNA of corn root tips. These results indicate that chlorsulfuron does not inhibit plant cell division by a direct inhibition of DNA synthesis.     

Transport and distribution of lindane and simazine in a riverine environment: measurements in bed sediments and modelling

Aquatic sediments often remove hydrophobic contaminants from fresh waters. The subsequent distribution and concentration of contaminants in bed sediments determines their effect on benthic organisms and the risk of re-entry into the water and/or leaching to groundwater. This study examines the transport of simazine and lindane in aquatic bed sediments with the aim of understanding the processes that determine their depth distribution. Experiments in flume channels (water flow of 10 cm s(-1)) determined the persistence of the compounds in the absence of sediment with (a) de-ionised water and (b) a solution that had been in contact with river sediment. In further experiments with river bed sediments in light and dark conditions, measurements were made of the concentration of the compounds in the overlying water and the development of bacterial/algal biofilms and bioturbation activity. At the end of the experiments, concentrations in sediments and associated pore waters were determined in sections of the sediment at 1 mm resolution down to 5 mm and then at 10 mm resolution to 50 mm depth and these distributions analysed using a sorption-diffusion-degradation model. The fine resolution in the depth profile permitted the detection of a maximum in the concentration of the compounds in the pore water near the surface, whereas concentrations in the sediment increased to a maximum at the surface itself. Experimental distribution coefficients determined from the pore water and sediment concentrations indicated a gradient with depth that was partly explained by an increase in organic matter content and specific surface area of the solids near the interface. The modelling showed that degradation of lindane within the sediment was necessary to explain the concentration profiles, with the optimum agreement between the measured and theoretical profiles obtained with differential degradation in the oxic and anoxic zones. The compounds penetrated to a depth of 40-50 mm over a period of 42 days.     

Development of an Immunobinding Assay with Monoclonal Antibodies to Diagnose Mycoplasma bovis in Semen

Veterinary Research Communications -     

A prospective study of canine infective endocarditis in northern California (1999-2001): emergence of Bartonella as a prevalent etiologic agent

A prospective study was performed (June 1999 to May 2001) to determine the incidence of infective endocarditis (IE) due to Bartonella in dogs in northern California and to compare these patients with other dogs with IE. IE was diagnosed antemortem based on clinical signs and echocardiography in 18 dogs. The etiologic agent was Bartonella sp. in 5 dogs (28%) and was diagnosed by high seroreactivity to Bartonella (titer > 1:512; range, 1:1,024-1:4,096); and confirmed postmortem by positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) from the infected valve and partial DNA sequencing of the citrate synthase gene (glt A). Conventional bacteria were causative agents in 7 dogs (39%). An etiologic agent was not identified in 6 dogs (33%). Bartonella vinsonii berkhoffii (n = 3), B clarridgeiae (n = 1), and a B clarridgeiae-like organism (n = 1) were identified. Blood culture was positive only for the IE case due to B clarridgeiae. All dogs with IE due to Bartonella were also seroreactive to Anaplasma phagocytophilum. All dogs with IE due to Bartonella had lesions only on the aortic valve. Of the cases of IE not due to Bartonella, 31% involved the aortic valve, 61% the mitral valve, and 8% both valves. Dogs with mitral valve IE lived longer than all dogs with aortic valve IE (P = .004) and dogs with IE of the aortic valve due to Bartonella (P = .002). In conclusion, Bartonella is a common cause of IE in dogs of northern California. A high Bartonella serologic titer (> 1:512) is useful antemortem to diagnose aortic valve IE due to Bartonella.     

Magnetic resonance imaging features of feline intracranial neoplasia: retrospective analysis of 46 cats

The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of feline brain tumors and to determine whether these characteristics can be used to accurately predict the histologic diagnosis. MRI scans of 46 cats with histologically confirmed brain tumors were reviewed, including 33 meningiomas, 6 lymphomas, 4 gliomas, 2 olfactory neuroblastomas, and 1 pituitary tumor. MRI features including axial origin, shape, location, signal intensity, contrast enhancement, peritumoral edema, and mass effect were reviewed and characterized for each tumor type. Tumor shape, axial origin, contrast enhancement, and degree of peritumoral edema aided in the identification of tumor type. Meningiomas were always extra-axial and were most often ovoid with marked contrast enhancement and mild peritumoral edema. Gliomas were always intra-axial with ring enhancement and generally caused more peritumoral edema than other tumors. The brain tumor was detected on MRI in 45 (98%) cats. Two blinded independent reviewers correctly identified 82% of all of the tumor types on the basis of MRI appearance alone. Thus, MRI is an excellent diagnostic tool for the detection of brain tumors in cats, and it provides important information to aid in the diagnosis of tumor type.     

Intracranial elastance in isoflurane-anesthetized horses

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether high intracranial pressure (ICP) during spontaneous ventilation (SV) in anesthetized horses coincides with an increase in intracranial elastance (ie, change in ICP per unit change of intracranial volume). ANIMALS: 6 adult horses. PROCEDURE: Anesthesia was induced and maintained in each horse for 5 hours with isoflurane at a constant dose equal to 1.2 times the minimum alveolar concentration. Direct ICP measurements were obtained by use of a strain gauge transducer inserted in the subarachnoid space, and arterial blood pressure was measured from a carotid artery. Physiologic responses were recorded after 15 minutes of normocapnic controlled ventilation (CV) and then after 10 minutes of SV. Aliquots (3 mL) of CSF were removed from each horse during SV until ICP returned to CV values. Slopes of pressure-volume curves yielded intracranial elastance. RESULTS: Intracranial elastance ranged from 0.2 to 3.7 mm Hg/mL after removal of the first aliquot of CSF Slopes of pressure-volume curves were largest following removal of the initial CSF aliquot, but shallow portions of curves were detected at relatively high ICPs (25 to 35 mm Hg). A second-order relationship between SV ICP and initial intracranial elastance was found. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In horses anesthetized with isoflurane, small changes in intracranial volume can cause large changes in ICP Increased intracranial elastance could further exacerbate preexisting intracranial hypertension. However, removal of small volumes of CSF may cause rapid compensatory replacement from other intracranial compartments, which suggests steady-state maintenance of an increase in intracranial volume during isoflurane anesthesia in horses.