Bioavailability of ketoprofen in horses after rectal administration

Six healthy mares ranging in age from 6 to 12 years and weighing from 415 to 540 kg were used to determine the rectal bioavailability of ketoprofen. For the rectal administration, three different formulations, each containing 1 g of ketoprofen, were administered in a fatty and a hydrophilic suppository base and as a liquid suspension. An average elimination half-life of 1.3 h (±1.2) was found. The average value for the total plasma clearance ( Cl _T) was 131.9 mL/min.kg (range 95-183.5). The volume of distribution V _d(area) was 255 mL/kg and the mean residence time (MRT)P = 0.05; Friedman test). Despite the low rectal bioavailability obtained in this study, there was some evidence for the clinical effectiveness of the rectal formulations.     

Identification of a potentially important antigen of pasteurella haemolytica

To identify antigens which may be important for stimulating immunity to pneumonic pasteurellosis, a bovine antiserum to whole P. haemolytica was used to screen a recombinant lambda gt11/P. haemolytica expression library. One of the recombinant bacteriophage clones identified with the bovine antiserum, SW20C, expressed a fusion protein which was also recognized by rabbit antiserum to partially purified P. haemolytica culture supernatant and was found to be immunogenic in guinea pigs. The guinea pig antibody recognized a 100 kDa protein in P. haemolytica cell lysates. Sequence analysis of the cloned DNA from SW20C identified a fragment of 1443 bp with a small open reading frame that was contiguous with the lacZ sequence. The 153 bp P. haemolytica-specific open reading frame encoded a polypeptide of approximately 6kDa. Homology searches of Genbank and the EMBL data bases revealed no homology of this open reading frame with any other bacterial sequences including P. haemolytica leukotoxin and Ssa1. Evaluation of sera from calves that were scored either susceptible or resistant to experimental pneumonic pasteurellosis demonstrated a significant (P < 0.001) correlation between the intensity of the antibody response to the SW20C antigen and resistance to disease.     

COMPARISON OF UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL RADIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS TO HISTOPATHOLOGIC OBSERVATIONS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 41 DOGS AND CATS WITH SUSPECTED SMALL BOWEL INFILTRATIVE DISEASE (1985 to 1990)

It was the intent of this study to define which, if any, radiographic observations corresponded with specific causes of diffuse infiltrative small bowel disease and if radiographic findings could differentiate inflammatory disease from neoplastic disease and either of them from normal. Bowel spasticity, luminal narrowing, and thumbprinting tend to indicate the presence of tumor more often than inflammatory disease. Increased bowel gas in cats and barium adhesion in dogs and cats suggest that a component of enteritis is present. Decreased bowel gas in dogs is more often associated with obstructive disease, but is not helpful in differentiating diffuse inflammatory disease from diffuse neoplastic disease. While several observations that can foster differentiation of neoplastic from inflammatory disease were found, this study also indicated that the UGI lacks a high degree of predictive value other than to indicate the presence of infiltrative small bowel disease.     

TECHNETIUM-99M AND IODINE-131 THYROID SCINTIGRAPHY IN NORMAL AND RADIOTHYROIDECTOMIZED COCKATIELS (NYMPHICUS HOLLANDICUS)

Thyroid scintigraphy using sodium ^99mTechnetium pertechnetate (⁹⁹TcO₄-) was performed in normal and radiothyroidectomized cockatiels ( Nymphicus hollandicus ). ¹³¹I scintigraphy was performed in the course of ablating the thyroid glands. The thyroid glands in normal birds were clearly visualized, but were not individually resolvable. Thyroid glands were not visualized in thyroid-ablated birds. With ^99mTcO₄ scans, thyroid (or other region of interest)/body count density ratios were used for comparisons of normal and thyroid-ablated birds. Normal ^99mTcO₄- thyroid/body ratios (mean +/− SD) for the dorsal and lateral views were 1.83 +/− 0.31 and 1.70 +/− 0.34 respectively. Pertechnetate thyroid/body count density ratios decreased (to 0.93 -/−0.14 and 0.88 +/− 0.12 for dorsal and lateral views respectively) after thyroid ablation, while crop/body ratios increased. ^99mTcO₄- thyroid scintigraphy, therefore, was capable of detecting hypofunctional thyroid abnormalities in ¹³¹I radiothyroidectomized cockatiels.     

Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage in the horse: results of a detailed clinical, post mortem and imaging study. III. Subgross findings in lungs subjected to latex perfusions of the bronchial and pulmonary arteries

Latex was injected under pressure into bronchial and pulmonary arteries of the inflated lungs of Thoroughbreds and transverse sections taken to calculate the area of lesions resulting from exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage. Extensive areas of dense brown haemosiderin varying from 0 to 45 per cent of total lung volume were identified, predominantly in the dorsocaudal lungfields. Bronchial arterial proliferation appeared to have replaced the pulmonary supply in affected areas of the lung. Closely associated with the staining and bronchial arterialisation, there was widespread small airway disease. The most severely affected bronchioles contained thick gelatinous or mucous exudate or mucoid plugs and had grossly thickened walls. These lesions suggest that the source of haemorrhage in exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage is from alveolar capillaries anomalously supplied by the bronchial arterial circulation through the development of pathological shunts. Small airway disease is suggested as being of major importance in the pathogenesis of the disease and may have led to the initial proliferation of the bronchial circulation.     

Clinical pathologic alterations in horses during a water deprivation test

A 72-hour water deprivation test was performed in 12 horses to determine clinical pathologic changes. Reference values for electrolyte (X) clearance, expressed as a percentage of creatinine clearance (CLCR; %CLCRX), were also determined. A comparison was made between urine concentration measurement techniques. Results of %CLCRX determination in 12 horses before water deprivation were 0.034 +/- 0.095 %CLCRNa, 42.4 +/- 9.8 %CLCRK, 0.352 +/- 0.190 %CLCRCl, and 0.710 +/- 0.250 %CLCRP. During water deprivation, there was individual variation for electrolyte clearances, but Na excretion increased significantly (P less than 0.01) at 24 and 48 hours. After 48 hours' water deprivation, %CLCRNa decreased significantly, but was still greater than the initial clearance. Plasma protein was a better indicator of water deprivation (dehydration) in the horse than was PCV. Electrolyte concentrations in serum and urine were determined. Little significant (P less than 0.01) change in acid-base values was noticed after 72 hours' water deprivation. Urine osmolality (as determined by osmometry) was compared with sp gr (determined by refractometry) in determining urine concentration. Initially, sp gr correlated well with urine osmolality determinations, but this correlation decreased after 48 hours.