Evaluation of the white-coat effect in cats

The diagnosis and management of systemic hypertension in cats requires a reliable method for measurement of systemic arterial blood pressure (BP) in clinical patients. Unfortunately, the setting of a clinical practice and the act of measuring BP might raise BP and heart rate (HR), an effect referred to as the white-coat effect in human patients. The purpose of the present study was to determine if a white-coat effect was experienced by cats. Radiotelemetric implants were used to measure BP and HR in 13 conscious cats in a research colony while undisturbed in their cages and while subjected to simulated visits to a veterinarian's office. The white-coat effect was taken to be the difference between the overall 24-hour average value for parameters of BP and HR and the corresponding value during the simulated office visit. A white-coat effect was observed in cats. In healthy cats, the systolic BP measured during the examination period of the simulated office visit exceeded the 24-hour average systolic BP by 17.6+/-1.5 mm Hg. However, marked heterogeneity occurred in the pattern and magnitude of the increase in systolic BP above the 24-hour baseline and the increase varied between 75.3 and -27.2 mm Hg for the healthy cats. Variation in response to the simulated office visit was observed among cats and among visits by the same cat. During an office visit, the magnitude of the white-coat effect tended to decrease, but not disappear, over time. The magnitude of the white-coat effect varied when cats were subjected to 5 repeat office visits, but did not diminish in the group as a whole. The mean increase in systolic BP during the examination (22.3+/-0.9 mm Hg) was greater (P < .05) in cats with renal insufficiency. Although the heterogeneity of response expected from companion animals might be greater than that observed in these colony cats, these results indicate that veterinarians should carefully consider the white-coat effect in evaluation of BP in cats. A quiet, undisturbed environment and adequate time for acclimation should be included in the standard protocol for measurements of BP. Because of day-to-day variation in the white-coat effect in individual cats, multiple serial measurements following a standard protocol should provide the best estimate of BP in cats.     

Comparative pathology and pathogenesis of spontaneous and experimentally induced fibropapillomas of green turtles (Chelonia mydas)

Tumor biopsy samples from 25 Floridian and 15 Hawaiian green turtles (Chelonia mydas) with spontaneous green turtle fibropapillomatosis (GTFP) and from 27 captive-reared green turtles with experimentally induced GTFP were examined microscopically to differentiate the histologic features that result from GTFP pathogenesis and those that result from incidental factors that may vary according to geographic region. Common histologic features for spontaneous and experimentally induced tumors included fibroblast proliferation in the superficial dermis, epidermal acanthosis and hyperkeratosis, epidermal basal cell degeneration with dermal-epidermal cleft formation, spinous layer degeneration with intraepidermal vesicle and pustule formation, and ulceration. Visceral tumors, found in eight of 10 (80%) free-ranging turtles with cutaneous disease that were examined after death, had extensive interstitial fibrous proliferation. The presence of spirorchid trematode eggs and associated foreign body granulomas, common secondary findings within spontaneous tumors, varied by geographic location, and these findings were not observed in experimentally induced tumors. Eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions and intranuclear herpesvirus-associated antigen immunoreactivity were found in 18 of 38 (47%) experimentally induced cutaneous tumors and nine of 119 (7.5%) spontaneous tumors from Floridian but not Hawaiian turtles. The possible involvement of GTFP-associated herpesvirus in the pathogenesis of epidermal degenerative changes and GTFP pathogenesis is discussed.     

Development of body temperature regulation in ostrich chicks

Information in the literature indicates that young ostrich chicks, despite being precocial, are poor thermoregulators and may take between 8 and 12 weeks to develop efficient homeothermy. We measured the body temperatures (Tb) of young ostrich chicks (1 to 10 d) at ambient temperatures between 13 degrees and 28 degrees C under controlled conditions in the laboratory and under typical farm-rearing conditions to assess their ability to thermoregulate. Even 1-d-old ostriches could maintain a Tb above 36 degrees C at temperatures of 20 degrees C and older chicks maintained typical adult Tb at ambient temperatures of 13 degrees C in a constant temperature room. Chicks from 2-d-old could maintain adult T(b)s outdoors under a wide range of ambient temperatures and weather conditions. We conclude that ostrich chicks have well developed homeothermy soon after hatching and that some of the higher rearing temperatures recommended in the literature are unnecessary. In appropriate climates, chicks can be allowed outdoors soon after hatching provided they are not exposed to unfavourable weather conditions. Thermoregulation is, however, energetically expensive and thermoregulatory behaviour such as huddling may compete with other important activities like feeding.     

The effect of dose and line on immunisation of cattle with lymphoblastoid cells infected with Theileria annulata

Thirty-one Friesian calves in Morocco susceptible to tropical theileriosis were protected against a lethal sporozoite challenge by prior infection with lymphoblastoid cell lines infected and transformed in vitro by a Moroccan stock of Theileria annulata. The challenge infection of cryopreserved sporozoites killed all four susceptible control calves within 20 days. Four schizont-infected cell cultures at Passage 3 were inoculated at four different doses, 10(8), 10(6), 10(4) and 10(2), into pairs of calves. The recipient animals showed great variation in severity of disease symptoms, which did not show a linear correlation with the cell dose inoculated. The most severe disease symptoms were recorded, prior to challenge, in the 10(2) cell dose recipients; one animal died of acute theileriosis and another had to be treated. One of the four cell lines used was more virulent than the other three. Two years after the completion of this experiment, immunised animals have shown normal productivity traits.     

Polyester fiber: from its invention to its present position

The use of polyester fibers has grown more rapidly than that of any other man-made fiber. Many factors have contributed to this growth. Polyester's unique physical properties of strength, high modulus, elasticity, and durability are the basis for its success. The tailorability of the fiber makes it possible to generate a whole family of property variants for a wide variety of end uses. The ready availability and low cost of the raw materials, the continuing advances in polymerization technology, and the versatility of the melt spinning process have also been major factors in establishing polyester as the leading man-made fiber. New end uses have had a major impact on the growth of polyester. Most notable was the introduction of durable press fabrics for clothing and home furnishings. The consumer preference for easy-care fabrics and garments makes the durable press area one of continuing growth. Two relatively new areas where growth is expected to continue at a rapid rate are tire cord and textured knits for women's and men's outerwear.     

Fumigation with methyl bromide of poultry foods artificially contaminated with salmonella

Methyl bromide, used at a concentration‐time product of 800 mg h/l at 25 °C with a relative humidity of 70%, was successful in eliminating salmonellae from artificially contaminated poultry foodstuffs. Chicks fed on this fumigated food remained free from the infection and there were no adverse effects on growth rate.