Electrical activity of the hypothalamus effects of intraventricular catecholamines

The injection of epinephrine into the third ventricle of the rat brain causes a biphasic elevation and depression in the integrated multiple-unit electrical activity of the median eminence. Activity in the arcuate nucleus decreases after the injection of the catecholamines. These changes in the integrated multiple-unit electrical activity may be related to the secretion of hormones by the anterior pituitary gland.     

Effects of phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone on basic drug detection in high performance thin layer chromatographic systems

Interference or 'masking' in thin layer chromatography occurs when the presence of one drug on a thin layer plate physically obscures or interferes with the detection of another drug. We investigated the ability of phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone to mask or interfere with the detection by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) of basic drugs used illegally in horse racing. Of fifty-five basic drugs called 'positive' since 1981 by laboratories affiliated with the Association of Official Racing Chemists (AORC), forty did not comigrate with phenylbutazone or oxyphenbutazone and could not, therefore, be masked. When 75 micrograms/ml of oxyphenbutazone was spiked into urine samples, subjected to an extraction procedure for basic drugs, and then run in our routine HPTLC systems, no 'spots' due to oxyphenbutazone appeared. 'Masking' by oxyphenbutazone, therefore, did not and could not occur in our test systems. When phenylbutazone at a concentration of 30 micrograms/ml was spiked into urine samples and run in the routine HPTLC system, phenylbutazone spots were visible under ultraviolet light and after certain specific oversprays were used to visualize basic drugs. These spots, however, did not interfere with routine thin layer testing for basic drugs. It was concluded that phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone had no significant ability to interfere with detection of the parent forms of these basic drugs under the conditions described in these experiments.     

Prosthetic Coxofemoral Joint Repiacement in the Goose (Anser Sp.): I. Preliminary Results

In order to study failure modes of fixation of artificial hip joints in man, an animal model was needed that had similar loading conditions concerning the hip joint and a life expectancy long enough to allow for fixation failures to occur. Femoral components of a hip joint were implanted into domestic geese ( Anser sp.) to evaluate their suitability for long-term in vivo studies of femoral implants. A prosthesis was developed. It was implanted into mature geese under general anesthesia using a lateral surgical approach. The animals were sacrificed 5 to 11 months after implantation. The results indicate that prosthetic hip joints could be implanted and that joint function was restored in all cases. There was no postoperative morbidity or mortality. Prosthetic loosening was observed in three out of the nine implants.     

The culture of the southern bay scallop in Tampa Bay, an urban Florida estuary

Bay scallop, Argopecten irradians concentricus (Say), stocks were collected from a Homosassa (Florida) population in 1991 and were kept in seawater from Bayboro Harbor on Tampa Bay, an urban Florida estuary. They were fed with Isochrysis galbana and Tetraselmis sp. Spawning was allowed to occur after the scallops became ripe. The hatching rate of the F1 eggs to D-shaped larvae was 72%. Settlement and metamorphosis began 11 days after fertilization. When spat reached a shell height of 0.8 mm in the laboratory, they were placed with substrates into 300 and 800 m mesh bags, and later in lantern nets, suspended from a dock in Bayboro Harbor. The F1 scallops successfully survived to gonad maturity in the fall of 1992, with mean (sd) shell height of 49.8 (4.0) mm on 6 September 1992. The scallops experienced heavy mortality during the summer, partially as a result of heavy fouling. From early August to October of 1992, F1 scallops grown in Bayboro Harbor were successfully spawned in the laboratory. Growth and survival of the F2 scallops were comparable to those of the F1 scallops. Results have shown that bay scallops can complete an entire life cycle in an urban estuary such as Tampa Bay, and a hatchery for bay scallops on the estuary can assist in the restoration of the population. Fouling represents a possible severe limitation and alternatives to caging for grow-out should be considered.     

Role of prokinetic drugs for treatment of postoperative ileus in the horse

All horses undergoing coeliotomy for an acute abdominal crisis are at risk of developing ileus and should receive therapy aimed at promoting gastrointestinal function by restoring fluid and electrolyte balance. Adequate analgesia and prevention against peritonitis, bacteraemia and endotoxaemia should be provided. Horses that at the time of surgery have a strangulating or non-strangulating small intestinal obstruction should be considered to be at greater risk of developing a persistent ileus that is refractory to treatment than those horses with lesions involving the large intestine. In horses considered to be at greater risk of developing a persistent ileus, the use of prokinetic agents should be considered. Agents that may be used to improve gastrointestinal motility include adrenergic receptor antagonists, cholinergic agonists, benzamides, dopamine antagonists, macrolide antimicrobials, opiate receptor agonists and antagonists, somatostatin analogues and local anaesthetics. There are limited studies into the use of these agents in the horse. Until further research provides more information on motility disorders following intestinal surgery and the efficacy of prokinetic agents in this species, only selective use of some of these drugs can be recommended.     

SHORT CONTRIBUTION: The latest endangered species in Australia: A tobacco-smoking veterinarian

The results of a tobacco smoking survey conducted among veterinarians in Queensland, Australia, during 2007 are presented. Of the 567 participants only 3% reported being current smokers, 24% were ex-smokers and 73% had never smoked. The prevalence of smoking was similar among males and females, and the highest smoking rate was reported among veterinarians aged 31–40 years. However, the rate of never-smokers was strongly and negatively correlated with age, and the proportion of ex-smokers increased with age. Encouragingly, the results from this study suggest that tobacco use has all but disappeared from the Australian veterinary profession in recent years.