Venus: uniformity of clouds, and photography

Photographs of Earth at a resolution of about 600 kilometers were compared to pictures of Venus taken from Earth at about the same resolution . Under these conditions Earth appear very heavily covered by clouds. Since details on the surface of Earth can be recorded from Earth orbit, it may be possible to phiotograph protions of the surface of Venus, through openings in the clouds, from an orbiting satellite.     

Primary left ventricular hemangiosarcoma diagnosed by endomyocardial biopsy in a dog

An 8-year-old spayed Golden Retriever was examined because of recent onset of congestive heart failure complicated by ventricular arrhythmias. Echocardiography revealed a thickened, hypokinetic region of the left ventricular free wall. Fluoroscopically guided transarterial endomyocardial biopsy of the hypokinetic region of the left ventricle revealed infiltration of the endocradium by neoplastic cells consistent with hemangiosarcoma. The dog's clinical condition deteriorated 7 weeks later, and necropsy confirmed the diagnosis and primary site of origin of the tumor. This report describes the clinical use of an endomyocardial biopsy technique to diagnose an infiltrating myocardial tumor that was associated with signs mimicking canine dilated cardiomyopathy.     

Pilot study to determine the feasibility of radiation therapy for dogs with right atrial masses and hemorrhagic pericardial effusion

Objectives

To determine the short-term safety and biologic activity of radiation therapy (RT) for presumptive cardiac hemangiosarcoma in pet dogs.

Urinary and serum concentrations of diclofenac after topical application to horses

The liposomal cream formulation of diclofenac, an NSAID, is an effective, safe, and convenient way to treat localized areas of inflammation in horses. The results of this study reveal urinary and serum concentrations of diclofenac following topical administration of 1% liposomal diclofenac cream for 10 days at the labeled dose and at 2X and 4X the labeled dose. These results demonstrate the slow absorption and elimination of 1% liposomal diclofenac cream and may be useful when estimating the withdrawal time needed before a competition in order to prevent an inadvertent positive drug test.     

Acute Effect of Pimobendan and Furosemide on the Circulating Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System in Healthy Dogs

Background: The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is activated in states of decreased cardiac output and by certain cardiovascular therapeutic agents, such as loop diuretics and vasodilators.
Hypothesis: Short-term treatment with the inodilator, pimobendan, will not activate the circulating RAAS because its vasodilatory action will be offset by its positive inotropic property, thereby ameliorating RAAS stimulation at the juxtaglomerular apparatus. Furthermore, pimobendan will suppress RAAS activation produced by furosemide.
Animals: Nine healthy laboratory dogs were used in this study.
Methods: Experimental, cross-over study. Dogs were administered pimobendan (0.5 mg/kg q12h) for 4 days followed by furosemide (2 mg/kg q12h) and then, after a wash-out period, a combination of the drugs. Aldosterone : creatinine (A : Cr) was measured at the end of each treatment cycle.
Results: There was no significant increase in the average urinary A : Cr with the administration of pimobendan (control urinary A : Cr = 0.46, standard deviation (SD) 0.33; pimobendan A : Cr = 0.48, SD 0.28). There was a significant increase in the average urinary A : Cr after administration of furosemide (urinary A : Cr = 1.3, SD 0.70) and with the combination of furosemide and pimobendan (urinary A : Cr = 2.9, SD 1.6).
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Short-term administration of high-dose pimobendan, does not activate the RAAS in healthy dogs. Pimobendan did not prevent RAAS activation associated with furosemide therapy. These results in healthy dogs suggest that furosemide therapy, with or without pimobendan, should be accompanied by RAAS suppressive therapy.     

Coil occlusion of residual shunts after surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus

OBJECTIVE; To describe use of coil embolization to occlude residual flow through a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) after incomplete surgical ligation. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical study. ANIMALS: Dogs (n=4) with continuous murmur after surgical ligation of PDA. METHODS: After PDA ligation, residual ductal flow through the PDA was visible on color-flow Doppler examination and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter remained increased. Coil embolization by an arterial approach was performed to achieve complete occlusion of the PDA. RESULTS: Embolization coils were delivered without complications and hemodynamically successful occlusion was achieved. Doppler-visible flow resolved in 2 dogs within 3 months after embolization. Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter indexed to body weight decreased in all dogs. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter coil embolization appears to be a safe and minimally invasive procedure for complete occlusion of residual PDA flow after incomplete surgical ligation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Transcatheter coil embolization should be considered for correction of hemodynamically significant residual shunts in dogs that have incomplete PDA occlusion after open surgical ligation.     

Phenolic composition of kiwifruit juice

Phenolic compounds in kiwifruit pulp were separated and characterized by reversed-phase HPLC, and the effect of juice processing on the phenolic composition was studied. Fractionation of phenolic compounds was achieved through selective elution from C-18 cartridges prior to preconcentration and subsequent separation by HPLC. Strongly acidic compounds were identified as derivatives of coumaric and caffeic acids, including chlorogenic acid, protocatechuic acid, and a derivative of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid. The weakly acidic fraction contained epicatechin, catechin, and procyanidins (B3, B2, or B4 and oligomers). Flavonols were present as the glycosides of quercetin (glucoside, rhamnoside, and rutinoside) and kaempferol (rhamnoside and rutinoside). Phenolic compounds were present, at levels of <1-7 mg/L, in clarified juice. The concentration of phenolics was highest after high-temperature short-time treatment (HTST) of juice. Hydrolysis of hydroxycinnamic acids occurred after enzyme addition and HTST treatment. The flavonol glycoside composition is the best identifier of kiwifruit juice.     

Influence of Staining Method on the Values of Avian Sperm Head Morphometric Variables

Computer‐assisted systems for the assessment of sperm morphometry (ASMA systems) have been used successfully with several mammalian species. Unfortunately, they have so far been of little use for assessing bird semen, a consequence of the filiform shape of avian spermatozoa. This study compares two staining techniques (Hemacolor^® and aniline blue staining) for the morphometric analysis of rooster and red‐legged partridge spermatozoa as part of a computer‐assisted light microscopy method. For both species, Hemacolor^® staining provided a significantly higher percentage of measurable cells (93.7 ± 11.7% in roosters and 71.9 ± 15.3% in red‐legged partridges). Hemacolor^® also showed greater repeatability (lower coefficients of variation) for length and area in roosters' sperm and for width in the case of red‐legged partridge's sperm. In the roosters, the Hemacolor^® technique returned significantly (p < 0.05) larger sperm head width and area values than did the aniline blue technique, while the latter resulted in greater sperm head length values (p < 0.05). In the red‐legged partridge, no differences were seen in the results for sperm head width and area provided by the two techniques, but aniline blue staining was associated with longer length measurements. In conclusion, the morphometric values recorded differed depending on the staining method and species. However, the Hemacolor^® technique might be deemed the more appropriate for computerized sperm assessment systems as it provides larger percentages of measureable cells and shows greater repeatability.