Management of a stingray barb laceration and suspect envenomation in a dog

This case report describes the successful management of a stingray laceration and suspected envenomation using a combination of opioid analgesia, heat compression, antimicrobial therapy, surgical debridement and closure. Stingray envenomation in the dog is a rare clinical presentation and is yet to be documented in the Australian veterinary literature. Envenomation can be markedly painful and may cause swelling and local tissue necrosis. No consensus on treatment guidelines has been published. Diagnostics and treatments performed are outlined with recommendations on a management plan for future cases.     

A history of canine parvovirus in Australia: what can we learn?

Canine parvovirus (CPV) has been reported throughout the world since the late 1970s. Published information was reviewed to draw insights into the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of CPV disease in Australia and the role of scientific research on CPV occurrence, with key research discoveries and knowledge gaps identified. Australian researchers contributed substantially to early findings, including the first reported cases of parvoviral myocarditis, investigations into disease aetiopathogenesis, host and environmental risk factors and links between CPV and feline panleukopenia. Two of the world's first CPV serological surveys were conducted in Australia and a 1980 national veterinary survey of Australian and New Zealand dogs revealed 6824 suspected CPV cases and 1058 deaths. In 2010, an Australian national disease surveillance system was launched; 4940 CPV cases were reported between 2009 and 2014, although underreporting was likely. A 2017 study estimated national incidence to be 4.12 cases per 1000 dogs, and an annual case load of 20,110 based on 4219 CPV case reports in a survey of all Australian veterinary clinics, with a 23.5% response rate. CPV disease risk factors identified included socioeconomic disadvantage, geographical location (rural/remote), season (summer) and rainfall (recent rain and longer dry periods both increasing risk). Age <16 weeks was identified as a risk factor for vaccination failure. Important knowledge gaps exist regarding national canine and feline demographic and CPV case data, vaccination coverage and population immunity, CPV transmission between owned dogs and other carnivore populations in Australia and the most effective methods to control epizootics.     

Evaluation of tumescent local anesthesia in cats undergoing unilateral mastectomy

ObjectiveTo evaluate the analgesic efficacy and safety of tumescent local anesthesia (TLA) in cats undergoing unilateral mastectomy.Study designProspective clinical trial.AnimalsA total of 12 ovariohysterectomized female cats.MethodsAll animals were premedicated with pethidine (4 mg kg^–1) intramuscularly (IM), followed by induction of anesthesia with propofol (5 mg kg^–1) intravenously and maintenance with isoflurane in oxygen. A refrigerated TLA solution (15 mL kg^–1, 8 °C) was injected using a Klein cannula. The solution was composed of 0.5 mL of epinephrine (1 mg mL^–1) and 40 mL of 2% lidocaine added to 210 mL lactated Ringer’s solution (final lidocaine concentration 0.32%). Heart and respiratory rates, systolic arterial blood pressure, temperature and oxygen saturation were measured during anesthesia. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein for measurement of plasma lidocaine concentration using high performance liquid chromatography. Postoperative pain scores were evaluated hourly for 6 hours. Analgesic rescue was performed with tramadol (2 mg kg^–1) IM and meloxicam (0.15 mg kg^–1) subcutaneously.ResultsPlasma lidocaine concentration peaked at 90 minutes after injection of TLA, but no concentration considered toxic for the species was measured. The median postoperative analgesia time was 6 hours after injection of TLA.ConclusionsThis study found that TLA prevented sympathetic response to noxious stimuli during anesthesia and provided satisfactory postoperative analgesia in cats submitted to total unilateral mastectomy, with no apparent signs of toxicity.Clinical relevanceTLA can prevent sympathetic stimulation resulting from noxious stimuli during anesthesia, promoting good intraoperative conditions, proving to be a viable addition to analgesia in cats submitted to a total unilateral mastectomy.     

Single‐Layer Centrifugation Reduces Equine Arteritis Virus Titre in the Semen of Shedding Stallions

Several countries have adopted strategies for preventing and/or controlling equine viral arteritis based on vaccination and restricting the breeding activities of carrier stallions. However, in some cases, carrier stallions are only identified after they have transmitted virus to a mare. Therefore, a mechanism for separating virus from spermatozoa in the semen of carrier stallions would facilitate control measures for preventing disease transmission. In this study, the use of several modifications of single‐layer centrifugation (SLC, SLC with an inner tube and double SLC) through Androcoll‐E, a species‐specific colloid were evaluated for their ability to separate spermatozoa from virus in ejaculates from carrier stallions. The three types of SLC significantly reduced the virus titre in fresh semen at 0 h and in stored semen at 24 h (p < 0.001) but did not completely eliminate the virus. Sperm motility parameters such as total motility and progressive motility were significantly increased after colloid centrifugation, whereas curvilinear velocity and amplitude of lateral head deviation were decreased, and the remainder (straight line velocity, average path velocity, straightness, linearity, wobble and beat cross‐frequency) were not significantly affected by the processing. Although virus titres were reduced in the SLC samples, significant levels of infectivity still remained, especially in stallions shedding large amounts of virus. It remains to be determined whether SLC‐processed sperm samples from stallions shedding low virus titres retain sufficient equine arteritis virus to cause infection in mares through artificial insemination.     

Fine-Scale Doppler Radar Observations of Tornadoes

Observations obtained with a mobile pencil-beam Doppler radar revealed many previously unresolved structures within tornadic storms and tornadoes and helped verify various aspects of conceptual models. Radar data from the parent circulations indicate the existence of spiral reflectivity bands, intense radial wind shear zones, and multiple larger-scale velocity maxima. Tornado structures observed include debris shields, clear axial (eye) regions, multiple reflectivity bands surrounding the center of the eye, and occasional reflectivity protrusions into the eye. Velocity and reflectivity data from tornado-scale circulations show evidence of axial downdrafts.     

Thermally Switchable Periodicities and Diffraction from Mesoscopically Ordered Materials

Two switchable, mesoscopically periodic materials were created by combining crystalline colloidal array (CCA) self-assembly with the temperature-induced volume phase transition of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM). Body-centered-cubic CCAs of hydrated, swollen PNIPAM particles Bragg-diffract infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light weakly, whereas arrays of compact shrunken particles diffract efficiently. A tunable diffracting array was also created by embedding a CCA of polystyrene spheres within a PNIPAM hydrogel that swells and contracts with temperature; thus the array lattice constant varies with temperature, and the diffracted wavelength was thermally tunable across the entire visible spectrum. These materials may find applications in many areas of optics and materials science.     

Use of the Anemon Index to evaluate the quality of analgesia during fentanyl and sevoflurane anaesthesia in pigs

Anemon I is a new monitoring system that can be used to evaluate autonomic nervous system reactivity in real time by showing a simple, easily interpretated quantitative index (0–200), the Anemon Index (AI) ( Junke et al. 2000 ). This study used the AI to evaluate the quality of analgesia during sevoflurane and fentanyl anaesthesia in pigs. Six healthy pigs, weighing 24.76 ± 3.40 kg, were induced to anaesthesia with 5% sevoflurane (SEVO) in 5 L minute^?1 oxygen. After endotracheal intubation SEVO was given at 1 MAC (2.66%) in 3 L minute^?1 oxygen. Fentanyl was infused IV at 50 µg kg^?1 hour^?1 for the first 30 minutes of anaesthesia, discontinued for 30 minutes, and then infused at 100 µg kg^?1 hour^?1 for another 30 minutes. Three mechanical noxious stimuli (needle prick, pin‐prick and pressure on the abdomen) were applied for 15 seconds at 30, 60 and 90 minutes. The AI, ECG, invasive mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), SpO₂ by pulse oximetry, tidal volume, Fe′sevo , Fe ′CO₂ and respiratory rate were recorded before induction (baseline), after induction, after intubation and extubation, and before and during noxious stimulation at 30, 60 and 90 minutes. Recovery times were recorded. Statistically significant differences were determined by anova . Spearman rank‐correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between AI and hemodynamic variables. A p‐value of < 0.05 was considered significant. A significant (p < 0.01) decrease in AI was recorded after anaesthetic induction, from 82.3 ± 21.1 to 52.7 ± 20.3. After intubation, AI increased slightly, but not significantly, to 71.7 ± 27.1. A significant (p < 0.05) increase of AI occurred after extubation. Nociceptive stimuli did not have any measurable effect either on AI or on recorded cardiovascular variables. There was no movement, respiratory changes, or any other visible response to noxious stimulation. The AI did not change significantly with the different doses of fentanyl. Respiratory depression and apnoea were seen in all animals during the fentanyl infusion; therefore, pigs received intermittent positive pressure ventilation. Anaesthesia with sevoflurane and fentanyl resulted in a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in MAP. Heart rate did not change significantly. There was no correlation between AI and cardiovascular variables (HR and MAP). Endotracheal intubation caused an increase and extubation a greater significant increase in the AI. This suggests that intubation and extubation may represent stressful events during general anaesthesia, although further studies are needed to validate the use of the AI in pigs. Sevoflurane anesthetic induction may not prevent the sympathetic stimulus caused by endotracheal intubation in pigs, as indicated by the increased AI values.     

肉鸡的最适维生素E营养

<正>1肉鸡饲料中的维生素需要量1.1维生素之间及其与其它营养素的复杂相互作用维生素并非一种单独的营养素,不同维生素之间存在各种各样的相互作用。例如,脂溶性维生素互相竞争小肠吸收,其中一种维生素过量可能导致其它维生素缺乏,使用高水平的维生素A时表现尤