Current attitudes to,and use of,peri-operative analgesia in dogs and cats by veterinarians in New Zealand

AIM: To investigate the attitudes of veterinary practitioners in New Zealand to pain and analgesia, and their use of analgesic drugs, in dogs and cats.

METHODS: A questionnaire posted to 1,200 practising veterinarians was used to gather information about the use of analgesia in dogs and cats, assessment of pain, attitudes to pain relief, analgesic drugs and procedures used, factors affecting choice of analgesic agent, and veterinary demographics, continuing education and staffing.

RESULTS: Three hundred and twenty questionnaires with useable data were returned, a response rate of 28%. Male and female veterinarians were evenly represented. The analgesic agents most commonly used were morphine (opioids) and carprofen (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; NSAID). Use of peri-operative pain relief ranged from 50% for castration of cats to 91% for fracture repair in dogs. For most procedures, female veterinarians scored pain at a significantly higher level than their male colleagues. Fifty-eight percent of respondents considered their knowledge in the area of assessment and treatment of pain was adequate.

CONCLUSIONS: This survey was considered representative of veterinarians working in companion animal practice in New Zealand. Results indicated a relatively high use of peri-operative analgesia, including both pre-emptive and multi-modal analge- sia, in cats and dogs, although there was still some disparity between the perception of how painful a procedure was and the consequent use of pain relief.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The establishment of current attitudes and practices indicates to practising veterinarians how their own use of analgesics compares with that of their colleagues. It also provides information to educators on potential areas of focus, given that 42% of respondents felt their knowledge in the area of assessment and treatment of pain was inadequate.     

In vitro bactericidal efficacy of equine polymorphonuclear leukocytes against Corynebacterium equi

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes from adult horses were separated from whole blood, using a 2-step Percoll gradient, and were tested for bactericidal function against Corynebacterium equi. Staphylococcus aureus, an organism against which equine neutrophils have proved efficacy, was a positive control. The percentage of uptake after a 15-minute preincubation of the neutrophils and bacteria in the presence of normal horse serum was also calculated. The results indicated that equine neutrophils effectively phagocytosed and killed C equi and S aureus. The percentage of uptake for S aureus (95% +/- 3%) was greater than that for C equi (85% +/- 6%) (P less than 0.001), but the bactericidal efficacy was equivalent. More than 90% of the ingested or attached bacteria were destroyed during the 3-hour incubation period (mean percentage of C equi killed = 96 +/- 2%; mean percentage of S aureus killed = 91 +/- 8%). These results indicated that a failure of bacterial killing by neutrophils is unlikely to be important in the pathogenesis of C equi pneumonia in the horse.     

Doppler and Contrast‐Enhanced Ultrasonography of Testicles in Adult Domestic Felines

The objective was to characterize the vascular patterns of testicular blood flow of adult cats, measuring the systolic velocity (SV), diastolic velocity (DV), resistance index (RI), gate time (wash‐in) peak enhancement and output time (wash‐out) of the contrast and addition of tissue fill characteristics. Forty‐five adult cats were selected, and the echotexture, echogenicity, size, contours and margins of testicles were assessed via ultrasound. By Doppler were evaluated the blood flow and determined of vascular index in testicular artery (SV, DV and RI) and via contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography determine the time for phases: wash‐in, wash‐out and peak enhancement. Sonographic findings presented normal. Testicular artery was observed in the spermatic cord with tortuous patter and showed monophasic‐patterned waves and low vascular resistance and with systolic peak evident. Values of indices vascular were as follows: SV = 6.73 cm/s, DV = 2.8 cm/s and RI = 0.54 for left testicles; and SV = 6.23 cm/s, DV = 2.77 cm/s and RI = 0.53 for right testicles. Contrast filled the subcapsular vascular structures and after a few seconds, a homogeneous moderate enhancement of the parenchyma, with parenchymal vessels still distinguishable and after the peak phase, a rapid homogeneous decrease in echogenicity. Values of time for contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography were as follows: wash‐in = 8.78 s, peak enhancement = 21.62 s and wash‐out = 75.36 for left testicles; and wash‐in = 10.76 s, peak enhancement = 21.50 s and wash‐out = 81.81 for right testicles. Doppler and contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography of the testicles in healthy adult cats was easily implemented and may provide baseline data for this organ to allow the use of these techniques as a diagnostic tool for evaluating testicular abnormalities in sick cats.     

17β‐Estradiol,Progesterone and Testosterone Concentrations in Cystic Fluids and Response to GnRH Treatment after Emptying of Ovarian Cysts in Dairy Cows

The aim of this study was to determine possible links between steroidogenic activity of single ovarian cysts and response to intramuscular treatment with 20 μg of buserelin (GnRH‐analogue) after cyst emptying, in pluriparous Friesian cows bearing a singleton cyst treated not earlier than 55 days post‐partum. Progesterone, 17β‐estradiol and testosterone were determined in cystic fluids collected by needle aspiration of the cyst. Of the cows, 75.6% began ovarian cyclicity within 30 days after treatment with a conception rate of 64.7%. In this study it was found that as progesterone concentration in cystic fluids rose, the number of positive responses to the treatment fell.     

Field validation and assessment of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting chronic wasting disease in mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni).

Tissue samples (n = 25,050 total) from 23,256 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) collected statewide in Colorado were examined for chronic wasting disease (CWD) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay developed by Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (brELISA), in a 2-phase study. In the validation phase of this study, a total of 4,175 retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RLN) or obex (OB) tissue samples were examined independently by brELISA and immunohistochemistry (IHC). There were 137 IHC-positive samples and 4,038 IHC-negative samples. Optical density (OD) values from brELISA were classified as "not detected" or "suspect" based on recommended cutoff values during the validation phase. Using IHC-positive cases as known CWD-infected individuals and assuming IHC-negative cases as uninfected, the relative sensitivity of brELISA depending on species ranged from 98.3% to 100% for RLN samples and 92.1% to 93.3% for OB samples; the relative specificity of brELISA depending on species ranged from 99.9% to 100% for RLN samples and was 100% for OB samples. Overall agreement between brELISA and IHC was > or = 97.6% in RLN samples and > or = 95.7% in OB samples of all species where values could be calculated; moreover, mean brELISA OD values were > or = 46X higher in IHC-positive samples than in IHC-negative samples. Discrepancies were observed only in early-stage cases of CWD. Based on the validation phase data, only RLN samples were collected for the field application phase of this study and only samples with brELISA OD values > 0.1 were examined by IHC. Among 20,875 RLN samples screened with brELISA during this second testing phase, 155 of 8,877 mule deer, 33 of 11,731 elk, and 9 of 267 white-tailed deer samples (197 total) had OD values > 0.1 and were further evaluated by IHC to confirm evidence of CWD infection. Of cases flagged for IHC follow-up, 143 of 155 mule deer, 29 of 33 elk, and all 9 white-tailed deer were confirmed positive. Mean (+/- SE) OD values for IHC-positive cases detected during the field application phase were comparable with those measured in RLN tissues during the validation phase. Based on these data, brELISA was determined to be an excellent rapid test for screening large numbers of samples in surveys designed to detect CWD infections in deer and elk populations.     

p-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase inhibitor-resistant plants

The enzyme p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) catalyzes the formation of homogentisic acid, the aromatic precursor of plastoquinone and vitamin E. HPPD is the specific target of several herbicide families: isoxazoles, triketones and pyroxazoles. Its inhibition results in the depletion of the plant plastoquinone and vitamin E pools, leading to bleaching symptoms. These herbicides are very potent for the selective pre- and in some cases post-emergence control of a wide range of broadleaf and grass weeds in maize and rice. Their herbicidal potential raised interest in the development of highly resistant transgenic crops. This goal was first achieved by over-expression of a bacterial HPPD in crop plants, and an increased level of resistance was obtained by using a mutant enzyme. A second strategy based on bypassing HPPD in the production of homogentisate was then developed. Recently, a third strategy of resistance based on the increase of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate substrate flux has been developed. This was achieved by the introduction of the yeast prephenate dehydrogenase gene (PDH) into transgenic plants already overexpressing HPPD. In addition to a high level of herbicide resistance, a massive accumulation of vitamin E, mainly tocotrienols, was observed in leaves of the transgenic HPPD-PDH plants.     

Involvement of Protein cAMP‐dependent Kinase,Phospholipase A2 and Phospholipase C in Sperm Acrosome Reaction of Chinchilla lanigera

The mechanisms involved in fertilization are the centre of attention in order to determine the conditions required to reproduce in vitro the events that take place in vivo, with special interest in endangered species. Previous data from mouse sperm, where acrosome reaction (AR) occurs more often in the interstitium of the cumulus oophorus, contribute to strengthen the use of progesterone as a physiological inducer of this process. We studied the participation of protein kinase A (PKA), phospholipases A₂ and C (PLA₂, PLC) in the AR induced by progesterone from Chinchilla epididymal spermatozoa. The addition of db‐cAMP to the incubation medium caused an increase of 58% in the AR, while the use of H89 (30 μm ), a PKA inhibitor, reflected a decrease of 40% in the percentage of reacted gametes. The assays conducted with arachidonic acid showed a maximum increase of 23% in the AR. When gametes were pre‐incubated with PLA₂ inhibitors, a dose‐dependent inhibitory effect was observed. The addition of phorbol12‐myristate13‐acetate (10 μm ) revealed higher percentages of AR induction (60%). When PLC was inhibited with neomycin and U73122, a dose‐dependent decrease in AR percentages was observed. Combined inhibition of PKA, PLA₂ and PLC, AR values similar to control were obtained. This work shows evidence, for the first time in Chinchilla, that progesterone activates the AC/cAMP/PKA system as well as sperm phospholipases and that these signalling pathways participate jointly and cooperatively in AR. These results contribute to the understanding of the complex regulation that is triggered in sperm after the effect of progesterone.     

A tunable diode based on an inorganic Semiconductor&cjs3539;Conjugated polymer interface

Although in principle semiconductor-metal (Schottky) diodes should be tunable by changing the work function of the metal, such flexibility cannot be achieved in a single device and in practice is often limited by interfacial states that cause Fermi-level pinning. A tunable diode is reported based on a hybrid inorganic-organic, n-indium phosphide&cjs3539;poly- (pyrrole)&cjs3539;nonaqueous electrolyte architecture. By electrochemically manipulating the work function of the conjugated polymer poly(pyrrole), the turn-on voltage (more precisely, the forward bias potential required to pass a particular current) of the diode can be continuously and actively tuned by more than 0.6 volt. The work highlights a distinguishing feature of conjugated polymers relative to more traditional semiconductor materials, namely, the ability of dopant ions to permeate conjugated polymers, thereby enabling electrochemical manipulation.