Disposition of plasma creatinine in non-azotaemic and moderately azotaemic cats

The objectives of this study were to compare assay methods for plasma creatinine (Pl-creat) in cats and to describe the disposition of creatinine and iohexol in 12 healthy and moderately azotaemic cats. Exogenous creatinine and iohexol were injected simultaneously by intravenous bolus, and repeated blood samples were taken to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters of each marker. Pl-creat was assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Jaffé and enzymatic methods. The enzymatic method was shown to be more reliable than the Jaffé method. Two stereoisomers, exo- and endo-iohexol were identified. The plasma clearance of creatinine (2.3+/-0.66 ml/min/kg) was significantly higher (P<0.001) than that of exo-iohexol (1.7+/-0.40 ml/min/kg). The volume of distribution (447+/-97 ml/kg) and elimination half-life (181+/-77 min) of creatinine were also higher (P<0.001) than those of exo- and endo-iohexol. The estimated daily endogenous production of creatinine was 65+/-23 mg/kg. None of the pharmacokinetic parameters was changed by the azotaemic status of the animals.     

A theoretical study of discriminating parameters in metabolic resistance to insecticides

In the case where resistance to an insecticide is associated with increased metabolism of the insecticide, it should not be concluded that the resistance is due only to the increased metabolism (i.e. metabolic hypothesis). Here, we study theoretically the pharmacokinetic consequences of a resistance mechanism due to increased metabolism. We consider two cases: treatment with the initial dose D₀ applied to the susceptible strain and the treatment with the initial dose αD₀, with α>1, applied to the resistant strain. We show the conditions for which the metabolism hypothesis is conceivable. The time τ, from which the mortality of the susceptible strain is significantly higher than that of the resistant strain, is an important parameter in determining the validity of the metabolic hypothesis. The more τ increases, the more the conditions are favourable to this hypothesis. Our work suggests an approach to test the metabolic hypothesis from experimental results. © 1998 SCI     

Effects of high and low inspired fractions of oxygen on horse erythrocyte membrane properties, blood viscosity and muscle oxygenation during anaesthesia

ObjectivesTo evaluate whether a period of hyperoxia or after a period of hypoxia produced changes attributable to reactive oxygen species in anaesthetized horses.Study designProspective randomized experimental study.AnimalsSix healthy (ASA I) geldings, aged 4.5–9.5 years and weighing 510–640 kg^?1.MethodsAfter 30 minutes breathing air as carrier gas for isoflurane, horses were assigned randomly to breathe air as carrier gas (CG0.21) or oxygen as carrier gas (CG1.00) for a further 90 minutes. After an interval of 1 month each horse was re-anaesthetized with the other carrier gas for the 90 minute test period. Ventilation was controlled throughout anaesthesia. Arterial blood was sampled to measure gas tensions, lactate, cholesterol, vitamin E, 4-hydroxy-alkenals, 8-epi-PGF_2α, half haemolysis time, half erythrolysis time, and erythrocyte membrane fluidity. Muscle blood flow and oxygenation were evaluated by near infrared spectroscopy and coloured Doppler.ResultsAfter the first 30 minutes horses were hypoxemic. Subsequently the CG1.00 group became hyperoxaemic (PaO₂～240 mmHg) whereas the CG0.21 group remained hypoxaemic (PaO₂～60 mmHg) and had increased lactate concentration. No significant changes in vitamin E, 4-hydroxy-alkenals, or 8-epi-PGF_2α concentrations were detected. During the 90 minute test period the CG0.21 group had increased resistance to free-radical-mediated lysis in erythrocytes, whereas the CG1.00 group had slightly decreased resistance of whole blood to haemolysis. CG0.21 induced a progressive muscle deoxygenation whereas CG1.00 induced an increase in muscle oxygen saturation followed by progressive deoxygenation towards baseline.Conclusions and clinical relevanceDuring isoflurane anaesthesia in horses, the hyperoxia induced by changing from air to oxygen induced minimal damage from reactive oxygen species. Using air as the carrier gas decreased skeletal muscle oxygenation compared with using oxygen.     

Chlamydial infections in duck farms associated with human cases of psittacosis in France

Five severe cases of psittacosis in individuals associated with duck farms were notified in France between January and March 2006. Diagnostic examination included serology and/or molecular detection by PCR from respiratory samples. As a consequence, we investigated all duck flocks (n=11) that were housed in the three farms where human infections occurred. While serology by complement fixation test was negative for all samples, cloacal and/or tracheal chlamydial excretion was detected by PCR in all three units. Notably, one duck flock was tested strongly positive in 2 of the 3 affected farms, and Chlamydophila (C.) psittaci strains were isolated from cloacal and/or tracheal swab samples from both farms. Human samples and duck isolates exhibited the same PCR-RFLP restriction pattern, which appeared to be an intermediate between genotypes A and B. Analysis of ompA gene sequences and comparison to those of the type strains showed that the isolates could not be strictly assigned to any of the generally accepted genotypes of C. psittaci. Further analysis by MLVA of the PCR-positive human samples revealed two distinct patterns, which were related to previously isolated C. psittaci duck strains.     

What is the evidence? The issue of verifying correct needle position during epidural anaesthesia in dogs

Objectives

To review the methods for verifying the needle position while performing epidural anaesthesia in dogs, and to discuss the advantages, disadvantages, usefulness and reliability of each technique in the experimental and clinical research setting.

Moose Summer Diet From Feces and Field Surveys: A Comparative Study

Microhistological analysis of feces is the most applied noninvasive method for assessing diets of wild ungulates. However, the method is complicated by differential digestibility of forage species. To evaluate the efficacy of this method in quantifying browse components in summer diets of moose (Alces alces L.) on Norwegian rangelands, we compared it to parallel field surveys of browsed vegetation on the same range. Although the same principal diet components were identified in the feces and in the field, there were consistent discrepancies between the two methods in estimated proportional diet contents. Birch (Betula spp.) showed the highest field:fecal ratio: 3.3 ±  compared to 0.9 ±  for Salix spp., 0.8 ±  for aspen (Populus tremula L.), and 0.6 ±  for rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.). Until in vivo fecal correction factors for differential forage digestibility are available, we caution against broad application of fecal analyses for estimating proportions of browse in moose diet. Although we could not determine the exact amount of discrepancy implicit in each method, previous studies of moose summer diet in the area clearly indicate that fecal analyses gave a less accurate representation of actual moose browse diet than did the field survey. Fecal analyses are nevertheless needed to identify moose diet components other than browse, which are not easily obtained from field surveys.