Trigger Points in 48 Dogs with Myofascial Pain Syndromes

Seven foci of pain (trigger points) were identified in the triceps brachii, infraspinatus, adductor-pectineus, peroneus longus, gluteus medius, ileocostorum lumborum, and quadriceps femoris muscles in 48 lame dogs. The dogs had been lame for 1 day to 150 weeks (mean, 24 weeks). Thirty-one dogs had been treated unsuccessfully with corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, or acupuncture. Palpating the trigger points induced severe pain. Treatment consisted of weekly stimulation of the trigger points by needling or injection of a local anesthetic. The mean treatment period was 2.8 weeks. Excellent results and complete recovery were observed in 34 dogs (60%).     

Importance of Some Biochemical Parameters in the Quality and Yield of Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

Samples of rapeseed from three Italian growing environments (Bologna, Perugia and Palermo) were analysed for glucose content and dry weight of 1000 seeds every three or four days starting from the end of flowering until complete ripening. In addition, the content of oil, soluble and total proteins, glucosinolates and myrosinase activity was determined in samples of mature seeds. The cultivars used were jet Neuf and Lingot (type 0) and Tandem, Jade and Santana (type 00). From the results it emerged that the point of intersection of the two branches of the linear regression plots for different glucose-consumption kinetics found during seed filling, in addition to being strongly affected by the climate of the test environment, is correlated with quantitative and qualitative production, independently of the genotype.     

Accuracy of the thermodilution method in estimating high flow - an in vitro study

The accuracy of thermodilution for measuring flow rates of 10–40 L/min was evaluated using a commercially available thermodilution cardiac output computer in an in vitro model. Water (36.5–37.5°C) was directed through a mixing chamber via a constant flow pump. Thermodilution estimates of flow using four different volumes (10, 20, 30, 40 ml) of iced water injectate were compared to simultaneous measurements of timed samples of effluent from the mixing chamber. Injectate volume had a significant impact on the accuracy of thermodilution estimation (p < 0.05). Thermodilution overestimated measured flow when 10 and 20 ml of injectate were used to determine flow rates < 20 L/min but underestimated flow when injectate volumes of 30 and 40 ml were used, or when measured flow was > 25 L/min. The discrepancy between thermodilution flow and measured flow increased as rate of fluid flow increased.     

Variation in the level of grain defect light flecks and spots on cattle hides.

The occurrence of hide damage light flecks and spots was determined on tanned hides from 28 herds during a period of 8 to 12 months. Light flecks and spots are described as small areas of grain loss up to 3 mm in diameter that are seen on dyed crust cattle leather. Damage was found on 75.8% of all hides. The neck and shoulders were the anatomical region with the highest prevalence of damage. Sixty-eight per cent of all hides had light flecks and spots in this region. The forelimbs and dewlap were the anatomical region with the second highest occurrence with a prevalence of 39.1%. This distribution corresponded to the known distribution of lice in cattle. No significant differences were observed in age, sex, prevalence of lice in the herd assessed in March or infestations with different lice species. The frequency of light flecks and spots varied significantly during the year. The frequency was highest in the late winter and early spring, decreased significantly during the summer and was lowest in the autumn. This variation supported the importance of lice in the development of light flecks and spots and suggested a relatively long healing period for the damages induced by lice.     

Sources of error with in vitro digestibility assay of pasture feeds

A series of experiments was undertaken to determine population statistics for in vitro organic matter digestibility ( in vitro OMD) data and to examine the effects of basal diet, donor animal and precollection fasting interval on the activity and specificity of rumen fluid inoculum. The experiments utilized wether sheep, a diverse set of pasture grass and legume feeds prominent in the Australian subtropics and the Tilley and Terry in vitro digestibility procedure running under the operating pressure of a practicing feeds evaluation laboratory.
The standard errors of in vitro OMD estimates for within and between batch runs were ±0·88 × 10⁻² and 0·62 × 10⁻², respectively. These error terms were used to develop protocols to accept, reject or scale raw in vitro OMD data. Differences between donor animals in the activity of rumen fluid were highly significant. Extending the precollection fasting interval beyond 16 h was associated with a substantial decline in inoculum activity.
An in vitro-in vivo calibration relationship based on fifteen test feeds and using lucerne ( Medicago sativa ) as basal diet was described by the linear model y = 1·3 x-0·195±4·9 × 10⁻² r = 0·79 (y = in vivo OMD, x = in vitro OMD). Despite large effects of basal diet on both the absolute values and relative ranking of test feeds, neither the RSD nor r values were improved using alternative diets to Lucerne chaff.
The results highlight the need to formally standardize the analytical and biological components of the in vitro digestibility procedure to safeguard the integrity of data.     

Identification by isoelectric focusing of creatine kinase-MM isoforms in the plasma and striated muscle of pigs

Total creatine kinase (CK) and CK-MM isoforms were determined in plasma and longissimus dorsi muscle extracts from normal pigs. Based on their total CK activity, the pigs were divided into two groups. Pigs of group 1 (n=16) had a mean plasma total CK of 298±16 U/L and the distribution of the CK-MM isoforms was 65.7±2.5% CK-MM₃, 18.9±1.6% CK-MM₂ and 15.3±1.5% CK-MM. In group 2 (n=18; 826±75 U/L total CK) four isoforms were observed: 3.1±0.9% CK-MM, 67.9±3.0% CK-MM₃, 21.5±2.3% CK-MM₂ and 7.5±1.3% CK-MM₁. The differences between the two groups of pigs were significant (p<0.001) for CK-MM₁ and the presence of CK-MM. Four CK-MM isoforms were also detected in longissimus dorsi muscle homogenates: 45.6±8.1% CK-MM, 32.6±11.7% CK-MM₃, 16.6±2.3% CK-MM₂ and 5.1±2.8% CK-MM₁. The release of CK-MM isoforms from muscle into plasma seems to be unrelated to the concentration of these isoforms in striated muscle.     

Double-blind evaluation of implants of gold wire at acupuncture points in the dog as a treatment for osteoarthritis induced by hip dysplasia.

Thirty-eight dogs with hip dysplasia were studied to evaluate the use of gold wire implants at acupuncture points around the hip joints. They were assigned at random into two groups of 19. In the treated group, gold wire was inserted through hypodermic needles at electrically found acupuncture points around both hips. In the control group, the areas were prepared in the same way but had only the skin pierced at sites which were not acupuncture points, with a needle of the same size as that used in the treated group. Over a period of six months the dogs were studied repeatedly by two veterinarians and by the dogs' owners who were unaware of the treatments the dogs had received; they assessed the dogs' locomotion, hip function and signs of pain. Radiographs were taken at the beginning and end of the study. Although the data collected from both groups by the veterinarians and the owners showed a significant improvement of locomotion and reduction in signs of pain (P=0.036 for the veterinary evaluation and locomotion and P=0.0001 and P=0.0034 for the owners' evaluation of locomotion and pain, respectively), there were no statistically significant differences between the treated and control groups (P=0.19 and P=0.41, P=0.24, respectively).