Comparison of 5 Surgical Techniques for Partial Liver Lobectomy in the Dog for Intraoperative Blood Loss and Surgical Time

Objective: To compare surgical time and intraoperative blood loss for 5 partial liver lobectomy techniques in the dog. Study Design: Experimental in vivo study. Animals: Dogs (n=10). Methods: Five surgical techniques (SurgiTie^?; LigaSure^?; Ultracision^® Harmonic Scalpel [UAS]; Suction+Clip; Suction+thoracoabdominal stapler [TA]) for partial liver lobectomy in dogs were evaluated and compared for total surgical time and intraoperative blood loss. Body weight, activated clotting time (ACT), heart rate, and intraoperative blood pressure (BP) were recorded. Blood loss was determined by adding the weight of the blood soaked sponges during surgery (1 g=1 mL) to the amount of suctioned blood (mL). Surgical time (in seconds) was determined from the start of the lobectomy until cessation of bleeding from the stump. Mean surgical time and mean blood loss for each technique were compared using a Tukey's multiple comparison test. Results: No significant differences were found between dogs for weight, ACT, heart rate, and intraoperative BP. No complications were seen with the SurgiTie^? technique in 9 of 10 cases. There was no significant difference in surgical time between techniques however there was a significant difference for blood loss; the Suction+Clip method had significantly more blood loss than the other techniques. Conclusions: Skeletonization of the lobar vessels before individually clipping them (Suction+Clip) resulted in a higher blood loss than using Suction+TA, UAS, SurgiTie^? or the LigaSure^? device. The SurgiTie^? appears to be an acceptable method for partial liver lobectomy. Clinical Relevance: Although skeletonization and individually clipping the vessels had the highest blood loss, it still was <7.5% of total blood volume. All 5 techniques should be safe for clinical use in small to medium sized dogs up to 26 kg.     

Pyrolysis GC-MS analysis of tars formed during the aging of wood and bamboo crude vinegars

Constituents of tars formed during the aging of bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens), oak (Quercus serrata), and pine (Pinus densiflora) wood crude vinegars were analyzed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) to investigate their origination. The pyrolysate of tars obtained from the wood and bamboo crude vinegars were almost identical and were primarily composed of phenolic compounds and aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, during the aging of model wood vinegar that was prepared for comparison with the wood and bamboo vinegars, a marked decrease was observed in the levels of phenolic compounds (phenol; o-, p-, and m-cresol; and syringol). Furthermore, the Py-GC-MS results of the tars produced during the aging of the model wood vinegar revealed that phenolic compounds were primarily responsible for the formation of tar during the aging of wood and bamboo crude vinegars. Pyrroles, which may be derived from the primary pyrolysate of amino acids, nitrogen-containing extracts, or both, were also partially involved in the formation of tar during the aging period.     

A high-throughput method for the quantification of proanthocyanidins in forage crops and its application in assessing variation in condensed tannin content in breeding programmes for Lotus corniculatus and Lotus uliginosus

Lotus corniculatus and Lotus uliginosus are agronomically important forage crops used in ruminant livestock production. The condensed tannin (CT) content, dry matter (DM) production, and persistence of these species are key characteristics of interest for future exploitation of these crops. Here we present field data on 19 varieties of L. corniculatus, 2 varieties of L. uliginosus and, additionally, a glasshouse experiment using 6 varieties of L. corniculatus and 2 varieties of L. uliginosus. Current methods for the quantification of condensed tannins in crop species are slow and labor intensive and are generally based upon polymer hydrolysis following the extraction of chlorophyll in a liquid phase. Presented here is a high-throughput protocol for condensed tannin quantification suitable for microtiter plates based upon the precipitation of condensed tannin polymers in complex with bovine serum albumin (BSA) with subsequent hydrolysis of precipates using butan 1-ol/ hydrochloric acid.     

The influence of simulated immigration and chemical persistence on recovery of macroinvertebrates from cypermethrin and 3,4‐dichloroaniline exposure in aquatic microcosms

BACKGROUND: Chemical dissipation and organism immigration are considered important factors that influence recovery potential from perturbation of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of simulated immigration on recovery of aquatic macroinvertebrates exposed in outdoor microcosms to ecotoxicologically similar concentrations of the rapidly dissipating pyrethroid insecticide cypermethrin (70 ng L⁻¹) or the more persistent herbicide intermediate and degradate 3,4‐dichloroaniline (10 mg L⁻¹). Microcosms were covered with light‐permeable mesh to prevent recolonisation. Immigration was simulated by the regular addition of organisms after treatment. RESULTS: Microcosms exposed to 3,4‐dichloroaniline treatment suffered substantial loss of taxon richness and by 10 months after treatment had only recovered where invertebrates had been added. Those treated with cypermethrin underwent an initial decline in certain crustacean and insect populations. These populations showed some signs of recovery over a period of 5 months through internal processes alone. However, rate of recovery was further enhanced where immigration was simulated, and in this case recovery had occurred around 100 days after treatment. CONCLUSION: Although not the only factors involved, simulated immigration and chemical fate clearly influence the ability of communities to recover from chemical exposure. Consideration of immigration processes and development of models will help to increase the realism of risk assessments. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Quantitative investigation of Enteromyxum leei (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) infection and relative condition factor in cultured olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck and Schlegel)

Enteromyxum leei has been reported to cause emaciation disease in various fish species. To determine the effect of parasite intensity on cultured olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, we investigated the relationship between the relative condition factor (rCF = CF/standard CF × 100) and parasite load with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and the challenge test. A total of 57 cultured olive flounders were obtained from 11 fish farms and divided into five groups based on their rCF. We investigated the parasite intensity in the posterior intestine of the fish. The parasite load was closely matched to severe loss of body weight. In addition, olive flounders were inoculated either orally or anally with intestinal scrapings of infected fish or phosphate‐buffered saline. The fish were reared at natural water temperature and transferred to different tanks, and the water temperature was adjusted to 20°C after 6 weeks of inoculation. When the water temperature was increased to 20°C, the rCF decreased in the experimentally infected group. The results demonstrated that qPCR can be utilized to determine the relative abundance of E. leei in olive flounders and water temperature is an important factor to track the progress of the emaciation disease.