Left- and right-sided laparoscopic-assisted nephrectomy in standing horses with unilateral renal disease

Objective— To describe a technique for, and outcome after, left‐ or right‐sided laparoscopic‐assisted nephrectomy in standing horses with unilateral renal disease. Study Design— Clinical report. Animals— Horses (n=3) with unilateral renal disease. Methods— Horses were sedated with detomidine (0.01 mg/kg intravenously [IV]) and levomethadone (0.05 mg/kg IV). Paravertebral anesthesia and infiltration‐anesthesia with 2% lidocaine were used to create a surgical field incorporating the 17th intercostal space and paralumbar fossa. Two separate, ipsilateral portals and a mini‐laparotomy were used. The perirenal peritoneum was horizontally incised (10–15 cm) using endoscissors and the incision digitally enlarged for manual dissection of the perirenal fat and kidney mobilization. The renal vessels and ureter were individually dissected, ligated, and transected under laparoscopic observation and the kidney removed. The perirenal and laparotomy peritoneal defects were not closed; and the laparotomy was closed in a multilayered fashion. The transverse abdominal muscle was apposed in a continuous pattern using 1 polyglactin 910, the subcutaneous tissue (simple continuous pattern) and skin (simple interrupted pattern) with 2–0 polyglactin 910. Results— Left (2) and right (1) sided laparoscopic‐assisted nephrectomy (1 nephrolithiasis, 2 hydronephrosis) was performed successfully. Sedation and local anesthesia was adequate for intraoperative immobilization and analgesia. No intraoperative complications occurred. Incisional seroma formation and fever occurred on days 3 and 4 in 1 horse and resolved with medical management. Conclusion— Laparoscopic‐assisted nephrectomy can be used for removal of the left or right kidney in standing horses with unilateral kidney disease. Clinical Relevance— To avoid risks associated with general anesthesia and to reduce surgical trauma, laparoscopic‐assisted nephrectomy can be performed in the standing sedated horse using a 2 portal technique and a mini‐laparotomy.     

Red swamp crayfish,Procambarus clarkii,found in South Africa 22 years after attempted eradication

1. No freshwater crayfish are indigenous to continental Africa, but four species have been introduced to the continent. One of these is the North American red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii, which has been introduced into several African countries, mainly for aquaculture, and has had demonstrable impacts where it has escaped captivity. In South Africa, the documentation of this species in farm dams near Dullstroom and the adjacent Crocodile River in 1988 resulted in an eradication attempt in 1994, with unknown results. 2. In order to evaluate the status of P. clarkii in South Africa, dams on the previously invaded farm and the Crocodile River were sampled four times between December 2015 and June 2016 using visual surveys, trapping, dipnetting and electrofishing. This yielded a single reproductively active male P. clarkii from one of the farm ponds, while many other native aquatic species were found in high numbers. 3. It is clear from this study that P. clarkii was not eradicated in South Africa and that individuals have been surviving in the wild (i.e. outside captivity or cultivation) for at least 28 years in the location where it was introduced. Containment and eradication of the species are proposed as management actions, which have major importance in preventing undesirable further spread or translocation of this species into new aquatic environments in South Africa.     

Indications, surgical technique, and long-term experience with laparoscopic closure of the nephrosplenic space in standing horses

OBJECTIVE: To describe surgical technique and outcome after laparoscopic closure of the nephrosplenic space for treatment of recurrent left dorsal displacement of the left colon (LDDLC) in standing horses. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: Forty-four horses with LDDLC. METHODS: Laparoscopic portals were located in the left flank region. After administration of etilefrin intravenously to contract the spleen, the dorsal splenic margin was sutured to the nephrosplenic ligament to obliterate the nephrosplenic space. Horses were re-examined (< or = 3 years) for history of recurrence. In addition, medical records of 4,852 horses treated for colic over 16 years were evaluated to establish incidence of LDDLC and recurrence after treatment. RESULTS: Splenic contraction facilitated suture placement and closure of the nephrosplenic space was achieved without complications. LDDLC recurrence did not occur although 5 horses had subsequent episodes of colic; 4 horses had displacement of the ascending colon between the spleen and body wall. Review of medical records revealed an incidence of LDDLC of 6% and recurrence of 21% in a population of horses with signs of colic. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic closure of the nephrosplenic space, facilitated by etilefrin-induced splenic contraction can be efficiently performed in standing horses. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Laparoscopic ablation of the nephrosplenic space should be considered in horses that are predisposed to recurrent LDDLC.     

Preliminary Study in Immature Canine Oocytes Stained with Brilliant Cresyl Blue and Obtained From Bitches with Low and High Progesterone Serum Profiles

This study was conducted: (i) to observe the features and levels of blue colour impregnation in morphologically selected immature canine cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) stained with the brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) dye, as indicators of quality, and integrity of nuclear oocyte chromatin configuration before in vitro maturation (IVM); (ii) to observe the relationship between the influence of serum progesterone (SP) concentrations from ovary donors and BCB staining of immature dog oocytes. The results showed that out of 138 canine COCs, germinal vesicle (GV) stage prevailed in BCB+ oocytes at percentages of 67.4% (60/89), which were statistically higher than those observed in BCB+/− (52.2%; 23/44) and BCB− (20%; 1/5) oocytes (p = 0.023). Oocytes BCB+ were interpreted as those having completed their growth and therefore possessing the capacity to mature and develop in vitro . Ooplasm and cumulus cells (CCs) of canine oocytes were BCB staining independent. Ooplasm blue colour staining reaction varied between grown oocytes, revealing different levels of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity among and within oocytes. Additionally, SP profile of ovary donors was not a relevant indicator for selection of oocytes screened with the BCB stain. Similar numbers of high quality oocytes were observed to be BCB+, BCB+/− and BCB− between groups of females with SP varying from 0 to 2.5 ng/ml (n = 5), and those with SP varying from 2.6 to 16.7 ng/ml (n = 4) (p = 0.680). It may be inferred that bitches with low and high SP profiles have grown oocytes in their ovaries, as determined by the BCB absorbance in their ooplasms.     

C, N, and noble gas isotopes in grain size separates of presolar diamonds from efremovka

Nanometer-size presolar diamonds from the Efremovka CV3 chondrite were physically separated into several grain size fractions by ultracentrifugation. The coarsest size fraction is the most enriched in carbon-12; the others have broadly similar carbon isotopic compositions. Measurement of noble gases shows that their concentration decreases with decreasing grain size. This effect is attributed to ion implantation. Such an episode could occur in the envelope of a supernova that produced the diamonds, or in interstellar space; in either case, ions with energies above a certain threshold pass completely through the smaller diamond grains without being captured. Concentrations of nitrogen show only minor variations with grain size, indicating a different mechanism of incorporation into the diamonds.