Transthoracic echocardiographic measurement of patent ductus arteriosus in dogs

BACKGROUND: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) size and morphology influence the selection of the kind and the size of the embolization device used to effect shunt closure. HYPOTHESIS: That echocardiographic measurement of PDA in dogs is accurate. ANIMALS: Forty-five client-owned dogs with PDA. METHODS: Prospective observational study. Echocardiographic and angiographic data were compared. RESULTS: Measurement of the ductus in color Doppler echocardiography (CD-E) and 2-dimensional echocardiography (2D-E) was achieved from left parasternal views in 43 of 45 unsedated dogs (96%). In these 43 dogs, the angiographic minimal PDA diameter was 3.72 +/- 1.59 mm, and the diameter of the PDA ampulla was 8.46 +/- 3.01 mm. The CD-E minimal PDA diameter ranged from 2.3 to 9.5 mm (median, 4.0 mm). There was a significant mean difference to the angiographic measurements (1.15 +/- 0.95 mm; P < .0001). An agreement in a 1-mm range was found in 21 of 43 dogs (48%). The 2D-E minimal PDA diameter was 3.73 +/- 1.78 mm, and the mean difference to the angiographic measurements was not significant (0.00 +/- 0.72 mm; P = .98). An agreement in a 1-mm range was found in 31 of 43 dogs (72%). The 2D-E measurement of the PDA ampulla revealed a significant mean difference to the angiographic data (1.95 +/- 2.43 mm, P < .0001). An agreement in a 2-mm range was found in 21 of 43 dogs (49%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The 2D-E from the left cranial parasternal view is an excellent noninvasive method to estimate the PDA minimal diameter before doing catheter intervention.     

Urinary catecholamine and metanephrine to creatinine ratios in healthy dogs at home and in a hospital environment and in 2 dogs with pheochromocytoma

BACKGROUND: Measurement of high concentrations of urine catecholamines and metanephrines is useful in diagnosing pheochromocytoma in humans. Stress increases catecholamine excretion in urine. HYPOTHESIS: Stress of a hospital visit increases urinary catecholamine and metanephrine excretion in dogs. ANIMALS: Fourteen clinically normal dogs, 2 dogs with pheochromocytoma. METHODS: Voided urine samples were collected by the owners 7 days before (t-7), during the hospital visit immediately after diagnostic procedures (t0), as well as 1 (t1) and 7 days (t7) after the hospital visit. Urine catecholamine and metanephrine concentrations were measured using high-pressure liquid chromatography and expressed as ratios to urine creatinine concentration. RESULTS: In client-owned dogs epinephrine and norepinephrine ratios at t0 were significantly higher compared with ratios at t7. Metanephrine and normetanephrine ratios at t-7, t0, and t1 did not differ significantly from each other; however, at t7 they were significantly lower compared to values at t-7. In staff-owned dogs no significant differences were detected among the different collecting time points for any variable. Metanephrine and normetanephrine ratios were significantly higher in client-owned dogs compared to staff-owned dogs at t-7, t0, and t1 but not at t7. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Stress associated with a hospital visit and with the sampling procedure causes increases in urine catecholamine and metanephrine excretion. Urine collection for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma probably should take place at home after adaptation to the sampling procedure.     

Demonstrating freedom from disease using multiple complex data sources 2: case study--classical swine fever in Denmark

A method for quantitative evaluation of surveillance for disease freedom has been presented in the accompanying paper (Martin et al., 2007). This paper presents an application of the methods, using as an example surveillance for classical swine fever (CSF) in Denmark in 2005. A scenario tree model is presented for the abattoir-based serology component of the Danish CSF surveillance system, in which blood samples are collected in an ad hoc abattoir sampling process, from adult pigs originating in breeding herds in Denmark. The model incorporates effects of targeting (differential risk of seropositivity) associated with age and location (county), and disease clustering within herds. A surveillance time period of one month was used in the analysis. Records for the year 2005 were analysed, representing 25,332 samples from 3528 herds; all were negative for CSF-specific antibodies. Design prevalences of 0.1-1% of herds and 5% of animals within an infected herd were used. The estimated mean surveillance system component (SSC) sensitivities (probability that the SSC would give a positive outcome given the animals processed and that the country is infected at the design prevalences) per month were 0.18, 0.63 and 0.86, for among-herd design prevalences of 0.001, 0.005 and 0.01. The probabilities that the population was free from CSF at each of these design prevalences, after a year of accumulated negative surveillance data, were 0.91, 1.00 and 1.00. Targeting adults and herds from South Jutland was estimated to give approximately 1.9, 1.6 and 1.4 times the surveillance sensitivity of a proportionally representative sampling program for these three among-herd design prevalences.     

A comparative description of two farmer-managed irrigation systems in Nepal

The organization of two farmer-managed irrigation systems in the western hills of Nepal is described by examining the ways in which the activities of water allocation, water distribution, maintenance, and resource mobilization are performed. Due to the topography and environment, these two organizations are structured primarily to mobilize the large amount of labor required for maintenance of the intake and canal. Both organizations precisely define each member's water allocation. In one system, water is allocated in proportion to the area of an individual's land holding, while in the other water allocation is by purchased shares. These two cases were used to analyze the importance of the principle of water allocation for expansion of area irrigated and equity of access to irrigation. Evidence from the two systems shows that in this hill environment water allocation by purchased shares provides the individual incentive and an organizational mechanism for efficient development of irrigation resources. Expansion of area irrigated and equity of access to irrigation were found to be greater in the system which allocates water by purchased shares than where water was allocated in proportion to area irrigated.     

Antioxidant capacity, vitamin C, phenolics, and anthocyanins after fresh storage of small fruits.

Fresh strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.), raspberries (Rubus idaeus Michx.), highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), and lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) were stored at 0, 10, 20, and 30 degrees C for up to 8 days to determine the effects of storage temperature on whole fruit antioxidant capacity (as measured by the oxygen radical absorbing capacity assay, Cao et al., Clin. Chem. 1995, 41, 1738-1744) and total phenolic, anthocyanin, and ascorbate content. The four fruit varied markedly in their total antioxidant capacity, and antioxidant capacity was strongly correlated with the content of total phenolics (0.83) and anthocyanins (0.90). The antioxidant capacity of the two blueberry species was about 3-fold higher than either strawberries or raspberries. However, there was an increase in the antioxidant capacity of strawberries and raspberries during storage at temperatures >0 degrees C, which was accompanied by increases in anthocyanins in strawberries and increases in anthocyanins and total phenolics in raspberries. Ascorbate content differed more than 5-fold among the four fruit species; on average, strawberries and raspberries had almost 4-times more ascorbate than highbush and lowbush blueberries. There were no ascorbate losses in strawberries or highbush blueberries during 8 days of storage at the various temperatures, but there were losses in the other two fruit species. Ascorbate made only a small contribution (0.4-9.4%) to the total antioxidant capacity of the fruit. The increase observed in antioxidant capacity through postharvest phenolic synthesis and metabolism suggested that commercially feasible technologies may be developed to enhance the health functionality of small fruit crops.     

Phosphatase activity in earthworm faeces

Wormcasts of Allolobophora caliginosa have been shown to have higher phosphatase activity than occurs in uningested soil, resulting in an increase in inorganic P released by mineralization of organic P. This paper describes similar observations on organic wastes which may be used for vermiculture. Besides A. caliginosa, three species which will feed on dung or other organic substrates were investigated, Eisenia foetida, Dendrobaena veneta and Lumbricus rubellus. When cow dung was used as a substrate, background phosphatase activity was too high for the effects of earthworm activity to be detected and a culture medium was therefore developed from sterilized paper waste sludge with added phytin. Phosphatase activity, assayed by a modified Hoffman method, was higher in the presence of all four earthworm species than in controls. It showed two peaks in relation to pH, at 3–5 and 9–10. The former is attributed to microbial activity and the latter to microbial activity or earthworm alkaline phosphatase. After 1 month, cultures of paper waste sludge with phytin contained about twice as much water soluble P when worms were present than in their absence.