Oesophageal strictures in cats associated with doxycycline therapy

Four cases of oesophageal stricture subsequent to doxycycline administration are reported. All cases were young to middle age (median age 3 years; range 1-7 years), and either domestic shorthair or domestic longhair breed. In all cases the predominant clinical sign was regurgitation, which developed at variable times after doxycycline administration. In all cases the reason for doxycycline use was treatment or prophylaxis of suspected infections (Mycoplasma haemofelis, Chlamydophila felis or Bordetella bronchiseptica), and the duration of therapy was variable. In one case the stricture was definitively diagnosed at post mortem examination, in the three other cases, definitive diagnosis was by endoscopy. Balloon dilation was successful in the three cases that were treated. This is the largest case series, to date, of oesophageal disease in cats associated with doxycycline administration. Caution should be exercised when administering oral medication to cats, especially doxycycline, and should be accompanied either by a water or food swallow.     

The radiological diagnosis of gastrointestinal obstruction in the dog

The use of contrast medium in the examination of the gastrointestinal tract is described and some aspects of the normal radiographic anatomy are discussed. The radiological features of certain conditions causing gastrointestinal obstruction are illustrated by a series of radiographs. Résumé. On décrit l'usage de substance de contraste dans l'exploration des voies gastro-intestinales, et on discute de certaines aspects de l'anatomie radiographique normale. Les caractéristiques radiologiques de certaines particularités causant une obstruction gastro-intestinale sont illustrées au moyen d'une série de radiographies. Zusammenfassung. Der Gebrauch von Kontrastmitteln in der Untersuchung des Verdauungskanal ist beschrieben und einige Aspekte von der normalen röntgenologischen Anatomie sind diskutiert. Die radiologischen Merkmale von gewissen Zuständen die gastrointestinale Obstruktion verursachen, sind in einer Serie vom Röntgenaufnahmen illustriert.     

The differential diagnosis of persistent vomiting in the young dog

The paper describes the differential diagnosis of those conditions which cause persistent vomiting over a long period in the young dog. The conditions are illustrated radiographically. Résumé. L'article traite du diagnostic différential des états provoquant des vomissements persistants chez le jeune chien. Des radiographies illustrent le texte. Zusammenfassung. Die Abhandlung beschreibt die Differentialdiagnose derjenigen Zustande, die beim jungen Hund länger enhaltendes Erbrechen verursachen. Die Zustände sind radiographisch illustriert.     

Feline spongiform encephalopathy

This paper reviews the recently recognised condition of feline spongiform encephalopathy and its importance as a neurological disorder of cats. Its possible origin and relationship to other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are discussed.     

A local increase in the mammary IGF-1: IGFBP-3 ratio mediates the mammogenic effects of estrogen and growth hormone

A single epithelium-free mammary fat pad was surgically prepared in each of twenty-five one-month-old, Friesian heifers. At 18 mo of age, heifers were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. Treatments were: control (C), growth hormone (GH), estrogen (E) or growth hormone + estrogen (GE). Hormones were administered for 40 hr before the animals were sacrificed to provide mammary samples of parenchyma (PAR), intact fat pad (MFP), and epithelium-free or "cleared" fat pad (CFP). IGF-1 and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) mRNA was highest in CFP and MFP whereas the protein products were highest in PAR. IGFBP-2, a 28-kDa IGFBP and a 24-kDa IGFBP were more abundant in CFP and MFP. E and GH increased incorporation of [(3)H]thymidine into DNA of PAR. Incorporation of [(3)H]thymidine into the DNA of MFP or CFP was minimal. Coincident with the changes observed in mammary epithelial proliferation, E increased IGF-1 protein in MFP and PAR, and to a lesser extent in CFP. E tended to increase IGF-1 mRNA levels in MFP, but not CFP implying that the regulation of IGF-1 expression is modulated by adjacent epithelium. GH and E reduced IGFBP-3 protein in PAR and increased the 24-kDa IGFBP in CFP and MFP. Increased proliferation of mammary parenchymal cells was associated with increased IGF-1 and reduced IGFBP-3 protein in mammary tissue. An increase in the ratio of mammary IGF-1: IGFBP-3 likely increases the proportion of the mammary IGF-1 available to stimulate proliferation. These data also indicate that stromal: epithelial interactions regulate the IGF-1 axis in mammary tissue.     

A validated mechanistic model of carrot (Daucus carota L.) growth

A mechanistic model of carrot vegetative and root development was constructed. This model determined canopy photosynthesis over a day, assimilates were then partitioned into either roots or leaves via temperature dependent partitioning coefficients. Assimilates were lost via terms describing growth and maintenance respiration. The model was calibrated on data from four different carrot cultivars, originating from the UK (Autumn King), Syria (Carrot_S), Poland (Dolanka) and Russia (Hibinskaja), grown in controlled environment glasshouse compartments at one of six temperatures (9–30 °C) repeated over three sowing dates. Calibration of the model showed that it could account for between 83 and 95% of the variance in carrot plant and root dry weights. The model was then validated using independent data from the same cultivars of carrots grown in the field at Reading. In this instance, the model accounted for 75 and 79% of the variance in plant and root weight, respectively. Two other independent data sets were used to validate the model, including carrot of a different cultivar (Panther) grown in phytotrons at temperatures between 9 and 21 °C, at two different locations and over a three sowing dates. In this instance, the model accounted for between 63 and 69% of the variance in root weight. The model also predicted that if ambient carbon dioxide levels increased from 348 to 551 μmol mol⁻¹, root dry weight would increase by 12%, which is within the margin of error of the experimental value of 16% reported in the literature. The model can therefore be used to study the potential impacts of global climate change on carrot production, as well as to rapidly predict whether germplasm is suited to any particular environment.     

Reconstructing past ocean pH-depth profiles

Measurement of boron isotope compositions in species of planktonic foraminifera that calcified their tests at different depths in the water column are used to reconstruct the pH profile of the upper water column of the tropical ocean. Results for five time windows from the middle Miocene to the late Pleistocene indicate pH-depth profiles similar to that of the modern ocean in this area, which suggests that this method may greatly aid in our understanding of the global carbon cycle.