DETECTION OF A LIVER TUMOR IN A BEAGLE DOG USING SINGLE PHOTON EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

This case report describes the detection of a liver tumor in an 11–year-old female Beagle dog using single photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT). A mass was palpated in the cranial abdomen during removal of recurrent mammary tumors. A conventional nuclear medicine liver scan, following injection of ^99mTc-sulfur colloid, was equivocal. SPECT was then performed in a second procedure, using a simple system that rotated the dog before a gamma camera. Transverse plane images clearly showed a spheric space-occupying lesion, found at gross necropsy and confirmed histologically as a hepatoma. Discrete liver tumors may be detected more readily and their size determined more accurately using SPECT than with conventional nuclear medicine approaches.     

Application de la chromatographie en phase gazeuse au controle de la purete des corps gras

Résumé La chromatographie gazeuse, malgré les difficultés rencontrées dans l'interprétation quantitative des chromatogrammes, est suffisamment reproductible pour être appliquée aux contrôles de la pureté des corps gras.Par la mise en évidence d'acides gras étrangers à la composition de l'huile (ou de la gra sse) examinée, par la comparaison de sa composition générale avec la composition moyenne des produits de ce type, par la détermination de certains rapports de constitution, la chromatographie gazeuse permet de contrôler la pureté des corps gras avec une sensibilité qu'il était impossible d'envisager il y a quelques années.

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Summary Gas-chromatography, despite the difficulties met in the quantitative interpretation of chromatograms, is sufficiently reproducible to be applied to the industrial controls of fats.By showing the presence of fatty acids foreign to the composition of the studied oil (or fat), by the comparison of its general composition with the average composition of this type of products, by the determination of certain constitutional relations, gas chromatography gives us the possibility to control the purity of fats with a sensitivity that we could not have considered a few years ago.

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Zusammenfassung Die Gaschromatographie ist, trotz der angetroffenen Schwierigkeiten in der quantitativen Auswertung der Chromatogramme, genügend reproduzierbar um für industrielle Kontrollen der Reinheit von Fetten angewandt zu werden.Durch Darstellung der Ölzusammensetzung (oder der Zusammensetzung der Fette) artfremder Fettsäuren in den untersuchten Proben, durch Vergleich seiner Allgemeinzusammensetzung mit der Durchschnittszusammensetzung von Produkten dieses Typs, durch die Bestimmung bestimmter Komponentenbeziehungen, ermöglicht die Gaschromatographie es, die Reinheit der Fette mit einer Genauigkeit zu prüfen, die man vor einigen Jahren nicht für möglich gehalten hätte.

     

Risk factors associated with Neospora caninum abortion in Ontario Holstein dairy herds

The objective of this epidemiological study was to identify risk factors for Neospora caninum-related abortions in Ontario Holstein dairy herds. A total of 88 herds, consisting of 5080 cattle, and utilizing Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) services, were divided into three groups. Case (n = 30) and first control (n = 31) herds were selected from 1998 and 1999 fetal abortion submissions to the Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph, that were histopathologically positive or negative, respectively, for N. caninum. A second control group (n = 27) was selected from multiple sources of herds sampled within the previous 4 years that had a low seroprevalence (<7%) to N. caninum. Between May and December 1999, all available cows on all farms, in parity one or greater, were blood sampled. The sera were then analyzed for antibody to N. caninum using a kinetic ELISA. A survey administered at the time of sampling recorded information on housing, animal species present, manure management, reproduction, biosecurity practices, wildlife observations, peri-parturient cow management, herd disease history and nutrition. Production and other herd parameters were obtained from DHI records. Logistic regression indicated that the following parameters were positively associated with a N. caninum abortion in a herd: the N. caninum herd seroprevalence (OR = 1.1), the total number of dogs on a farm (OR = 2.8), the frequency that dogs were observed defecating in mangers (OR = 2.8), the number of horses on a farm (OR = 3.1), the observed annual rate of retained fetal membranes (OR = 1.2) and the observed annual rate of cows returning to estrus after pregnancy confirmation (OR = 1.2). Factors negatively associated were the frequency of stray cats and wild canids observed on a farm (OR = 0.4 and OR = 0.7, respectively) and the housing of heifers on loafing packs (a housing pen divided into feed manger, scrape alley and bedded pack areas, OR = 0.1).     

Larval cyathostominosis in horses in Ontario: an emerging disease?

From 1991 to 2003, 24 cases of larval cyathostominosis were diagnosed at postmortem in equids, 15 (63%) from 2001 to 2003. Cases occurred from September to May, the majority from October to December. Median age was 12 mo. Diarrhea, colic, and weight loss were common clinical signs. Hypoalbuminemia and microcytosis were consistent findings.