Solanum torvum as a causative agent of enzootic calcinosis in Papua, New Guinea

Inclusion of dried powdered leaves of Solanum torvum Swartz (collected in Papua, New Guinea) in the diet of rats induced hypercalcaemai rapidly and hyperphosphataemia more slowly; soft tissue calcification was most evident in the kidney and lung. Solanum torvum may be a causative agent of enzootic calcinosis in cattle in Papua, New Guinea.     

Somatostatin receptor imaging in vivo by planar scintigraphy facilitates the diagnosis of canine insulinomas

Somatostatin receptors expressed by insulinomas in 5 dogs were imaged in vivo by means of indium in 111 pentetreotide (OctreoScan) scintigraphy. The diagnosis in each dog was supported by the presence of hypoglycemia (<60 mg/dL), hyperinsulinemia (>20 microU/mL), and histopathologic review of neoplastic tissue. All insulinomas expressed high-affinity somatostatin receptors of subtype sst2, as shown by receptor autoradiography in vitro using 125I-[tyrosine3]-octreotide and 125I-[leucine8, Dtryptophan22, tyrosine25]-somatostatin-28 with an sst2 subtype-selective analogue. Scintigrams were obtained at 1, 4, 12, and 24 hours after the i.v. administration of 74-222 MBq of OctreoScan to each patient. Abnormal foci of activity were 1st observed from 1 hour after administration of the radioligand in dog 3, to 24 hours after its administration in dog 4; in dogs 1 and 2, abnormal foci of activity were visible from 12 hours. Dog 5 showed a questionable abnormal focus of activity at 12 hours, but not at 24 hours. Scintigraphy enabled accurate prediction of the anatomical location of the primary tumor in 1 of 4 dogs, but was unable to differentiate a right- from a left-pancreatic lobe tumor, or vice versa, in 3 dogs; the 5th dog had equivocal results. 111In-pentetreotide scintigraphy is a useful diagnostic adjunct to the clinical evaluation of the insulinoma patient, but is unable to localize the tumor in some cases.     

Retinal dysplasia in wild otters (Lutra lutra)

Eyes from 88 otters found dead in south-west England between 1990 and 2000, were collected as part of a larger pathological study. Histopathological examination of 131 eyes revealed dysplastic changes such as rosetting and folding in the retinas of 26 of the otters. In the eyes of 42 of the otters there were postmortem and fixation-induced retinal detachment which complicated the differentiation of dysplastic from normal retina, but 11 eyes had folds which probably indicated a dysplastic pathology. The eyes of 18 of the otters had inflammatory or autolytic changes which precluded a definitive evaluation of their dysplastic status. Liver samples from 55 of the otters were analysed for a range of polychlorinated hydrocarbons and for vitamin A. The otters with dysplastic retinas had significantly lower concentrations of vitamin A and higher concentrations of dieldrin than the otters with normal retinas.     

Fractures of the humerus

Humeral fractures are the least common long bone fracture in small animals. The low incidence of these fractures combined with the unique anatomy of the humerus makes repair of humeral fractures challenging. This chapter provides a review of humeral fracture management.