Anesthetic management in feline renal transplantation

Objective To document perioperative and anesthetic management of 30 feline renal transplant recipients (1996–1998). Study design Retrospective clinical study. Animals Thirty adult cats in end‐stage renal failure that underwent heterotopic renal transplantation. Materials and methods The medical records were reviewed from 30 feline heterotopic renal transplant recipients. Cases were included only if they had been treated for hypertension using a beta‐adrenergic antagonist, a calcium channel blocker or hemodialysis. Data regarding signalment, preoperative management, surgical technique, type and doses of anesthetics administered, perioperative hemodynamics and intra‐ and postoperative complications, postoperative analgesia, morbidity and early mortality were recorded. Data were expressed as mean ± SD. Results Preanesthetic medication included a combination of an anticholinergic and an opioid (oxymorphone). Anesthesia induction was performed mostly with isoflurane and oxygen delivered by mask. Anesthesia maintenance was primarily achieved with isoflurane in 100% oxygen. Nitrous oxide was often used as part of the anesthetic technique. The mean duration of anesthesia was 4.6 hours ± 27 minutes. The mean renal allograft ischemic time was 60 minutes. During the anesthetic period, the majority of the recipient cats received either fresh whole blood (FWB) (N = 25, 83%), cross‐matched packed red blood cells (PRBC) (N = 3, 10%) or fresh frozen plasma (FFP) (N = 2, 7%) combined with a balanced electrolyte solution. Blood products administered averaged 63 ± 34 mL and crystalloid 94 ± 62 mL. The most common treated intraoperative complications were hypotension (N = 14, 47%), hypothermia (N = 13, 43%), metabolic acidosis (N = 11, 37%), hypocalcemia (N = 5, 17%), hypoglycemia (N = 4, 13%), hypertension (N = 2, 7%), bradycardia (N = 1, 3%), and ventricular premature contractions (N = 1, 3%). All cats received opioid analgesics postoperatively. Complications observed in the first 24 hours postoperatively were hypertension (N = 20, 67%), hematuria (N = 14, 47%), electrolyte disturbances (N = 9, 30%), temperature imbalances (N = 5, 17%), decreased PCV requiring blood transfusion (N = 5, 17%), decreased perfusion of a foot associated with external iliac anastomosis technique (N = 5, 17%), seizures associated with hypertension (N = 3, 10%), uroabdomen (N = 2, 7%), acute graft rejection (N = 1, 3%) and, corneal ulceration (N = 1, 3%). Survival rates in the perioperative period were 100, 96.7, and 93.4% intraoperatively, at 24 hours, and 7 days following surgery. Conclusion Successful anesthesia can be performed in critically ill renal transplant recipients. However, for optimal graft function and patient survival, normothermia, normovolemia, normotension, and normal acid–base and electrolyte balance should be carefully maintained. Successful anesthetic management requires understanding of the pathophysiology of end‐stage renal disease and the maintenance of homeostasis during the different stages of the perioperative period.     

Disorders of the larynx.

The upper respiratory tract is a frequent cause of exercise intolerance in horses, particularly in racing horses. There are a myriad of laryngeal abnormalities that may restrict airflow at the rima glottidis. Careful endoscopic examination is a crucial part of the examination of any racing horse suffering from poor performance. There has recently been interest in spectrum analysis of respiratory sounds. It has been determined that laryngeal hemiplegia and dorsal displacement of the soft palate have unique sound patterns. Therefore, spectrum analysis of respiratory sounds may prove to be useful in the diagnosis of laryngeal disorders in horses. Accurate diagnosis and appropriate surgical intervention are necessary to provide the horse the best chance of returning to its full athletic potential.     

Functional and Bioactive Properties of Peptides Derived from Marine Side Streams

In fish processing, a great amount of side streams, including skin, bones, heads and viscera, is wasted or downgraded as feed on a daily basis. These side streams are rich sources of bioactive nitrogenous compounds and protein, which can be converted into peptides through enzymatic hydrolysis as well as bacterial fermentation. Peptides are short or long chains of amino acids differing in structure and molecular weight. They can be considered as biologically active as they can contribute to physiological functions in organisms with applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In the food industry, such bioactive peptides can be used as preservatives or antioxidants to prevent food spoilage. Furthermore, peptides contain several functional qualities that can be exploited as tools in modifying food ingredient solubility, water-holding and fat-binding capacity and gel formation. In the pharmaceutical industry, peptides can be used as antioxidants, but also as antihypertensive, anticoagulant and immunomodulatory compounds, amongst other functions. On the basis of their properties, peptides can thus be used in the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals. This review focuses on the bioactive peptides derived from seafood side streams and discusses their technological properties, biological activities and applications.     

Phenotypic diversity and relationships of fruit quality traits in peach and nectarine [<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus persica</Emphasis> (L.) Batsch] breeding progenies

Agronomic and fruit quality traits were evaluated and compared for three consecutive years on 1,111 seedlings coming from 15 peach and nectarine breeding crosses, grown under a Mediterranean climate. Significant differences among and within the different progenies were found for most of the traits analyzed. The breeding population segregated for several Mendelian characters such as peach or nectarine fruit, round or flat fruit, yellow or white flesh and freestone or clingstone. In addition, aborting fruit and flat fruit trees were found in our progeny, and our data seem to support multi-allelic control of both flat shape and aborting fruit. The variation within the progenies of some traits such as blooming and harvesting date, yield, fruit weight and SSC was continuous, suggesting a polygenic inheritance. Relationships between qualitative pomological traits and these agronomic and fruit quality parameters were also found. Valuable correlations among agronomic and fruit quality parameters were found, although coefficients of variation depending on the progeny should be considered. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) revealed several relationships among quality traits in the evaluated progenies. Based on this evaluation, 26 outstanding genotypes were pre-selected from the initial breeding population for further studies.     

Hapten synthesis and monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay development for detection of the fungicide trifloxystrobin

High-affinity and selective monoclonal antibodies have been produced against the strobilurin fungicide trifloxystrobin. A battery of functionalized haptens has been synthesized, and conjugate-coated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays following different procedures have been developed. On the one hand, a two-step conjugate-coated immunoassay was optimized using extended or short incubation times, with limits of detection of 0.10 ng/mL for the extended assay and 0.17 ng/mL for the rapid assay. On the other hand, an immunoassay in the conjugate-coated format was optimized following a procedure consisting of just one incubation step. This one-step assay had a limit of detection of 0.21 ng/mL. All of these assays showed detection limits for trifloxystrobin in the low parts per billion range, well below the common maximum residue limits for this pesticide in foodstuffs (50 microg/kg).     

Environmentally friendly formulations of alachlor and atrazine: preparation, characterization, and reduced leaching

Atrazine and alachlor formulations were designed by encapsulating the herbicide molecules into phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles, which subsequently were adsorbed on montmorillonite. PC and montmorillonite are classified as substances of minimal toxicological risk by the U.S. EPA. PC enhanced alachlor and atrazine solubilities by 15- and 18-fold, respectively. A 6 mM PC:5 g/L clay ratio was found as optimal for PC adsorption on the clay. Active ingredient contents of the PC-clay formulations ranged up to 8.6% for atrazine and 39.5% for alachlor. Infrared spectroscopy showed hydrophobic interactions of herbicide molecules with the alkyl chains of PC, in addition to hydrophilic interactions with the PC headgroup. Release experiments in a sandy soil showed a slower rate from the PC-clay formulations than the commercial ones. Soil column experiments under moderate irrigation and bioactivity experiments indicate that a reduction in the recommended dose of alachlor and atrazine can be accomplished by using PC-clay formulations.