Serum insulin concentrations in horses with equine Cushing's syndrome: response to a cortisol inhibitor and prognostic value

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Serum insulin concentration and its use as a prognostic indicator in horses with equine Cushing's syndrome (ECS) have been poorly documented. OBJECTIVES: To examine daily insulin variations in horses with ECS and the effect of treatment using trilostane, a competitive inhibitor of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Further, we aimed to examine the relationship between baseline serum insulin concentration and survival in horses with ECS. METHODS: Basal serum insulin concentrations were measured in 20 confirmed ECS cases by taking blood at regular 4 h intervals for 24 h (1200, 1600, 2000, 2400, 0400 and 0800 h) before treatment (Day 0) and 10 days, and 30 days and 1-2 years after the onset of trilostane therapy. The temporal pattern of insulin was analysed using a linear mixed model approach, and the prognostic value of measurements on Day 0 assessed using receiver-operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS: Horses with ECS showed a diurnal pattern of serum insulin concentration, highest value at 1200 h, and this pattern was not altered by treatment with trilostane. Furthermore, despite a mild increase of serum insulin concentrations after 10 days of trilostane therapy, insulin concentration was unaffected in the long-term. Low serum insulin concentrations at the beginning of the trial were significantly associated with improved survival to 1-2 years. The 1200 h sampling before treatment had the highest prognostic value for prediction of survival with a sensitivity and specificity of at least 90% for serum insulin at < 62 and > 188 microu/ml to predict survival and nonsurvival, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Insulin is a useful prognostic indicator for ECS, but potentially large variations can occur throughout a 24 h period, indicating a single sample may not be representative. Serum insulin concentration did not increase over 1-2 years in horses receiving trilostane therapy.     

Incidence of post-anaesthetic arrhythmias in dogs

OBJECTIVES: To assess the use of Holter monitoring for evaluating the incidence of post-anaesthetic cardiac arrhythmias and associated anaesthetic risk for two different anaesthetic protocols. METHODS: Patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery were randomly divided into two groups with different anaesthetic regimens (group A, isoflurane n = 30; group B, propofol n = 30). Two 24-hour Holter recordings were performed for each patient: the first directly following anaesthesia and the second, as a comparison, on the fifth postoperative day. RESULTS: Although all dogs were healthy on pre-anaesthetic cardiac evaluation, 56 dogs showed arrhythmias in the two 24-hour (Holter) electrocardiograms performed. However, the number of arrhythmias recorded was low in most cases (less than 10 supraventricular extrasystoles and less than 100 ventricular extrasystoles). One patient in group A showed 94 supraventricular extrasystoles during the second monitoring period. Three patients in each group developed more than 100 ventricular extrasystoles during both Holter recordings. There were no statistically significant differences between the two anaesthetic regimens or between the two recordings in both groups. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The two anaesthetic protocols investigated in this study did not induce an increased incidence of severe arrhythmias in healthy dogs in the post-anaesthetic phase.     

Enhancement of bone healing using non-glycosylated rhBMP-2 released from a fibrin matrix in dogs and cats

OBJECTIVES: To test a non-glycosylated recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (ngly-rhBMP-2)/fibrin composite, which has been shown experimentally to enhance healing of bone defects in rodents, in a clinical case series of dogs and cats undergoing treatment for fracture non-unions and arthrodesis. METHODS: A ngly-rhBMP-2/fibrin composite was applied in 41 sites in 38 dogs and cats for which a cancellous bone autograft was indicated, replacing the graft. RESULTS: Bridging of the bone defect with functional bone healing was achieved in 90 per cent of the arthrodesis and fracture nonunions treated in this manner. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This prospective clinical study demonstrates the beneficial effects of ngly-rhBMP-2 in a specially designed fibrin matrix on the treatment of bone defects, and validates the use of this composite as an alternative to bone autografts in dogs and cats.     

Efficacy of doxorubicin‐based chemotherapy for non‐resectable canine subcutaneous haemangiosarcoma

Eighteen dogs with measurable subcutaneous haemangiosarcoma (SQHSA) were treated with doxorubicin‐based chemotherapy. Response assessment was evaluated and compared using World Health Organization (WHO), Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) and tumour volume criteria. The overall response rate for all dogs was 38.8% using WHO criteria, 38.8% using RECIST criteria and 44% using tumour volume criteria. One dog had a complete response. The median response duration for all dogs was 53 days (range 13–190 days). Four dogs had complete surgical excision after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The median progression‐free interval for dogs with complete surgical excision after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was significantly longer than those not having surgical excision (207 days versus 83 days, respectively) (P = 0.003). No significant difference in metastasis‐free interval or survival time was found between the groups. Doxorubicin‐based chemotherapy appears to be effective for non‐resectable canine SQHSA, although the response duration is relatively short.     

Antiapoptotic activity of bovine herpesvirus type-1 (BHV-1) UL14 protein

Viruses have evolved different strategies to interfere with apoptotic pathways in order to halt cellular responses to infection. One previous study showed that transient transfection of bovine herpesvirus type-1 (BHV-1) UL14 protein is efficient in protecting Madin Darby kidney (MDBK) and human chronic myelogenous leukemia (K562) cells from sorbitol-induced apoptosis. This protein corresponds to a putative protein of BHV-1, which shares aminoacid sequence with a part of the peptide-binding domain conserved in human heat shock protein (HSP70) family. The pBK-CMV-UL14 plasmid transfected MDBK cells treated with sorbitol did not show caspase-3 and caspase-9 activation with respect to non-transfected MDBK cells (UL14 negative). Furthermore, we report that the expression of the full length sequence of BHV-1 UL14 is evident after 7 h of infection of BHV-1 on MDBK cells which were then treated with sorbitol. These results indicate that UL14 gene product has important implications to enhance cell survival in response to apoptotic stimuli.     

Total and Differential Leucocyte Counts and Lymphocyte Subpopulations in Lymph, Afferent and Efferent to the Supramammary Lymph Node, During Endotoxin-Induced Bovine Mastitis

Leucocyte trafficking in afferent and efferent mammary lymph and the supramammary lymph node in cows was examined during 4 h after intramammary infusion of endotoxin from Escherichia coli. Total and differential leucocyte counts were measured in milk, blood and lymph. The proportions of CD4(+), CD8(+), major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II(+) and IgM(+) lymphocytes were examined in the lymph and lymph node. At post-infusion hour (PIH) 4, the flow rates of both lymph fluids had increased approximately eightfold. Total leucocyte concentration increased in afferent lymph, but decreased in efferent lymph. Neutrophils increased in afferent lymph at PIH 2 and in efferent lymph and milk at PIH 4. The predominant cell type in afferent lymph shifted from lymphocyte to neutrophil while lymphocyte was still at PIH 4 the predominant type in efferent lymph. Among the lymphocytes, B cells were predominant in afferent lymph and lymph node at PIH 4 while T cells, mainly CD4(+) cells, were predominant in efferent lymph both at PIH 0 and PIH 4. The CD4 : CD8 ratio was higher in efferent lymph and the challenged lymph node than in afferent lymph and the control node, respectively. There was a significant difference in proportions of each lymphocyte subpopulation except for IgM(+) cells, between afferent and efferent lymph after infusion. According to the results, there was already during the first hours of the immune response, a non-random trafficking of neutrophils and lymphocyte subpopulations resulting in a changed distribution of cells in afferent and efferent lymph and a difference in lymphocyte reactivity between the two lymph fluids.     

Eradication of ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma by motherless rearing of lambs

The principles of maedi-visna eradication programmes were applied to a field trial for the eradication of ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA). In two maternal flocks the prevalence of gross and histological lesions in slaughtered animals was 18.3 per cent and 29.8 per cent, respectively. The lambing period was supervised for three consecutive years from 1999 to 2001, during which the lambs were taken away from their mothers at birth, deprived of maternal colostrum, and hand-reared away from other sheep. Over the three-year period, 322 hand-reared animals, mainly male lambs between 10 and 14 months old, were slaughtered; their lungs were examined grossly, 52.5 per cent of them were examined histologically, and 105 samples of caudal mediastinal lymph nodes were examined by PCR. No OPA tumours were detected in the slaughter specimens from the derived flock, but one lamb had histological lesions in one lung location; intrauterine transmission was ruled out in this case. No clinical OPA has subsequently been observed in the hand-reared flock. Bronchoalveolar lavage samples from the breeding stock were examined by PCR in order to rule out further subclinical cases of OPA. No Jaagsiekte retrovirus was detected in any of the 488 samples.     

Seroprevalence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brucella</Emphasis> antibodies in camels in Katsina State,Nigeria

A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the status of Brucella infection in one-humped (Dromedary) camels in the North and Central senatorial districts of Katsina State, Nigeria. Nine hundred and eighty serum samples from live and slaughtered camels were tested. Modified Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and serum agglutination test (SAT) with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, (EDTA) were used as screening and standard tests, respectively. The prevalence of Brucella antibodies were 110 (11.2%) and 103 (10.5%) for RBPT and SAT, respectively. Of the 472 and 508 serum samples tested from the herds and abattoirs, respectively, 63 (13.3%) and 47 (9.3%) were positive by RBPT while 62 (13.1%) and 41 (8.1%) were positive by SAT, respectively. Based on the results, it was concluded that Brucella antibodies were present in camels in the study area. Poor management practices and mixing of camels with other species of livestock as well as unrestricted movement of camels were proposed to be the reasons for the prevalence of the disease in the study area. In view of the public health importance of the disease, it is recommended that there is the need to develop a strategic plan to decrease spread of brucellosis in the study area.     

Influence of long-time transportation stress on re-activation of Salmonella typhimurium DT104 in experimentally infected pigs

In this study a Salmonella Typhimurium infection model in swine was used in order to investigate the influence of pre-mortal stress induced by long time period transportation on the re-activation of Salmonella in experimentally infected pigs. Salmonella free pigs were exposed to a highly virulent strain of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 by direct intragastrical administration. Clinical parameters were monitored and the shedding rate in faeces was qualitatively and quantitatively determined by standard bacteriological procedures for 21 days. The distribution of the challenge organism in 14 different internal organs of transported and nontransported animals was determined. All infected animals developed clinical signs of salmonellosis 12 to 24 hours post infection. About 88 to 100% of the fecal samples were culture-positive up to post exposure day 6, and then varied from 71 to 92% until slaughter, respectively. At necropsy S. Typhimurium was recovered most frequently from caecum and ileocolic lymph nodes (83%), colon (79%), palatine tonsils (71%) and mandibular lymph nodes (62.5%). A negative impact of transportation stress on the shedding rate and the general condition of the animals was observed.     

The Functional Anatomy of the Neck and Forelimbs of the Cape Golden Mole,Chrysochloris Asiatica (Lipotyphla: Chrysochloridae)

The anatomy of the neck and forelimb of Chrysochloris asiatica is described and illustrated. The sequence of events during digging and modifications for fossorial action are described. Modifications include the appearance of a third bone in the forearm; the shortening and fusion of bones in the manus; enlarged processes on the scapula, humerus and ulna for greater muscle attachment; enlarged neck muscles and a dip in the spine in the cervical region to accommodate these and the enlarged shoulder muscles; an enlarged occiput for insertion of the powerful neck muscles; a greatly enlarged triceps and movement of the shoulder girdle to a position anterior to that normal in mammals. The possibility of the third forearm bone being the ossified tendon of a flexor muscle is discussed, without any conclusion being reached as to its true origin.