Blood pressure assessment in healthy cats and cats with hypertensive retinopathy

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there was an association between hypertensive retinopathy and high systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressures in cats. ANIMALS: 181 cats. PROCEDURE: Systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressures were measured by use of a noninvasive oscillometric technique. The range of blood pressure measurements in healthy cats from various age groups was determined. Associations among systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure; hypertensive retinopathy; hyperthyroidism; left ventricular cardiac hypertrophy; chronic renal failure; and serum biochemical abnormalities were determined. RESULTS: All blood pressure measurements increased with age in healthy cats. The frequency of hypertensive retinopathy also increased with age and with blood pressure, and hypertensive retinopathy was particularly found in cats with systolic blood pressures > 168 mm Hg. There was an increased risk for hypertensive retinopathy in cats that were female, > 10 years old, and neutered. The risk of chronic renal failure also increased as blood pressure, particularly systolic blood pressure, increased. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Hypertensive retinopathy was common in cats > or = 10 years of age and was associated with systolic blood pressures > 168 mm Hg when measured by the noninvasive oscillometric technique.     

The risk of death: the confidential enquiry into perioperative small animal fatalities

Objective To estimate the risks of anaesthetic and sedation‐related mortality in companion animals in the UK. (The Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Small Animal Fatalities, CEPSAF). Study design A prospective cohort study with nested case–control study. Animal population All small animals anaesthetized and sedated at participating centres between June 2002 and June 2004. Methods Patient outcomes at 48 hours (alive, dead and killed) were recorded. Anaesthetic and sedation‐related death was defined as death where surgical or pre‐existing medical causes did not solely cause death. Species‐specific risks of anaesthetic‐related death and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Risks were also estimated in the sub‐sets of dogs, cats and rabbits that were either healthy or sick (ASA 1–2 and 3–5, respectively). Results One hundred and seventeen veterinary practices participated in the study and 98 036 dogs, 79 178 cats and 8209 rabbits were anaesthetized and sedated. Overall risks of anaesthetic and sedation‐related death in dogs were 0.17% (1 in 601, 95% CI 0.14–0.19%), in cats 0.24% (1 in 419, 95% CI 0.20–0.27%) and in rabbits 1.39% (1 in 72, 95% CI 1.14–1.64%) within 48 hours of the procedure. In healthy dogs, cats and rabbits, the risks were estimated to be 0.05% (1 in 1849, 95% CI 0.04–0.07%), 0.11%, (1 in 895, 95% CI 0.09–0.14%) and 0.73% (1 in 137, 95% CI 0.54–0.93%), respectively. In sick dogs, cats and rabbits, the risks were 1.33%, (1 in 75, 95% CI 1.07–1.60%), 1.40% (1 in 71, 95% CI 1.12–1.68%) and 7.37% (1 in 14, 95% CI 5.20–9.54%), respectively. Postoperative deaths accounted for 47% of deaths in dogs, 61% in cats and 64% in rabbits. Most other small animal species had higher mortality risks. Conclusions and clinical relevance Small animal anaesthesia appears to be increasingly safe. Greater patient care in the postoperative period could reduce fatalities.     

Aluminium toxicity and multiplication of Rhizobium trifolii in a defined growth medium

The responses of six strains of R. trifolii to pH, Ca, Al and phosphate were studied in the defined medium of Munns and Keyser (1981) supplemented with vitamins. Wild-type strains responded in the same way as rifampicin-resistant mutant strains. Multiplication was inhibited by acidity alone at pH4.3, and by 50 μM Al at pH 5.5 (despite the precipitation of Al). This inhibitory effect of Al was overcome by increasing the pH above 6.0, or by increasing the phosphate concentration from 10 to 100 μm. Ca concentration had no effect, nor did holding the medium at 22°C for 36 weeks before inoculation. There was variation between strains in their responses to concentrations of A1 < 50 μM. These responses indicate that the defined medium is a satisfactory model for the white clover rhizosphere.Results from these studies and from chemical analyses indicate that the inhibitory effect of Al under partially-neutralized conditions is not due to a direct effect of monomeric A1, nor to an indirect effect of polymeric A1 in reducing the concentration of phosphate, but is due to a direct effect of polymeric A1.     

Methods and mortality results of a health survey of purebred dogs in the UK

Objectives : To collect information on the cause of death and longevity of dogs owned by members of the numerically largest breed clubs of 169 UK Kennel Club-recognised breeds. Methods : A cross-sectional study was carried out. Approximately 58,363 questionnaires were sent out to breed club members in 2004 (nine clubs failed to report the exact number of questionnaires sent out). Owners reported age at death and cause(s) of death for all dogs that had died within the previous 10 years. Results : A total of 13,741 questionnaires (24% response rate) containing information on 15,881 deaths were included in the analysis. Breed-specific response rates ranged from 64·7 to 4·5%. The median age at death was 11 years and 3 months (minimum=2 months, maximum=23 years and 5 months) and it varied by breed. The most common causes of death were cancer (n=4282, 27%), “old age” (n=2830, 18%) and cardiac conditions (n=1770, 11%). Clinical Significance : This survey shows breed differences in lifespan and causes of death, and the results support previous evidence that smaller breeds tend to have longer lifespan compared with larger breeds. Although many of the breeds in the study may not be representative of the general pedigree dog population in the UK, the results do contribute to the limited information currently available.     

劳卡（ROCO）：与德国舒乐咨询公司携手,对生产组织进行优化

在中国南部的广东省,正在兴起一种家具制造的新模式：通过签订协议,按照顾客的个性化需求对家具进行量身定制。2011年中期,劳卡公司投资建立了一家新工厂,该厂生产面积约1万m^2。通过实践,根据舒乐咨询公司建议的组织结构,在同等工作量投入的情况下,中国工人的人均产量却增长了近4倍。与之前封边机封边数量为每天1 800次相比,现在封边机每天可以完成3 400次的封边。     

Are gullies best for biodiversity? An empirical examination of Australian wet forest types

A relatively common observation in forest environments has been that gullies support higher species richness and individual abundance than elsewhere in the landscape. We completed a detailed case study of birds to contrast species richness and assemblage composition between gullies and other parts of the topography of landscapes in three closely related and spatially adjacent wet ash forest types – those dominated by Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans), Alpine Ash (E. delegatensis) or Shining Gum (E. nitens) – in the Central Highlands of Victoria, south-eastern Australia. We also quantified the influence of a wide range of other measures of stand structure and plant species composition on the bird assemblage and on individual bird species.