Nephrotoxicity of amphotericin B in dogs: a comparison of two methods of administration.

Two methods of administration of amphotericin B were compared for their ability to produce nephrotoxicity in 12 dogs. Six dogs received six alternate day doses of amphotericin B: 1 mg/kg administered as a rapid bolus in 25 mL 5% dextrose in water. Another six dogs received alternate day treatments of the same dose of amphotericin B in 1 L 5% dextrose in water over 5 h. Both treatment groups experienced significant reductions in glomerular filtration rate, as measured by inulin clearance, 24 h endogenous creatinine clearance, serum creatinine and serum urea. This reduction in glomerular filtration rate was most marked in the group receiving the drug as a rapid bolus. The inulin clearances decreased from 3.54 +/- 0.30 mL/min/kg (means +/- SEM) on day 0 to 1.15 +/- 0.25 mL/min/kg on day 12 in the slow infusion group and from 3.24 +/- 0.25 mL/min/kg on day 0 to 0.46 +/- 0.11 mL/min/kg on day 12 in the rapid bolus group. Renal lesions characteristic of amphotericin B administration were observed in all dogs tested. The dogs which received amphotericin B as a rapid bolus had a significantly greater number of tubular lesions than the slow infusion group. Systemic side effects, such as vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss, were observed in both treatment groups but were most severe in the rapid bolus group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Serum bile acids and the assessment of hepatic function in dogs and cats

Current literature in veterinary internal medicine regarding the clinical use of the serum bile acids test to assess hepatobiliary function in dogs and cats is reviewed. The test is best used in cases where clinical signs and routine laboratory tests are suggestive of liver disease. It is a highly sensitive and specific test of hepatic function, and is the best method of assessing liver function available to the private practitioner. Abnormal results do not determine etiology, severity, or prognosis of the disorder. They merely indicate the need for hepatic biopsy. The serum bile acids concentration should always be measured in both a fasting and a two-hour postprandial sample.     

Differential tolerance of peas to prometryne and terbutryn

The phytotoxicity of 2,4-bis(isopropyl)-6-(methylthio)-s-triazine (prometryne) and 2-(tert-butylamino)-4-(ethylamino)-6-(methylthio)-s-triazine (terbutryn) to peas (Pisum sativum L. var. Perfection 3040) was studied. No differences were found when the herbicides were applied to the roots of intact plants in nutrient solution or directly to leaf discs. However, prometryne was much more toxic when uptake was from soil. Absorption and translocation of ¹⁴C-labeled prometryne and terbutryn showed that the majority of terbutryn accumulated in the roots, whereas prometryne was uniformly distributed between the roots and the shoot. Thin layer chromatography of extracts from prometryne-treated peas showed that only 20% of the absorbed compound was metabolized to produce one breakdown product. Extracts of terbutryn-treated plants contained three different metabolites. After 120 hr of exposure to terbutryn, about half of the absorbed herbicide was metabolized. The results show that the main factors responsible for the differential toxicity of the herbicides to peas were availability from the soil, translocation pattern and initial detoxication.     

Effects of intravenous sodium bicarbonate and sodium acetate on equine acid-base status

Changes in blood gases, pH, and plasma electrolyte concentrations in response to intravenously infused sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) and sodium acetate (NaCH₃CO₂) solutions (1.34 mEq/mL) in 5 light breed mares were investigated. Jugular venous blood samples were collected before and after completion of the infusions in 20-minute intervals for 200 minutes. Infusion of sodium bicarbonate and sodium acetate caused significant (P < .00l) increases in blood pH and bicarbonate ion concentration that persisted throughout the collection period. The elevation in blood pH and bicarbonate ion concentrations was greater (P < .01) for sodium bicarbonate than for sodium acetate immediately after the completion of the infusions but was not different (P > .05) thereafter. There were significant reductions (P < .01) in plasma-ionized calcium and potassium after infusion of both sodium bicarbonate and sodium acetate. This study found that significant metabolic alkalosis in horses and corresponding shifts in electrolyte concentrations can be induced by intravenous infusion of solutions of either sodium bicarbonate or sodium acetate, and they persist for at least 3 hours. These data show that the short-term elevation in pH and bicarbonate ion concentration is momentarily higher after infusion of sodium bicarbonate. This is likely due to the direct infusion of bicarbonate ions in the sodium bicarbonate treatment, such that further metabolism is not required to be effective. However, the longer-term alkalosis did not differ between isomolar solutions of sodium bicarbonate and sodium acetate.     

Natural tolerance of Cuscuta campestris to herbicides inhibiting amino acid biosynthesis

The response of Cuscuta campestris Yuncker, a non‐specific above‐ground holoparasite, to amino acid biosynthesis inhibitor (AABI) herbicides, was compared with other resistant and sensitive plants in dose–response assays carried out in Petri dishes. Cuscuta campestris was found to be much more resistant to all AABI herbicides tested. The I₅₀ value of C. campestris growth inhibition by glyphosate was eightfold higher than that of transgenic, glyphosate‐resistant cotton (RR‐cotton). The I₅₀ value for C. campestris shoot growth inhibition by sulfometuron was above 500 μM, whereas that of sorghum roots was only 0.004 μM. Cuscuta campestris exposed to glyphosate gradually accumulated shikimate, confirming herbicide penetration into the parasite and interaction with an active form of the target enzyme of the herbicide, 5‐enolpyruvylshikimate‐3‐phosphate synthase. More than half of the C. campestris plants associated with transgenic, glyphosate‐resistant sugarbeet (RR‐sugarbeet) treated with glyphosate or with transgenic, sulfometuron‐resistant tomato (SuR‐tomato) treated with sulfometuron recovered and resumed regular growth 20–30 days after treatment. New healthy stems developed, followed by normal flowering and seed setting. The results of the current study demonstrate the unique capacity of C. campestris to tolerate high rates of AABI. The mechanism of this phenomenon is yet to be elucidated.     

The ecological fitness of ALS-resistant Amaranthus retroflexus and multiple-resistant Amaranthus blitoides

Summary Field studies were conducted to evaluate the ecological fitness of Amaranthus spp. biotypes that evolved resistance to either acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors ( A. retroflexus , SuR), to triazine herbicides ( A. blitoides , SuS/TR), or to both ( A. blitoides , SuR/TR), and estimate their ecological fitness under competitive conditions. The plants were grown in monoculture and in replacement series experiments. The examined mixtures were 100%S, 75%S/25%R, 50%S/50%R, 25%S/75%R and 100%R, at a constant stand of 400 plants m⁻². The SuR and SuS A. retroflexus biotypes attained similar shoot dry biomass per plant, biomass per plot and relative yield total (RYT) = 1. In monoculture, the final shoot biomass of A. blitoides biotypes SuS/TS plants was higher than that of SuR/TR and SuS/TR. A negative effect of association was observed, amensalism, when SuS/TS was grown in mixture with SuR/TR, in favour of the wild type. However, SuR/TR and SuS/TR biomass was not influenced by the presence of the competitor. These data support the hypothesis that the ALS-resistance trait in A. retroflexus and A. blitoides is not associated with growth penalty and did not incur ecological cost in the field. We suggest that the cause of the observed reduction in growth rendering the SuS/TR and SuR/TR less fit than the wild type is due to the triazine resistance, and may facilitate their dissipation.     

Littoral spawning habitats of three southern Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.) populations

Abstract Arctic charr populations in southern latitudes are nonmigratory, with all life‐stages limited to freshwater lakes and in‐ or out‐flowing tributaries. Although many of these populations are reported to also spawn in lake littorals, little is known about the physical characteristics of putative spawning grounds. A total of 23 discrete spawning sites within three Irish lakes were located by fyke netting of spawning adults and snorkelling in littoral habitats. Spawning sites were found to be long, narrow strips running parallel to the shore at a maximum depth of 124 cm. Spawning sites were limited to areas of coarse mineral substrate with an adequate (c. 8 cm) depth of clean interstitial spaces. In individual lakes, combined areas of spawning sites made up 0.4–0.7% of available littoral. Egg densities varied considerably between sites (33–900·eggs m^?2) and were significantly correlated with gradient and width of spawning sites. No evidence of redd digging was found. The shallow, localised and restricted nature of spawning grounds makes such populations vulnerable to anthropogenically induced postoviposition changes in surface water level, eutrophication processes such as increased lake sedimentation and elevated nutrient status.