Anaesthetic management for balloon dilation of cor triatriatum dexter in a dog

A three-month-old female Rottweiler puppy was referred for intravascular correction of a previously identified cor triatriatum dexter. Echocardiography confirmed the presence of a hyperechoic membrane that divided the right atrium into a cranial and caudal chamber. A foramen in this membrane allowed the blood to flow from the caudal to the cranial chamber. Balloon dilation of the defect under transthoracic echocardiographic guidance was scheduled for the following day. The dog was premedicated with 0.5 μg/kg sufentanil and 0.2 mg/kg midazolam administered intravenously. General anaesthesia was induced with 2 mg/kg propofol and maintained with inhaled isoflurane in oxygen; at the same time, a constant rate infusion of 0.5 μg/kg/h sufentanil was administered by means of an infusion pump. Uneventful ventricular and supraventricular tachyarrhythmias developed during the placement of catheters and balloon dilation. At the end of procedure, when the guide wire and balloon catheter were removed, normal sinus rhythm was observed. To the authors’ knowledge, no previous reports have described the anaesthetic management of a balloon dilation procedure for cor triatriatum dexter in dogs.     

Reward-predictive cues enhance excitatory synaptic strength onto midbrain dopamine neurons

Using sensory information for the prediction of future events is essential for survival. Midbrain dopamine neurons are activated by environmental cues that predict rewards, but the cellular mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon remain elusive. We used in vivo voltammetry and in vitro patch-clamp electrophysiology to show that both dopamine release to reward predictive cues and enhanced synaptic strength onto dopamine neurons develop over the course of cue-reward learning. Increased synaptic strength was not observed after stable behavioral responding. Thus, enhanced synaptic strength onto dopamine neurons may act to facilitate the transformation of neutral environmental stimuli to salient reward-predictive cues.     

Disruption of the epithelial apical-junctional complex by Helicobacter pylori CagA

Helicobacter pylori translocates the protein CagA into gastric epithelial cells and has been linked to peptic ulcer disease and gastric carcinoma. We show that injected CagA associates with the epithelial tight-junction scaffolding protein ZO-1 and the transmembrane protein junctional adhesion molecule, causing an ectopic assembly of tight-junction components at sites of bacterial attachment, and altering the composition and function of the apical-junctional complex. Long-term CagA delivery to polarized epithelia caused a disruption of the epithelial barrier function and dysplastic alterations in epithelial cell morphology. CagA appears to target H. pylori to host cell intercellular junctions and to disrupt junction-mediated functions.     

Isolation of Malassezia species from healthy cats and cats with otitis

Lipid-dependent Malassezia species have recently been cultured from veterinary specimens. The identification of Malassezia species isolates from animals is important to clarify the epidemiology of these lipophilic yeasts. Malassezia species were cultured from the external ear canals of 63 out of 99 cats with otitis and 12 of 52 (23%) healthy control cats. The rate of isolation in affected animals versus controls was highly significant (P<0.01). Malassezia pachydermatis was isolated as a pure culture in 33 (45.2%) cats, associated with Malassezia globosa and Malassezia furfur in 20 (50%) and 17 (42.5%) animals, respectively. Three different species were isolated simultaneously in three cats (two cats with M pachydermatis, M globosa and M furfur, one subject with M pachydermatis, M furfur and Malassezia sympodialis). M globosa was isolated as the sole species in two animals. The present work confirms the presence of some lipid-dependent species of Malassezia in both healthy and otitic cats.     

Distribution of Salmonella Serovars and Antimicrobial Susceptibility from Poultry and Swine Farms in Central Vietnam

This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and their antimicrobial susceptibilities on poultry and swine farms, sampled in 2 regions in Central Vietnam. A total of 67 poultry farms and 46 swine farms were sampled in a period of 5 months (from September 2012 to January 2013). Salmonella spp. was prevalent in 46.3% and 71.7% of poultry and swine farms, respectively. Altogether, 99 non‐typhoidal Salmonella were isolated and the most common serovars were Salmonella Weltevreden (19%), followed by Salmonella Typhimurium (12%) and Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:‐ (11%). Overall, 71 of 99 (72%) Salmonella isolates were resistant to at least one of the 14 antimicrobial agents tested. Both in poultry and swine farms, high levels of resistance were observed for ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, sulphamethoxazole and tetracycline. The presence of Salmonella isolates from poultry and swine farms which were resistant to different classes of antimicrobials suggests that alternative control measures to antimicrobials should be implemented. Moreover, an effective policy should be promoted to encourage a prudent use of these agents in animal farming in Vietnam.     

The importance of vertical transmission of Neospora sp. in naturally infected horses

Neospora spp. is a intracellular protozoan phylogenetically closely related to Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona, and it can infect horses leading to the development of reproductive or neurological diseases. We determined the presence of antibodies to Neospora sp. in mares at their parturition time and determine the frequency of vertical transmission in healthy foals to verify the importance of transplacental transmission. The samples were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence antibody test, showing that seroprevalence in mares is higher than in foals and seropositive mares are likely to transmit the neosporosis to their offspring. This shows that endogenous challenge occurs in horses, and it suggests that this protozoan can be disseminated by means of transplacental transmission in horse species.     

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—TRANSESOPHAGEAL ULTRASOUND‐GUIDED REMOVAL OF A MIGRATING GRASS AWN FOREIGN BODY IN A DOG

A 3‐year‐old English Setter dog was presented for an acute onset of coughing. Tracheobronchoscopic examination allowed localization and removal of one grass awn foreign body. A second migrated grass awn was suspected to be present in the left caudal lung lobe. Transesophageal ultrasound revealed an area of pulmonary consolidation in the dorsomedial portion of left caudal lobe and a linear hyperechoic structure consistent with a grass awn foreign body within the area of consolidation. Transesophageal ultrasonography was also used to provide anatomical landmarks that facilitated successful thoracoscopic removal of the foreign body.