Prevalence, clinical features, and causes of epistaxis in dogs: 176 cases (1996-2001)

OBJECTIVE: To determine prevalence, clinical features, and causes of epistaxis in dogs. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 176 dogs with epistaxis. PROCEDURES: Medical records were reviewed for information related to signalment, clinical features, diagnosis, and outcome. RESULTS: 132 (75%) dogs were initially examined by the hospital's emergency service; prevalence of epistaxis was 0.3%. Dogs with epistaxis were more likely to be old (> or = 6 years), male, and large (> or = 26 kg [58.5 lb]) than were dogs in a reference population. In 109 (62%) dogs with epistaxis, an underlying cause was identified; 115 underlying disorders were identified, with 90 classified as local and 25 classified as systemic. Local causes of epistaxis included nasal neoplasia (n = 35), trauma (33), idiopathic rhinitis (20), and periapical abscess (2). Systemic causes included thrombocytopenia (12), thrombocytopathia (7), coagulopathy (3), hypertension (2), and vasculitis (1). Dogs with local causes were more likely to have unilateral than bilateral epistaxis, but 11 of 21 (52%) dogs with systemic disorders also had unilateral epistaxis. Dogs with systemic disorders were more likely to have clinical signs of systemic disease. Duration of epistaxis (acute vs chronic), severity, and duration of hospitalization were similar for dogs with local versus systemic disorders. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that epistaxis was a common disorder in dogs and frequently regarded as an emergency. Local causes of epistaxis were predominant, but clinical features traditionally thought to be helpful in distinguishing local versus systemic causes could not be reliably used for this purpose.     

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss,Walbaum ) develop a more robust body shape under organic rearing

Prolonged exposure to captive conditions has led to the development of a rainbow trout ‘farmed’ phenotype, which is different from that of wild trout. Selection for desirable productive traits in hatcheries has resulted in the development of some morphological traits that are maladaptive in nature. The recent development of organic aquaculture, guided by the well‐being of the fish, could potentially produce a new farmed phenotype that would be more adaptive in nature. In this study, rainbow trout reared in intensive and organic farms were compared by means of shape analysis, to detect patterns of shape variation associated with rearing environment. The results of this study highlight a significant effect of the rearing method on rainbow trout shape: organically reared trout showed a higher body profile, in particular in the head and trunk regions, shorter median fins and a deeper caudal peduncle. A combined effect of density and habitat complexity could have contributed to the observed shape differences: in organic rearing systems, lower densities and steady water could increase territoriality and aggressive interactions, promoting body designs more functional in rapid attacks and escapes.     

Clinical course, diagnostic findings and necropsy diagnosis in dyspneic cats with primary pulmonary parenchymal disease: 15 cats (1996–2002)

Objective: Correlate the necropsy diagnosis with the history, diagnostic findings, and clinical course of dyspneic cats with primary lung parenchymal disease. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Animals: Client‐owned cats over 6 months of age hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a primary problem of respiratory distress that had pulmonary parenchymal disease on thoracic radiographs, and a complete necropsy. Interventions: None. Measurements and main results: Cats included were assigned into 2 groups based on the pulmonary histopathology: inflammatory (n=8) and neoplastic (n=7) disease. No statistical difference was found between the groups with regard to age, body weight, clinical signs, duration of clinical signs, physical examination findings, thoracic radiography, duration of hospitalization, treatment, and outcome. Cats with neoplasia had a statistically higher mean total white blood cell count (26.60 k/μL±10.41) than those with inflammatory lung disease (11.59 k/μL±4.49; P=0.026). Cats with bacterial or viral pulmonary disease had a significantly shorter median duration of illness (5 days, range 1–7 days) than all other cats (30 days, range 7–365 days; P=0.0042). Ultrasound guided pulmonary fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) provided an accurate diagnosis in 5/5 cases. Conclusions: Forty‐seven percent of cats with pulmonary parenchymal disease had neoplasia. The clinical diagnosis was difficult to obtain ante‐mortem; lung FNA appeared to be the most helpful diagnostic tool in these cases.     

GROSS AND HISTOPATHOLOGIC CORRELATION OF LOW‐FIELD MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FINDINGS IN THE STIFLE OF ASYMPTOMATIC HORSES

With the recent introduction of a 0.25T rotating MRI system, clinical evaluation of the equine stifle joint is now possible in the average equine athlete. A recent publication described common abnormalities of horses with stifle lameness detected with a low‐field MRI system; however, postmortem corroboration of the lesions detected was not possible. Therefore, our objective was to compare postmortem findings with low‐field MRI findings in equine cadaver stifle joints. Ten fresh cadaver stifle joints from horses without clinical signs of stifle disease were evaluated using low‐field MRI, gross dissection, and histopathology. In eight stifles, either the lateral or medial cranial meniscotibial ligament had an irregular shape, fiber separation, or moderate abnormal signal intensity (SI) on all sequences. In five stifles, the medial femoral condyle had articular cartilage fibrillation with or without an osteochondral defect over the weight bearing surface of the medial femoral condyle. All stifles had abnormal SI on all sequences within the patellar ligaments that corresponded with adipose tissue infiltrating between the collagen bundles. Other abnormalities identified included articular cartilage fibrillation of the tibial condyles in three stifles, and articular cartilage fibrillation with chondral defects in the patella in three stifles. All abnormalities detected with low‐field MRI were corroborated by gross dissection. Findings from the current study supported the use of low‐field MRI for detection of stifle joint lesions in horses and demonstrated that some stifle joint pathologies may be subclinical in horses.     

Evaluating the public health response to a mass bat exposure—Wyoming, 2017

Mass bat exposures (MBEs) occur when multiple people are exposed to a bat or a bat colony, often over an extended period. In August 2017, a public health investigation was started in response to an MBE that occurred during May–August 2017 at a national park research station in Wyoming. We identified 176 people who had slept primarily in two lodges (Lodges A and B) at the research station, and successfully contacted 165 (93.8%) of these individuals. Risk assessments (RAs) were administered to all 165 individuals to determine degree and type of exposures to bats (e.g., biting or scratching). Exposure status for research station guests was classified as “non‐exposed,” “low risk” or “high risk,” and counselling was provided to guide post‐exposure prophylaxis (PEP) recommendations. Prior to public health notification and intervention, 19 persons made the decision to pursue PEP. The healthcare‐seeking behaviours of this group were taken to represent outcomes in the absence of public health intervention. (These persons received a RA, and their risk classification was retrospectively assigned.) Approximately 1–2 weeks after conducting the RAs, we conducted a follow‐up survey to determine whether recommendations regarding PEP were ultimately followed. The proportion of individuals that unnecessarily pursued PEP was higher among the 19 individuals that sought health care prior to receiving the RA (p < 0.00001). Among those receiving the RA first, all persons classified as high risk followed public health guidance to seek PEP treatment. Despite this, upon re‐interview, only 21/79 (26.6%) of guests could accurately recall their risk classification, with most people (55.7%) overestimating their risk. Study findings demonstrate that early public health interventions such as RAs can reduce unnecessary use of PEP and that messaging used during rabies counselling should be clear.     

Root reinforcement in plantations of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don: effect of tree age and stand structure on slope stability

The role of vegetation in preventing shallow soil mass movement is now fairly well understood, particularly at the individual plant level. However, how soil is reinforced on a larger scale and the influence of changes in vegetation over time has rarely been investigated. Therefore we carried out a study on the temporal and spatial changes within stands of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don, growing in the Sichuan province of China, an area where shallow landslides are frequent.     

Isolation and characterisation of a bacterial strain degrading the herbicide sulcotrione from an agricultural soil

BACKGROUND: The dissipation kinetics of the herbicide sulcotrione sprayed 4 times on a French soil was studied using a laboratory microcosm approach. An advanced cultivation‐based method was then used to isolate the bacteria responsible for biotransformation of sulcotrione. Chromatographic methods were employed as complementary tools to define its metabolic pathway. RESULTS: Soil microflora was able quickly to biotransform the herbicide (DT₅₀ ≈ 8 days). 2‐Chloro‐4‐mesylbenzoic acid, one of its main metabolites, was clearly detected. However, no accelerated biodegradation process was observed. Eight pure sulcotrione‐resistant strains were isolated, but only one (1OP) was capable of degrading this herbicide with a relatively high efficiency and to use it as a sole source of carbon and energy. In parallel, another sulcotrione‐resistant strain (1TRANS) was shown to be incapable of degrading the herbicide. Amplified ribosomal restriction analysis (ARDRA) and repetitive extragenic palendromic PCR genomic (REP‐PCR) fingerprinting of strains 1OP and 1TRANS gave indistinguishable profiles. CONCLUSION: Sequencing and aligning analysis of 16S rDNA genes of each pure strain revealed identical sequences and a close phylogenetic relationship (99% sequence identity) to Pseudomonas putida. Such physiological and genetic properties of 1OP to metabolise sulcotrione were probably governed by mobile genetic elements in the genome of the bacteria. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

MOTION-CORRECTION TECHNIQUES FOR STANDING EQUINE MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the distal extremities of the standing, sedated horse would be desirable if diagnostic quality images could be obtained. With the availability of extremity and special purpose magnet designs on the market, a system to safely accommodate the standing horse may gain increasing popularity. This paper considers the issue of motion that will need to be addressed to achieve successful, diagnostic quality images. The motion of the carpus and tarsus of five standing, sedated horses was quantified. The obtained motion records were then used to induce motion in cadaveric joint specimens during several MRI scans. The measured dorsal-palmar/plantar, medial-lateral, and proximal-distal random wobbling motions in the standing sedated horse were several centimeters in magnitude and generated severe motion-artifacts during axial MRI of the cadaveric specimens. Two retrospective motion-correction techniques (autocorrection and navigator-based adaptive correction) were used to correct the corrupted images. The motion artifacts were nearly eliminated with the use of both techniques in series. Although significant hurdles remain, these results suggest promise for allowing diagnostic quality MRI of the carpus and tarsus in the standing horse.     

Effects of rearing density on growth, brain neurotransmitters and liver fatty acid composition of juvenile white sea bream Diplodus sargus L.

White sea bream Diplodus sargus L. is a fish species that develops dominance hierarchies and aggressive behaviour against its conspecifics. On the other hand, stocking density is known to affect social interactions, while an appropriate density for D. sargus efficient farming remains to be elucidated. For this purpose, juvenile D. sargus (14.3 g) were reared in 88.4 L tanks, for 10 weeks, under six rearing densities (10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 fish tank^?1). Water quality was not affected by rearing density. Best growth, in terms of final weight, specific growth rate, weight variation and food utilization, was achieved at 10 fish tank^?1. At this treatment the lowest body water content, hepatosomatic and splenosomatic indices, higher body and liver lipid content were also observed. Brain neurotransmitter results indicated increased dopaminergic activity in populations held at higher rearing densities, while serotonergic activity was not affected. Moreover, no significant differences were detected for liver fatty acids. Results of the present study, compared with previously reported data, suggest that, within the range tested, the lowest realistic rearing density for juvenile white sea bream would be 10 fish tank^?1. Higher rearing densities led to decreased growth, which seemed to be related to changes in intraspecific competition and social behaviour.