新春祝辞

值此农历乙酉年新春佳节之际,我谨代表中国兽医药品监察所,向工作在全国兽药科研、生产、检验、销售一线的全体同仁,以及所有关心、支持和帮助我们工作的各位领导和朋友们拜年,并致以新春的祝贺!衷心地祝愿大家在新的一年里,工作顺利,身体健康,阖家幸福,万事如意!     

Phosphorus availability and farm structural factors: examining scarcity and oversupply in north‐east Germany

Assessing factors influencing phosphorus (P) availability in soils is important in preventing its overexploitation and excessive application in agricultural systems. Despite high historical P applications in the federal state of Brandenburg (Germany), county data on soil test P (STP) reveal considerable disparities in soil available P. In addition, negative soil balances as a result of small mineral P and manure inputs have been observed, raising questions about the factors leading to this situation. Our work focused on identifying possible causes operating at the farm management level by conducting a letter survey in two administrative districts of Brandenburg, the counties Barnim and Uckermark, linking farm management factors (ownership type, farm size, land tenure, animal husbandry with or without grassland and its intensity, presence of a biogas plant and organic production) to farmers’ self‐indicated levels of STP. Small‐ to medium‐sized individual farms tended to have (very) high STP, while large partnership farms and companies/cooperatives were sensitive to factors resulting in low STP. Farms with low shares of land ownership, the presence of grassland, extensive cattle farming and stockless organic farming had lower STP. On the other hand, biogas plants, partly in combination with intensive livestock (cattle) farming, were associated with larger STP. It was concluded that more care should be devoted to the design of agricultural policies and that further (inter‐ and transdisciplinary) research on this topic is needed.     

Outcomes of esophageal and gastric bone foreign bodies in dogs

BackgroundBone foreign bodies are commonly encountered in small animal practice. Esophageal bone foreign bodies (E‐bFBs) warrant removal, whereas gastric bone foreign bodies might not.ObjectivesDescribe management and outcomes for dogs with esophageal or gastric bone foreign bodies.AnimalsOne hundred twenty‐nine dogs with esophageal (n = 45) or gastric (n = 84) bone foreign bodies.MethodsRetrospective review of medical records.ResultsDogs with E‐bFBs were younger than dogs with gastric bone foreign bodies (median age esophageal, 4 years [IQR 2‐8]; median age gastric, 6 years [IQR 3‐10]; P = .03), and had a higher bone cross‐sectional area relative to body weight (median esophageal, 98.21 mm²/kg [IQR 48.25‐142.6]; median gastric, 28.6 mm²/kg [IQR 17.25‐64.28]; P < .001). Forty‐two of 45 esophageal foreign bodies were resolved non‐surgically and 3 by esophagotomy. Esophageal erosions were more likely with distal entrapment (OR 12.88, [95% CI 31.95‐129.29], P = .01) and longer duration (OR 18.82 [95% CI 2.22‐273.97], P = .01). Sixty‐two of 84 bone gastric foreign bodies were left in situ. Endoscopic removal was successful in 20 of 22 (91%; 95% CI 70‐99) attempts.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceWhile all E‐bFBs were dislodged either by advancement into the stomach, endoscopic removal, or esophagotomy, the majority of gastric bone foreign bodies were left in situ for dissolution, with no reported complications. Gastric advancement of E‐bFBs should be considered when oral removal is not feasible, and dissolution can be considered even with large bones.     

Expression and localization of BCRP,MRP1 and MRP2 in intestines,liver and kidney in horse

Tydén, E., Bj?rnstr?m, H., Tjälve, H., Larsson, P. Expression and localization of BCRP, MRP1 and MRP2 in intestines, liver and kidney in horse. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. doi: 10.1111/j.1365‐2885.2009.01140.x. The gene and protein expression and the cellular localization of the ABC transport proteins breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), multidrug resistance‐associated protein 1 (MRP1) and multidrug resistance‐associated protein 2 (MRP2) have been examined in the intestines, liver and kidney in horse. High gene and protein expression of BCRP and MRP2 were found in the small intestines, with cellular localization in the apical membranes of the enterocytes. In the liver, MRP2 was present in the bile canalicular membranes of the hepatocytes, whereas BCRP was localized in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes in the peripheral parts of the liver lobuli. In the kidney both BCRP and MRP2 were predominantly present in the distal tubuli and in the loops of Henle. In most tissues, the gene and protein expression of MRP1 were much lower than for BCRP and MRP2. Immunostaining of MRP1 was detectable only in the intestines and with localization in the cytoplasm of enterocytes in the caecum and colon and in the cells of serous acini of Brunner’s glands in the duodenum and the upper jejunum. The latter cells were also stained for BCRP, but not for MRP2. Many drugs used in horse are substrates for one or more of the ABC transport proteins. These transporters may therefore have important functions for oral bioavailability, distribution and excretion of substrate compounds in horse.     

Vertical position of the patella in the stifle joint of clinically normal large-breed dogs

OBJECTIVE: To define the vertical position of the patella in clinically normal large-breed dogs. SAMPLE POPULATION: Cadavers of 13 clinically normal large-breed dog. PROCEDURE: Both hind limbs were harvested with intact stifle joints and mounted on a positioning device that allowed full range of motion of the stifle joint. Lateral radiographic views were obtained with the stifle joints positioned at each of 5 angles (148 degrees, 130 degrees, 113 degrees, 96 degrees, and 75 degrees). Vertical position of the patella through a range of motion was depicted on a graph of mean stifle angle versus corresponding mean proximal patellar position (PPP) and distal patellar position (DPP) relative to the femoral trochlea for each dog. Ratio of length of the patellar ligament to length of the patella (L:P) was determined for each dog. Overall mean, SD, and 95% confidence intervals for L:P were calculated for all dogs. RESULTS: Evaluation of vertical position of the patella through a range of motion revealed a nearly linear relationship between joint angle and PPP and joint angle and DPPF Evaluation of L:P results did not reveal significant differences between limbs (left or right) or among joint angles. Overall mean +/- SD L:P for all dogs was 1.68 +/- 0.18 (95% confidence interval, 1.33 to 2.03). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The L:P proved to be a repeatable measurement of vertical patellar position, which is independent of stifle angles from 75 degrees to 148 degrees.This measurement could be used as a quantitative method for diagnosing patella alta and patella baja in large-breed dogs.     

Squamous cell carcinoma associated with a periorbital mass in a veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus)

This report describes a squamous cell carcinoma in a 1-year-old female veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus). The lesion developed as a small (1 by 1 mm) left periocular discoloration of a scale never involving the eye. The mass was first diagnosed as an abscess, increased in size (4 by 8 by 3 mm), and recurred after two surgical resections combined with antibiotic therapy. Poor nutritional condition and egg production by the chameleon complicated management of this condition. The mass was removed surgically a third time at which point histopathologic evaluation revealed a locally invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Bacterial culture of the mass isolated a pure culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ceftazidime was administered at 20 mg/kg IM every 48 h for 20 days. The animal died 3 months later from complications during an ovariohysterectomy for pregnancy toxemia and oviduct inertia. Necropsy showed no local recurrence or metastasis of the tumor.     

Mycobacterial neuritis in a cat

A 2-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat was referred for evaluation of rapidly progressive lameness of the right hind limb, which was paralyzed. Histologic examination of biopsy specimens revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation affecting the sciatic, common peroneal, and tibial nerves, and slender, beaded, acid-fast bacilli within macrophages, nerve fibers, and degenerate axons. A diagnosis of mycobacterial neuritis was made and the cat was treated with clofazimine and enrofloxacin for extended periods. Treatment was partially effective; the goal of returning normal function to the limb was not achieved, but disease progression was halted and the cat remained a viable pet.     

Ulcerative keratitis

Ulcerative keratitis comprises an important proportion of presenting ocular complaints in small animals. Because of its high frequency, corneal ulceration may not routinely stimulate the clinical concern for rigorous diagnosis, attentive management, and aversion of potential complications that it merits. Only by maintaining an appreciation for the pathologic processes at work during corneal injury and repair can busy clinicians competently diagnose, successfully treat, and forestall the complications of corneal ulceration.     

Ground-layer plant community responses to even-age and uneven-age silvicultural treatments in Wisconsin northern hardwood forests

We evaluated ground-layer plant diversity and community composition in northern hardwood forests among uncut controls and stands managed with even-age or uneven-age silvicultural systems. Even-age treatments included diameter-limit cuttings (20-cm diameter at 30-cm stem height) in 1952 and shelterwood removals in 1964. Uneven-age treatments included three intensities of selection harvest (light, 20.6 m²/ha residual basal area after harvest; medium, 17.2 m²/ha residual basal area; and heavy, 13.8 m²/ha residual basal area) that were applied in 1952, 1962, 1972, and 1982. All treatments were winter logged over snow pack. In 1991, plant diversity and community composition were examined. Species richness for spring ephemerals ranged from 1 to 6 species/150-m², spring ephemeral diversity (Shannon's Index of Diversity) averaged 0.57 ± 0.04 and evenness averaged 0.45 ± 0.03. Summer flowering species richness ranged from 1 to 18 species/1-m², with an average diversity of 0.71 ± 0.07 and evenness of 0.42 ± 0.03. We found no significant differences among treatments for any of these variables, although power to detect a difference (at p = 0.05) was low in all cases (0.15–0.55) due to high variance and low replication. Community composition was not significantly different among the treatments, for either spring (p = 0.09) or summer (p = 0.79) flora. Few exotic species were found in any treatment. Lack of exotic invasions and minimal differences in plant diversity or composition among treatments may be due, in part, to the negligible amount of soil disturbance that resulted from winter logging. While other (unmeasured) ecosystem components may differ among these silvicultural treatments, our results suggest that ground-layer plant communities in northern hardwood ecosystems are either resistant to change or have recovered within the 40 years since disturbance in the even-age treatments and within 10 years since disturbance in the uneven-age treatments.