Chronic desmitis and enthesiophytosis of the radio-ulnar interosseous ligament in a dog.

A 10-year-old golden retriever dog was presented for chronic right forelimb lameness associated with a painful swelling at the lateral aspect of the proximal ulna. Proximal ulnar ostectomy and stabilization resulted in a good clinical outcome. The proposed diagnosis is chronic desmitis and enthesiophytosis of the radio-ulnar interosseous ligament.

Desmite chronique et enthésiophytose du ligament interosseux radio-ulnaire chez un chien. Un Golden retriever de 10 ans a été présenté pour boiterie chronique du membre thoracique droite associée à un gonflement douloureux à l'aspect latéral de l'ulna proximal. Une ostéotomie ulnaire proximale avec stabilisation ont permit un bon résultat clinique. Le diagnostic proposé est une desmite chronique et enthésiophytose du ligament interosseux radio-ulnaire.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

Swiss physicians' attitudes to assisted suicide: A qualitative and quantitative empirical study.

PRINCIPLES: In Switzerland, assisted suicide is legal as long as it does not involve self-serving motives. Physician-assisted suicide is regulated by specific guidelines issued by the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS). This article summarises the results of an empirical study of physicians' attitudes to assisted suicide in Switzerland, which was commissioned by the SAMS. The study (in German) is available online at: www.samw.ch. METHODS: Twelve qualitative interviews and a written survey were conducted, involving a disproportional, stratified random sample of Swiss physicians (4,837 contacted, 1,318 respondents, response rate 27%). RESULTS: Due to the response rate and the wide variation of respondents from one professional speciality to another, the findings and interpretations presented should be regarded as applying only to the group of physicians who are interested in or are particularly affected by the issue of assisted suicide. They cannot be generalised to the whole body of physicians in Switzerland. Of the respondents, 77% considered physician-assisted suicide to be justifiable in principle, while 22% were fundamentally opposed to it. Although 43% could imagine situations where they would personally be prepared to perform assisted suicide, it is clear from the study that this potential readiness does not mean that all respondents would automatically be prepared to perform it in practice as soon as the legal criteria are met. The vast majority of respondents emphasised that there should be no obligation to perform physician-assisted suicide. Opinions differed as to whether physician-assisted suicide should remain restricted to cases where the person concerned is approaching the end of life. While a large majority of respondents considered physician-assisted suicide also to be justifiable in principle in non-end-of-life situations, 74% supported the maintenance of the end-of-life criterion in the SAMS Guidelines as a necessary condition for physician-assisted suicide. Over 50% of the respondents had never been confronted with a request for assisted suicide by a patient. CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of physicians surveyed considered assisted suicide to be justifiable in principle; however, their support was strongly dependent on the specific situation. The study indicates that even physicians expressing a potential readiness to perform assisted suicide themselves would not do so automatically if all the criteria for assisted suicide were met. Assisted suicide thus appears to be an exceptional situation, which physicians would only become involved in on a voluntary basis. The authors recommend that the current SAMS Guidelines regulating physician-assisted suicide in Switzerland should be reviewed with regard to the end-of-life criterion as a necessary condition for physician-assisted suicide.

Iliopsoas muscle injury in dogs.

The iliopsoas muscle is formed by the psoas major and iliacus muscles. Due to its length and diameter, the iliopsoas muscle is an important flexor and stabilizer of the hip joint and the vertebral column. Traumatic acute and chronic myopathies of the iliopsoas muscle are commonly diagnosed by digital palpation during the orthopedic examination. Clinical presentations range from gait abnormalities, lameness, and decreased hip joint extension to irreversible fibrotic contracture of the muscle. Rehabilitation of canine patients has to take into account the inciting cause, the severity of pathology and the presence of muscular imbalances.

Effects of sterilization with hydrogen peroxide gas plasma, ethylene oxide, and steam on bioadhesive properties of nylon and polyethylene lines used for stabilization of canine stifle joints.

OBJECTIVE: To compare effects of sterilization with hydrogen peroxide gas plasma (HPGP), ethylene oxide, and steam on bioadhesive properties of nylon and polyethylene lines used for stabilization of canine stifle joints. SAMPLE: Samples of a 36.3-kg test nylon leader line, 57.8-kg test nylon fishing line, and 2-mm ultrahigh-molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) were used. PROCEDURES: In this in vitro study, samples of nylon leader line, fishing line, and UHMWPE sterilized by use of HPGP, ethylene oxide, and steam or unsterilized samples were used. Bacterial adherence on unsterilized and sterilized samples was tested with Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli. Five samples were examined for each line type and sterilization condition, and final colony counts were obtained. RESULTS: Bacterial adherence was significantly affected by method of sterilization for all 3 line types. For most of the samples, bacterial adherence was similar or lower when HPGP sterilization was used, compared with results for sterilization via ethylene oxide and steam, respectively. Bacterial adherence was significantly higher for UHMWPE, compared with adherence for the nylon line, regardless of the sterilization method used. Bacterial adherence was higher for nylon fishing line than for nylon leader line for S epidermidis after ethylene oxide sterilization and for E coli after HPGP and ethylene oxide sterilization. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Effects of HPGP sterilization on bioadhesive properties of nylon and polyethylene lines compared favorably with those for ethylene oxide and steam sterilization. Also, nylon line may be a more suitable material than UHMWPE for suture prostheses on the basis of bacterial adherence properties.

Evaluation of the effects of nephrotomy on renal function in clinically normal cats.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of nephrotomy on renal function in clinically normal cats. ANIMALS: 20 specific-pathogen-free, 9- to 11-month-old female mixed-breed cats. PROCEDURE: Serum chemistry analyses, CBC determinations, urinalyses, microbiologic urine cultures, renal ultrasonography, abdominal radiography, and single-kidney and total glomerular filtration rate (GFR) determinations by use of renal scintigraphy and measurements of plasma disappearance of technetium 99m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid were performed before surgery and at 3, 12, 26, 52, and 78 weeks after surgery in 10 cats that underwent unilateral nephrotomy and in 10 control cats that underwent a sham surgical procedure. RESULTS: Two cats (1 from each group) did not complete the study, and their data were eliminated from analyses. Unilateral nephrotomy resulted in a 10% to 20% reduction in mean single-kidney GFR, compared with that of nephrotomy contralateral control kidneys. However, mean total GFR in nephrotomy-group cats was not significantly different from that of sham-group cats. Over the 78 weeks of study, mean total GFR declined 34% and 40% in nephrotomy- and sham-group cats, respectively. Adverse events associated with nephrotomy included persistent microscopic hematuria, renal pelvis hyperechogenicity with distant shadowing on ultrasonographic evaluation, dilatation of renal pelves, and hydronephrosis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Nephrotomy in normal functioning feline kidneys results in a modest relative reduction in renal function, compared with contralateral kidney controls, but has minimal effect on total GFR when compared with sham-operated control cats. However, any detrimental effects of nephrotomy may be magnified in cats with diseased kidneys, which may have little or no capacity for repair or compensation.