Breed-Specific Vertebral Heart Scale for the Dachshund.

The objectives of this study were to determine a breed-specific vertebral heart scale (VHS) range for the dachshund and compare results to the established reference range of 9.7 ± 0.5, calculate inter-observer variability, and correlate VHS with echocardiography. Fifty-one normal dachshunds had radiographs and an echocardiogram performed. Five observers measured VHS to the nearest 0.25 vertebra. The data was analyzed using one-way analysis of variance, Wilcoxon Rank Sum test, Mann-Whitney rank sum test, calculation of reference and confidence intervals, Spearman rank-order correlations, and generation of intra-class correlations and confidence intervals. P < .05 was considered significant. The median for right lateral VHS was significantly larger than left (10.3 [range 9.25-11.55] versus 10.1 [range, 8.7-11.31], p < .0001). VHS for females was significantly larger than for males (left: 10.56 [9.2-11.31] versus 9.74 [8.7-10.88] and right: 10.8 [9.5-11.55] versus 9.99 [9.25-10.8], p = .0002). Observer consistency was high with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.95. No significant correlation was found between left atrial echocardiographic parameters and VHS. Results indicate normal dachshunds have a median VHS above the published generic canine reference range, and VHS can be reliably performed by observers with varying degrees of clinical experience.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in a weimaraner.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) was diagnosed postmortem in a weimaraner dog. Syncope, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden death in this patient combined with the histopathological fatty tissue infiltration affecting the right ventricular myocardium are consistent with previous reports of ARVC in non-boxer dogs. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy has not been previously reported in weimaraners.

Cardiomyopathie ventriculaire droite arythmogène chez un Weimaraner. Une cardiomyopathie ventriculaire droite arythmogène (CVDA) a été diagnostiquée post-mortem chez un chien Weimaraner. Une syncope, des arythmies ventriculaires et une mort soudaine chez ce patient, combinées à une infiltration histopathologique par du tissu adipeux affectant le myocarde droit, correspondent à des rapports antérieurs de CVDA chez des chiens autres que des Boxers. La cardiomyopathie ventriculaire droite arythmogène n'a pas été signalée antérieurement chez des Weimaraners.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

Pulmonary artery dissection in eight dogs with patent ductus arteriosus.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a series of dogs with pulmonary artery dissection and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). ANIMALS: Eight dogs. METHODS: Retrospective case series. RESULTS: Pulmonary artery dissection was diagnosed in 8 dogs, 3 were Weimaraners. Four dogs presented in left-sided congestive heart failure, 4 presented for murmur evaluation and without clinical signs, and 1 presented in right-sided congestive heart failure. In 7 dogs the dissection was first documented concurrent with a diagnosis of uncorrected PDA. In the other dog, with pulmonary valve stenosis and PDA, the dissection was observed on autopsy examination 17 months after balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty and ductal closure. Median age at presentation for the 7 dogs with antemortem diagnosis of pulmonary artery dissection was 3.5 years (range, 1.5-4 years). Three dogs had the PDA surgically ligated, 2 dogs did not undergo PDA closure, 1 dog failed transcatheter occlusion of the PDA with subsequent surgical ligation, 1 dog underwent successful transcatheter device occlusion of the PDA, and 1 dog had the PDA closed by transcatheter coil delivery 17 months prior to the diagnosis of pulmonary artery dissection. The 2 dogs that did not have the PDA closed died 1 and 3 years after diagnosis due to heart failure. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary artery dissection is a potential complication of PDA in dogs, the Weimaraner breed may be at increased risk, presentation is often in mature dogs, and closure of the PDA can be performed and appears to improve outcome.

Thermodynamic examination of trinucleotide bulged RNA in the context of HIV-1 TAR RNA.

RNA structures contain many bulges and loops that are expected to be sites for inter- and intra-molecular interactions. Nucleotides in the bulge are expected to influence the structure and recognition of RNA. The same stability is assigned to all trinucleotide bulged RNA in the current secondary structure prediction models. In this study thermal denaturation experiments were performed on four trinucleotide bulged RNA, in the context of HIV-1 TAR RNA, to determine whether the bulge sequence affects RNA stability and its divalent ion interactions. Cytosine-rich bulged RNA were more stable than uracil-rich bulged RNA in 1 M KCl. Interactions of divalent ions were more favorable with uracil-rich bulged RNA by approximately 2 kcal/mol over cytosine-rich bulged RNA. The UCU-TAR RNA (wild type) is stabilized by 1.7 kcal/mol in 9.5 mM Ca(2+) as compared with 1 M KCl, whereas no additional gain in stability is measured for CCC-TAR RNA. These results have implications for base substitution experiments traditionally employed to identify metal ion binding sites. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic study to quantify the effect of small sequence changes on RNA stability upon interactions with divalent ions.

The Serratia-type hemolysin of Chromobacterium violaceum.

Chromobacterium violaceum is a Gram-negative opportunistic human pathogen and an inhabitant of tropical soils and waterways. Although known primarily for the synthesis of the pigment violacein, and more recently as a reporter strain for quorum sensing, clinical reports of chromobacteriosis comprise the largest block of published literature on this organism. Genome sequencing has revealed many potential virulence factors in this microorganism, and this paper establishes the presence in C. violaceum of a Serratia type-hemolysin (ChlA) and transporter (ChlB). We also show that the hemolysin operon includes a third gene (chlC) that is predicted to encode a phosphorylation domain similar to the receiver domain of response regulators in bacterial signal transduction systems.