Unenriched skin microbiota transplantation for cats: new road story for treating feline atopic skin syndrome.

Manipulation of skin biogeography has been the subject of study by the present authors for a very long while. Previous description and report identified the benefical application of skin microbiota transplantation (SMT) by the same researcher group, whom described unenriched skin microbiota transplantation at clinical veterinary practice for the first time among dogs. This study to our knowledge again for the first time reported herein aimed to investigate Un-smt application for treatment of feline atopic skin syndrome (FASS). This novel treatment intervention was performed similarly to previous description and methodology by use of Nivea Refining Clear-Up Strips (Ni-RcUs) either in autologue or heterologue route. Clinical biomarker for detecting the efficacy of Un-smt via Ni-RcUs evolved epidermal corneometric analytes (i.e. epidermal hydration and pH), relevant clinical scores The Feline Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index (FeDESI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS pruritus) and clinical observations performed weekly, at least. Both FeDESI and VAS pruritus scores were changed in relationship with smt. Pre-treament day 0 FeDESI scores (median ± SE) (72.5 ± 9.34), were significantly (p=0.001) higher than scores on day 10 (13.5 ± 2.55) switching the severity of the disease in all cases. Besides day 0 VAS pruritus scores were 6.0 ± 0.49 (median ± SE) (prior to treatment), whereas owner VAS pruritus score was decreased to 2.0 ± 0.34 (median ± SE) significantly (p=0.001). There were no side effects attributable to treatment applications. All cases were monitored for 6 months after completion of treatment in which no recurrence was observed. As a preliminary conclusion with selected number of cats with FASS, Un-smt with Ni-RcUs should be novel strategy for manuplating skin microbiome with treatment success.

Arginine, symmetric and asymmetric dimethylarginine levels in canine leishmaniasis.

The study aimed to investigate the levels of arginine, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in dogs with canine leishmaniasis (CanL) and their relationship with some renal and cardiovascular parameters. A total of 60 dogs were enrolled, including 40 with CanL and 20 healthy controls. The CanL group was divided into four stages based on clinical and laboratory findings. The levels of plasma arginine, SDMA, and ADMA were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The data from the healthy group were compared with those from the CanL group, and according to the stages. In dogs with CanL, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, plasma creatinine, cystatin-C, phosphorus, potassium, and low-density lipoprotein concentrations, the urine protein/creatinine ratio, the amount of nitric oxide, and creatine kinase-MB activity were higher, while the high-density lipoprotein concentration was lower compared to healthy controls. The concentration of arginine was low (p < 0.05) and the levels of ADMA (p < 0.001) and SDMA (p < 0.05) were high in dogs with CanL. There were no statistically significant differences in arginine concentration among the different stages of CanL. However, the concentration of plasma ADMA was higher in all stages of CanL compared to the healthy group, and the concentration of plasma SDMA was higher in Stage IV compared to the healthy group and Stage III. The present study demonstrates for the first time a decrease in arginine concentration and an increase in ADMA concentration in dogs with CanL. The increase in SDMA concentration in dogs with CanL was consistent with previous studies. However, compared to other renal parameters, SDMA exhibited limited performance distinguishing between clinical stages of CanL. These findings could be a source for future diagnostic and therapeutic studies to explain the renal and cardiovascular pathophysiology of CanL. Additional clinical studies that include treatment and patient follow-up with an assessment of the acute phase response are needed to provide a more detailed understanding of the changes observed in dogs with CanL.

Evaluation of cardiovascular injury in dogs coinfected with visceral leishmaniasis and monocytic ehrlichiosis by echocardiographic examination and selected biomarker measurements.

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) and Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (ME), which are an important zoonotic diseases of dogs, causing multiple organ dysfunction and has a poor prognosis when not interfered. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the cardiovascular injury that develops in dogs that co­infected with VL and ME with cardiovascular biomarkers and echocardiographic parameters. The animal material of this study was consisted of 14 owned dogs in total; 7 diseased dogs which were determined to be co­infected with VL and ME according to the results of clinical examination and rapid test kits, and 7 healthy dogs, which were determined to be healthy as a result of the same examinations. As a result of echocardiographic examinations, decreased left ventricular cytolic and diastolic diameters (LVIDs, LVIDd), fractional shortening (FS) and increased ratio of left atrium to left aortic root diameter (LA/Ao) values were determined in the Co­infected Group compared with the Healthy Group. Also, as a result of biomarker analysis, higher cTnI) D­dimer and NT­proBNP levels were detected in the Co­infected Group. In conclusion, considering studies of dogs infected with VL and/or ME alone, it was concluded that similar cardiovascular injury develops in dogs co­infected with VL and ME.

-Effects of Local Anesthetics on Smooth Muscle Tissue in Rat Trachea: An In Vitro Study.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the muscle responses of rat trachea to LA drugs, such as lidocaine and prilocaine, in terms of airway spasms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 16 male rats were used. After ketamine anesthesia, the tracheal ring of each rat was removed and placed in the organ bath in the Krebs solution. The rat tracheal veins were randomly divided into two groups based on the LA applied at the basal tonus level: group 1 (n=8), lidocaine; group 2 (n=8), prilocaine. Second, the baths were washed. Supramaximal contraction was obtained by applying acetylcholine to the tracheal rings (n=16) at a basal tonus level. The rat tracheas with supramaximal contraction were randomly divided into two groups: group 3 (n=8), lidocaine; group 4 (n=8), prilocaine. The contraction responses of each group were recorded and statistically compared. RESULTS: Lidocaine constituted a significant relaxation response in the tracheal tissue in both basal tonus and supramaximal tonus levels. Moreover, it was observed that the relaxation of lidocaine was higher in the supramaximal contraction than in the basal tonus tension level. However, for prilocaine, no significant change was observed in both tonus levels. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that lidocaine as a LA drug should be preferred as the first choice in patients with respiratory risk, and that its use over prilocaine should be preferred, if supported by advanced clinical studies.

Evaluating the origin of vascular structures in ectopic kidneys with multidetector computed tomography.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the origin of the vascular structures in ectopic kidneys with multidetector computed tomography (CT). METHODS: The abdominal CT images of 96 cases with 106 ectopic kidneys were retrospectively reviewed. The ectopic kidney location, type of ectopia, and the origins of renal arteries and veins of the ectopic kidneys were evaluated. The origins of the renal arteries and veins were classified as suprarenal aorta/inferior vena cava (IVC), normal origin, infrarenal aorta/IVC, aortic/IVC bifurcation, common iliac artery/vein, iliac bifurcation, internal iliac artery/vein, and external iliac artery/vein. Finally, the ectopic kidneys were classified according to the most common combinations of artery and vein origins. RESULTS: The renal artery originated from the suprarenal aorta in 1 case, normal origin in 13 cases, the infrarenal aorta in 36 cases, aortic bifurcation in 50 cases, the common iliac artery in 17 cases, and the iliac artery bifurcation in 2 cases. The renal vein was of normal origin in 19 cases, originated from the infrarenal IVC in 44 cases, IVC bifurcation in 36 cases, the common iliac vein in 23 cases, the internal iliac vein in 1 case, and the external iliac vein in 1 case. We classified the artery and vein origins of the ectopic kidneys into 7 most common types and other less common types. A significant correlation was found between the level of the ectopic kidneys and the origin of the arteries and veins (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the majority of ectopic kidneys have various origins of arterial and venous supply. We described the most common vascular origins of ectopic kidneys. Prior knowledge of these vascular variations may have important implications in preventing iatrogenic hemorrhage during surgery of patients with ectopic kidney.

Experience of using shear wave elastography in evaluation of testicular stiffness in cases of male infertility.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine quantitative testicular tissue stiffness values in normal and infertile men using shear wave elastography (SWE), and to evaluate the relationship between infertility and testicular stiffness value. METHODS: In total, 100 testes of 50 infertile patients with abnormal semen parameters were classified as group A, and 100 testes of 50 control subjects were classified as group B. These two groups were compared in terms of age, testicular volume, and SWE values. The group B testes were randomly chosen from patients who had applied for ultrasonography for any reason, and who had no testis disease and no history of infertility. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 27.83 years, and no significant difference in age was found between the groups (P = 0.133). No significant difference in testicular volume was found between the groups (P = 0.672). The SWE values were significantly higher in group A than in group B (P = 0.000 for both m/s and kPa values). SWE values had a negative correlation with mean testicular volume in group A (for m/s values: P = 0.043; for kPa values: P = 0.024). CONCLUSION: SWE can be a useful technique for assessing testicular stiffness in infertile patients to predict parenchymal damage in testicular tissue that leads to an abnormality in sperm quantity. In addition, decreased testicular volume, together with increased SWE values, can reflect the degree of parenchymal damage.

Shear Wave Elastography Evaluation of Testes in Patients With Varicocele.

We aimed to determine histological damage in patients with varicocele by comparing the elasticity of their affected testes with that of their normal contralateral testes as well as normal testes of control subjects without varicocele using shear wave elastography (SWE). In total, 48 patients with varicocele (96 testes) and 52 control subjects (104 testes) were included in this study. Shear wave elastography values were measured in the longitudinal plane using an oval region of interest that covered as much of the testicular contours as possible. Fifty testes with varicocele were classified as group A, 46 normal contralateral testes of the same patients as group B, and 104 normal testes of control subjects as group C. The normal group C testes were randomly chosen from patients who had applied for ultrasonography for any reason and agreed to participate in the study. The testicular volume and SWE values were compared between these 3 groups. The average age of the patients was 28.45 years, and no significant difference in age was found between the 3 groups (P = 0.665). A significant difference in the testicular volume was found between groups A and C (P = 0.014). The SWE values were significantly higher in group A than in groups B and C (P < 0.001). No significant correlation was observed between the testicular volume and SWE values in any of the groups. Our results showed that SWE can be used as an effective technique to assess testicular stiffness in patients with varicocele to predict interstitial fibrosis and the severity of histological damage.

Two-Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography in the Assessment of Salivary Gland Involvement in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of two-dimensional (2D) shear wave elastography (SWE) in the assessment of salivary gland involvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). METHODS: Fifty-three patients with pSS and 30 healthy volunteers were included. The echogenicity of all submandibular and parotid glands was evaluated with B-mode ultrasound, and their elasticity was assessed with 2D SWE. The mean and standard deviation of the shear wave speed and elasticity modes on 2D SWE were calculated. RESULTS: The mean shear wave speed and elasticity mode values for the submandibular and parotid glands were significantly higher in the patients with pSS (P < .05). The mean elasticity of the shear wave speed mode was best able to differentiate the parotid glands of patients with pSS from those of healthy volunteers at a cutoff value of 2.48 m/s, whereas the mean elasticity of the elasticity mode was best able to differentiate the submandibular glands of patients with pSS from those of healthy volunteers at a cutoff value of 21 kPa. CONCLUSIONS: Two-dimensional SWE is an effective technique for assessment of the parenchyma of the salivary glands in patients with pSS and predicts interstitial fibrosis and the severity of histologic damage.

Plasma citrulline, arginine, nitric oxide, and blood ammonia levels in neonatal calves with acute diarrhea.

BACKGROUND: Plasma citrulline (CIT) concentration is considered to be a reliable marker of functional enterocyte mass, primarily in humans. However, information about CIT levels along with related metabolites, arginine (ARG), nitric oxide (NO), and ammonia in neonatal calves are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To compare plasma CIT, ARG, NO, and whole blood ammonia concentrations in neonatal calves with acute diarrhea with those in healthy calves and to assess their possible relationships with diarrhea-related criteria. ANIMALS: Seventy neonatal calves (60 with acute diarrhea and 10 healthy). METHODS: Observational case-control study. Diarrheic calves were classified into subgroups on the basis of etiology, severity of diarrhea, degree of dehydration, and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) status. Plasma CIT and ARG concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Plasma CIT (median [range]: 67.5 [61.9-75.4] vs 30.1 [15.0-56.1] µmol/L) and ARG (170.7 [148.5-219.5] vs 106.1 [54.4-190.7] µmol/L) were lower and plasma NO (4.42 [3.29-5.58] vs 6.78 [5.29-8.92] µM) and blood ammonia concentrations (28.7 [26.1-36.9] vs 59.8 [34.6-99.5] µmol/L) were higher in the neonatal calves with diarrhea (P < .001). Plasma CIT (ß = -0.29, P = .02), ARG (ß = -0.33, P = .01), NO (ß = 0.55, P < .001), and blood ammonia (ß = 0.63, P <.001) were affected by SIRS status. Except for ammonia (0.52), the effects sizes for severity of diarrhea and degree of dehydration were small (ηp2 ≤ 0.45) for CIT, ARG, and NO. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The changes in these variables might have diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic value in diarrheic neonatal calves.

In Vivo Analysis of Urinary Stones With Dual-Energy Computed Tomography.

OBJECTIVE: Formation mechanisms and treatment of the urinary stones are different, depending on their chemical structure. Therefore, determining the stone type plays a key role in planning treatment and preventive measures. Computed tomography (CT), with the use of dual-energy technology in recent years, has made it possible to do in vivo analysis of urinary stones. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of dual-energy CT (DECT) and compare its results with in vitro analysis, which is accepted as a gold standard for analysis of urinary stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The DECT examinations were performed on 373 patients using 128-slice dual-source CT scanner. Analysis of attenuation ratios in the high and low kilovoltage peak values of the stone was performed at workstation, and stones were classified as hydroxyapatite, calcium oxalate, cystine, and uric acid. On follow-up, the stone was obtained in 35 patients as a result of surgery or passed spontaneously. The DECT analysis and in vitro analysis results were compared and statistically evaluated. RESULTS: In all patients, 136 hydroxyapatite, 160 calcium oxalate, 57 uric acid, and 20 cystine stones were detected with DECT. In vitro analyses of the stones were performed in 35 patients, and 8 hydroxyapatite, 18 calcium oxalate, 6 uric acid, and 3 cystine stones were revealed. When DECT analysis results were compared with in vitro analysis results, stone types were detected correctly in 32 (91.4%) patients and incorrectly in 3 (8.6%) patients. Especially all uric acid and cystine stones were correctly detected with DECT. CONCLUSIONS: With advanced postprocess analysis methods, DECT is able to analyze urinary stones. The DECT is found superior especially in detecting uric acid and cystine stones. Its success in detecting hydroxyapatite and calcium oxalate stones is also high. When in vivo analyses of the stones are performed with DECT, it will be possible to make a contribution to the personalization and optimization of the treatment.

A novel pipeline for adrenal tumour segmentation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Adrenal tumours occur on adrenal glands surrounded by organs and osteoid. These tumours can be categorized as either functional, non-functional, malign, or benign. Depending on their appearance in the abdomen, adrenal tumours can arise from one adrenal gland (unilateral) or from both adrenal glands (bilateral) and can connect with other organs, including the liver, spleen, pancreas, etc. This connection phenomenon constitutes the most important handicap against adrenal tumour segmentation. Size change, variety of shape, diverse location, and low contrast (similar grey values between the various tissues) are other disadvantages compounding segmentation difficulty. Few studies have considered adrenal tumour segmentation, and no significant improvement has been achieved for unilateral, bilateral, adherent, or noncohesive tumour segmentation. There is also no recognised segmentation pipeline or method for adrenal tumours including different shape, size, or location information. METHODS: This study proposes an adrenal tumour segmentation (ATUS) pipeline designed to eliminate the above disadvantages for adrenal tumour segmentation. ATUS incorporates a number of image methods, including contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization, split and merge based on quadtree decomposition, mean shift segmentation, large grey level eliminator, and region growing. RESULTS: Performance assessment of ATUS was realised on 32 arterial and portal phase computed tomography images using six metrics: dice, jaccard, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and structural similarity index. ATUS achieved remarkable segmentation performance, and was not affected by the discussed handicaps, on particularly adherence to other organs, with success rates of 83.06%, 71.44%, 86.44%, 99.66%, 99.43%, and 98.51% for the metrics, respectively, for images including sufficient contrast uptake. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed ATUS system realises detailed adrenal tumour segmentation, and avoids known disadvantages preventing accurate segmentation.

An Efficient Pipeline for Abdomen Segmentation in CT Images.

Computed tomography (CT) scans usually include some disadvantages due to the nature of the imaging procedure, and these handicaps prevent accurate abdomen segmentation. Discontinuous abdomen edges, bed section of CT, patient information, closeness between the edges of the abdomen and CT, poor contrast, and a narrow histogram can be regarded as the most important handicaps that occur in abdominal CT scans. Currently, one or more handicaps can arise and prevent technicians obtaining abdomen images through simple segmentation techniques. In other words, CT scans can include the bed section of CT, a patient's diagnostic information, low-quality abdomen edges, low-level contrast, and narrow histogram, all in one scan. These phenomena constitute a challenge, and an efficient pipeline that is unaffected by handicaps is required. In addition, analysis such as segmentation, feature selection, and classification has meaning for a real-time diagnosis system in cases where the abdomen section is directly used with a specific size. A statistical pipeline is designed in this study that is unaffected by the handicaps mentioned above. Intensity-based approaches, morphological processes, and histogram-based procedures are utilized to design an efficient structure. Performance evaluation is realized in experiments on 58 CT images (16 training, 16 test, and 26 validation) that include the abdomen and one or more disadvantage(s). The first part of the data (16 training images) is used to detect the pipeline's optimum parameters, while the second and third parts are utilized to evaluate and to confirm the segmentation performance. The segmentation results are presented as the means of six performance metrics. Thus, the proposed method achieves remarkable average rates for training/test/validation of 98.95/99.36/99.57% (jaccard), 99.47/99.67/99.79% (dice), 100/99.91/99.91% (sensitivity), 98.47/99.23/99.85% (specificity), 99.38/99.63/99.87% (classification accuracy), and 98.98/99.45/99.66% (precision). In summary, a statistical pipeline performing the task of abdomen segmentation is achieved that is not affected by the disadvantages, and the most detailed abdomen segmentation study is performed for the use before organ and tumor segmentation, feature extraction, and classification.

Ectopic Pregnancy in a Cesarean Section Scar: Successful Management Using Vacuum Aspiration under Laparoscopic Supervision-Mini Review of Current Literature.

A cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy (CSEP) is a fairly uncommon presentation wherein the conceptus is implanted deep in the myometrium and at the exact scar site of the previous cesarean section. There are various CSEP management options that range from medical treatment to surgical interventions such as dilatation and curettage, laparoscopic excision, resection by laparotomy, or, sometimes, a combination of these modalities. Establishing a diagnosis of CSEP can be challenging. Given the relatively rare incidence of CSEP, its management is controversial and current standards of therapy have been derived from data obtained from a limited number of patients. Herein, we present transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS) imaging findings and management strategies used in a case of CSEP along with the short review of current literature.

The efficacy of chloroquine treatment against naturally occuring Giardia duodenalis infection in lambs / La eficacia del tratamiento de cloroquina contra la infección natural por Giardia duodenalis en corderos

ABSTRACT Objective. The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy of Chloroquine (Cq), an antimalarial medicine, administered at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg, orally, during 5 consecutive days, in Sakiz and Merino lambs naturally infected with Giardia duodenalis. Materials and methods. To this extent weaned 10 weeks of aged lambs were enrolled and randomly assigned into two groups based on treatment (group C, n=18 lambs treated with Cq) and placebo (group P, n=8 untreated control animals). Diagnosis was based on detection of trophozoit and/or cysts on fecal flotation. Cyst count per gram feces (days 0, 3, 7 and 10) was analyzed among groups. Results. During the trial, regarding the efficacy of Cq on days 3., 7., and 10. There was significant (p<0.01) reduction in cyst excretion; whereas evaluation of mean geometric cyst excretion revealed 100% reduction. Conclusions. There was a very high (100%) reduction in cyst excretion in the Cq treatment group compared to the positive untreated control group on days 3, 7 and 10, resulting in a significant (p<0.001) reduction, making Cq, safety, and thus highly effective treatment option of lambs with naturally occuring giardiasis.

RESUMEN Objetivo . El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la eficacia de la cloroquina, un medicamento contra la malaria, administrado a una dosis de 2.5 mg/kg, por vía oral, durante 5 días consecutivos, en Corderos Sakiz y Merino infectados naturalmente con Giardia duodenalis. Materiales y metodos. En esta medida destetados 10 semanas de edad fueron incluidos y asignados al azar en dos grupos sobre la base del tratamiento (grupo C, n = 18 corderos tratados con cloroquina) y placebo (grupo P, n = 8 animales de control no tratados). El diagnóstico se basa en la detección de trophozoit y/o quistes en la flotación fecal. Quiste recuento por gramo de heces (día 0, 3, 7 y 10) se analizó entre los grupos. Resultados. Respecto a la eficacia de la cloroquina en los días 3, 7 y 10 existió una reducción significativa (p<0.01) en la excreción de quistes; mientras que la evaluación de la media de la excreción de quistes reveló una reducción del 100%. Conclusiones. Durante el estudio hubo una reducción del 100% en la excreción de quistes en el grupo de tratamiento con cloroquina en comparación con el grupo control no tratado positivo en los días 3, 7 y 10, lo que resulta en una disminución significativa (p<0.001) por lo que la cloroquina razonablemente es una opción de tratamiento por el costo, seguridad, y por lo tanto muy eficaz de corderos infectados naturalmente con giardiasis.

Effect of Ketoprofen on acute phase protein concentrations in goats undergoing castration.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of ketoprofen on acute phase protein (APPs) concentrations in goats undergoing castration. A total of 16 clinically healthy, male and 12 months old goats were enrolled and each case received ketoprofen (group I) or control (group II) in a randomized fashion. Goats were sedated with Xylazine-HCl, afterwards ketoprofen (3 mg/kg) was injected via jugular vein in group I, whereas physiological saline solution was administered to group II. Goats were castrated by the Burdizzo method. Hematological parameters were determined with a blood cell counter and plasma fibrinogen (Fb), serum haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA) and ceruloplasmin (Cp) concentrations were measured Millars technique, ELISA kit or p-phenylenediamine oxidase activity prior to castration and throughout the study on 0 to 96 h. RESULTS: There were no differences in pre-treatment serum Cp, SAA and Fb concentrations among the groups. Contrarily, there were significant differences in plasma Hp concentrations on 0 to 96 h onwards post-castration. There were no differences in WBC and PCV between groups. Cp, Fb, and SAA were almost constant or showed slight changes at various stages of the study with no significant differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that, levels of Cp, Fb and SAA may not be affected by castration such as the confounding parameters similarly to stress. More investigations possessing different surgical or non-surgical castration techniques with larger number of goats and focusing on specific markers for stress are suggested for precise analysis.

Diagnostic accuracy and effective radiation dose of high pitch dual source multidetector computed tomography in evaluation of coronary artery bypass graft patency.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and effective radiation dose (ERD) of high pitch dual source multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patency. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourty-five patients who underwent 128 × 2­slice MDCT angiography with a prospective electrocardiogram-triggering, low-dose, high pitch, dual source, flash spiral acquisition mode after CABG surgery were included in the study. The interobserver agreement of the image quality was evaluated with Cohen κ value. The image quality was compared to the heart rates (HRs) using Mann-Whitney U test and to the graft segments using χ(2) test. The findings for the CABG patency on MDCT were compared to those determined on catheter coronary angiography. Dose-length product (DLP) and ERD were compared to the gender, HRs, and body mass index (BMI) of the patients using Kruskall Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS: A total of 110 grafts and 330 vessel segments were evaluated with a good interobserver agreement (κ = 0.80). The image quality was better in proximal and middle graft segments (p < 0.05), as well as in the patients with low HRs (p < 0.05). High pitch MDCT had the following sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy for evaluation of graft patency: 92.8, 99.3, 92.8, 99.3 and 98.8 %, respectively. ERD was correlated to the HRs and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: High pitch 128 × 2­slice dual source CT angiography is a noninvasive imaging modality, and it can be safely and effectively used in evaluation of CABG patency with lower radiation dose.

The effect of surgery (Ovariohysterectomy) on the plasma disposition of meloxicam following intravenous administration in dogs.

BACKGROUND: Meloxicam (MLX) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used in the relief of postoperative pain for human and veterinary medicine. This study was designed to investigate the effect of surgery on the plasma disposition of MLX in dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy following a single intravenous injection at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg bodyweight. Eight crossbred bitches were used in the study. A two-phase experimental design with a 10-day washout period was used. Pre-operative MLX was administered intravenously to 8 bitches about 10 days before surgery (Phase I, control) at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg bodyweight and peri-operative MLX was administered intravenously after anaesthesia and 15 min before the start of surgery (Phase II). Blood samples were collected from all animals at various times between 1 and 96 h after the drug administrations in both phases. The drug concentrations were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: The volume of plasma MLX distribution at steady-state (Vdss) of the control group (Vdss: 263.0 ml/kg) was significantly greater (P < 0.05) compared to that of the surgery group (Vdss: 149.3 ml/kg). The AUC values were higher (29.5 vs. 23.0 µg.h(2)/ml) and the CL values were lower (7.7 vs. 10.5 ml.h/kg) in the surgery group compared to the control group, respectively, but differences were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study indicated that surgery could alter the plasma disposition of MLX and thus the drug efficacy and side effects such as gastrointestinal ulceration, unusual bleeding and loss of kidney function/failure when repeated doses are used.

Protective effects of thymoquinone against apoptosis and oxidative stress by arsenic in rat kidney.

We aimed to investigate the protective role of thymoquinone (TQ) by targeting its antiapoptotic and antioxidant properties against kidney damage induced by arsenic in rats. We have used the 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were divided into three groups. Physiological serum in 10 mL/kg dose as intragastric was given to the control group. Sodium arsenite (10 mg/kg, intragastric by gavage for fifteen days) was given to the arsenic group. Sodium arsenite (10 mg/kg, intragastric by gavage for fifteen days) and TQ (10 mg/kg, intragastric by gavage for 15 days) was given to the arsenic + TQ group. After 15 days, the animals' kidneys were taken theirs, then we have performed histological and apoptotic assessment. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) enzyme activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels have examined as the oxidative stress parameters. We have determined the levels of arsenic. Increased renal injury and apoptotic cells have been detected in the arsenic group. Degenerative changes in the arsenic + TQ group were diminished. Although the MDA levels were augmented in the arsenic group, SOD, CAT and GSH-Px enzyme activities were lessened than the other groups. Our findings suggest that TQ may impede the oxidative stress, the cells have been damaged and also the generation of apoptotic cells arisen from arsenic. TQ plays a protective role against arsenic-induced toxicity in kidney and may potentially be used as a remedial agent.