Analysis of 2735 canine uroliths in Spain and Portugal. A retrospective study: 2004-2006.

The objective of the study was to evaluate epidemiological data derived from 2735 canine uroliths received by Hill's Pet Nutrition from Spain and Portugal between January 2004 and December 2006. The results of quantitative analysis from Minnesota Urolith Center (MUC) were compared with that from other countries and interrelations of mineral composition, age, breed, and gender were determined. The most frequent calculus was calcium oxalate (38.1%) followed by struvite (32.9%). Eighty-three breeds plus crossbreeds (25%) were identified. In all of them, but Dalmatians, calcium oxalate and struvite accounted for 71-78%. The mean age of urolith appearance was 7.6 years. There was a significant difference in the frequency of different uroliths composition among the six most common breeds presenting urolithiasis in Spain and Portugal (Yorkshire terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Cocker Spaniel, Poodle, Shih Tzu and Dalmatian). This is the first report on xanthine urolithiasis found in Spain. Prevalence of cystine calculi was significantly lower (3.2%) than that reported previously in parts of Spain (26%).

Assessment of renal vascular resistance and blood pressure in dogs and cats with renal disease.

This study investigated the possible relationships between renal resistive index (RI) or pulsatility index (PI) and systolic blood pressure and biochemical and haematological parameters in dogs and cats with renal disease. The study included 50 dogs and 20 cats with renal disease. RI and PI were significantly higher in both dogs and cats with renal disease than in 27 healthy dogs and 10 healthy cats. In dogs, a significant negative correlation was found between RI and red blood cell count, and a positive correlation was found between PI and serum creatinine. In cats, a positive correlation was found between RI and serum urea, between PI and serum creatinine, and between PI and serum urea. No relationship could be found between either RI or PI and systolic blood pressure.

Detection of Leishmania infantum by real-time PCR in a canine blood bank.

OBJECTIVES: Risk for transmission of Leishmania infantum from blood products has been largely demonstrated in human and veterinary literature. Appropriate screening of canine blood donors is important especially in an endemic area such as Barcelona (Spain). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the presence of L infantum DNA parasites by real-time quantitative PCR in our canine blood bank. METHODS: Samples from blood products obtained from 92 canine blood donors were assayed for L infantum by means of real-time PCR amplification and quantification. RESULTS: The prevalence of quantitative PCR-positive blood samples among healthy seronegative blood donors was 19.6 per cent. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The results of this study show that L infantum infection is common in canine blood donors and their blood products in an endemic area, despite a negative commercial serological screening for infectious diseases. Therefore, screening by PCR should be included in an integrated approach to evaluate L infantum infection among potential blood donors.

Gestación en una paciente con ventrículo único / Pregnancy in woman with a single ventricle

La enfermedad cardíaca durante el embarazo se relaciona con el 15% de la mortalidad materna, y es la causa no obstétrica más habitual de muerte materna. Las complicaciones neonatales y cardiovasculares maternas son más frecuentes entre las gestantes cardiópatas, por lo que es importante conocer los factores de riesgo de la embarazada para que reciba un consejo preconcepcional y un seguimiento obstétrico adecuados. Presentamos un caso de embarazo y parto por cesárea en una gestante con cardiopatía congénita no cianótica tipo ventrículo único, con estenosis pulmonar grave y transposición de grandes vasos, tratada a los 4 años de edad mediante corrección quirúrgica con técnica de Fontan

Cardiac disease in pregnancy is the most common non-obstetric cause of maternal death, accounting for 15% of pregnancy-related maternal mortality. Pregnancy in women with heart disease is associated with significant cardiac and neonatal complications. Consequently, risk factors should be identified in pregnant women so that they receive appropriate preconceptional counseling and obstetric care. We report the case of a pregnant woman with a single ventricle, severe pulmonary stenosis and transposition of the great arteries treated surgically at the age of 4 years with Fontan operation. The route of delivery was a cesarean section

Normal echoanatomy of the red-eared slider terrapin (Trachemys scripta elegans).

Thirty red-eared slider terrapins (Trachemys scripta elegans) were examined by ultrasound to establish the normal ultrasonographic appearance of their coelomic structures. They were not sedated, and owing to their small size they were examined through the inguinal window of the carapace. High resolution transducers (7.5 and 11 MHz) enhanced the ultrasonographic imaging of the bowel, urinary bladder, liver, gall bladder, heart, kidney and gonads, but the pancreas, adrenal glands, thyroid glands and spleen could not be visualised.

Bilateral hydroureter and hydronephrosis in a nine-year-old female German shepherd dog.

A nine-year-old female German shepherd dog was presented in severe renal failure. Clinical and ultrasonographic examination revealed the presence of adrenal neoplasia, bilateral hydroureter and hydronephrosis but no evidence of urolithiasis or bladder neoplasia. In the absence of anuria, therapy for the renal failure was attempted but the azotaemia did not improve. Remarkably, bilateral hydroureter appeared to have been induced by a past routine surgical procedure--ovariohysterectomy.

Study of haemostatic disorders in experimentally induced leishmaniasis in Beagle dogs.

Haemostatic alterations in dogs experimentally infected with Leishmania infantum were studied before and after therapy with meglumine antimonate. Haemostatic function tests including platelet count, collagen-induced platelet aggregation, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time, plasma fibrinogen determination, and serum fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products concentration were performed. In the course of infection and before treatment, moderate thrombocytopenia (P<0.00001), decreased collagen induced platelet aggregation (P=0.0003), prolonged thrombin time (P=0.0117) and increased fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products were observed. Statistically significant differences of plasma fibrinogen concentration, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time were not encountered. Haemostatic parameters returned to normal values after therapy. The results indicate that Leishmania infection may impair haemostasis suggesting induction of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and that treating dogs in an early stage of infection may potentially avoid the possibility of developing an uncompensated DIC.

Fumonisin mycotoxicosis in broilers: plasma proteins and coagulation modifications.

The effects of fumonisin B1 (FB1) intoxication in chickens were evaluated in three experiments. Two-day-old broiler chicks were fed a diet containing 10 mg pure FB1/kg feed for 6 days; some chicks were necropsied at this time, and others were allowed to recover for 5 wk before necropsy. In two other experiments, 2-day-old chicks were fed a broiler starter ration prepared with Fusarium moniliforme culture material containing FB1; one group received 30 mg/kg for 2 wk, and another received 300 mg FB1/kg for 8 days. Compared with controls, intoxicated chicks exhibited decreased prothrombin time, increased plasma fibrinogen (not included for the group receiving 30 mg/kg of culture material), and increased antithrombin III activity. Simultaneously decreased serum albumin concentration and increased serum globulins could be observed in groups intoxicated with F. moniliforme culture material containing FB1. The group allowed to recover for 5 wk did not exhibit modifications in hemostasis or serum proteins compared with controls. The results indicate that low doses of pure FB1 (10 mg/kg) and FB1 from F. moniliforme culture material (30 mg/kg) may alter hemostasis and serum proteins in young chicks.

Effects of two different doses of hirudin on APTT, determined with eight different reagents.

The APTT has been considered the most suitable candidate to monitor the anticoagulant activity of hirudin. However, its use is hampered by problems of standardization, which make the results heavily dependent on the responsiveness of the reagent used. Our aim was to investigate if this different responsiveness of different reagents when added in vitro is to be confirmed in an ex vivo study. Two different doses of r-hirudin (CGP 39393), 0.3 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg, were administered subcutaneously to 20 New Zealand male rabbits, and the differences in prolongation of APTT 2 and 12 h later were compared, using 8 widely used commercial reagents. All groups exhibited a significant prolongation of APTT 2 h after sc administration of hirudin, both at low and high doses. But this prolongation persisted 12 h later only when the PTTa reagent (Boehringer Mannheim) was used. In general, hirudin prolonged the APTT most with the silica-based reagents. In a further study, we compared the same APTT reagents in an in vitro study in which normal pooled plasma was mixed with increasing amount of hirudin. We failed to confirm a higher sensitivity for silica-containing reagents. Thus, we conclude that subcutaneous administration of hirudin prolongs the APTT most with the silica-based reagents, but this effect is exclusive for the ex vivo model.

Fumonisin mycotoxicosis in broilers. Weights and serum chemistry modifications.

The effects of fumonisin B1 (FB1) intoxication in chickens was evaluated in three experiments. Two-day-old broiler chicks were fed a diet containing 10 mg pure FB1/kg feed for 6 days; some chicks were necropsied at this time, and others were allowed to recover for 5 weeks before necropsy. In two other experiments, 2-day-old chicks were fed a broiler starter ration prepared with Fusarium moniliforme culture material containing FB1; one group received 30 mg/kg for 2 weeks, and another received 300 mg FB1/kg for 8 days. Compared with controls, intoxicated chicks exhibited diarrhea; decreases in body weight and in liver, spleen, and bursa absolute weights; a hepatic relative weight increase; and spleen relative weight decrease. Triglycerides, uric acid levels, and alkaline phosphatase activity decreased, and gamma glutamyl transferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactic dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, and cholesterol increased. The results indicate that low doses of pure FB1 (10 mg/kg) and FB1 from Fusarium moniliforme culture material (30 mg/kg) are toxic to young chicks.

[Normal values for hematological and hemostatic parameters in the rabbit. Determination of new parameters for experimental models of thrombosis and hemostasis]. / Valores normales de los parámetros hematológicos y hemostáticos en el conejo. Determinación de nuevos parámetros para modelos experimentales de trombosis y hemostasia.

PURPOSES: Assessment of normal haematological values in the rabbit using a semi-automatic analyser. Evaluation of new haemostatic parameters necessary for experimental models in thrombosis and haemostasis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 20 New Zealand male rabbits of 2-2.5 kg were anaesthetized and blood was collected from the jugular vein. The following haematological determinations were carried out using a semi-automatic analyser: red blood cells count, haemoglobin, haematocrit, indexes, white blood cells count, platelet count and mean platelet volume. The parameters used to assess the physiological haemostasis in rabbit were: bleeding time, fibrinogen, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time; and others not yet determined in the rabbit: antithrombin III, thrombin-antithrombin complexes and F1+2 fragments to measure the basal thrombin-formation activity, and fibrin D-dimer and fibrinogen degradation products for fibrinolysis activity. RESULTS: The haematological results obtained were similar than with other techniques, but with no stress influence. Normal values for haemostatic parameters studied are shown, including the parameters for the determination of physiological thrombin-formation and fibrinolysis activity. F1+2 fragments and fibrinogen degradation products could not be evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: The haematological results obtained were completely normal. All the haemostatic parameters studied were found useful to determine the physiological activity of coagulation and fibrinolysis in the rabbit, and specially for experimental models of hypercoagulability and hyperfibrinolisys states.

[Antibiotic prophylaxis with piperacillin in vaginal hysterectomy. Study of 1 dose versus 3 doses]. / Profilaxis antibiótica con piperacilina en la histerectomiá vaginal. Estudio de una dosis frente a tres.

A homogeneous and consecutive series of 93 patients treated with vaginal hysterectomy is studied in a controlled, randomized clinical essay. The patients were divided in two groups. One of the groups received one single dose of 49 of piperacillin 30 minutes before surgery; the other, three doses of 4 g of the same antibiotic 30 minutes before surgery and 6 & 12 hours after it. No significant difference was found between both groups and therefore it is fair to suppose that one single preoperative dose of piperacillin shows similar efficacy to the usually used three doses, one preoperative and two postoperative.