Minipigs and potbellied pigs as pets in the veterinary practice--a retrospective study.

Minipigs have become popular pets in recent years. Therefore, an increasing number of veterinarians are being challenged by specific problems of these animals. This retrospective study gives an overview on the diagnoses and therapeutic interventions of the patients submitted to the clinic for swine at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna during the last 6 years (n=48). Most frequently, colic symptoms of the gastro-intestinal tract (n=12) and orthopaedic locomotion disorders (n=10), mainly due to accidents or long claws, could be observed, followed by urogenital tract and skin disorders (n=4 each). Therapeutic interventions are discussed with regard to medical aspects as well as statutory provisions.

Fibroepithelial hamartoma in a domestic pig.

This case report is the first description of a fibroepithelial hamartoma in a pig. The dysplasia, which covered half of the face of the newborn piglet, did not increase in relative size until the animal was euthanatized at 6 months of age. Histologic examination revealed a moderate orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis with variable degrees of epithelial proliferation. The main body of the dysplasia consisted of collagenous fibers. In addition, some proliferating small blood vessels as well as focally gathered dilated apocrine glands were evident. Given morphologic and clinical features, the diagnosis of a hamartoma seemed to be justified.

Alcohol dependence: is carbohydrate-deficient transferrin a marker for alcohol intake?

We investigated %CDT (carbohydrate-deficient transferrin) in 92 ethanol-intoxicated alcohol-dependent patients after consecutive admission to hospital and followed the for 28 days under controlled conditions. At admission, 63% (58 patients) showed elevated CDT (> 2.5%) and 34 patients (37%) had normal CDT levels (< 2.5%). No correlation of the %CDT values to alcohol-related disabilities, severity of the withdrawal syndrome, alcohol-drinking pattern before admission, or several other factors was found. The sensitivity of GGT (gamma-glutamyl transferase) was 58% for the same group of patients. Levels of %CDT decreased during the 28 days following abstinence, whereby we could separate four statistically different groups of "CDT decrease'. In two of these groups, comprising most of the cases studied, normal %CDT levels were reached after 14 days of abstinence. Those patients with %CDT levels exceeding the upper normal level after 14 days of sobriety, showed a decrease during the following 14 days to levels of 2.55-2.61%.

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin as a marker of alcohol intake: a study with healthy subjects.

This paper reports the results of a 3-week drinking experiment in 51 healthy male subjects, examining the value of %CDT (carbohydrate-deficient transferrin) in the context of different levels of alcohol intake. All healthy persons were urine-tested drug-free and underwent daily breath alcohol tests for the 7 days preceding, and during the whole 3 weeks of, the experiment. Subjects were divided into five groups, consuming different amounts of alcohol daily over a 3-h period in the presence of the investigators. The five groups consisted of 10, 9, 10, 16 and 6 subjects respectively and consumed a daily dose of ethanol of 20, 40, 60, 80 and 80 g respectively for 3 weeks. No significant changes in %CDT were detected in most subjects, even in the 80 g alcohol-consuming groups. The results suggest that CDT is not sensitive for the detection of short-term heavy drinking by healthy subjects.

[Urea formation in kidneys of the domestic fowl in early postincubation ontogenesis]. / Tvorba mocoviny v ledvinách kura domácího v casné postinkubacní ontogenezi.

The nitrogen secretion is not limited in any animal species to one final nitrogenous metabolite only. In the organism of uricotelic birds, besides other products, urea is produced. It was revealed that it developed also in the kidney of the domestic fowl. In the experiments with 130 cockerels of the White Leghorn breed--a commercial Primant hybrid at the age from 0 to 62 days--we determined the urea concentration in the supernatant of kidney homogenate and in the heparinized blood plasma by diacetylmonoxim according to Homolka (1971). In the kidney we observed a moderate insignificant increase of urea concentration from 0 to 62 days of post-incubation life (zero-day: 34.77 +/- 9.20 mg per 100 g; the 62nd day: 36.46 +/- 14.66 mg per 100 g). In the heparinized blood plasma the urea concentration was increased significantly from the initial values of 16.66 +/- 3.17 mg per 100 ml (zero-day) to 54.03 +/- 3.19 mg per 100 ml (the 62nd day).