Enterolithiasis in horses: analysis of 15 cases treated surgically in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: The equine colic, which is caused by the presence of enteroliths that are most often found in the small or large colon, is typical for certain geographical regions (dry and hot climate). A diet rich in alfalfa is one of the highest risk factors. The earliest symptoms include weight loss and repeated episodes of colic pain. Aims: To present the results of operative treatment of 15 horses with enteroliths in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Fifteen purebred Arabian horses in Saudi Arabia, aged between 2 and 18 years, were treated. Decision about the surgery was based on clinical exam, ultrasound and rectal examination. The surgery was done on recumbent position in every case, under general inhalation anesthesia performed with izofluran. RESULTS: Midline laparotomy was performed in all cases. Additional left flank laparotomy was performed in one horse, in which the stone was located in the proximal part of the small colon and parainguinal laparotomy was performed in 1 horse, in which the stone was located distally in the small colon. In each case, pelvic flexure enterotomy was performed in order to empty the large colon. Additionally, four horses underwent ventral colon enterotomy due to the presence of large stones. Small colon enterotomy was performed in 9 horses. In 12 cases treatment outcome was good and in 3 - poor. Chemical analysis of the stones showed similar results: calcium, calcium oxalate, ammonium, phosphates, and magnesium (Mg) were obtained in all these cases but there were quantitative differences accounting for 15 to 30%, 10 to 20%, 10%, 20 to 40%, and 10 to 15%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of surgery are generally good if stones are located in the large colon, but the prognosis is worse if they are located in the small colon, particularly in its proximal part. There is a huge importance of X-ray examination, which allows accurate diagnosis for locating the enteroliths and making a decision about surgery.

Cholangitis and Cholangiohepatitis in Dogs: A Descriptive Study of 54 Cases Based on Histopathologic Diagnosis (2004-2014).

BACKGROUND: Cholangitis in dogs appears to be more common than previously thought, but understanding of the disease remains incomplete. OBJECTIVE: To describe a population of dogs with cholangitis or cholangiohepatitis. ANIMALS: Fifty-four client-owned dogs with cholangitis or cholangiohepatitis. METHODS: Medical records of dogs with cholangitis or cholangiohepatitis confirmed by histopathology between January 2004 and December 2014 were identified using a computer-based search and retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Clinical signs included vomiting (72.2%), lethargy (70.4%), and inappetence (64.8%). Most dogs (49/50) had increased liver enzyme activities, hyperbilirubinemia (32/50), and hypercholesterolemia (24/43). Ultrasonographic abnormalities of the hepatobiliary system were seen in 84% of cases. On histopathology, 53 of 54 affected dogs had neutrophilic cholangitis (NC) or cholangiohepatitis, whereas 1 dog had lymphocytic cholangitis. Most cases (42/54) were chronic. Evidence of concurrent biliary disease (46.2%) and biliary tract obstruction (42.6%) was common. Seventeen of 36 biliary and 11 of 25 liver cultures were positive for bacterial growth; Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. were most common. Median patient survival was 671 days (95% confidence interval [CI]: 114-1,426). On Cox regression, dogs that did not have a cholecystectomy performed had a 2.1 greater hazard for death (P = 0.037; 95% CI: 1.0-4.3) compared to cholecystectomized dogs. Dogs >13 years old had a 5.0 greater hazard for death (P = 0.001; 95% CI: 1.9-13.2) compared to younger dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Chronic NC or cholangiohepatitis was most common. Cholecystitis and biliary tract obstruction often occurred in conjunction with cholangitis. Cholecystectomized dogs had decreased risk of death; thus, cholecystectomy may improve patient outcome.

Biomechanical study in vitro on the use of self-designed external fixator in diaphyseal III metacarpal fractures in horses.

Diaphyseal fractures of the III metacarpal bone represent 22% of all fractures of the long bones in horses. Treatment of such cases is difficult. The most popular solution used in these types of fractures is two plates applied directly to the bone surface, but they are not applicable on contaminated and infected fractures. External fixators are quite commonly used in human medicine, although in veterinary practice there is no typical stabilizer designed for the treatment of diaphyseal fractures of the III metacarpal bone so far. In this study, an external semicircular fixator of our own design was used and in vitro strength tests were conducted to determine the maximum force which would lead to the destruction of non-fractured bone and fractured bone treated with the stabilizer. On the basis of the strength tests, we can conclude that the stabilizer can be strong enough to allow the horse to stand up after surgery. It also has many favorable features which make it easy to assemble and to take care of a wound, while being safe enough for the animal at the same time.

Chitosan -- a promising biomaterial in veterinary medicine.

Biomaterials originate from natural substances and are widely used in medicine. Although they have to satisfy many conditions to be useful for treatment, more and more research is carried out with new types of biomaterials that can help replace various tissues such as tendons and bones. Chitosan is a very promising material, revealing unique features, which makes it useful for veterinary medicine -- antimicrobial activity, biocompatibility, biodegradability. It is also known as good scaffold material, especially when combined with other polymers. This article describes chitosan as a biomaterial and tissue engineering scaffold with possible applications in veterinary medicine.

Driven dynamics and rotary echo of a qubit tunably coupled to a harmonic oscillator.

We have investigated the driven dynamics of a superconducting flux qubit that is tunably coupled to a microwave resonator. We find that the qubit experiences an oscillating field mediated by off-resonant driving of the resonator, leading to strong modifications of the qubit Rabi frequency. This opens an additional noise channel, and we find that low-frequency noise in the coupling parameter causes a reduction of the coherence time during driven evolution. The noise can be mitigated with the rotary-echo pulse sequence, which, for driven systems, is analogous to the Hahn-echo sequence.

Current trends and perspectives in nutrition and cancer prevention.

There is an increasing evidence that dietary phytochemicals may play important roles as chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agents in prevention of many diseases, including tumors. The purpose of this study was to examine antimutagenic effects and effect on the immune response of representative series of substances which commonly occur in human diet. Using the Ames bacterial mutagenicity test and in vivo chemiluminescence test, we investigated antigenotoxic and immunomodulatory effects of juices and vegetable homogenates (carrot + cauliflower, cauliflower, red cabbage, broccoli, onion, garlic) on the genotoxicity of AFB1 and pyrolysates of aminoacids. Using the Ames test and in vivo micronucleus, the chemiluminescence test, the blastic transformation test and the comet assay we examined antimutagenic effects of chemically identified chemoprotective substances in the pure form (resveratrol, diallylsulphide, phenethyl isothiocyanate, ellagic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein and curcumin) on mutagenicity induced by three reference mutagens: aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), 2-amino-3-metylimidazo[4,5,-f] chinolin (IQ) and N-nitroso- N-metylurea (MNU) and effect of phytochemicals on the immunosuppression caused by these mutagens. All complete vegetable homogenates and substances of plant origin tested, showed a clear antimutagenic and immunomodulatory activities on mutagenicity and immunosuppression induced by reference mutagens. Only in the Ames test the effect of some phytochemicals against direct mutagen MNU was lower compared to indirect mutagens AFB1 and IQ. Similarly, resveratrol and epigallocatechin gallate had no inhibitory effect on mutagenicity MNU in the Ames test.

Quantum charge fluctuations and the polarizability of the single-electron box.

We measure the average charge on the island of a single-electron box, with an accuracy of two thousandths of an electron. Thermal fluctuations alone cannot account for the dependence of the average charge on temperature, on external potential, or on the quasiparticle density of states in the metal from which the box is formed. In contrast, we find excellent agreement between these measurements and a theory that treats the quantum fluctuations of charge perturbatively.

Structure of the Circumnuclear Region of Seyfert 2 Galaxies Revealed by Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Hard X-Ray Observations of NGC 4945.

NGC 4945 is one of the brightest Seyfert galaxies on the sky at 100 keV, but is completely absorbed below 10 keV; its absorption column is probably the largest that still allows a direct view of the nucleus at hard X-ray energies. Our observations of it with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite confirm the large absorption, which for a simple phenomenological fit using an absorber with solar abundances implies a column of 4.5+0.4-0.4x1024 cm(-2). Using a more realistic scenario (requiring Monte Carlo modeling of the scattering), we infer the optical depth to Thomson scattering of approximately 2.4. If such a scattering medium were to subtend a large solid angle from the nucleus, it should smear out any intrinsic hard X-ray variability on timescales shorter than the light-travel time through it. The rapid (with a timescale of approximately 1 day) hard X-ray variability of NGC 4945 discovered by us with RXTE implies that the bulk of the extreme absorption in this object does not originate in a parsec-size, geometrically thick molecular torus. Instead, the optically thick material on parsec scales must be rather geometrically thin, subtending a half-angle less than 10 degrees, and it is likely to be the same disk of material that is responsible for the water maser emission observed in NGC 4945. Local number counts of Seyfert 1 and Seyfert 2 galaxies show a large population of heavily obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) which are proposed to make up the cosmic X-ray background (CXRB). However, for this to be the case, the absorption geometry in the context of axially symmetric unification schemes must have the obscuring material subtending a large scale height-contrary to our inferences about NGC 4945-implying that NGC 4945 is not a prototype of obscured AGNs postulated to make up the CXRB. The small solid angle of the absorber, together with the black hole mass (of approximately 1.4x106 M( middle dot in circle)) from megamaser measurements, allows a robust determination of the nuclear luminosity, which in turn implies that the source radiates at approximately 10% of the Eddington limit.

Xenobiotics in food. I. Metabolic phthalate degradation.

In conjunction with the programme of monitoring the food contamination by one of the most widely distributed contaminants--phthalic acid esters--the present investigation was focused on the elucidation of metabolic transformations of phthalates in the organism of the rat and humans and on assessment of the phthalate content of beef and pork liver. As a model substance di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate was selected. The paper contains new information on the mechanism of metabolic oxidative phthalate degradation in the rat, identifies the structure of intermediary products and suggests a reaction breakdown pattern. The balance of phthalate excretion from experimental animals in faeces and urine was examined, their metabolized ratio was defined and the phthalate load of the decisive parts of the organism was evaluated, i.e. in the liver, kidneys, spleen, brain and muscular tissue. Subsequent monitoring of phthalates in urine of human volunteers exposed only to the natural phthalate intake from contaminated food revealed the presence of some oxidative metabolites in body fluids. It provided also evidence of the possible endogenous formation of 2-ethyl-3-carboxypropylphthalic acid the presence of which may signalize metabolic oxidation by a pathway terminated by possible hepatocellular carcinogenicity of phthalates. The probability of introduction of oxidative phthalate metabolites from meat of domestic animals seems minimal.

[New recommendations for nutritional requirements for the Czechoslovak population]. / Nové odporúcané výzivové dávky pre obyvatel'stvo CSFR.

The authors present new recommended energy and nutrient allowances for the population of CSFR. The allowances are defined for 29 physiological groups, incl. 11 groups of children and adolescents and 18 groups of adults (productive age and more advanced age groups). The recommended allowances are the result of research of two teams--a Czech and a Slovak one--, results are published in the world literature, FAO and WHO reports. The recommended system can be considered an important step in the area of nutritional prevention of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity.

In vivo effect of selenium on the mutagenic activity of aflatoxin B1.

Experiments were carried out to verify the effect of selenium on the mutagenic activity of AFB1. After 14 days of selenium administration to experimental animals (Chinese hamsters, Cricetulus griseus) in the form of 2 ppm Na2SeO3 solution available ad libitum the incidence of chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow cells due to a single p.o. administration of 5 mg AFB1 per 1 kg body weight was significantly reduced. The incidence of chromosomal aberrations was monitored till day 32 after AFB1 administration. A significant decrease in the frequency of aberrant cells, breaks and gaps was observed at almost any time during the investigation. 2 ppm Na2SeO3 solution itself did not enhance the frequency of chromosomal aberrations. The mechanism of the protective effect of selenium vis-a-vis the mutagenic and carcinogenic action of AFB1 remains obscure.

In vivo measuring of skin softness using the Gas Bearing Electrodynamometer.

Synopsis The bio-mechanical properties of the stratum corneum are of great importance for the subjective perception of skin conditions (dry vs. normal), as well as for its multiple functions. The recently developed Gas Bearing Electrodynamometer allows us to measure objectively the viscoelastic properties of the stratum corneum in vivo and to evaluate, in terms of skin softness, the changes of this parameter induced by the application of emollients. The principle of the technique, as designed by Christensen et al., is briefly described in context with our results. During the probe movement, there was a modification of the skin surface relief: compression of the skin furrows ahead of the moving probe, and extension-flattening of the relief behind the probe. The variations of the skin softness were studied in context with the reproducibility of the measurements: the coefficient of variation was found to be about 3%. Considerably higher variations were found as related to: the anisotropy of the skin surface relief, various areas of the body, and individual differences. The effects of emollients and water on the skin softness were studied. Water had a clear effect but of very short duration (around 10 minutes). Water-containing emollients of the type o/w emulsions displayed a distinct long-lasting effect (followed up to 6 hours). Its magnitude was generally higher than that obtained with w/o emulsions. It was found that the emollient's non-volatile components (oil phase) play an important role in the product's softening effect. In conclusion, results to date have established this technique as a promising tool for studying skin softness in general, and effects of topical applications, new formulae and specific ingredients in particular.

The fate of nitrates and nitrites in the organism.

The nitrate balance was investigated in infants and adults. While in infants the amount of nitrate excreted in the urine was roughly 100% of the amount ingested, the amount in adults was only 30-35%. The nitrate concentration in the saliva of both groups was approximately the same. Observations of the reducing activity of faeces of pigs revealed that the rate of nitrate reduction became faster when the nitrate intake was increased. The amount of nitrates excreted depends on the amount reduced to nitrites in the organism.

Some aspects of hair regreasing.

Synopsis A multi-technique evaluation of the hair regreasing process is described. Preliminary experimentation in vitro was followed by a long-term in vivo study conducted on a single subject having greasy hair. First, a shampoo for very greasy hair and one for dry hair were applied to the left and right sides of the head respectively (split-head test) for 7 weeks; then a shampoo for greasy hair was applied to the entire head (whole-head test) for 5 weeks. Three parameters were studied: (1) hair spacing, determined by means of a special device; (2) regreasing of individual hairs, measured using the contact-reprint technique; (3) the amount of sebum extracted from individual hairs, performed by g.l.c. determination of squalene. Results obtained during the split-head period showed that the shampoo for very greasy hair showed higher average hair spacing, slower progression of regreasing, and better sebum-removal efficiency when compared to the shampoo for dry hair. During the whole-head test period with one shampoo, results showed that there was consistent asymmetry as regards hair spacing and progression of regreasing. These results support our hypothesis concerning the role of interfacial forces in the hair regreasing process.

MDA-assisted psychotherapy with neurotic outpatients: a pilot study.

Ten neurotic patients (five males and five females) were treated over a period of 2 to 6 months (mean, 4.1) as outpatients. The study allowed for a maximum of 75 hours of psychotherapy (mean, 51.55 hours). During the course of treatment, two to four (mean, 3.5) administrations of MDA (3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine) were employed as adjunctive aids in an effort to enhance the psychotherapeutic process. The mean duration of the drug sessions was 8 hours (range, 6 to 14 hours). The first administration of MDA took place when, in the therapist's judgment, sufficient rapport had been established with the patient. All patients received an initial dose of 75 mg of MDA; subsequent dosage was allowed to range up to 200 mg. On these occasions, the drug appeared to be well tolerated with no serious side effects or complications observed. Psychometric assessments were obtained pre- and post-treatment, employing the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Wittenborn Psychiatric Rating Scales (WPRS), and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). In addition, follow-up evaluations were obtained 6 months after the termination of therapy by the use of the MMPI, WPRS, BPRS, and a Social History Questionnaire (SHQ) which had also been administered before treatment was initiated. Clinically, the impression was obtained that psychotherapy and the adjunctive use of MDA appeared to facilitate improvement in these patients. This impression was substantiated by significant reductions in scores on the psychometric assessments measuring depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive traits. The meaures evaluating the sense of well-being and self-actualization also were encouraging. Although some of the patients were not as responsive as others, there were no observations to suggest that the condition of any of these patients had become worse.