Frequency and number of B-lines using a regionally based lung ultrasound examination in cats with radiographically normal lungs compared to cats with left-sided congestive heart failure.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a baseline lung ultrasound (LUS) artifact profile using a regionally based protocol in cats without clinical signs of respiratory disease and with radiographically normal lungs compared to a cohort of cats with left-sided congestive heart failure (CHF). DESIGN: Prospective case series. ANIMALS: Forty-nine cats without clinical signs of respiratory disease and with radiographically normal lungs and 7 cats with radiographic evidence of left-sided CHF. INTERVENTIONS: Application of a previously published LUS protocol. Frequency of B-lines was compared based on signalment, body condition score, investigator, and reasons for radiography and between 49 cats with radiographically normal lungs to 7 cats with radiographic evidence of left-sided CHF. RESULTS: Overall frequency of B-lines was 12% (95% confidence interval, 5-24%) in cats without respiratory disease versus 100% (95% confidence interval, 65-100%) in those with left-sided CHF. Six cats (6/49) had B-lines with 5/6 having B-lines at a single site; and 4/5 having a single B-line at 1 site, 1/5 having 2 B-lines at 1 site; and the sixth cat having 2 positive sites with a single B-line at each. In the cohort of cats with left-sided CHF, all cats (7/7) had >3 B-lines detected at every site. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of B-lines in cats without respiratory disease (with radiographically normal lungs) and the predominance of B-lines in cats with left-sided CHF suggest that a regionally based LUS protocol may be clinically useful for the identification and evaluation of feline respiratory conditions.

Validation of 64Cu-ATSM damaging DNA via high-LET Auger electron emission.

Radioactive copper (II) (diacetyl-bis N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) (Cu-ATSM) isotopes were originally developed for the imaging of hypoxia in tumors. Because the decay of a (64)Cu atom is emitting not only positrons but also Auger electrons, this radionuclide has great potential as a theranostic agent. However, the success of (64)Cu-ATSM internal radiation therapy would depend on the contribution of Auger electrons to tumor cell killing. Therefore, we designed a cell culture system to define the contributions to cell death from Auger electrons to support or refute our hypothesis that the majority of cell death from (64)Cu-ATSM is a result of high-LET Auger electrons and not positrons or other low-LET radiation. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) wild type and DNA repair-deficient xrs5 cells were exposed to (64)Cu-ATSM during hypoxic conditions. Surviving fractions were compared with those surviving gamma-radiation, low-LET hadron radiation, and high-LET heavy ion exposure. The ratio of the D(10) values (doses required to achieve 10% cell survival) between CHO wild type and xrs5 cells suggested that (64)Cu-ATSM toxicity is similar to that of high-LET Carbon ion radiation (70 keV/µm). γH2AX foci assays confirmed DNA double-strand breaks and cluster damage by high-LET Auger electrons from (64)Cu decay, and complex types of chromosomal aberrations typical of high-LET radiation were observed after (64)Cu-ATSM exposure. The majority of cell death was caused by high-LET radiation. This work provides strong evidence that (64)Cu-ATSM damages DNA via high-LET Auger electrons, supporting further study and consideration of (64)Cu-ATSM as a cancer treatment modality for hypoxic tumors.

US veterinary support to standardization of food and water safety and animal care and use within NATO.

NATO requires all standardization agreements and Al-lied Medical Publications to be reviewed at least once every 3 years to ensure they reflect current technologies and national military policies and procedures. This is particularly applicable with regard to veterinary medi-cine and food and water safety where advances in scientific knowledge and practices may result in documents quickly becoming obsolete. Such is the case with the 8 standardization agreements for which the FWSVS has responsibility; all are currently undergoing major revisions. With each revision, national representatives, including US veterinary and preventive medicine personnel, must review the documents to ensure there are no significant issues which would prevent ratification and implementation. This improves standardization and enhances interoperability between NATO partners to minimize duplication. This is accomplished by leveraging other national military capabilities, while maintaining confidence that the food, water, and veterinary support provided to their Warriors, support personnel, and animals in the field is safe and high in quality. Adherence to such standards is a major factor in maintaining the operational readiness of all alliance armed forces.

Evaluation of an abdominal fluid scoring system determined using abdominal focused assessment with sonography for trauma in 101 dogs with motor vehicle trauma.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate an abdominal fluid scoring (AFS) system using an abdominal focused assessment with sonography for trauma (AFAST) protocol. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Private veterinary emergency center. ANIMALS: One hundred and one client-owned dogs with motor vehicle trauma. Interventions- AFAST performed on admission and 4 hours post-admission. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: An AFS was assigned to each dog based on the number of AFAST fluid-positive quadrants identified using a 4-point scale: AFS 0 (negative for fluid in all quadrants) to AFS 4 (positive for fluid in all quadrants). Free abdominal fluid was identified in 27 of 101 dogs (27%). Dogs with AFS scores of 3 or 4 (14/27 [52%] AFS-positive dogs) experienced more marked decreases in packed cell volume and total plasma protein, increases in alanine aminotransferase, and needed more blood transfusions than dogs with lower AFS scores and AFS-negative dogs. Serial AFAST was performed in 71% of dogs (71/101); 17% (12/71) of these cases changed AFS score, and 75% (9/12) of the changes were higher (worsened) AFS, correlating with increasing amounts of free abdominal fluid. Ninety-eight percent of the study population was a primary presentation. Overall, median time from trauma to initial AFAST was 60 minutes, and median AFAST examination time was 3 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: Initial and serial AFAST with applied AFS allowed rapid, semiquantitative measure of free abdominal fluid in traumatized patients, was clinically associated with severity of injury, and reliably guided clinical management. Where possible, AFAST and AFS should be applied to the management of blunt trauma cases.