Single shot intraoperative excretory urography for the immediate evaluation of renal trauma.

PURPOSE: We reviewed the quality and usefulness of single shot intraoperative excretory urography (IVP) for evaluating suspected upper urinary tract trauma at our trauma center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1990 and 1997 single shot intraoperative IVP for staging renal injuries was performed in 50 patients in whom clinical instability and/or major associated injuries mandated an intraoperative study. Contrast material (2 ml/kg) was injected intravenously and images were obtained after 10 minutes. The quality and usefulness of each study were scored by a single attending urologist on a scale of 1-worst to 5-best. RESULTS: Intraoperative study quality was generally good (average score 3.84). The information obtained was generally considered useful for determining urological treatment (average score 3.96). In 16 patients (32%) intraoperative IVP findings safely obviated renal exploration. No contrast medium reactions were noted and no complications developed that were attributable to intraoperative IVP. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative single shot, high dose IVP is safe, efficient and of high quality in the majority of cases when performed as recommended. This study often provides important information that facilitates rapid and accurate decision-making. Intraoperative IVP is a useful tool for guiding the exploration of penetrating renal injuries and confirming blunt renal injuries that may be safely observed.

Antibody response of elk immunized with porcine zona pellucida.

Immunocontraception using porcine zona pellucida (PZP) vaccines is being explored as a nonlethal method of solving the problems of locally overabundant wildlife populations. This study characterized the immunological response of captive elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) to PZP challenge using 18 3-yr-old cows and was conducted from 14 September 1994 to 13 December 1995. All animals were given a single PZP inoculation and 1 mo later six of these animals were randomly chosen and received a booster inoculation. Blood samples were drawn from all animals at the time of the initial inoculation and 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, and 15 mo later. Immunological response was assessed by measuring anti-PZP antibody levels in serum. All animals demonstrated a strong immune response with no evidence that the booster enhanced antibody levels. Antibody levels rose from between 0 and 4 at the time of the initial injection to peak levels of 85 to 163 within 2 to 6 mo, followed by a noticeable decline by 15 mo post-vaccination. Limited data suggest that antibody levels > 100 may be required to effect contraception. High individual variability in immune response observed in this study suggests it may be difficult to predict the proportion of animals effectively treated. Disruption of seasonal synchrony in calving also could occur if antibody levels in individuals fall below effective levels while animals are still cycling. These results indicate that immunocontraception using PZP vaccines is possible for elk. However, carefully controlled population experiments will be required in order to assess the potential and limitations for management applications of this technique.

Testicular atrophy in a mule deer population.

Monitoring mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) on a former plutonium production site along the Columbia River at the Hanford Site, Washington (USA) revealed 27 (23%) of 116 adult males had unusually shaped, velvet-covered antlers and abnormally developed testicles. We captured 32 males to examine age-class differences and the ratio of affected to unaffected deer and determine whether affected testicles were atrophic or hypoplastic. We found testicular atrophy in most deer with velvet-covered antlers, primarily in animals older than 5 yr. Deer had marked to extreme stages of testicular atrophy, indicating permanent sterility. Decreased serum levels of testosterone and compensatory increased levels of luteininzing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone were detected in all affected males; thus, the gondopituitary hormonal pathway may have responded to abnormally low levels of testosterone in the affected animals. Brucella spp. antibodies in sera were not detected and 9 (90%) of 10 affected animals were seropositive for epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV-2) and bluetongue virus (BTV-11) as compared to 12 (63%) of 19 unaffected animals; however, signs of other infectious diseases were not observed. Testicular degeneration generally exceeded that observed with nutritional disorders and poisons in domestic species. Also, severity of the atrophy and apparent lack of other affected tissues suggested that radiation may not be responsible. Testicular atrophy in mule deer has been reported elsewhere; however, neither prevalence has been as high nor or occurrence as well confined to a specific geographical area, as that observed at the Hanford Site. Furthermore, no physiological or age-related influences were described. Documenting the status of such variables and examining their relationships to this phenomenon is a crucial step in understanding the reproductive capacity of a wild deer population.

Grafting of fast blue labeled glial cells into neonatal rat brain: differential survival and migration among cell types.

Cultures of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, ERD 1.1 cells, a nontransformed immortalized cell line of oligodendrocyte progenitors and C6 glioma cells were labeled with the fluorescent dye Fast Blue and transplanted into brains of 4 day postnatal Wistar rat pups. The localization of fluorescent cells within host brain was examined at various times post-transplantation to determine patterns of cell migration as well as survival and integration among the host tissue. Oligodendrocyte progenitors migrated mainly along white matter tracks, integrating successfully into the host parenchyma. High survival rates were found between 5 and 27 days post grafting. ERD 1.1 cells survived and migrated between 1 and 5 days after transplantation. However, by 27 days survival had dropped from 60 to 20% of the initial cell population. The surviving cells were mainly localized to subventricular and subependymal regions at 27 days. C6 cells migrated extensively rostrally and caudally from the site of injection in the hippocampus and were tumorogenic. This finding confirmed previous reports on the survival and migration patterns of oligodendrocyte progenitors grafted into neonatal brain. However, they show that two cell lines that share phenotypic properties of oligodendrocyte progenitors markedly differ from these cells with respect to migration patterns and integration within host parenchyma. Fast Blue dye was still detectable after repeated cell division in grafted C6 cells, enabling us to track single cells as well as tumor formation. This dye should be useful not only to address issues of development, but also of tumor biology and therapeutic treatment.