ABSTRACT
Visceral congestion and edema are important features of advanced heart failure. Monitoring the evolution of fluid content in the gastric wall might provide an index of the development of this phenomenon and therefore constitute an innovative marker to early detect acute decompensated heart failure episodes. The evolution of the fluid content in the gastric wall is measured using a device implanted in the submucosa layer of the fundic region of the stomach. The device composed of two electrodes measures the bioimpedance values that reflects the water content of the tissue.An in-vivo experiment in a pig was carried out to validate the feasibility of detecting the gastric bioimpedance variations during the development of an experimental acute visceral edema caused by an endotoxemic shock. Our preliminary results confirm the possibility to monitor the bioimpedance variations due to moderate changes in tissue water content (10%) with a two-electrode configuration device implanted in the submucosa of the stomach.
Subject(s)
Endotoxemia , Heart Failure , Shock , Animals , Edema/diagnosis , Stomach , SwineABSTRACT
The aim of this placebo-controlled study was to investigate the effects of oral vitamin E supplementation for 10 weeks on exercise-induced oxidative damage in untrained dogs. Eight dogs were randomly assigned to a supplementation (n=4) or control (n=4) group and underwent two isolated submaximal exercise sessions, 10 weeks apart. Blood was collected during each session to measure erythrocyte membrane fluidity (EMF), paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity, plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and vitamin E concentrations. These biomarkers were measured in venous blood samples collected before (t(0)), just after (t, EMF only) and 1d (t+1d) and 7d (t+7d) after the dogs ran on a treadmill. Prior to vitamin E supplementation, exercise induced a significant decrease in PON1 activity, EMF, vitamin E concentration and a significant increase in MDA concentration at t+1d. After a 10 week vitamin E supplementation period, these exercise-induced changes in PON1 activity, EMF and MDA concentration were still significant in the control group, but not in the supplemented group. These results suggested that vitamin E supplementation had a protective effect on submaximal exercise-induced oxidative damage in sedentary dogs.
Subject(s)
Aryldialkylphosphatase/metabolism , Erythrocyte Membrane/physiology , Vitamin E/pharmacology , Animals , Biomarkers , Creatine Kinase/metabolism , Dietary Supplements , Dogs , Male , Malondialdehyde/metabolism , Oxidative Stress , Physical Conditioning, AnimalABSTRACT
A caesarean section was performed on 30 cows before normal term and 16 to 20 hours after the induction of parturition with dexamethasone. During the surgical procedure, 20,000 U of bacterial collagenase was injected into the uterine artery of 15 of the cows. The average periods of retention of the fetal membranes were 40 hours in the treated cows and 114 hours in the control cows (P<0.001). At 36 hours after the surgery six of the treated cows (40 per cent) but all 15 of the control cows had retained fetal membranes. The collagenase-treated cows showed no abnormal clinical signs during the 10 days after the operation.
Subject(s)
Cattle Diseases/drug therapy , Cesarean Section/veterinary , Collagenases/administration & dosage , Placenta, Retained/veterinary , Animals , Cattle , Cesarean Section/methods , Dexamethasone/pharmacology , Female , Injections, Intra-Arterial/veterinary , Placenta, Retained/chemically induced , Placenta, Retained/prevention & control , Pregnancy , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
During a preclinical safety evaluation study, an indication of ocular toxicity was noted in beagle dogs receiving orally (gelatin capsules) once a day, 7 days a week for, respectively, 7 and 91 days, 10 mg/kg/day of Lortalamine, a new non-tricyclic anti-depressant compound. Lortalamine treated dogs showed, progressively, bilateral mydriasis, conjunctivitis, epiphora, corneal oedema and corneal erosions from day 2 to day 7. Thereafter, even though treatment goes on, ocular lesions were progressively improved, and inflammation and swelling of both cornea slowly reversed, especially from day 8 to 30. These ocular changes were very similar to those reported with sympathomimetic agents. It was speculated that these lesions, following chronic oral administration of Lortalamine which induced high levels of the compound and its metabolite in the cornea, were related to an increased binding of norepinephrine to adrenergic receptors since the compound inhibits the re-uptake of the transmitter into the storing vesicles.