Comparison of Coinduction Adjuvants to Propofol in Healthy Cats Sedated With Dexmedetomidine.

This study aimed to compare the effects of different coinduction agents on the duration and dose of propofol in healthy cats. Six cats aged 4.8 ± 1.0 years and weighing 4.4 ± 1.1 kg participated in 4 treatment groups of propofol combined with: saline or control group (TC); ketamine 2 mg/kg (Tket); fentanyl 1 µg/kg (Tfen); or midazolam 0.3 mg/kg (Tmid). Twenty minutes following premedication with dexmedetomidine at 10 µg/kg, induction followed the same protocol in all groups, starting with a propofol bolus of 1 mg/kg over 1 minute followed by an adjuvant, then propofol again at 1 mg/kg/minute for orotracheal intubation. Variables recorded were (in minutes): time of extubation, time to return of palpebral reflex, eye recentralization, recovery of consciousness, quadrupedal position and total propofol dose used (mg/kg). A comparison between the 4 groups was performed by analysis of variance followed by Dunnett test under 5% significance. There was no significant difference in any of the times evaluated during anesthetic recovery between the groups. The propofol dose used to allow orotracheal intubation was significantly lower in all groups compared to TC (P < .05). Ketamine, midazolam, and fentanyl are indicated as suitable choices for coinduction with propofol in cats.

Cobalamin F deficiency in a girl with severe skin hyperpigmentation and a homozygous LMBRD1 variant.

Cobalamin (vitamin B12) is important in gastrulation, nervous system development and haemoglobin formation. Mutations of the ABCD4 or LMBRD1 genes can lead to cobalamin-related disorders. We report a patient with disseminated skin hyperpigmentation caused by a homozygous LMBRD1 variant. Genetic disorders of cobalamin metabolism caused by variants in the ABCD4 or LMBRD1 genes should be considered in patients presenting with cutaneous hyperpigmentation. Click https://www.wileyhealthlearning.com/#/online-courses/a6ef1275-8325-4834-89d2-aa18fa31e63f for the corresponding questions to this CME article.

Propofol at Single Bolus and Continuous Rate Infusion Significantly Increases Serum Triglycerides, but not Cholesterol, In Healthy Bitches Undergoing Elective Ovariohysterectomy.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a single bolus and continuous rate infusion (CRI) of 1% propofol on cholesterol and triglyceride levels of healthy bitches undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy. 10 healthy bitches undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy had blood samples obtained at baseline (TB), 15 minutes following premedication with acepromazine and morphine (TPM), after an intravenous bolus of propofol (induction to anesthesia, TIND) and following 90 minutes of CRI of propofol started at 0.4 mg kg-1 min-1 and adjusted according to individual requirements (TCRI). Data were initially tested for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and comparisons were performed using Friedman followed by Dunn post-hoc test. Serum cholesterol levels significantly decreased at TIND and TCRI (median [min-max] 201 mg dL-1 [111-234 mg dL-1], and 215 mg dL-1 [111-239 mg dL-1]), respectively, compared with TB (232 [128-245 mg dL-1]) and TPM (206 [115-255 mg dL-1]). No differences were found between TIND and TCRI. Triglyceride levels increased significantly at TIND (120 [67-231 mg dL-1]) and TCRI (229 [73-549 mg dL-1]) compared with TPM (36 [51-29 mg dL-1]), and TCRI compared with TB. In conclusion, 1% propofol lipid emulsion significantly increases serum triglycerides and causes lipemia in healthy dogs at a single bolus or CRI.

Unusual effects of nanowire-nanowire junctions on the persistent photoconductivity in SnO2 nanowire network devices.

The persistent photoconductivity (PPC) effect is a commonly observed behavior in SnO2 nanostructures. Here we described and studied this effect through a comparative study, based on measurements of electronic transport using network as well as single devices built from SnO2 nanowires under different experimental conditions. At room temperature, the PPC effect was observed to be more accentuated in single nanowire devices. It was found that nanowire-nanowire junctions play a fundamental role in the device behavior: the decay time of nanowire network (τ = 52 s) is about three orders of magnitude lower than those of single nanowire (τ = 4.57 × 104 s). Additionally, it was confirmed that the PPC effect was directly related to the amount of oxygen present in the environment and it is destroyed with increasing temperature. Furthermore, the PPC effect was interpreted based on the surface effect that depends on the capture/emission of electrons by the surface states.

Critical overview of the main features and techniques used for the evaluation of the clinical applicability of L-asparaginase as a biopharmaceutical to treat blood cancer.

L-asparaginase is an enzyme used as a biopharmaceutical to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Several adverse effects have been related to L-asparaginase use, so the scientific community has searched for novel proteoforms of L-ASNase. However, some critical characteristics must be considered for a novel L-ASNase source to be effective as an antitumour drug. Accordingly, this article provides a critical analysis of the parameters and methods applied to estimate L-ASNase concentration, measure the L-ASNase and GLNase activities and kinetics, evaluate the enzyme preparations purity and define the antitumour activity against leukemic cells in vitro. Among the main features, the proposed new enzyme needs to present high affinity for L-asparagine; low percentage of glutaminase activity in relation to L-ASNase; high enzyme stability and half-life and mainly antileukemic activity when a low protein amount is applied. These parameters are discussed in an attempt to guide the consideration of an enzyme as a promising biopharmaceutical against ALL.

Echinococcus granulosus ss in dog - A report in center-northern Portugal.

Routine parasitic control and health care of the dog is lacking in many Portuguese rural communities. Freely roaming and stray dogs are responsible for the maintenance of a permanent parasitic infection pressure, namely of zoonotic importance. Therefore, a good understanding of the epidemiology of Echinococcus granulosus including the transmission to man is of great significance to further the awareness within the rural populations and the local health authorities of this zoonotic parasite. This report aims at a better understanding of the epidemiology of Echinococcus granulosus in the Cantanhede region, located in the Central region of Portugal, through the necropsy of stray dogs. At the Official Veterinary Kennel of this Municipality, 105 stray dogs were studied for the presence of Echinococcus granulosus following the adult cestode recovery with necropsy procedure of the first third part of the small intestine. One dog revealed to be positive (1.05%) and the sampled Echinococcus were genotyped and identified as E. granulosus ss. As this genotype is widely spread and has been reported in different parts of the world, further work is necessary to be conducted in this and other regions of Portugal for a better understanding of E. granulosus epidemiology within the typical small rural farms where pig rearing plays an important economic role.

The occurrence of zoonotic parasites in rural dog populations from northern Portugal.

A survey of intestinal parasites in dogs was carried out in a rural region around Cantanhede, in northern Portugal, where 301 dog faecal samples were collected from small-ruminant farms. Saturated salt flotation and formol-ether sedimentation techniques were used. An enquiry was conducted in 234 farms and a risk factor evaluation for zoonotic helminths was determined among the 195 farmers who owned dogs. The overall parasite prevalence in faecal samples of dogs was 58.8%, with specific prevalences for Ancylostomidae being 40.9% followed by species of Trichuris (29.9%), Toxocara (8%), Isospora (4%), Capillaria (0.7%) and Spirometra (0.3%). Taeniidae eggs were present in five samples (1.7%) which were analysed with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique and revealed to be from Taenia sp., and not Echinococcus granulosus. This rural region has a traditional small-farm system, in which farm products are mainly for in-house consumption and home slaughtering is a current practice (57%). Analysis showed home slaughtering to be a statistically significant risk factor for the presence of Ancylostomidae (P= 0.007) and Toxocara sp. (P= 0.049). Owning cattle was found to be a significant risk factor for Taenia sp. (P= 0.031).

The influence of different metabolic syndrome definitions in predicting vasculogenic erectile dysfunction: is there a role for the index of central obesity?

AIMS: Analyze the capacity of ICO, the ratio of waist circumference (WC) and height, in predicting hemodynamic impairment in Erectile Dysfunction (ED) patients, independently and integrated in Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) definitions. METHODS: Four hundred and eighty-five ED patients followed in Urology consult from January 2008 until March 2012 were evaluated by a standardized protocol: health questionnaire, anthropometric measurements (AM), blood pressure and analysis, and Penile Duplex Doppler Ultrasound (PDDU) exam. Associations between AM and MetS definitions, including ATPIII, IDF and a new definition replacing WC by ICO in ATPIII MetS definition (ModATPIII), and PDDU were calculated. RESULTS: ICO was the measure of obesity more strongly correlated with diminished mean Peak Systolic Velocity (mPSV) (r = -0.189, p < 0.001). A positive association remained when replacing WC by ICO ≥ 0.60 (a nationally obtained ratio) in ATPIII MetS definition (ModATPIII). Patients with ModATPIII had lower mPSV when compared to non-MetS patients (30.8 versus 37.1, p < 0.001). Only the IDF definition had a significant association with AD (OR = 1853; 95%CI, 1.202-2.857). CONCLUSIONS: ICO revealed potential value to predict PDDU changes in a MetS context. However, IDF definition presented a stronger correlation with arteriogenic ED. Although longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm this hypothesis, our study highlights the importance of different MetS definitions for ED assessment.

Usefulness of factor II and factor X as therapeutic markers in patients under chronic warfarin therapy.

Oral anticoagulation with warfarin is a widely used form of treatment for an increasing number of medical conditions. Nevertheless, appropriate therapeutic monitoring and dosage readjustments should be carried out in order to ensure its safety and efficacy. Although prothrombin time (usually expressed as International normalized ratio [INR]) is the most common warfarin response marker, clotting factors (namely factors II and X) are also indicated as alternative anticoagulant effect markers. In this paper, we examine the relationship between these warfarin response markers using information obtained from eighty 80 patients undergoing long-term warfarin therapy. Within the usual INR therapeutic range (2.0-3.5), a moderate inverse correlation between INR and both clotting factors II and X was observed. However, for INR values above 3.5, a non-proportional relationship were found between INR and both response markers. Therefore, it can be concluded that below critical clotting factor concentrations (20.6% and 15.6% of factors II and X activity, respectively), time required for clot formation becomes non-proportional and haemostasis will be jeopardised.

Estimated intake of the sweeteners, acesulfame-K and aspartame, from soft drinks, soft drinks based on mineral waters and nectars for a group of Portuguese teenage students.

In a survey of levels of acesulfame-K and aspartame in soft drinks and in light nectars, the intake of these intense sweeteners was estimated for a group of teenage students. Acesulfame-K was detected in 72% of the soft drinks, with a mean concentration of 72 mg l(-1) and aspartame was found in 92% of the samples with a mean concentration of 89 mg l(-1). When data on the content of these sweeteners in soft drinks were analysed according to flavour, cola drinks had the highest mean levels for both sweeteners with 98 and 103 mg l(-1) for acesulfame-K and aspartame, respectively. For soft drinks based on mineral water, aspartame was found in 62% of the samples, with a mean concentration of 82 mg l(-1) and acesulfame-K was found in 77%, with a mean level of 48 mg l(-1). All samples of nectars contained acesulfame-K, with a mean concentration of 128 mg l(-1) and aspartame was detected in 80% of the samples with a mean concentration of 73 mg l(-1). A frequency questionnaire, designed to identify adolescents having high consumption of these drinks, was completed by a randomly selected sample of teenagers (n = 65) living in the city of Coimbra, in 2007. The estimated daily intakes (EDI) of acesulfame-K and aspartame for the average consumer were below the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs). For acesulfame-K, the EDI was 0.7 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1) for soft drinks, 0.2 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1) for soft drinks based on mineral waters, and 0.5 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1) for nectars, representing 8.0%, 2.2%, and 5.8% of the ADI, respectively. A similar situation was observed for aspartame. In this way, the EDI for soft drinks was 1.1 mg kg(-1) day(-1), representing only 2.9% of the ADI. In respect of nectars, the EDI was 0.2 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1), representing 0.5% of the ADI. Soft drinks based on mineral waters showed the lowest EDI values of 0.3 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1), accounting for 0.7% of the ADI.

Characterization of different samples of quercetin in solid-state: indication of polymorphism occurrence.

The present work was designed to compare four commercial samples of quercetin, three of them presenting pharmaceutical grade (QPGa, QPGb and QPGc) and the other one pro-analysi grade (QPA) by means of different techniques. Physical and chromatographic characterization of these samples shows different properties following its origin, especially a clear evidence of polymorphism occurrence.

Herd-level seroprevalence of fasciolosis in cattle in north central Portugal.

An epidemiological study of Fasciola hepatica in cattle was implemented in the north central region of Portugal. Both an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and an egg shedding quantification technique were used in the follow-up of seven herds. Two of these herds were negative and the other five were positive for F. hepatica. A herd cut-off of value of 0.425 optical density was calculated and herd sensitivity (HSe) and herd specificity (HSp) were defined. Three seroprevalence studies were also implemented in the region with stratification by county sub-regions for a period of 18 months. Overall mean herd prevalence in Vagos of 11, 23 and 48% was progressively found for the three studies, respectively.

Exfoliative cytology: a helpful tool for the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the main cytological findings associated with smears collected from oral lesions of paracoccidioidomycosis and to appraise the use of cytology as a diagnostic tool for the disease. STUDY DESIGN: Cytological smears and biopsies were collected from 40 lesions with a clinical suspicion of paracoccidioidomycosis. Evaluation of the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, accuracy and the positive likeness ratio of the oral smear when compared with the histological diagnosis, was performed. The latter is considered the 'gold standard' for comparison. RESULTS: The main morphological findings were the rounded-shaped, birefringent and multiple-budded fungi, Langhans' giant cells and epithelioid cells. The following associative measures were found: sensitivity, 67.9%; specificity, 91.7%; positive predictive value, 95.0%; negative predictive value, 55.0%; accuracy, 75.0%; and positive likeness ratio, 8.14. CONCLUSION: The cytological findings of paracoccidioidomycosis are characteristic and cytology is accurate in the diagnosis of the disease. Positive patients should be treated. Negative patients should be submitted to biopsy to confirm or to dismiss the diagnosis of this mycosis.

Therapeutic monitoring of warfarin: the appropriate response marker.

Warfarin is a 4-hydroxycoumarin anticoagulant drug used for the prevention and management of thromboembolic and vascular diseases. It acts through the inhibition of the vitamin K-dependent transcarboxylation reactions that convert precursors of clotting factors into their active form. Appropriate use of warfarin requires patient monitoring and dosage adjustments, to ensure its safety and efficacy. The aim of this work was to clarify the relationship between traditional (prothrombin time, usually expressed as the international normalized ratio; INR) and alternative (clotting factors II and X) warfarin response markers to establish their usefulness for therapeutic drug monitoring. Seventy adult outpatients, aged between 31 and 86 years old, were involved in the study. All subjects received warfarin in a monotherapy regimen and had been on a stable dosing schedule for at least two weeks to assure a steady-state condition. A total of 81 prothrombin times (expressed as INR), and factor II and factor X activity were simultaneously determined. Eleven patients presented repeated measurements at different time periods under the same dosing regimen. The results obtained from regression and cluster analysis showed a close relationship between factors II and X (r = 0.73), a weak correlation between INR and both factor II (r = -0.35) and factor X (r = -0.36), and a very slight dependency between warfarin and the response markers used. In addition, it seems that independent of the selected response marker, in long-term warfarin therapy, reproducible responses can be obtained over time if a steady-state condition is achieved. The coefficients of variation for factors II and X were greater (35.44 and 37.93%, respectively) than INR (14.50%), indicating that INR is a more precise measure than either factor II or factor X. In conclusion, INR appears to be the most appropriate warfarin response marker for therapeutic drug monitoring due to its universality, objectivity as a direct physiological effect measurement, and the available information regarding appropriate endpoints. However, when INR values are not in accordance with patient response therapy, factor II and factor X should be considered as an alternative to optimize warfarin therapy.

Kinetic profile of carbamazepine in an adult Portuguese outpatient population.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our work was to define the kinetic profile of carbamazepine (CBZ), in order to improve on dosing schedules through a Bayesian approach. METHOD: Carbamazepine dose/steady-state trough concentrations data pairs and associated information were collected retrospectively on a population of adult epileptic patients. RESULTS: Fifty patients (index population) with two or more available concentrations (total of 174 determinations) met our inclusion criteria. Patients were taking CBZ (200-1800 mg/day) in mono- or polytherapy regimens. The analysis assumed a one-compartmental model with first-order absorption and elimination. Due to the data source (only trough concentrations were measured as part of hospital routine), the volume of distribution was fixed at 1.19 l/kg. The final estimates for CL were: 0.075 +/- 0.027 (mono- and polytherapy), 0.069 +/- 0.020 (monotherapy), and 0.106 +/- 0.037 l/h/kg (polytherapy). In order to validate these results, we assessed their predictive capacity using 18 new patients (validation population), submitted to the same inclusion criteria and using Prediction-Error analysis. The results suggested a different CL value for our population compared to earlier published clearance values. The results also pointed to an increased metabolic rate associated with polytherapy. The prediction capacity of the optimization method derived from a Portuguese population made in an a priori evaluation indicated a low error (-0.04 microg/ml), close to the theoretical zero value. CONCLUSION: Our results provide specific data on CBZ disposition in a Portuguese population and given the wide variability in the literature values, our data may help improve dosing of CBZ in Portuguese patients.

Thyroid dysfunction after mantle irradiation of Hodgkin's disease patients.

Thyroid dysfunction can develop in patients with Hodgkin's disease who are treated with mantle irradiation. During the period 1970-89, the records of 320 patients who received mantle irradiation and who had thyroid function tests (TFT) were retrospectively reviewed. The median age was 30 years (range, 7-69 years). The median mantle and thyroid dose was 36 Gy (range, 30-40 Gy) and 39.8 Gy (range, 32-65 Gy), respectively. Overall thyroid dysfunction was present in 39% of the patients. Clinical hypothyroidism was seen in 10% and biochemical hypothyroidism was noted in 25%. Hyperthyroidism was found in 4% of patients. Thyroid nodules had developed in six patients (2%), of which those in four patients were malignant. Age, sex, histological subtype, stage of disease, dose, lymphangiogram and treatment with chemotherapy were not significant factors in the development of thyroid dysfunction. The narrow dose range prevented adequate analysis of dose effect. The results indicate that the incidence of thyroid abnormalities is high enough to warrant regular TFT assessment with pre-irradiation levels and follow-up testing for life because the development of abnormalities can occur many years later. Thyroid examination should form part of the routine follow-up examination and any abnormality should be promptly investigated.