Tibial plateau levelling osteotomy in 69 small breed dogs using conically coupled 1.9/2.5 mm locking plates. A clinical and radiographic retrospective assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To report clinical experiences with the tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO) procedure in small breed dogs with cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) disease using specific, conically coupled, 1.9/2.5 mm locking plates and evaluating short-term complications and outcome. METHODS: Medical records of small breed dogs (<15 kg) that underwent TPLO using 1.9/2.5 mm locking plates were reviewed retrospectively. The preoperative, postoperative and six to eight weeks postoperative tibial plateau angle (TPA) measurements were determined from the radiographic images. Lameness evaluation was assessed subjectively preoperatively and six to eight weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: Sixty-nine small breed dogs (n = 79 stifles) were included in the study. Mean (± SD) preoperative TPA was 29.0 ± 3.4°, postoperative TPA was 5.8 ± 2.5°, and six to eight weeks postoperative TPA was 7.3 ± 4.1°. Sixteen complications occurred in 12 out of 79 TPLO procedures: three were intra-operative (intra-articular screw placement) and 13 were postoperative complications, of which nine were identified as minor complications not requiring surgical reintervention, and four as major complications requiring additional surgical intervention, including tibial tuberosity fracture (n = 1), osteomyelitis (n = 1), screw failure (n = 1), and plate breakage (n = 1). Lameness scores by clinical assessment reduced from a median value of 3/4 preoperatively to 1/4 at six to eight weeks postoperatively. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: 1.9/2.5 mm locking plates appear to be a valid choice of implant for the stabilization of unilateral TPLO in small breed dogs.

[Prevalence of carbapenemase-producing bacteria in hospitals in Saxony, Germany]. / Prävalenzerhebung zum Vorkommen von Carbapenemase-Bildnern in sächsischen Kliniken.

The presence of pathogenic bacteria with acquired carbapenem resistance constitutes an increasing problem for infection control and infectious disease management. Prompted by an outbreak of infections with Klebsiella pneumoniae producing the carbapenemase KPC-2 at a hospital in Saxony, the Saxon State Ministry of Social Affairs and Consumer Protection (SMS) initiated a point-prevalence survey for carbapenemase-producing gram-negative bacteria. Wards at 53 hospitals in Saxony, mainly intensive care units, were investigated between October 2012 and February 2013. Stool samples and rectal swabs of 1,037 patients were analyzed for the presence of bacteria with resistance against four major groups of antibiotics (4MRGN). Carbapenemase producers were detected in 3 patients [0.3% CI95 (0.0596; 0.843)] and carbapenem-resistant bacteria without carbapenemases were detected in 9 patients [0.9% CI95 (0.397; 1.64)]. Furthermore, antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed 166 patients [16.0% CI95 (13.82; 18.38)] with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria. At the time of investigation, K. pneumoniae producing the carbapenemase KPC-2 was diagnosed in 2 patients at one hospital. Moreover, it is necessary to remain vigilant towards other types of carbapenemase producers, as demonstrated by the finding of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain harbouring the carbapenemase VIM-1 in another hospital.

Closed reduction and percutaneous fixation of sacroiliac luxations in cats using 2.4 mm cannulated screws - a cadaveric study.

OBJECTIVES: To describe fluoroscopically assisted percutaneous placement of 2.4 mm cannulated screws for fixation of artificially induced sacroiliac luxations in cats, and to evaluate the success of this technique in restoration of normal pelvic anatomy. METHODS: Fluoroscopically assisted closed reduction and percutaneous fixation of sacro-iliac luxations using 2.4 mm cannulated screws was performed in cadavers of 12 cats. Pre- and postoperative radiographs and postoperative computed tomographic scans were used to evaluate screw placement, screw purchase within the sacral body, reduction of the sacroiliac joint, pelvic canal diameter ratio, and hemipelvic canal width ratio. RESULTS: Mean total surgical time was 6 minutes and 10 seconds ± 53 seconds and mean total time of fluoroscopic screening for each procedure was 44 seconds ± 6 seconds. Mean percent of reduction was 98.33% and mean screw purchase within the sacral body was 73%. Eleven out of 12 screws were placed in a satisfactory location in the sacral body. Pelvic canal diameter ratio and hemipelvic canal width ratio indicated successful restoration of the pelvic anatomy. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our results confirm that fluoroscopically assisted percutaneous placement of 2.4 mm cannulated screws is a feasible technique for fixation of sacroiliac luxations in cats. Mechanical properties of this fixation technique need to be evaluated before the use in clinical patients.

Bouncing ball orbits and symmetry breaking effects in a three-dimensional chaotic billiard.

We study the classical and quantum mechanics of a three-dimensional stadium billiard. It consists of two quarter cylinders that are rotated with respect to each other by 90 degrees and it is classically chaotic. The billiard exhibits only a few families of nongeneric periodic orbits. We introduce an analytic method for their treatment. The length spectrum can be understood in terms of the nongeneric and unstable periodic orbits. For unequal radii of the quarter cylinders the level statistics agree well with predictions from random matrix theory. For equal radii the billiard exhibits an additional symmetry. We investigated the effects of symmetry breaking on spectral properties. Moreover, for equal radii, we observe a small deviation of the level statistics from random matrix theory. This led to the discovery of stable and marginally stable orbits, which are absent for unequal radii.

Long-term results of bovine mandibular fractures involving the molar teeth.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate postoperative complications and long-term outcome of simple mandibular fractures involving the molar teeth in cattle. ANIMAL POPULATION: Seventeen cattle with mandibular fractures involving the molar teeth with disruption of the occlusal surface. METHODS: Treatment consisted of application of AO/ASIF-Pinless External Fixators (Synthes, Paoli, PA) in 14 cows, interdental wire stabilization in 1 cow, and conservative treatment in 2 cows. Long-term outcome was determined by telephone contact with the owners, and whenever possible, cows were reevaluated by physical, intraoral, and radiographic examination of the fracture site. RESULTS: Loosening of the fixation device (4 cattle) and bone sequestration (11 cattle) were the most commonly encountered complications. Oral incontinence during rumination was a minor complication in 1 cow. The mean (+/- SD) time the cattle were in production was 26 (+/- 14) months, with 10 cows still alive at follow-up examination; 9 cows were reevaluated. On intraoral examination there was a step in the occlusal surface at the level of the healed fracture site in 3 cows, wave and shear mouth formation in 3 cows, and enamel point formation in 1 cow. Radiographically, all the reevaluated fractures had healed, and there were no signs of tooth root infection. CONCLUSIONS: Complications during healing were bone sequestration and loosening of the fixator. None of the cows was removed from production because of fracture-associated complications, but decreased milk yield occurred in 2 cows. Tooth abnormalities developed in 6 cows, but function of the mandible was not altered. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Mandible fractures involving the molar teeth carry a good prognosis for return to normal function. Radiographic follow-up is necessary to detect bone sequestration.

Extradural spinal angiolipoma associated with bone lysis in a dog.

An extradural spinal tumor was diagnosed in a 12-year-old Labrador retriever that was presented with a one-week history of paraparesis. Myelography indicated a deviation of the spinal cord to the right side at the level of the second lumbar (L2) vertebra. The difference in length measuring the left and right sides of the L2 vertebra suggested a fracture of the vertebral body. Severe bone remodeling and an extradural mass were seen on computed tomography (CT). Clinical, radiographical, and histological findings are described and considered homologous to extradural angiolipomas described in the human literature.

Purification of an endonuclease from adenovirus-infected KB cells.

This report describes the purification of an endonuclease from extracts of adenovirus-type-2-infected KB cells. Endonuclease activity can also be detected in extracts of uninfected KB cells and the enzyme activities from extracts of uninfected and adenovirus-infected cells are very similar, if not identical. The enzyme has its maximal activity at pH 4.0. The enzyme found in uninfected and adenovirus-infectedcells is, however, strikingly different from an endonuclease isolated from calf serum. Hence, the endonuclease described is probably not a contaminant derived from the medium in which the KB cells were propagated. The endonuclease in crude extracts from uninfected or adenovirus-infected KB cells can be activated or its activity enhanced by treatment of the extracts with proteolytic enzymes, like pronase or trypsin. Evidence has been presented suggesting that this activation is due to proteolytic cleavage of an inhibitor present in crude extracts of uninfected and adenovirus-type-2-infected KB cells. A second endonuclease has been found in extracts of infected and uninfected cells with optimal activity at pH 7.2 and this endonuclease can be separated from the one with a pH optimum at 4.0.

Characterization of the pH 4.0 endonuclease from adenovirus-type-2-infected KB cells.

The properties of the pH 4.0 endonuclease from adenovirus-type-2-infected KB cells were determined. The enzyme has a molecular weight of approximately 40000. Its pH optimum is at pH 4.0, it is not inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), and it is active at temperatures up to 60 degree C. The enzyme cleaves adenovirus DNA in a stepwise manner. The limit digestion product has a molecular weight of 120000-200000. There is evidence that the cleavage reaction proceeds via an initial single-strand nick. Under the conditions tested the endonuclease did not seem to reveal a high degree of specificity as to the recognition of cleavage sites, or else the sites recognized occurred very frequently.