Computed Tomography Evaluation of Frozen or Glycerinated Bradypus variegatus Cadavers: A Comprehensive View with Emphasis on Anatomical Aspects.

Bradypus variegatus has unique anatomical characteristics, and many of its vascular and digestive tract aspects have yet to be clearly understood. This lack of information makes clinical diagnoses and surgical procedures difficult. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anatomical aspects of frozen and glycerinated corpses of B. variegatus using computed tomography (CT), emphasizing vascular and digestive contrast studies. Nine corpses that died during routine hospital were examined via CT in the supine position with scanning in the craniocaudal direction. In frozen cadavers, the contrast was injected into a cephalic vein after thawing and, subsequently, was administered orally. In addition to bone structures, CT allowed the identification of organs, soft tissues, and vascular structures in specimens. Visualization of soft tissues was better after contrast been administered intravenously and orally, even without active vascularization. Furthermore, the surfaces of the organs were highlighted by the glycerination method. With this technique, it was possible to describe part of the vascularization of the brachial, cervical, thoracic, and abdominal regions, in addition to highlighting the esophagus and part of the stomach. CT can be another tool for the evaluation of B. variegatus cadavers by anatomists or pathologists, contributing to the identification of anatomical structures.

Laparoscopy assisted abomasal cannulation in cadavers of bovine fetuses.

BACKGROUND: Due to the complexity of ruminant digestion, cannulation of organs of the digestive tract has been carried out in order to advance the understanding of digestive physiology, nutrient degradability, gastrointestinal diseases and biotechnological research. The abomasal cannulation is interesting for nutritional studies, especially in suckling calves, to obtain fluid and abomasal content, evaluation of abomasal flow and function, and infusion of nutrients and drugs when it is intended to reach high concentrations in the organ. Conventionally, access and cannulation of digestive organs of ruminants has been performed by laparotomy, a method often criticized and classified as cruel by some sectors related to ethics and animal welfare. The aim of this present study is to describe and standardize a minimally invasive by laparoscopy assisted abomasal cannulation in bovine fetuses (cadavers), which had been previously slaughtered by accident and would be discarded in local slaughterhouses. RESULTS: The abomasal cannulation technique was feasible, simple and did not present major difficulties. The surgical time for cannulation of the abomasum, from the insertion of the trocars to the completion of the technique with fixation of the organ to the abdominal wall, ranged from 9 to 27 min, with an average of 15.5 ± 6.62 min. CONCLUSIONS: The Laproscopic assisted abomasal cannulation in bovine fetuses was feasible and safe with minimal tissue injury to the abdominal wall and with short surgical time. More studies in the clinical routine related to minimally invasive abomasal content collection, abomasopexy and abomasotomy are required in order to demonstrate its impact and importance in bovine clinic.

Percutaneous ruminostomy guided by rumenoscopy: study in an experimental model in bovine fetus.

BACKGROUND: Endosurgery is a surgical subspecialty that has been widely used in production animals, because it enables good visualization of abdominal organs and the diagnosis and treatment of several conditions in a minimally invasive manner, while preserving the animal's well-being and causing a lower impact on animal production. Rumenostomy is one of the most common surgical procedures in ruminants. This procedure is used to allow access to the rumen for various purposes, especially nutritional and therapeutic studies, and it can be performed either in a conventional way or in a minimally invasive video-assisted manner. Another possibility of access to ruminants is through the rumenoscopy technique. The objective of this study is to describe a minimally invasive technique for rumenostomy using an endoscope, working on a bovine fetal corpse as an experimental model. RESULTS: The execution of the endoscopy-guided rumenostomy technique was simple and did not present major difficulties. The endoscope, its lighting and air pump, and the decubitus used provided a good anatomical visualization of the rumen, and it was possible to evaluate several regions of the organ. The mean duration of the procedure was 11.15 min. CONCLUSIONS: The endoscopic rumenostomy technique using anatomical pieces of calves was shown to be feasible. It was performed in a simple and efficient way, particularly regarding the premise of preserving the animal's well-being, due to its minimally invasive nature.

Animal Model of Video-Assisted Cecum and Ileum Instrumentation for Equine Visceral Pain Study.

This study aimed to describe an animal model for studying equine visceral pain using minimally invasive and video-assisted cecum and ileum instrumentation. The access to the cecum and ileum was affected because of a previous typhlostomy. For video-assisted distention of the cecum and ileum, a distention device, which we developed using an endotracheal Rusch probe, was used, adapted, and coupled to a cuffometer to inflate and measure the pressure of the cuff attached to its distal portion. In a video-assisted manner, the distal portion of the device was introduced into the cecum and ileum, which contained the cuff in its distal portion, properly positioning it in the lumen. The cuff of the distension device was insufflated after the measurement of baseline physiological parameters of the animals and video-assisted confirmation of its right placement in the cecum and ileum lumen (M0). Was performed in one moment through two simultaneous cuff compressions and 1 minute of animal observation to evaluate the degree of abdominal discomfort manifestations (M1). To cease these stimuli, the cuff was deflated by disconnecting the extensor of the distension device attached to its proximal portion (M2). The procedure was easily performed in most cases. Slow and progressive insufflation allowed subjective adjustment of the intensity of the pain stimulus based on behavioral manifestations. Even with a low rate of complications, the model is feasible and reproducible for studies on visceral pain and the evaluation of analgesic effects.

New perspectives in a microstructure study of the bovine and bubaline claw.

The techniques of microtomography (Micro-CT), confocal laser scanner microscopy (CLSM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), nanoindentation - Vickers hardness (Nano-VH) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) are undeniably important to the modern study of bovine podiatry. These techniques are also employed in engineering, physics and in the assessment of biomaterials used in reconstructive or experimental surgeries in bovine and bubaline claws. Although studies involving these analyses are still inconspicuous in veterinary medicine, these technologies represent a new paradigm in this area, enabling the development of new lines of research. The objective of this review is to gather information about the microstructural aspects of bovine and bubaline claws, concerning the intratubular and extratubular keratin, which is responsible for the physical and mechanical structure of the claw capsule. This study elucidates different methods used to evaluate the hooves of healthy and sick animals through a micrometric analysis and nano-scale analyses. We would like to emphasise that the described techniques can be applied to study other species.

Intra-abdominal resection of the umbilical vein and urachus of bovine fetuses using laparoscopy and celiotomy: surgical time and feasibility (cadaveric study).

Surgical intervention for umbilical diseases in calves, when indicated, is a complementary and indispensable therapeutic resource for the treatment of umbilical conditions and is commonly performed using celiotomy. However, laparoscopy has demonstrated feasibility in many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of the techniques and the surgical time of laparoscopy and celiotomy used in intra-abdominal resection of the umbilical vein and urachus of bovine fetuses (cadavers). Resection of the umbilical vein and urachus using laparoscopy and celiotomy was performed in 26 anatomical specimens (bovine fetuses obtained from an official slaughterhouse). Resection of umbilical structures was feasible with both techniques, but shorter surgical time and minimal tissue damage were achieved using laparoscopy. Laparoscopy requires specialized training and appropriate instruments and is an important tool for diagnostic and therapeutic exploration of the umbilical structures, liver, bladder, and associated/adjacent structures.

Ovum pick-up and in vitro maturation in spotted paca (Cuniculus paca-Linnaeus, 1766).

We tested FSHp, eCG and FSHp + eCG to establish ovum pick-up (OPU) and in vitro maturation method in spotted paca. Eight healthy adult females were subjected to each of four treatments to stimulate ovarian follicular growth. All females were subjected to a hormonal protocol using a single dose of 45 mg of injectable progesterone and single intramuscular injection of 0.075 mg d-cloprostenol on day 6. Ovarian stimulation was carried out as follows: in Group TFE (FSHp and eCG), animals were treated with a single dose of 80 mg of FSHp and 200 IU of eCG intramuscularly on day 6 after the application of progesterone; in Group TF (FSHp), they were treated with a single dose of 80 mg of FSHp intramuscularly on day 6 after application of progesterone; in Group treatment eCG, they were treated with 200 IU of eCG intramuscularly on day 6 after application of progesterone; and in Group TC (saline solution), 1 ml of saline solution was administered to control does. The OPU was performed between 22 and 26 hr after gonadotropin treatments. All recovered oocytes were placed into maturation media and incubated for 24 hr. There were no differences among the mean number of observed follicles, aspirated follicles and oocytes recovered per treatment. Oocyte maturation rates did not differ among groups, except, TF and treatment eCG oocytes had greater maturation rates than TC oocytes. In this study, gonadotropin administration failed to superovulate treated does and increase oocyte retrieval efficiency. Despite the feasibility of the procedure, further studies are needed to develop and refine hormonal protocols for oocyte recovery and in vitro maturation in this species.

Corpus luteum dynamics after ovulation induction with or without previous exposure to progesterone in prepubertal Nellore heifers.

The objectives of this study were 1) to monitor corpus luteum (CL) dynamics after two different protocols of ovulation induction in prepubertal Nellore heifers, and 2) to determine differences in luteal function. Fifty-seven heifers (weight 289.61 ± 32.28 kg, BCS 5.66 ± 0.65, age 17.47 ± 0.81 months) were divided into two groups: GP4+GnRH received a progesterone (P4) device of 3rd use for 10 days, followed by the administration of 0.02 mg buserelin acetate (GnRH) 48 h after removal of the device, and GGnRH received only GnRH. The CLs formed were monitored by ultrasonography every 2 days until their functional regression (decrease in the color Doppler signal and serum P4 concentration < 1 ng/mL), determining their diameter and area, numerical pixel value (NPV), pixel heterogeneity, and vascularization percentage. The peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity, resistivity index and pulsatility index (PI) of the ovarian artery and serum P4 concentration were also measured. A lifespan of the CL of more than 16 days was classified as normal-function and of less than 16 days as premature regression. The variables were compared between treatments, CL categories (normal-functional, prematurely regressed or non-functional), days of evaluation, and their interactions using the MIXED procedure of the SAS program (p ≤ 0.05). Three animals of each group (6/57 = 11%) did not respond to treatment, corresponding to an ovulation rate of 89%. There was a higher percentage of normal-function CLs in GP4+GnRH (81%) and a higher percentage of non-functional CLs in GGnRH (52%; P4 concentration < 1 ng/mL in all assessments). Normal-function CLs exhibited a greater area, vascularization percentage and P4 concentration than prematurely regressed and non-functional CLs. Lower diameter, area, NPV and P4 concentration were observed for non-functional CLs, but there was no difference in vascularization percentage compared to prematurely regressed CLs. Progesterone concentration was efficient in diagnosing CL function and was positively correlated with CL area (r = 0.62; p < 0.001) and vascularization percentage (r = 0.38; p < 0.001). Diameter and PI were important for the early diagnosis of non-functional and prematurely regressed CLs, respectively. In conclusion, luteal function differed for the first CL that develops after ovulation induction in prepubertal heifers. Ultrasonographic parameters (diameter, area, NPV, vascularization percentage, and PI) can be used to predict CL function.

The Effect of Acepromazine Alone or in Combination with Methadone, Morphine, or Tramadol on Sedation and Selected Cardiopulmonary Variables in Sheep.

The sedative and selected cardiopulmonary effects of acepromazine alone or in combination with methadone, morphine, or tramadol were compared in sheep. Six ewes were randomly assigned to treatments: A (0.05 mg/kg acepromazine), AM (A plus 0.5 mg/kg methadone), AMO (A plus 0.5 mg/kg morphine), and AT (A plus 5 mg/kg tramadol). Parameters were assessed before sedative drug administration (baseline) and every 15 minutes thereafter, for two hours. Treatments A and AM were associated with increases in sedation score for 60 minutes and treatments AMO and AT for 30 minutes; however, there were no significant differences between treatments. There was a decrease in mean arterial pressure compared to baseline values in treatment A at 15, 45, 60, and 90 minutes, in treatment AM at 15 minutes, and in treatment AT from 45 to 120 minutes. Arterial blood carbon dioxide pressure increased at all time points in all treatments. Arterial oxygen pressure decreased in treatment AMO at 15, 30, and 120 minutes and in treatment AT at 15-45, 105, and 120 minutes, compared to baseline. Acepromazine alone causes a level of sedation similar to that observed when it is coadministered with opioids methadone, morphine, and tramadol. These combinations did not cause clinical cardiopulmonary changes.