Effect of breed as a risk factor for humeral condylar fracture in skeletally immature dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of breed as a risk factor associated with humeral condylar fracture in skeletally immature dogs in the UK. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of dogs under 12 months of age that were presented with humeral condylar fracture to three specialist referral centres between 2015 and 2018. Data retrieved from medical records included breed, age, gender, neuter status, affected limb, fracture configuration and aetiology of the fracture. Breed population percentages were compared with those recorded by the UK Kennel Club. RESULTS: Of the 115 dogs with 118 fractures, French bulldogs (41%) and English springer spaniels (15%) were overrepresented: humeral condylar fractures were more commonly diagnosed in French bulldogs (odds ratio = 5.86) and English springer spaniels (odds ratio = 5.66) compared with mixed-breed dogs. Lateral condylar fractures occurred in 70% of cases, with medial condylar fractures and Y/T fractures accounting for 9% and 21%, respectively. Median age at the time of fracture was 4 months (range 2 to 10 months). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: French bulldogs and English springer spaniels were identified as being at potentially increased risk of humeral condylar fracture in skeletally immature dogs.

Liposuction and extravasation injuries in ICU.

Liposuction is a minimally invasive surgical technique, occasionally used to minimize the risk of devastating soft tissue necrosis following extravasation of noxious substances. Anaesthetists and intensive care physicians frequently use agents that may cause serious tissue injury if extravasated. Therefore, knowledge on how to manage this complication is important. We present two cases of percutaneous extravasation of noxious agents in intensive care patients and discuss their subsequent management.

Effect of Some Host and Microclimate Factors on Infection of Tomato Stems by Botrytis cinerea.

The susceptibility of tomato stems to infection by Botrytis cinerea and the influence of temperature and humidity on disease development were investigated with stem pieces and whole plants. Stem rotting resulted after inoculation of wounded stems with a conidial suspension in water or with dry conidia; no symptoms developed following inoculation of unwounded stems. The proportion of inoculated stems developing Botrytis rot increased as the inoculum concentration was increased from 10 to 10,000 conidia per stem. Stem susceptibility to infection declined from 60 to 8% as wound age increased from 0 to 24 h before inoculation. Wounded stem pieces maintained in a low vapor pressure deficit (VPD) environment (<0.2 kPa) remained susceptible for a longer period than those maintained at a high VPD. Infection and stem rotting occurred at temperatures of 5 to 26°C, with disease development most rapid at 15°C. Sporulation was optimal at 15°C and did not occur within 20 days of incubation at 5 or 26°C. Incubation at high humidity following inoculation of fresh wounds (VPD <0.2 kPa) did not increase infection incidence or tissue rotting, compared with incubation at a VPD >1.3 kPa; however, incubation at the lower VPD did increase the intensity of sporulation.

Risk of needlesticks and occupational exposures among residents and medical students.

PROBLEM: Occupational exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease is a problem of concern to all health care workers, especially those in large urban teaching hospitals with large numbers of HIV-positive patients. METHOD: The self-reported incidence of needlesticks and other exposures to patients' blood and body fluids in 550 medical students and residents at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center during the 1989 through 1990 training year was studied by means of an anonymous survey. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of respondents reported one or more needlesticks or other exposures during the training year. Surgical residents had a sixfold greater rate of occupational exposure compared with medicine residents and were significantly more likely to experience suture needlesticks, cuts, open wound contamination, and mucous membrane exposure. Medical students generally were at somewhat lower risk compared with residents, but had greater rates of hollow-needle puncture accidents. No trend was found for accidental exposure by level of residency training. The known HIV-positive exposure rate for students and residents was 9.5% per person per year. Only 9% of exposures were actually reported to the health center. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the rate of exposures reported, numbers of known and estimated HIV-positive patients, and previously published HIV seroconversion rates, we would expect an annual rate of HIV seroconversion rates, we would expect an annual rate of HIV seroconversion as a result of occupational exposures of between 27 and 46 per 100,000. This rate is similar to the leading cause of death in this age group--motor vehicle accidents--and is equivalent to one student or resident in this medical center seroconverting every 2 to 3 years. Although only a portion of accidental exposures are regarded as preventable, these data emphasize the importance of increased efforts toward improved education, prevention, and accessibility of protective equipment.

Initiating regular exercise protects against muscle atrophy from glucocorticoids.

This study was undertaken to examine whether exercise can prevent glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy in previously untrained individuals and to evaluate whether the time of hormone administration is a determinant in the muscle's response to glucocorticoids. Female rats were divided into five groups: 1) a sedentary group that received cortisol acetate (CA, 100 mg/kg body wt); 2) a sedentary group that received the dosing vehicle (1% aqueous carboxymethyl cellulose); 3) an exercise group that received CA immediately after each exercise session; 4) an exercise group that received CA 90 min after each exercise session; and 5) an exercise group that received the vehicle. Steroid treatment and exercise (28.7 m/min for 90 min/day) were performed for 11 consecutive days. Initiation of training prevented muscle mass loss by 60% in plantaris (P) muscles and by 25% in gastrocnemius (G) muscles. Time of steroid injection was not related to the muscle sparing response. In the glucocorticoid-treated exercised rats, the activities of citrate synthase, a training marker, increased 60% in P and 37% in G. Thus the exercise appeared to cause a greater recruitment of P muscles. These data support the hypothesis that entering into an exercise program can be effective in retarding glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy. The degree of atrophy prevention, however, may be related to the extent that specific muscles are recruited during exercise.

Coronary artery disease in diabetic pregnancies.

Severe vascular complications of diabetes mellitus include myocardial infarction and when this occurs during pregnancy it is associated with a high risk of maternal mortality. In the absence of myocardial infarction, information is unavailable on pregnancy outcome in diabetic patients with severe coronary artery disease or with prior coronary artery bypass graft. Such a case is presented together with a review of the literature.