Empleo del sistema de mamografía para el estudio radiológico de la cavidad torácica en la especie felina

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue estudiar los factores de exposición y la calidad de las imágenes radiográficas de la cavidad torácica de la especie felina obtenidas con las combinaciones películapantalla convencional y el sistema de mamografía. Para llevar a cabo tal objetivo hemos empleado dos combinaciones de película-pantalla, uno convencional (Ortocromático Fine) y otro de mamografía (Detail S), realizando radiografías de la cavidad torácica con cada una de las combinaciones película-pantalla a dos grupos de animales, grupo A sin síntomas respiratorios, y grupo B con una historia clínica de enfermedad respiratoria. En el grupo A no se encontraron diferencias significativas (p>O,05) entre las imágenes obtenidas con ambos sistemas, mientras que en el caso de los animales del grupo B se observó una mayor nitidez (p<O,05) en las radiografías realizadas con el sistema de mamografía. Los resultados de nuestra experiencia muestran que la calidad de la imagen radiológica obtenida con el sistema de mamografía es superior al convencional en el estudio de la cavidad torácica de la especie felina, en el caso de ser requerido para el estudio de alteraciones del parénquima pulmonar

Agenesia de radio en una gata

En este trabajo se describe un caso de agenesia radial de la extremidad izquierda, en una gata común europea de 2 meses de edad. La paciente presentaba una falta de apoyo de dicha extremidad, asociada a una evidente deformación angular en la articulación del carpo. Radiológicamente se observó la ausencia de radio y huesos carporradial, metacarpiano I y dedo 1Q, lo cual producía la angulación del carpo, y una luxación de la articulación del codo. Se apreció también una fusión del atlas y el axis, sin relacionarse con ningún síntoma clínico. El tratamiento recomendado fue la amputación de la extremidad. El propietario desestimó esta opción, no realizándose ninguna terapia en el animal.Radial agenesis of the left leg in a two-month-old female, domestic shorthair cat is described. She had a deformity of the left foreleg. Radiographic examination revealed complete absence of the left radius, radial carpal bone, first metacarpus and phalange, together with varus desviation of the carpus and metacarpus and luxation of the elbow joint. Fusion of the atlas and axis was also found without clinical signs. Amputation was the recommended treatment, but the owner rejected it

A Double Payload Complex between Hypericin and All-trans Retinoic Acid in the β-Lactoglobulin Protein

Combined therapies are usually used to treat acne vulgaris since this approach can tackle various foci simultaneously. Using a combination of spectroscopic, computational, and microbiological techniques and methods, herein we report on the use of β-lactoglobulin as a double payload carrier of hypericin (an antimicrobial photodynamic agent) and all-trans retinoic acid (an anti-inflammatory drug) for S. aureus in vitro photodynamic inactivation. The addition of all-trans retinoic acid to hypericinβ-lactoglobulin complex renders a photochemically safe vehicle due to the photophysical quenching of hypericin, which recovers its photodynamic activity when in contact with bacteria. The ability of hypericin to photoinactivate S. aureus was not affected by retinoic acid. β-Lactoglobulin is a novel biocompatible and photochemically safe nanovehicle with strong potential for the treatment of acne

Empleo del sistema de mamografía para el examen radiográfico del sistema óseo en pequeños animales

El objetivo del presente estudio fue comparar la calidad de las imágenes radiográficas del sistema óseo obtenidas con las combinaciones película-pantalla convencional y el sistema de mamografía. Además, se estudiaron los factores de exposición que cada uno de estos sistemas necesitaba. Hemos utilizado tres combinaciones de película-pantalla, uno convencional (Ortocromático Medium) y dos de mamografía (Detail y Detail S), realizando radiografías de la cabeza, columna, pelvis y extremidades en tres grupos de animales de diferentes tamaños (perro pequeño y gato, perro mediano y perro grande) con cada una de las combinaciones película-pantalla. En ninguna región y en ningún animal se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los dos tipos de sistema de mamografía. En todos los animales las imágenes radiográficas de las regiones del hombro, codo, carpo, rodilla y tarso obtenidas con las combinaciones de mamografía tuvieron mayor resolución y contraste que las que se realizaron con el sistema convencional. Los resultados de nuestra experiencia muestran que el sistema de mamografía es superior al convencional en resolución y contraste cuando la zona a radiografiar tiene poco grosor y escasa masa muscular.The objetive of this study was to compare the radiographic image of bone obtained with both conventional filrn-screen combination and the mammographic film-screen, and to study to exposure factors used for each combination. One conventional and two mammographic film-screen combinations were used. Radiographs were taken from skull, spine, pelvis and extremities of three groups of animals of dífferent sizes (cat and small dog, medium and large dog) with each film-screen combinations. There was not siqnificant difference between quality of radiographic image obtained with two types of mammoqraphic film-screen systems.Radiographic images obtained with mammographic technique from shoulder, carpus, elbow, stífle and tarsus had the best resolution and contrast. These results show that radiographic images from thin areas obtained with mammographic technique had major resolution and contrast than those obtained with conventional system

Un caso de osteopatía craneomandibular de localización en cúbito y radio en un West Highland

Este trabajo describe un caso de osteopatia craneomandibular de localización infrecuente, en un West Highland White Terrier de 2 meses de edad. El paciente presentaba una inflamación y cojera de las dos extremidades anteriores. Se observó en ambos miembros una proliferación ósea irregular en cúbito y radio. Las bullas timpánicas, así como los huesos del alvarium y tentorium, presentaban un notable engrosamiento y aumento de densidad. El tratamiento fue básicamente sintomático con prednisona, observán- dose una mejoría de los síntomas clínicos. Un año después del diagnóstico, la evolución ha sido favorable, existiendo una remarcada pero incompleta resolución de las lesiones tanto en huesos largos, como en bullas timpánicas.Thís report describes an unsual case of cranioman- dibular osteopathy in a two month-old female West Highland White Terrier puppy. The patient presented initially a swelling of both forelimbs and lameness. Irregular osseous proliferation in the ulna and radius in both limbs was observed. The tympanic bullae and the bones of the calvarium and tentorium were thickened and hyperostotic. The treatment was symptomatic with prednisona, and there was a clínical improvement. One year later of diagnosis,there was remarkable but incomplete resolution of the long bone and tympanic bullae changes

Preterm white matter injury : ultrasound diagnosis and classification

White matter injury (WMI) is the most frequent form of preterm brain injury. Cranial ultrasound (CUS) remains the preferred modality for initial and sequential neuroimaging in preterm infants, and is reliable for the diagnosis of cystic periventricular leukomalacia. Although magnetic resonance imaging is superior to CUS in detecting the diffuse and more subtle forms of WMI that prevail in very premature infants surviving nowadays, recent improvement in the quality of neonatal CUS imaging has broadened the spectrum of preterm white matter abnormalities that can be detected with this technique. We propose a structured CUS assessment of WMI of prematurity that seeks to account for both cystic and non-cystic changes, as well as signs of white matter loss and impaired brain growth and maturation, at or near term equivalent age. This novel assessment system aims to improve disease description in both routine clinical practice and clinical research. Whether this systematic assessment will improve prediction of outcome in preterm infants with WMI still needs to be evaluated in prospective studies

State-of-the-art neonatal cerebral ultrasound: technique and reporting

In the past three decades, cerebral ultrasound (CUS) has become a trusted technique to study the neonatal brain. It is a relatively cheap, non-invasive, bedside neuroimaging method available in nearly every hospital. Traditionally, CUS was used to detect major abnormalities, such as intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), periventricular hemorrhagic infarction, post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation, and (cystic) periventricular leukomalacia (cPVL). The use of different acoustic windows, such as the mastoid and posterior fontanel, and ongoing technological developments, allows for recognizing other lesion patterns (e.g., cerebellar hemorrhage, perforator stroke, developmental venous anomaly). The CUS technique is still being improved with the use of higher transducer frequencies (7.5-18\u2009MHz), 3D applications, advances in vascular imaging (e.g. ultrafast plane wave imaging), and improved B-mode image processing. Nevertheless, the helpfulness of CUS still highly depends on observer skills, knowledge, and experience. In this special article, we discuss how to perform a dedicated state-of-the-art neonatal CUS, and we provide suggestions for structured reporting and quality assessment

Abscisic Acid Insensitive 4 transcription factor is an important player in the response of Arabidopsis thaliana to two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) feeding.

Plants growing in constantly changeable environmental conditions are compelled to evolve regulatory mechanisms to cope with biotic and abiotic stresses. Effective defence to invaders is largely connected with phytohormone regulation, resulting in the production of numerous defensive proteins and specialized metabolites. In our work, we elucidated the role of the Abscisic Acid Insensitive 4 (ABI4) transcription factor in the plant response to the two-spotted spider mite (TSSM). This polyphagous mite is one of the most destructive herbivores, which sucks mesophyll cells of numerous crop and wild plants. Compared to the wild-type (Col-0) Arabidopsis thaliana plants, the abi4 mutant demonstrated increased susceptibility to TSSM, reflected as enhanced female fecundity and greater frequency of mite leaf damage after trypan blue staining. Because ABI4 is regarded as an important player in the plastid-to-nucleus retrograde signalling process, we investigated the plastid envelope membrane dynamics using stroma-associated fluorescent marker. Our results indicated a clear increase in the number of stroma-filled tubular structures deriving from the plastid membrane (stromules) in the close proximity of the site of mite leaf damage, highlighting the importance of chloroplast-derived signals in the response to TSSM feeding activity

New aspects in the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of hyponatremic encephalopathy in children

Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality encountered in children. In the past decade, new advances have been made in understanding the pathogenesis of hyponatremic encephalopathy and in its prevention and treatment. Recent data have determined that hyponatremia is a more serious condition than previously believed. It is a major comorbidity factor for a variety of illnesses, and subtle neurological findings are common. It has now become apparent that the majority of hospital-acquired hyponatremia in children is iatrogenic and due in large part to the administration of hypotonic fluids to patients with elevated arginine vasopressin levels. Recent prospective studies have demonstrated that administration of 0.9% sodium chloride in maintenance fluids can prevent the development of hyponatremia. Risk factors, such as hypoxia and central nervous system (CNS) involvement, have been identified for the development of hyponatremic encephalopathy, which can lead to neurologic injury at mildly hyponatremic values. It has also become apparent that both children and adult patients are dying from symptomatic hyponatremia due to inadequate therapy. We have proposed the use of intermittent intravenous bolus therapy with 3% sodium chloride, 2 cc/kg with a maximum of 100 cc, to rapidly reverse CNS symptoms and at the same time avoid the possibility of overcorrection of hyponatremia. In this review, we discuss how to recognize patients at risk for inadvertent overcorrection of hyponatremia and what measures should taken to prevent this, including the judicious use of 1-desamino-8d-arginine vasopressin (dDAVP)