Surgical Technique and Short-Term Outcome for Experimental Laparoscopic Closure of the Epiploic Foramen in 6 Horses

Objective: To describe a laparoscopic technique for, and short-term outcome after, closure of the epiploic foramen (EF) in horses. Study Design: Descriptive, experimental study. Animals: Healthy, adult horses (n=6). Methods: Laparoscopic portals to approach the EF were identified in standing horses. Under laparoscopic observation, the gastropancreatic fold and right lobe of the pancreas were grasped with Babcock forceps and secured to the caudate hepatic lobe using helical titanium coils to obliterate the EF. Surgical procedure time and intra- and postoperative complications were recorded. Serial analysis of select serum enzymes was used as an indication of involvement of the pancreas and liver. Closure was reevaluated at 4 weeks using repeat laparoscopy, and necropsy was performed immediately after. Results: At initial surgery, EF closure was successful in all 6 horses; median surgical time was 40.5minutes (range, 22-110minutes). Serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) were not significantly altered by the surgical procedure; however, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and amylase (AMY) were transiently increased. At repeat laparoscopic reevaluation, closure was complete in 5 horses, with partial closure of the EF observed in 1 horse. No complications related to the procedure were noted during or after surgery in any horse. Conclusions: EF closure in the standing horse can be accomplished without complications to the surrounding organs and vessels. © 2013 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons

Stable isotope stratigraphy of the early Quaternary of borehole Noordwijk, southern North Sea

Between 2.58Ma and 2.4Ma, most of the present onshore sector of the Netherlands was an epicontinental sea. Previous studies suggest the occurrence of multiple cold and warm phases in shallow marine successions of the Maassluis Formation in conjunction with the first prominent Northern Hemisphere ice sheet expansions. Nevertheless, correlation with deep marine isotope stages is tentative and relies on relative dating as absolute dating techniques are difficult to apply. Here, we present for the first time an early Quaternary, high-resolution benthic stable isotope record from the onshore sector of the Netherlands, taken from borehole Noordwijk. We tune our record to MIS 100-94 using the characteristic δ18O signature and complementary biostratigraphic data. This new high resolution isotope chronology is providing important insights on stratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental development of the southern North Sea area during the early Quaternary

Chronostratigraphy of Late Neogene sediments in the southern North Sea Basin and paleoenvironmental interpretations

A chronostratigraphic framework has been established for Upper Neogene sediments from the northern Netherlands offshore sector, southern North Sea. Data of dinoflagellate cysts, pollen and foraminifers from eight boreholes are integrated and the resulting biostratigraphic events are connected to an additionally retrieved paleomagnetic record. The sedimentary succession comprises at the base Late to Middle Miocene sediments and spans the Piacenzian to Gelasian stages, from 3.6 to 1.8 Ma, including the paleomagnetic Gauss-Matuyama boundary and the Olduvai subchron. Sedimentation rates vary between 30 cm/kyr in the lower part of the succession and reach up to 84 cm/kyr in the upper part. These rates are high enough to record short paleomagnetic events and for the first time the presence of the so-called X-event has been recorded and dated at around 2.44 Ma in a sedimentary setting. The name 'North Sea event' is proposed here. The paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental information pictures the onset of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation and the subsequent intensification of glacial conditions with its impact on the North Sea sea region. The paleoenvironmental changes are characterised by a stepwise development and five successive intervals are distinguished. During the first interval, a warm climate and an open marine setting prevailed. The second interval is characterised by dominantly cold climatic conditions with occasional warmer periods. During the third interval, the environment became restricted marine and a stable freshwater layering occurred, which facilitated the development of sea-ice in the shallow sea. Within the fourth interval, extreme cold (arctic) conditions were predominant, and shallowing continued. The fifth interval shows fluvial to deltaic, paralic conditions. From then on, facies differences from the nearby delta system overruled the basin-wide signals at the studied location. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved