Dermatologic adverse effect of subcutaneous furosemide administration in a cat

Background: Furosemide is a mainstay of treatment in congestive heart failure (CHF) and is widely prescribed to dogs and cats by several formulations, including the subcutaneous one. In canine and human medicine, dermatologic adverse effects of subcutaneous furosemide (SF) have been documented; conversely, no prior case has been published describing skin reactions to this therapeutic protocol in cats. In this report, we describe, for the first time in feline medicine, a suspected dermatologic adverse effect after SF in a cat. Case description: A 2-year-old domestic shorthair cat was presented for CHF associated with lung edema and pleural effusion. Echocardiography revealed asymmetric left ventricular myocardial thickening and severe left atrial dilation. The cat was hospitalized and initially treated with oxygen, intravenous furosemide, and clopidogrel. After discharge, the route of administration of furosemide was switched from intravenous to oral. Within the following 2 weeks, the cat experienced two relapses of lung edema despite the progressive increase of the furosemide dose, the addition of spironolactone and adherence to the therapeutic protocol by the owners. The dose of furosemide was further increased and its route of administration at home was switched from oral to parental. As the owner was not able to administrate intramuscular injections, SF was prescribed. This allowed the prevention of further episodes of lung edema. However, although the cat had never presented skin problems before, multiple well-defined circular, crusted ulcerative cutaneous lesions associated with alopecia developed at the sites of furosemide injections 2 weeks later. After ruling out several differential diagnoses for these lesions, a rare side effect of furosemide, not yet described in cats but already known in canine and human medicine, was strongly suspected as the possible cause. Therefore, the ongoing injectable formulation of furosemide was interrupted and substituted with an alternative brand, maintaining the same dose and route of administration. Thanks to this change, the dermal ulcerations disappeared within 1 month. Subsequently, the cat experienced neither further skin problems nor a recurrence of lung edema. Conclusion: Although SF is sometimes prescribed in small animal practice, it should be noticed that this may lead to dermatologic adverse reactions in the cat

Echocardiographic predictors of first onset of atrial fibrillation in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease

n/

The experience of regular exercise participation for women moving into their middle years : its nature, meaning and its benefits

This study added to the limited research on positive aspects of the human condition. It highlighted the perspective that women in western society recognise that there are wider health benefits to be taken from exercise than science suggests. Whilst this study acknowledged the customary fragmentary view, it took a holistic approach to exploring the nature and meaning of regular participation in exercise from the perspective of 41 women aged 30 to 50 years. This qualitative study included the views of regular participants in facility based and non-facility based exercise, along with the views of exercise instructors and the researcher. The study was contextualised within the traditional theories of related disciplines, namely health, women's studies, and exercise science. Also it was founded on the fitness industry's perspective on its service provision and its instructor training. Theory was compared with the experiences of a sector of the female population who, despite all the accepted calls on their time and energy, consistently maintained regular involvement in exercise. The study provided a holistic perspective on the nature, meaning and benefits of regular participation in exercise. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were utilised in the data gathering process. In each case, the process consisted of a series of questions designed to explore a subjective perception of experience in accordance with the Neuro-Logical Levels process, a model from within the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (Dilts, 1990; Dilts, Hallbom and Smith, 1990; O'Connor and Seymour, 1995). This model acknowledges that behaviours and actions, witnessed on a surface level, are driven by internal systems, including personal beliefs and identity structures. It was utilised as an exploratory technique to identify unconscious triggers for behaviour. The use of this process in the interviews facilitated individual exploration of the research topic at increasingly deep levels of awareness. Focus groups demonstrated a consensus on, as well as further individual differences in, the beliefs, attitudes, experiences and feelings of the participants as they arose from the interactive context. The heuristic methodology utilised in the analysis and presentation of the data offered a holistic, person-centred and reflective perspective on the nature, meaning and benefits of exercise (Moustakas, 1990). Individual and exemplary portraits depicted the experience and personal meaning of exercise as it emerged from the data. Composite depictions conveyed the nature of exercise participation from the perspectives of participants and instructors. The researcher's involvement in the complete study facilitated the emergence of a creative synthesis of the essence of exercise. Exercise provided emotional and spiritual gains that extended beyond the traditional lifestyle benefits. Individuals indicated a range of 'special' qualities in exercise, along with benefits to the mind. They noted unique personal benefits and enhanced interpersonal relationships in all spheres of life. Regular participation in exercise greatly enhanced the lives of those involved and contributed to an individual and collective evolutionary process. Effective exercise delivery consisted of interactional and motivational elements beyond the scientific and mechanistic topics traditionally recognised in instructor training programmes and was founded on empathy, facilitation, passion, love and positive energy.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Risk factors for atrial fibrillation in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy

IntroductionAtrial fibrillation secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) frequently affects large-breed dogs. The aim of the present study was to identify risk factors for the development of atrial fibrillation in dogs of different breeds with an echocardiographic diagnosis of DCM.MethodsIn this multicenter retrospective study, we searched the electronic databases of five cardiology referral centers for dogs with an echocardiographic diagnosis of DCM. A comparison of clinical and echocardiographic variables was performed between dogs developing atrial fibrillation and those not developing atrial fibrillation and the ability to distinguish between these two groups of dogs was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis estimated the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) of developing atrial fibrillation.ResultsWe included 89 client-owned dogs with occult and overt echocardiographic DCM. Of these, 39 dogs (43.8%) had atrial fibrillation, 29 dogs (32.6%) maintained a sinus rhythm, and 21 dogs (23.6%) showed other cardiac arrhythmias. Left atrial diameter had high accuracy (area under the curve = 0.816, 95% CI = 0.719–0.890) to predict the development of atrial fibrillation at the cut-off of >4.66 cm. After multivariable stepwise logistic regression analysis, only increased left atrial diameter (OR = 3.58, 95% CI = 1.87–6.87; p < 0.001) and presence of right atrial enlargement (OR = 4.02, 95% CI = 1.35–11.97; p = 0.013) were significant predictors of atrial fibrillation development.DiscussionAtrial fibrillation is a common complication of DCM in the dog and is significantly associated with increased absolute left atrial diameter and right atrial enlargement

X-ray absorption spectroscopy for metal-implanted silica

Ion implantation is an effective way to prepare metal nanocluster composite glass thin films. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) gives unique information on these systems, allowing to track cluster formation and composition, even at sub-nanometer range of size, as well as the metal ions that remain dispersed and bonded to the matrix; the XAS analysis, intrinsically focused on the short-range order, gives information complementary to those obtained by X-ray diffraction that in some interesting cases are crucial to explain the macroscopic optical or magnetic properties of this kind of systems

Echocardiographic predictors of first onset of atrial fibrillation in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) as a consequence of left atrial (LA) dilatation, and it affects survival and quality of life. Objectives To evaluate the usefulness of echocardiography in predicting the first occurrence of AF in dogs with MMVD. Animals Forty‐four client‐owned dogs with MMVD, 22 dogs that developed AF, and 22 dogs that maintained sinus rhythm. Methods Retrospective observational study. Medical databases were reviewed for dogs that developed AF during the year after diagnosis of MMVD (AF group). The last echocardiographic examination obtained while still in sinus rhythm was used to derive selected variables. For each dog with AF, a control dog matched for body weight, class of heart failure, and LA dimension was selected. Echocardiographic results including LA volumes and LA speckle tracking echocardiography (STE)‐derived variables were measured. Results Among the tested echocardiographic variables, only LA diameter (P = .03) and left ventricular internal diameter in diastole (P = .03) differed significantly between groups, whereas body weight‐indexed variables of cardiac dimension as well as LA volumes and volume‐derived functional variables were not different. Among the STE‐derived variables, peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS) results differed significantly between the AF group (23.8% ± 8.6%) and the control group (30.5% ± 9.6%; P = .03). A value of PALS ≤28% predicted AF occurrence with sensitivity and specificity of 0.80 and 0.65, respectively. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Absolute cardiac diameters and LA STE (in particular, PALS) are useful echocardiographic predictors for the development of AF in dogs with MMVD

Implanted dielectrics: synchrotron radiation studies by absorption and diffraction techniques

Sequential ion implantation of two elements in dielectrics, followed by thermal annealing in controlled atmosphere, gives rise to a variety of different composite materials. The formation of either metal or semiconductor binary nanoclusters is studied by synchrotron radiation-based techniques. In particular, extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction give information on the role of different driving forces in determining the final composite structure. Some case studies are presented in detail, in particular, the AuCu and AuAg systems, while for the semiconductor composites some results are presented on GaN and GaAs systems. All samples are obtained by sequential implantation and thermal annealing in either reducing or oxidizing atmosphere

Er site in Er plus Au-implanted SiO2: Effect of annealing in reducing atmosphere

The Er site in Er + Au-implanted silica has been investigated by x-ray absorption spectroscopy, in particular after annealing in reducing atmosphere (H(2)(4%):N(2)(95%)) at temperature ranging from 100 to 800 degrees C. The EXAFS analysis shows that Er ions are surrounded by a first shell of O atoms, while the absence of signal from further coordination shell indicates a disordered site. The Er-O distance is lower than that of the Er(2)O(3); it is suggested that the annealing in reducing atmosphere leads to a significant reduction of the first shell coordination number. Correspondingly, in the XANES region of the spectrum, it is observed a decrease in the white line intensity for annealing temperature higher than 400 degrees C; similar annealing treatments in inert atmosphere did not result in significant changes of the near-edge region of the X-ray absorption spectrum. These results enlighten that the annealing procedure, normally used to tailor the size distribution of the metal clusters present in the matrix and/or to modify the matrix structure, can also have an effect on the site of the Er ions, and possibly on the rare-earth optical properties

ECG of the Month

N.A

Core-satellite metallic nanoclusters in silica obtained by multiple ion beam processing

Ion irradiation has been used to transform spherical bimetallic AuAg nanocluster embedded in silica in a more complex structure made of a central cluster surrounded by a halo of smaller satellite nanoclusters, whose composition, size and distance from the central cluster can be tailored by controlling the irradiation parameters. This peculiar topology produces a red-shift of the surface plasma resonance of the composite through the electromagnetic coupling between the central cluster and the satellites. A calculation of the local field properties of the investigated systems within the fully-interacting generalized Mie theory showed that the satellite topology produces large local field enhancements around the central cluster