CORRELATION BETWEEN MORPHOMETRIC ASPECTS AND TENO-DESMIC LESIONS DETECTED BY MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING EXAMINATION IN THE EQUINE FOOT

In the evaluation of equine foot radiography clinicians often do not evaluate the morphometric aspect of the foot but focus their attention only on radiographic abnormalities that in most cases reflect cronic pathology. On the basis of biomechanical studies on the forces acting on different structures of the foot, we hypothesized that would be a correlation between foot conformation and incidence/presence of foot lesions. Seventy-four foot of lame horses were examined: 20 parameters were measured on radiographic views and MRI signal intensity, homogeneity and size of each structure was evaluated. Collected data were used for statistical purpose using simple linear correlation analysis and CART analysis. Simple linear correlation highlighted the presence of relationship between some morphometric aspects and presence of lesions involving specific structures. Correlation trees explained the partecipation of different radiographic measurements in the development of lesion. CART could be employed during a clinical evaluation of lame horses in order to establish which structure had the major probability to be involved and how to assess proper corrective trimming/shoeing. In non-lame horses the \u201cCART approach\u201d could have a prognostic value and could help both veterinarians and farriers in the management of foot in order to prevent the development of pathological disorders. In the current study a relationship between radiographic morphometric aspect of the equine foot and the presence of bony and teno-legamentous was observed

Peribulbar block in equine isolated heads : development of a single needle technique and tomographic evaluation

Peribulbar block (PPB) has been used in humans as a safer alternative to retrobulbar block (RBB). PBB, depends on the diffusion of anaesthetic solution into the muscle across the connective tissue and it is performed introducing the needle within the extraconal space. The advantages are fewer complications and palpebral akinesia. In Veterinary Medicine few studies describe this technique in dogs and cats (Shilo- Benjamini et al., 2013). The aim of the study is to determinate, in equine specimens, feasibility of inferior PBB with single needle injection, by using contrast medium (CM), and to evaluate thought Computed Tomography (CT) the distribution of the injected volume and regional anaesthesia likelihood. PBB was performed in 10 orbits. The mixture injected consisted of 20 ml of physiological solution and iodinated CM at 25%. Each periorbital area underwent three CT scans. A basal acquisition to assess the needle position before the injection, a second and third scan were performed immediately after injection, and after application of pressure on the periorbital surface area to promote CM diffusion. The injectate distribution at the base and within the extraocular muscle cone (EOMC) and around the optic nerve was evaluated and scored based on Shilo-Benjamini\u2019s work of 2017. The mean minimum distance between the tip of the needle and the optic was 2,23 mm \ub10,2. The mean volume distribution before pressure application was 23.56 cm3 \ub1 2.58 and after pressure application was 27.56 cm3 \ub1 4.8. The CM median distribution around the optic nerve at the base of the EOMC was of 117\ub0 prior pressure and 189\ub0 after pressure. The CM distribution within the EOMC was present in 1 orbit prior pressure and in 3 orbits after pressure. The CM distribution at the base of EOMC was considered unlikely to provide regional anaesthesia in 2 orbits, possible in 3 orbits and likely in 5. In the present study, intraconal distribution was not consistent. For this reason, the likelihood of achieving regional anaesthesia was evaluated at the EOMC base where through the optic foramen the oculomotor, trochlear nerve, ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve, and the abducens travel to reach the orbit together with the optic nerve. Whereas the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve passes through the foramen rotundum (Carastro 2004). Therefore, despite the lack of intraconal distribution if the EOMC base had good distribution then it was considered likely to provide regional anaesthesia. This approach needs to be evaluated in clinical trials to assess its feasibility and effectiveness in locoregional anaesthesia; moreover, further investigations on equine PBB are mandatory with higher volumes of injectate and different approaches

Continuous rate infusion of dexmedetomidine vs subcutaneous administration in anaesthetized horses undergoing MRI examination

Up to 2005, dexmedetomidine use had not been reported in equine. Since then, several experimental and clinical studies have been published. The main reason for this increase relies on its beneficial pharmacological profile, including short half-life and rapid redistribution (1). The aim of the study is to compare the clinical effects and recovery quality after continuous rate infusion (CRI) or subcutaneous administration of dexmedetomidine in horses undergoing general anaesthesia. Fourteen horses scheduled for MRI examination were included. All horses were sedated with acepromazine 0.03 mg kg-1 intravenously (IV) and detomidine 10 \ub5g kg-1 (IV). Anaesthesia was induced with ketamine 3 mg kg-1 (IV) and diazepam 0.04 mg kg-1 (IV) and maintained with isofluorane in 60% oxygen; end-tidal isoflurane concentration was maintained between 1.3-1.4 %. Horses were randomly divided in two groups. Group \u201cDex CRI\u201d received dexmedetomidine intravenously at 1 \ub5g kg-1 hour-1, group \u201cDex SC\u201d received 2 \ub5g kg-1 of dexmedetomidine subcutaneously every 60 minutes. If nystagmus or incessant fighting against ventilator occurred, ketamine rescue at 0.1 mg kg-1 was given. In case of sudden movements, thiopental 0.5-1.0 mg kg-1 IV was given. Ringer\u2019s lactate was given at 3 mL kg-1 hour-1, dobutamine was administered IV and the rate adjusted to maintain MAP>70 mmHg. Controlled mechanical ventilation using intermittent positive pressure ventilation was adjusted to maintain arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure between 38-45 mmHg. Heart rate, invasive arterial blood pressure, arterial blood gases, total dose of dobutamine administered, ketamine rescue needed, urine production were recorded. Time required until extubation and time to attain sternal and standing position were noted. The main anaesthesiologist assessed recovery quality graded on a standard scoring 5-point scale with a score of 1 representing the best recovery (2). Mann-Whitney U test was applied for non-parametric data and T-test for parametric data (p 640.05). There was no statistically differences in physiological intra-anaesthetic parameters, in body weight (kg) (CRI 521\ub153; SC 506\ub176), age (years) (CRI 10.7\ub12.1; SC 10.8\ub14.1), anaesthesia duration (min) (CRI 139\ub19.,7; SC 144\ub116.2), number of ketamine rescue needed (CRI 1\ub11.15; SC 0.5\ub11.13), recovery score (CRI 1.8\ub11,2; SC 1.5\ub10,5). Also time until extubation (min) (CRI 11.5\ub15.0; SC 9.7\ub12.6), time to attain sternal (min) (CRI 41.5\ub112.2; SC 49.7\ub16.0) and standing position (min) (CRI 50.7\ub114.6; SC 57.2\ub16.,0) were not statistically different. There was statistical significance in urine production (L) (CRI 8.0\ub13.5; SC 11.1\ub14.4) and total dobutamine mcg/kg/min (CRI 0.89\ub10.35; SC 0.56\ub10.18). Subcutaneous administration of dexmedetomidine has product similar clinical effects to those achieved with CRI. It has permitted a significative reduction in dobutamine administration and a more stable depth of anaesthesia confirmed by the lower number of rescue ketamine boluses required even if not statistically different. Further studies are required to evaluate different dosages both in CRI and subcutaneous administration

Comparazione del constrast enhancement in esami ortopedici ad RM del paziente equino tramite bassi volumi di mezzo di contrasto inoculati per via arteriosa distrettuale e giugulare

Scopo del lavoro. La Risonanza Magnetica (RM) riveste ad oggi un importante ruolo nella dia- gnostica ortopedica equina, permettendo di identificare in modo efficace sia alterazioni a carico dei tessuti mineralizzati che dei tessuti molli. Non sempre per\uf2 tali alterazioni hanno una rilevanza di tipo clinico. Infatti, lesioni croniche caratterizzate dalla presenza di tessuto cicatriziale rimangono visibili anche quando non pi\uf9 responsabili della zoppia dei soggetti esaminati. Inoltre, la presenza di lesioni subdole pu\uf2 non essere riconosciuta attraverso un esame che preveda un protocollo standard. Per ovviare a questi problemi, in medicina umana si \ue8 ormai diffuso l\u2019impiego di mezzo di contra- sto (m.d.c.) somministrato per via endovenosa (i.v.). Il m.d.c. consente di discriminare tra lesioni at- tive e in via di guarigione ed identificare lesioni altrimenti poco evidenti. Per quanto attiene il paziente equino a conoscenza degli autori in letteratura esistono solo due stu- di che descrivano l\u2019utilizzo di m.d.c. in RM nella diagnosi di patologie tenodesmiche1,2 e ne preve- dono la somministrazione per via i.v. Nel lavoro proposto da Puchalski et al. (2007), invece, il m.d.c. viene somministrato per via endo-arteriosa (i.a.) ma l\u2019esame \ue8 stato condotto per mezzo di un tomografia computerizzata a raggi x. Lo scopo del presente studio \ue8 quello di descrivere e confrontare l\u2019utilizzo di m.d.c. sia per via i.v. che per via i.a. in RM, in cavalli affetti da zoppia localizzata alla regione del piede. Materiali e metodi. Nello studio sono stati inclusi cavalli con zoppia localizzata al piede e sotto- posti ad esame RM in cui sia stato somministrato m.d.c. per via i.v. o i.a. Sono state acquisite sequenze T3DT1, Dual Echo, STIR nei differenti piani di scansione. \uc8 stato poi somministrato m.d.c. (Gadodiamide) per via i.v. al dosaggio di 0,1 ml/kg attraverso la v.giugulare destra oppure per via i.a. ad un dosaggio di 0,02 ml/kg attraverso la a.arteria radiale o in quella me- tatarsale. Sono quindi state acquisite sequenze T3DT1 in post-contrasto. Per mezzo di un software dedicato, nelle immagini acquisite in pre e post-contrasto \ue8 stata misura- ta l\u2019intensit\ue0 di segnale dei pixel di regioni di interesse (ROI) in punti prestabiliti (in assenza di al- terazioni patologiche) e nelle aree in cui sono state osservate alterazioni a carico delle strutture te- nodesmiche. Per poter valutare il grado di presa di contrasto, sono state calcolate le ratio tra il valore della ROI pre e post-contrasto. Risultati. Nello studio sono stati inclusi 6 soggetti; in 2 cavalli il m.d.c. \ue8 stato somministrato per via i.v., in 3 soggetti per via i.a. attraverso l\u2019arteria radiale e in 1 per via i.a. attraverso l\u2019arteria me- tatarsale. In tutti i soggetti, il valore maggiore della ratio \ue8 stato osservato a livello di a. digitale palmare me- diale, di articolazione interfalangea distale, di corticale dorsale di P2. Le strutture che hanno dimo- strato un maggior contrast enhancement in presenza di patologia sono state il tendine flessore pro- fondo del dito (DDFT), la spongiosa del navicolare ed i tessuti peritendinei. In assenza di patolo- gia, il DDFT non ha mostrato incremento significativo di segnale dopo somministrazione di m.d.c. Conclusioni. Come descritto da Judy et al. (2010) Le sequenze acquisite in post-contrasto hanno permesso di riconoscere non solo lesioni gi\ue0 visibili in assenza di m.d.c. e di verificare quali tra que- ste fossero responsabili della sintomatologia in atto, ma hanno anche consentito di mettere in evi- denza alterazioni altrimenti non riconoscibili, soprattutto a carico di tessuti peritendinei e legamen- to impari distale. In 4 soggetti \ue8 stato riscontrato tessuto cicatriziale che, successivamente all\u2019inoculazione di m.d.c. \ue8 stato classificato come \u201creattivo\u201d. L\u2019elevato valore della ratio della corticale dorsale di P2 osser- vato nel presente lavoro ed in contrasto con quanto descritto in letteratura1, \ue8 verosimilmente da ri- tenersi riconducibile ad un artefatto da volume parziale. Nel presente studio \ue8 stato verificato come anche in RM sia possibile l\u2019impiego di m.d.c. per via sia i.v. che i.a. I vantaggi derivanti dalla som- ministrazione per via i.a. derivano dal minor dosaggio di m.d.c. richiesto, che consente di contene- re i costi e di ridurre i possibili effetti collaterali legati al farmaco soprattutto in pazienti anziani o affetti da patologie renali ed epatiche. Inoltre, nei cavalli in cui il m.d.c. \ue8 stato somministrato per via i.v. i valori delle ratio nei punti prestabiliti (e quindi confrontabili) sono stati inferiori rispetto a quelli ottenuti in cavalli in cui era stata effettuata l\u2019inoculazione i.a. Ulteriori studi sono tuttavia ne- cessari per verificare quale tra le due metodiche di somminitrazione garantisca un migliore contrast enhancement e se la somministrazione i.a. possa essere utilizzata anche in \u201cstanding RM\u201d. Concludendo, seppure siano esigui gli studi a riguardo, si pu\uf2 affermare che l\u2019utilizzo di m.d.c. per via sia i.v. che i.a. nell\u2019indagine RM di patologie ortopediche nel cavallo, sia da ritenersi molto uti- le, soprattutto per l\u2019identificazione e la classificazione di patologie tenodesmiche

Diagnostic value of whole body bone scan in horses

Scintigraphy is widely used in the assessment of musculoskeletal disorders and often it is considered as a screening tool in lame or poor performing horses. It is proved that nuclear scintigraphy is useful in highlighting the presence of lesions undetectable by clinical examination, in horses that do not respond to local analgesic blocks or with intermittent lameness[1]. Despite the usefulness of bone scan is proven, in a recent report, Quiney et al. observed that false-negative results predominate and may lead to missed diagnosis[2]. The aim of this study is to analyze the diagnostic usefulness of whole body bone scan in horses referred for lameness or poor performance. For this retrospective study, bone scans acquired at the Ospedale Veterinario Universitario di Lodi between July 2014 and February 2019 were reviewed. In the study have been included only horses that had a whole body bone scan. On the basis of the history, horses were classified as poor performing, for localized lameness or non-localized lameness. Scintigraphic findings were organized in five categories: definitive diagnosis, localization of the lameness, no findings related to the present clinical signs, findings of unlikely clinical significance and findings that need further investigations. A contingency table and a chi-squared test were used for the statistical analysis. One hundred and eighty horses underwent scintigraphy and 102 were included in the study; twenty-one horses were referred for lameness localized using diagnostic analgesia while in 44 horses the source of lameness was not identified. Thirty-seven horses had an history of poor performance. Statistical analysis highlighted that the only correlation between clinical history and scintigraphic findings was between horse referred for poor performance and findings of unlikely clinical significance (59,5% of horses with a poor performance diagnosis). A final diagnosis or localization of the source of pain were observed respectively in the 5.9% and in the 29.4% of horses. In 11 subjects (10.8%) were found increased radiopharmaceutical uptakes (IRU) of uncertain clinical significant that needed further investigations using analgesic blocks. In the 20% of cases, all referred for lameness, no findings related to the present clinical signs were found. In order to increase the capability of bone scintigraphy, it is mandatory to consider that the sensitivity and specificity are higher in specific regions[2] and the interpretation of the relevance of IRU must be based on detailed clinical examination. In conclusion, we confirm that whole body bone scintigraphy should not be considered a diagnostic screening especially in poor performing horses and that localization of lameness can improve the possibility of a positive result. [1] Dyson S.J. Musculoskeletal scintigraphy of the equine athlete. Semin Nucl Med, 44:4-14, 2014. [2] Quiney L., Ireland J., Dyson S.J. Evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of skeletal scintigraphy in lame and poorly performing sports horses. Vet Radiol Ultrasound, 59:477-489, 2018

Analisis Pendapatan Usahatani Padi Sawah dan Sayuran di Desa Dawi-Dawi Kecamatan Wonggeduku Kabupaten Konawe

This research aims to find out Paddy and vegetable farm income, and Paddy and vegetable farm efficiency in Dawi-Dawi Village, Wonggeduku Subdistrict, Konawe Regency. The population of this research is comprised of all farmers who grow paddy and plant vegetables (tomato and yardlong bean) in Dawi-Dawi Village, Wonggeduku Subdistrict, Konawe Regency which consist of 21 farmers. Samples are taken using census method, in which all of the population is taken as research sample. Therefore, a number of samples in this research are 21 farmers. The data are analyzed using income analysis, namely, Pd = TR TC and farm efficiency analysis R/C Ratio = TR/TC. The results show that: (1) paddy farm incomes per season range from IDR 1,901,250 – IDR 24,492,250 with the average of IDR 7,697,670. Tomato farm incomes per season range from IDR 1,979,772 – IDR 25,351,820 with an average of IDR 7,970,189. Yardlong bean farm incomes per season range from IDR 1,532,389 – IDR 3,391,000 with an average of IDR 1,822,370, and (2) Paddy, tomato and yardlong bean farms are deemed efficient with the R/C ratio of 2.73, 2.97, and 3.13 respectively

Life history differences across a latitudinal gradient in side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana)

Latitudinal variation has long been known to affect life history. Bergmann and Allen made latitudinal “rules” for mammalian anatomy and Lack, Skutch, and Moreau described differences in life history in birds. Trade-offs occur between important life history processes, like self maintenance (immunity) and other expensive but necessary processes. It is likely that trade-offs occur mostly when resources are limited. Side-blotched lizards have a wide geographic range, and more northerly lizards have been observed to have longer lifespans than their southern conspecifics. We hypothesized that northern sideblotched lizards would invest more energy into self-maintenance compared to shorter-lived southern animals

Analisi morfometrica del piede equino: correlazione tra misure radiografiche ed incidenza di patologie osseee e tenodesmiche osservate in RM

Scopo del lavoro. Modificazioni della fisiologica conformazione del piede, di natura congenita, a seguito di patologie, di errori di pareggio e/o ferratura possono determinare significative alterazio- ni biomeccaniche. In letteratura sono riportati studi in cui viene indagata l\u2019associazione tra aspetto dello zoccolo e incidenza di lesioni catastrofiche o tra conformazione dell\u2019arto e durata media del- la carriera sportiva. In nessuno studio vengono per\uf2 correlate misurazioni scheletriche e incidenza di patologie ossee e tenodesmiche. L\u2019esistenza di tale correlazione potrebbe fornire al veterinario un utile strumento interpretativo dei radiogrammi in grado di potenziarne l\u2019intrinseco valore diagno- stico. Scopo del lavoro \ue8 dimostrare l\u2019esistenza di una correlazione tra diverse tipologie di lesioni, sia tenodesmiche che scheletriche, utlizzando la Risonanza Magnetica (RM) come \u201cgold standard\u201d e alterazioni dei rapporti morfometrici del piede indagati mediante esame radiografico. Materiali e metodi. Nello studio sono stati inclusi soggetti affetti da zoppia anteriore a carico del piede, abolita per mezzo dell\u2019anestesia perineurale dei nervi digitali palmari bassi o intra-articolare della DIPJ, in cui siano stati effettuati sia un esame radiografico che la tomografia a RM. \uc8 stato condotto uno studio preliminare di ripetibilit\ue0 intra-osservatore e inter-osservatore al fine di valida- re il sistema di misurazione. Sono state escluse dallo studio tutte le misurazioni influenzate da al- tezza e peso dei soggetti. Due operatori hanno effettuato valutazioni morfometriche nelle proiezio- ni LM e DPa considerando 21 diverse misurazioni e calcolandone alcune ratio. Sono stati quindi re- visionati i reperti RM dei soggetti inclusi nello studio. Infine, sono state valutate la presenza e la gravit\ue0 di lesioni a carico di differenti strutture alle quali \ue8 stato assegnato un punteggio da 0 (le- sione assente) a 3 (lesione grave). Le strutture esaminate sono state: Tendine Flessore Profondo del Dito (DDFT), Legamento Impari Distale (DSIL), Legamento Collaterale del Navicolare (CSL), Le- gamenti Collaterali (CLs) della DIPJ, Corticale Flessoria e Spongiosa ossea dell\u2019osso Navicolare (NBm). I dati ottenuti sono stati sottoposti ad indagine statistica mediante correlazione semplice tra variabili e patologie riscontrate nelle differenti strutture utilizzando il software SAS. Successiva- mente per ogni patologia \ue8 stato costruito un albero di classificazione (CART) utile per effettuare previsioni circa l\u2019incidenza della patologia stessa in funzione di differenti variabili direttamente identificabili con le misurazioni radiografiche effettuate in precedenza, o ottenute per mezzo di tra- sformazioni lineari di queste. Risultati. Sono stati esaminati 93 soggetti di razza, et\ue0, sesso e attitudine differenti per un totale di 125 piedi. Di questi, ne sono stati eliminati dallo studio 51 a causa della lieve obliquit\ue0 delle proiezioni radiografiche. Le misurazioni sono quindi state effettuate in 52 soggetti per un totale di 74 piedi. \uc8 stata verificata l\u2019esistenza di una correlazione statisticamente significativa tra lesioni a carico di DDFT, CSL, CL della DIPJ, NBm, margine prossimale e distale del navicolare e alcune delle variabili radiologiche esaminate quali l\u2019angolo palmare, la ratio tra spessore del navicolare e spessore della corticale flessoria, tra lunghezza del navicolare e lunghezza dell\u2019estensione del margine prossimale e quello distale, il \u201cjoint tilt\u201d tra P2 e P3 e il rapporto tra lunghezza totale del pie- de e della punta. La validazione dei CART, eseguita secondo la modalit\ue0 denominata \u201cresubstitu- tion\u201d, ha restituito per ogni singola patologia una performance predittiva del modello pari o supe- riore all\u201980%. Conclusioni. Dal presente studio \ue8 emerso come alcuni aspetti morfometrici del piede possano ri- velarsi predittivi per quanto riguarda l\u2019incidenza e la presenza di determinate patologie. Un pro- lungamento dei margini distale e prossimale del navicolare \ue8 fortemente correlato con alterazioni rispettivamente a carico del DSIL e del CLS. Il disequilibrio medio-laterale non \ue8 risultato essere associato ad alcuna alterazione mentre \ue8 stato osservato come il joint-tilt tra P2 e P3 e l\u2019angolo pal- mare influenzino la comparsa di una desmopatia dei CLs della DIP. Lo studio ha permesso di os- servare come il rapporto tra lunghezza della punta e lunghezza totale del piede sia correlato a pa- tologie a carico della NBm e alle modificazioni del margine prossimale del navicolare. Da studi precedenti \ue8 gi\ue0 emerso come alcune di queste variabili siano influenzate dal pareggio. Ne conse- gue che un corretto piano di gestione del piede, integrato da misurazioni morfometriche appro- priate potrebbe rivelarsi indispensabile nel ridurre i rischi di insorgenza di tutte quelle patologie correlate a variabili controllabili attraverso operazioni mirate di pareggio, quali il rapporto tra lun- ghezza della punta e lunghezza totale del piede e angolo palmare. Oltre a questo il presente studio evidenzia come un attento e ben condotto esame radiologico, sebbene non possa sostituirsi alla RM, possa fornire al clinico importanti indicazioni prognostico-terapeutiche nella gestione delle patologie del piede

Can music be figurative? Exploring the possibility of crossmodal similarities between music and visual arts

According to both experimental research and common sense, classical music is a better fit for figurative art than jazz. We hypothesize that similar fits may reflect underlying crossmodal structural similarities between music and painting genres. We present two preliminary studies aimed at addressing our hypothesis. Experiment 1 tested the goodness of the fit between two music genres (classical and jazz) and two painting genres (figurative and abstract). Participants were presented with twenty sets of six paintings (three figurative, three abstract) viewed in combination with three sound conditions: 1) silence, 2) classical music, or 3) jazz. While figurative paintings scored higher aesthetic appreciation than abstract ones, a gender effect was also found: the aesthetic appreciation of paintings in male participants was modulated by music genre, whilst music genre did not affect the aesthetic appreciation in female participants. Our results support only in part the notion that classical music enhances the aesthetic appreciation of figurative art. Experiment 2 aimed at testing whether the conceptual categories ‘figurative’ and ‘abstract’ can be extended also to music. In session 1, participants were first asked to classify 30 paintings (10 abstract, 10 figurative, 10 ambiguous that could fit either category) as abstract or figurative and the to rate them for pleasantness; in session 2 participants were asked to classify 40 excerpts of music (20 classical, 20 jazz) as abstract or figurative and to rate them for pleasantness. Paintings which were clearly abstract or figurative were all classified accordingly, while the majority of ambiguous paintings were classified as abstract. Results also show a gender effect for painting’s pleasantness: female participants rated higher ambiguous and abstract paintings. More interestingly, results show an effect of music genre on classification, showing that it is possible to classify music as figurative or abstract, thus supporting the hypothesis of cross-modal similarities between the two sensory-different artistic expressions

Genotoxicity of DrinkingWater Disinfectants in Plant Bioassays

The genotoxicity of two widely used drinking water disinfectants, sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and chlorine dioxide (ClO2), and a new disinfectant, peracetic acid (PAA, CH3-CO-COOH), was evaluated in three short-term plant tests: (1) induction of anaphase chromosome aberrations in the root cells of Allium cepa, (2) micronucleus induction in the root cells of Vicia faba, and (3) micronucleus induction in Tradescantia pollen cells. The study was carried out in the laboratory by directly exposing the plants to several concentrations of the disinfectants in redistilled water at unadjusted (acid) and adjusted (neutral) pHs. Both 0.1 and 0.2 mg/l NaClO induced chromosome aberrations in the Allium cepa test at acid pH, but concentrations up to 0.5 mg/l of all the disinfectants were negative at neutral pH. Concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 mg/l NaClO, ClO2, and PAA induced micronuclei in Vicia faba at acid pH, while 1–2 mg/l NaClO and ClO2 and 0.5–2 mg/l PAA gave positive responses at neutral pH. Most of concentrations of ClO2 produced positive responses in the Tradescantia micronucleus test. In general, the highest levels of genotoxicity were observed under acid conditions; at acid pH, significant effects were induced by low concentrations of ClO2 and PAA. Since the test concentrations of disinfectants are typical of those encountered in the biocidal treatment of tap water and similar concentrations are consumed daily by a large number of people, the genotoxicity of these compounds may constitute a significant public health concern