Occurrence of the specific long spike burst pattern in the ovine proximal gallbladder as an indication of myoelectric regional variability

The myoelectrical activity of the ovine gallbladder has not been fully recognised. Five rams were fitted with six small intestinal and three gallbladder electrodes and a strain gauge force transducer was mounted near the gallbladder fundic electrode. In two series of successive experiments, the electromyographical and mechanical recordings were recorded over a period of 5–7 hours. The occurrence of the slow waves in the small bowel was regular, unlike those in the gallbladder. In the gallbladder infundibulum, the specific pattern, called the long spike burst pattern (LSBP), was observed. It comprised usually one or two parts of prolonged duration. The first part resembled the classical (short lasting) spike burst in the small bowel, and its amplitude was lower than that of the second part. The spike burst frequency of the second part was 2–3 times lower than that of the first part. During phase 1-like and phase 2a-like activities, the intensity of the gallbladder LSBP was reduced while enhanced after feeding. In fasted rams, the duration of a specific pattern, observed in the gallbladder infundibulum, was longer than in non-fasted animals and its amplitude was low. Similar events were recorded in the gallbladder corpus, but the specific pattern was shorter and irregular. In the gallbladder fundus, mostly irregular short spike bursts were recorded. It is concluded that in sheep, specific types of the long-lasting groups of spikes occur in the upper gallbladder areas exhibiting myoelectrical regional variability. The character of an LSBP depends on feeding conditions

Evaluation of the occurrence of canine congenital sensorineural deafness in puppies of predisposed dog breeds using the brainstem auditory evoked response

Canine congenital sensorineural deafness (CCSD) affects predisposed breeds of dogs and is primarily caused by an atrophy of the stria vascularis of the organ of Corti. The analysis of the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) is a reliable method for the evaluation of hearing in animals as it allows an accurate detection of unilateral or bilateral deafness. The occurrence of unilateral and bilateral deafness using the BAER was determined in a representative group of dogs in Poland, including Bull Terriers (n = 117), Australian Cattle Dogs (n = 62), English Setters (n = 32) and the Dogo Argentino (n = 32). Overall deafness, deafness in each dog breed and an association between deafness and phenotype were studied. Among the 243 dogs tested, 156 (81%) had a normal BAER, 27 (11%) were unilaterally deaf, and 12 (5%) were bilaterally deaf. The amplitudes and latencies of waves I, II, III, V, the V/I wave amplitude ratio, and wave I–V, I–III and III–V inter-peak intervals were recorded for each dog. Unilaterally and bilaterally deaf dogs were present in all the dog breeds studied. There were 17 (14.5%) deaf Bull Terriers, three (4.8%) deaf Australian Cattle Dogs, seven (21.9%) deaf English Setters, and 12 (37.5%) deaf Dogos Argentinos. Preventive BAER screening should be routinely performed in these four breeds to prevent the spread of genes responsible for deafness

Preliminary reference values for electrocardiography, echocardiography and myocardial morphometry in the European brown hare (Lepus europaeus)

The study aimed at defining reference values for electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic parameters as well as macroscopic dimensions of the heart and microscopic dimensions of cardiomyocytes in the European brown hare. The studies were conducted on 30 adult, clinically healthy hares of either sex caught in Poland. ECG and echocardiography were performed supravitally on anaesthetized hares. After euthanasia, gross and microscopic myocardial and cardiomyocyte dimensions were determined. Heart rate amounted to 140 ± 37.5 beats/min, the leading rhythm involved the sinus rhythm. P wave time was 26 ± 5 ms, PQ time was 80 ms, QRS time was 29 ± 3.5 ms, and ST was 97.5 ± 7 ms. Echocardiography determined a left ventricular wall end-diastolic diameter of 8.6 ± 2.0 mm and an intraventricular septum end-diastolic diameter of 5.75 ± 1.0 mm. The thickness of the interventricular septum corresponded to that of the free wall of the left ventricle, a finding consistent with physiological hypertrophy. Preliminary reference values were established for echocardiography. The findings were similar to those obtained at necropsy. The ECG and echocardiographic studies represent the first supravital examination of cardiac function in the hare. The obtained results illustrate adaptation of hare's myocardium to its mode of life. The cardiac findings resemble the athlete's heart syndrome described in humans. The findings may prove useful in further studies on the physiology of the cardio-vascular system in the hare

Biomarkers of injury to neural tissue in veterinary medicine

There are numerous biomarkers of central and peripheral nervous system damage described in human and veterinary medicine. Many of these are already used as tools in the diagnosis of human neurological disorders, and many are investigated in regard to their use in small and large animal veterinary medicine. The following review presents the current knowledge about the application of cell-type (glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament subunit NF-H, myelin basic protein) and central nervous system specific proteins (S100B, neuron specific enolase, tau protein, alpha II spectrin, ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1, creatine kinase BB) present in the cerebrospinal fluid and/or serum of animals in the diagnosis of central or peripheral nervous system damage in veterinary medicine

Ultrasound tomography imaging: results of breast phantom study and resolution estimation

In order to improve breast cancer detection rates, new and better imaging methods are required. Currently, the ultrasound tomography (UT) as non-invasive and safe hybrid method may contribute to achieving a new standard for breast cancer diagnostics. The aim of the paper was to analyse the imaging ability of tissue-like media structure found in female breast using the developed novel ultrasound computer-assisted tomographic scanner. Measurements was performed on commercial breast biopsy phantoms due to their well-defined structure with inclusions mimicking glandular tissue with lesions, as well as on the simple agar phantom. Obtained magnetic resonance images (MRI), conventional ultrasound images (US) or X-ray computed tomography (CT) images of the measured media sections were used for comparison. The analysis of the obtained results and carried out theoretical considerations have allowed to estimate the resolution of soft tissue UT imaging