Effect of Butorphanol on Anaesthesia Induction by Isoflurane in the Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)

A total of 10 clinically healthy green iguanas (5 males and 5 females, body weight ranging from 1 350 to 2 770 g) were given butorphanol by intramuscular injection following 24 h fasting. Inhalation anaesthesia was administered by mask (5% isoflurane with oxygen, 1.0 l/min), once reactions to external stimuli had decreased (15.45 ± 1.54 min later). Tracheal intubation was performed as soon as the iguanas exhibited complete tolerance to mechanical stimuli. A second study was performed 4 weeks later using the same green iguanas with no pre-medication. Marked individual reactions to masking were observed during both experiments. Some iguanas exhibited breath holding which prolonged anaesthetic induction. Physical stimulation was used in these cases in order to stimulate spontaneous breathing. The mean anaesthetic induction time was similar in both groups of green iguanas (4.34 ± 0.47 and 4.93 ± 0.88 min). There was also a comparable interval from masking to safe tracheal intubation in both experimental groups (15.21 ± 4.26 and 14.31 ± 1.39 min). In view of the results, pre-medication with butorphanol cannot be considered an effective method of anaesthetic induction in green iguanas

Accurate automated quantitative imaging of tortoise erythrocytes using the NIS image analysis system

The standard method for assessing blood cell characteristics using an ocular micrometer is time-consuming and limited. We used the Nikon NIS Elements imaging software and May-Grünwald-Giemsa staining to determine whether automated image analysis is suitable for rapid and accurate quantitative morphometry of erythrocytes. Blood was collected during four seasons from 126 geometric tortoises and the blood smears were evaluated for cell (C) and nuclear (N) characteristics of the erythrocytes. We measured area, length (L), width (W), perimeter, elongation and pixelation intensity, and calculated L/W and N/C areas. Erythrocyte size differed among cohorts; females, the larger sex, had smaller erythrocytes than either males or juveniles. Males had more elongated erythrocytes than females and erythrocytes of adults were more elongated than those of juveniles. Erythrocyte size and shape influence the efficiency of gas exchange owing to surface area to volume ratios, which are greater for small, elongated cells than for large, round cells. The high N/C ratio and low pixelation intensities of males and juveniles indicate that they may have had more immature erythrocytes in their circulation than females. The use of pixelation intensity to indicate the presence of immature erythrocytes was validated by seasonal differences that corresponded to the biology of the tortoises. Pixelation intensity was lowest in winter. We found that automated image analysis is a rapid and reliable method for determining cell size and shape, and it offers the potential for distinguishing among developmental stages that differ in staining intensity. The method should be useful for rapid health assessments, particularly of threatened species, and for comparative studies among different vertebrates.Web of Scienc

Aligned nanofibres made of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) grafted to hyaluronan for potential healthcare applications

In this work, a hybrid copolymer consisting of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) grafted to hyaluronic acid (HA) was synthesised and characterised. Once formed, the P(3HB)-g-HA copolymer was soluble in water allowing a green electrospinning process. The diameters of nanofibres can be tailored by simply varying the Mw of polymer. The optimization of the process allowed to produce fibres of average diameter in the range of 100-150 nm and low polydispersity. The hydrophobic modification has not only increased the fibre diameter, but also the obtained layers were homogenous. At the nanoscale, the hybrid copolymer exhibited an unusual hairy topography. Moreover, the hardness and tensile properties of the hybrid were found to be superior compared to fibres made of unmodified HA. Particularly, this reinforcement was achieved at the longitudinal direction. Additionally, this work reports the use in the composition of a water-soluble copolymer containing photo cross-linkable moieties to produce insoluble materials post-electrospinning. The derivatives as well as their nanofibrous mats retain the biocompatibility of the natural polymers used for the fabrication