Fallot's tetralogy in a European beaver (Cator fiber)

A 20-mo-old, female, 9-kg European beaver (Castor fiber) presented with apathy, reduced appetite of 3-day duration and a grade 5/6 systolic heart murmur. Thoracic radiographs revealed a diffuse broncho-interstitial pattern suspicious for bronchopneumonia. The echocardiographic findings of a hypertrophied right ventricle, ventricular septal defect with overriding aorta, and infundibular pulmonic stenosis were consistent with Fallot’s tetralogy. Even though the bronchopneumonia rather than the congenital cardiac defect was considered of primary importance for the presenting clinical signs, the latter was relevant for the decision not to continue any medical treatment. Both disease processes were confirmed on necropsy

Arzneimittelinteraktionen von Phenylbutazon und Phenprocoumon bei einem Warmblutpferd

Ein 15-jähriger Oldenburger Wallach wurde zur Therapie einer Hufrehe während 3 Wochen einmal täglich oral mit 27 mg des Gerinnungshemmers Phenprocoumon bei gleichzeitiger Gabe von 2-4 g Phenylbutazon per os zweimal täglich. Nach dieser Behandlung wurde das Tier mit Kolikvorbericht und hochgradiger Schocksymptomatik an die Pferdeklinik der Universität Zürich überwiesen. Mittels der klinischen Untersuchung und der Laborwerte wurde eine erhöhte Blutungsneigung aufgrund von Arneimittelinteraktionen diagnostiziert. Die Behandlung des Pferdes erfolgte mit Vitamin-K1 (0.5 mg/kg, subkutan). Da sich der Allgemeinzustand des Tieres jedoch weiter verschlechterte, wurde das Pferd euthanasiert. Die Sektion des Tieres ergab hochgradige multifokale Hämorrhagien der Serosen und der inneren Organe sowie Blutungen in die Körperhöhlen. Dieser Fall zeigt, dass die gleichzeitige Gabe des Coumarinderivats Phenprocoumon mit Phenylbutazon Arzneimittelinteraktionen hervorrufen kann, die den antikoagulierenden Effekt des Coumarinderivats verstärken. Eine solche Kombinationstherapie ist aufgrund der erhöhten Blutungsgefahr kontraindiziert. Eine sinnvolle Behandlung des Pferdes mit Gerinnungshemmern bedarf daher einer strengen Indikation mit regelmässiger Kontrolle des Gerinnungsstatus unter Beachtung von potentiellen Interaktionen. Schlüsselwörter: Pferd, Gerinnungshemmer, Phenprocoumon, Phenylbutazon, Arzneimittelinteraktionen A 15 year old Oldenburger gelding was treated during 3 weeks for laminitis with the anticoagulant phenprocoumone (27 mg orally, once daily) and concurrent administration of phenylbutazone (2-4 g orally, twice daily). After this treatment the animal was presented to the Equine Clinic University of Zurich with a history of acute colic and advanced symptoms of shock. On the basis of the clinical signs and laboratory values, a diagnosis of combined drug induced coagulopathy was made. The horse was treated with the antidote Vitamine- K1 (0.5 mg/kg, subcutaneously). Eventually, the general condition of the animal worsened and it was therefore euthanized. Necropsy revealed profound, multifocal hemorrhagic diathesis of the serosal surface of the viscera, as well as bleeding into the visceral cavities. This case shows that concurrent administration of phenprocoumone and phenylbutazone may lead to drug interactions that increase the anticoagulation effect of the coumarine-derivative. Simultaneous use of coumarine-derivatives and phenylbutazone is therefore contraindicated due to the higher risk of bleeding. A reasonable treatment of horses with anticoagulants requires regular monitoring with constant evaluation of coagulation status and special attention to potential drug interactions. Keywords: Horse, anticoagulants, phenprocoumon, phenylbutazone, drug interaction

Immunohistochemical detection of survivin in canine lymphoma

Survivin is a member of the family of proteins known as 'inhibitors of apoptosis proteins'. Survivin has a role in cellular decisions concerning division and survival and is frequently expressed in neoplastic cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate immunohistochemically the expression of survivin in normal canine tissues and in canine lymphoma. A representative range of fetal and adult normal tissues as well as biopsy samples from dogs with lymphoma were assembled in tissue arrays. The lymphomas were classified according to the revised Kiel and to the Revised European American Lymphoma - World Health Organization (REAL-WHO) schemes. Polyclonal and monoclonal antisera cross-reactive with canine survivin identified cytoplasmic expression of the molecule in a broad range of normal canine cells. The same reagents demonstrated cytoplasmic labelling of more than 5% of cells in all 83 lymphoma samples tested with polyclonal antiserum and in 67 of 82 (82%) of samples tested with monoclonal antiserum. Survivin was expressed by a wide range of canine lymphoma subtypes, but the expression of this molecule in normal canine tissues must be considered if novel therapies targeting survivin are applied to the management of canine lymphoma. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd

A headway to improve PTW rider safety within the EU through three types of ITS

This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Springer under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Introduction: The current safety situation for Powered Two Wheelers (PTW) within the EU is alarming. According to EU statistics, PTW riders account for 17% of all fatal road injuries in the region and twice as many fatalities per hundred thousand registered vehicles compared with occupants of cars. In recent years, too little attention has been given to Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), including PTW users, in the development of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). Therefore, ITS should be developed that consider PTW riders an integral part of traffic; we focus on three systems that we believe have the potential to improve safety among PTW riders, namely Intersection Safety (INS), the Powered Two Wheeler oncoming vehicle information system (PTW2V), and the Vulnerable road user Beacon System (VBS). The present study aims to estimate quantitatively the safety impacts of the selected ITS for PTW riders in the EU-28, once the systems are fully adopted and meet selected future scenarios for 2020 and 2030. Method: An ex-ante method suggested by Kulmala [1] was further developed and applied to assess the safety impacts of ITS specifically designed for VRUs. As suggested by the method, the analysis started by determining the impact mechanisms through which the selected ITS systems affect the safety of PTW riders. Results: According to the main results, all the systems we studied have a positive impact on PTW rider safety by preventing fatalities and injuries. The greatest effects, based on 2012 accident data and full penetration, could be attained by implementing PTW2V (283 fewer yearly fatalities) and INS (261 fewer yearly fatalities). The weakest effect was found with VBS (216 fewer yearly fatalities). Forecasts for 2030, also based on estimated accident trends and penetration rates, confirm an expected edge for INS and PTW2V in terms of safety