Administration of acepromazine, thiopental, and propofol resulted in splenomegaly. Dexmedetomidine did not alter splenic volume. Hydromorphone slightly decreased splenic volume. Propofol should not be used when splenomegaly is not desirable, whereas hydromorphone and dexmedetomidine may be used when it is best to avoid splenic enlargement.

Acid-base homeostasis maintains systemic arterial pH within a narrow range. Whereas the normal range of pH for clinical laboratories is 7.35-7.45, in vivo pH is maintained within a much narrower range. In clinical and experimental settings, blood pH can vary in response to respiratory or renal impairment. This altered pH promotes changes in vascular smooth muscle tone with impact on circulation and blood pressure control. Changes in pH can be divided into those occurring in the extracellular space (pH o ) and those occurring within the intracellular space (pH i ), although, extracellular and intracellular compartments influence each other. Consistent with the multiple events involved in the changes in tone produced by altered pH o , including type of vascular bed, several factors and mechanisms, in addition to hydrogen ion concentration, have been suggested to be involved. The scientific literature has many reports concerning acid-base balance and endothelium function, but these concepts are not clear about acid-base disorders and their relations with the three known mechanisms of endothelium-dependent vascular reactivity: nitric oxide (NO/cGMP-dependent), prostacyclin (PGI 2 /cAMP-dependent) and hyperpolarization. During the last decades, many studies have been published and have given rise to confronting data on acid-base disorder and endothelial function. Therefore, the main proposal of this review is to provide a critical analysis of the state of art and incentivate researchers to develop more studies about these issues.

The vascular manifestations associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) result from the dysfunction of several vascular physiology components mainly involving the endothelium, vascular smooth muscle and platelets. It is also known that hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress plays a role in the development of this dysfunction. This review considers the basic physiology of the endothelium, especially related to the synthesis and function of nitric oxide. We also discuss the pathophysiology of vascular disease associated with DM. This includes the role of hyperglycemia in the induction of oxidative stress and the role of advanced glycation end-products. We also consider therapeutic strategies.

Objectives The aim of the study was to determine if amantadine improves owner-identified mobility impairment and quality of life associated with osteoarthritis in cats. Methods Using a blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover design, 13 healthy client-owned cats with clinical and radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis and owner-identified mobility impairment were studied. Cats received 5 mg/kg amantadine or placebo q24h PO for 3 weeks each with no washout period between. Locomotor activity was continuously assessed with a collar-mounted activity monitor system, and owners chose and rated two mobility-impaired activities using a client-specific outcome measures (CSOM) questionnaire on a weekly basis. Locomotor activity on the third treatment week was analyzed with two-tailed paired t-tests. The CSOM scores were analyzed using a mixed-effect model and the Bonferroni post-hoc test. Owner-perceived changes in quality of life were compared between treatments using the χ2 test. Statistical significance was set at P <0.05. Results Mean ± SD activity counts during the third week of each treatment were significantly lower with amantadine (240,537 ± 53,880) compared with placebo (326,032 ± 91,759). CSOM scores assigned by the owners were significantly better with amantadine on the second (3 ± 1) and third (3 ± 1) weeks compared with placebo (5 ± 2 and 5 ± 1, respectively). A significantly greater proportion of owners reported improvement in quality of life with amantadine compared with placebo. Conclusions and relevance Amantadine significantly decreased activity, but improved owner-identified impaired mobility and owner-perceived quality of life in cats with osteoarthritis. Amantadine appears to be an option for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis in cats.

Approximately 12.5% of all 9,920 extant bird species in the world are threatened with extinction, and yet conservation efforts through natural breeding of captive species continue to encounter difficulties. However, sperm cryopreservation and artificial insemination offer potential benefits over natural breeding, but their applicability is still limited in nondomestic species. In this study, we aimed to exploit the potential of germ cell xenotransplantation as an alternative tool for preserving germplasm of endangered birds. The study was designed to investigate whether transfer of either spermatogonia-enriched cell fraction (SEF) or crude testicular cell fraction (CTF) from adult Japanese quails (as a model for wild species) would result in recolonization of gamma-irradiated gonads of adult recipient chickens. One month after transplantation, 75% of recipients injected with SEF and 25% of recipients injected with CTF resumed spermatogenesis. However, it took more than 3 months for 33% of the negative controls to resume marginal production of sperm. Some SEF recipients produced more spermatozoa bearing head morphology compared with donor controls. DNA analysis using quail-specific primers did not detect donor's DNA in these recipients' semen. However, 6 months after xenotransplantation, presence of quail germ cells was demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction and by immunohistochemistry in 1 rooster injected with SEF. These findings indicate that spermatogonia from adult quails were capable of colonizing immunocompetent testis of adult chickens but failed to produce sufficient sperm. Despite this limitation, the present approach represents a potential conservation tool that may be used to rescue germ cells of endangered adult male birds.

Considering the inflammatory process intrinsic to CPB, this study reinforces the idea that plasma NOx is not useful as a biomarker of inflammatory response onset, which may or may not lead to SIRS and/or vasoplegic syndrome.

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Atendimentos de emergência a vítimas de violências e acidentes: diferenças no perfil epidemiológico entre o setor público e o privado. VIVA -Campinas/SP, 2009Emergency care for victims of violence and accidents: differences in the epidemiological profile between the public and private health services. VIVA -Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, 2009