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An ultrasonographic evaluation of the renal morphology is subjective in veterinary science. The echogenicity and echotexture are compared among the cortex, medulla, liver, and spleen. The purpose of this study was to quantify the renal echogenicity and echotexture of healthy adult horses and mules. An ultrasonographic examination was performed on 12 horses and 12 mules to obtain bidimensional images of the renal cortex, renal medulla, liver, and spleen. These images were analyzed using a gray-level histogram to obtain the quantitative values of echogenicity, echotexture, and the proportions of each region. Difference between the kidneys of mules and horses was observed. The renal cortex was less echoic (6.59 ± 1.69 less in mules; 3.04 ± 1.03 less in horses) and more homogeneous (0.17 ± 0.24 more in mules; 0.47 ± 0.22 more in horses) than the spleen but more hypoechoic (1.46 ± 0.37 more in mules; 1.05 ± 1.07 more in horses) and homogeneous (0.81 ± 0.11 more in mules; 0.85 ± 0.26 more in horses) than the liver. In comparing the renal cortex to the medulla, it was observed that the renal cortex is more echoic (up to 3.49 ± 1.59 more in mules; 2.07 ± 0.21 more in horses) and heterogeneous (up to 0.45 ± 0.23 more in mules; 0.63 ± 0.09 more in horses). The most important difference between mules and horses was a more hypoechoic and homogeneous renal medulla in mules, indicating a higher water content of the renal medulla in mules than in horses.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Psyllium (PSY) and Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) administration on fecal elimination of sand in horses with asymptomatic sand accumulations. Eight horses were selected from sandy areas and randomly divided into 2 groups of four animals. The subjects were treated either with CMC or PSY. The presence of intestinal sand was confirmed through radiography and glove sedimentation test. The study was performed in two phases, with a 7-day interval. In phase I, all the animals received 8 liters of warm water; in phase II, the CMC group received 8 liters of water + 1g/kg of CMC, whereas the PSY group received 8 liters of water + 1g/kg of PSY. All administrations were performed through nasogastric intubation and fractionated in 2 equal volume administrations with an interval of two hours. General and specific physical examination of the digestive system were performed in conjunction with abdominal ultrasonography before the administrations and after 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours, aiming to evaluate intestinal motility and presence of sand. All the feces eliminated by the animals within the 72 hours following the administrations were quantified, diluted and sedimented in order to calculate the sand output (g/kg of feces). All the animals were also subjected to radiographic examination to quantify sand accumulation prior to phase I and after 72 hours of phases I and II. No adverse effects were observed after the treatments. It was possible to notice higher sand elimination in both groups during the phase I, whereas no difference was observed in sand elimination rates between the groups in phase II. The radiographic scores presented differences between the initial timepoint and 72h in phases I and II for both groups. Based on the sand elimination rates and radiographic score, this study demonstrated that sand output was greater after administration of water alone, compared to CMC and Psyllium, leading to the inference that removal of the sandy environment and prevention of sand re-ingestion are effective measures for the elimination of sand from the colon of horses with asymptomatic sand accumulations.

A betaterapia é uma forma de braquiterapia onde a fonte emissora de raios beta é posicionada diretamente na área em que se deseja tratar. As principais aplicações são em dermatologia e em oftalmologia no tratamento de lesões superficiais, pois as partículas betas têm grande poder de ionização e pequeno alcance no tecido. A radioterapia em medicina veterinária vem aumentando e apresentando resultados consideravelmente no Brasil e pelo mundo. Esta revisão teve como objetivo descrever os princípios e aplicações da betaterapia em medicina veterinária. Para a concretização foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica, possibilitando assim, consolidar informações relativas à base teórica e ao tema proposto. Foi observado o uso do Estrôncio-90 (Sr90) nos principais procedimentos realizados em animais domésticos, selvagens e de experimentação, realçando a importância desta técnica adjuvante. A betaterapia mostrou-se exequível e de fácil manuseio para aplicações em medicina veterinária, especialmente nos casos de lesões e neoplasias superficiais. As fontes radioativas emissoras de partículas betas, como as de Sr90 não requerem grandes cuidados com proteção radiológica, o que contribui para a viabilidade da sua manipulação em radioterapia veterinária, principalmente nos procedimentos intra-operatórios.