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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.

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.

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.

As age increases, changes in cardiovascular anatomy and physiology occur, even in the absence of disease. Thus, studies of vessel hemodynamics are considered primordial to detect any cardiovascular changes. The objective of this study has been to describe the parameters of B-mode and spectral Doppler ultrasonography in the evaluation of the common carotid arteries of 11 equine and 11 mules, and correlate with age, body mass and neck circumferences. The diameters, intima - media thickness (IMT), resistivity index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), systolic velocity (SV), diastolic velocity (DV), maximum velocity (MV), vascular flow index (VFI), body mass, age, circumference and neck length. Ultrasonographic variables were evaluated in three different region called cranial, middle and caudal. Equine females presented higher values regarding the body mass, age and neck length, as compared to the neck circumferences of the animals, those of the mules were superior. The age of the mules had a positive correlation with the body mass, diameter and neck circumferences, it has a negative correlation between age and vessel diameters. The body mass of the mules had a positive correlation with age and vessel diameters, and with vessel diameters and neck circumferences in equine females. The RI and PI variables had a positive correlation with body mass for mules, and with age for equine females. The DV had a negative correlation with body mass for both equine and mule females. Regarding the variables MV and VFI, age correlated negatively for mules, while it was not significant for equine females. It found a difference between equine females and mules in the correlations performed, with body mass, age, neck circumferences and between B-mode and Doppler ultrasonography variables.

Radiation therapy is a modality that is presenting great advances in veterinary medicine worldwide. In Brazil, this therapeutic option is underachieved. The success of this method depends on several factors, including the use of appropriate accessories for protection and immobilization of patients. For the immobilization of small animals during treatment, in addition to sedation and anesthesia, immobilizing accessories, similar to those used in human radiotherapy, are used. This study aimed to present proposals for immobilizing accessories adapted to the positioning of small animals in order to be used in radiotherapy planning. In order to achieve results, accessories were made and tested in a living animal simulating a radiotherapy planning, which proved to be favorable to use in positioning small animals undergoing radiotherapy and for implementation processes.

RESUMO.-[Análise por histograma em escala de cinza para estudo da ecogenicidade e ecotextura das paredes das artérias carótidas comuns de equinos e muares.] A técnica de avaliação da ecogenicidade e ecotextura dos tecidos dos vasos sanguíneos por inspeção visual do exame de ultrassonografia, já é uma prática da rotina médica em humanos. No entanto, a simples visualização manual pode induzir à erros e diagnósticos de pouca qualidade. O uso ABSTRACT.-Fogaça J.L., Vettorato M.C., Puoli-Filho J.N.P., Fernandes M.A.R. & Machado V.M.V. 2019. Grayscale histogram analysis to study the echogenicity and echotexture of the walls of the common carotid arteries of equines and mules. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 39 (3):221-229. Visual inspection of ultrasound examination for assessment of echogenicity and echotexture of blood vessel tissues is a technique routinely used in medical practice in humans. However, simple visual inspection can lead to poor quality diagnoses and errors. The use of grayscale histogram (GSH) analysis has proved to be an efficient technique to quantify the region of interest, allowing minimization of image interpretation errors. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the echogenicity and echotexture of the walls of the common carotid arteries of healthy female horses and mules using the GSH technique and correlate them with age, body mass, and vessel diameters. B-mode ultrasound examinations were performed in the left and right common carotid arteries in three regions (cranial, middle, and caudal) in 11 horses and 11 healthy mules. The GSH of the animals showed heterogeneous walls, but did not differentiate statistically between female horses and mules. The Mean variable of the middle right, middle left and caudal right sides showed differences, more significant in the mules. On the middle right side, the Min variable was different, higher in the mules. On the middle and caudal left side, the variables Max and Mode showed higher values in the mules. For the mules, the age factor presented negative correlation with the Mean, Mode,, Mode(Count), and Mode(Count)/Count(%) variables, and the body mass factor presented negative correlation with the Mode, Mean and Max variables. For the female horses, the body mass factor showed positive correlation with the Mean and Mode variables. Echogenicity of the carotid artery walls differed between female horses and mules, whereas echotexture was heterogeneous and statistically similar among the animals. The age and body mass factors inversely influenced the echogenicity of the mules, but were not significant in the female horses, in which only the body mass factor positively influenced echogenicity.