Disseminated candidiasis (moniliasis) in a dog. A case report

A case of systemic candidiasis (Candida albicans) in a 1 1/2 year old dog is reported. Clinically, the first manifestation was enlargement of a superficial inguinal lymph node. Later several peripheral lymph nodes were affected and a fistulous opening appeared, communicating with an inflammatory process in the right humerus. Necropsy revealed gross lesions in the kidneys, pancreas and multiple lymph nodes. In addition, microscopic lesions were observed in the myocardium and the bone marrow of the right humerus. The lesions, which contained large fungal colonies, were mainly granulomatous with numerous multinuclear giant and epitheloid cells, but necrosis and suppuration were also evident. The site of invasion is not known. However, a previous perianal and abdominal dermatitis, which was treated locally with antibiotics and corticoids, could possibly have been a mycotic infection.     

Spironolactone and acute mountain sickness

Thirteen adults trekking in Nepal in 1974 to altitudes between 4,300 m and 5,500 m remained free from acute mountain sickness while taking spironolactone as a prophylactic measure. Two years previously five of these adults trekking at similar altitudes, but without treatment, had suffered from acute mountain sickness. The regime used was spironolactone in a dosage of 25 mg three times a day for two days preceding and during the periods spent at altitudes above 3,000 m.     

Effect of substance P on proximal tubular reabsorption in the rat

Micropuncture and clearance techniques were used simultaneously to determine the effect of substance P on proximal tubular and overall renal function in anesthetized rats. This polypeptide, infused in saline at 50 pg/min into the abdominal aorta above the renal arteries, produced increases in urine flow, 2.7-3.7 mul/min.g kidney wt (P is less than 0.005); urinary sodium concentration, 32-61 meq/liter (P is less than 0.01); and sodium excretion, 89-223 neq/min (P is less than 0.005). Tubular fluid to plasma inulin concentration ratio measured in the last accessible proximal convolution fell from 2.21 to 1.80 (P is less than 0.001), and thus fractional reabsorption was reduced from 54 to 44% (P is less than 0.001). Absolute reabsorption by the proximal convoluted tubule was also reduced 15.5-12.5 nl/min (P is less than 0.025). In a control series of animals, saline alone infused at the same rate did not produce any statistically significant changes in the measured parameters over the same time period. The intrerenal mechanism responsible for the reduction in proximal reabsorption appears to be a tubular one since no consistent or significant changes were observed in kidney or single nephron glomerular filtration rate, renal plasma flow, or intrarenal hydrostatic pressures. No evidence was found to indicate redistribution of filtration rate, or plasma flow, or a reduction in filtration fraction.     

Digital processing of chest radiographs

Plain film radiography is the most common imaging method used in the diagnosis of diseases of the heart and lungs. Despite this, little attention has been given to the possible advantages of capturing and subsequently processing such images digitally. This paper describes the application of digital image processing techniques to chest radiographs. The use of different image enhancement techniques is discussed and their clinical value in diagnosis is illustrated. Attention is given to techniques that aid the clinician in visualizing detail in low contrast regions of the image and detecting lesions such as pneumothoraces. These techniques benefit the patient by reducing the X-ray dose, as well as increasing the information that may be extracted from the image.     

Enhanced recovery from acute renal failure by the postischemic infusin of adenine nucleotides and magnesium chloride in rats

Although a number of manipulations prior to or during the initiation phase of an acute renal injury will modify the degree of functional impairment, agents administered after the acute insult usually have been ineffective. In the present study, adenine nucleotides (AMP, ADP, or ATP) combined with magnesium chloride were infused after an ischemic renal injury. Twenty-four hours later: (1) rats that received no infusion or one of the components of the mixture alone had reduced CIn (355 +/- 40 microliter/min/100 g of body wt vs. 977 +/- 40 control value), decreased RBF (3550 +/- 205 microliter/min/100 g of body wt vs. 5095 +/- 171 control value), elevated FENa (0.65 +/- 0.10% vs. 0.17 +/- 0.04 control value), and diminished UOsm (862 +/- 110 mOsm/kg vs. 1425 +/- 132 control value); (2) rats given dopamine or phenoxybenzamine maintained low CIn (365 +/- 50) despite improved RBF (4678 +/- 222); (3) rats infused with either AMP, ADP, or ATP combined with magnesium chloride had markedly improved CIn (594 +/- 44, P < 0.01), increased RBF (4269 +/- 223, P < 0.01); normalized FENa (0.18 +/- 0.07%, P < 0.01), and improved UOsm (1201 +/- 106 mOsm/kg, P < 0.05). In animals given no infusion or only magnesium chloride, ultrastructural studies demonstrated focal cellular necrosis and marked generalized tubular cell and mitochondrial swelling, whereas rats infused with ATP and magnesium chloride had fewer ultrastructural changes with better preservation of cellular morphology. Rats treated with ATP and magnesium chloride had improved CIn despite ischemic periods of 30, 45, and 60- min; and the degree of improvement was directly related to the quantity of ATP and magnesium chloride administered. The cellular content of exogenously administered ATP was 2.5 times greater in previously ischemic kidneys than in nonischemic kidneys. The data indicate that adenine nucleotides combined with magnesium chloride when infused after the initiation of acute renal failure significantly improve both CIn and tubular function and suggest that these agents effectively enhance recovery following an ischemc renal insult.     

The Interaction Between Nuclear Waste Glass and Ordinary Portland Cement

The interaction between simulated reference waste glasses SON68 and SM539, and cement has been studied in suspensions of ordinary Portland cement and synthetic cement water with pH 13.5 at 30°C. The cement appears to trigger glass dissolution by consumption of glass matrix components. This leads to fast glass dissolution at a constant rate with formation of a porous gel layer on the glass. A glass dissolution model has been proposed considering that the silicon coming from the glass reacts with portlandite to form C-S-H phases. The transformation of C-S-H into C-A-S-H phases is a second parallel driving force especially for the Al-rich SM539 glass. After consumption of the portlandite, the glass alteration rate is expected to decrease.     

Comparative effect of tiaprofenic acid and piroxicam alone and as adjuvants to praziquantel in Schistosoma mansoni infected mice

A simple, rapid and sensitive two column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with ultraviolet detection at 210 nm has been developed for the determination of N-(trans-4-isopropylcyclohexanecarbonyl)-D-phenylalanine (AY4166, I) and its seven metabolites in human plasma and urine. Measurements of I and its metabolites were carried out by two column-switching HPLC, because metabolites were classified into two groups according to their retention times. After purification of plasma samples using solid-phase extraction and direct dilution of urinary samples, I and each metabolite were injected into HPLC. The calibration graphs for plasma and urinary samples were linear in the ranges 0.1 to 10 microg ml(-1) and 0.5 to 50 microg ml(-1), respectively. Recoveries of I and its seven metabolites were over 88% by the standard addition method and the relative standard deviations of I and its metabolites were 1-6%.