Successful high-resolution three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping and radiofrequency catheter ablation of a posteroseptal accessory pathway in a dog using CARTO 3.

A one-year-and-seven-month-old, 28 kg, male castrated crossbreed dog was presented for supraventricular tachycardia causing recurrent episodes of anorexia and lethargy. Sotalol (2.2 mg/kg q12 h) reduced the frequency of symptomatic episodes but did not provide full relief.

Evaluation of the use of a heparin dose-response test in dogs to determine the optimal heparin dose during intravascular procedures and assessment of the in vitro heparin response in healthy dogs.

Background: No guidelines for administering and monitoring anticoagulants intraprocedurally are currently available in dogs, despite the prevalence of procedures necessitating systemic anticoagulation with heparin.

Objectives: To evaluate an activated clotting time (ACT)-based heparin dose-response (HDR) test to predict the individual required heparin dose in dogs during intravascular procedures, and to investigate both the in vitro heparin - ACT and in vitro heparin - factor anti-Xa activity (anti-Xa) relationships in dogs.

Methods: Blood was collected from eight healthy beagles undergoing a cardiac procedure and utilised to establish baseline ACT and for in vitro evaluation.

Surgical correction of an infundibular pulmonic stenosis and ventricular septal defect in a Shetland Sheepdog.

A four-month-old male Shetland Sheepdog presented with exercise intolerance. Physical examination revealed an IV/VI left cranial systolic heart murmur. Echocardiography showed a severe infundibular pulmonic stenosis and a concomitant restrictive ventricular septal defect.

Three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping for guidance of pulmonary vein isolation as treatment for persistent atrial fibrillation in a dog.

A two-year and four-month, male German Shepherd was referred for exercise intolerance and panting. Irregular heart auscultation (250 beats per minute (bpm)) and pulse deficits were noted on physical exam. Electrocardiogram (ECG) showed irregular, narrow-QRS tachycardia without P waves compatible with coarse atrial fibrillation (AF).

Reference interval, longitudinal variability and reliability of activated clotting time in healthy dogs using a point-of-care analyser.

Background: Activated clotting times (ACTs) are used to screen for coagulopathies and monitor heparin therapy.

Objectives: To determine a reference interval (RI) for ACT in dogs using a point-of-care analyser, to quantify intra-subject within- and between-day variability, to quantify analyser reliability and inter-analyser agreement and to study the influence of a delay in measurement.

Methods: Forty-two healthy dogs were included.

Assessment of Cardiotoxicity after a Single Dose of Combretastatin A4-Phosphate in Dogs Using Two-Dimensional Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography.

Combretastatin A4-phosphate (CA4P) is a vascular disrupting agent that was recently described for the treatment of solid canine tumors. Conventional echocardiography and pulsed wave tissue Doppler imaging did not reveal cardiotoxicity in dogs, however, the gold standard for assessing myocardial damage in humans receiving cardiotoxic chemotherapeutics is two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography. The current study evaluated the cardiotoxic effect of a single dose of CA4P in dogs using peak systolic strain measurements and the variability of these measurements.

Feasibility and safety of three-dimensional electroanatomical cardiac mapping, mapping-guided biopsy and transseptal puncture in dogs.

Three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping (3D EAM) has expanded radiofrequency catheter ablation applications in humans to almost all complex arrhythmias and has drastically reduced fluoroscopy use, yet its potential in dogs is poorly investigated. The objectives of the current study were to assess the feasibility and safety of 3D EAM of all four heart chambers, 3D EAM-guided biopsies and transseptal puncture in dogs. Eight healthy purpose-bred Beagle dogs.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of orally administered torasemide in healthy cats.

Background: In people and dogs, torasemide has higher bioavailability, longer half-life, and longer duration of action than equivalent doses of furosemide but data regarding pharmacological properties of torasemide in cats are limited.

Objective: To assess pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of torasemide in healthy cats, and to investigate the effects of a single administration of torasemide on indicators of diuresis, plasma creatinine concentration, blood pressure, electrolyte concentrations and markers of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS).

Animals: Six clinically healthy adult European shorthair cats.

Diagnosis and management of arrhythmias in dogs: A cross-sectional online survey among Flemish veterinary practitioners.

Background: Diagnosis as well as management of arrhythmias in dogs can be challenging for veterinary practitioners. The aim was to describe ECG availability and use, as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic experiences and preferences of Flemish veterinarians regarding cardiac arrhythmias in dogs.

Methods: Cross-sectional online survey among veterinarians in Flanders (Belgium).

Sudden cardiac death: A comparative review of humans, dogs and cats.

Sudden death is one of the most common causes of death in humans in Western countries. Approximately 85% of these cases are of cardiac origin. In dogs and cats, sudden cardiac death (SCD) also commonly occurs, but fewer pathophysiological and prevalence data are available.

Public Microbial Resource Centers: Key Hubs for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) Microorganisms and Genetic Materials.

In the context of open science, the availability of research materials is essential for knowledge accumulation and to maximize the impact of scientific research. In microbiology, microbial domain biological resource centers (mBRCs) have long-standing experience in preserving and distributing authenticated microbial strains and genetic materials (e.g.

Patient and treatment characteristics associated with patient activation in patients undergoing hemodialysis: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Patient activation is associated with better outcomes and lower costs. Although the concept is widely investigated, little attention was given to patient activation and its predictors in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Hence, we aimed to investigate the level of patient activation and aimed to determine patient- and treatment-related predictors of activation in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Selective inhibition of intestinal guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate signaling by small-molecule protein kinase inhibitors.

The guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase II (cGKII) serine/threonine kinase relays signaling through guanylyl cyclase C (GCC) to control intestinal fluid homeostasis. Here, we report the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors of cGKII. These inhibitors were imidazole-aminopyrimidines, which blocked recombinant human cGKII at submicromolar concentrations but exhibited comparatively little activity toward the phylogenetically related protein kinases cGKI and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA).

Impact of the freeze-drying process on product appearance, residual moisture content, viability, and batch uniformity of freeze-dried bacterial cultures safeguarded at culture collections.

In this study, causes of collapsed bacterial cultures in glass ampoules observed after freeze-drying were investigated as well as the influence of collapse on residual moisture content (RMC) and viability. Also, the effect of heat radiation and post freeze-drying treatments on the RMC was studied. Cake morphologies of 21 bacterial strains obtained after freeze-drying with one standard protocol could be classified visually into four major types: no collapse, porous, partial collapse, and collapse.

Inhibition of Heat-Stable Toxin-Induced Intestinal Salt and Water Secretion by a Novel Class of Guanylyl Cyclase C Inhibitors.

Background: Many enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains produce the heat-stable toxin, STa, which, by activation of the intestinal receptor-enzyme guanylyl cyclase (GC) C, triggers an acute, watery diarrhea. We set out to identify GCC inhibitors that may be of benefit for the treatment of infectious diarrheal disease.

Methods: Compounds that inhibit STa-induced cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) production were selected by performing cyclase assays on cells and membranes containing GCC, or the related GCA.

Optimization of a small intestinal segment perfusion model for heat-stable enterotoxin A induced secretion in pigs.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) are a major cause of infectious diarrhea both in human and pigs. After ingestion of contaminated food or water, ETEC bacteria colonize the small intestine where they produce heat-labile (LT) and/or heat-stable (ST) enterotoxins, which induce watery diarrhea. We investigated the possibility of eliciting STa-induced secretion in jejunal segments of anesthetized pigs using a small-intestinal segment perfusion (SISP) model.

Protective immunization with homologous and heterologous antigens against Helicobacter suis challenge in a mouse model.

Helicobacter (H.) suis colonizes the stomach of more than 60% of slaughter pigs and is also of zoonotic importance. Recently, this bacterium was isolated in vitro, enabling the use of pure cultures for research purposes.

Isolation and characterization of Helicobacter suis sp. nov. from pig stomachs.

A new cultivation method was successfully applied for the in vitro isolation of a hitherto uncultured spiral Helicobacter species associated with ulceration of the non-glandular stomach and gastritis in pigs and formerly described as 'Candidatus Helicobacter suis'. Three isolates, HS1(T), HS2 and HS3, were subcultured from the stomach mucosa of three pigs after slaughter and were analysed using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The novel isolates grew on biphasic culture plates or very moist agar bases in microaerobic conditions and exhibited urease, oxidase and catalase activities.

SPACE SCIENCE: Europe Set to Work on Hubble's Replacement.

NASA scientists and engineers working on the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) got a boost from across the Atlantic last week. On 15 September in Paris, the European Space Agency's top science advisory committee recommended that the agency become a major partner in the project. The recommendation puts NGST--along with a handful of other missions the committee also endorsed last week--one short step away from officially becoming part of Europe's space program.

Cantilever tales.

Building even the simplest nanomachines is a daunting challenge, but working models serve as springboards to grander designs. A classic example is the cantilever, an indispensable cog in the nanoworld that ushered in the scanning probe microscopy revolution. Today cantilevers, which resemble tiny diving boards, are the operating principle behind a host of experimental devices that could debut in the next decade.

Prevalence of 'Candidatus Helicobacter suis' in pigs of different ages.

Samples from the antrum and fundus of the stomachs of 457 pigs from 22 different herds were screened for the presence of 'Candidatus Helicobacter suis' by pcr, and samples from the antrum and/or fundus of 222 of the stomachs were tested for urease activity. The prevalence of the infection was very low before weaning, increased rapidly after weaning and reached 90 per cent in the adult boars and sows. The agreement between the results obtained with the pcr test and the urease test was very good for some age groups and sampling sites, but poor for other age groups and sampling sites.