Supplemental vibrissal extensions as an alternative to improve the tactile sensitivity of blind dogs - a preliminary approach investigation.

Objective: This preliminary study suggests a way to artificially extend vibrissae of blind dogs to assist ambulation and avoiding facial contact with obstacles.

Procedures: Fourteen irreversibly blind dogs had 5-6 mystacial vibrissae on each side of the face supplementally extended by attaching carefully chosen adult pig hairs to them and were subjected to a maze test before and after the procedure. In three of these dogs the test was repeated one more time after all the extensions had fallen off.

SELECTED OPHTHALMIC TESTS AND OCULAR DIMENSIONS IN RELATION TO ACTIVITY PATTERN IN THREE NEOTROPICAL NONHUMAN PRIMATES: BLACK-TUFTED MARMOSET (), GUIANAN SQUIRREL MONKEY (), AND AZARA'S NIGHT MONKEY ().

The goals of this study were to compare ocular morphology, determine the reference intervals of selected ophthalmic tests, ocular measurements, intraocular pressure, and tear production, and to establish possible relationships in the visual ecology of three different Neotropical nonhuman primates (NHP). Nineteen black-tufted marmosets (), 24 Guianan squirrel monkeys (), and 24 night monkeys () were included in the study. Schirmer tear test, ocular dimensions, ocular ultrasonography, intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness, and corneal touch threshold were determined.

The development of the normal Schirmer tear test results during the dog's first year of life.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between lacrimation and age in a homogeneous group of healthy beagle dogs during the first year of life.

Materials And Methods: Schirmer tear test I (STT I) was performed at an interval of 12-15 days in both eyes of 16 clinically healthy beagle dogs (eight males and eight females) from 94 to 361 days of age. Three different quadratic polynomial regression equations were estimated for the variation in lacrimation: (1) for the entire period (19 observations), (2) for observations 1-4 (days 94-136), and (3) for observations 5-19 (days 150-361).

Effects of benzalkonium chloride and cyclosporine applied topically to rabbit conjunctiva: a histomorphometric study.

Purpose: Chronic instillation of benzalkonium chloride, a preservative, has inflammatory effects on the ocular surface. However, addition of the anti-inflammatory agent cyclosporine to a therapeutic protocol may mitigate these effects. This study compared the toxic effects of a 0.

Infrared ocular thermography in dogs with and without keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

Infrared thermography was used to measure temperature differences of the corneal surface between nasal and temporal limbus regions and central cornea of normal dogs and dogs with keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), in order to establish temperature values in normal canine eyes and in patients with decreased Schirmer tear tests (STT) values. Dogs investigated were all either patients seen at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Federal University of Paraná or normal dogs that belonged to the same institution. STT were performed in all eyes.

Characterization of the oculocardiac reflex during compression of the globe in Beagle dogs and rabbits.

Objective: This investigation characterizes the occurrence of oculocardiac reflex (OCR) in conscious rabbits and dogs by observing the effect of an ocular compression stimulus on heart rate (HR).

Animals Studied: Thirty-four clinically healthy adult rabbits and 15 clinically healthy adult Beagle dogs were studied.

Procedures: An electrocardiogram was used to record the heart rhythm and HR continuously.

Expression of eight genes of nuclear factor-kappa B pathway in multiple myeloma using bone marrow aspirates obtained at diagnosis.

Purpose: To evaluate the expression of NF-kappaB pathway genes in total bone marrow samples obtained from MM at diagnosis using real-time quantitative PCR and to evaluate its possible correlation with disease clinical features and survival.

Material And Methods: Expression of eight genes related to NF-kappaB pathway (NFKB1, IKB, RANK, RANKL, OPG, IL6, VCAM1 and ICAM1) were studied in 53 bone marrow samples from newly diagnosed MM patients and in seven normal controls, using the Taqman system. Genes were considered overexpressed when tumor expression level was at least four times higher than that observed in normal samples.