Use of conventional and real-time polymerase chain reaction to determine the epidemiology of hemoplasma infections in anemic and nonanemic cats.

Background: The goals of this study were to develop and apply conventional (c) and real-time TaqMan polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum' (Mhp), and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' (Mhm) to blood samples of cats to determine the epidemiology of these infections in cats.

Hypothesis: Cats are infected with >2 hemoplasma species, and organism load correlates with disease induced by these organisms.

Animals: Blood samples from 263 anemic and nonanemic cats were used.

Imaging doses from the Elekta Synergy X-ray cone beam CT system.

The Elekta Synergy is a radiotherapy treatment machine with integrated kilovoltage (kV) X-ray imaging system capable of producing cone beam CT (CBCT) images of the patient in the treatment position. The aim of this study is to assess the additional imaging dose. Cone beam CT dose index (CBDI) is introduced and measured inside standard CTDI phantoms for several sites (head: 100 kV, 38 mAs, lung: 120 kV, 152 mAs and pelvis: 130 kV, 456 mAs).

The suppression of gastro-oesophageal reflux by alginates.

Aims: The aim of this study was to compare alginate products with the same amount of active ingredients but different dosage forms, in the suppression of reflux provoked by a standard meal in healthy human volunteers, using ambulatory oesophageal pH monitoring.

Methods: This was a single centre, randomised, open, three-period crossover, controlled study comparing Gaviscon Advance (10 ml) with a control (10 ml water) and with a new tablet product containing the same active ingredients as Gaviscon Advance. Volunteers who had oesophageal pH < 4 for at least 2% of the 4-h period after ingestion of a test meal followed by control at a reflux screening visit were included in the study.

Oral eosinophilic granulomas in tigers (Panthera tigris)--a collection of 16 cases.

Oral eosinophilic granulomas were diagnosed in 16 tigers (Panthera tigris). All lesions were located on the hard or soft palate and typically consisted of flat or slightly raised circular ulcers. Histologic features of these lesions were essentially identical to those seen in oral eosinophilic granulomas of domestic cats and dogs.

Attempted treatment of tigers (Panthera tigris) infected with Microsporum canis.

An outbreak of dermatophytosis caused by Microsporum canis occurred in tigers (Panthera tigris) at an exotic felid sanctuary in 2003. In an attempt to find an effective, practical, safe, and affordable method for controlling this epizootic, a clinical treatment trial was conducted. Nonalopecic tigers were studied to address the inapparent carrier state observed at the facility.

Management of the aging face in the Asian patient.

Although faces age in different ways and at different rates, certain characteristics of facial aging are always present. Certain specific anatomic features of the Asian face often dictate the rate and manner of facial aging. This article focuses on surgical techniques designed to rejuvenate the lower face.

Jackson Community Medical Record: a model for provider collaboration in a RHIO.

Foote Health System serves more than 247,000 individuals throughout six Michigan counties. In January 2005, FHS and Jackson Physicians Alliance, a 160-member physician contracting group, joined together to champion a community electronic health record by forming Jackson Community Medical Record LLC. JCMR selected and implemented of a fully integrated HIPAA-compliant EHR hosted on an application service provider.

Repair of the bilateral cleft lip deformity.

The bilateral cleft lip is a complex deformity involving discontinuity of the soft tissue layers of the lip and, frequently, the underlying bony structure. Satisfactory repair requires a thorough understanding of the anatomic deformity. The authors' philosophy and timing of the bilateral cleft lip repair are discussed.

The cleft and craniofacial team: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Cleft and craniofacial healthcare is complex, warranting a specialized, multidisciplinary approach. The modern cleft team is best suited to deliver appropriate care to both affected individuals and their families.

Detection of mixed infections with "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum" and Mycoplasma haemofelis using real-time TaqMan polymerase chain reaction.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of real-time TaqMan PCR assays for detection of coinfections with "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum" (Mhm), and Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), in vitro and over time in experimentally infected cats. First, the ability of each real-time PCR assay to detect and quantify mixed infections was determined in vitro by testing mixtures of plasmids containing Mhm and Mhf 16S rDNA with each assay. Subsequently, 4 specific pathogen-free (SPF) cats, 2 of which were splenectomized, were inoculated with blood from a cat infected with both Mhm and Mhf.

Computer imaging software for profile photograph analysis.

Objectives: To describe a novel calibration technique for photographs of different sizes and to test a new method of chin evaluation in relation to established analysis measurements.

Design: A photograph analysis and medical record review of 14 patients who underwent combined rhinoplasty and chin correction at an academic center. Patients undergoing concurrent orthognathic surgery, rhytidectomy, or submental liposuction were excluded.

Experimental infection of domestic cats with passaged genotype I Bartonella henselae.

The influence of in vitro passage on Bartonella henselae pathogenesis in cats has not been thoroughly evaluated. Our objective was to examine the bacterial kinetics and humoral immune responses in cats experimentally infected with three different in vitro passages of B. henselae F1, a genotype I strain of feline origin.

Evaluation of an implanted osmotic pump for delivery of amikacin to corn snakes (Elaphe guttata guttata).

The risk of accidental envenomation to the handler of venomous snakes during drug administration limits the ability to treat these animals. One commercially available osmotic pump is a miniature self-contained cylindrical implant that operates on the basis of an osmotic pressure difference between the extracellular fluid and the osmotic agent in the pump. Osmotic pumps loaded with amikacin were surgically placed into the coelomic cavity of five adult corn snakes (Elaphe guttata guttata) (group A).

Reptile neoplasia at the Philadelphia Zoological Garden, 1901-2002.

A retrospective study of neoplasia in reptiles held at the Philadelphia Zoological Garden was conducted. A total of 3,684 original necropsy reports for the period 1901-2002 were reviewed and revealed 86 cases of neoplasia. Original glass slides or re-cuts from paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were examined for confirmation of the original diagnosis.

Bartonella henselae infection in splenectomized domestic cats previously infected with hemotropic Mycoplasma species.

Cat scratch disease is caused by Bartonella henselae and the domestic cat represents its main reservoir. In immunocompromised patients, infection with B. henselae is characterized by more severe clinical forms than in non-immunocompromised individuals.

Clonal relatedness of Salmonella isolates associated with invasive infections in captive and wild-caught rattlesnakes.

This study examines the serotype distribution and clonal relatedness among Salmonella isolates obtained from healthy and diseased snakes. Isolates from extraintestinal body sites were obtained through routine diagnostic lab submissions from snakes in two facilities that had experienced a high prevalence of osteomyelitis in Crotalus species. Gastrointestinal isolates were predominantly from fecal samples collected from healthy snakes of both crotalid and non-crotalid species in one facility.

Effects of dietary lysine supplementation in cats with enzootic upper respiratory disease.

To determine the effectiveness of dietary lysine supplementation in cats with enzootic upper respiratory disease (URD), 50 cats were fed a ration containing 11 or 51 g lysine/kg diet for 52 days. Food intake, body weight, clinical signs, plasma amino acid concentrations and presence of Chlamydophila felis or feline herpesvirus (FHV)-1 DNA within the conjunctival fornix were assessed. Food and lysine intake of both dietary groups decreased between days 17 and 22, coinciding with peak disease and viral presence.

Online adaptive radiotherapy of the bladder: small bowel irradiated-volume reduction.

Purpose: To assess the potential reduction of small bowel volume receiving high-dose radiation by using kilovoltage X-ray cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and quantized margin selection for adaptive bladder cancer treatment.

Methods And Materials: Twenty bladder patients were planned conformally using a four-field, 15-mm uniform margin technique. Two additional planning target volumes (PTVs) were created using margins quantized to 5 and 10 mm in the superior direction only.

Developments in and experience of kilovoltage X-ray cone beam image-guided radiotherapy.

This paper offers a realistic review of kilovoltage X-ray cone beam tomography integrated with the treatment machine for image-guided radiotherapy in the light of experience taking a commercial system from prototype development into clinical use. It shows that key practicalities cannot be ignored, in particular the regular characterization of mechanical flex during gantry rotation, the mapping of defects in flat panel image transducers and their response to X-ray exposure. The number of X-ray projections and the doses required for clinically useful cone beam reconstruction at different therapy sites are considered in the context of imaging that is fit for purpose.

Comparison of the detection of subtle changes in myocardial regional systolic function using qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques.

Purpose: To evaluate qualitative wall motion assessment vs. quantitative wall thickening for the assessment of subtle changes in myocardial systolic function using cine MRI.

Methods: Cine MR images were obtained in 5 canines with a significant coronary artery stenosis and in 2 controls on a 1.

Cleft lip-palate deformities in Western China: epidemiology, surgical reconstruction, and cost.

A series of 46 procedures (42 patients) was performed on youth with cleft lip-palate deformities in Lanzhou, China. Patients' ages ranged from 6 months to 18 years. There were no short-term complications in this series, which included many advanced cases.

Advances in scalp reconstruction.

Purpose Of Review: The present review summarizes traditional and advanced techniques used to reconstruct defects of the scalp. These deformities range from small defects that can be closed primarily to significant defects, which require free tissue transfer.

Recent Findings: Increased use of tissue expanders, advancement rotational flaps, and hair transplantation has resulted in improved cosmetic outcomes for larger defects of the scalp.

Clinicopathologic findings and outcome in dogs with infective endocarditis: 71 cases (1992-2005).

Objectives: To evaluate clinical, laboratory, and necropsy findings in dogs with infective endocarditis (IE).

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 71 dogs with possible or definite IE.