Objectives
To describe the treatment of four dogs with splenophrenic shunts using percutaneous shunting vessel embolisation with Amplatzer vascular plugs II and IV and provide information on their ...clinical outcomes.
Materials and Methods
Dogs with splenophrenic shunts treated at a veterinary hospital from January 2019 to December 2022 were identified through a medical record search.
Results
Six dogs with splenophrenic shunts were identified. Two dogs were excluded because they were treated with laparoscopic surgery. Four underwent percutaneous shunting vessel embolization with Amplatzer vascular plugs and were included in the case series. A sheath was placed in the left external jugular vein and a balloon catheter was advanced to the shunting vessel under fluoroscopy. Portal vein pressure was confirmed to be within an acceptable range during temporary balloon occlusion. Based on preoperative CT angiography and intraoperative contrast examination, Amplatzer vascular plugs II were selected for two dogs and IV were selected for two dogs. Under fluoroscopy, the plug was deployed into the shunting vessel, and angiography confirmed occlusion. In all cases, the increase in portal pressure after temporary occlusion was within the acceptable range, and complete occlusion of blood flow was possible with a single plug. There were no major procedure‐related complications. No dogs developed post‐ligation seizures or signs of portal hypertension. In addition, improvements in ammonia values were observed in all cases.
Clinical Significance
Percutaneous splenophrenic shunt embolisation using Amplatzer vascular plugs II and IV is technically feasible in dogs, and assessed by intra‐procedure angiography, a single plug completely obstructed blood flow in all dogs. Based on the literature search, this is the first report describing Amplatzer vascular plugs for the treatment of splenophrenic shunts.
CREB-binding protein (CBP) and p300 are highly homologous transcriptional coactivators with unique, non-redundant roles that bind a wide array of proteins, including catenins-β and γ. ICG-001 is a ...small-molecule inhibitor that specifically inhibits the CBP/catenin interaction. Importantly, ICG-001 does not inhibit the p300/catenin interaction. We demonstrate that specifically inhibiting the interaction between CBP and catenin with ICG-001 results in the differentiation of quiescent drug-resistant chronic myelogenous leukemia-initiating cells (CML LICs), thereby sensitizing them to BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors, for example, Imatinib. Using ICG-001 in a NOD/SCID/IL2Rγ(-/-) mouse model of engrafted human chronic myelogenous leukemia, we now demonstrate the complete elimination of engrafted leukemia after only one course of combined chemotherapy. Combination-treated animals live as long as their non-engrafted littermates. Results from these studies demonstrate that specifically antagonizing the CBP/catenin interaction with ICG-001 can eliminate drug-resistant CML LICs without deleterious effects to the normal endogenous hematopoietic stem cell population.
While people are familiar with the practice of declawing domestic cats, "onychectomy", as it is also known, is also performed on non-domesticated species, including pantherines, to prolong their use ...for entertainment purposes. Although the surgery (the partial or complete removal of the distal phalanx) has clear osteological implications, its myological effects have never been studied. As the mass of an animal increases cubically as a product of its volume, while the areas of its paws only increase as a square, larger felids have higher foot pressures and, therefore, the surgery may have particularly substantial functional effects on larger cats. In this study, we evaluate the forearms of clawed and declawed non-domestic felid specimens that spanned the body size range of the whole family to evaluate the effects of onychectomy on muscle fiber architecture. We found that the deep digital flexors (the muscles most directly affected by onychectomy) of declawed felids are significantly lighter (~73%) and less powerful (46-66%) than those of non-declawed felids, while other muscles do not make up for these reductions. Thus, onychectomy has a substantial effect on the myological capabilities of cats, and because these deficiencies are not compensated for in biomechanically disadvantaged larger felids, it probably has even more functionally devastating consequences for these species.
•A novel hybrid technique to coordinate DOCRs.•Five well-known IEEE test systems are used to validate the proposed technique.•Simplified implementation, as it combines two well-known ...algorithms.•Excellent performance and convergence, suitable for online adaptive coordination.•Results are comparable with the best reported in the specialized literature.
The coordination of directional overcurrent relays (DOCRs) is a constrained and nonlinear optimization problem which consists in finding suitable plug and time dial settings so that the relay operational times are minimized, keeping selectivity and sensitivity characteristics. Recently, several efforts have been devoted to automate the coordination of DOCRs. This paper proposes a hybrid technique entitled simulated annealing–linear programming (SA-LP) to achieve the optimal coordination of DOCRs. Five test-systems (IEEE-3, IEEE-6, IEEE-8, IEEE-15 and IEEE-30 bus) are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed technique. Results obtained with the SA-LP are confronted against other optimization techniques reported in specialized literature, under identical conditions. The proposed approach presented good quality solutions, low computational processing times and great convergence towards the optimum solution, presenting an advantage over adaptive coordination tendency by enhancing monitoring, communication capabilities and grid control.
Summary
Background
Idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerosis (IMP) is a rare disease, characterised by thickening of the wall of the right hemicolon with calcification of mesenteric veins. However, the ...aetiology remains unknown.
Aim
To investigate the possible association of herbal medicines with IMP.
Method
The clinical data of four of our own patients were collected. Furthermore, we searched for previous reports about similar patients with detailed descriptions of herbal prescriptions that they had taken. We compared herbal ingredients to identify the toxic agent as a possible aetiological factor.
Results
Clinical data on a total of 25 patients were summarised. Mean age was 61.8 years and there was female predominance (6 men and 19 women). The used Kampo prescription, the number of cases, and the mean duration of use were as follows: kamisyoyosan in 12 cases for 12.8 years, inshin‐iseihaito in 5 cases for 13.4 years, orengedokuto in 4 cases for 14.3 years, inchinkoto in 1 case for 20 years, kamikihitou in 1 case for 19 years, seijobofuto in 1 case for 10 years and gorinsan in 1 case for an unknown duration. Only one ingredient, sansisi, was common to the herbal medicines of all 25 patients. This crude drug called geniposide in English is a major constituent of the Gardenia fruits.
Conclusion
The long‐term use of geniposide in herbal medicines appears to be associated with mesenteric phlebosclerosis.
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•The synthesis of neuroprotectants-loaded nanoparticles from nanoemulsion by evaporation of organic solvent was performed.•Cytotoxicity and neuroprotective action of the synthesized ...nanoparticles were evaluated by MTT and LDH tests.•Promising nanocarriers for future biomedical applications related with neurodegeneration was proposed.
The main goal of the presented research was to investigate the biocompatibility of polycaprolactone (PCL)-based nanoparticles and to evaluate the neuroprotective action of the encapsulated, water-insoluble neuroprotective substance − undecylenic acid (UDA). The neuroprotectant-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared from polymer containing toluene based nanoemulsions formed by the phase inversion composition (PIC) technique followed by solvent evaporation. Two types of PCL-based UDA-loaded nanoparticles were synthesized: PCL and PCL-PEG (using poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ε−caprolactone) methyl ether). The average size of PCL/UDA NCs was around 120nm and for PCL-PEG/UDA around 150nm. The concentration of both types of NCs was similar: 2×1010 particles ml−1 and the zeta potential of UDA-loaded PCL and PCL-PEG NCs −24mV and −21mV respectively. Biocompatibility of synthesized nanocarriers was evaluated in the SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line using cell viability/toxicity assays (MTT reduction, LDH release). The PCL and PCL-PEG nanocarriers at concentration 0.5×1010 particlesml−1 did not show deleterious effects on human neuroblastoma cells line. The neuroprotection studies revealed that UDA loaded in PCL or PCL-PEG nanocarriers retained its neuroprotective potential against Staurosporine-evoked SH-SY5Y cell damage.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether long-term wheel running would attenuate age-related loss of muscle fiber. Male ICR mice were divided into young (Y, n=12, aged 3 months), ...old-sedentary (OS, n=5, aged 24 months), and old-exercise (OE, n=6, aged 24 months) groups. The OE group started spontaneous wheel running at 3 months and continued until 24 months of age. Soleus and plantaris muscles were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde buffer. The fixed muscle was digested in a 50% NaOH solution to isolate single fiber and then fiber number was quantified. The masses of the soleus and plantaris muscles were significantly lower at 24 months than at 3 months of age, and this age-related difference was attenuated by wheel running (P<0.05). Soleus muscle fiber number did not differ among the groups. In the plantaris muscle, the fiber number in the OS group (1 288±92 fibers) was significantly lower than in the Y group (1 874±93 fibers), and this decrease was attenuated in the OE group (1 591±80 fibers) (P<0.05). These results suggest that age-related fiber loss occurs only in the fast-twitch fiber-rich muscle of mice, and that life-long wheel running exercise can prevent this fiber loss.
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