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Antiviral activity of the acyclic nucleoside phosphonates 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)adenine (PMEA) and 9-(3-fluoro-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine (FPMPA) against feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was investigated in field cats. The study was designed as a placebo-controlled double-blind study enrolling 27 FIV infected cats. Nine cats received PMEA at a dosage of 10 mg/kg body weight, nine cats received FPMPA at a dosage of 25 mg/kg body weight. A variety of parameters were established to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the compounds. The improvement was monitored by different aspects: clinical status, index of Karnofsky modified for the cat, laboratory parameters, immunological parameters, surrogate markers, and a virological parameter. Concerning the clinical and immunological parameters cats of both treatment groups disclosed a relevant improvement. Efficacy of antiviral treatment was a little bit higher in the cats treated with PMEA than in the animals injected with FPMPA. However, side effects were also more prominent in the PMEA treated group.

Introduction of anaesthesia with CO2/O2 (60% to 40%) is possible within 90 and 120 seconds. There are moderate to excessive excitations occurring as part of state II of anaesthesia. Anaesthesia (during castration) in CO2/O2-atmosphere produces excellent analgesia and relaxation. The duration of castration surgery is much shorter under CO2-anaesthesia than without anaesthesia. Blood cortisol levels are significantly higher after castration without CO2-anaesthesia. About 5 minutes after CO2/O2-anaesthesia and castration surgery, piglets are already awake and standing.

Urinary pteridine patterns and creatinine concentrations were determined in pigs of the breeds Piétrain, Deutsche Landrasse and their crossbreds. Also the influence of the halothane genotypes, of different feeding and of treadmill exercise was examined. We conclude that creatinine concentration in pig urine is not a reliable reference parameter for the pteridine excretion. Creatinine values were significantly influenced by breed and feeding. The pteridine pattern of pigs' urine depends on the breed and correlates with other metabolic parameters. Stress is reflected by altered pteridine concentrations.

In a blind study serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of control horses and of horses in hepatic coma after chronic food intoxication with Senecio alpinus were collected simultaneously and the composition of free amino acids was determined. The hepatic encephalopathy index in serum (less than 1.65) and in CSF (less than 1.11) of liver patients was distinctly less than to the control values in serum (greater than 2.42) and in CSF (greater than 1.49). The serum concentrations of glutamic acid in hepatic coma were elevated five-fold in comparison to the controls. An indication of ammonia decontamination was that nearly ten-fold higher values of glutamine were found in the cerebrospinal fluids of patients than in serum. In comparison to controls the serum levels of glutamine in horses with hepatic encephalopathy were decreased by the factor 0.7.

A case of idiopathic fetal hydrops is reported which was diagnosed by ultra-sound scan. The course of the pregnancy and the neonatal course are described. The case is compared to identical reports in the literature.

Light and electron-microscopic analysis of the enucleated eye of a 55-year-old man confirmed the diagnosis of Coats' syndrome. The histopathologic findings in this adult patient are identical to those seen in typical cases of Coats' syndrome of childhood. The characteristic thickening of vessel walls and the apparent deficiency of healthy, viable retinal vascular endothelial cells support the hypothesis that the ocular changes in this syndrome are directly related to a primary retinal vascular defect leading to abnormal permeability.

An extract of rat liver, made 12 h after partial hepatectomy, was injected into untreated rats. The synthesis of DNA in the liver cells of the injected animals showed a 3.3 fold increase in comparison with controls. A similar increase was observed in the mitosis index. Injection of liver extracts from normal rats showed no effect when compared with the injection of NaCl. The effect of the active extract was not altered by neuraminidase treatment. Trypsin-chymotrypsin treatment, howerver, removes the activity. The active factor must therefore be either a protein or a protein-like substance. The molecular weight of the factor was shown to be between about 30 000 and 50 000 by molecular filtration. The specific activity after molecular filtration was raised by a factor of 100. The factor is inert with respect to the proliferation of kidney and spleen. It is apparently not species-specific, however, since it also causes increased proliferation of liver cells in normal mice.