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Objectives: Ureteral obstruction is a common post‐renal cause of azotaemia in cats. The objective of this study was to describe clinicopathological and point‐of‐care ultrasound findings in azotaemic cats that may increase the index of suspicion of ureteral obstruction. Materials and Methods: A retrospective case–control study was conducted of azotaemic cats presenting to the emergency room of a referral teaching hospital. Cats were included if they were azotaemic and had point‐of‐care ultrasound and formal ultrasound performed. Cats were grouped into obstructed and non‐obstructed groups based on formal specialist ultrasound and pyelography. Point‐of‐care ultrasound findings were described, including renal size and symmetry, renal pelvis dilation, perinephric fluid, and visualisation of the proximal ureter or calculi. Univariate analysis was performed to identify historical, biochemical and point‐of‐care ultrasound findings associated with ureteral obstruction before multivariate analysis. Results: One hundred twenty‐two azotaemic cats met the inclusion criteria. Seventy‐four cats were included in the obstructed azotaemic group and 48 cats in the non‐obstructed azotaemic groups. Point‐of‐care ultrasound abnormalities were detected in 60 of 74 (81.1%) obstructed cats and 18 of 48 (37.5%) non‐obstructed cats. Renal pelvis dilation (odds ratio 38.8; 95% confidence interval 2.9 to 515), hyporexia (odds ratio 5.9; 95% confidence interval 1.15 to 30.13), hypercalcaemia (odds ratio 16.6; 95% confidence interval 1.2 to 223.0) and hypokalaemia (odds ratio 21.7; 1.33 to 354.62) were more likely to be associated with ureteral obstruction than non‐obstructive disease. Clinical Significance: Point‐of‐care ultrasound abnormalities are documented frequently in azotaemic cats with ureteral obstruction. Cats with renal pelvis dilation were 39 times more likely to have ureteral obstruction than non‐obstructive acute kidney injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to determine if dogs and cats presenting as an emergency had improved tolerance of intravenous catheterisation following the application of vapocoolant spray when compared to a saline control. Materials and Methods: A randomised controlled trial of client‐owned dogs and cats presenting as an emergency and requiring intravenous catheterisation was performed. Patient signalment and mentation score were recorded. All animals were restrained and had their fur clipped over the catheterisation site. They were then randomly allocated to either have a swab saturated with vapocoolant spray (treatment) or a swab saturated with saline (control) applied to the clipped area before intravenous catheterisation. The procedure was video recorded and a single blinded observer reviewed the recordings and assigned reaction scores (0 to 3) at four time points (initial restraint, limb handling, swab application and skin puncture). Results: Between October 2020 and January 2021, a total of 100 patients (79 dogs, 21 cats) were enrolled, with 50 in each group. No significant difference in species, age, breed, sex or mentation score was detected between the two groups. There was no significant difference in reaction scores between the groups at any time point with the exception of a significantly increased swab application reaction score in the treatment group compared to the control group. Clinical Significance: The indirect application of vapocoolant spray via a swab before catheterisation does not significantly reduce the reaction of dogs and cats to intravenous catheterisation in an emergency setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the accuracy of the lung ultrasound protocol Vet BLUE, using thoracic CT as the reference standard, for the detection of thoracic pathology in dogs and cats. Materials and Methods: Animals that had thoracic ultrasound and thoracic CT were prospectively recruited between May 2017 and September 2018. The Vet BLUE protocol was performed on animals at the time of admission by veterinarians with basic training in emergency ultrasound. A board‐certified radiologist, blinded to the Vet BLUE findings, reviewed the CT images. Results: CT was abnormal in 64.5% (20/31) animals. The number of CT sites positive for alveolar‐interstitial syndrome was 24.2% (60/248). When using CT as the reference standard, detection of ≥3 B lines with thoracic ultrasound had a sensitivity of 18.33% and specificity of 98.4% for detection of site specific alveolar‐interstitial syndrome. The sensitivity of Vet BLUE to detect alveolar‐interstitial syndrome increased to 56.9% when including the presence of any B line as abnormal. Overall accuracy for detection of alveolar‐interstitial syndrome based on these two criteria was 79% and 73%, respectively. Vet BLUE correctly identified consolidation in 58.3% (14/24) sites, pleural effusion in 66.6% (2/3) cases, pneumothorax in 33.3% (1/3) cases and intrathoracic mass in 25% (1/4) cases. Clinical Significance: The Vet BLUE protocol is a useful technique to detect alveolar‐interstitial syndrome and other thoracic pathology but should not be used as a sole imaging method. Detection of ≥3 B lines is highly suggestive of alveolar‐interstitial syndrome and warrants further diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Evidence‐based guidance of clinical decision‐making for the management of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is lacking, particularly for co‐occurring psychiatric symptoms. This review evaluates treatment evidence for six common symptom targets in children/adolescents with ASD and provides a resource to facilitate application of the evidence to clinical practice. Method: A systematic search identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and high‐quality systematic reviews published between 2007 and 2016, focused on: social interaction/communication impairment, stereotypic/repetitive behaviours, irritability/agitation, attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, mood or anxiety symptoms, and sleep difficulties. We then completed qualitative evaluation of high‐quality systematic reviews/meta‐analyses and quantitative evaluation of recently published RCTs not covered by prior comprehensive systematic reviews. Results: Recently published RCTs focused on social interaction and communication impairment (trials = 32) using psychosocial interventions. Interventions for irritability/agitation (trials = 16) were mainly pharmacological. Few RCTs focused on other symptom targets (trials = 2–5/target). Integration of these results with our qualitative review indicated that few established treatment modalities exist, and available evidence is limited by small studies with high risk of bias. Conclusion: Given the current evidence‐base, treatment targets must be clearly defined, and a systematic approach to intervention trials in children/adolescents with ASD must be undertaken with careful consideration of the limitations of safety/efficacy data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils are formed by aromatic plants as secondary metabolites and are widely used in traditional medicine. In this research, the composition and biological activities of three commercial oils essential oils, Ocotea, Copaiba and Blue Cypress, were evaluated in cultured cells and in mice. GC/MS revealed different components within these oils. Ocotea and Copaiba did not have an antioxidant activity below 5 % (v/v), and Blue Cypress possessed a moderate anti-oxidant activity. Ocotea was the most potent inhibitor against pro-inflammatory mediators. In addition, Ocotea and a higher concentration of Blue Cypress suppressed LPS-induced PGE2 production. Single high-concentration administration of the oils showed acute toxicity in mice. Blood chemistry analysis showed the three essential oils to be quite safe under a lower sub-lethal dosage. Our findings suggested that essential oils can be useful as active medicines to inhibit over-activation of macrophages followed by stimulation by inflammatory mediators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R5330 --> 510.7 --> Inflammation is the body's natural means of protection against infection and the restoration to homeostasis after cellular and tissue damage from injury or metabolic stress. A multitude of complex signaling pathways are necessary for the activation of pro‐inflammatory signaling in macrophages, and the dysregulation of these pathways can contribute to disease states linked to chronic inflammation making them attractive targets for therapeutics. Our laboratory explores the potential of a class of poly‐substituted pyrrole compounds that are known microtubule depolymerizers to regulate the inflammatory response in macrophages. Previous work from our laboratory demonstrated that JG‐03‐14 (3,5‐dibromo‐4‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐1H‐pyrrole‐2‐carboxylic_acid ethyl ester) and its refined analog, NT‐07‐16, which possesses an additional methoxy group at the 2‐position of the phenyl ring decrease the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐activated RAW264.7 murine macrophages. Our results demonstrated that the reduction in pro‐inflammatory mediators is due, in part, to a decrease in the nuclear translocation of NFκB, a critical transcription factor for pro‐inflammatory signaling. These results are supported since microtubule dynamics is thought to be involved in NFκB nuclear translocation. Here we expand the scope of our previous work by exploring the effects of NT‐07‐16, and a potentially more potent stereoisomer mix of the NT analog, NT‐07‐45 on other pro‐inflammatory signaling pathways in the RAW264.7 macrophages. Recent studies have shown that exposure to NT‐07‐45 decreases the production of the antiviral and pro‐inflammatory cytokine interferon‐beta (IFN‐β) in macrophages. In addition, the NT analog alters the phosphorylation of the interferon regulatory factor (IRF3) which decreases its activation and could affect its ability to enter the nucleus and induce IFN‐β production. Our recent work has also found that exposure of RAW264.7 macrophages to the NT analogs alters the phosphorylation, and possibly the activation, of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK), an important MAP‐Kinase (MAPK) involved in macrophage inflammatory signaling. These findings indicate that the decrease in the production of pro‐inflammatory mediators observed in RAW264.7 macrophages exposed to polysubstituted pyrroles, may be due to the inability of several transcription factors involved in the inflammatory response to efficiently translocate into the nucleus. While much is still to be learned about the anti‐inflammatory mechanisms of these pyrrole compounds it appears that the effects may go beyond their microtubule‐depolymerizing activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to determine whether urine levels of hyperglycosylated human chorionic gonadotropin (HhCG) in the first trimester are predictive of subsequent development of hypertension during pregnancy Method This prospective cohort study consisted of women seeking care before 12 weeks gestation. A clean catch urine was obtained at the first prenatal visit and tested for HhCG and creatinine levels. The median HhCG levels and multiples of the median (MoM) by gestational age were compared between the groups that either developed hypertension or did not. Results Urine HhCG were determined for 204 women between 4 weeks 4 days to 11 weeks 6 days. The median HhCG of those who developed gestational hypertension ( n = 7) or preeclampsia ( n = 15) did not differ from the group that did not (median: 284 ng/mg creatinine vs 365 ng/mg; p = 0.55). If the MoM of HhCG for the no hypertension group was 1.00, the MoM of HhCG for the hypertension group was 0.93 ( p = 0.93). A possible association was observed after 10 weeks between low HhCG levels and the development of late-onset hypertension (≥34 weeks). Conclusions Prenatal screening for subsequent hypertension is unreliable with a single measurement of maternal urine HhCG at 10 weeks or less. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to determine the occurrence, distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Salmonella serovars in slaughter beef cattle, slaughterhouse environment and personnel engaged in flaying and evisceration during slaughtering process. A total of 800 samples (each sample type, n = 100) consisting of swabs from hides, slaughterhouse personnel hands at flaying and evisceration, rumen and caecal contents, mesenteric lymph nodes, carcasses and holding pens were collected. Of the total 100 beef cattle examined, 14% were Salmonella positive in caecal content and/or mesenteric lymph nodes. Of the various samples analysed, Salmonella was detected in 31% of hides, 19% of rumen contents, 8% of mesenteric lymph nodes, 6% of caecal contents, 2% of carcass swabs, 9% of palm swabs taken from the hands of personnel in the slaughterhouse during flaying (7%) and evisceration (2%), and in 12% of holding pen swabs. The Salmonella isolates ( n = 87) belonged to eight different serovars of which S. Anatum ( n = 54) and S. Newport (19) were the major serovars and both serovars were detected in all sample sources except in carcass swabs. Eighteen of the 87 (20.7%) Salmonella serovars consisting of Newport ( n = 14), Anatum ( n = 3) and Eastbourne ( n = 1) were resistant to one or more antimicrobials. Among the antimicrobial resistant Salmonella serovars, S. Newport was multidrug resistant (15.6%) and exhibited resistance to streptomycin, sulphisoxazole and tetracycline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1 Single species can have a disproportionate effect on ecosystem function and diversity, yet our understanding of the importance of single species in driving terrestrial ecosystems during succession remains poor. 2 Utilizing a long-term experiment, where birch was planted on heather moorland 20 years ago, the cascading effects of a single tree species ( Betula pubescens) on ecosystem characteristics (plant species richness, soil chemistry, soil fauna and decomposition rates) were tested. 3 Under the birch, plant species richness decreased and the vegetation composition changed, with lower cover of grasses and Vaccinium myrtillus. The depth of the soil organic horizon, its moisture content and percentage carbon were all smaller under the birch than under the heather. Concentrations of available phosphorus and mineralizable-N were significantly greater in the soil under birch than under the heather plots. Decomposition was faster in the birch than in the heather plots. The abundance and species richness of collembola and oribatid, mesostigmatid and prostigmatid mites were all significantly greater under the birch than under the heather. 4 The durability of the engineering effects of the birch was studied in a second experiment. Plots were established in first generation birch woodland that had developed on Calluna-dominanted moorland. The plots were cleared of birch and planted with heather. After 20 years soil chemical properties, microarthropod communities and decomposition rates were not significantly different between plots with and without the birch. However, the mass of the soil O-horizon was significantly greater in the felled birch plots than in the control birch plots, providing the first indication of a change towards soil properties more typical of a Calluna moorland. Thus for most of the birch engineering effects measured here their durability in the absence of the engineering species is at least 20 years. 5 This work has provided experimental evidence that birch acts as a top-down engineer, driving cascading effects on both above- and below-ground communities, soil chemical and physical properties and ecosystem processes. The work also shows that the role of birch in driving changes in the ecosystem is durable 20 years after the removal of the birch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to estimate the occurrence and distribution of multidrug resistance (MDR) among Salmonella serovars isolated from slaughtered pigs at Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. A total of 501 different samples were examined of which 42 (41.6%) of 101 mesenteric lymph nodes, 22 (21.8%) of 101 tongues, 17 (16.8%) of 101 caecal contents, 11 (11.1%) of 99 livers and two (2%) of 99 muscle (diaphragm and abdomen) samples were Salmonella positive. Of the 94 Salmonella isolates representing 15 different serovars, 69 (73.4%) were multidrug resistant (resistance to two or more antimicrobials). Among the Salmonella serovars a high level of MDR was observed in S. Hadar, S. Kentucky, S. Blockley and S. Enteritidis mainly to tetracycline (88.6%), streptomycin (82.9%), nitrofurantoin (74.3%), nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin (42.9% each), sulfisoxazole (21.1%) and spectinomycin (20%). The pattern of MDR varied from two to eight antimicrobials among the resistant Salmonella serovars. The common profiles of resistance among the MDR serovars were the combined resistance to nitrofurantoin, streptomycin and tetracycline (R type NitStrTet, 51.4%), ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid and nitrofurantoin (R type CipNalNit, 10%), ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, spectinomycin, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole and tetracycline (R type CipNalSptStrSulTet, 14.3%) and to ciprofloxacin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, neomycin, nitrofurantoin, streptomycin and tetracycline (R type CipKanNalNeoNitStrTet, 10%). Results of the present study indicate the widespread occurrence and distribution of MDR Salmonella serovars in slaughtered pigs which could be a potential source of human MDR Salmonella infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allozyme markers were used to investigate the spatial boundaries of the non-anadromous Atlantic salmon population of Little Gull Lake, Eastern Canada. Mixed year class samples of juvenile salmon were analysed from inlet streams, upstream lakes, the outlet river and sites downstream. No evidence was found that individuals from the Lake's non-anadromous population were present in these samples, strongly suggesting that the non-anadromous population is confined to the lake and has a lacustrine spawning habit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. In a microcosm experiment we examined the effects of individual species of microarthropods, and variations in microarthropod diversity of up to eight species, on soil microbial properties and the short-term partitioning of a dual-labelled organic nitrogen source (glycine-2-13C-15N) between a grassland plant,Agrostis capillaris, and the soil microbial biomass, to determine how soil fauna and their diversity influence plant–microbial competition for organic N.2. We hypothesized that variations in the diversity of animals would influence the partitioning of15N inputs between plants and the microbial biomass, due to the effect of animal grazing on the microbial biomass, and hence its ability to sequester N.3. Certain individual species of Collembola influenced the microbial community of the soil.Folsomia quadrioculatareduced microbial biomass, whereasMesaphorura macrochaetaenhanced arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization ofA. capillarisroots. Effects of increasing species richness of microarthropods on microbial biomass and AM colonization were detected, but these effects could be interpreted in relation to the presence or absence of individual species.4. Microbial uptake of added15N was not affected by the presence of any of the individual species of animal in the monoculture treatments. Similarly, increasing diversity of microarthropods had no detectable effect on microbial15N.5. Root and shoot uptake of15N was also largely unaffected by both single species and variations in diversity of microarthropods. However, one collembolan species,Ceratophysella denticulata, reduced root15N capture when present in monoculture. We did not detect13C in plant tissue under any experimental treatments, indicating that all N was taken up by plants after mineralization.6. Our data suggest that, while single species and variations in diversity of microarthropods influence microbial abundance in soil, there is no effect on microbial or plant uptake of N. Overall, these data provide little support for the notion that microbial-feeding soil animals are regulators of microbial–plant competition for N.Functional Ecology(2004)18, 631–640 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Fluorescent probes are widely used for microscopy of live-cell processes, but few such probes can also be used with classically fixed or otherwise immobilized material, and none has been used without aldehyde fixation, which can introduce artefacts of structure and probe localization. Here we show that the fluorescence patterns in fungal hyphae loaded with chloromethyl aminocoumarin (CMAC), and then anhydrously freeze-substituted, without any aldehyde fixation, are similar to those seen in living hyphae. Probe loss into the mounting medium (Spurr's resin) with CMAC and five other probes tested indicated that some unwanted solubilization of probe occurred during embedding, but nevertheless vacuoles could be imaged by their retention of probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the functional role of enchytraeid worms (Oligochaeta) in organic upland soils experimentally, because that role of these animals is little known. We made microcosms of intact soil cores cut from two depths, 0–4 cm and 4–8 cm, of a Cambic Stagnohumic Gley from the Moor House National Nature Reserve (UK). Enchytraeids were added to half of the microcosms, resulting in four treatments: litter (L), litter + enchytraeids (L + E), soil (S) and soil + enchytraeids (S + E). Triplicates of each treatment were established, and all microcosms (60) were then incubated in the dark at 15°C, arranged in a fully randomized design. The experiment ran over 110 days, with five destructive harvests at days 10, 25, 50, 75 and 110, when microbial measurements (soil respiration and biomass C) as well as measures of decomposition (nutrient concentration in leachates) were made. Enchytraeids almost doubled the availability of organic carbon (measured as dissolved organic carbon in soil leachates) in the surface (0–4 cm) microcosms only. There were no effects of enchytraeids on the release of inorganic N or P from either soil horizon, although the release of ammonium and phosphate was correlated with the number of enchytraeids in the microcosms. The depth from which the soil was taken exerted a strong influence on nutrient leaching, with almost six times more ammonium and four times more carbon being leached from the surface (0–4 cm) layer than from the more decomposed (4–8 cm) horizon. There was little nitrate leaching from any of the treatments, with only one-quarter as much nitrate leached from the surface (0–4 cm) as from the subsurface (4–8 cm) horizon. Enchytraeids had no detectable effect on microbial biomass, but they increased microbial respiration by 35% in the surface (0–4 cm) horizon. Because they enhanced microbial activity in this horizon we suggest that enchytraeids indirectly drive the processes of decomposition and nutrient mineralization in organic upland soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunoelectron microscopy using the anti-pectin monoclonal antibody JIM 7 confirmed earlier observations that pectin degradation is a primary event in the process of host cell wall breakdown during the development of chocolate spot disease (causal agent: Botrytis fabae (Sard.)) of broad bean. Close examination of infected and non-infected Vicia faba L.. leaves indicated a loss of JIM 7-labeling, and therefore, methyl-esterified pectin, from swollen walls of infected and contiguous epidermal cells. Modified mesophyll walls also possessed less methyl-esterified pectin than healthy walls. Enzymes which attack methyl-esterified pectin appeared to he most active in regions of host tissue close to sites of fungal infection. Ultrastructural studies using the enzyme, cellobiohydrolase conjugated to gold (CBH1-Au) revealed that the cellulose microfibrils of outer epidermal walls of non-infected V. faba leaf tissue were heavily masked by other components of the plant cell wall. Such material was most probably pectin because the cellulose microfibrils of swollen epidermal and modified mesophyll walls of infected host tissue were heavily labelled with CBH1-Au. These results were confirmed by double-labeling studies using JIM 7 and CBH1-Au. At early stages of the infection process, limited cellulose degradation was observed in infected leaf tissue. Double-labelling experiments using the monoclonal antibody BC-KH4 directed against Botrytis matrices and a marker for the plant cell wall (JIM 7 or CBH1-Au) confirmed previous observations that the fungal matrices extended through modified host walls and degenerate cytoplasm. It is suggested that the wall-modifying action of the pectin-degrading enzymes produced during the infection process might facilitate pervasion of matrix material associated with the infection process might facilitate pervasion of matrix material associated with the infection hyphae through host cell walls. ossible role(s) of such matrix material during the post-penetration rocesses of the V. faba-B. fabae relationship are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular matrices associated with conidia and germ tubes of Botrytis fabae (Sard.) sporelings grown on Vicia faba L. leaves were clearly visualized by epi-fluorescence microscopy following immunolabelling with the monoclonal antibodies, BC-KH4 and BC-FD7-G9. These antibodies were raised against surface washings of B. cinerea, are directed against B. cinerea and B. fabae, and are known to recognize carbohydrate epitopes on a glycoprotein. Both BC-KH4 and BC-FD7-G9 also labelled matrix material located at the surface of penetration and infection hyphae inside the leaf tissue by epi-fluorescence microscopy. Such matrix material was not visible by DIC microscopy. Immunoelectron microscopy of B. fabae-infected leaf tissue, prepared by progressive low-temperature dehydration and embedding in acrylic resin, allowed further investigation of the spatial distribution of the antibody-binding sites. An abundance of BC-KH4 and BC-FD7-G9 antigenic sites were observed throughout the fibrillar-like matrix material surrounding the germ tubes on the leaf surface and the infection hyphae inside the host cells. However, close examination of the V. faba B. fahae interface inside the host tissue showed that this fibrillar material extended some distance from the surface of the infection hyphae and through the swollen epidermal and mesophyll cell walls. Such fibrillarmatrix material is though to be of fungalorigin. the possible role(s)of this matrix material in the infection process are discussed. Double-immunolabelling studies using the BC-KH4 MAb and a polyclonal antiserum directed against oligosdaccharides containing (1-3)-glocose were carried out in order to localize and distinugish between the examination of the interactions of the fungalmatrix components with the host walls and degenerate host cytoplasm. Finally, inward curling of the leaf cuticle suggested that mechanical pressure is involved in the penetration process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst the function and organization of the secretory machinery in eukaryotic cells exhibit basic similarities, the compartmentation of the endomembrane system can show significant differences between the fungal, plant and animal kingdoms. The use of the antibiotic brefeldin A (BFA) as an inhibitor of secretion in both animal and yeast cells has resulted in a remarkable advance in our understanding of the modes of action of vesicle shuttles between the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus and within the Golgi apparatus itself. It is now apparent that application of the drug to filamentous fungi and plants will also help unravel the workings of the secretory system in these organisms. In this paper we review recent progress in our laboratories on elucidating the effects of BFA on the morphology of the Golgi apparatus and compare these with recently published data on fungal and plant cells. Variation in the response to BFA are reported, which may not all be attributed to differences in drug concentration and time of treatment. These may reflect differences in cellular sensitivity or multiple sites of action of the drug, and the existence of a specific molecular target for BFA is questioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. A sustained release monolithic morphine hydrogel suppository (MHS) was developed and administered to five volunteers. 2. The MHS delivered a mean of 55 mg morphine over 12 h. The mean plasma morphine concentration was 15 ng ml-1 from 2 to 12 h after administration. 3. Plasma morphine concentrations were comparable with those reported for the same dose given orally over the same time period. 4. The morphine hydrogel suppository appears to be an effective means of delivering morphine and may be of value in the management of chronic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the study of the plant communities of Oxshott Heath and Esher Common, Surrey. It indicates that the communities of the area are considered as representing various phase in a succession from original heath vegetation to woodland. The Grass Heath and Ulicetum are modifications of natural communities as cited in the study because of the influence of man and the remaining communities are capable to undergo transition to more neutral types of the adjacent London Clay. The study deliberates the probability of Pteridium as an interruption to the succession to woodland, thus maintaining the heath vegetation stage.

Objective To describe the prevalence of systemic hypertension in cats with community-acquired acute kidney injury and investigate its relationship with disease severity. Materials and Methods Retrospective study of cats presenting to the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, Royal Veterinary College with acute kidney injury between 2007 and 2015. Systolic blood pressure was measured using Doppler sphygmomanometry and systemic hypertension was defined pressures ê150 mmHg. Median systolic blood pressure measurement, grade of acute kidney injury (as defined by the International Renal Interest Society), serum creatinine on admission, anuria or oliguria, length of hospitalisation, survival to discharge and six-month survival were all recorded. Results Forty-six cats were included; 21/48 (48.8%) showed systemic hypertension on admission and was severe (ê180 mmHg) in 8/43 (18.6%). During the whole hospitalisation period, systemic hypertension was detected in 27/46 (58.7%) cases and severe in 13/46 (28.2%). Systemic hypertension did not appear to be statistically associated with grade of kidney injury, serum creatinine on presentation, oliguria or anuria. Clinical Significance Systemic hypertension is common in cats with acute kidney injury but does not appear to be associated with its severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article " Ambient-Temperature Newman-Kwart Rearrangement Mediated by Organic Photoredox Catalysis" by A. J. Perskowski and colleagues is presented.

The article reports on the study investigating resistance patterns of staphylococci in dogs with chronic end-stage otitis externa. Several staphylococcal organisms from the dog samples were gathered and some of them exhibit resistant to oxacillin while some showed resistance to other antimicrobial agents. The study suggests that oxacillin-resistance should first be confirmed to prevent negative affect of antibiotics in treating otitis.