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The proliferation of propane-fueled food trucks and concession trailers over the last decade has led to a fast-growing industry. As with many nascent industries, accidents accompany the surge in growth, and the food truck industry is no exception. Numerous propane-related fires, flash fires, and explosions have resulted in property damage, business interruption, injury, and death. Conducting a proper investigation of a food truck incident is essential in determining the origin/cause and ultimately assigning liability and preventing recurrences. This paper discusses the food truck industry as well as the design, construction, and layout of the trucks. It provides an overview of the gas systems installed in the vehicles — from the cylinder or tank to the appliances, properties of propane, and relevant codes and standards applicable to food trucks that utilize propane. Finally, an outline of the proper methodology to use when investigating a food truck incident is pro-vided, and a food truck explosion case study is presented.

The horses were trotted in a straight line, and the acceleration data were recorded from the movement of the horse’s head. Inertial sensors were used to collect the information. The sample entropy was used to characterize the dynamics of horse gait. The gait of sound and lame horses was compared, and the sound horses had smaller values of the sample entropy. The effects of sedative detomidine on the gait of lame horses were also examined. The values of sample entropy for sedated horses were smaller than the values of the sample entropy for untreated horses. The sample entropy can provide important information about the dynamics of the equine gait.

OBJECTIVE To compare the speed of onset and analgesic effect of mepivacaine deposited within or immediately outside the neurovascular bundle at the base of the proximal sesamoid bones in horses. ANIMALS 6 horses with naturally occurring forefoot-related lameness. PROCEDURES In a crossover study design, horses were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 2 treatments first, with the second treatment administered 3 to 7 days later. Trotting gait was analyzed with an inertial sensor–based motion analysis system immediately before treatment to determine degree of lameness. Afterward, ultrasound guidance was used to inject 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride around the palmar digital nerves of the affected forelimb at the level of the base of the proximal sesamoid bones either within the subcircumneural space or outside the circumneural sheath. After injection, gait was reevaluated at 5-minute intervals for 45 minutes. RESULTS Mepivacaine deposition outside the circumneural sheath did not resolve lameness in any horse; for 3 horses, the mean time to 70% reduction of initial vertical head movement was 13.3 minutes, and the remaining 3 horses had no such reduction at any point. Mepivacaine deposition within the subcircumneural space resulted in a mean time to 70% reduction of initial vertical head movement of 6.7 minutes and mean time to resolution of lameness of 21.7 minutes. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that when peripheral nerves of horses lie within a sheath, local anesthetic solution should be deposited within the sheath for an effective nerve block. If local anesthetic solution is deposited outside the sheath, the nerve block may yield erroneous results.

Among older adults, physical activity (PA) remains a foundation for maintaining and improving health. However, over 25% of adults aged ≥ 50 engage in no physical activity outside of work hours (CDC 2016). PA does correlate with senior center participation but little is known about the social factors that contribute to sustaining senior center PA routines. We report on findings from qualitative interviews conducted with Black older adults (Nf22) on the “story” of their senior center involvement, particularly their PA participation. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim; co-authors independently conducted a line-by-line analysis to identify themes. They then reconciled and sorted themes. Four themes provided insights on participants’ PA engagement: 1) Retirement as opportunity; 2) Invitation and welcome; 3) Physician messaging; and 4) Sense of community. Participants strongly connected retirement with the opportunity to engage in regular PA; work and family obligations previously prevented PA in daily life. Participants also linked trying new PA programs to the senior center’s culture of extending one-to-one invitations. Physician messaging specifically “to exercise” provided additional validation for prioritizing senior center PA within daily schedules. Finally, a sense of community, of being missed if not attending, provided further incentive to sustain PA routines. These findings provide guidance and simple lessons that senior centers can employ to encourage participation in their PA programming. The themes may also inform the design of survey research examining patterns of PA among older adults.

Age Friendly Health Systems (AFHSs) and Age Friendly Universities (AFUs) are distinct entities in the “Age Friendly” ecosystem. While Age Friendly entities function independently, they typically exist in close proximity (e.g., universities and community hospitals); yet they remain isolated in their Age Friendly efforts. We report on a collaboration between a mid-Atlantic Age Friendly University and a new AFHS using case study methodology. Our goal is to inform and inspire key stakeholders responsible for creating innovative healthy aging communities. The collaboration began with a shared stakeholder team who articulated focus areas and overlapping goals. A charter document was developed articulating commitments and responsibilities. Using a Quality Improvement (QI) approach, projects targeted the hospital’s older patient needs that linked to the AFHS 4 M’s of Matters, Medications, Mobility, and Mentation. University graduate students and faculty volunteered to teach and mentor hospital staff on the QI projects: 1) Get to Know Me Boards filled by staff caring for hospitalized older adults (Matters); 2) Medical Intensive Care Unit discharge opioid medication deprescribing (Medication); 3) UMove Mobility Screening addressing functional status (Mobility); 4) UB-2 Delirium Screening (Mentation). Data collection across projects demonstrated proof-of-concept and identified implementation challenges around communication, screening, data entry, and data extraction from electronic medical records. During Covid-19 pandemic, the collaboration allowed QI projects to conduct multiple Plan-Do-Check-Act cycles while contributing to the Age Friendly goals of both organizations. Partnerships between academic institutions and hospitals foster development of evidence- based healthy aging communities and provide opportunities for continuing education and research.

Globally, EDs face new challenges as the world's population ages. Visits from older people are predicted to rise for the next 20 years. This practical and accessible book provides essential guidance on assessing the ED care of older patients - and improving it. It assists ED teams to implement changes tailored to their unique environments, providing guidance across all settings regardless of size, location or resources. Experience- and evidence-based elements combine to guide best practices for older patient flow, staff and patient satisfaction, and improving patient health outcomes. The book features proven ideas for creating a geriatric ED such as specific staff training, modifying job roles, implementing new care processes, and adapting physical spaces. An invaluable resource for practising ED clinicians, leaders, administrators, educators, and system change leaders.

Diamonds are erupted at Earth’s surface in volatile-rich magmas called kimberlites1,2,3. These enigmatic magmas, originating from depths exceeding 150 kilometres in Earth’s mantle1, occur in stable cratons and in pulses broadly synchronous with supercontinent cyclicity4. Whether their mobilization is driven by mantle plumes5 or mechanical weakening of cratonic lithosphere4,6 remains unclear. Here we show that most kimberlites spanning the past billion years erupted approximately 25 million years after the onset of continental fragmentation, suggesting an association with rifting processes. Our dynamic models show that physically steep lithosphere-asthenosphere boundaries formed during terminal rifting (necking) generate convective instabilities in the asthenosphere that slowly migrate many hundreds of kilometres inboard of the rift, causing destabilization of cratonic mantle keel tens of kilometres thick. Displaced lithosphere is replaced by hot, upwelling asthenosphere in the return flow, causing partial melting of carbonated mantle and variable assimilation of lithospheric material. The resulting small-volume kimberlite magmas ascend rapidly and adiabatically, exsolving amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) that are consistent with independent constraints7. Our model reconciles diagnostic kimberlite features including association with cratons and geochemical characteristics that implicate a common asthenospheric mantle source contaminated by cratonic lithosphere8. Together, these results provide a quantitative and mechanistic link between kimberlite episodicity and supercontinent cycles via progressive disruption of cratonic keels.

OBJECTIVE To assess onset of analgesia for 3% chloroprocaine hydrochloride and 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride when used for median and ulnar nerve blocks in lame horses. ANIMALS 6 naturally lame horses. PROCEDURES A crossover experiment was conducted. Horses were assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups (3% chloroprocaine or 2% mepivacaine first). Median and ulnar nerve blocks were performed in the lame limb with the assigned treatment. Lameness was objectively evaluated before treatment administration and at various points for 120 minutes after treatment with a wireless inertial sensor-based motion analysis system. Following a 7-day washout period, horses then received the other treatment and lameness evaluations were repeated. RESULTS Median and ulnar nerve blocks performed with 3% chloroprocaine resulted in more consistent, rapid, and profound amelioration of lameness than did blocks performed with 2% mepivacaine. Lameness decreased more between 20 and 40 minutes after injection when 3% chloroprocaine was used than when 2% mepivacaine was used. Complete resolution of lameness was detected a mean of 9 minutes after injection when median and ulnar nerve blocks were performed with 3% chloroprocaine and a mean of 28 minutes after injection when performed with 2% mepivacaine. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE 3% chloroprocaine had a more rapid onset and provided better analgesia for median and ulnar nerve blocks in horses with naturally occurring lameness, compared with 2% mepivacaine. These favorable properties suggest that 3% chloroprocaine would be useful for performance of median and ulnar regional nerve blocks during complicated lameness evaluations.

The notion that the accuracy of a nerve block correlates well with cutaneous sensation in the nerve's dermatome is false. A positive response to direct anaesthesia of a joint does not prove that the source of pain is within that joint or, conversely, that a negative response eliminates the joint as a source of pain. Local anaesthetics do appear to have the potential to cause long-term deleterious effects to joints when administered intra-articularly, in addition to the transient inflammatory response some are known to elicit. Administering epinephrine perineurally in combination with a local anaesthetic agent has been thought to have the potential to result in skin necrosis, subcutaneous swelling, and growth of white hair at the site of injection, but experience indicates that these complications are unlikely when epinephrine is administered at a concentration of 1:200 000 or less. The extent to which a local anaesthetic can migrate proximally following perineural injection can be underestimated.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the most common malignant neoplasms in horses, but lingual SCC has seldom been reported. On separate occasions, a 12-year-old American Quarter Horse mare and an 18-year-old American Saddlebred stallion were presented to the Auburn University Large Animal Teaching Hospital for evaluation of weight loss, dysphagia, and ptyalism. Evaluation of each horse included physical examination, skull radiographs, oral examination, complete blood count and serum biochemistry profile, endoscopic evaluation of the mouth, and biopsy of tissue from a lesion found on the tongue. Histopathologic assessment of tissue harvested from the lingual lesions led to a diagnosis of SCC in each case. The diagnosis prompted euthanasia for one horse, but radiation therapy appeared to delay the progression of the lesion in the other horse.

The median nerve, along with the ulnar nerve, is often anesthetized when performing a lameness examination in horses. Because of the close proximity of the median nerve to the cubital joint, proximal migration of local anesthetic might ameliorate pain originating from the cubital joint. The objective of this study was to determine if a median nerve block will ameliorate lameness caused by pain in the cubital joint. A forelimb lameness was induced in six healthy horses by injecting 100 ng of recombinant equine interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) into the cubital joint. The median nerve of the lame leg was anesthetized using 10 mL of 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride. A successful median nerve block was confirmed by loss of skin sensation at the medial aspect of the pastern and typical changes in thermographic images. Gait was assessed before and at 20, 40, and 60 minutes after the median nerve block using an inertial sensor-based motion analysis system (Lameness Locator; Equinosis LLC, Columbia, MO). A full-factorial repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare treatment effect across time. IL-1β administration resulted in significant transient lameness in all horses (P < .0001). The median nerve block was successfully performed in all horses and did not result in significant improvement (P = .32) of lameness as quantified by the total differential head vector sum. This result has relevant clinical application as it suggests when performing a lameness examination, it is unlikely that blocking the median nerve with 10 mL of local anesthetic will ameliorate pain originating from the cubital joint.

To compare a 2% lidocaine solution containing 5 μg/ml (1:200 000) epinephrine with 2% mepivacaine for reducing lameness in horses after use in proximal nerve blocks.Experimental randomized crossover.Six adult horses with naturally occurring forelimb lameness.Horses were evaluated using an inertial gait sensor system. Lameness was measured as a vector sum (VS). Following baseline lameness examination, median and ulnar nerve blocks were performed with lidocaine/epinephrine (0.5 mg epinephrine added to 50 ml of 2% lidocaine immediately prior to administration) or an equal volume of 2% mepivacaine. Horses were trotted at 5 min and then at 30 min intervals for 150 min. After 24 h, nerve blocks were repeated using the other local anesthetic. Data were evaluated using linear models.The reduction in the VS did not differ after nerve blocks with lidocaine/epinephrine or mepivacaine (P = .791). Mean time to VS8.5 mm (n = 5) was 5 and 9.6 min for lidocaine/epinephrine and mepivacaine, respectively. For one horse, VS was not reduced to8.5 mm with either treatment (this horse had the highest VS before treatments were administered). The decrease in VS to8.5 mm lasted for 150 min in both treatment groups.The outcomes of the median and ulnar nerve blocks performed with 2% lidocaine with epinephrine did not differ from blocks performed with 2% mepivacaine.Two percent lidocaine with epinephrine may serve as an adequate replacement for proximal nerve blocks when mepivacaine is unavailable.

Summary The cause of haematuria often can be surmised based on a horse's signalment, recent history, and clinical signs that may accompany haematuria. The site, if not the cause, of haemorrhage can sometimes be revealed by examining that portion of the urinary tract palpable per rectum, by endoscopically examining the urethra and bladder, or by ultrasonographically examining the kidneys. When cystolithiasis or urethrolithiasis is determined to be the cause of haematuria, further examination is indicated to identify disease of one or both kidneys that might have precipitated formation of the urolith. Contrast-enhanced, cross-sectional imaging of the abdomen of small equids might be of value when a vascular anomaly of a kidney is suspected. Neoplastic cells can sometimes be found in the urine of horses suffering from neoplasia of the bladder or in peritoneal fluid of horses suffering from renal neoplasia. When a kidney is determined to be the source of haemorrhage, urine can be obtained for bacterial culture and cytological examination by passing tubing through the biopsy port of an endoscope into the ureter draining the kidney in question. Histological examination of tissue obtained by biopsy of the kidney or the mucosa of the bladder may be indicated when neoplasia of one of these organs is suspected. Immunohistochemical examination of endoscopically obtained tissue from a cystic carcinoma can identify whether the neoplastic cells express COX-2 receptors, thereby determining if treating the horse with a COX-2 selective NSAID might be effective.

Desmitis of the proximal aspect of the suspensory ligament, or interosseus medius muscle, of the pelvic or thoracic limb is a commonly diagnosed cause of lameness of performance horses. Despite medical treatments available for horses with proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD), most horses treated medically for PSD of a pelvic limb remain persistently lame; this persistent lameness may be the result of a neuropathy caused by compression of nerves by an enlarged suspensory ligament. Few horses with PSD of a thoracic limb remain persistently lame. Based on the results of reports citing successful treatment of horses chronically lame because of PSD of a pelvic or thoracic limb, by excising a portion of the deep branch of the lateral plantar or palmar nerve (DBLPlN/DBLPaN), we theorized that persistent lameness of horses caused by PSD of a thoracic limb may also be due to compression of nerves that supply the ligament. The aim of this study was to determine if histological signs of compression neuropathy of the DBLPaN are present in horses with PSD in a thoracic limb. To test this hypothesis, we induced PSD by instilling collagenase into the ligament and then examined the DBLPaN after harvesting this nerve 2 months later. We found that the DBLPaNs of all treated limbs showed histologic changes suggestive of nerve compression. We conclude that studies examining the DBLPaN of horses with naturally occurring PSD for histological evidence of neuropathy are warranted.

Many clinicians are reluctant to tranquilize or sedate a horse with a subtle lameness during the course of a lameness examination, because they believe this might make lameness less evident. Previous studies have found sedation or tranquilization did change the locomotion pattern, however they did not appear subjectively to decrease the degree of lameness. This study investigated the effects of sedation or tranquilization on gait of lame horses at frequent intervals over a 45 minute period of time to determine if a commonly administered sedative, detomidine HCL, or tranquilizer, acepromazine, had a significant effect on gait over a period of time that might correlate with time spent during a lameness examination that involved several diagnostic analgesic procedures. A wireless, inertial, sensor-based, motion analysis system was used to determine the degree of lameness with and without administration of detomidine or acepromazine. Based on the results of this study, intravenous administration of 10 mg acepromazine or 10 mg detomidine does not appear to affect the degree of lameness in horses.

Proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD) is a common cause of lameness in the pelvic limb, but could also affect the thoracic limb of competing and non-competing horses. Most horses diagnosed with PSD in a thoracic limb respond to rest followed by controlled exercise, but in a small percentage of affected horses, lameness persists. In one study, four horses chronically lame because of PSD in a thoracic limb became sound after neurectomy of the deep branch of the lateral palmar nerve (DBLPaN), which innervates the proximal aspect of the suspensory ligament (SL; Guasco et al., 2013). Whether neurectomy of the DBLPaN results in changes in the SL that might predispose the horse to re-injury is not known. The aim of this study was to describe the findings observed during quantitative lameness evaluation, gross and histological examination of the proximal portion of the suspensory ligament (SL) of the thoracic limbs of eight horses after neurectomy of the DBLPaN performed after inducing unilateral PSD by injecting collagenase into the proximal portion of the SL. The clinical response to neurectomy was resolution of lameness in all horses. Muscle fibers of the denervated ligaments presented atrophy and were infiltrated with fat and connective tissue, thereby reducing the strength and elasticity of the ligament.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether addition of epinephrine to a lidocaine solution would prolong and potentiate the efficacy of a palmar digital nerve block (PDNB) in horses. ANIMALS 6 adult horses with naturally occurring forefoot lameness. PROCEDURES Initially, a PDNB with a 2% lidocaine solution was performed on the affected foot of each horse. Three days later, the PDNB was repeated with a 1% lidocaine solution or a 1% lidocaine solution containing epinephrine (dilution, 1:200,000). After another 3-day washout period, the PDNB was repeated with the treatment opposite that administered for the second PDNB. Gait was analyzed with a computerized lameness analysis system and heart rate and extent of skin sensation between the heel bulbs of the blocked foot were evaluated at predetermined times for 2 hours after each PDNB. RESULTS Efficacy and duration of the PDNB did not differ significantly between the 2% and 1% lidocaine treatments. The addition of epinephrine to the 1% lidocaine solution improved the efficacy and prolonged the duration of the PDNB. It also resulted in a positive correlation between skin desensitization and amelioration of lameness. Median heart rate remained unchanged throughout the observation period for all 3 treatments. No adverse effects associated with the PDNBs were observed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Addition of epinephrine (dilution, 1:200,000) to a 1% lidocaine solution improved the efficacy and prolonged the duration of a PDNB in horses with naturally occurring lameness and might be clinically useful for lameness evaluations and standing surgery of the forefoot of horses.

The objective of this study was to determine if buffering mepivacaine HCL (mepHCl) with sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) would significantly decrease the time to onset of analgesia when performing median and ulnar nerve blocks in naturally lame horses. Median and ulnar nerve blocks were performed on the naturally lame limb of nine horses during two separate study periods, with a minimum washout period of three days between study periods. Nerve blocks were performed by administering mepHCl alone or mepHCl mixed with NaHCO3 (nine parts 2 per cent mepHCl to one part 8.4 per cent NaHCO3). Lameness was evaluated objectively using a wireless, inertial, sensor-based, motion analysis system (Lameness Locator) prior to the high regional nerve block and every five minutes following administration of the nerve block for 75 min. Resolution of lameness occurred earlier and was more profound for horses administered median and ulnar nerve blocks performed with mepHCl and NaHCO3 than when these nerve blocks were performed using only mepHCl.

Using noninvasive in vivo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we demonstrate that the enhancement of odorant response of olfactory receptor neurons by zinc nanoparticles leads to increase in activity in olfaction-related and higher order areas of the dog brain. To study conscious dogs, we employed behavioral training and optical motion tracking for reducing head motion artifacts. We obtained brain activation maps from dogs in both anesthetized state and fully conscious and unrestrained state. The enhancement effect of zinc nanoparticles was higher in conscious dogs with more activation in higher order areas as compared with anesthetized dogs. In conscious dogs, voxels in the olfactory bulb and hippocampus showed higher activity to odorants mixed with zinc nanoparticles as compared with pure odorants, odorants mixed with gold nanoparticles as well as zinc nanoparticles alone. These regions have been implicated in odor intensity processing in other species including humans. If the enhancement effect of zinc nanoparticles observed in vivo are confirmed by future behavioral studies, zinc nanoparticles may provide a way for enhancing the olfactory sensitivity of canines for detection of target substances such as explosives and contraband substances at very low concentrations, which would otherwise go undetected.

Degenerative joint disease (DJD) or osteoarthritis in the equine is largely a result of biomechanical stressors that result in inflammation within the joint, which with continual exposure, leads to progressive degeneration. A myriad of therapies are available for treatment of horses with DJD including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, physiological modifiers, and biological therapies. C-phycocyanin, a protein-bound pigment found in blue-green algae, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and is available as a diet supplement in people, dogs, and horses. Forty-one horses with naturally occurring lameness as a result of DJD were selected for this study. In a blinded study, horses were randomly assigned to either the commercial or placebo product that was fed once daily for 12 months. At selected time points, lameness evaluation was performed through objective gait analysis. Previous medical records for management of lameness were reviewed for all enrolled horses. No statistically significant differences existed within or between the two groups when gait was evaluated objectively nor within individual horses between time points. Review of medical records found that five treated horses had a decreased in frequency of intra-articular injection of corticosteroids. Although this study did not find statistically significant improvement of lameness with oral daily supplementation of C-phycocyanin in equine athletes, there appeared to be a trend of improvement in lameness during the loading period and a decrease in frequency of administration of intra-articular corticosteroids. Further investigations using a higher dose seem warranted.

A specific method of rehabilitation was used to manage obese horses with laminitis, and clinical outcome was evaluated after 5 to 20 months. Clinical data from 14 similar laminitis cases were statistically analyzed to evaluate response to rehabilitation. Data were analyzed using repeated measures or logistic regression methodologies. Each horse presented as obese and laminitic with no history of a systemic inflammatory disease. The rehabilitation method emphasized a mineral-balanced, low nonstructural carbohydrate diet; daily exercise; hoof trimming that minimized hoof wall loading; and sole protection in the form of rubber hoof boots and/or hoof casts. Distal phalanx alignment within the hoof capsule was significantly improved, and hoof wall thickness was significantly decreased (P < .0001) following treatment. Solar depth was significantly increased (P < .0015). Reduction of palmar angle measurements was detected in acutely and chronically affected horses. This treatment effect was statistically greater for horses with chronic laminitis than for horses with acute laminitis (P interaction < .0001). Horses were 5.5 times more likely to be sound post-treatment than before treatment. Daily exercise, dietary modification, and removal of ground reaction force from the hoof wall were foci of the rehabilitation program. Hoof care and husbandry as applied to these horses may be an effective method of rehabilitation of horses from obesity-associated laminitis.

The default mode network (DMN) in humans has been extensively studied using seed-based correlation analysis (SCA) and independent component analysis (ICA). While DMN has been observed in monkeys as well, there are conflicting reports on whether they exist in rodents. Dogs are higher mammals than rodents, but cognitively not as advanced as monkeys and humans. Therefore, they are an interesting species in the evolutionary hierarchy for probing the comparative functions of the DMN across species. In this study, we sought to know whether the DMN, and consequently its functions such as self-referential processing, are exclusive to humans/monkeys or can we also observe the DMN in animals such as dogs. To address this issue, resting state functional MRI data from the brains of lightly sedated dogs and unconstrained and fully awake dogs were acquired, and ICA and SCA were performed for identifying the DMN. Since anesthesia can alter resting state networks, confirming our results in awake dogs was essential. Awake dog imaging was accomplished by training the dogs to keep their head still using reinforcement behavioral adaptation techniques. We found that the anterior (such as anterior cingulate and medial frontal) and posterior regions (such as posterior cingulate) of the DMN were dissociated in both awake and anesthetized dogs.

There are situations that occur when customers and servicemen have difficulty lighting pilots on appliances after a natural gas or propane system has been shut off or following an out-of-gas call in a propane system. The inability to light the pilot light is believed to be the result of air getting into the gas system. In some circumstances, customers or servicemen will purge the gas line in order to get the “air” out of the lines. Sometimes this results in flammable gas entering the structure leading to an explosion, flash fire or fire, and subsequently property damage, serious injuries, and sometimes death. As a result of several purging incidents involving explosions, including one at the ConAgra Slim Jim plant in Garner, NC, in June 2009, and at the recommendation of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the National Fuel Gas Code Committee of NFPA initiated a Tentative Interim Amendment that changed purging requirements [NFPA 54, National Fuel Gas Code, 2009 Edition]. In the propane industry, it has been claimed that after an out-of-gas situation, air is drawn into the propane tank with moisture, which results in the formation of rust and causes the oxidation of the propane odorant ethyl mercaptan. In this scenario, it is claimed that the propane gas was odorless where the line was purged by the unsuspecting serviceman or homeowner leading to the release of dangerous amounts of gas inside a structure. The question arises as to how air can enter a closed gas system, particularly given the presence of safety valves in appliance gas control valves. These authors hypothesize that air can enter a sealed gas system through some gas control valves when a vacuum is created in empty containers or piping due to ambient diurnal temperature changes and solar radiation. To test this hypothesis, pressures and temperatures associated with empty propane containers and weather conditions were measured for several days. The data was then analyzed to determine the magnitude of the pressure changes occurring inside the gas system. The negative pressure values measured during testing were then applied to the inlet side of a number of appliance gas control valves to determine whether these pressures were sufficient to draw air back into the gas system. This paper includes descriptions of the testing and summaries of the results. Test results were also compared to theoretical calculations of the negative pressures in a closed system.

Objective—To determine the effects of intensive serial plasmapheresis on total plasma protein and total IgG concentrations in donor horses involved in a plasmapheresis program. Animals—18 horses (13 mares and 5 geldings; 13 Belgians, 3 Percherons, 1 Standardbred, and 1 warmblood) ranging from 7 to 14 years of age (mean ± SD, 10 ± 3 years) and weighing 822 ± 128 kg. Procedures—Horses from which 22 mL of plasma/kg of donor body weight was harvested at 14-day intervals for a minimum of 8 consecutive plasmapheresis donations were retrospectively selected for use in the evaluation. Automated plasmapheresis procedures were performed by use of 2 modified plasmapheresis instruments/donor horse. Plasma samples were obtained at each donation and used for determination of total protein and total IgG concentrations. Total plasma protein concentrations were determined via refractometry. A commercially available ELISA was used to determine total equine IgG concentrations. Results—The 18 donor horses were used in 8 to 19 serial donations (mean ± SD, 13 ± 3 donations) during the study. Donor horses had significant decreases in both plasma protein and IgG concentrations over the study period. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Serial plasmapheresis procedures caused significant decreases in both plasma protein and IgG concentrations in donor horses; however, decreases were not physiologically relevant. Performing plasmapheresis in horses in accordance with the evaluated automated plasmapheresis procedures did not result in a critical decrease in total plasma protein or total IgG concentrations.

Objective—To develop a high-speed, continuous-flow, automated plasmapheresis procedure for the high-volume harvest of equine plasma in accordance with current good manufacturing practice. Animals—143 horses (predominantly draft breeds) between 3 and 10 years of age at the time of purchase. Procedures—Adaptations were made to automated plasmapheresis instruments and sterile disposable collection sets, which allowed for dual-instrument, continuous-flow operation. Donor horses were connected to the apparatus via 2 catheters (1 inserted in each jugular vein). The instruments removed whole blood from donors, fractionated the blood, diverted plasma to collection bags, and simultaneously returned concentrated cells to the donors. Plasmapheresis was performed on donor horses at 14-day intervals with a maximum of 22 mL of plasma/kg of donor body weight harvested during each plasmapheresis procedure. Results—During a 5-year period, 3,240 plasmapheresis procedures were performed and > 50,000 L of sterile equine plasma was harvested in accordance with current good manufacturing practice. Donors typically remained calm during the plasmapheresis procedures and tolerated the procedures well. The high-volume and frequent plasma harvest did not result in sustained hypoproteinemia in donor horses. Adverse events associated with the automated plasmapheresis technique were infrequent, and the recurrence of adverse events was minimized by making minor adjustments to the procedure. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—The automated plasmapheresis procedure described in this report can be used to safely harvest equine plasma or to perform therapeutic plasmapheresis in horses.

†‡ Summary Reasons for performing study: Clinical experiences indicate that centesis of the lateral compartment of the femorotibial joint is often unsuccessful. Objective: To determine the accuracy of 2 published and 2 unpublished techniques of centesis of the lateral compartment of the femorotibial joint. Hypothesis: It was hypothesised that a drug can be administered into the lateral compartment of the femorotibial joint via a diverticulum of this joint that surrounds the medial aspect of the long digital extensor tendon and that this technique is more accurate than described techniques of centesis of this compartment. Methods: Twenty-four stifles of 12 horses were divided equally into 4 groups and a radiocontrast medium injected into the lateral compartment of the femorotibial joint of each group using a hypodermic needle inserted: 1) caudal to the lateral patellar ligament and proximal to the tibial plateau, 2) caudal to the long digital extensor tendon and proximal to the tibial plateau, 3) between the long digital extensor tendon and bone of the extensor groove of the tibia or 4) directly through the long digital extensor tendon until it contacted bone. Twelve veterinary students who had no experience using any of these techniques performed the injections. Accuracy of each technique was determined by examining radiographs obtained after injecting the contrast medium. Results: The most successful technique for arthrocentesis was by inserting a needle through the long digital extensor tendon. This approach was successful in all attempted cases, whilst other techniques had lower rates of success. Conclusions: The lateral compartment of the femorotibial joint can be accessed accurately by inserting a needle through the long digital extensor tendon as it lies within the extensor groove. Other techniques may not be as accurate for clinicians inexperienced in arthrocentesis of the lateral compartmen to f the femorotibial joint.

Background:Lung surfactant function and composition are varied and adapted to the specific respiratory physiology of all mammalian species. Hypothesis:Lung surfactant function and composition are different in neonatal foals as compared to adult horses. Animals:Six adult horses, 7 term foals (

Objective— To report use of a modified Whitehouse approach in standing horses for management of inspissated guttural pouch empyema. Study Design— Retrospective study. Animals— Adult horses (n=10) with guttural pouch empyema. Methods— Inspissated exudate in 1 or both guttural pouches was removed surgically through a modified Whitehouse approach, with the horses standing and sedated. Medical records of affected horses were reviewed to determine history; physical, endoscopic, and radiological examination findings; surgical technique; complications, and outcome. Results— All horses had purulent nasal discharge; 3 horses had dysphagia, 2 had recurrent laryngeal neuropathy on the side affected by guttural pouch empyema, and 1 had persistent soft palate displacement. Inspissated exudate was removed safely without causing apparent discomfort. Eight horses returned to their previous level of athletic activity after surgery; 1 horse dysphagic before surgery, was euthanatized because of persistent dysphagia after surgery, and 1 horse died 1 week after surgery for unknown reasons. Streptococcus equi subsp equi was isolated from the affected guttural pouch of 3 horses. Conclusions— Inspissated exudate can be removed surgically from the guttural pouch in standing horses through a modified Whitehouse approach. Clinical Relevance— To eliminate risks associated with general anesthesia and avoid surgical suite contamination, removal of chondroids can be performed in standing sedated horses through a modified Whitehouse approach.