Cardiopulmonary function was measured in 6 conscious dogs with progressive degrees of induced pneumothorax. Minute volume, respiratory rate, central venous pressure, systemic arterial pressure, pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary arterial occlusion pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, and arterial and mixed venous blood gases were determined before pneumothorax and at progressive volumes of pneumothorax equivalent to 50, 100, and 150% of the calculated lung volume. Tidal volume, pulmonary vascular resistance, alveolar to arterial O2 tension difference, physiologic dead space fraction, and pulmonary venous admixture also were calculated. Linear increases in respiratory rate, central venous pressure, alveolar to arterial O2 tension difference, and pulmonary venous admixture differed significantly (P less than 0.05). Linear decreases in tidal volume, (. . .), pHa, (. . .), and Pa(O2) were also significantly different. Quadratic increases were significantly different for pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance. Trends were not significantly different for other values.

Visual-evoked potentials (VEP) and electroretinograms (ERG) were recorded from 10 normal light-adapted adult dogs, using a 3 X 5 matrix of light-emitting diodes as a stimulator. Visual-evoked potentials were recorded from 4 scalp electrodes overlying cortical areas, whereas electroretinographic activity was recorded by 2 scalp electrodes placed near the eye and by a conjunctivally placed electrode. The waveform of the VEP consisted of 3 major positive waves (P1 through P3), with peak latencies in the 20- to 70-ms range. Waveform reproducibility was assessed by comparing peak latencies from VEP recorded on 2 separate days approximately 1 week apart. The peak latencies for P1 through P3 did not differ (P greater than or equal to 0 .05) between first and second recording sessions. To substantiate the postretinal origin of VEP, recordings were made before and after unilateral optic nerve transsections in 4 dogs. Electroretinograms were also measured before and after surgery to assess the integrity of the retina. Postsurgically, VEP were absent when the eye on the surgically treated side was stimulated. Stimulation of the contralateral eye induced VEP with the same waveform shape, but latencies were slightly prolonged (P less than or equal to 0.05) compared with presurgical recordings. The only effect of optic nerve transsection on the ipsilateral ERG was a prolongation (P less than or equal to 0.05) of the b-wave. However, when postsurgical ERG values were compared with those from the intact side after surgery, there were no differences.

Results of a double agar gel immunodiffusion (Ouchterlony) test that contained a polysaccharide (poly-B) antigen of Brucella melitensis strain B115 were compared with those of 5 other serotests. To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the immunodiffusion, standard tube, 2-mercaptoethanol, Rivanol, card, and complement fixation tests, sera obtained from 1,328 vaccinated, infected and seronegative cattle, 56 of which had been examined bacteriologically, were used to evaluate the humoral response to Brucella sp. The poly-B antigen confirmed infection in 87.5% of the 56 cattle from which Brucella abortus biotype 1 had been isolated, and in 96.6% (205/212) of a group of cattle suspected to be infected on the basis of results of conventional serotests. Likewise, sera from 4 groups of vaccinated cattle did not react with poly-B antigen, whereas they did not react in conventional tests. The poly-B antigen was more specific in detecting infected cattle even in a group of vaccinated adults. A useful strategy to identify infected cattle might be screening, using a combination of the Rivanol and card tests together with the agar-gel immunodiffusion test containing poly-B antigen.

Oxymorphone was administered IV to dogs 4 times at 20-minute intervals (total dosage, 1 mg/kg of body weight, IV) on 2 separate occasions. Minute ventilation, mixed-expired carbon dioxide concentration, arterial and mixed-venous pH and blood gas tensions, arterial, central venous, pulmonary arterial, and pulmonary wedge pressures, and cardiac output were measured. Physiologic dead space, base deficit, oxygen transport, and vascular resistance were calculated before and at 5 minutes after the first dose of oxymorphone (0.4 mg/kg) and at 15 minutes after the first and the 3 subsequent doses of oxymorphone (0.2 mg/kg). During 1 of the 2 experiments in each dog, naloxone was administered 20 minutes after the last dose of oxymorphone; during the alternate experiment, naloxone was not administered. In 5 dogs, naloxone was administered IV in titrated dosages (0.005 mg/kg) at 1-minute intervals until the dogs were able to maintain sternal recumbency, and in the other 5 dogs, naloxone was administered IM as a single dose (0.04 mg/kg). Naloxone (0.01 mg/kg, IV or 0.04 mg/kg, IM) transiently reversed most of the effects of oxymorphone. Within 20 to 40 minutes after IV naloxone administration and within 40 to 70 minutes after IM naloxone administration, most variables returned to the approximate values measured before naloxone administration. The effects of oxymorphone outlasted the effects of naloxone; cardiovascular and pulmonary depression and sedation recurred in all dogs. Four hours and 20 minutes after the last dose of oxymorphone, alertness, responsiveness, and coordination improved in all dogs after IM administration of naloxone. Cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, or excitement was not observed after naloxone administration.

Isolated segments of left dorsal colon and a side-to-side colocolostomy (between the left ventral colon and left dorsal colon) were surgically created in 6 adult ponies. Four segments, each separated by an empty segment, were inoculated (20 ml) with 1 of the following 4 solutions: phosphate buffered saline solution (PBSS)/1% polyethylene glycol (PEG); purified cholera toxin in PBSS/1% PEG (5 micrograms cholera toxin/ml of PBSS/1% PEG); lyophilized Salmonella typhimurium UCD 1755 culture lysate, reconstituted in PBSS/1% PEG; and viable S typhimurium UCD 1755 (10(8) organisms/ml of PBSS/1% PEG). Twenty hours following inoculation of the treatment solutions into the isolated colon segments, the ponies were reanesthetized. Fluid accumulation in the isolated segments was measured, and tissue samples from isolated segments were taken for examination by light microscopy and electron microscopy, and for measurement of mucosal cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels. There was fluid accumulation in segments inoculated with cholera toxin in 4 ponies (29.5 +/- 12.7 ml), and in segments inoculated with S typhimurium UCD 1755 culture lysate in 3 ponies. (14.0 +/- 8.7 ml). There was no fluid accumulation in segments inoculated with either the control solution (PBSS/1% PEG) or viable S typhimurium UCD 1755. There was significantly (P less than 0.05) less cyclic adenosine monophosphate in segments inoculated with cholera toxin, Salmonella lysate, and viable Salmonella, compared with control segments. Histologically, there were minimal changes in control segments, consisting of mild to moderate submucosal edema and capillary congestion. Changes in the other segments were more pronounced and included neutrophilic infiltration and exocytosis, with the changes increasing in severity in the segments inoculated with cholera toxin, S typhimurium culture lysate UCD 1755, and viable S typhimurium UCD 1755, respectively. Ultrastructurally, mucosa from control segments was normal. Mucosa from segments inoculated with cholera toxin had swollen endoplasmic reticula and basolateral separation of surface epithelial cells. Mucosa from segments inoculated with S typhimurium UCD 1755 culture lysate and viable S typhimurium UCD 1755 had swollen smooth and rough endoplasmic reticula, separation of epithelial cells, degeneration of microvilli, and goblet cell degeneration.

Arthrotomies of middle carpal joints were done on 13 horses, and a 1-cm partial thickness, round defect was made on the radial facet of both third carpal bones. In one joint, 1-mm diameter 1-cm deep holes were drilled within the defect, and one joint was used as a control. Horses were assigned to 2 groups--group 1 (n = 6 horses), 5 drill holes; group 2 (n = 7 horses), 11 drill holes. At 1 and 3 weeks after surgery, differences between joints in synovial fluid total protein values, WBC counts, or results of mucin precipitate tests were not significant (P = 0.005). Physically and radiographically, horses were the same during the 12 initial weeks they were housed in stalls and the 9 weeks they were kept in paddocks. Twenty-one weeks after surgery, horses were euthanatized. Joints with drill holes had a significantly greater area (P less than 0.05) of healthy fibrocartilage new tissue: group 1--33 to 68% new tissue, compared with 0 to 23% new tissue in controls; and group 2--22 to 64% new tissue, compared with 0 to 37% new tissue in controls. Differences between healing of defects with drill holes in groups 1 and 2 were not significant. Thickness of new tissue over drill holes was 33 to 61% of thickness of cartilage adjacent to the defect, and thickness of tissue between drill holes was 11 to 43% (group 1) and 8 to 79% (group 2) of the thickness of cartilage adjacent to the defect. In all defects with drill holes, new tissue in the form of fibrocartilage was detected deep in drill holes, whereas fibrous tissue was observed superficially and adjacent to drill holes.

The virulence of 2 porcine group-A rotavirus isolates was compared. Forty hysterotomy-derived 3-day-old gnotobiotic pigs were inoculated orally with 2 ml of intestinal homogenate containing either the Ohio State University (OSU) or the South Dakota State University (SDSU) strain of porcine rotavirus or were inoculated with medium only. Clinical signs of disease, body weight, distribution of viral antigen, fecal excretion of virus, and histologic lesions (observed by light and scanning electron microscopy) were determined. Morphometric measurements of villi and crypts were made. In pigs inoculated with OSU or SDSU strains, diarrhea began at postinoculation hours (PIH) 19 to 48 and PIH 24 to 54, respectively. None of the virus-infected pigs died as a consequence of infection and all had similar clinical signs of disease, body weight changes and virus-shedding patterns, regardless of the strain of rotavirus with which they were infected. Microscopic findings in the small intestine of virus-infected pigs were similar, except that the SDSU strain caused more severe villus atrophy and villus fusion in the duodenum at PIH 72 and 168 than was associated with the OSU strain. Viral antigen in the small intestine of pigs infected with either virus was observed by use of immunofluorescence at PIH 24 and 72, but was seldom seen at PIH 168.

Natural killer (NK) cell activity and function were determined for 11 untreated and treated dogs with lymphoma. Concurrent chromium release and single cell binding assays, methods used to measure overall cytotoxic activity and that from individual cells, respectively, were performed at effector-to-target cell ratios of 50:1 and 100:1, with incubation periods of 12 and 16 hours. Significant reduction was achieved in overall activity for untreated dogs, using a 16-hour incubation period and an effector-to-target ratio of 100:1 (P less than 0.05). Decreased activity (P less than 0.025) was also achieved for those dogs that were administered combination chemotherapy, consisting of such drugs cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, and doxorubicin. There was no significant difference in binding or cytotoxin activity by individual cells in the untreated or treated dogs, compared with the healthy controls. Short- or long-term treatment with glucocorticoids did not influence overall NK cell activity or individual cell cytotoxicity. The overall cytotoxic activity in untreated dogs was reduced, but these dogs had relatively normal numbers of NK cells compared with paracontrols. This suggests that a defect in recycling, or the ability to kill targets repetitively, may be involved. A similar defect was found in NK cells of dogs treated aggressively with combination chemotherapy.

A 2 X 2 crossover design trial was conducted in gilts to determine the bioavailability and pharmacokinectics of tetracycline hydrochloride. The bioavailability of tretracycline hydrochloride administered orally to fasted gilts was approximately 23%. After intravascular administration, the disposition kinetics of tetracycline in plasma were best described by a triexponential equation. The drug had a rapid distribution phase followed by a relatively slow elimination phase, with half-life of 16 hours. Its large volume of distribution (4.5 +/- 1.06 L/kg) suggested that tetracycline is distributed widely in swine tissues. Total body clearance was 0.185 +/- 0.24 L/kg/h. Other pharamacokinectic variables were estimated. In a second trial, 3 gilts were fed a ration containing 0.55 g of tetracycline hydrochloride/kg of feed. Resulting plasma concentration of tetracycline was determined at selected times during 96 hours after exposure to the medicated feed. Plasma drug concentration peaked (0.6 microgram/ml) at 72 hours after access to the medicated feed.

The antibody response to pseudorabies virus nucleocapsid proteins (NCP) was evaluated by the western immunoblot analysis before and after challenge of immunity by nasal inoculation of 10(2.3) plaque-forming units of virus in 10 pigs that had been vaccinated with pseudorabies virus envelope glycoproteins. Antibody to 5 NCP with molecular mass of 140, 63, 41, 34, and 23 kD was first detected in vaccinated and nonvaccinated pigs on day 14 after challenge of immunity. Antibody to 2 of the 5 NCP continued to be detected through day 113 in 9 of 10 vaccinated pigs. Beyond day 32, antibody to NCP was not detected in 1 vaccinated pig. The 23-, 34-, and 41-kD proteins were the most immunogenic. Antibody to each of these proteins was first detected on day 14 in 10, 10, and 8 pigs, respectively. Seven, 6, and 8 pigs, respectively, were antibody-positive for these proteins on day 113. The 140- and 63-kD proteins were the least immunogenic. Antibody to these proteins was detected in 8 and 9 pigs, respectively, on day 14, and in 4 and 5 pigs, respectively, on day 113. Chi-square analysis for dependency indicated that the antibody response to the 140- and 63-kD proteins was interdependent. These results suggested that combinations of NCP may be useful as non-vaccine diagnostic antigens.