In dogs, 18·4% (95% confidence interval, 10·9 to 28·1%) of the prostatic cavitary lesions contain urine. Measurement of creatinine within the prostatic cavity fluid is a helpful tool in diagnosing a presurgical intra-prostatic urethral fistulation, and these dogs tend to require a more aggressive surgical therapy than percutaneous drainage alone.

Our results confirm that fluoroscopically assisted percutaneous placement of 2.4 mm cannulated screws is a feasible technique for fixation of sacroiliac luxations in cats. Mechanical properties of this fixation technique need to be evaluated before the use in clinical patients.

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors have direct vascular effects that contribute to plaque stability. In the current study, the authors demonstrate that the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors atorvastatin and pravastatin augment the adhesion of human (HSMCs) and rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) to collagen I via induction of alpha2beta1-integrin receptors. Atorvastatin (0.1 microM ) increased the adhesion of HSMCs to collagen I up to 2-fold (p < 0.01) and pravastatin (1.0 microM ) up to 1.8-fold (p < 0.01) after treatment of at least 24 h. This increase in adhesion was concentration dependent and was observed for treatment periods from 16 to 72 h. Inhibition of isoprenoid synthesis with mevalonate and geranyl-geraniol prevented the statin-induced effect on human and rat smooth muscle cells. Flow cytometry revealed an increased expression of alpha2- and beta1-integrins after treatment with atorvastatin (0.1 microM ) at 24 and 48 h. Atorvastatin increased levels of beta1-integrin mRNA after 12- and 24-h treatment in HSMCs, which was inhibited by mevalonate. Furthermore, atorvastatin (0.1 microM ) and pravastatin (1.0 microM ) inhibited chemotaxis of HSMCs on collagen I, which was also reversed by mevalonate treatment. In contrast, inhibition of beta1-integrins with a specific antibody nearly doubled (p < 0.01) the rate of chemotaxis. These data indicate that the chemotactic activity in HSMCs is inhibited in part by up-regulation of alpha2beta1-integrin receptors. The current study indicates that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors increase cell-matrix interaction with collagen I via induction of alpha2beta1-integrins and increased adhesion to collagen I.

BackgroundPeripheral nerve injuries are the most frequent neurologic disorder in cattle. So far, no physiologic values have been established for the motor nerve conduction velocity (mNCV) in this precocial species.ObjectivesThe electrophysiologic and morphometric reference values of peripheral nerves in calves were determined. It was hypothesized that these parameters would correlate to the high degree of maturity in the first days of life in this species compared to other species.AnimalsTwenty‐six healthy calves were used in this study.MethodsThe mNCV of the radial and the sciatic/common peroneal nerve was measured in all 26 calves. Nerve biopsies from a group of 6 calves were taken to correlate the obtained electrophysiologic data with morphological parameters.ResultsThe mean mNCV of the radial nerve was 48.3 ± 10.6 m/s, whereas the mean mNCV of the sciatic/peroneal nerve was with 83.8 ± 5.9 m/s significantly faster (P < .0001). The average fiber diameter was 8.40 ± 2.80 μm (range, 1.98–17.90 μm) and the average g‐ratio was 0.61 ± 0.04 SD.Conclusion and Clinical ImportanceThe established reference values for mNCV in calves correlate well with the evaluated morphometric parameters. Attributable to their comparably fast mNCV and high fiber diameters, juvenile calves appear to be much more mature individuals than other mammals. Electrophysiologic characterization of peripheral nerve injury now is feasible in this species.