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Biomedical subjects

W E Blevins

Publications and source records attributed to W E Blevins.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Morphological and functional evaluation of a dog with dimelia.

Weight bearing patterns were investigated on a young Cocker Spaniel with dimelia (mirror hand) of the left forelimb, using a pressure sensing walkway (PS walkway). The dog had two left forelimb paws, both originating from the carpus, with symmetrical duplication of metacarpal bones and phalanges. In addition, the left radial head was subluxated and asynchronous growth of the left radius and ulna was noted. The PS walkway demonstrated minimal weight-bearing of the extra (medial) paw and longer metacarpal pad contact of the affected limb. The radiographic changes and the weight-bearing pattern during gait suggested that more weight was loaded on the lateral paw of the affected limb. Treatment was not recommended because of the relatively good limb function and the absence of overt pain. This is the first reported case of canine dimelia and foot pressure patterns in a canine congenital musculoskeletal deformity.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Facilitated ankylosis of the distal interphalangeal joint in a foal.

A 3-month-old Quarter Horse colt sustained a penetrating injury over the coronary band on the right forelimb resulting in an articular bone sequestrum and septic arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint. Despite aggressive treatment for septic arthritis, severe osteoarthritis and ongoing sepsis resulted in persistent lameness. Facilitated ankylosis of the distal interphalangeal joint was performed using a combination of open surgical debridement, placement of an autogenous cancellous bone graft and stabilisation within a transfixation cast. Bony ankylosis of the joint was observed radiographically 7 weeks following surgery. Evaluation of the horse 30 months following surgery revealed complete fusion of the middle and distal phalanges, and the distal sesamoid bone. The horse is pasture sound and is used as a breeding stallion. This report describes the surgical approach and case management employed to achieve facilitated ankylosis as a treatment for unresolved septic arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint. This is the first report of successful facilitated ankylosis of the distal interphalangeal joint in a foal.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Gastric retention properties of superporous hydrogel composites.

In many applications, usefulness of conventional hydrogels is limited by their slow swelling. To improve the swelling property of the conventional hydrogels, we have synthesized superporous hydrogels (SPHs) which swell fast to equilibrium size in minutes due to water uptake by capillary wetting through numerous interconnected open pores. The swelling ratio was also large in the range of hundreds. The mechanical strength of the highly swollen SPHs was increased by adding a composite material during the synthesis. The composite material used in the synthesis of SPH composites was Ac-Di-Sol((R)) (croscarmellose sodium). The gastric retention property of the prepared SPH composites was tested in dogs both in fasted and fed conditions. The SPH composites were placed in a hard gelatin capsule (size 000) for oral administration. All dogs tested were fasted for 36 h before experiments. Under the fasted condition, the SPH composite remained in the stomach for 2-3 h after before breaking into two pieces and being emptied. When food was given before the experiment just once following 36 h of fasting, the SPH composite remained in the stomach for more than 24 h, even though the fed condition was maintained only for the first few hours. Our study indicated that SPH composites possessed three properties necessary for gastric retention: fast swelling; superswelling; and high mechanical strength. While more improvements need to be made, the SPH composites provide the basis for the development of effective long-term gastric retention devices.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The effect of formulation on radioiodide thyroid uptake in the hyperthyroid cat.

This investigation was designed to compare in vitro dissolution profiles from sodium iodide capsules with radioiodide thyroid uptake in hyperthyroid cats using sodium iodide capsules prepared with a formulation exhibiting a complete release of radioiodide (I-123) in vitro and a formulation with an incomplete release of radioiodide. In vitro dissolution profiles for I-123 sodium iodide capsules with two different formulations were determined using the USP XXIII dissolution test. The two formulations studied in vitro were sodium phosphate dibasic powder with 1% magnesium stearate and calcium phosphate dibasic powder with 3% magnesium stearate. By 20 min after initiation of the dissolution test, over 95% of the I-123 was released from capsules of sodium phosphate dibasic powder. The capsules of calcium phosphate dibasic powder reached 75% at 65 min, with no further release occurring thereafter. There was a statistically significant difference in the dissolution profiles of the two formulations. The thyroid uptake of I-123 from capsules exhibiting complete release and incomplete release of radioiodide was determined in hyperthyroid cats. At 4 hr, the mean percentage thyroid uptake value for sodium phosphate dibasic powder with 1% magnesium stearate (complete release formulation) was 12.0% compared to 9.4% for calcium phosphate dibasic powder with 3% magnesium stearate (incomplete release formulation); at 24 hr, the values were 34.4% compared to 23.7%. The data suggest that the incomplete dissolution profile observed in vitro may correlate with a reduction in the bioavailability of the radioiodide in vivo. However, using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, statistically significant differences did not occur between the complete release formulation and incomplete release formulation at either 4 hr or 24 hr (p > .05). The results of the in vivo study with five hyperthyroid cats were not conclusive due to the variability in response between individual cats.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1998

Use of two-dimensional real-time ultrasonography for diagnosing contracture and strain of the infraspinatus muscle in a dog.

A strain injury to the infraspinatus muscle was a potential cause of forelimb lameness in a dog. Ultrasonography was used for evaluation of infraspinatus muscle injury. The ultrasonographic appearance of a typical infraspinatus muscle, contracture of an infraspinatus muscle, acute strain of an infraspinatus muscle, and progression of healing of the infraspinatus muscle are described.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Digital perfusion, evaluated scintigraphically, and hoof wall growth in horses with chronic laminitis treated with egg bar-heart bar shoeing and coronary grooving.

Nuclear scintigraphy was used to assess digital perfusion before and after treatment in 10 horses with clinical and radiographic evidence of chronic laminitis. Horses were evaluated for lameness, degree of distal phalanx rotation, and heel-toe hoof wall growth ratio, and randomly divided into two treatment groups. Group 1 horses received only egg bar-heart bar shoeing; Group 2 underwent egg bar-heart bar shoeing and coronary grooving. Horses were re-evaluated for digital perfusion, lameness, degree of distal phalanx rotation, and hoof wall growth at 6 week intervals over the 18 week follow-up period. Prior to treatment, relative scintigraphic activity at the dorsal laminar area was decreased and relative scintigraphic activity at the toe and adjacent solar area was increased. Egg bar-heart bar shoeing was associated with significantly increased dorsal laminar scintigraphic activity and significantly decreased solar scintigraphic activity over the 18 week period. Coronary grooving, in combination with egg bar-heart bar shoeing, resulted in a significantly lower heel-toe hoof wall growth ratio but did not enhance digital perfusion. Seven of 10 (70%) horses were responsive to treatment, defined as an improvement in lameness by at least one grade. Horses that were refractory to treatment had significantly lower dorsal laminar scintigraphic activity and higher palmar coronary scintigraphic activity prior to treatment than horses that responded to treatment. Our results are the first to demonstrate that egg bar-heart bar shoeing is associated with improved dorsal laminar perfusion, and support the use of this technique. In addition, we found that pre-treatment nuclear scintigraphy was predictive of clinical outcome in horses with chronic laminitis treated with corrective shoeing.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Traumatic injury of the iliopsoas muscle in three dogs.

Three dogs with injuries of the iliopsoas muscle were examined. All dogs had a history of trauma. On physical examination, discomfort on hyperextension of the hip joints was detected. Palpation and stretching of the affected muscle by simultaneous internal rotation and extension of the hip joint elicited signs of pain. Abnormalities were not detected on pelvic radiography. On the basis of clinical signs and lack of radiographic abnormalities, a presumptive diagnosis of a strain injury of the iliopsoas muscle was made. Ultrasonography confirmed the presumptive diagnosis and provided further information about the location and extent of the injury. Traumatic injury to the iliopsoas muscle should be included as a differential diagnosis for lameness of the pelvic limb in dogs, and ultrasonography can be of value in the diagnosis of muscle injuries in dogs.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Intramedullary cisplatin chemotherapy: experience in four dogs with osteosarcoma.

Single-agent intramedullary cisplatin chemotherapy provided effective localised control in two of four dogs with advanced stage osteosarcoma unable to withstand an amputation or limb-sparing surgery. Complete remission of the local neoplasm was observed in one of the four dogs, partial remission of the local neoplasm in one dog and progressive disease in the other two. Limb function was preserved in one dog for seven months and that dog was found to be tumour-free when euthanased due to unrelated causes. These preliminary results warrant further investigation into the use of intramedullary cisplatin chemotherapy in the localised management of canine appendicular osteosarcoma. It is possible that this mode of treatment may be combined with other treatments to maximise the survival (i.e., systemic control) in other dogs affected with appendicular osteosarcoma.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Response to high-dose radioactive iodine administration in cats with thyroid carcinoma that had previously undergone surgery.

Seven cats with thyroid carcinomas that had previously undergone surgical removal of neoplastic tissue were treated with 30 mCi of radioactive iodine (131I). Six of the cats had clinical signs of hyperthyroidism; 1 did not. There were no complications associated with 131I treatment, and clinical signs resolved in all cats. Technetium scans of 4 cats made after treatment did not have evidence of isotope uptake. In the remaining 3 cats, small areas of isotope uptake, the intensity of which was equal to or less than the intensity of uptake in the salivary glands, were seen. All 7 cats became hypothyroid after treatment; 4 required L-thyroxine supplementation. One cat was alive 33 months after treatment. The other 6 cats were euthanatized because of unrelated diseases 10 to 41 months after treatment.

Adenocarcinoma, Follicular↗
PubMed1994

Confirmation of a pulmonary component of multicentric lymphosarcoma with bronchoalveolar lavage in two dogs.

Histologic examination of lung tissue has been the only definitive diagnostic procedure used to confirm pulmonary involvement with lymphosarcoma (LSA) in dogs. Lung involvement with LSA was diagnosed by cytologic examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in 2 dogs with multicentric LSA. Both dogs had cough or dyspnea, in addition to peripheral lymphadenopathy or visceral organomegaly. Both dogs had nonspecific, abnormal thoracic radiographic findings, including diffuse pulmonary interstitial pattern, hydrothorax, and mediastinal and retrosternal lymphadenopathy. In these 2 dogs, postmortem lung histologic examination, performed immediately after bronchoalveolar lavage, confirmed the cytologic diagnosis of pulmonary infiltration with LSA.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Cytologic analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from 47 dogs with multicentric malignant lymphoma.

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed in 47 dogs with multicentric malignant lymphoma (ML). Cytologic results were evaluated, and ability to detect pulmonary involvement with ML, using BAL, was compared with ability to detect pulmonary involvement, using thoracic radiography and tracheal wash. Lung lobes were considered to be involved with ML on the basis of BAL fluid findings if morphologically abnormal lymphocytes were present in the fluid. Total nucleated cell count, relative lymphocyte count, and absolute lymphocyte count were greater (P < 0.001) in BAL fluid from dogs with multicentric ML than in BAL fluid from histologically normal dogs. Pulmonary involvement with ML was detected by BAL fluid cytologic examination in 89 of 135 lung lobes lavaged (66%). Lung lobes involved with ML were from 31 of the 47 dogs with multicentric ML (66%). Radiographic abnormalities supportive of pulmonary parenchymal involvement with ML were detected in 16 of the 47 dogs (34%). Of these 16 dogs, 15 (94%) had pulmonary involvement with ML on the basis of BAL fluid cytologic findings. Tracheal wash fluid contained abnormal lymphocytes in 4 of 41 dogs (10%). In all 4 dogs, BAL fluid also contained abnormal lymphocytes. Cytologic evaluation of BAL fluid was more sensitive in detecting pulmonary involvement with ML, compared with radiographic evaluation of the lungs or tracheal wash.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Acquired arteriovenous fistula secondary to castration in a dog.

A 6-year-old castrated male Basset Hound was examined because of a 1-year history of a pulsating mass in the right inguinal region. The pulsatile mass was diagnosed as an arteriovenous fistula by physical examination and angiography. Surgical exploration revealed that the right testicular artery and vein, the artery of the ductus deferens, and the cremasteric artery were involved in the fistula. The fistula was believed to have developed secondary to castration performed at 6 months of age. The mass and associated vessels were completely excised and signs of recurrence were not observed 13 months after surgery.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Squamous cell carcinoma associated with a chronic wound in a horse.

A 13-year-old Belgian stallion developed a squamous cell carcinoma at the site of a neck laceration that had been treated topically with various irritating chemicals for 18 months. Orthovoltage treatments at 3 times over 5 years controlled the tumor. Eight years after the initial hospitalization, the area was healed and the stallion appeared healthy.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1992

Use of ultrasound imaging and fluoroscopic imaging to study gastric retention of enzyme-digestible hydrogels.

Ultrasound and fluoroscopic imaging techniques were used to monitor the gastric retention of enzyme-digestible hydrogels in the canine stomach. When water was present in the stomach, ultrasound imaging was very effective in monitoring the position of the hydrogel in the stomach, solvent penetration into the gel, and the gastric tissue-gel interactions during peristalsis. Rubbery or fully swollen hydrogels appeared as sonolucent objects with ultrasound imaging. Partially swollen hydrogels displayed a sonolucent outer layer due to solvent penetration and a centrally located bright echo resulting from the acoustic impedance mismatch at the glassy/rubbery interface. The degree of gastric tissue-gel interactions during peristalsis was inversely related to the extent of lumenal distention with water. The effectiveness of peristaltic contractions in driving the hydrogel toward the pyloric sphincter increased as the water was emptied from the stomach. In the absence of water, imaging of the gel with ultrasound became difficult. For this reason, gels were loaded with diatrizoate meglumine/sodium diatrizoate to visualize in real-time using fluoroscopic imaging. Fluoroscopic imaging allowed only indirect assessment of the hydrogel movement during peristalsis and the degree of hydrogel swelling. The gastric retention of the hydrogel under fasted conditions was influenced by the degree of gel deformation in response to peristaltic contractions. Hydrogels with a low degree of deformation during peristalsis showed long gastric retention times. The utilization of ultrasound imaging and fluoroscopic imaging for monitoring dynamic events in the stomach provided information on hydrogel properties which are important to gastric retention. The use of these imaging techniques in the development of long-term oral drug delivery systems is described.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1992

Cerebrospinal fluid changes after iopamidol and metrizamide myelography in clinically normal dogs.

Cerebrospinal fluid samples from 2 groups of clinically normal dogs were compared after iopamidol (n = 9) and metrizamide (n = 8) myelography. Iopamidol (200 mg of I/ml) and metrizamide (170 mg of I/ml) were administered by cerebellomedullary injection at dosage of 0.45 ml/kg of body weight. In dogs of both groups, postmyelographic CSF changes included high specific gravity, Pandy score, protein concentration, and WBC count. The high specific gravity and Pandy score were false-positive effects attributed to nonionic contrast media. Although postmyelographic protein concentration and total WBC count were greater in CSF samples from dogs given metrizamide than in those given iopamidol, differences were not statistically significant. The differential WBC counts were consistent with mild, acute leptomeningitis; these findings were supported by results of histologic examination. Iopamidol and metrizamide should be considered low-grade leptomeningeal irritants in dogs.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Full-length diaphyseal sequestrum as a consequence of segmental transverse fractures of the large metatarsal bone in a calf.

A 1-week-old calf was treated for fractured right metatarsus; however, at 3.5 months of age, the fracture site again became unstable. Radiography disclosed segmental transverse metatarsal fractures with an isolated, full-circumference diaphyseal sequestrum. Arteriography and nuclear scintigraphy confirmed the isolation and necrosis of the diaphyseal segment. Diaphyseal sequestra usually develop as cortical or partial circumferential necrotic fragments. The finding of a full-length diaphyseal sequestrum was unusual.

Animals↗