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Biomedical subjects

S Ramirez

Publications and source records attributed to S Ramirez.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Ultrasound as an aid for diagnosis of ovarian abscesses in two mares.

This report describes two mares presented for evaluation of anorexia, fever of unknown origin, and weight loss. Clinical examination, laboratory findings, and transrectal ultrasonographic images suggested ovarian abscessation. One mare was successfully treated medically. Because of financial considerations, the second mare was euthanatized and a postmortem examination was performed. At necropsy, there was an enlarged right ovary with an adhesion to the large colon. Microscopic findings were characteristic of an ovarian abscess.

Abscess↗

Duration of effects of phenylbutazone on serum total thyroxine and free thyroxine concentrations in horses.

The objectives of this study were to determine if phenylbutazone decreased serum thyroxine (TT4) and free thyroxine (FT4) concentrations using radioimmunoassay and equilibrium dialysis techniques in horses, and, if so, an additional objective was to determine the duration of this decreased concentration once phenylbutazone administration was discontinued. Serum TT4 and FT4 concentrations were determined before and after administration of 4.4 mg/kg of phenylbutazone i.v. bid for 5 days. Treatment with phenylbutazone caused a significant decrease in TT4 and FT4 concentrations (P < .05). Serum TT4 concentration significantly decreased after day 4 of treatment and remained significantly below baseline value for 10 days after discontinuing phenylbutazone administration; it returned to a value not different from the baseline value by the 11th day. Serum FT4 concentration significantly decreased after day 4 of treatment and remained significantly below the baseline value for only 1 day after phenylbutazone administration was discontinued; it returned to a value not different from the baseline value by the 3rd day after discontinuation of phenylbutazone. These results indicate that serum TT4 and FT4 should not be used to evaluate thyroid function in horses receiving phenylbutazone. In addition, results should be interpreted cautiously when phenylbutazone has been administered within 2 days (for FT4) or within 10 days (for TT4) of sample collection.

Animals↗

Detection and effects on platelet function of anti-platelet antibody in mule foals with experimentally induced neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia.

Horse mares carrying mule foals were immunized during the last trimester of pregnancy with whole acid-citrate-dextrose-anticoagulated donkey blood to experimentally induce neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia occurred in the neonatal mule foals born to immunized horse mares within 24 hours after ingestion of their dams' colostrum. Mule foals born to mares not immunized with donkey blood did not develop thrombocytopenia. These findings suggest that antibodies may have been directed against a donkey platelet antigen present in the mule foals but not present in their dams. The objectives of this study were to determine whether anti-platelet antibody could be detected in mule foals with experimentally induced neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, to identify any platelet proteins recognized by serum antibody in these foals, and to determine if platelet function was altered by sera from these mule foals. An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated significantly higher absorption at 1:200 of platelet-bindable immunoglobulin G in serum from thrombocytopenic mule foals, compared with nonthrombocytopenic mule foals. Sera from thrombocytopenic and nonthrombocytopenic mule foals produced similar binding patterns in western immunoblots with donkey platelet proteins separated on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels. Maximal platelet aggregation and relative slope of aggregation in response to collagen were significantly inhibited after incubation with sera from thrombocytopenic mule foals. These results suggest that mule foals with induced alloimmune thrombocytopenia have serum antibodies that bind to platelets and may compete with collagen binding sites to impair platelet aggregation.

Animals↗

[Quantitative analysis of corneal excisions using argon fluoride excimer laser (193 nanometers)].

Excimer lasers represent a new and distinctive class of laser-tissue interaction termed photoablation. They can ablate materials with a high degree of precision and minimal damage to surrounding structures. The argon Fluoride excimer laser, which offers the possibility of non-contact corneal cutting, has a potential for clinical application of keratorefractive surgery. Since each pulse of excimer laser etches some amounts of tissue from the cornea, the repetitive pulses focused to a narrow line can create linear excisions. In this study, a quantitative analysis of both depth and width of corneal excisions was made on cadaver eyes at a given fluence (600 mj/cm2) and a constant repetitive rate (20Hz). The amount of ablation per pulse was not constant and the excisional depth did not show a linear correlation with pulse numbers. Both the depth and width of transversal excisions were more homogenous than those of radial excisions along the entire length of ablation.

Cornea↗