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Transendoscopic neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser was used to treat 12 standing horses with epiglottic entrapment (EE) or dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP), or both. In four horses, transendoscopic laser staphylectomy was performed. The most common presenting complaints were respiratory stridor, cough, and exercise intolerance. Ten horses with EE healed without epiglottic complications; in one horse, partial adhesion of the aryepiglottic fold to one side of the epiglottis was corrected surgically through a laryngotomy incision. One horse with DDSP had no further signs, one continued to have continual DDSP, and two had induced DDSP. Transendoscopic Nd:YAG laser proved to be a feasible means of correcting EE and selected cases of DDSP.

Renal and peripheral arteriovenous differences (A-V/A) of albumin, peptide-N and α-amino-N were compared in normal and aminonucleoside treated rats. Significant accumulations of peptide-N were demonstrated in the renal venous plasma of nephrotic animals which was supported by similar results obtained when kidney and liver slices were incubated with RISA. Specific activity ratios (F/P) were determined for the TCA soluble (F) and precipitable (P) fractions of plasma from 5 normal persons, 8 patients with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome or membranous glomerulonephritis and 3 with cirrhosis. A significant difference was obtained between the normal and hypoalbuminemic subjects attributed to the greater accumulation of radioactivity in the protein-free filtrate in the latter group. These data suggest accelerated proteolytic activity in experimental and cliincal nephrotic syndromes but do not indicate that other abnormalities of albumin metabolism are not operative or that the defect is specific for renal disease.

The great size and peculiar formation of the knee joint, with its many communicating bursae, render its destruction probable by infection, and the loss of the limb, or life itself, is of comparative frequency. A brief review of the more important of its anatomic features will explain why sepsis is so destructive. The strength of this largest articulation of the body is in its powerful ligaments, which unite its opposing surfaces, articulating only by contact. The bony axis of the limb changes at the knee, the femur slanting inward from above and the tibia being vertical. The lateral ligaments of the joint have the least strength. The posterior are strong and the capsule becomes ligamentous anteriorly. The most powerful and important ligaments of the joint are the crucial. The synovial membrane extends above the patella and beneath the extensor tendon, the cul-de-sac reaching a point one inch or more above

Background Lignocellulosic biomass is a complex network of polysaccharides and lignin that requires a pretreatment step to overcome recalcitrance and optimize valorisation into biobased products. Pretreatment of biomass induces chemical and morphological changes. Quantification of these changes is critical to understand biomass recalcitrance and to predict lignocellulose reactivity. In this study, we propose an automated method for the quantification of chemical and morphological parameters through fluorescence macroscopy, which was applied on wood samples (spruce, beechwood) pretreated with steam explosion. Results Results in fluorescence macroscopy highlighted the impact of steam explosion on spruce and beechwood: fluorescence intensity of samples was highly altered, especially for the most severe conditions. Morphological changes were also revealed: shrinkage of cells and deformation of cell walls manifested as the loss of rectangularity or circular shape, for tracheids in spruce and vessels in beechwood respectively. Quantification of fluorescence intensity of cell walls and quantification of morphological parameters related to cell lumens were carried out accurately by applying the automated method onto the macroscopic images. The results showed that lumens area and circularity could be considered as complementary markers of cell deformation, and that fluorescence intensity of the cell walls could be related to morphological changes and to the conditions of pretreatment. Conclusions The developed procedure allows simultaneous and effective quantification of morphological parameters and fluorescence intensity of the cell walls. This approach can be applied to fluorescence macroscopy as well as other imaging techniques and provides encouraging results towards the understanding of biomass architecture.