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Vertically loaded anchors (VLAs) are widely used as mooring foundations in marine environments. Their working conditions typically involve deep-sea seabed, frequently subjected to cyclic loads induced by wind, waves, and currents. Therefore, understanding the mechanical properties of VLAs under cyclic loading is essential for ensuring the safety of mooring systems. This paper summarizes the current research status on the mechanical properties of VLAs under cyclic loading, analyzing the mechanisms by which cyclic loads affect these properties. Additionally, it reviews and summarizes the research methods applied to studying VLAs under cyclic loading, discussing the issues inherent in various methodologies. Finally, it provides an outlook on future research into VLAs under cyclic loading, laying the groundwork for subsequent studies on the bearing mechanisms of novel VLAs, such as the double-plate vertically loaded anchor (DVLA), under cyclic loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis (Korean raccoon dog), a member of the Canidae family, is anatomically similar to dogs. Previous studies have used vertebral heart scale measurements to measure the cardiac size of Korean raccoon dogs on thoracic radiographs; however, the use of additional cardiac size indices, such as vertebral left arial score, intercostal space, cardiothoracic ratio, and echocardiographic indices, has not been reported. Therefore, this study aimed to establish normal reference ranges for various thoracic radiographic and echocardiographic indices in normal Korean raccoon dogs. Methods: Twenty-six Korean raccoon dogs (11 males and 15 females) were included in this study. The thoracic radiographic indices, vertebral heart scale score, and vertebral left atrial score were measured in the right lateral view. The intercostal space and cardiothoracic ratio were measured in the ventrodorsal view. The echocardiograms were evaluated in the right parasternal long and short axis view and left parasternal apical view. Results: The mean values for the thoracic radiographic and echocardiographic indices were as follows: vertebral heart scale, 9.12 ± 0.74; vertebral left atrial score, 1.5 ± 0.31; intercostal spaces, 3.17 ± 0.34; cardiothoracic ratio, 0.69 ± 0.07; left atrial to aortic root ratio, 1.22 ± 0.14; main pulmonary artery to aorta ratio, 1.22 ± 0.14; left ventricular end-diastolic internal diameter normalized for body weight, 1.36 ± 0.19; end-diastolic volume index, 51.07 ± 19.6; end-systolic volume index, 16.54 ± 7.45; the peak velocity of early diastolic transmitral flow, 73.13 ± 15.46 cm/s; and the ratio between the transmitral flow velocities and the peak early diastolic velocity, 1.77 ± 0.47. Only percent increase in the left ventricular end-systolic internal diameter was negatively correlated with body weight. The remaining indices showed no correlations with body weight. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report covering both thoracic radiographic and endocardiographic indices for Korean raccoon dogs. Thus, the thoracic radiographic and echocardiographic indices established in this study may be used to evaluate the cardiac condition of Korean raccoon dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE The inclusion of vertebral heart score (VHS) and, more recently, the inclusion of the vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) in radiographic evaluation have become important screening tools for identifying dogs with occult cardiac disease. Several recent papers have shown there are interbreed variations in the VHS reference range. Our hypothesis is that the Miniature Schnauzer would also have a higher reference range for its VHS. ANIMALS The electronic medical records of IDEXX Telemedicine Consultants were searched for Miniature Schnauzers undergoing thoracic radiographs between March 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. METHODS Dogs were included if they had 3 view thoracic radiographs performed and no evidence of cardiopulmonary disease was detected. Dogs with incomplete radiographic studies or cardiac or extracardiac disease were excluded. The VHS and VLAS measurements were performed by 2 board-certified cardiologists independent of one another. RESULTS A total of 1,000 radiographs were obtained of which 272 were included for the study. The overall range for the VHS in this cohort was 9.68 to 12.07 with a median of 10.9. For VLAS measurements, a range of 1.71 to 2.4 was documented with a median of 2.0. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The VHS for Miniature Schnauzers without cardiac disease was confirmed to be higher than the canine reference range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertically loaded anchors (VLAs) are widely used as mooring foundations in marine environments. Their working conditions typically involve deep-sea seabed, frequently subjected to cyclic loads induced by wind, waves, and currents. Therefore, understanding the mechanical properties of VLAs under cyclic loading is essential for ensuring the safety of mooring systems. This paper summarizes the current research status on the mechanical properties of VLAs under cyclic loading, analyzing the mechanisms by which cyclic loads affect these properties. Additionally, it reviews and summarizes the research methods applied to studying VLAs under cyclic loading, discussing the issues inherent in various methodologies. Finally, it provides an outlook on future research into VLAs under cyclic loading, laying the groundwork for subsequent studies on the bearing mechanisms of novel VLAs, such as the double-plate vertically loaded anchor (DVLA), under cyclic loading.

The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of the vertebral heart score (VHS), radiographic left atrial dimension (RLAD), and vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) in the radiographic evaluation of doxorubicin-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in rats. The animals were allocated into two experimental groups, a DCM group (n=100), which received weekly injections of doxorubicin (2 mg/kg per dose intraperitoneally [ip]) over nine weeks, and a control group (n=18) receiving an appropriate volume of 0.9% saline ip. Radiographic cardiac indices (VHS, RLAD, VLAS) were measured two weeks after the final injection, and cardiac morphological parameters (heart weight [HW], heart weight:body weight ratio [HBW], and heart weight:tibial length ratio [HTL]) were determined after sacrifice in all surviving rats (17 control and 54 DCM). Correlations were calculated between the indices and parameters, as well as their sensitivity and specificity in detecting cardiomegaly and left atrial enlargement (LAE) with the three classifiers (HW≤0.96 g, HBW≤235, and HTL≤201). A powerful negative correlation was observed between the indices and parameters (rs≥-0.711, P<0.001). Area under the curve values were 0.989 for RL-VHS, 0.992 for DV-VHS, 0.971 for RLAD, and 0.948 for VLAS. The sensitivity and specificity of these indices in detecting cardiomegaly and LAE at the optimal cut-off values were 94.4% and 100%, respectively, at 8.8 vertebrae (v) for RL-VHS and DV-VHS, 96.3% and 94.1% at 1.4v for RLAD, and 94.4% and 88.2% at 2.1v for VLAS. Radiographic cardiac indices offer an accurate and repeatable method for predicting cardiomegaly and LAE in rats with DCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of the ver-tebral heart score (VHS), radiographic left atrial dimension (RLAD), and vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) in the radiographic evaluation of doxorubicin-induced dilated cardio-myopathy (DCM) in rats. The animals were allocated into two experimental groups, a DCM group (n=100), which received weekly injections of doxorubicin (2 mg/kg per dose intraperitoneally [ip]) over nine weeks, and a control group (n=18) receiving an appropri-ate volume of 0.9% saline ip. Radiographic cardiac indices (VHS, RLAD, VLAS) were measured two weeks after the final injection, and cardiac morphological parameters (heart weight [HW], heart weight:body weight ratio [HBW], and heart weight:tibial length ratio [HTL]) were determined after sacrifice in all surviving rats (17 control and 54 DCM). Correlations were calculated between the indices and parameters, as well as their sen-sitivity and specificity in detecting cardiomegaly and left atrial enlargement (LAE) with the three classifiers (HW≤0.96 g, HBW≤235, and HTL≤201). A powerful negative correla-tion was observed between the indices and parameters (rs≥-0.711, P

The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic values of the vertebral heart score (VHS), radiographic left atrial dimension (RLAD) and vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) in the radiographic evaluation of eccentric cardiac hypertrophy due to volume overload (VO) in rats. Rats underwent either needle aortocaval shunting or sham operations. Six weeks later, VHS, RLAD, and VLAS were measured from radiographs of all surviving rats (20 control and 54 VO). Measurements were performed by two observers blinded to the study data. Heart weight (HW) and HW: body weight (HBW) ratio were determined for all rats after sacrifice. Correlations between HBW and VHS, RLAD and VLAS values were estimated, as well as their sensitivity and specificity for detecting cardiomegaly and left atrial (LA) enlargement. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to estimate the optimal decision criteria for each radiographic index. A strong positive correlation was observed between these indices and both HW and HBW. The sensitivity and specificity of these indices for detecting cardiomegaly and LA enlargement when evaluated at the optimal cut-off values were 100% and 95%, respectively, at 8.7 vertebrae (v) for RL-VHS, 98.4% and 96.6% at 8.8v for DV-VHS, 97.6% and 90% at 1.6v for RLAD and 92.7% and 89.1% at 2.1v for VLAS. Both intra- and inter-observer measurements revealed good to excellent agreement for these indices. The study results indicate that VHS, RLAD and VLAS are simple, repeatable and useful radiographic measurements for predicting cardiomegaly and LA enlargement in rats with eccentric cardiac hypertrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebral heart score (VHS) and vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) are the objective measures of cardiac and left atrial sizes on thoracic radiographs in dogs. Previous studies have demonstrated that the normal VHS reference ranges can vary among breeds. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the VHS and VLAS of healthy Maltese, Pomeranian, and Toy Poodle dogs, which were predisposed to cardiac disease. Fifty Maltese, 47 Pomeranian, and 45 Toy Poodles were enrolled. The VHS of Maltese, Pomeranian and Toy Poodles was 9.69 ± 0.51, 10.69 ± 0.62, and 9.94 ± 0.60, respectively. The VHS of Pomeranian and Toy Poodles were significantly higher than the canine reference value of 9.7 vertebrae. The VLAS of Maltese, Pomeranian and Toy Poodles was 2.03 ± 0.17, 2.17 ± 0.26, and 2.02 ± 0.15, respectively. Compared to the reference value of 1.9 vertebrae, the VLAS of Maltese, Pomeranian and Toy Poodles was significantly higher. The VHS and VLAS of Pomeranians were significantly higher than those of Maltese and Toy Poodles. The cardiomegaly or left heart enlargement could be overdiagnosed in healthy Maltese, Pomeranian and Toy Poodles, especially Pomeranians, therefore, the VHS and VLAS values in this study could be used as references. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was performed for the purpose of comparing vertebral heart score (VHS), radiographic left atrial dimension (RLAD) and vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) values derived from plain and contrast right lateral thoracic radiographs from 70 healthy, young adult Wistar albino rats and to identify reference values for these radiographic cardiac indices. Measurements were taken by two observers blinded to the study data. VHS, RLAD and VLAS median values and reference ranges were 8v and 7-9.3v for plain radiography, 8.2v and 7.4-9.5v for contrast radiography (P< 0.000), 1.3v and 1-1.8v for plain radiography, 1.3v and 1.1-1.6v for contrast radiography (P <0.000) and 1.9v and 1.4-2.4v for plain radiography and 1.95v 1.5-2.4v for contrast radiography (P<0.001), respectively. The only statistically significant difference was observed in terms of gender between VHS values from plain and contrast radiographs (P<0.02). Intraobserver and interobserver measurements revealed excellent agreement for radiographic cardiac indices obtained from contrast radiography. The study measurements indicate that contrast radiography provides a more effective quantitative assessment of cardiac and left atrial sizes than plain radiography. The radiographic cardiac index measurements presented in this study can serve as a reference baseline for both veterinarians and experimental cardiovascular studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large breed (LB) dogs develop dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Echocardiography is required for a definitive diagnosis but is not always available. Our objective was to assess the clinical utility of thoracic radiographs alone and in combination with physical examination and electrocardiography findings for the prediction of clinically important DCM or MMVD in LB dogs. Four hundred fifty-five client-owned dogs ≥20 kg with concurrent thoracic radiographs and echocardiogram. Medical records were reviewed and stored thoracic radiographs and echocardiographic images were measured to classify dogs as normal heart size (NHS), preclinical DCM, clinical DCM, preclinical MMVD (with cardiomegaly), clinical MMVD, or equivocal. Dogs with preclinical MMVD, without cardiomegaly, were classified as NHS. Vertebral heart size (VHS) and vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) were measured. Receiver operating characteristic curves and prediction models were derived. Prevalence of MMVD (39.3%) was higher than the prevalence of DCM (24.8%), though most MMVD dogs (67.0%) lacked cardiomegaly and were classified as NHS for analysis. The area under the curve for VHS to discriminate between NHS and clinical DCM/MMVD or preclinical DCM/MMVD was 0.861 and 0.712, respectively, while for VLAS, it was 0.891 and 0.722, respectively. Predictive models incorporating physical examination and electrocardiography findings in addition to VHS/VLAS increased area under the curve to 0.978 (NHS vs. clinical DCM/MMVD) and 0.829 (NHS vs. preclinical DCM/MMVD). Thoracic radiographs were useful for predicting clinically important DCM or MMVD in LB dogs, with improved discriminatory ability when physical examination abnormalities and arrhythmias were accounted for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis (Korean raccoon dog), a member of the Canidae family, is anatomically similar to dogs. Previous studies have used vertebral heart scale measurements to measure the cardiac size of Korean raccoon dogs on thoracic radiographs; however, the use of additional cardiac size indices, such as vertebral left arial score, intercostal space, cardiothoracic ratio, and echocardiographic indices, has not been reported. Therefore, this study aimed to establish normal reference ranges for various thoracic radiographic and echocardiographic indices in normal Korean raccoon dogs., Methods: Twenty-six Korean raccoon dogs (11 males and 15 females) were included in this study. The thoracic radiographic indices, vertebral heart scale score, and vertebral left atrial score were measured in the right lateral view. The intercostal space and cardiothoracic ratio were measured in the ventrodorsal view. The echocardiograms were evaluated in the right parasternal long and short axis view and left parasternal apical view., Results: The mean values for the thoracic radiographic and echocardiographic indices were as follows: vertebral heart scale, 9.12 ± 0.74; vertebral left atrial score, 1.5 ± 0.31; intercostal spaces, 3.17 ± 0.34; cardiothoracic ratio, 0.69 ± 0.07; left atrial to aortic root ratio, 1.22 ± 0.14; main pulmonary artery to aorta ratio, 1.22 ± 0.14; left ventricular end-diastolic internal diameter normalized for body weight, 1.36 ± 0.19; end-diastolic volume index, 51.07 ± 19.6; end-systolic volume index, 16.54 ± 7.45; the peak velocity of early diastolic transmitral flow, 73.13 ± 15.46 cm/s; and the ratio between the transmitral flow velocities and the peak early diastolic velocity, 1.77 ± 0.47. Only percent increase in the left ventricular end-systolic internal diameter was negatively correlated with body weight. The remaining indices showed no correlations with body weight., Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report covering both thoracic radiographic and endocardiographic indices for Korean raccoon dogs. Thus, the thoracic radiographic and echocardiographic indices established in this study may be used to evaluate the cardiac condition of Korean raccoon dogs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Park, Kim, Han, Lee and Yoon.)

Although echocardiography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of cardio‐structural disease, thoracic radiography is a rapid, cost‐effective, and widely accessible method for evaluating cardiac size in dogs. The vertebral heart score (VHS) and the vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) are established as objective measures of cardiomegaly on thoracic radiographs. However, several studies have shown significant variations in the VHS among different breeds. The Chihuahua is predisposed to both congenital and acquired cardiac diseases. The aim of this prospective, single‐center, cross sectional study was thus to evaluate the VHS and the VLAS in healthy adult Chihuahua dogs. A total of 30 Chihuahuas were included. The VHS values in our sample population of Chihuahuas were 10.0 ± 0.6 (95% range, 8.9‐11.0). This was significantly greater than the canine reference value of 9.7 ± 0.5 established by Buchanan and Bücheler (P =.002). The VLAS of Chihuahuas in our study was 1.8 ± 0.2 (95% range, 1.3‐2.1). This was significantly lower than the values previously reported by Malcolm et al (2.07 ± 0.25; P =.0004). The VHS and the VLAS were not influenced by sex, body weight, short or long hair, and body condition score in normal Chihuahuas. Our results indicated that breed‐specific reference values for radiographic VHS and VLAS are needed. In Chihuahuas, the values found in this study can be used as a normal reference in order to help avoid overinterpretation of cardiomegaly in these dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thoracic radiography is a useful technique for the evaluation of cardiac dimensions, especially when echocardiography is not possible. The vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) has recently been proposed as a new radiographic method for quantifying left atrial dimensions in dogs. The aims of this retrospective, reference interval, observational study were to describe values for VLAS in a group of healthy adult dogs and to compare intraobserver and interobserver agreement for VLAS versus vertebral heart score (VHS) methods. Thoracic radiographs of 80 healthy adult dogs were evaluated. Normal left atrial size was determined based on an echocardiographic left atrial‐to‐aorta ratio < 1.6. The VLAS and vertebral heart score values were measured from right lateral radiographs. The correlations between VLAS, the vertebral heart score, and the left atrial‐to‐aorta ratio were evaluated. The effects of body weight, sex, and age were also tested using regression analyses. The median value of VLAS were 1.9, with a reference interval of 1.4‐2.2. A positive correlation was found between VLAS and vertebral heart score values (r = 0.53; P <.0001). No effect of body weight, sex, and age on VLAS was detected. Excellent intraobserver and interobserver agreements were found for both VLAS and vertebral heart score methods (intraclass correlation coefficients ≥ 0.91). Findings from this sample of healthy dogs indicated that VLAS is a repeatable radiographic method for quantifying left atrial size. Further studies are warranted to evaluate this measure in clinically affected dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]