Month: November 2024

Front Vet Sci. 2024 Sep 2;11:1435395. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1435395. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

This review article describes the roles of ultrasound in assessing thoracic and abdominal infectious diseases, mainly bacterial and parasitic ones that affect farm animals, including cattle, camels, sheep, and goats. Ultrasonography is a non-invasive imaging technique used to diagnose infectious diseases affecting the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and hepatobiliary systems. In cases of thoracic and abdominal infections, ultrasound typically reveals abnormalities in echogenicity and echotexture, the presence of unusual artifacts, and mass formation exerting pressure on surrounding structures. Inflammatory and degenerative changes within the viscera can be identified ultrasonographically by comparing the echogenicity of affected areas with that of the surrounding normal parenchyma, such as in fascioliasis. Bacterial and parasitic infections often result in capsular mass lesions with anechoic contents, as observed in hydatid cysts and cysticercosis, or varying echogenic contents, as observed in liver abscesses. Effusions within the pericardium, pleura, and peritoneum are common ultrasonographic findings in infectious thoracic and abdominal diseases. However, these effusions’ echogenicity does not always allow for clear differentiation between transudates and exudates. The routine use of ultrasonography in the evaluation of the chest and abdomen in affected or suspected ruminants is highly beneficial for detection, guiding therapeutic decisions, assessing prognosis, and aiding in the eradication of highly contagious diseases that cause significant economic losses.

PMID:39286596 | PMC:PMC11402809 | DOI:10.3389/fvets.2024.1435395

Front Vet Sci. 2024 Sep 2;11:1435395. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1435395. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

This review article describes the roles of ultrasound in assessing thoracic and abdominal infectious diseases, mainly bacterial and parasitic ones that affect farm animals, including cattle, camels, sheep, and goats. Ultrasonography is a non-invasive imaging technique used to diagnose infectious diseases affecting the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and hepatobiliary systems. In cases of thoracic and abdominal infections, ultrasound typically reveals abnormalities in echogenicity and echotexture, the presence of unusual artifacts, and mass formation exerting pressure on surrounding structures. Inflammatory and degenerative changes within the viscera can be identified ultrasonographically by comparing the echogenicity of affected areas with that of the surrounding normal parenchyma, such as in fascioliasis. Bacterial and parasitic infections often result in capsular mass lesions with anechoic contents, as observed in hydatid cysts and cysticercosis, or varying echogenic contents, as observed in liver abscesses. Effusions within the pericardium, pleura, and peritoneum are common ultrasonographic findings in infectious thoracic and abdominal diseases. However, these effusions’ echogenicity does not always allow for clear differentiation between transudates and exudates. The routine use of ultrasonography in the evaluation of the chest and abdomen in affected or suspected ruminants is highly beneficial for detection, guiding therapeutic decisions, assessing prognosis, and aiding in the eradication of highly contagious diseases that cause significant economic losses.

PMID:39286596 | PMC:PMC11402809 | DOI:10.3389/fvets.2024.1435395

Ann Vasc Surg. 2024 Nov;108:475-483. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2024.05.038. Epub 2024 Jul 25.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Biofilm formation is one of the greatest challenges encountered in vascular graft infections. Our aim is to compare the efficacy of 5 antibiotics against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) biofilms on the surface of 4 vascular grafts.

METHODS: In vitro study of 2 clinical MSSA strains (MSSA2 and MSSA6) and 4 vascular grafts (Dacron, Dacron-silver-triclosan (DST), Omniflow-II, and bovine pericardium). After a 24-hr incubation period, the graft samples were divided into 6 groups: growth control (no treatment), ciprofloxacin 4.5 mg/L, cloxacillin 100 mg/L, dalbavancin 300 mg/L, daptomycin 140 mg/L, and linezolid 20 mg/L. Quantitative cultures were obtained and results expressed as log₁₀ colony-forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL). Analysis of variance was performed to compare biofilm formation between the different groups.

RESULTS: The mean ± standard deviation MSSA2 count on the growth control Dacron graft was 10.05 ± 0.31 CFU/mL. Antibiotic treatment achieved a mean reduction of 45%; ciprofloxacin was the most effective antibiotic (64%). Baseline MSSA2 counts were very low on the DST (0.50 ± 1.03 CFU/mL) and Omniflow-II (0.33 ± 0.78 CFU/mL) grafts. On the bovine pericardium patch, the count was 9.87 ± 0.50 CFU/mL, but this was reduced by a mean of 45% after antibiotic treatment (61% for ciprofloxacin). The mean MSSA6 count on the growth control Dacron graft was 9.63 ± 0.53 CFU/mL. Antibiotics achieved a mean reduction of 48%, with ciprofloxacin performing best (67% reduction). The baseline MSSA6 count on the DST graft was 8.54 ± 0.73 CFU/mL. Antibiotics reduced biofilm formation by 72%; cloxacillin was the most effective treatment (86%). The MSSA6 count on the untreated Omniflow-II graft was 1.17 ± 1.52 CFU/mL. For the bovine pericardium patch, it was 8.98 ± 0.67 CFU/mL. The mean reduction after antibiotic treatment was 46%, with cloxacillin achieving the greatest reduction (68%).

CONCLUSIONS: In this in vitro study, ciprofloxacin and cloxacillin performed best at reducing biofilms formed by clinical MSSA strains on the surface of biological and synthetic vascular grafts.

PMID:39025221 | DOI:10.1016/j.avsg.2024.05.038

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2024 Dec;160:106741. doi: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2024.106741. Epub 2024 Sep 11.

ABSTRACT

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become today the most attractive procedure to relieve patients from aortic valve disease. However, the procedure requires crimping biological tissue within a metallic stent for low diameter catheter insertion purpose. This step induces specific stress in the leaflets especially when the crimping diameter is small. One concern about crimping is the potential degradations undergone by the biological tissue, which may limit the durability of the valve once implanted. The purpose of the present work is to investigate the mechanical damage undergone by bovine pericardium tissue during compression and analyze how this degradation evolves with time under fatigue testing conditions. Pericardium 500 μm thick pericardium ribbons (5 mm large, 70 mm long) were crimped down to 12 Fr for 30 and 50 min within a metallic stent to replicate the heart valve crimping configuration. After crimping, samples underwent cyclic fatigue flexure and pressure loading over 0.5 Mio cycles. Samples were characterized for mechanical performances before crimping, after crimping and after fatigue testing in order to assess potential changes in the mechanical properties of the tissue after each step. Results bring out that the ultimate tensile strength is not modified through the process. However an increase in the modulus shows that the crimping step tends to stiffen the pericardium. This may have an influence on the lifetime of the implant.

PMID:39276437 | DOI:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2024.106741