Horseshoe kidney, renal arterial anomalies, and hypertension: a study of one family

ENDOSCOPIC RETROGRADE CHOLANGIO-PANCREATOGRAPHY IN HEALTHY BEAGLES

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography and pancreatography was performed in seven healthy Beagles to assess the common bile duct and the accessory pancreatic duct after retrograde filling with an iodine contrast medium. All dogs had a major and a minor duodenal papilla. One Beagle had additionally an accessory papilla. The diameter of the contrast filled ducts was measured at three defined measure points (MP1-3) in ventrodorsal radiographs and left lateral radiographs. In ventrodorsal radiographs of endoscopic retrograde cholangiography the common bile duct had a straight craniomedial course. The mean duct diameter was from proximal to distal 3.04 +/- 1.89mm at MP1, 2.38 +/- 1.23 mm at MP2, and 2.11 +/- 0.84 mm at MP3. In ventrodorsal radiographs of endoscopic retrograde pancreatography, the left and right branch of the accessory pancreatic duct united in the pancreatic body. The mean diameter of the right branch was 0.88 +/- 0.14 mm at MP1, 0.72 +/- 0.2 mm at MP2 and 0.61 +/- 0.11 mm at MP3. The left branch had a diameter of 0.93 +/- 0.28 mm at MP1, 0.86 +/- 0.21 at MP2, and 0.6 +/- 0.07 mm at MP3. The mean length was 81.6 +/- 14.3 mm for the right and 107.0 +/- 24.9mm for the left branch. In left lateral radiographs of endoscopic retrograde pancreatography, it was not possible to differentiate the left from the right branch. Both branches ran nearly parallel and showed similar diameters but slight differences in length. The study proves that endosopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography is possible in dogs. Radiographs taken from dogs in dorsal recumbency allow an objective assessment of the common bile duct and the accessory pancreatic duct.

Enhanced UV exposure on a ski-field compared with exposures at sea level

Personal erythemal UV monitoring badges, which were developed to monitor the UV exposure of school children, were used to measure UV exposures received by one of the authors (MA) at the Mt Hutt ski-field, in New Zealand. These were then compared with measurements taken at the same times from a nearby sea level site in Christchurch city. The badges were designed to give instantaneous readings of erythemally-weighted (i.e., "sun burning") UV radiation and were cross-calibrated against meteorological grade UV instruments maintained by the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA). All skiing and calibration days were clear and almost exclusively cloud free. It was found that the UV maxima for horizontal surfaces at the ski-field (altitude approximately 2 km) were 20-30% greater than at the low altitude site. Larger differences between the sites were observed when the sensor was oriented perpendicular to the sun. The personal doses of UV received by a sensor on the skier's lapel during two days of skiing activity were less than those received by a stationary detector on a horizontal surface near sea level. The exposures depended strongly on the time of year, and in mid-October the maximum UV intensity on the ski-field was 60% greater than in mid-September. The UV exposure levels experienced during skiing were smaller than the summer maxima at low altitudes.

Horseshoe kidney: a report of one family

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