Environmental cost of inhalational anaesthetic agents
The use of inhalational anaesthetics is common in veterinary practice, but as VIN News reports, there is growing concern about the impact of these anaesthetic gases, such as isoflurane, being potent greenhouse emissions. While the presence in the atmosphere of these gases is fractionally small compared with the carbon dioxide emitted from sources like coal-fired power stations, motor vehicles and aircraft, scientists agree due to their chemical structures, inhalational anaesthetic agents have hundreds-to-thousands of times more global warming potential per molecule than carbon dioxide.
The contribution of inhalational anaesthetic agents to climate change has often been treated less seriously due to their medical importance. However, in the past five-to-10 years, greater attention has gradually been paid to managing their use for environmental reasons, initially in the much larger human-medicine sector and more recently in the veterinary realm. Full story: VIN News
Illuminated nets reduces bycatch of sharks and other wildlife
Gillnets are one of the most extensively used fishing gear in coastal regions throughout the world, but often catch other animals not targeted by fishers. These often include endangered, threatened and protected species such as sharks, sea turtles, marine mammals and seabirds – alongside other non-endangered species such as non-marketable juvenile target fish.
These animals are typically dead, injured and dumped overboard. The incidental capture of non-target species -known as ‘bycatch’ – in coastal gillnet fisheries has contributed to the decline of various endangered species worldwide, and has also impacted coastal ecosystems.
Scientists may have found a solution to the critical problem, however. According to new research published in Current Biology, the use of illuminated fishing nets has shown to greatly reduced the accidental bycatch of sharks, rays, sea turtles and unwanted fish species.
Lead author of the study, Jesse Senko of Arizona State University, said the results demonstrated “the strong promise for net illumination to mitigate discarded bycatch in similar coastal gillnet fisheries throughout the world’s oceans.” Full story: Phys.org
Common skin masses in young dogs
A study published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice has revealed the most common skin masses in dogs aged between 0-to-12 months are histiocytoma, papilloma, dermoid cyst, follicular cyst and mast cell tumours. As reported by the BSAVA, the retrospective study incorporated records from a large commercial diagnostic laboratory, enabling researchers to search for canine skin masses submitted for histopathology in dogs aged between 0-to-12 months by practices based in the UK and Europe.
“Retrospective studies that include a large number of cases such as this one are an invaluable resource for clinicians working in any setting. The findings of this study corroborate those of previous research, suggesting that a skin mass in a young dog is very likely to be a histiocytoma. However, the risk factor analysis in this paper identified a number of different predilections to those previously recognised, indicating a need for continued research in this area,” concluded JSAP Editor Nicola Di Girolamo. Full story: BSAVA
