Comparative B-mode and Doppler renal ultrasonography with histopathological findings in dogs positive for canine visceral leishmaniasis.

Morphological parameters and renal flow were assessed and measured in six clinically healthy dogs with negative serological and parasitological examinations for canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) and six dogs with CVL-positive serological and parasitological tests and asymptomatic condition of the disease. Kidney length and diameter were measured and compared with the aorta/kidney ratio. Alterations in flow were measured using the flow velocity (cm/s) and resistance index (RI). Renal function was assessed by serum biochemical examination (urea, creatine, total proteins, albumin, and globulin) and urinalysis. CVL-positive animals presented heterogeneous kidney echotexture, reduced vascular flow, hypoperfusion, lesser visualization of the arcuate arteries, high RI values (1.06 ± 0.28 for the right kidney and 1.10 ± 0.30 for the left kidney), reduced diastolic flow, and high systolic peak. They also presented positive creatine/RI correlation and between the renal artery vascular flow and kidney diameter. Histopathological analysis of CVL-positive animals was compatible and confirmed hemodynamic changes observed by Doppler ultrasound. The findings in the present study showed that Doppler ultrasonography is a valid method to assess and detect alterations in flow in renal pathological processes with kidney vascular damage, as in the case of leishmaniasis, and can help in the diagnosis of animals with this infection. Microsc. Res. Tech. 79:637-645, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Greater rhea (Rhea americana) external morphology at different stages of embryonic and fetal development.

Knowledge of wild species embryonic development is important for their maintenance in captivity or the wild. The objective of the present study was to characterize the external morphology and define the biometry of greater rhea embryos and fetuses at different stages of development. A total of 41 embryos and fetuses were analyzed to describe their external morphology using a stereoscopic microscope. The crown-rump (CR), total length (TL), cephalocaudal length (CCL), biparietal diameter (BPD), beak, humerus and tibio-tarsal lengths were measured by digital pachymeter, millimetric scale ruler and cotton thread. The weight of the embryos and fetuses was measured on digital scales. The greater rhea embryos at 5, 6 and 7 days incubation presented a "C" shape. At 9, 10 and 11 days the eyes were big and pigmented. At 11, 12 and 13 days the eyelid covered more than half the eye, resulting in an oval slit. In 14 and 15 day-old embryos, the skin was still thin and the ribs evident, but at 18 days this structure was thicker. In embryos at 21 and 27 days of development closed eyelids were observed forming an eyelid slit, and the eye ball was less pronounced at 27 days. Weight gain presented an exponential growth curve, while measurements such as TL, DBP, beak, humerus and tibio-tarsal length had linear growth over time. Thus it was possible to characterize the greater rhea embryos and fetuses at several incubation ages using their external morphology and morphometric analyses.

Comparative study by computed radiography, histology, and scanning electron microscopy of the articular cartilage of normal goats and in chronic infection with caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus.

In the northeast of Brazil, caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) is one of the key reasons for herd productivity decreasing that result in considerable economic losses. A comparative study was carried out using computed radiography (CR), histological analysis (HA), and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) of the joints of CAE infected and normal goats. Humerus head surface of positive animals presented reduced joint space, increased bone density, and signs of degenerative joint disease (DJD). The carpal joint presented no morphological alterations in CR in any of the animals studied. Tarsus joint was the most affected, characterized by severe DJD, absence of joint space, increased periarticular soft tissue density, edema, and bone sclerosis. Histological analysis showed chronic tissue lesions, complete loss of the surface zone, absence of proteoglycans in the transition and radial zones and destruction of the cartilage surface in the CAE positive animals. Analysis by SEM showed ulcerated lesions with irregular and folded patterns on the joint surface that distinguished the limits between areas of normal and affected cartilage. The morphological study of the joints of normal and CAE positive goats deepened understanding of the alteration in the tissue bioarchitecture of the most affected joints. The SEM finding sustained previous histological reports, similar to those found for rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting that the goat infected with CAE can be considered as a potential model for research in this area.