Stiffness estimated by strain elastography reflects canine testicular spermatogenesis and histology.

Ultrasound elastography was proposed for the evaluation of testicular focal lesions, but no studies verified the agreement between the whole histological architecture of the testis and the stiffness measured by elastography. The present study explored the use of strain elastography in the evaluation of testis with normal or abnormal spermatogenesis, classified based on epididymal sperm attributes, and the consistency between elastographic parameters and the testicular histological feature. Strain elastography was performed during the routine andrological examination in 22 dogs presented for elective orchiectomy. Epididymal sperm attributes and testicular histology were analyzed after orchiectomy. Based on the epididymal sperm characteristics, testes were classified according to normal or abnormal spermatogenesis, and strain elastographic attributes were compared between groups. Possible correlations between strain elastography and histological features were also explored. Consistent with the literature in humans, testes with abnormal spermatogenesis were stiffer (mean strain elastographic index 3.6 ± 0.6) compared with normal testes (mean strain elastographic index 1.9 ± 0.2; P < 0.01). The strain elastographic index was negatively correlated with the area occupied by seminiferous tubules (Pearson's rho = -0.716; P = 0.0003), the mean diameter (Pearson's rho = -0.742; P = 0.0002), and thickness of the seminiferous tubule (Pearson's rho = -0.728; P = 0.0002). Surprisingly, no correlations were found between the area occupied by connective tissue in histological sections and elastographic attributes, suggesting that the increased stiffness was not related to the increased amount of connective tissue. This study demonstrated that strain elastography could be used to support the andrological examination, but measurements should be acquired in specific regions to be reliable.

Bilateral vulvar lipomas in a premenopausal woman: A case report.

Vulvar lipomas are benign mesenchymal neoplasms that are usually well defined, small and painless. They closely resemble the pathology and presentation of lipomas at other sites. They are commonly found in young and middle-aged women but can also be diagnosed in infants. A case of bilateral vulvar lipomas in a 37-year-old woman is reported. The diagnosis was made clinically and confirmed via surgical excision and histopathology.

Strain and Shear-Wave Elastography and Their Relationship to Histopathological Features of Canine Mammary Nodular Lesions.

Mammary gland tumours have a significant impact on the health of dogs, requiring diagnostic tools to support clinicians to develop appropriate therapeutic strategies. Sonoelastography is an emerging technology that is able to define the stiffness of the tissue and has promising applications in the evaluation of mammary gland lesions. In the present study, strain elastography (STE) and shear-wave (SWE) elastography were compared in 38 mammary nodular lesions for their ability to define the histopathological features of canine mammary lesions. Among the techniques, SWE showed better repeatability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.876), whereas STE was found to be only acceptable (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.456). Mammary nodular lesions showed a wide range of tissue stiffening with a similar mean value for STE and SWE in benign (4 ± 0.3 and 115.4 ± 12.6 kPa, respectively) and malignant lesions (3.8 ± 0.1 and 115.5 ± 4.5 kPa, respectively). A significant correlation was found between lesion fibrosis and STE (STE-I: r = 0.513, p < 0.001; STE-R: r = 0.591, p < 0.001) or SWE-S (r = 0.769; p < 0.001). In conclusion, SWE was reliable and correlated with fibrosis and was similar for both benign and malignant lesions, suggesting that other collateral diagnostic techniques should be considered in conjunction with SWE to characterize mammary nodular lesions in dogs.

Osmotic tolerance of rabbit spermatozoa is affected by extender composition and temperature.

Sperm osmotic adaptability to anisosmotic conditions is important for sperm epididymal maturation, motility activation at ejaculation, and female tract colonization, or for conducting technological procedures such as cryopreservation. Several factors affect this adaptability, including the fluid composition that contributes to water flow dynamics, and the temperature at which osmotic stress is initiated. This study was designed to investigate the effect of medium composition (electrolyte- or sugar-based extender) and temperature (25 and 5 °C) on rabbit sperm adaptability to anisosmotic conditions. Rabbit spermatozoa, therefore, were diluted at both temperatures (25 and 5 °C) in electrolyte- or sugar-based media at increasing osmotic conditions (100 to 1,000 mOsm/kg), and values for sperm variables (sperm kinetics, membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential) were estimated as endpoints. Sperm kinetics seemed to be more sensitive to osmotic stress than membrane integrity or mitochondrial function. The effect of moderate hypoosmotic stress did not differ when there was use of sugar- and electrolyte-based extenders at 25 °C (P > 0.05). In hyper-tonic conditions at 25 °C, the sugar-based extender was more effective in protecting sperm membrane integrity and mitochondrial function (P < 0.05). The lesser temperature made the differences more relevant because of the detrimental effect of hyperosmotic stress was more evident in the electrolyte-based extender at 5 °C (P < 0.05). The results from this study indicated rabbit spermatozoa have different adaptability to anisosmotic conditions induced by sugar- and electrolyte-based media and that the temperature at which the osmotic stress is initiated affects the cellular response.

Pulse-wave Doppler pulsatility and resistive indexes of the testicular artery increase in canine testis with abnormal spermatogenesis.

Pulse-wave Doppler (PWD) ultrasonography of the testicular artery was recently used to compare parameters in fertile and infertile males, or males with normal and abnormal semen quality, while no studies verified the concomitant histological feature of the testis. The experimental hypothesis of the present study was that the blood flow parameters measured by PWD at different levels of the testicular artery reflect sperm attributes evaluated on spermatozoa collected from the tail of the epididymis and testicular histological characteristics. Pulse-wave Doppler parameters were recorded on both testes from 16 dogs of unknown fertility. After routine castration, epididymal spermatozoa were collected and evaluated for sperm total and progressive motility, membrane integrity, and sperm morphology. Testes were submitted to histological and immunohistochemical evaluations to quantify microscopic attributes and connective tissue and vascular area extent, respectively. The findings showed that the increased PWD indexes were suggestive of testicular histological alteration since negative correlations were found between pulsatility index and resistive index, measured in the marginal testicular artery, and histological attributes such as the seminiferous epithelial thickness (R = -0.528, P = 0.016 and R = -0.554, P = 0.005, respectively) and the tubular area/total area ratio (R = -0.494, P = 0.024 and R = -0.563, P = 0.004, respectively). Some histological characteristics, such as tubular diameter, seminiferous epithelium thickness, and the tubular area/total area ratio of the testis are correlated with the percentage of primary abnormalities (R = -0.874, P = 0.001, and R = -0.847, P = 0.001, and R = - 0.865, P = 0.001, respectively). In testes with increased sperm primary abnormalities, higher pulsatility index was found compared with testes with normal spermatogenesis in supratesticular artery (1.07 ± 0.06 vs 0.82 ± 0.23, P < 0.05), marginal artery (0.73 ± 0.04 vs 0.61 ± 0.07, P < 0.05), and intratesticular artery (0.67 ± 0.03 vs 0.43 ± 0.1, P < 0.05). Similarly, the resistive index was found significantly higher in the same vessel tracts in testes with abnormal and normal spermatogenesis (0.62 ± 0.02, 0.53 ± 0.02, and 0.46 ± 0.02 vs 0.51 ± 0.06, 0.44 ± 0.04, and 0.32 ± 0.06, respectively; P < 0.05). Our data demonstrated for the first time the relationship between PWD indexes and the contextual testicular architecture, suggesting that the pulsatility and resistive indexes could be an effective tool in andrology. In light of different histological alterations in the testis, caution is warranted in the definition of thresholds for normal and abnormal testicular blood flow indexes.

Congenital lung displacement in an English bulldog puppy.

The English bulldog is notoriously predisposed to a number of disease conditions, including congenital defects, likely due to extreme genetic selection which has reduced genetic variability within this breed. The present report describes, for the first time, the main clinical and pathological features of congenital lung displacement in an English bulldog puppy. The defect involved the entire left lung, which was normally developed but rotated and shifted to the right hemithorax. The pathogenesis of congenital anomalies is largely unknown. characterisation of the genetic bases of these malformations is crucial for a reform of the breeding selection which is also aimed at correcting phenotypic abnormalities with a strong impact on individual health.

Nonabsorbable suture granuloma mimicking ovarian cancer recurrence at combined positron emission tomography/computed tomography evaluation: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: This is the first case of suture granuloma mimicking isolated ovarian cancer relapse. Only six analogous cases have been previously reported in other malignancies. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 44-year-old Caucasian woman with partially platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer in which radiological features, including computed tomography and combined 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography, were strongly suggestive of isolated cancer relapse in her right subdiaphragmatic region. Laparoscopic examination resulted negative, but was not completely suitable due to widespread adhesive syndrome. The laparotomy for secondary cytoreductive surgery and biopsy of the suspected area showed inflammatory granuloma caused by nonabsorbable propylene suture, without evidence of neoplastic cells. Moreover, unexpected peritoneal carcinosis was found. CONCLUSIONS: This evidence suggests that clinical details about previous surgical procedures are necessary for adequate interpretation. Although much progress has been made in imaging techniques, especially in the promising field of combined 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography, these procedures should be still thoroughly investigated in order to promptly rule out tumor recurrence and avoid unnecessary surgery.

Randomized comparison of total laparoscopic, laparoscopically assisted vaginal and vaginal hysterectomies for myomatous uteri.

PURPOSE: To compare the operative data and early postoperative outcomes of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH), laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) and vaginal hysterectomy (VH). METHODS: One hundred and eight women requiring hysterectomy for enlarged myomatous uterus were randomly allocated into three treatment arms: TLH (n = 36); LAVH (n = 36); VH (n = 36). Randomization procedure was based on a computer-generated list. The primary outcome was the discharge time comparison. The secondary outcomes were operating time, blood loss, paralytic ileus time, intraoperative complications, postoperative pain, and early postoperative complications. RESULTS: The mean discharge time was shorter after VH than after LAVH and TLH (P = 0.001). Operating time significantly influenced the discharge time, considered as a dependent variable in general linear model analysis (P = 0.006). In contrast, blood loss did not influence the discharge time (P = 0.55).The mean operating time was significantly shorter in VH than in TLH and LAVH groups (P = 0.000).The intraoperative blood loss was greater during LAVH than during TLH and VH (P = 0.000).Paralytic ileus time was shorter after VH than after TLH and LAVH (P = 0.000). No intraoperative complications or conversion to laparotomy occurred. CONCLUSIONS: VH was the faster operative technique with smaller blood loss and shorter discharge time compared with the others two techniques. So, VH should be considered the preferred approach in patients with enlarged myomatous uteri. When VH is not feasible or salpingo-oophorectomy is required, LAVH or TLH should be considered as valid alternatives. It is necessary to continue prospective comparative studies between the various surgical options to identify the best approach for hysterectomy in each single woman.