The Posterior Insular Cortex is Necessary for Feeding-Induced Jejunal Myoelectrical Activity in Male Rats.

The gastrointestinal tract exhibits coordinated muscle motility in response to food digestion, which is regulated by the central nervous system through autonomic control. The insular cortex is one of the brain regions that may regulate the muscle motility. In this study, we examined whether, and how, the insular cortex, especially the posterior part, regulates gastrointestinal motility by recording jejunal myoelectrical signals in response to feeding in freely moving male rats. Feeding was found to induce increases in jejunal myoelectrical signal amplitudes. This increase in the jejunal myoelectrical signals was abolished by vagotomy and pharmacological inhibition of the posterior insular cortex. Additionally, feeding induced a decrease and increase in sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous activities, respectively, both of which were eliminated by posterior insular cortical inhibition. These results suggest that the posterior insular cortex regulates jejunal motility in response to feeding by modulating autonomic tone.

Body Weight as a Preferred Method for Normalizing the Computed Tomography-Derived Liver Volume in Dogs without Hepatic Disease.

The assessment of liver size is usually performed using radiography in dogs. However, due to wide variations in patients' sizes and body conformations, accurate diagnosis of hepatomegaly or microhepatia is difficult. Computed tomographic (CT) volumetry can quantitatively and accurately measure liver volume. However, a reliable method for the standardization or normalization of volume in dogs without hepatic disease using CT has not yet been established. The purpose of this study was to assess seven different anatomic measures for normalizing liver volume in dogs and determine the tentative range of liver volume in dogs without hepatic disease. We retrospectively searched medical records from 1 January 2017 through to 1 June 2020 and included dogs with abdominal computed tomography without hepatic disease. The liver volume, lengths of four vertebrae (T11, T12, L2, L3), diameter of the abdominal aorta, body weight, and body condition scores (BCSs) of the dogs were recorded. Forty-one client-owned dogs without evidence of hepatic disease were included. The CT-derived liver volume was 813.8 ± 326.5 cm3 (mean ± SD). Body weight was determined to be the most reliable single-variable method for normalizing liver volume, with a raw CT-derived liver-volume-to-body-weight ratio of 22.1 cm3/kg (95% CI: 12.9-31.3 cm3/kg) and regression prediction model of volume = 19 × BWkg + 97. However, a better normalizing factor would likely be provided by the fat-free mass if it can be accurately measured.

Pilot Study: The Effects of Slice Parameters and the Interobserver Measurement Variability in Computed Tomographic Hepatic Volumetry in Dogs without Hepatic Disease.

Manual computed tomographic (CT) hepatic volumetry is a non-invasive method for assessing liver volume. However, it is time-consuming with large numbers of slices. Reducing the slice number would expedite the process, but the effect of fewer slices on the accuracy of volumetric measurements in dogs has not been investigated. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the relationship between slice interval and the number of slices on hepatic volume in dogs using CT hepatic volumetry and the interobserver variability of CT volumetric measurements. We retrospectively reviewed medical records for dogs without evidence of hepatobiliary disease with abdominal CT from 2019 to 2020. Hepatic volumes were calculated by using all slices, and interobserver variability was calculated using the same dataset in 16 dogs by three observers. Interobserver variability was low, with a mean (±SD) percent difference in the hepatic volume of 3.3 (±2.5)% among all observers. The greatest percent differences in hepatic volume were decreased when using larger numbers of slices; the percent differences were <5% when using ≥20 slices for hepatic volumetry. Manual CT hepatic volumetry can be used in dogs to non-invasively assess liver volume with low interobserver variability, and a relatively reliable result can be acquired using ≥20 slices in dogs.

Spinal epidural empyema concurrent with sequestrum in a cat: a case report.

A 5-month-old intact female mixed cat presented with repetitive paraplegia and drainage of pus from the back despite continuous antibiotic medication. Neurologic examination was consistent with below T3-L3 myelopathy. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a contrast-enhanced mass in the L1-3 spinal canal, and bone fragments in the T13 and L1 spinal canal. Spinal epidural empyema was suspected, and hemilaminectomy was performed for T12-L2 on the right side and T11-12 on the left side. Bone fragments were diagnosed as sequestrum infected with Bacteroides sp. The cat recovered enough to ambulate next day. One month after surgery, there was no deficit in neurological function. This is the first report of spinal epidural empyema concurrent with sequestrum in a cat.

Case Report: Detection of Transferrin in a Dog Suspected of Having Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea.

A 12-year-old Yorkshire terrier was referred for epileptic seizures and nasal discharge. The fluid was clear and serous. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea was suspected, based on clinical signs and MRI findings. In humans, analysis of nasal secretions to determine the concentration of glucose and brain-type transferrin has been widely used clinically in order to confirm the presence of CSF rhinorrhea. The glucose concentration in the nasal discharge was 74 mg/dL. Serum-type and brain-type isoforms of transferrin were detectable in the nasal sample. The concentration of glucose and brain-type transferrin could be useful for diagnosing CSF rhinorrhea.

Role of the left atrial function on the pseudonormalization of the transmitral flow velocity pattern evaluated by two-dimensional tissue tracking technique.

BACKGROUND: Mechanisms of the pseudonormalization (PN) of the transmitral flow (TMF) velocity pattern have been mainly attributed to left ventricular diastolic function. PURPOSE: To assess the influence of left atrial (LA) function on the PN with two-dimensional tissue tracking technique. METHODS: The subjects consisted of 21 healthy volunteers and 70 patients with various cardiac diseases. Images of one cardiac cycle in the apical four-chamber view were stored by the HIVISION 900 (Hitachi Medico, Chiba, Japan). The LA volume (LAV) loop was created using two-dimensional tissue tracking technique and LAV index (LAVI) at a given cardiac phase was calculated. A preload of 90mmHg was applied using a customized lower body positive pressure (LBPP) system. Patients were divided into the PN group (n=18) with their early diastolic TMF velocity (E) increased and late diastolic TMF velocity (A) decreased, and the non-(N)-PN group (n=52) with both E and A wave velocities increased by LBPP. RESULTS: (1) During LBPP, the LAVImax in both the groups increased significantly. (2) In the N-PN group, the LAVIpass (p<0.001), LAVIact (p<0.01), and LAVItotal (p<0.0001) increased significantly. The dV/dts (p<0.0001) and dV/dtE (p<0.0001) increased significantly with an increase in the dV/dtA. On the other hand, there was no change in those parameters except LAVIpass (p<0.05) and dV/dtE (p<0.05) significantly increased in the PN group. (3) As a result, the LAVImin was significantly greater in the PN group than in the N-PN group (p<0.0001) during LBPP. The ratio of E velocity to early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E/E') during LBPP was significantly greater in the PN group than in the N-PN group (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The lack of an increase in active LA emptying volume in response to an increase of preload leads to elevated LA pressure and the pseudonormalization of the TMF velocity pattern in patients with various cardiac diseases.