Short-term surgical outcomes and histomorphological evaluation of thermal injury following palatoplasty performed with diode laser or air plasma device in dogs with brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome.

Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is a common disorder presenting enlarged soft palate, stenotic nares and abnormal turbinate growth. Surgical correction of BOAS abnormalities with caudal palatoplasty is an elective therapy. This prospective study aimed to compare the effect of an air plasma device and diode laser in dogs undergoing palatoplasty. Outcome measures were as follows: (1) intra-operative and immediate post-operative complications; (2) evaluation of thermal injury in histological tissue sections of the excised soft palate. Twenty dogs with enlarged soft palates underwent palatoplasty, using an air plasma device (n=10) and diode laser (n=10). Soft palate specimens underwent masked histopathological analysis to assess post-operative thermal injury. In this pilot study, no differences were observed in surgical times; all dogs were discharged 24h after surgery and had stable respiration. In the air plasma group, post-operative bleeding occurred in two cases and revision surgery was performed. No difference in thermal injury was observed using the two devices (P>0.05). The air-plasma device was a viable surgical option for palatoplasty in dogs with BOAS.

Correlation Between Cyclo-oxygenase-2 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression in Canine and Feline Squamous Cell Carcinomas.

Overexpression of cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 is involved in tumour growth and spread by modulating the production of angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Expression of COX-2 and VEGF was investigated immunohistochemically in 51 canine and feline cutaneous and non-cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and the correlation between expression of these molecules and clinicopathological variables was evaluated. COX-2 and VEGF expression was not observed in normal skin keratinocytes. COX-2 overexpression occurred in 53% and 61% of the canine and feline SCCs, respectively. The expression of both markers was higher in cutaneous compared with non-cutaneous SCCs. In both species COX-2 and VEGF expression was correlated with the progression of the disease, but not with the presence of lymphatic invasion, tumour grading or tumour classification in the cutaneous tumours. Further study will be required to understand the role of the COX-2 pathway in angiogenesis in SCC.

Redundant arytenoid mucosa: clinical presentation, treatment and outcome in three cats.

Three cats showing chronic, intermittent respiratory distress associated with increased noise on inspiration were examined. Head, neck and thoracic radiographs were unremarkable and laboratory findings were within normal ranges. In all three cats direct laryngoscopy revealed bilateral redundant arytenoid mucosa, which collapsed into the supraglottic and glottis airways during inspiration. Temporary tracheostomy and endoscopic diode laser excision of the excessive mucosa resolved symptoms in all three cats. Redundant arytenoid mucosa is a rare condition that may cause signs similar to laryngeal paralysis or laryngeal mass in cats. According to our results, diode laser surgery in association with temporary tracheostomy appears an appropriate mode of therapy.

Intraoral diode laser epiglottectomy for treatment of epiglottis chondrosarcoma in a dog.

Laryngeal tumours are rare in dogs. Surgery is the treatment of choice, but it is usually palliative in malignant conditions, due to advanced stage of the tumour at the time of diagnosis. In veterinary medicine, little information is available about the use of diode laser in laryngeal oncological surgery. In the case reported here, a dog with an epiglottic chondrosarcoma was successfully treated with diode laser epiglottectomy. The surgical technique and follow up are described.

Clinical evaluation and endoscopic classification of bronchomalacia in dogs.

BACKGROUND: Little information is available about the association between bronchomalacia and historical or clinicopathologic data. Also, studies applying an endoscopic classification scheme that differentiates between static and dynamic bronchial collapse and based on a scoring system are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical presentation of bronchomalacia in dogs, to classify endoscopic findings, and to evaluate associations among historical, clinicopathologic data, and endoscopic findings. ANIMALS: Fifty-nine client-owned dogs with an endoscopic diagnosis of bronchomalacia. METHODS: In this retrospective study, medical records were analyzed and video documentation was reviewed to assign a score to endoscopic findings. Univariate analysis was performed on categorical variables organized in contingency tables, and a stepwise logistic regression model was used for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Of the 59 dogs included in the study, 2 were affected by static bronchial collapse (SBC), 35 by dynamic bronchial collapse (DBC), and 22 by both SBC and DBC. The association between SBC and DBC was more frequently seen in the dogs with higher body weight, pulmonary hypertension, a bronchial type of radiographic pattern, and nodularity at endoscopic examination. Thirty-one dogs were presented with tracheomalacia and bronchomalacia; an association emerged between these concurrent disorders in dogs living indoors. Multivariate analysis of the endoscopic scores showed a correlation between DBC severity and cough duration. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Results of this study provide evidence for 2 different types of bronchial collapse. Endoscopic scoring scheme has proved to be promising in the bronchomalacia classification, although further evaluation of its applicability in larger canine populations is needed.

Factors associated with metabolic syndrome in climacteric women of southern Brazil.

AIM: To investigate the association between socioeconomic, demographic, behavioral, and reproductive factors and the metabolic syndrome (MS) in climacteric women. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 527 women aged 40-65 years seen at an outpatient menopause and gynecologic surgery clinic in Southern Brazil. MS was defined according to NCEP-ATP III diagnostic criteria. Poisson regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: The prevalence of MS was 54.8% (95% CI 50.6-59.1%), varying with menopausal status (45.7% before menopause, 56.3% in perimenopause, and 57.5% in postmenopausal women). Among the components of MS, hypertension and abdominal obesity were the most prevalent (84.8% and 66.8%, respectively). The prevalence of MS rose with advancing age and increasing parity. Women with low education (years of schooling) showed a higher prevalence of MS compared to those with a high education level (64% vs. 36.8%). Women with early menarche (≤11 years of age) showed an increase of 32% in MS prevalence (95% CI 1.08-1.62) compared to those with a late menarche (≥14 years of age). CONCLUSION: These findings are relevant to public health, particularly as they show the significance of exposure to long-term, hard-to-reverse effects, such as early menarche and low educational achievement, in the development of metabolic syndrome.

[An interesting case: recovery of a transmurally penetrated abdominal pad by the means of laparoscopy]. / Der interessante Fall: Laparoskopisch unterstützte Bergung eines transmural penetrierten Bauchtuches.

Lymphangiomas are rare benign tumors. In most cases, resection is necessary to obtain a precise histopathological analysis. There are capillary, caverous and cystic lymphangiomas. The therapy of choice is a complete excision. Recurrence has been reported after incomplete resection. We present the case of a 45-year-old man with a lymphangioma of the omentum minus and -review the literature.

Tracheal granuloma because of infection with a novel mycobacterial species in an old FIV-positive cat.

A 15-year-old domestic shorthair feline immunodeficiency virus-positive cat was presented with a five day history of productive cough and acute respiratory distress. Physical examination revealed inspiratory dyspnoea and diffuse gingivostomatitis. Radiographs showed an intratracheal mass located at the level of the sixth and the seventh cervical vertebrae. Bronchoscopy revealed a unique intratracheal mass occluding about 85 per cent of the tracheal lumen. The tracheal mass was removed bronchoscopically. A diagnosis of pyogranulomatous inflammation referable to a mycobacterial infection was made based on cytological and histopathological findings. 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction testing and sequence analysis identified a novel mycobacterial species, likely a slow grower, with 95 per cent identity with Mycobacterium xenopi. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a tracheal mycobacterial granuloma in a cat, and the first time, a mycobacterium with this sequence has been identified.

Toxoplasma gondii brain granuloma in a cat: diagnosis using cytology from an intraoperative sample and sequential magnetic resonance imaging.

A cat with a history of seizures and clinical suspicion of forebrain disorder underwent a brain magnetic resonance imaging. A space-occupying lesion was identified in the left temporal lobe. The mass was surgically removed, and cytological, histological and immunohistochemical examinations documented the presence of Toxoplasma gondii. A definitive diagnosis of an intracranial T gondii granuloma was made. The cat was treated with clindamycin and phenobarbital and the seizures did not recur. After 10 months, a second magnetic resonance imaging showed severe brain atrophy, but T gondii granuloma recurrence was not noted. Twenty-one months after surgery, the cat's condition deteriorated, and another magnetic resonance imaging showed a presumptive recurrence of T gondii granuloma. In cats, T gondii granuloma must be considered as a differential diagnosis even when only a single intracranial mass is present. Cytology and magnetic resonance imaging can be useful in making a definitive diagnosis and to follow the evolution of the lesion.

Needle tract implantation after fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder and adenocarcinoma of the lung.

This paper reports three clinical cases of needle tract implantation of neoplastic cells on the abdominal and thoracic wall after ultrasound (US) fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). Primary tumors were two transitional cell carcinomas of the urinary bladder (2 dogs) and one pulmonary adenocarcinoma (1 cat). All three masses grew up along the needle tract. To our knowledge, the seeding of pulmonary adenocarcinoma cells after FNAB on the thoracic wall has never been reported in veterinary medicine.

[A rare splenic involvement by Echinococcus multilocularis - case report]. / Ein aussergewöhnlicher Milzbefall durch Echinococcus multilocularis - eine Kasuistik.

In the present case an 81-year-old patient was operated upon for a suspected atraumatic spleen rupture. During the operation a spleen abscess was found. Histological examination of the removed spleen revealed an Echinococcus multilocularis infection. There was no sign of further organ involvement: surprisingly the liver was not affected. Case history, clinical outcome and the prescribed treatment are described. A short overview of the Echinococchus multilocularis syndrome is presented.

External auditory canal atresia of probable congenital origin in a dog.

A nine-month-old Labrador retriever was referred to the Clinica Veterinaria Privata San Marco because of frequent headshaking and downward turning of the right ear. Clinical examination revealed that there was no external acoustic meatus in the right ear. Computed tomography confirmed that the vertical part of the right auditory canal ended blindly, providing a diagnosis of external auditory canal atresia. Cytological examination and culture of fluid from the canal and the bulla revealed only aseptic cerumen; for this reason, it was assumed that the dog was probably affected by a congenital developmental deformity of the external auditory canal. Reconstructive surgery was performed using a "pull-through" technique. Four months after surgery the cosmetic and functional results were satisfactory.

Nasal melanosis in three dogs.

Cytologically and histologically confirmed nasal melanosis was detected by rostrocaudal rhinoscopic evaluation of three dogs with unilateral nasal discharge caused by a chronic and severe odontopathic rhinitis. The extraction of affected teeth and prolonged antibiotic therapy led to a complete resolution of nasal disease. The nasal melanosis could be considered a partial metaplastic transformation of mucosal respiratory cells with accumulation of intracytoplasmic melanin.

Validation of an automated spectrophotometric assay for the determination of cholinesterase activity in canine serum.

The determination of enzymatic activity of cholinesterase is a useful diagnostic method to detect exposure to anticholinesterase compounds in human and in veterinary medicine. We validated a modification of the Ellman method in canine serum and applied it to the diagnosis of dogs poisoned with anticholinesterase substances. The method used butyrylthiocholine as substrate and potassium hexacyanoferrate as chromophore. The reference range calculated on 60 clinically healthy dogs was set between 3405 and 6561 U/L (chi-square test for normal distribution, p > 0.05). The overall mean intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 0.53% and 3.83%, respectively. The assay was linear when using two sera with 12,538 U/L and 6604 U/L serum cholinesterase activity (r(2) = 0.997) and 0.999, respectively). The mean recovery values of pooled sera with a mean pseudocholinesterase (PChE) activity of 12,081 U/L and pooled sera with a mean PChE activity of 3415 U/L were 103.5% and 102.8%, respectively. Six dogs with a diagnosis of anticholinesterase compound intoxication showed a decrease in cholinesterase activity of at least 50% of normal activity with a mean +/- SD of 487 +/- 291 U/L ranging from 169 to 847 U/L. This technique conforms to the current standard for precision, linearity and accuracy and is a useful method for the complementary diagnosis of organophosphate or carbamate insecticide intoxication in dogs.

Diagnosis of canine nasal aspergillosis by cytological examination: a comparison of four different collection techniques.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy and diagnostic value of four different sample collection techniques for cytological identification of nasal aspergillosis-penicilliosis in dogs. METHODS: Fifteen dogs with a history of persistent nasal discharge and clinical and radiographic findings suggestive of aspergillosis were evaluated using four different cytological sampling techniques. These were a direct smear from the nasal discharge, blind swab collection under general anaesthesia, brushing from suspect lesions under direct endoscopic visualisation and a squash technique of mucosal biopsies from suspect lesions obtained under direct endoscopic visualisation. RESULTS: Direct smear collection and blind swab collection detected fungal hyphae in 13.3 and 20 per cent of examined cases, respectively; brush samples detected fungal hyphae in 93.3 per cent and fungal spores in the 45 per cent of examined cases and squash samples detected fungal hyphae in 100 per cent and fungal spores in 36 per cent of examined cases. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study confirmed the high accuracy of cytology samples in the diagnosis of nasal aspergillosis-penicilliosis when collected under direct endoscopic visualisation and showed the poor value of samples that were collected by blind swabs or prepared from samples of nasal discharge.

The role of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptor Flk-1/KDR in promoting tumour angiogenesis in feline and canine mammary carcinomas: a preliminary study of autocrine and paracrine loops.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and its receptor KDR are involved in the regulation of angiogenesis and are up-regulated in a number of tumours in humans and in particular, breast cancer. We therefore evaluated the prognostic potential of the angiogenetic process in feline and canine mammary carcinomas by the immunohistochemical assessment of VEGF expression and micro vessel density (MVD) quantification and examined the interplay between VEGF and KDR. These variables were related to some relevant clinicopathological parameters and to overall survival (OS). VEGF and KDR expression were evaluated in epithelial, stromal and endothelial compartments in order to identify autocrine and/or paracrine loops. In dogs an increased VEGF expression did not show any statistical correlation with the clinicopathological parameters examined and was not correlated to a poorer prognosis. MVD was found to be significantly correlated to the histologic type (P=0.04), tumour grading (P=0.02), and to the OS (P=0.01). In cats VEGF expression was significantly correlated to tumor grading (P=0.01) and OS (P=0.03), while no significant associations were found between MVD and the other parameters. VEGF and KDR were found to be detected on the epithelial, and/or endothelial and/or stromal cells of the carcinomas in both species, suggesting indications for some possible autocrine and paracrine loops. Our results encourage further studies on the possible prognostic role of VEGF and MVD in canine and feline mammary tumours and on the role of growth factors and their receptors in promoting tumour proliferation and an "angiogenetic shift". The VEGF/KDR system may play a role in malignant transformation and tumor progression.

Androgen receptor expression in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic hepatoid glands in the dog.

Neoplasms of the perianal glands are common in the dog, particularly in the male. The occurrence of these tumours appears to be hormone related and castration, without excision of the tumour, has sometimes resulted in regression of the tumour. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of androgen receptors (AR) in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic hepatoid glands in the dog. Thirty-one samples of canine hepatoid gland tissues were investigated. The lesions, classified according to WHO criteria, were comprised of 19 hyperplastic tissues, 10 benign lesions (2 hepatoid gland epithelioma and 8 hepatoid adenomas), and 19 carcinomas. Five samples from normal hepatoid glands were also investigated. The AR expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry using a streptavidin-biotin peroxidase method. The immunoexpression was scored by two pathologists as the percentage of positive nuclei. The intensity of staining was also considered. AR expression was detected in all normal and abnormal glands. However, in hyperplastic tissues the percentage of positive nuclei was significantly higher than in normal tissue and especially in reserve basaloid cells. A similar increase in the percent of positive nuclei was also observed in hepatoid epitheliomas, while in hepatoid adenoma the percent of AR-immunolabelling was only slightly increased compared to normal tissue. In hepatoid carcinomas the percent of AR-positive cells was similar to that observed in benign tumours. The grade of differentiation of hepatoid carcinomas did not affect AR expression. These results demonstrate that increased AR expression is maintained throughout perianal gland cancer progression and that hepatoid gland carcinomas still express AR. Although further studies may be required to evaluate the hormonal background of these diseases, dogs bearing those carcinomas might benefit from castration or anti hormonal therapy.

Cytologic features of testicular tumours in dog.

In this paper, we report on our experience of cytology of fine needle biopsies performed on 92 dogs with testicular tumours during the period from 1998 to 2002. Cytological diagnosis was consistent with seminoma in 20 cases, sertolioma in 16 cases, Leydig cell tumours in 50 cases and mastocytoma in one case. Five cases could not be diagnosed by cytology. Cytological observations were confirmed after surgery by histopathological examination in 87 cases. Cytology provided a sensitivity of 95% for seminoma, 88% for sertolioma and 96% for Leydig cell tumours. The specificity was 100% for all three tumour types. In our experience cytology of fine needle aspirations of testicular tumours is a very reliable technique.

Primary gastric histiocytic sarcoma in a dog--a case report.

A 12-year-old intact female mixed breed dog was presented for chronic, intermittent vomiting and diarrhoea. On endoscopic examination a protruding mass arising from the mucosal surface of the pyloric region was detected. Cytological and histological examination revealed an accumulation of pleomorphic round/oval phagocytic cells suggesting histiocytic origin. This was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. No extra-gastric involvement was detected on clinical examination or at necropsy. This is the first report of primary gastric histiocytic sarcoma in a dog.