ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA) is an autosomal recessive disorder affecting quarter horses (QHs); affected horses exhibit characteristic skin abnormalities related to abnormal collagen biosynthesis. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To characterize the thickness and morphological abnormalities of the skin of HERDA-affected horses and to determine the interobserver agreement and the diagnostic accuracy of histopathological examination of skin biopsies from horses with HERDA. ANIMALS: Six affected QHs, confirmed by DNA testing, from a research herd and five unaffected QHs from a stud farm. METHODS: The skin thickness in 25 distinct body regions was measured on both sides in all affected and unaffected horses. Histopathological and ultrastructural evaluation of skin biopsies was performed. RESULTS: The average skin thickness in all of the evaluated regions was thinner in the affected horses. A statistically significant difference between skin thickness of the affected and unaffected animals was observed only when the average magnitude of difference was ≥38.7% (P = 0.038). The interobserver agreement for the histopathological evaluation was fair to substantial. The histopathological sensitivity for the diagnosis of HERDA was dependent on the evaluator and ranged from 73 to 88%, whereas the specificity was affected by the region sampled and ranged from 35 to 75%. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Despite the regional pattern of the cutaneous signs, skin with decreased thickness was not regionally distributed in the HERDA-affected horses. Histopathological evaluation is informative but not conclusive for establishing the diagnosis. Samples of skin from the neck, croup or back are useful for diagnosis of HERDA. However, the final diagnosis must be confirmed using molecular testing.
Subject(s)
Asthenia/veterinary , Horse Diseases/pathology , Skin Diseases, Genetic/veterinary , Skin/pathology , Animals , Asthenia/genetics , Asthenia/pathology , Biopsy , Case-Control Studies , Cyclophilins/genetics , Female , Genetic Markers , Horse Diseases/genetics , Horses , Male , Mutation, Missense , Observer Variation , Sensitivity and Specificity , Skin/ultrastructure , Skin Diseases, Genetic/genetics , Skin Diseases, Genetic/pathologyABSTRACT
The present report describes the occurrence of skin metastasis in a dog with primary renal carcinoma. The clinical findings included progressive weight loss, inappetence, palpable abdominal mass and cutaneous tumor. The histopathological examination was carried out after unilateral nephrectomy and was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. The immunohistochemical and histopathological findings characterized this case as renal cell carcinoma with skin metastasis.(AU)
Subject(s)
Animals , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/diagnosis , Dogs , Neoplasm Metastasis/physiopathologyABSTRACT
Nodular fasciitis is a benign soft tissue lesion commonly diagnosed in human beings, but with rare description in dogs and cats. A female, spayed, 7.5 years old, otherwise healthy Labrador was examined because of a nodular growth of rapid development in the infraorbital region. The histopathological examination from the excisional biopsy revealed a well circumscribed proliferation of plump and moderately pleomorphic fibroblasts and vascular proliferation with a small central area of degeneration. Nodular fasciitis was diagnosed and several months pos surgical excision, no recurrence was observed. This report illustrates an histologically well circumscribed lesion of cutaneous nodular fasciitis in a dog, similar to some lesions human beings and different from what is usually reported in veterinary patients.