Calreticulin expression in neoplastic versus normal dog mammary glands: a cDNA subtraction-based study.

This is the first report describing the expression of canine calreticulin (cCRT) in canine mammary gland tumour (MGT). Using cDNA subtraction method, it is found that mRNAs of CRT, cathepsin A, ovostatin, and lactotransferrin were differentially expressed in mammary adenocarcinoma as compared to hyperplasia, both of which were obtained from the dog. Furthermore, the mRNA expression levels of CRT and cathepsin A were significantly higher in canine MGT samples than in nontumour samples. In contrast, immunohistochemical studies have indicated that the expression of cCRT protein found to be detected in most of mammary gland tissues and was not correlated to the types of canine MGTs. Furthermore, cCRT was molecularly cloned, and the amino acid sequence of cCRT was found to be very similar to those of other species. Further studies are required to elucidate additional roles of cCRT in canine MGT.

Development of high-grade B-cell lymphoma concurrent with T-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia in a dog.

Second malignancies are frequent complications in human patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, the clinical details and outcome of this phenomenon were unclear in their canine counterparts. Here, we report a dog with high-grade lymphoma concurrent with T-cell CLL. A 10-year-old male golden retriever presented with lymphadenopathies. The lymph nodes contained large-sized lymphocytes, raising suspicion of high-grade lymphoma. Meanwhile, small lymphocytic lymphocytosis in the peripheral blood was consistent with CLL. Interestingly, molecular biological analyses revealed that CLL cells were of the T-cell type, whereas lymphoma cells were of the B-cell type. Chemotherapy using the L-VCA short protocol was effective for 155 days, but the dog died on day 194 after diagnosis, despite rescue therapies.

Prekallikrein deficiency in a dog.

Prekallikrein (PK) deficiency is an uncommon disorder in dogs. In this report, we describe a case of a dog that was referred for neurological defects and had a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and normal prothrombin time (PT) with no hemostatic defects. By using human PK-deficient plasma, the dog was diagnosed to have PK deficiency. The nucleotide sequence of normal canine PK cDNA was determined and compared with the genomic sequences of PK in the affected dog. The comparison revealed that the dog had a point mutation in exon 8 that leads to an amino acid substitution in the fourth apple domain of PK. This is the first report showing a point mutation of PK in a dog with PK deficiency.

Nafamostat mesilate is not appropriate as an anticoagulant during continuous renal replacement therapy in dogs.

We performed continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in clinically healthy dogs (n=7) to evaluate the utility of nafamostat mesilate (NM) as an anticoagulant. In 3 of the 7 dogs, CRRT had to be discontinued before the target duration due to coagulation in the extracorporeal circuit, into which NM was administered constantly at the rate of 2.0-6.0 mg/kg per hour. The rate of administration of NM was greater than the recommended dose of NM in humans. Further, all the dogs suffered vomiting during CRRT with NM infusion. We therefore recommend that NM is not used as an anticoagulant during CRRT in dogs.

Evaluation of the hemodynamic impact of continuous renal replacement therapy in healthy dogs.

We performed continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) on clinically healthy dogs to evaluate the effects of CRRT on hemodynamics. Heart rate, arterial blood pressure, and central venous pressure of the dogs (n=6) were recorded during the procedure, which was performed under general anesthesia. Throughout the CRRT, heart rate and arterial blood pressure were stable. Central venous pressure increased after CRRT termination but returned to the basal level within 30 min. In this study, hemodynamic alterations, including hypotension, hypertension, and arrhythmias, were not observed during CRRT. These observations suggest that the CRRT protocol used in the present study can be safely applied to clinical cases with acute renal failure.

Molecular cloning of canine interleukin-31 and its expression in various tissues.

The newly discovered cytokine, interleukin-31 (IL-31), belongs to the short-chain cytokine group. It was reported that transgenic expression of IL-31-induced pruritus, similar to atopic dermatitis, in mice, further, excessive amounts of IL-31 was also expressed in the skin from human patients with atopic dermatitis as compared to that from normal people. In this study, canine IL-31 was molecularly cloned from concanavalin A-stimulated canine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and its nucleotide sequence was determined. Canine IL-31 contains 4 alpha-helix structures characteristic of the IL-31 family, and the amino acid identity of canine IL-31 with those of human or mouse is 54% and 28%, respectively. Furthermore, we detected low levels of canine IL-31 in the thymus, testis, spleen, and kidneys, but not in the skin of atopic dogs.

Prospective outcomes of comminuted periarticular metacarpal and phalangeal fractures treated using a titanium plate system.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate clinical results for open reduction and internal fixation of unstable metaphyseal fractures of the metacarpal and phalangeal bones using a miniature titanium plate. METHODS: Fifty-one consecutive patients with periarticular fractures with metaphyseal comminution and displacement were enrolled. Intra-articular involvement with a split or depression fracture was identified in 22 hands. Minimum follow-up was 1 year. There were 37 male and 14 female patients; average age was 38 years (range, 14-63). Of the 51 fractures, 15 were open; 8 of these had additional soft tissue injury, involving neurovascular injury in 4 and extensor tendon injury in 6. The average duration from injury to surgery was 6 days (range, 2-40 days). RESULTS: Bone union was successfully achieved in all patients over an average period of 2.6 months. The final range of total active motion (%TAM) was excellent (>85%) for 26, good (70%-84%) for 17, fair (50%-69%) for 5, and poor (<49%) for 3. Postoperative complications occurred in 5 patients, including fracture redisplacement in 2, a collapse or absorption of the condylar head in 2, and superficial infection due to hardware exposure in one. Subsequently, 2 of these patients had malrotation deformities or osteoarthritic changes in the injured finger. Plates were removed in 30 cases, and additional surgery was required in 20 cases. Postoperative grip strength averaged 87% of the contralateral side. Statistical analysis revealed that patient age was significantly correlated with %TAM of the injured finger at 1-year follow-up (p < .01), and intra-articular (p < .05) and phalangeal bone (p < .01) involvement, as well as associated soft tissue injury (p < .05), significantly affected the range of finger motion. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the technical demands of plating for comminuted metacarpal and phalangeal fractures, the low-profile titanium plate system was highly effective in maintaining anatomic reduction. The postoperative complication rate was relatively low, and the objective outcomes approached a reasonable level at 1-year follow-up. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.