ABSTRACT
The purpose here was to determine the problems cat owners encounter in medicating their cats with orally administered drugs at home. The study was carried out as an open e-questionnaire survey addressed to cat owners in which the authors focused on the oral administration route. A total of 46 completed questionnaires were included in the survey. In the study, 46 cats received 67 orally administered drugs. Approximately half of the drugs were registered for use in cats by the European Medicines Agency (54 per cent), and there were also off-label drugs registered for human (36 per cent) and canine medication (7.4 per cent) and an ex tempore drug (3.0 per cent). The owners were unable to give the doses as prescribed for their cats for one-fourth of the medications (16/67). Drugs that were registered for feline medication were significantly more palatable than drugs registered for other species (odds ratio (OR) 4.9), and liquid formulations were significantly more palatable than solid formulations (OR 4.8). However, most of the owners (22/38) preferred a solid dosage form, while few (4/38) chose a liquid formulation. The results indicate that there is still a need for more palatable and easily administered oral drugs for cats.
Subject(s)
Administration, Oral , Cat Diseases/drug therapy , Pets/psychology , Animals , Cats , Drug Compounding/veterinary , Humans , Ownership , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
After time-consuming and costly investigations, patients with neck metastases from an occult primary often receive unnecessarily large radiation volumes to treat a possible origin in the nasopharynx. In this study a colorimetric antisense Epstein-Barr early ribonucleoprotein 1 (EBER1) oligonucleotide probe specific for Epstein-Barr virus RNA was hybridized in situ to metastatic tissue obtained from 18 nasopharyngeal, 54 oral and pharyngeal, and 12 occult carcinomas derived from an unselected population. All 16 nonkeratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPCs) were positive for EBER1. Both cases of keratinizing NPC and all 54 other metastases were negative. A single positive case of occult carcinoma indicated its origin from NPC. In retrospect, 7 patients with occult carcinoma had received unnecessary treatment with irradiation to the nasopharynx. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma appears to be a less common origin of occult carcinoma than previously considered. In the proper clinicopathologic context EBER1 in situ hybridization (EBER1-ISH) allows exclusion of NPC with a high degree of accuracy. Thus unnecessarily large radiation volumes and their adverse sequelae may be reduced in the treatment of occult carcinoma. Conversely, a positive result of ISH allows exclusion of further extensive diagnostic procedures.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma/microbiology , Carcinoma/secondary , Herpesviridae Infections/microbiology , Herpesvirus 4, Human/genetics , In Situ Hybridization , Lymphatic Metastasis , Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/microbiology , RNA/analysis , Tumor Virus Infections/microbiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Carcinoma/genetics , Carcinoma/radiotherapy , Child , Female , Herpesvirus 4, Human/isolation & purification , Humans , Lymphatic Metastasis/genetics , Male , Middle Aged , Mouth Neoplasms/microbiology , Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/genetics , Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Neoplasms, Unknown Primary/diagnosis , Neoplasms, Unknown Primary/microbiology , Pharyngeal Neoplasms/microbiology , RNA/genetics , RNA Probes , RNA, Antisense , Ribonucleoproteins/genetics , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Under normal conditions about 50% of the placental venous return bypasses the liver through the ductus venosus. This blood flow is preferentially directed toward the foramen ovale and provides optimum oxygenation to the fetal heart and brain. Absence of the ductus venosus is a rare vascular anomaly, the significance of which has been disputed. We distinguish the pattern in which the liver is entirely bypassed, a manifestation of a fundamental malformation in the umbilical venous system, from the pattern in which the ductus venosus is absent despite a normal course of the umbilical vein. We review the literature regarding the latter and report eight new cases. Three of the four previously reported cases showed associated malformations and two of them suffered from portal congestion and hydrops. Among our eight cases three showed severe malformations in the cardiovascular system. Three cases presented themselves with hydrops fetalis and disturbance in the portal circulation, and two cases expressed signs of intrauterine asphyxia. The absence of the ductus venosus might be a minor vascular maldevelopment resulting in an early disturbance in the portal circulation. Our findings suggest that this anomaly might induce hydrops fetalis.
