Mammary neoplasms in female dogs: Clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.

With the increase in the life expectancy of domestic animals and their increasingly affectionate relationship with their owners, it is possible to observe an increase in cases of neoplasms in these animals. Mammary neoplasia mainly affects older females who have not been castrated, due to hormonal dependence for the development of the tumour. The main form of treatment is surgery. This study aims to carry out an updated review on mammary neoplasms in female dogs covering the anatomy, physiology, prevalence, causes, diagnoses, treatments, prevention and prognosis, based on scientific articles by renowned researchers.

Palliative care for cancer patients in veterinary medicine.

Neoplasms account for approximately half of the deaths of dogs over ten years of age. This finding, associated with the fact that canine cancer patients will often suffer from the consequences of the systemic spread of the tumour and paraneoplastic syndromes, shows the importance of understanding palliative care by veterinarians and owners. In view of this, this review aims to address palliative care that can be used in veterinary medicine to promote the patient's well-being and quality of life.

Change in INSR, APBA2 and IDE Gene Expressions in Brains of Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is defined as a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder, the onset of which is mainly characterized by decreased cognition, memory loss, and mental confusion. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to quantify mRNA expression of the APBA2, INSR and IDE genes in brain samples from patients with AD and controls. METHODS: We investigated the mRNA expression of the APBA2, INSR and IDE genes in 150 RNA samples from entorhinal cortex, auditory cortex, and the hippocampus of individuals with AD and elderly controls using real time PCR. APOE genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP. RESULTS: When the total brain samples were analyzed collectively, a decrease in IDE gene expression was found in AD patients relative to healthy elderly controls. However, when the samples were analyzed separately according to the region of the brain, there was a significant upregulation of INSR expression in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex in the AD patient group. We did not observe any statistical differences when gene expression was compared in the different regions of the brain of AD patients. When the E4 allele of apolipoprotein-E was considered in AD patients, the presence of this allele was found to be associated with decreased APBA2 gene expression. The same analysis using the INSR and IDE genes showed no significant statistical differences. CONCLUSION: These results support the hypothesis that APBA2, IDE, and particularly INSR gene expression in different areas of Alzheimer's patient's brains could represent new markers for use in clinical diagnoses in the near future.

Differential distribution of functional alph}1-adrenergic receptor subtypes along the rat tail artery.

The rat tail artery has been used for the study of vasoconstriction mediated by alpha(1A)-adrenoceptors (ARs). However, rings from proximal segments of the tail artery (within the initial 4 cm, PRTA) were at least 3-fold more sensitive to methoxamine and phenylephrine (n = 6-12; p < 0.05) than rings from distal parts (between the sixth and 10th cm, DRTA). Interestingly, the imidazolines N-[5-(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-2-hydroxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl]methanesulfonamide hydrobromide (A-61603) and oxymetazoline, which activate selectively alpha(1A)-ARs, were equipotent in PRTA and DRTA (n = 4-12), whereas buspirone, which activates selectively alpha(1D)-AR, was approximately 70-fold more potent in PRTA than in DRTA (n = 8; p < 0.05). The selective alpha(1D)-AR antagonist 8-[2-[4-(methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl]-8-azaspiro[4.5]decane-7,9-dione dihydrochloride (BMY-7378) was approximately 70-fold more potent against the contractions induced by phenylephrine in PRTA (pK(B) of approximately 8.45; n = 6) than in DRTA (pK(B) of approximately 6.58; n = 6), although the antagonism was complex in PRTA. 5-Methylurapidil, a selective alpha(1A)-antagonist, was equipotent in PRTA and DRTA (pK(B) of approximately 8.4), but the Schild slope in DRTA was 0.73 +/- 0.05 (n = 5). The noncompetitive alpha(1B)-antagonist conotoxin rho-TIA reduced the maximal contraction induced by phenylephrine in DRTA, but not in PRTA. These results indicate a predominant role for alpha(1A)-ARs in the contractions of both PRTA and DRTA but with significant coparticipations of alpha(1D)-ARs in PRTA and alpha(1B)-ARs in DRTA. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that mRNA encoding alpha(1A)- and alpha(1B)-ARs are similarly distributed in PRTA and DRTA, whereas mRNA for alpha(1D)-ARs is twice more abundant in PRTA. Therefore, alpha(1)-ARs subtypes are differentially distributed along the tail artery. It is important to consider the segment from which the tissue preparation is taken to avoid misinterpretations on receptor mechanisms and drug selectivities.