Therapeutic response and prognostic factors of 14 dogs undergoing transcatheter arterial embolization for hepatocellular masses: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Information regarding the therapeutic effect and outcome of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for hepatic masses is limited in veterinary medicine. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To analyze the therapeutic response, outcome (overall survival), and their predictors in dogs that underwent TAE for primary hepatocellular masses. We hypothesized that larger pre-TAE tumors would be associated with worse outcomes. ANIMALS: Fourteen client-owned dogs. METHODS: Retrospective study. Medical records between 1 September 2016 and 30 April 2022 were reviewed to identify dogs treated with TAE for hepatic masses diagnosed as hepatocellular origin by cytological or histopathological examination. Computed tomography images were compared before and after TAE. The univariate Cox proportional hazards test was performed to assess the associations between variables and survival. Univariate linear regression analysis was performed to assess the associations between variables and the tumor reduction percentage: ([post-TAE volume - pre-TAE volume]/pre-TAE volume) × 100. RESULTS: The median survival time was 419 days (95% confidence interval, 82-474). History of intra-abdominal hemorrhage (P = .03) and pre-TAE tumor volume/body weight (P = .009) were significantly associated with overall survival. The mean reduction percentage was -51% ± 40%. Pre-TAE tumor volume/body weight ratio (cm3 /kg; P = .02, correlation coefficient = 0.704) was significantly correlated with the volume reduction percentage. CONCLUSIONS: History of intra-abdominal hemorrhage and large pre-TAE tumor volume/body weight ratio could be predictive factors for adverse outcomes after TAE. Pre-TAE tumor volume/body weight ratio could be a predictive factor for therapeutic effect.

Microwave ablation for the control of bleeding from disintegrated mammary tumours in two dogs.

A 16-year-old intact female Miniature Dachshund (dog 1) and a 13-year-old intact female American Cocker Spaniel (dog 2) presented with a chief complaint of bleeding from a mammary gland tumour ulceration. Dog 1 was transferred to hospital from a local hospital in a haemorrhagic shock state with uncontrolled continuous bleeding. Thoracic radiographs revealed multiple nodular shadows suspected to be pulmonary metastasis. Dog 2 presented with intermittent bleeding from a mass lesion in the right fifth mammary gland. Due to high anaesthetic risk secondary to severe mitral valve insufficiency (ASA status III), the owner declined surgical excision of the tumour. Therefore, microwave ablation (MWA) under local anaesthesia was chosen in order to achieve adequate haemostasis. Both dogs received local anaesthesia around the bleeding mass lesion, and the disintegrated site was microwave-ablated; dog 1 underwent MWA after blood transfusion to improve the haemorrhagic shock. The ablation site was protected using a non-adhesive dressing. Scarring of the ulcerated site led to complete haemostasis in both cases. Dog 1 underwent tumorectomy on the 31st hospital day to prevent rebleeding; histopathology results were consistent with mammary adenocarcinoma with the ablation site covered by a capsule structure. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case report describing the use of MWA to stop bleeding from mammary tumours in veterinary medicine. MWA is a feasible and potentially effective palliative treatment modality to stop bleeding from disintegrated mammary tumours in dogs under local anaesthesia.

Case Report: Transcatheter Arterial Embolization for the Initial Management of Intra-Abdominal Hemorrhage From a Hepatic Tumor in a Cat.

An 8-year-old Ragdoll cat was admitted to our hospital after its owner noticed sudden lethargy. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a large amount of blood in the abdominal cavity, and the cat was diagnosed as having hemorrhagic shock caused by the rupture of an intra-abdominal mass. Blood transfusion was performed on the 1st day of hospitalization. On the 2nd day, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) was performed, and hemorrhage from a mass originating in the caudate lobe of the liver was noted. Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) was performed to stop the bleeding from the mass using Gelpart to embolize the feeding artery. The following day, fever and elevation of liver enzyme levels were observed, but these subsided within a few days. At discharge 5 days after TAE, no fluid was found in the peritoneal cavity, and no further intra-abdominal bleeding occurred. Sixty-six days after TAE, we were able to perform resection surgery with the cat in good condition. A partial response was observed on CT performed before surgery. Histopathology revealed cholangiocellular adenoma. The cat was doing well as of postoperative day 549. This case indicates that TAE may be effective for initial hemostasis and stabilization of conditions in animals with tumor-induced hemorrhage.

Exploring the Multidimensional Links Between Trait Mindfulness and Trait Empathy.

Empathy and mindfulness are currently major topics of scientific interest. Although it is well-known that mindfulness-typically as an outcome related to meditation-generates empathy at the state level, only a small number of studies have documented the trait (i.e., personality) level association between mindfulness and empathy. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms (subcomponents and mediator variables) that support this association remain unclear. Thus, here, with a focus on the trait level, we investigated relationships among multiple subcomponents of trait mindfulness and trait empathy (Study 1). Next, we reexamined the aforementioned relationships in an independent sample, with the further aim of investigating relevant mediation factors (Study 2). We found that two attention-related components of trait mindfulness-observing and acting with awareness-reliably and positively related to both affective and cognitive dimensions of trait empathy (i.e., empathic concern and perspective taking). Furthermore, we found that effortful control, reappraisal, and trait alexithymia mediated relationships between the aforementioned attention-related components of trait mindfulness and empathic concern. Taken together, our results suggest that the links between mindfulness and empathy are multidimensional and complex. These findings may ultimately contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms underlying the positive effects of meditation on empathy.

Nanosecond pulse used to enhance the electrocoagulation of municipal wastewater treatment with low specific energy consumption.

This study compares the performance of nanosecond pulse (NSP) and direct current (DC) power supplies for use in a municipal wastewater treatment by electrocoagulation (EC). Four Al plates connected in monopolar-parallel configuration (MP-P) were used as electrodes during the EC process. The maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency reached 68% and 80% using DC and NSP, respectively. Moreover, NSP treatment reduced approximately 15% of the specific energy consumption (SEC) compared with that by DC at a similar COD removal efficiency of ≈ 68%, which was used as a benchmark value. In addition, when using NSP, the SEC required to increase the COD removal efficiency from 60% to 68% was two to three times less than that when DC was applied. The results suggest that an NSP operating at 10 kHz frequency (f) and 1 µs pulse width (pw) are preferred for obtaining higher COD removal efficiencies at a low SEC. The use of an NSP for EC can enhance the COD removal efficiency and reduce the wastewater treatment SEC. The results presented herein promote the use of EC systems combined with renewable energy sources for reducing the net carbon footprint of wastewater processing.

Farming cultivates a community-level shared culture through collective activities: Examining contextual effects with multilevel analyses.

It has been suggested that the well-known cultural differences in interdependence across cultures are linked to economic activities, such as farming. However, the underlying processes of how such psychological tendencies are shared among people in a society has not been sufficiently investigated. This article addresses the multilevel processes of how psychological characteristics are shared among people. We focus on collective activities that go beyond the individual's personal economic activities. Multilevel analyses on a large-scale survey (residents of Japanese communities, N = 7,295) of 408 communities, along with a follow-up survey (N = 1,714) of 86 communities, suggested that "concern for reputation" (one aspect of interdependence) was more prevalent in farming communities than in nonfarming communities, not only for farmers, but also for nonfarmers. Furthermore, multilevel mediational analyses suggested that, (a) the proportion of farmers in a community was positively associated with participation in collective activities (e.g., maintenance of community infrastructure) by both farmers and nonfarmers, and (b) this is in turn associated with increased levels of concern for reputation at the community level. Community-level longitudinal analyses revealed that collective activities promoted residents' concern for reputation about two years later. These findings support our "collective activity" hypothesis, and demonstrate that interdependence can be constructed through social interaction via community activities. Fishing was associated with high levels of self-esteem and risk avoidance, and these effects were found only at the individual level. We conclude that economic activities affect social interaction, which in turn affects the multilevel processes of cultural emergence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

[Development of a Japanese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index].

Empathy is a multi-dimensional concept with emotional and cognitive components. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) is a multi-dimensional scale of empathic traits. Although some researchers have attempted to translate the IRI into Japanese, these translated scales had limitations with content and construct validity, and measurement invariance. We therefore attempt to overcome these limitations by developing a new Japanese version of the IRI (IRI-J). We used three approaches to assess the validity and measurement invariance of the IRI-J. In Study 1, content validity was tested using back-translation, and construct validity was confirmed through a comprehensive investigation of a web-based survey using six other scales. Results indicate that the factor structure of the IRI-J was equivalent to that of the original version, and that the IRI-J had adequate reliability and construct validity. In Study 2, measurement invariance by gender was confirmed using data from four web-based surveys. These results suggest that the factor model of IRI-J for each gender is equivalent. The present study thus provides an improved measure of empathic traits for the Japanese population.

[The effects of charity advertising on donations and donors' explicit and implicit evaluations of recipients].

Advertisements for charity generally employ one of two advertising strategies. The first appeals to the efficacy of support, while the second appeals to the necessity of support. Two experiments investigated the effect of each type of charity advertising on donations and on donors' explicit and implicit evaluations of the recipients. The results indicated that although participants' explicit evaluations of charity recipients were not changed by efficacy-based advertising, they were negatively influenced by necessity-based advertising. Furthermore, Experiment 1 detected moderating effects of empathic concern. The explicit evaluations of participants in the necessity-based advertising group were negatively correlated with their empathic concern. Implicit evaluations were consistently negative in both groups. Both advertising strategies were more effective at securing donations than the control group, which did not use any strategies. These findings suggest practical implications for charity advertising.

Zoophilic feeding behaviour of phlebotomine sand flies in the endemic areas of cutaneous leishmaniasis of Sindh Province, Pakistan.

Leishmania (Leishmania) major has been identified as the major causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sindh Province of southern Pakistan. To make a rational approach for understanding the pathogen transmission cycles, the sand fly species and their natural blood meals in the endemic areas were examined. Total DNA was individually extracted from sand flies collected in four villages in Sindh Province. PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) and sequence analysis of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene revealed that female sand flies identified were Sergentomyia clydei/Sergentomyia ghesquierei/Sergentomyia magna (68.6%), Sergentomyia dubia (17.1%), Phlebotomus papatasi (7.4%), Phlebotomus alexandri-like sand flies (3.4%) and Sergentomyia dentata (3.4%). PCR amplification of leishmanial kinetoplast DNA did not result in positive signals, suggesting that all 175 tested female sand flies were not infected with leishmanial parasites or contained undetectable levels of leishmanial DNA. Amplification and sequencing of the vertebrate cytochrome b gene in 28 blood-fed sand flies revealed that P. papatasi fed on cattle and wild rat whereas P. alexandri-like specimens fed on human, cattle, goat and dog. Although Sergentomyia sand flies are generally known to feed on cold-blooded animals, S. clydei, S. dubia and S. ghesquierei preferred humans, cattle, goat, sheep, buffalo, dog, donkey, wild rat and Indian gerbil. The epidemiological significance of the zoophilic feeding on various host species by Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia sand flies in Pakistan is further required to study for better understanding the zoonotic transmission of sand-fly-borne pathogens and for appropriate management of the vectors.

Evaluation of efficacy of bruceine A, a natural quassinoid compound extracted from a medicinal plant, Brucea javanica, for canine babesiosis.

Bruceine A, a natural quassinoid compound extracted from the dried fruits of Brucea javanica (L.) Merr., was evaluated for its antibabesial activity in vitro and in vivo. Bruceine A inhibited the in vitro growth of Babesia gibsoni in canine erythrocytes at lower concentration compared with the standard antibabesial drug diminazene aceturate and killed the parasites within 24 hr at a concentration of 25 nM. Oral administration of bruceine A at a dosage of 6.4 mg/kg/day for 5 days resulted in no clinical findings in a dog with normal ranges of hematological and biochemical values in the blood. Three dogs were infected with B. gibsoni and two of them were treated with bruceine A at a dosage of 6.4 mg/kg/day for 6 days from day 5 post-infection. An untreated dog developed typical acute babesiosis symptoms including severe anemia, high fever, and complete loss of appetite and movement. However, the two bruceine A-treated dogs maintained their healthy conditions throughout the experimental period of 4 weeks although complete elimination of parasites from the peripheral blood was not achieved and decreases in the packed cell volume and the erythrocyte and platelet counts were observed. Since natural quassinoid compounds have been used as traditional medicines for the treatment of various ailments including cancer and malaria, the present results suggest that bruceine A or other related compounds are potential candidates for the treatment of canine babesiosis.