Clinical outcomes of canine total hip replacement utilizing a BFX lateral bolt femoral stem: 195 consecutive cases (2013-2019).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of total hip replacements (THR) utilizing a BFX lateral bolt stem in dogs with coxofemoral joint disease. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SAMPLE POPULATION: A total of 149 dogs representing 195 THR. METHODS: Consecutive THRs utilizing a BFX lateral bolt stem were studied. Preoperative, immediate postoperative, 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 12-month postoperative radiographs were performed. All major and minor complications, revisions, outcomes, subsidence, canal flare index (CFI) were recorded. RESULTS: An intraoperative complication rate of 11.8% was observed. The postoperative complication rate was 13.6%, with 9.2% major and 4.4% minor complications. Complications included: postoperative femur fractures (3.6%), coxofemoral luxation (3.6%), stem failure (0.5%), septic loosening (0.5%), aseptic loosening (0.5%), and acetabular fracture (0.5%). Three dogs underwent prophylactic plating after subjective assessment of cortical thickness. Five of 195 (2.6%) cases underwent explant of their prostheses (median = 3 months). Mean stem subsidence at 1 month postoperatively was 1.22 ± 0.16 mm. An increased CFI was associated with postoperative femur fractures (p < .05). A total of 190 of 195 (97.4%) cases returned to normal function in the long-term follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Use of the BFX lateral bolt stem resulted in minimal postoperative subsidence, a low femoral stem complication rate, and a high rate of achieving normal limb function. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The BFX lateral bolt stem should be considered in canine THR as the femoral failure rate is low and the long-term success rate is high.

Activation of mosquito immunity blocks the development of transmission-stage filarial nematodes.

Mosquito-borne helminth infections are responsible for a significant worldwide disease burden in both humans and animals. Accordingly, development of novel strategies to reduce disease transmission by targeting these pathogens in the vector are of paramount importance. We found that a strain of Aedes aegypti that is refractory to infection by Dirofilaria immitis, the agent of canine heartworm disease, mounts a stronger immune response during infection than does a susceptible strain. Moreover, activation of the Toll immune signaling pathway in the susceptible strain arrests larval development of the parasite, thereby decreasing the number of transmission-stage larvae. Notably, this strategy also blocks transmission-stage Brugia malayi, an agent of human lymphatic filariasis. Our data show that mosquito immunity can play a pivotal role in restricting filarial nematode development and suggest that genetically engineering mosquitoes with enhanced immunity will help reduce pathogen transmission.

A neuroprotective role of the human uncoupling protein 2 (hUCP2) in a Drosophila Parkinson's disease model.

Parkinson's disease (PD), caused by selective loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, is the most common movement disorder. While its etiology remains unknown, mitochondrial dysfunction is recognized as one of the major cellular defects contributing to PD pathogenesis. Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) has been implicated in neuroprotection in several neuronal injury models. Here we show that hucp2 expression in Drosophila DA neurons under the control of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) promoter protects those flies against the mitochondrial toxin rotenone-induced DA neuron death, head dopamine depletion, impaired locomotor activity and energy deficiency. Under normal conditions, hUCP2 flies maintain an enhanced locomotor activity and have higher steady-state ATP levels suggesting improved energy homeostasis. We show that while no increased mitochondrial DNA content or volume fraction is measured in hUCP2 flies, augmented mitochondrial complex I activity is detected. Those results suggest that it is increased mitochondrial function but not mitochondrial biogenesis that appears responsible for higher ATP levels in hUCP2 flies. Consistent with this notion, an up-regulation of Spargel, the Drosophila peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 (PGC-1) homologue is detected in hUCP2 flies. Furthermore, a Spargel target gene Tfam, the mitochondrial transcription factor A is up-regulated in hUCP2 flies. Taken together, our results demonstrate a neuroprotective effect of hUCP2 in DA neurons in a Drosophila sporadic PD model. Moreover, as the TH promoter activity is present in both DA neurons and epidermis, our results reveal that hucp2 expression in those tissues may act as a stress signal to trigger Spargel activation resulting in enhanced mitochondrial function and increased energy metabolism.