Hydrated nucleus pulposus herniation in seven dogs.

The clinical signs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, treatment and follow-up in seven dogs with hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion (HNPE) are reported. All dogs had tetraparesis or tetraplegia. T2-weighted MRI revealed extradural hyperintense homogeneous material compressing the cervical spinal cord. After conservative treatment (five dogs) or surgical decompression (two dogs), all dogs returned to ambulatory function within 1 month. Follow-up MRI in conservatively treated dogs revealed complete disappearance of the extruded material. Histopathological examination of surgical specimens confirmed that the retrieved material was extruded nucleus pulposus with evidence of early degeneration.

New insights onto cardiopulmonary nematodes of dogs in Sardinia, Italy.

Dog heartworms Angiostrongylus vasorum and Dirofilaria immitis cause severe parasitological diseases; the importance of these parasitosis is growing due to their health impact on animals, the possible zoonotic implications and the recent spreading across several European countries and previously non-endemic areas. The aim of this study is to update the epidemiological scenario of cardiopulmonary nematodes A. vasorum and D. immitis in dogs of Sardinia island and to perform a morphological identification of larvae by the use of the Baermann and Knott techniques respectively and the molecular characterization of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) and the second ribosomal transcribed spacer region (ITS-2) of larvae L1 of A. vasorum. In the present study, 3.4% (5/146) of dogs resulted positive at Baermann technique for A. vasorum while 8.9% (61/684) to D. immitis. If on one side A. vasorum can be considered an emerging parasite in Sardinia, the parasitic pressure and the risk of infection for D. immitis in the island seems to be increased compared with the recent past.

Molecular characterization of subcutaneous and muscular coenurosis of goats in United Arab Emirates.

Coenurosis is a parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of Taenia multiceps, which affects various ruminants species, particularly sheep and goats, and occasionally humans. In this note, non-cerebral coenurosis in goats with the goal to compare morphological and biomolecular characteristics is focused in order to determine if the non-cerebral specimens should be considered a new specie or a strain of T. multiceps. Three hundred goats slaughtered with macroscopic lesions due to the presence of metacestodes were examined in an abattoir in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in order to evaluate the presence of extra-cerebral coenuri. Forty-eight coenuri were found under the skin, between fasciae of the skeletal muscles, diaphragm and in the abdominal cavities. Morphologically, the examined non-cerebral coenuri recovered showed the same features reported by other authors for Coenurus cerebralis, but their location outside the central nervous system suggests that they may be a different strain or genetic variants of T. multiceps. Nine caprine coenuri were then processed for sequencing of mitochondrial partial COI (396 bp) and ND1 (471 bp) genes indicating that they had a pairwise distance of 1.0-1.3% and 2.4-4.1% compared with parasite' COI sequences from Italy (Tm1-Tm3 strains) and Erzurum strains of ovine origin, respectively; whereas it had 0.6-1.3% and 0.4-1.1% pairwise distance for ND1. Phylogenetic trees of their ND1 and COI sequences using the maximum composite likelihood method with MEGA showed that these nine parasites recovered in Emirates abattoir could be grouped into a new strain. In conclusion, morphological and molecular characterization of caprine coenurosis from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, shows that the specimens are significantly different from other strains or genotypes in COI sequence, which suggests that they should belong to different genotypes or strains of T. multiceps.

Lumbar interbody expanding cage. A preliminary study on an animal model.

Interbody fusion devices are used in human medicine for treating degenerative diseases of the spine. Currently, there is not a universally accepted assessment tool for determining fusion, and the definitive criteria for diagnosing a successful interbody fusion remain controversial. The aim of this study was to describe microscopic and helical computed tomography (CT) imaging in the assessment of lumbar interbody fusion using cylindrical threaded titanium expanding cage in sheep. One cylindrical threaded expanding titanium cage (Proconcept--SA, Orange, France) was inserted through a transperitoneal approach after radical discectomy and packed with cancellous bone autograft in five adult sheep. The subjects were euthanatized after three, six, 12, 18 and 24 months. CT images revealed lumbar fusion at 12 months post operation, whereas microscopic evaluations indicated the presence of lumbar fusion at 18 months. CT and histological grades were the same in 65% of the cases observed. There were not a significant difference between CT, histological and micro radiographic grades. Helical CT scanning can be considered to be a suitable method for the monitoring of lumbar fusion as it enables observation of the deposition of bony bridging within the cage.

Nodular lesions of the tongue in canine leishmaniosis.

In this case report, an atypical clinical presentation of leishmaniosis in a dog with multiple nodular lesions of the tongue is described. Haematological and biochemical analysis, serological test for Leishmania infantum antibodies and biopsy samples from several nodules of the tongue for histopathological examination were made. The final diagnosis of leishmaniosis was based upon the observation of amastigotes in the bioptic samples. It is recommended to consider leishmaniosis among the list of differentials of mucosal nodular lesions, at least in endemic areas.

Carboplatin sustained delivery system using injectable microspheres.

A controlled carboplatin delivery system using biodegradable polymer has been used in this study. The purpose was to evaluate the local and systemic effects of injectable, biodegradable microspheres containing carboplatin when injected as aqueous suspension subcutaneously in rats. Biocompatibility and toxicity of empty microspheres and microspheres loaded with carboplatin were evaluated by clinical and histological examination. The diffusion of carboplatin in tissues and time of drug release were evaluated by platinum determination in plasma and tissues over the time. The results of the study suggest that microspheres provide a sustained slow release of carboplatin and that multiple inoculations of microspheres containing drug and no evidence of local or systemic toxicity is found. This device may be useful in the treatment of solid tumours.