Preliminary Assessment of Tumor-Associated Tissue Eosinophilia (TATE) in Canine Mast Cell Tumors: Prevalence and Prognostic Relevance and Its Association with Neoangiogenesis.

Mast cell tumor (MCT) is the most common malignant skin tumor in dogs. In order to gain more information on the prognostic markers in MCT, the role of the eosinophil granulocytes infiltrates was investigated and assessed by the evaluation of tumor-associated tissue eosinophilia (TATE) in 87 canine cutaneous MCTs. In human medicine, high TATE are often described in highly angiogenic tumors: we therefore assessed the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in neoplastic mast cells. TATE and VEGF expression were compared between themselves, with histological grading, immunohistochemical expression of KIT and Ki-67, and with the recurrence. We found a statistically significant correlation between TATE and Patnaik grading (p = 0.041), Kiupel grading (p = 0.022), immunohistochemical KIT expression (p = 0.015), and tumor recurrence (p = 0.000). No associations were observed with Ki-67 and VEGF expression. This is the first evaluation of TATE and its prognostic value in canine MCTs in veterinary oncology. This study suggest that this investigation could be an important source of information for this tumor and for other neoplasms.

Cannabis sativa L. may reduce aggressive behaviour towards humans in shelter dogs.

Among the phytocomplex components of Cannabis sativa L., cannabidiol (CBD) has a recognised therapeutic effect on chronic pain. Little is known about the veterinary use of CBD in dogs. Even less is known on the effects of CBD on dog behaviour, especially in shelters. The purpose of this study was to determine if CBD affects stress related behaviour in shelter dogs. The sample consisted of 24 dogs divided into two groups that were created by assigning the dogs alternately: 12 dogs were assigned to the treatment group and 12 to the control group. Extra virgin olive oil, titrated to 5% in CBD was given to treated group; the placebo consisted of olive oil only, dispensed daily for 45 days. Behavioural data were collected using the 'focal animal' sampling method with 'all occurrences' and '1/0' methods for 3 h: before (T0), after 15 days (T1), after 45 days of treatment (T2) and after 15 days from the end of the treatment (T3). Treated dogs showed reduced aggressive behaviour toward humans following the treatment (Friedman Test: χ2 = 13.300; df = 3; N = 12; p = .004; adj. sig. p = 0.027), but the difference in the decrease of aggressive behaviour between the two groups was not significant (Mann-Whitney U test, T2-T0: Z = - 1.81; N = 24; p = 0.078). Other behaviours indicative of stress, such as displacing activities and stereotypes, did not decrease. Despite some non-significant results, our findings suggest that it is worth doing more research to further investigate the effect of CBD on dog behaviour; this would be certainly valuable because the potential for improving the welfare of dogs in shelters is priceless.

Evaluation of intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for dog visceral hemangiosarcoma: A retrospective case-control study register-based in Lazio region, Italy.

The genetic and breed susceptibility of visceral hemangiosarcoma in dogs has been studied, but there is no evidence of environmental risk factors as reported in human medicine. We conducted a case-control study in which the sampling population was the list of canine oncology cases of the Animal Tumour Registry of Lazio region, Italy (2009-2017). We defined cases as dogs with visceral hemangiosarcoma and controls as dogs affected by another neoplasm. The ratio between controls and cases was 3:1. Analysed variables were: age, weight, sex, reproductive status, size, breed, nutrition habit, living environment and location of the house. We performed a preliminary univariate analysis to select potential risk factors (p-value < 0.2) then entered in a forward stepwise logistic regression model. Ninety-three cases enrolled in the study were compared with 279 controls. The multivariable logistic regression identified age, reproductive status and breed as significant risk factors. Results showed an increasing risk with increasing age for age classes 6-10 and > 10 years old (OR = 9.69, 95 % CI: 1.21-77.62; OR = 14.01, 95 % CI: 1.65-119.03). Neutered animals (male and female) were at greater risk compared to intact ones. The breeds at greatest risk were German shepherd (OR = 4.17, 95 % CI: 1.25-13.86) and mixed breed (OR = 3.50, 95 % CI: 1.44-8.51). The last finding could be explained by the genetic origin of the animals, which may include German shepherd or another possible breed at risk. No other individual or environmental variables were identified as risk factors. The findings of this work indicate that genetic predisposition is the key element in visceral hemangiosarcoma development.

Environmental exposure to non-essential trace elements in two bat species from urbanised (Tadarida teniotis) and open land (Miniopterus schreibersii) areas in Italy.

Bats are particularly suited as bioindicators of trace element pollution due to their longevity and their position in the trophic chain. In this study, the concentrations of ten non-essential trace elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Hg, Pb, Sb, Sr, Th, Tl) were determined in the tissues (whole body, skin-fur, skinned body, liver, kidney and bone) of lactant Tadarida teniotis from a nursery colony in Rome. A large number of bats from this nursery died before fledging and had bone deformities and fractures. The concentrations of non-essential trace elements in bone and whole body were also analysed in adult specimens of Miniopterus schreibersii from a colony located in a natural park in Northern Italy. In lactant T. teniotis, the Pb concentration decreased in the following order: bone>liver>skinned body>whole body>skin-fur>kidney, and exceeded the toxic threshold associated with negative effects reported for different mammalian species. The levels of the other non-essential trace elements were within a range indicative of low environmental contamination in both species. Significant interspecies differences (P < 0.05) were observed for concentrations of Pb and Ba, higher in the bones of T. teniotis, and of Cd, Hg and Sr, higher in the bones of M. schreibersii. In lactant T. teniotis, the different sources of Pb exposure, through inhalation and/or food, may represent a potential threat to the colony of this synanthropic European bat.

Monitoring honey bee health in five natural protected areas in Italy.

The health status of the honey bee populations has attracted a great amount of interest in recent years. We investigated honey bee health in five natural protected areas in Italy from October 2009 to December 2010. Areas were selected to represent a wide range of bio­geographical zones including alpine, continental, and Mediterranean. Within each of these natural protected areas, one apiary of 20 colonies near potential pollution sources (e.g., agricultural areas, industrial areas, or urban settlements) and another apiary of 20 colonies far from possible sources of pollutants have been placed. To monitor honey bee health, colony mortality was related to: honey bee pathologies, environment (Naturality Index, plant protection products and heavy metal exposure), and apiary management. Anthropogenic pollutants and pathogens did not have significant effects on colony mortality while environment and the poor colony management skills of the beekeepers did.

Behaviour and eating habits as determinants for human opisthorchiasis in the Bolsena Lake area, Italy.

In Italy, food-borne outbreaks of opisthorchiasis have occurred since 2003, all of them originating from some lakes in Central Italy where the only European liver fluke, Opisthorchis felineus (Rivolta, 1884) is endemic. The aim of the present study is to investigate the factors that may facilitate the life cycle of O. felineus in the area of Bolsena Lake, the knowledge of the local population about opisthorchiasis, and preventative healthcare measures. We performed a descriptive observational study through the submission of questionnaires to three target populations: fishermen who fish exclusively in Bolsena Lake, restaurateurs whose businesses are close to the lake and general population living in the province of Viterbo. Results showed hazardous behaviours and eating habits in the three target populations, as well as a poor knowledge of opisthorchiasis and preventative healthcare measures.

Completeness of the dog registry and estimation of the dog population size in a densely populated area of Rome.

In most European countries, registration and identification of dogs is compulsory. In Italy, the national dog registry is composed of regional dog registries. Although dog registries have been established for many years, the issue related to completeness of data has not been addressed so far. The objective of this study was twofold: first to assess the completeness of data of the dog registry through telephone interview of a sample of dog owners drawn from the dog registry, then to estimate the total owned dog population in 4 boroughs of Rome. For the second objective, a capture-recapture method was applied using data from the dog registry and data from a face-to-face questionnaire submitted to people waiting in the sitting room of 5 points of access for booking and payment of primary and specialist care. Different scenarios are proposed to verify the assumptions of the estimation procedure and potential biases are discussed. The completeness of data of the dog registry was 88.9% (95% CI: 85.8-91.9%) and the owned-dog population was estimated at 26,244 dogs (95% CI: 24,110-28,383). The dog registry is an important source of information especially when it is properly updated and completeness of data is known.