Chronic rhinitis in cats

Chronic rhinitis is a common and important problem in cats potentially resulting from a number of intranasal or systemic disorders. Idiopathic chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal neoplasia are the most common causes of chronic nasal disease in cats. For most cats with chronic rhinitis, diagnostic imaging, endoscopic studies, and nasal biopsy will be required to establish a diagnosis. A discussion of some of the more common causes of chronic nasal disease is presented.     

Chronic renal failure in dogs: a comparative clinical and morphological study of chronic glomerulonephritis and chronic interstitial nephritis.

Chronic renal disease is an important clinical problem in dogs. Until recently, diffuse renal fibrosis with chronic renal failure has been attributed mainly to chronic interstitial nephritis, itself considered to be the end stage of acute leptospiral nephritis. A clinical and morphological analysis of eight cases of chronic glomerulonephritis is described and a comparison made with eight dogs suffering from severe chronic interstitial nephritis. Clinically and biochemically, the two diseases were virtually indistinguishable, both resulting in uraemia. A possible distinguishing feature of chronic interstitial nephritis was the anaemia which was absent from chronic glomerulonephritis cases. Morphologically, the two diseases appeared to be distinguishable on three grounds; the pattern and severity of fibrosis, the degree of fibrin deposition and the immunofluorescence findings.     

Effects of chronic mild food restriction on behavior and the hypothalamic malonyl‐CoA signaling pathway

Depression induces anorexia, leading to suppressed feeding behaviors and energy intake. Previously, we revealed that chronic social defeat induced a mild suppression of feeding in rats with elevated levels of hypothalamic malonyl‐CoA which regulates feeding. Therefore, we attempted to elucidate the effects of chronic mild food restriction on behavior and on hypothalamic malonyl‐CoA. The chronic mild food restricted rats were fed a restricted diet approximately 80% to 90% amount of diet compared to the control for 5 weeks. Ratios of restriction were adjusted with feed consumption in the chronic social defeat stressed rats. Chronic mild food restricted rats exhibited a suppression of body weight gain similar to that of the chronic social defeat stressed rats. Also these rats showed increased time spent in the center area of an open field (OF), prolonged immobility time in forced swim, increased phosphorylation of hypothalamic adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl‐CoA carboxylase and a decreased concentration of hypothalamic malonyl‐CoA. Weight of the adrenal glands, locomotion in an OF, mitogen‐activated protein kinase cascade and calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinases II in the hippocampus were not affected by chronic mild food restriction. Our findings suggest that chronic mild food restriction activates AMPK following a decreased hypothalamic malonyl‐CoA.     

山东省意大利蜜蜂慢性麻痹病毒感染情况调查及防控建议

蜜蜂慢性麻痹病是由蜜蜂慢性麻痹病毒引起的对蜂群造成毁灭性破坏的病毒病,该病的发生与蜂群的环境因素有密切关系。因此,明确蜜蜂慢性麻痹病的感染情况,有利于该病的预防。研究采用实地考察和高效灵敏的PCR检测相结合的方法,对山东省17个地市意大利蜜蜂蜂场的蜜蜂慢性麻痹病毒感染情况进行了调查。结果显示,山东省蜜蜂慢性麻痹病毒感染率为7.5%。根据调查结果提出了相应的防治措施,为山东省蜜蜂慢性麻痹病的防控以及养蜂业的健康持续发展提供了科学的理论依据。     

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in a Staffordshire bull terrier with hypothyroidism

Radiographic evidence of chronic interstitial lung changes, usually believed to be attributable to lung fibrosis, is readily recognised in canine practice. Furthermore, there is a body of anecdotal evidence suggesting that a specific clinical entity consistent with chronic lung fibrosis occurs in specific breeds of terrier dogs. However, there is little pathological data to confirm these radiographic and clinical findings and, therefore, chronic interstitial lung disease of dogs is poorly characterised. In this report, a case of chronic pulmonary fibrosis is described in which histopathological confirmation was possible, and suggested that the condition might be analogous to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis) in humans.     

Prevalence and breed distribution of chronic pancreatitis at post-mortem examination in first-opinion dogs

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of canine chronic pancreatitis in first-opinion practice and identify breed associations or other risk factors. METHODS: Three sections of pancreas were taken from 200 unselected canine post-mortem examinations from first-opinion practices. Sections were graded for inflammation, fibrosis and other lesions. Prevalence and relative risks of chronic pancreatitis and other pancreatic diseases were calculated. RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic pancreatitis was 34 per cent omitting the autolysed cases. Cavalier King Charles spaniels, collies and boxers had increased relative risks of chronic pancreatitis; cocker spaniels had an increased relative risks of acute and chronic pancreatitis combined. Fifty-seven per cent of cases of chronic pancreatitis were classified histologically as moderate or marked. Forty-one per cent of cases involved all three sections. Dogs with chronic pancreatitis were more commonly female and overweight, but neither factor increased the relative risk of chronic pancreatitis. There were breed differences in histological appearances and 24.5 per cent of cases were too autolysed to interpret with an increased relative risk of autolysis in a number of large breeds. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Chronic pancreatitis is a common, under-estimated disease in the first-opinion dog population with distinctive breed risks and histological appearances.     

Chronic hepatitis: a retrospective study in 34 dogs.

The aims of this study were to characterize the histological changes observed in 34 accessioned cases of canine chronic hepatitis and to correlate these changes with the clinical pathological data. Cases of chronic hepatitis were subdivided into 6 categories: chronic active hepatitis (10/34), chronic persistent hepatitis (7/32), chronic cholestatic hepatitis (6/34), fibrosing hepatitis with cirrhosis (3/34), chronic cholangiohepatitis (3/34), and miscellaneous secondary hepatitis (5/34). Iron accumulation was a consistent finding in all livers examined. Although all cases of chronic hepatitis had elevated liver enzymes, no correlation was detected between biochemical parameters and the severity of morphologic changes. Similarly, no correlation was detected between rhodanine staining for copper and morphologic or biochemical indicators of cholestasis. However, presence of copper correlated well with reticulo-fibrosis (r = 0.8) and bile duct hyperplasia, suggesting that changes in the hemodynamics of the hepatic acini due to fibrosis could influence storage of copper.     

Research Progress on Hair Cortisol as Evaluation Indicators of Chronic Stress

Making hair cortisol as the gold standard of reflecting chronic stress level is prospective and innovative.Hair cortisol not only can be used in detecting and estimating the chronic stress level of animals, but also can be benefit for understanding the body's physiological and pathological process and making effective health management strategy in time.Blood, saliva, urine and milk cortisol concentrations can be regarded as matrices for reflecting acute stress level as well, they have been used in detecting and establishing the diurnal profile of circulating cortisol studying.But hair which is a good supplementary matric can reflect the chronic stress level retrospectively.Hair cortisol as a reflection of the biochemical markers of chronic stress has the advantages of no invasive, relatively sensitive detection and convenient sampling stress, and hair cortisol is a heritable trait (h²=0.31).The utility of hair cortisol as a maker for HPA activity, and a useful tool for identifying genetic variation influences on long term individual differences in HPA activity.This article summarized the relationship between the cortisol and animal's healthy, the regulating mechanism and genetic adaptation change under chronic stress and the research progress of evaluation indicators during chronic stress, the research progress of hair as a matric of cortisol, the limitations and challenge of regarding hair cortisol as the biochemical marker to reflect the chronic stress level in the future.     

毛发皮质醇激素作为慢性应激评定指标的研究进展

将毛发皮质醇激素作为反映慢性应激程度的黄金标准具有前瞻性和创新性。毛发皮质醇激素不仅可用于检测及估计动物慢性应激程度,且有助于了解动物体生理病理过程,并及时制定行之有效的健康管理策略。血液、唾液、尿液及乳汁中皮质醇激素含量作为反映急性应激程度的模型,被用于检测和建立持续的皮质醇激素昼夜循环规律研究。而毛发作为一个很好的补充模型却可以回顾性地反映慢性应激程度。毛发皮质醇激素作为反映慢性应激的生化指标不仅具有采样应激小、检测灵敏、方便的优点,而且是可遗传性状(h²=0.31),可以作为下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴(HPA轴)活性标记,进而利用其解释遗传变异对慢性应激中HPA轴活性变化的影响程度。作者综述了皮质醇激素与动物体健康的关系,慢性应激下机体调节机理及遗传适应改变,慢性应激评定指标研究进展,毛发作为皮质醇激素研究模型的研究进展,以及毛发皮质醇激素作为反映慢性应激的生化指标的限制与未来面对的挑战。     

Evaluation of a novel immunotherapy for treatment of chronic rhinitis in cats

The pathogenesis of chronic rhinitis in cats is poorly understood and consistently effective therapies are not currently available. Therefore, randomized clinical trials were conducted to evaluate a novel immunotherapy for treatment of chronic rhinitis in adult (n=12) and young cats (n=28). In addition, cytokine profiles in cats with chronic rhinitis were compared to those of healthy cats. Cats were treated with a potent stimulator of innate immunity (liposome-IL-2 DNA complexes) and the effects of treatment on clinical signs and immune function were assessed. In adult cats with chronic rhinitis, immunotherapy led to significant improvement in frequency of sneezing but not in other clinical signs when compared to the placebo group, whereas immunotherapy failed to improve clinical signs in younger cats. Analysis of cytokine expression in cats with rhinitis did not reveal evidence of a Th2 cytokine bias in cats with rhinitis. We conclude that chronic rhinitis in cats is not a Th2-biased disease and that immunotherapy may lead to clinical improvement in adult cats with the disease.     

Rhinostomy as Surgical Treatment of Odontogenic Rhinitis in Three Pet Rabbits

Disease of the upper airways, specifically chronic rhinitis, is common in pet rabbits and is particularly debilitating in this obligate nasal-breathing species. Cases of chronic rhinitis can be mild to severe (empyema of the nasal cavities). Surgical therapy requires a thorough understanding of upper respiratory anatomy of the rabbit and is an option for chronic rhinitis cases nonresponsive to medical therapy. Diagnostic imaging aids in diagnosing the extent of the disease process and guides the surgical approach. The author reports 3 cases of surgical treatment of rabbit patients diagnosed with chronic rhinitis and empyema of the nasal cavities following advanced or end-stage dental disease.     

Role of iron and iron chelation therapy in oxygen free radical mediated tissue injury in an ascending mouse model of chronic pyelonephritis

The contribution of iron towards the free radical generation leading to renal tissue damage was assessed using a non-obstructive ascending mouse model for chronic pyelonephritis. The parameters studied include luminol dependent chemiluminescence (LDCL), histopathology and some biochemical investigations. We found that iron enhanced the renal tissue damage and led to renal scarring, an end point in chronic renal inflammation, irrespective of the bacterial strain studied. In addition a role of iron chelation therapy as a treatment for chronic renal inflammation is also suggested.     

Serum gastrin in canine chronic lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis

This study evaluates serum gastrin concentrations in dogs with chronic lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis, as well as its possible relationship with the severity of lesions present in the stomach. To achieve this aim, 5 dogs without gastrointestinal disease and 15 dogs with chronic lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis were included. Serum gastrin concentrations were significantly increased in dogs with chronic lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis compared with those in dogs without gastrointestinal disease. Also, there was a positive correlation between the severity of the gastric lesion and the serum gastrin concentration. Our findings indicate the possibility that gastrin plays a role in the etiology of an accompanying chronic antral gastritis in canine chronic lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis.     

Pancreatolithiasis and pancreatic pseudobladder associated with pancreatitis in a cat

Pancreatolithiasis has been documented to occur naturally in humans and cattle. It has been associated with chronic pancreatitis in humans, and, when found, it may signify the presence of chronic pancreatic disease. This is the first report of a case involving a cat that had both an apparent obstruction with pancreatolithiasis as well as concurrent evidence of chronic pancreatic changes on histopathological evaluation. Additionally, this case documents the presence of a suspected congenital abnormality of a feline exocrine pancreas.     

Diagnosis of hyperthyroidism in cats with mild chronic kidney disease

OBJECTIVES: In cats with concurrent hyperthyroidism and non-thyroidal illnesses such as chronic kidney disease, total thyroxine concentrations are often within the laboratory reference range (19 to 55 nmol/l). The objective of the study was to determine total thyroxine, free thyroxine and/or thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations in cats with mild chronic kidney disease. METHODS: Total thyroxine, free thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone were measured in three groups. The hyperthyroidism-chronic kidney disease group (n=16) had chronic kidney disease and clinical signs compatible with hyperthyroidism but a plasma total thyroxine concentration within the reference range. These cats were subsequently confirmed to be hyperthyroid at a later date. The chronic kidney disease-only group (n=20) had chronic kidney disease but no signs of hyperthyroidism. The normal group (n=20) comprised clinically healthy senior (>8 years) cats. RESULTS: In 4 of 20 euthyroid chronic kidney disease cats, free thyroxine concentrations were borderline or high (> or =40 pmol/l). In the hyperthyroidism-chronic kidney disease group, free thyroxine was high in 15 of 16 cats, while thyroid-stimulating hormone was low in 16 of 16 cats. Most hyperthyroidism-chronic kidney disease cats (14 of 16) had total thyroxine greater than 30 nmol/l, whereas all the chronic kidney disease-only cats had total thyroxine less than 30 nmol/l. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The combined measurement of free thyroxine with total thyroxine or thyroid-stimulating hormone may be of merit in the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism in cats with chronic kidney disease.     

Chronic copper toxicity in a dairy cow

A three year old Holstein dairy cow fed a ration containing a copper supplement died of chronic copper poisoning. The concentration of copper in the liver was 331 ppm (wet weight). The typical lesions of chronic copper toxicity including icterus, hepatic fibrosis and hemoglobinemic nephrosis were found at necropsy. The chronic copper toxicity was not considered to be a herd problem since the liver copper concentration in a slaughtered cull animal and blood samples taken from five animals in the same herd were within normal limits.     

ACCURACY OF A COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY BRONCHIAL WALL THICKNESS TO PULMONARY ARTERY DIAMETER RATIO FOR ASSESSING BRONCHIAL WALL THICKENING IN DOGS

Computed tomography is increasingly being used in veterinary medicine to evaluate animals with pulmonary signs such as coughing, tachypnea, and exercise intolerance, however, a quantitative measure of bronchial wall thickening has yet to be validated in veterinary medicine. Canine chronic bronchitis is a disease that is characterized histologically by thickening of the bronchial walls. Thoracic CT images of 16 dogs with chronic bronchitis and 72 dogs presenting for conditions unrelated to cough were evaluated. A ratio comparing the bronchial wall thickness to the adjacent pulmonary artery diameter was obtained in the right and left cranial and caudal lung lobes. There was no significant difference in dogs with chronic bronchitis or unaffected dogs between the left and right hemithorax, patient weight, patient age, image slice thickness, or CT machine used. Dogs with chronic bronchitis were found to have a significantly greater ratio than unaffected dogs (P < 0.001). The ratios in the cranial lung lobes were found to be significantly greater than the caudal lung lobes in both chronic bronchitis and unaffected dogs (P < 0.001). A receiver operating characteristic curve of the ratios in the cranial lung lobes had an area under the curve of 0.912, indicating high accuracy in predicting for bronchial wall thickening. A ratio of ≥0.6 in the cranial lung lobes was found to have a sensitivity of 77% and specificity of 100% in predicting for the presence of chronic bronchitis, and we propose using this cut‐off as supportive of bronchial wall thickening on CT.     

Diagnosis and prognosis of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis in dogs

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the significance of enzymatic and biochemical analyses in the classification of chronic inflammatory liver disease and to evaluate the prognosis of these diseases. Chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis were diagnosed by histopathological examination in 79 dogs. Decreased appetite and lethargy were the most common owner complaints (46/79). Vomiting and, or, diarrhoea were reported in 27/79 dogs. Ascites was the most common clinical sign (43/79), whereas icterus was a more unusual finding demonstrated in 16/79 dogs. Liver cirrhosis was diagnosed most frequently, in 33/79 dogs, followed by chronic progressive hepatitis (22/79), chronic cholangiohepatitis (13/79), and chronic non-specific hepatitis (11/79). Hypoalbuminaemia was the most consistent biochemical aberration in liver cirrhosis (25/26) and in chronic progressive hepatitis (13/18). These diseases also showed normal to mildly increased concentrations of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and serum γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and a moderate to marked increase of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and fasting serum bile acid (SBA) concentrations. As expected, icterus and markedly elevated ALT, ALP, GGT and SBA levels were demonstrated in chronic cholangiohepatitis. In this disease hypoalbuminaemia was shown in 6/12 dogs, whereas in dogs with chronic non-specific hepatitis, mean SBA and albumin concentrations were normal. In liver cirrhosis the prognosis was poor, with 94 per cent of the dogs dead within one week of established diagnosis. For dogs with the other types of chronic hepatitis the prognosis was more favourable with the mean survival time ranging from 21-1 to 36-4 months.     

Adverse effect of complete thoracic evacuation during chronic pneumothorax in a dog

OBJECTIVE: To describe an unusual response to evacuation of a chronic pneumothorax in a dog. CASE: Resolution of a pneumothorax is usually associated with lung expansion and a marked improvement in pulmonary function. In the case presented here, evacuation of a chronic pneumothorax improved oxygenation, but markedly impaired ventilation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This is a previously unreported complication associated with the treatment of pneumothorax in dogs. It suggests that in some cases of chronic pneumothorax, total evacuation of the pleural air pocket may improve oxygenation but ventilation deteriorates and increases PCO2, causing further complications.     

SD大鼠术后急性疼痛向慢性疼痛转化的差异代谢物分析

术后慢性疼痛病因十分复杂,迄今发生机制尚未明析。本研究旨在通过动物模型解析术后急性疼痛向慢性疼痛转化的相关物质,以期找到引发术后疼痛的关键物质。采用气相色谱-质谱（GC-MS）代谢组学技术,比较分析大鼠术后急性疼痛和慢性坐骨神经紧缩损伤疼痛的相关物质,筛选差异代谢物。结果经分析后得到224种代谢物,其中,35种代谢物具有显著差异（VIP>1,P<0.05,∣log₂FC∣≥2）,代谢通路富集分析发现,45条潜在相关代谢通路（P<0.05）。分析表明,N-乙酰天冬氨酸（NAA）、泛酸、天冬氨酸、3-羟基丁酸、β-丙氨酸、葡萄糖等差异代谢物及其相关代谢通路可能与术后急性疼痛向慢性疼痛转变密切相关。解析出术后急性疼痛向慢性疼痛转化的相关物质,这为术后疼痛机制的研究提供了参考,也为术后疼痛的识别和治疗提供了新的方法和思路。