Management of inflammatory polyps in 37 cats

The case records of 37 cats treated for nasopharyngeal or aural inflammatory polyps were reviewed. Thirty of them were managed conservatively with the polyp being removed by traction alone. Long-term follow-up information was available for 22 cats, of which 13 (59 per cent) had no recurrence of clinical signs. The remaining nine cats required recurrent polyps to be removed surgically. Cats with only nasopharyngeal polyps were nearly four times more likely to be cured by traction alone than cats with aural polyps, and none of the cats that was treated with prednisolone after traction suffered a recurrence. Cats with more severe aural signs were more likely to require surgery.     

Clinical assessment of disease activity for canine inflammatory bowel disease

Clinical indices, consisting of gastrointestinal signs and laboratory parameters, are widely used for assessing disease activity in human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The development of a standardized scoring index for use in dogs with IBD would be useful in the management of clinical cases, both at diagnosis and in response to medical therapy. This review provides a synopsis of current strategies used to assess IBD activity in humans and companion animals. The clinical application of a simple scoring index (e.g., canine IBD activity index [CIBDAI]) for measurement of canine IBD activity is also reviewed.     

Feline inflammatory bowel disease: a review

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), while a popular diagnosis, may not occur as commonly as it is diagnosed. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that it is important to eliminate diseases that mimick it. Dietary intolerance or allergy in particular, can have the same clinical and histologic appearance as IBD. Likewise, well-differentiated alimentary lymphosarcoma can also be confused with it. Intestinal biopsies are useful, but must be taken carefully and then evaluated by someone with interest and expertise in alimentary tract pathology. Therefore, it behoves the clinician to carefully consider the diagnosis instead of starting multiple drug therapy in a cavalier fashion. Well constructed dietary therapy can often be beneficial for both dietary problems and IBD.     

Multisystemic inflammatory disease in a borzoi dog

A six-week-old female borzoi puppy from a brother-sister mating developed a generalised illness characterised by anorexia, temporary intention tremor, episodic pyrexia, tachypnoea, conjunctivitis, otitis and neck pain. Haematological abnormalities included an inflammatory leukogram and regenerative anaemia. Blood cultures remained sterile; clinical chemistry values were unremarkable. The puppy had recurrent seizures and was euthanased when 18 weeks old. Post mortem examination revealed a multisystemic inflammatory disease involving thyroids, lymph nodes, spleen, pancreas, bladder and lung, but no lesions to account for the neurological signs. The cause of this generalised disease was not recognised. The histological features are unusual and resemble those described in other dogs of this breed.     

Obstructive inflammatory laryngeal disease in three cats

Three cats with upper respiratory tract obstruction due to laryngeal inflammation are presented. Cervical radiography showed the presence of a soft tissue mass in the laryngeal region in all cases, and laryngoscopy allowed direct visualization of a mass associated with the larynx. Laryngeal samples were obtained by a combination of fine needle aspiration, cutting biopsy forceps, by ventral laryngotomy, and at post-mortem. Histopathology of the laryngeal samples showed the presence of a predominantly granulomatous inflammation, with macrophage and lymphocyte infiltration. One case was euthanased due to severe dyspnoea. The remaining two cases underwent combined medical (corticosteroid and antibiotic) and surgical (permanent tracheostomy or excision of laryngeal tissue by ventral laryngotomy) treatment. One case died of an undetermined cause 15 weeks after surgery while the other case remains clinically well 20 months after diagnosis. Recognition of the existence of granulomatous laryngitis is important as clinical signs and radiographic findings are indistinguishable from laryngeal neoplasia.     

Evaluation of disease activity markers in dogs with idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical utility of serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha, C-reactive protein and microalbuminuria as disease activity markers in canine idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease. METHODS: Dogs with chronic gastrointestinal disease for which no underlying cause could be identified were considered to have idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease and were included in the study. Serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha was assessed using a canine-specific ELISA, C-reactive protein by immunoturbidometric assay and quantitative microalbuminuria was analysed using a monoclonal antibody directed against canine albumin. The canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index and histopathologic grade were used to assess disease severity; biologic markers were then compared with the canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index and histopathologic grade. RESULTS: Sixteen dogs were included in the study. C-reactive protein level was mildly elevated in 15 dogs. Microalbuminuria was elevated in two of 15 dogs, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha was not detected in any dog tested. No correlation was found between the canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index and C-reactive protein or microalbuminuria or between histopathologic grade and C-reactive protein or microalbuminuria. There was no correlation between histopathologic grade and the canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Although only a small number of dogs were evaluated, this study does not support the use of serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha measured by canine-specific ELISA or microalbuminuria in the evaluation of disease activity in dogs with idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease. Although mildly elevated in most dogs, C-reactive protein did not reflect disease severity as assessed by the canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index or histopathologic grade.     

A scoring index for disease activity in canine inflammatory bowel disease

The clinical course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in dogs is characterized by spontaneous exacerbations and remissions, which makes assessment of disease burden difficult. The objectives of this study were to develop a scoring system for evaluation of canine IBD activity and to validate this scoring method by correlating it to objective laboratory and histologic indices of intestinal inflammation. Fifty-eight dogs with IBD were evaluated prospectively and compared to 9 disease-free control dogs. Clinical disease activity was quantified by a simple scoring system, the canine IBD activity index (CIBDAI), and compared to serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin (HAP), alpha-acid glycoprotein (AGP), and serum amyloid A (SAA), as well as histology scores derived from endoscopic biopsy specimens. Forty-six dogs were available for a reevaluation of the CIBDAI, CRP HAP, and AGP, and 34 dogs had repeat analysis of SAA performed after medical therapy. Serum concentrations of CRP were significantly (P < .02) increased in dogs with CIBDAI scores > or = 5 (mild disease activity or greater) compared to controls. Among IBD dogs, the CIBDAI showed good correlation (r = 0.82, P < .0001) to both histology and HAP scores, but CRP also was a strong co-correlate of disease activity. The IBD dogs showed significantly (P < .0001) decreased CIBDAI and CRP values but significantly (P < .0001) increased HAP concentrations after medical therapy compared to pretreatment values. We conclude that the CIBDAI is a reliable measure of inflammatory activity in canine IBD and that CRP is suitable for laboratory evaluation of the effect of therapy in these patients.     

盆腔炎的蜂疗医治法

盆腔炎多发于已婚妇女，如果不及时医治，也会引发全身的反应。病情严重的可影响健康和体力，有的还会影响生育，造成不孕症。     

Toxoplasmosis in two cats with inflammatory intestinal disease

Lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis, a chronic inflammatory intestinal disease, was diagnosed in 2 cats. In 1 cat, recurrence of clinical signs after initiating treatment was attributed to relapse of the inflammatory intestinal disease, but was found to be attributable to relapsing toxoplasmosis secondary to immunosuppressive drug therapy. Treatment with clindamycin resolved the recurrent toxoplasmosis. In the second cat, clinical signs of toxoplasmosis did not develop, but serologic testing yielded evidence of active toxoplasmosis. Treatment with clindamycin caused the titers to decrease. Relapsing toxoplasmosis may be responsible for apparent resistance to treatment in cats for inflammatory intestinal disease being treated with immunosuppressive drugs.     

Evaluation of lymphocyte apoptosis in dogs with inflammatory bowel disease

Objective-To determine whether lymphocyte apoptosis in intestinal mucosae is more common in healthy dogs than dogs with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and whether numbers of apoptotic cells increase after successful treatment of affected dogs. Animals-8 dogs with IBD (IBD dogs) and 8 healthy control dogs. Procedures-Biopsy specimens of the duodenum and colon were obtained via endoscopy from dogs with IBD before and after 10 weeks of standard treatment and compared with specimens obtained from control dogs. Expression of activated caspase 3 (Casp3), caspase-cleaved fragment p85 from poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), and B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) was measured in the duodenal (villous tip and base) and colonic mucosae. Results-Expression of Casp3 was greater in the duodenal villous tips of control dogs, compared with expression in similar tissues from dogs with IBD before or after treatment. Despite clinical improvement of dogs with IBD, expression of Casp3 did not increase after treatment. Expression of PARP did not differ between groups at any time point. Expression of Bcl-2 was greater at all 3 tissue sites in control dogs, compared with expression at the same sites in dogs with IBD. Furthermore, Bcl-2 expression in duodenal villous tips was higher in dogs with IBD after treatment but was not higher elsewhere. In control dogs, expression patterns for all 3 markers were similar between sites (villous tip > villous base > colon). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Expression of Casp3 in lymphocytes in duodenal villous tips was significantly reduced in dogs with IBD, compared with expression in healthy dogs, but no increase was detected following successful treatment of IBD. Increased expression of Bcl-2 may be a potential marker of the success of treatment.     

In vitro function of canine neutrophils during experimental inflammatory disease

The effect of acute inflammation on neutrophil function in the dog was studied by measuring in vitro phagocytosis and killing of Staphylococcus aureus. Phagocytosis was not impaired after 30 or 60 minutes and bactericidal activity was not impaired after 60 minutes incubation. However, average bactericidal activity after 30 minutes incubation was diminished significantly (P less than 0.01). Wide variations in bactericidal activity after 30 minutes incubation during the course of the inflammation did not correlate with neutrophil count, number of toxic neutrophils, or clinical course of the inflammation. These results indicate that a defect in bactericidal activity can occur in dogs with severe inflammatory disease, and that repeated assays, rather than single determinations, may be needed to detect this dysfunction.     

Orbital inflammatory disease and pseudotumor in dogs and cats

Orbital disease is common in dogs and cats. Clinical signs include exophthalmos, protrusion of the third eyelid, and resistance to retropulsion of the globe. This article discusses diagnostic work-up for dogs and cats with signs suggestive of orbital disease. Diagnosis and treatment of nonneoplastic orbital diseases follows. Congenital diseases are discussed first, followed by inflammatory diseases of the orbit including orbital pseudotumor. Lastly, other less common orbital conditions are addressed.