Muscular and collagenous cerebellar choristoma in a dog

This report aims to describe the first case of muscular and collagenous choristoma in a dog. A 10-yr-old female mixed-breed dog presented with lateral recumbence, vocalization, positional vertical nystagmus, divergent strabismus, anisocoria, and status epilepticus. The clinical condition evolved to stupor and ultimately, death. Necropsy revealed a white mass causing an irregular increase in the volume of the cerebellar vermis. In histological analysis, a well circumscribed, unencapsulated mass was observed in the cerebellum, consisting of fibers of striated skeletal muscle and collagen fibers, mostly mineralized. Based on the histopathological and histochemical findings, a diagnosis of muscular and collagenous cerebellar choristoma was made.     

Assessment of qualitative and quantitative parameters of healthy thyroid gland in adult horses by magnetic resonance imaging

In humans and pets, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides important adjunctive anatomic information about the thyroid and its adjacent structures. To the best of our knowledge, however, no studies have been reported regarding the use of MRI for thyroid evaluation in horses. The aim of this study was to obtain qualitative and quantitative parameters of healthy thyroid gland in adult horses by MRI. Eleven horses were submitted to thyroid MRI evaluation. The healthy thyroid of these animals was ensured by normal examinations performed before (free thyroxine and ultrasound) and after (cytology) to MRI. It was concluded that the dorsal spin-echo T1-weighted, fast spin-echo T2-weighted, sagittal STIR and a three-dimensional T1-weighted gradient echo were the sequences that best characterized the thyroid lobes. Qualitatively, there was a significant variation in the elliptical format of some lobes considering the sagittal plane, which oscillated between rounded and flattened conformation. Excellent reproducibility of the quantitative thyroid parameters obtained was verified. The thyroid gland total volume mean of observers was 14.31 cm³ (±0.69). In relation with comparisons between quantitative parameters of left and right lobes, only differences regarding their respective lengths were observed. Thus, we can infer that the difference in some thyroid lobes format can be explained by the significant variation identified between left and right lobes lengths.     

High lysyl oxidase expression is an indicator of poor prognosis in dogs with cutaneous mast cell tumours

Mast cell tumour (MCT) is one of the most frequent skin tumours in dogs. Due to their unpredictable biological behaviour, MCTs often cause several therapeutic frustrations, leading to investigation regarding prognostic markers. Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is an enzyme that promotes extracellular matrix stability and contributes to cell migration, angiogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Its expression positively correlates with poor prognoses in several human and canine mammary cancers. The aim of this study was to characterise the immunohistochemical expression of LOX in MCT samples and compare it with histological grading and post-surgical survival. Twenty-six tumours were submitted to immunohistochemistry for LOX expression evaluation. All samples were positive for LOX, with variable percentages of cytoplasmic and nuclear positivity. Cytoplasmic positivity was significantly higher in high-grade MCTs (P = .0297). Our results indicate that high expression of cytoplasmic LOX in neoplastic mast cells is an indicator of poor prognosis for canine cutaneous MCTs.     

Surgical stress and postoperative complications related to regional and radical mastectomy in dogs

Background

Surgery is the treatment of choice for regional control of mammary neoplasms in female dogs. Various surgical techniques may be used, as long as mammary gland anatomy, lymphatic drainage, and known prognostic factors are respected. The purpose of this study was to compare surgical stress—including duration of surgery, nociception and hematological changes—and postoperative complications in dogs undergoing regional and unilateral radical mastectomy. Eighteen dogs were selected for each technique. Postoperative pain (nociception), hematological changes, and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.

Results

The group treated with radical mastectomy had a longer surgical duration, showed more intense physiological changes, achieved higher scores on nociception scales, and experienced more postoperative complications.

Conclusion

Compared to regional mastectomy, radical mastectomy was associated with longer surgical duration, greater nociceptive stimulus, greater surgical stress, and higher incidence of postoperative complications in dogs. Although evaluation of long-term results was not a goal of this study, it is suggested that postoperative recovery and patient quality of life should be considered when choosing a surgical approach for treating mammary tumors in dogs.     

Early luteal development in Santa Inês ewes superovulated with reduced doses of porcine follicle‐stimulating hormone

The aim was to compare the early luteal development in ewes superovulated with different doses of pFSH. Twenty‐nine Santa Inês ewes received a progesterone device (CIDR®) for 8 days. Gonadotrophic treatment started on Day 6: G200 (control, n = 9, 200 mg); G133 (n = 10, 133 mg); and G100 (n = 10, 100 mg of pFSH). On Day 6, all females received eCG (300 IU). B‐mode and spectral Doppler ultrasonography were performed daily during the early luteal phase (Days 11–15) to monitor the development of corpora lutea (CLs; dimensions) and ovarian arteries indices. CLs were also classified as normal or prematurely regressed (PRCL) on Day 15 by videolaparoscopy. Ewes from G100 and G133 showed gradual increase in luteal diameter during the early luteal phase (p < 0.001), whereas G200 animals presented increase from Day 11 to Day 13, and then decrease on Days 14 and 15 (p < 0.001). The G200 females showed greater percentage of PRCL (45.20%) than those of the other groups (p < 0.001). The normal CLs number was greater in G100 than in G133 (p = 0.04), while the PRCL number was greater in G200 than in the other groups (p = 0.03). Resistive index (RI) was greater in G200 than in G100 (p = 0.02). RI was lower in Day 12 than Day 15 (p = 0.02). Pulsatility index (PI) was greater on Days 14 and 15 (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the lowest dose of pFSH (100 mg) can be considered sufficient for an efficient superovulatory response in sheep, producing better CLs development dynamic in early luteal phase and ovarian blood perfusion and smaller number of PRCL than the traditional (200 mg) pFSH dose.     

Rickettsia lusitaniae sp. nov. isolated from the soft tick Ornithodoros erraticus (Acarina: Argasidae)

In this study a novel Rickettsia from the spotted fever group, isolated from Ornithodoros erraticus soft ticks collected from pigpens in the south of Portugal, is described. After initial screening revealed Rickettsia-positive ticks, isolation attempts were then performed. Successful isolates were achieved by shell-vial technique using Vero E6 cells at 28 °C. Molecular characterization of the isolate was performed based on analysis of five rickettsial genes gltA, ompA, ompB, sca1 and htr with their subsequent concatenation along with other rickettsial species resulting in a clustering of the new isolate with Rickettsia felis and Rickettsia hoogstraalii. The degree of nucleotide sequence similarity with other rickettsiae fulfills the criteria for classification of our isolate as a novel species. The name Rickettsia lusitaniae sp. nov. (= CEVDI PoTiRo) is proposed for this new species found in O. erraticus.     

Buriti pulp oil did not improve high-fat diet-induced metabolic disorders in c57bl/6 mice

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and obesity are growing in many parts of the world, becoming public health problems. It is proposed that foods with functional properties can assist in the treatment of these diseases. Crude buriti pulp oil (BPO) is a food traditionally consumed by residents in the Pantanal, Cerrado and Brazilian Amazon. It is rich in oleic acid, tocopherols and carotenoids, emerging as a potential functional food. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the supplementation of BPO on metabolic disorders caused by a high-fat diet. Four groups of C57BL6 mice were used, a lean group with AIN-93M diet and control oil supplementation, an obese group with a high-fat diet and control oil supplementation, and two obese groups with a high-fat diet and BPO supplementation in the amounts of 50 and 100 mg/kg. BPO worsened the metabolic state caused by the high-fat diet, worsening risk factors associated with MetS, as the abdominal circumference and retroperitoneal fat, serum levels of total cholesterol, uric acid, alanine transaminase, glucose and triglycerides, and renal fat, in addition to changes in glycaemic control and oxidative stress markers. C57BL/6 mice fed with a high-fat diet and supplemented with BPO presented a worsening in metabolic risk factors associated with MetS.