Coinfection with multiple tick-borne and intestinal parasites in a 6-week-old dog

Coinfection with Ehrlichia canis, Babesia canis, Hepatozoon canis, Isospora spp., Giardia spp., and Dipylidium caninum were detected in a 6-week-old dog. The effect of multi-pathogen infection was a fatal combination of gastrointestinal and hematologic abnormalities, including diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia, distended painful abdomen, intussusception, severe thrombocytopenia, anemia, and hypoproteinemia.     

LINEAR OSTEOCHONDROMATOSIS IN A CAT

A domestic shorthair cat was presented with quadriparesis and lumbar hyperesthesia that progressed over 4 months. There were linear and amorphous radiopaque masses throughout the soft tissue surrounding the long bones, vertebral bodies, ribs, pelvis, and scapula. The diagnosis of osteochondromatosis was confirmed by histopathology. Unlike previously reported patients with osteochondromatosis, most of the calcified masses in this cat were not connected to the periosteum; some were linear and were arranged parallel to the long bones involved.     

Chondrosarcoma of the proximal humerus in a cat

Chondrosarcoma of the proximal humerus was diagnosed in a four-year-old, castrated male, domestic shorthair cat that was presented with a slowly growing solid mass in the region of the proximal humerus. Forequarter amputation was advised, but declined by the owners. Following surgical debulking clinical signs resolved, but two months after surgery the cat was readmitted because the mass had recurred in the same region. The forequarter was amputated. Histopathological evaluation of the tumour confirmed the diagnosis of chondrosarcoma. Follow-up examinations performed over a period of 15 months from initial presentation revealed that the cat was doing well and had no signs of metastatic disease. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of chondrosarcoma of the proximal humerus in a cat to be diagnosed and surgically treated. This case demonstrates that animals with such tumours may recover well after complete excision.     

Direct fabrication of large micropatterned single crystals

Micropatterning of single crystals for technological applications is a complex, multistep process. Nature provides alternative fabrication strategies, when crystals with exquisite micro-ornamentation directly develop within preorganized frameworks. We report a bio-inspired approach to growing large micropatterned single crystals. Micropatterned templates organically modified to induce the formation of metastable amorphous calcium carbonate were imprinted with calcite nucleation sites. The template-directed deposition and crystallization of the amorphous phase resulted in the fabrication of millimeter-sized single calcite crystals with sub-10-micron patterns and controlled crystallographic orientation. We suggest that in addition to regulating the shape, micropatterned frameworks act as sites for stress and impurity release during the amorphous-to-crystalline transition. The proposed mechanisms may have direct biological relevance and broad implications in materials synthesis.     

Reversible switching of hydrogel-actuated nanostructures into complex micropatterns

Responsive behavior, which is intrinsic to natural systems, is becoming a key requirement for advanced artificial materials and devices, presenting a substantial scientific and engineering challenge. We designed dynamic actuation systems by integrating high-aspect-ratio silicon nanocolumns, either free-standing or substrate-attached, with a hydrogel layer. The nanocolumns were put in motion by the "muscle" of the hydrogel, which swells or contracts depending on the humidity level. This actuation resulted in a fast reversible reorientation of the nanocolumns from tilted to perpendicular to the surface. By further controlling the stress field in the hydrogel, the formation of a variety of elaborate reversibly actuated micropatterns was demonstrated. The mechanics of the actuation process have been assessed. Dynamic control over the movement and orientation of surface nanofeatures at the micron and submicron scales may have exciting applications in actuators, microfluidics, or responsive materials.     

RADIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS DURING RECOVERY FROM DISCOSPONDYLITIS

The diagnosis of discospondylitis is based on radiographic changes in the vertebrae. The limitations of this method are the time gap between the onset of clinical signs and the first appearance of the radiographic findings, as well as the disassociation between the clinical and radiographic signs during recovery. It is known that the radiographic changes appear only two to four weeks after the onset of clinical signs, but the characteristics of radiographic changes during recovery has yet to be documented, thus making follow-up radiographs difficult to interpret. A prospective and retrospective study was designed to document typical radiographic changes during recovery from discospondylitis. We reviewed 12 dogs that had complete and uneventful recovery with antibiotic therapy alone. Periodic follow-up radiographs and clinical examinations were conducted up to five months after the onset of clinical signs to correlate between the clinical status and radiographic changes during recovery. Although the clinical signs improved within the first 10 days of antibiotic therapy, the radiographic deterioration continued before regression and signs of radiographic recovery were noticed. This radiographic deterioration, despite successful antibiotic therapy, appeared shorter in young dogs (less than one year old) and lasted three to nine weeks in older dogs.