Search

Feline pulmonary capillariosis is a significant disorder due to its distribution and clinical impact. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of two administrations 28 days apart of a topical solution containing esafoxolaner, eprinomectin and praziquantel (NexGard®Combo) in treating Eucoleus aerophilus(syn. Capillaria aerophila) infection in naturally infected cats. Cats were allocated to two groups: G1 cats (n= 23) received two treatments at study days (SDs) 0 and 28 (±2) and were evaluated for 6 weeks, and G2 cats (n= 17) served as a negative control for 6 weeks and were then treated twice on SDs 42 (±2) and 70 (±2), allowing for an additional 6-week assessment of efficacy. Each cat was subjected to McMaster coproscopy at SDs −7/0, 28 (±2) and 42 (±2) for both groups, 70 (±2) and 84 (±2) only for G2. Clinical examination and chest radiographic images were performed at SDs 0, 28 (±2) and 42 (±2) for G1 and G2, 70 (±2) and 84 (±2) only for G2. The comparison of EPG (eggs per gram of feces), clinical (CS), and radiographic scores (RS) at each time-point was used as a criterion. The efficacy based on the EPG reduction was 99.5% (G1) and 100% (G2) after two administrations of NexGard®Combo 2 weeks apart. At SD 0, no significant differences for CS and RS were recorded between G1 and G2, while a significant reduction (p< 0.05) was observed post-treatment for CS, RS, oculo-nasal discharge, auscultation noises, and cough. Two doses of NexGard®Combo 28 days apart stopped egg shedding and significantly improved clinical alterations in cats infected by E. aerophilus.

A 6-mo-old female Beagle dog was inappetent and depressed. The radiographic, ultrasonographic, and computed tomographic examination of the chest revealed a 10 × 7 cm multicystic mediastinal structure interpreted as altered thymus, in association with moderate pleural effusion that laboratory tests confirmed as hemothorax. No history of trauma or anticoagulant drug intoxication was reported, and no coagulation disorders were detected. Afterward, medial cranial sternotomy was performed to remove the altered tissue. Histologically, this tissue was compatible with a thymic remnant, characterized by numerous cystic lesions, mostly blood filled and lined by flattened-to-cuboidal epithelial cells, occasionally projecting into the surrounding stroma, and forming cytokeratin-positive ribbons, trabeculae, and papillae. Lymphocytes were scant, and numerous areas of congestion and hemorrhage were present throughout the samples. This case of idiopathic thymic hemorrhage with cystic degeneration of the thymus and pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia was an incidental finding; the dog recovered from surgery uneventfully.

Background: In veterinary clinical practice, orchiectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures for cats and is performed mainly in young animals. The purpose of this study was to compare three different epidural (EP) analgesic protocols used in cats undergoing orchiectomy in order to determine which protocol resulted in superior outcomes in terms of perioperative analgesia. Twenty-one client-owned male cats were premedicated with a combination of dexmedetomidine (10 µg/kg) and midazolam (0.2 mg/kg) injected intramuscularly. Anesthesia was induced intravenously with propofol. Cats were randomly divided in three treatment groups of seven animals each: Group L received EP lidocaine (2 mg/kg), Group T received EP tramadol (1 mg/kg), and Group LT received EP lidocaine (2 mg/kg) plus tramadol (1 mg/kg). The post-operative pain level was assessed using two different scales: the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale-Feline (CMPS-F) and the Feline Grimace Scale (FGS). Rescue analgesia was administered when the CMPS-F total score was ≥5 or the FGS total score was ≥4. Results: No adverse effects related to tramadol or lidocaine were observed. Based on post-operative pain assessments, significant differences between groups were observed according to both pain scoring systems. In particular, in Group LT, the CMPS-F and FGS scores decreased significantly in the first six hours following castration. Conclusions: Based on our results, EP lidocaine plus tramadol provided the best post-operative analgesic effects in cats submitted to orchiectomy lasting 6 h and could also be a choice to consider for longer surgical procedures.

Understanding how self-representation is built, maintained and updated across the lifespan is a fundamental challenge for cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Studies demonstrate that the detection of body-related multisensory congruency builds bodily and facial self-representations that are crucial to developing self-recognition. Studies showing that the bodily self is more malleable than previously believed were mainly concerned with full-bodies and non-facial body parts. Crucially, however, intriguing recent evidence indicates that simple experimental manipulations could even affect self-face representation that has long been considered a stable construct impervious to change. In this review, we discuss how Interpersonal Multisensory Stimulation (IMS) paradigms can be used to temporarily induce Enfacement, i.e., the subjective illusion of looking at oneself in the mirror when in fact looking at another person's face. We show that Enfacement is a subtle but robust phenomenon occurring in a variety of experimental conditions and assessed by multiple explicit and implicit measures. We critically discuss recent findings on i) the role of sensory extero/proprio-ceptive (visual, tactile, and motor) and interoceptive (cardiac) signals in self-face plasticity, ii) the importance of multisensory integration mechanisms for the bodily self, and iii) the neural network related to IMS-driven changes in self-other face processing, within the predictive coding theoretical framework.

Migrating plant material is often suspected clinically to be the underlying cause of iliopsoas myositis in the dog, but cannot always be found pre- or intraoperatively. In most cases, recurrence of clinical signs is related to failure to remove the plant material. Preoperative ultrasonography can be useful to visualize migrating plant material and to determine anatomical landmarks that can assist in planning a surgical approach. The purpose of the present study was to report the role of intraoperative (intra-abdominal) ultrasonography for visualizing and removing the plant material from iliopsoas abscesses using a ventral midline laparotomy approach. A retrospective case series of 22 dogs with iliopsoas muscle abnormalities and suspected plant material was reported. Preoperative visualization and subsequent retrieval of the plant material was performed during a single hospitalization. In all 22 dogs, the plant material (including complete grass awns, grass awn fragments and a bramble twig) was successfully removed via ventral midline laparotomy in which intraoperative ultrasonography was used to direct the grasping forceps tips to the foreign body and guide its removal. In 11 of these 22 dogs, the plant material was not completely removed during prior surgery performed by the referring veterinarians without pre- or intraoperative ultrasonography. Clinical signs resolved in all dogs and all dogs resumed normal activity after successful surgical removal of the plant material. Intraoperative ultrasonography is a safe and readily available tool that improves success of surgical removal of plant material within the iliopsoas abscesses via ventral midline laparotomy. Moreover, ultrasonographic findings of unusual plant material can be useful in planning and guiding surgical removal, by providing information about the size and shape of the foreign body.

Candidaspp. are dimorphic fungi in the family Cryptococcaceae. Infections with Candidaspp. are usually rare conditions in dogs, but immunocompromised patients have a higher risk for developing invasive candidal infections. A 5-year-old male Boxer, positive to Leishmania infantum, was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy for examination of a non-weight bearing left hind limb lameness of a duration of at least 3 months. During this period, treatment involved systemic anti-inflammatory medications and intra-articular corticosteroid administration. On presentation, clinical examination and radiographic findings were suggestive of cranial cruciate ligament deficiency. To support this diagnosis a stifle arthroscopy was performed: it confirmed a partial rupture of cranial cruciate ligament. Samples culture of synovial fluid and membrane was routinely collected as well, and revealed Candida guilliermondiijoint infection. Treatment for the C. guilliermondiijoint infection involved systemic anti-fungal therapy, joint lavage and intra-articular administration of antifungal drugs. Lameness improved markedly during this treatment, but lameness did not resolve completely, probably due to cranial cruciate ligament deficiency. Tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) was chosen in order to treat stifle instability and was performed 4 weeks following cessation of treatment of the C. guilliermondiijoint infection. Six month after TTA the dog showed a completely recovery with no lameness. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case of Candidaspp. joint infection reported in dogs. The cause of the progression of the joint C. guilliermondiiinfection remains unclear but it may be associated with leishmaniasis or intra-articular corticosteroid injections. Treatment with systemic and intra-articular anti-fungal therapies was successful. In the evaluation of hind limb lameness in a chronically immunocompromised dog, it would be advisable to consider also an intra-articular Candidaspp. infection.

A three-month-old female Rottweiler puppy was referred for intravascular correction of a previously identified cor triatriatum dexter. Echocardiography confirmed the presence of a hyperechoic membrane that divided the right atrium into a cranial and caudal chamber. A foramen in this membrane allowed the blood to flow from the caudal to the cranial chamber. Balloon dilation of the defect under transthoracic echocardiographic guidance was scheduled for the following day. The dog was premedicated with 0.5 μg/kg sufentanil and 0.2 mg/kg midazolam administered intravenously. General anaesthesia was induced with 2 mg/kg propofol and maintained with inhaled isoflurane in oxygen; at the same time, a constant rate infusion of 0.5 μg/kg/h sufentanil was administered by means of an infusion pump. Uneventful ventricular and supraventricular tachyarrhythmias developed during the placement of catheters and balloon dilation. At the end of procedure, when the guide wire and balloon catheter were removed, normal sinus rhythm was observed. To the authors’ knowledge, no previous reports have described the anaesthetic management of a balloon dilation procedure for cor triatriatum dexter in dogs.

ABSTRACT: To minimize technical problems relating to excessive size (600–800μ in diameter) of standard alginate microcapsules (CSM) for pancreatic islet graft immunoisolation, we have developed two novel minimal volume, chemically identical, capsule prototypes (MVC): 1) coherent microcapsules (CM), and 2) medium‐size microcapsules (300–400μ, MSM). CM, which envelop each individual islet within a thin alginate hydrogel cast, are prepared by emulsification, whereas MSM are made by atomizing the islet‐alginate suspension through a special microdroplet generator. Upon graft into diabetic rodents, CM have shown to immunoprotect both allo‐ and xenogeneic nondiscordant islets, and restored normoglycemia. In higher mammals, at sub‐therapeutic doses, CM fully immunoprotected islet allografts (pig→pig), but only temporarily xenografts (dog→pig). We then used MSM to immunoisolate canine islet allografts in the peritoneal cavity of dogs with spontaneous insulin‐dependent diabetes. Of three grafted dogs, two showed full remission of hyperglycemia with insulin withdrawal. MSM could represent an intermediate solution between CSM and CM for peritoneal immunoisolated islet transplants.

Listening to speech recruits a network of fronto-temporo-parietal cortical areas. Classical models consider anterior, motor, sites involved in speech production whereas posterior sites involved in comprehension. This functional segregation is more and more challenged by action-perception theories suggesting that brain circuits for speech articulation and speech perception are functionally interdependent. Recent studies report that speech listening elicits motor activities analogous to production. However, the motor system could be crucially recruited only under certain conditions that make speech discrimination hard. Here, by using event-related double-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on lips and tongue motor areas, we show data suggesting that the motor system may play a role in noisy, but crucially not in noise-free environments, for the discrimination of speech signals.

Aims and Background In 1990 the National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference recommended adjuvant combined therapy for patients with radically resected rectal cancer at high risk for relapse (ie, stage II-III). The purpose of our prospective non-randomized study was to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of postoperative radiochemotherapy in terms of improvement in disease-free and overall survival in this patient subgroup.Study design From January 1990 to October 1998, 191 consecutive patients with radically resected stage II-III rectal cancer were treated. A total of 159 patients with a 24-month follow-up were assessable for toxicity and survival. Anterior resection was performed in 129 (81%) and abdomino-perineal resection in 30 (19%) patients. Fifty-four (34%) stage II and 105 (66%) stage III patients entered the study. Within 45-60 days of surgery, all patients received 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy at the dose of 500 mg/m2as an iv bolus on days 1-5, every 4 weeks, for 6 cycles. Chemotherapy cycles III and IV were administered at the same daily dose on radiotherapy days 1-3 and 29-31. Radiotherapy consisted of 45 Gy/25 fractions plus a boost dose of 5.4 Gy.Results After a median follow-up of 57 months (range, 25-123), overall recurrent disease was reported in 58 (36%) patients: local, systemic, and both local and systemic relapses in 12 (8%), 37 (23%) and 9 (6%) cases, respectively. According to local extension, recurrence rates were 15% and 48% in stage II and III, respectively. Five-year overall and disease-free survival were 71% and 66%, respectively. Overall survival was 87% in stage II and 62% in stage III patients, and disease-free survival was 84% and 56% in stage II and III disease, respectively. According to univariate and multivariate analyses, significant prognostic factors for better tumor control were: stage (II vs III, P <0.001), the number of involved nodes (≤3 vs >3, P <0.0001), and no extracapsular node invasion (P <0.0001). The recommended dose of the combined radiochemotherapy regimen was generally well tolerated. The incidence of any ≥ grade 3 acute toxicity (according to the WHO scale) was 13% diarrhea, 11% proctitis, 5% perineal dermatitis and 4% myelosuppression. Four (3%) patients had radiotherapy-related severe late toxicity which required surgery.Conclusions The study provided recurrence rates and survival similar to other adjuvant radiochemotherapy regimens published in the literature. However, in view of the low 5-year survival rate recorded in stage III patients, a different approach should be investigated.

AbstractMirror Touch Synesthetes (MTSs) feel touch while they observe others being touched. According to the authors, two complementary theoretical frameworks, the Threshold Theory and the Self-Other Theory, explain Mirror Touch Synesthesia (MTS). Based on the behavioral evidence that in MTSs the mere observation of touch is sufficient to elicit self-other merging(i.e., self-representation changes), a condition that in non-MTSs just elicits self-other sharing(i.e., mirroring activity without self-other blurring), and on the rTPJ anatomical alterations in MTS, we argue that MTS may derive from an abnormally plastic self-representation and atypical multisensory integrative mechanisms.

Although questions may still remain regarding the use of this unique sedative-hypnotic drug with anesthetic properties in highrisk patients, these studies have provided cardiopulmonary and neurologic evidence of the efficacy and safety of propofol when used as an anesthetic under normal and impaired conditions in the dog. In nonpremedicated dogs, the quality of induction, anesthesia, and recovery following propofol is desirable. Muscle relaxation and the degree of analgesia observed with propofol alone are suitable for minor diagnostic procedures. The patient is bright and alert within a few minutes after propofol anesthesia with excellent psychomotor function. The use of potent sedative/analgesics or analgesics enhances the degree of muscle relaxation and analgesia desirable for surgical procedures. These studies have shown propofol to be an anesthetic that can be employed in a wide range of research and clinical conditions.

The general surgical profile of octogenarians compared with that of younger patients, and risk factors predictive of operative mortality and morbidity, were determined retrospectively using a computer database for all patients admitted between 1989 and 1993. There were 934 admissions of octogenarians and surgery was performed in 447 cases (47.9 per cent). The admission rate of patients over 80 years of age increased during the 5-year period from 4.6 to 9.0 per cent, and was significantly higher than that of geriatric patients aged 65.79 years (P<0.01). Emergency admissions (63.6 per cent) and operations (42.3 per cent) were more frequent in patients aged over 80 years (P<0.01); emergency operations increased during the 5 years from 38 to 59 per cent. Altogether, 83 deaths and 171 complications were recorded. The mortality rate of octogenarians was greater than that of younger patients (P<0.01). Postoperative mortality and morbidity rates were 10.1 and 32.2 per cent respectively. After multiple logistic regression analysis with stepwise backward elimination, an American Society of Anesthesiologists score of II-V (P<0.01), the presence of two associated diseases (P<0.01) and laparotomy procedures (P<0.03) appeared to be independent risk factors for postoperative mortality and morbidity.

Cardiovascular, pulmonary and anaesthetic-analgesic responses were evaluated in 18 male and female dogs to determine the effect of the injectable anaesthetic propofol used in conjuction with acepromazine and butorphanol. The dogs were randomly divided into three groups. Dogs in Group A were premeditated with 0.1 mg/kg of intramuscular acepromazine followed by an induction dose of 4.4 mg/kg of intravenous propofol; Group B received 0.2 mg/kg of intramuscular butorphanol and 4.4 mg/kg of intravenous propofol; dogs in Group AB were administered a premeditation combination of 0.1 mg/kg of intramuscular acepromazine and 0.2 mg/kg of intramuscular butorphanol, followed by induction with 3.3 mg/kg of intravenous propofol. The induction dose of propofol was given over a period of 30-60 seconds to determine responses and duration of anaesthesia. Observations recorded in the dogs included heart and respiratory rates, indirect arterial blood pressures (systolic, diastolic and mean), cardiac rhythm, end-tidal CO2 tension, oxygen saturation, induction time, duration of anaesthesia, recovery time and adverse reactions. The depth of anaesthesia was assessed by the response to mechanical noxious stimuli (tail clamping), the degree of muscle relaxation and the strength of reflexes.Significant respiratory depression was seen after propofol induction in both groups receiving butorphanol with or without acepromazine. The incidence of apnea was 4/6 dogs in Group B, and 5/6 dogs in Group AB. The incidence of apnea was also correlated to the rate of propofol administration.Propofol-mediated decreases in arterial blood pressure were observed in all three groups. Moderate bradycardia (minimum value > 55 beats/min) was observed in both Groups B and AB. There were no cardiac dysrhythmias noted in any of the 18 dogs. The anaesthetic duration and recovery times were longer in dogs premeditated with acepromazineibutorphanol.

Fifty colorectal carcinomas were Investigated to demonstrate distal intramural spread (DIS). In 17 cases (34 %) a DIS ranging from 0.25 to 3.5 cm was present. DIS was positively correlated with stage C2 (p < 0.01), lymph node metastasis (p < 0.03) and Infiltrative growth of the tumor (p < 0.05). Our results show that DIS is a relatively frequent event but of limited extension. In fact, a distal clearance margin of 2 cm was considered safe for all patients but one C2 mucoid case. No pathologic feature can predict preoperatively the presence and extent of DIS.

The carcinogenic and cocarcinogenic action of phenobarbital sodium was investigated in adult BALB/c mice of both sexes when administered alone at a concentration of 0.05 % in drinking water for life or after the animals had been treated with a single hydrazine sulphate dose of 5.65 mg. The results demonstrated that phenobarbital sodium is not carcinogenic in this strain of mice, but, since a single dose of hydrazine sulphate was carcinogenic, does not clarify whether it is a cocarcinogen in the lung.

Bufalari, A., CE. Short, C. Giannoni and O. Vainio: Comparative responses to propofol anaesthesia alone and withα2-adrenergic medications in a canine model. Acta vet. scand. 1996, 37, 187-201.- Cardiovascular and pulmonary effects of pro-pofol, a relatively new nonbarbiturate intravenous anaesthetic, were assessed and com-pared in 22 male and female dogs. Dogs in group 1 did not receive any premedication prior to 6.6 mg/kg IV propofol, group 2 was premedicated with atropine (0.02 mg/kg IM) and the α2-agonist medetomidine (10 μg/kg IM), and group 3 received the same premedication agents as group 2, but the medetomidine effects were reversed by the α2-antagonist atipamezole (30 μg/kg IV) after 30 min of anaesthesia. Each dog in groups 2 and 3 received a propofol induction dose of 2.2 mg/kg IV The anaesthetic du-ration was shortest with propofol alone and prolonged with medetomidine as a premedication which was reversible with atipamezole. In group 1, the most prominent effects were a temporary drop in diastolic arterial blood pressure (26% and 24%) at 2 and 5 min post-propofol, respectively and a drop in respiratory frequency (41%) 2 min after pro-pofol induction. Similar respiratory depression was observed in groups 2 and 3 (20% and 48%, respectively) at the same time. Apnea was not observed. An increase in systemic arterial blood pressure was observed throughout the trial in groups 2 and 3 un-til dogs recovered or were reversed with atipamezole. Medetomidine significantly re-duces propofol dosage requirements. Safe and effective injectable anaesthesia was pro-duced by propofol in this group of dogs. The frequency of respiratory depression would suggest in clinical usage, the practitioner should be aware oxygen supplementation is the treatment of choice should apnea occur.

A young patient with Gardner's Syndrome and a huge multi recurring retrcperitoneal dearoid tumor has been recently trated with the anti estrogenic Toremifene (T) drug and a colliquative necrosis of the tumor has been obtained. The antiproliferative effect of T in desmoid tunas remains unknown At high doses T appears to exert a cytolitic effect indipendent of its antiestrogenic action. T may stimulate stromal fibroblast to produce TGF beta a negative paracrine growth factor for epitthelial cells. TGF beta is the cytokine that initiates and terminates tissue repair, and whose sustained production underlies the development of tissue fibrosis. In rats with pulmonary fibrosis experimentally induced total lung TGF content was several times higher than in normal rats. In humans with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Tgf beta 1 is increased in alveolar walls. The increased production of TGF beta preceded the synthesis of collagen, fibronectin and proteoglycans. The Authors intend to evaluete experimentally the T efficacy of influencing on the synthesis of TGF beta and of preventing pulmonary fibrosis. Toremifene could have a role as usefull antifibrotic agent.