Search

Fluid-filled cavities within the brain are well-recognized in human and veterinary medicine. Congenital or acquired brain cystic lesions could be isolated or associated with other diseases. Clinical signs related to cysts depend on their size and the mass effect they exert on surrounding neuroanatomical structures. We present a case of a 5-month-old Belgian Malinois dog with cervical pain and right head tilt. The dog had a normal haematochemical profile and negative infectious disease tests. A contrast enhancement Computed Tomography scan revealed the presence of a thin-walled cystic lesion in the caudal cranial fossa at the level of the right pontine-cerebellar junction. A cerebrospinal fluid tap was performed by lumbar puncture, revealing a monocytic pleocytosis. After initial improvement following corticosteroid and antibiotic therapy, clinical signs worsened, and the dog underwent a second clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging examination. After euthanasia a complete postmortem examination was performed. Histological and immunohistochemical findings were suggestive of an ependymal cyst.

A 7‐year‐old domestic shorthair cat was evaluated for progressive paraparesis, inability to jump, a paralysed tail and inability to void the bladder. Neurologic examination was consistent with a L4‐S3 localisation. Survey radiographs of the lumbar vertebral column revealed L4‐L7 vertebral body remodelling. A pre‐contrast T1‐weighted hyperintense, diffusely enhancing intradural lesion extending from L4 to S1 vertebral bodies was detected by MRI. Large, mesenchymal, round‐to‐polygonal cells arranged in nests or sheets were found on histologic examination at post mortem. These cells were characterised by abundant intracytoplasmic PAS‐positive, diastase‐resistant granules and positive immunoexpression of vimentin, S‐100, neuron‐specific enolase and desmin. This is the first report of a spinal granular cell tumour in a cat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In cats affected by severe thoracolumbar spinal cord pathologies, paraplegia and paraparesis, often accompanied by urinary retention, pose significant challenges, impacting both the cats' welfare and owners' lives. This study aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) of cats affected by these conditions, and to evaluate the social and familial implications for caregivers., Methods: The study was structured into two parts. The first part comprised direct observations of aspects of QoL in cats both in household and shelter settings, while the second part involved the distribution of questionnaires to cat owners and shelter operators., Results: Cats with paraplegia/paraparesis and urinary retention can maintain a good QoL, with hindlimb mobility significantly influencing QoL scores. Shelter cats showed a comparable QoL to household cats, challenging the anecdotal beliefs that shelter cats with severe neurological impairments are destined to lead substandard lives. Operator surveys highlighted the feasibility of managing these cats in shelter environments, emphasising the importance of collaboration between caregivers and veterinary professionals. Likewise, owner surveys revealed a manageable time commitment for care, with most owners achieving proficiency in manual bladder expression within 1 month. Despite challenges, most of the owners reported positive experiences and did not contemplate euthanasia for their cats. Regular veterinary visits and occasional physiotherapy were common practices among caregivers., Conclusions and Relevance: Owners who respond to the questionnaire and shelter operators have a high commitment to cats with paraplegia/paraparesis. Although the study acknowledges this potential bias, it suggests that dedicated care can ensure a good QoL for cats with severe spinal injuries, both in shelter and household settings. Effective communication between caregivers and veterinary professionals is essential for accurate information dissemination and optimal care provision. This research contributes to raising awareness of managing these conditions and emphasises the importance of collaborative care approaches in veterinary medicine., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Recent advancements in biomedical technologies and the proliferation of high-dimensional Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) datasets have led to significant growth in the bulk and density of data. The NGS high-dimensional data, characterized by a large number of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metagenomics features relative to the number of biological samples, presents significant challenges for reducing feature dimensionality. The high dimensionality of NGS data poses significant challenges for data analysis, including increased computational burden, potential overfitting, and difficulty in interpreting results. Feature selection and feature extraction are two pivotal techniques employed to address these challenges by reducing the dimensionality of the data, thereby enhancing model performance, interpretability, and computational efficiency. Feature selection and feature extraction can be categorized into statistical and machine learning methods. The present study conducts a comprehensive and comparative review of various statistical, machine learning, and deep learning-based feature selection and extraction techniques specifically tailored for NGS and microarray data interpretation of humankind. A thorough literature search was performed to gather information on these techniques, focusing on array-based and NGS data analysis. Various techniques, including deep learning architectures, machine learning algorithms, and statistical methods, have been explored for microarray, bulk RNA-Seq, and single-cell, single-cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq) technology-based datasets surveyed here. The study provides an overview of these techniques, highlighting their applications, advantages, and limitations in the context of high-dimensional NGS data. This review provides better insights for readers to apply feature selection and feature extraction techniques to enhance the performance of predictive models, uncover underlying biological patterns, and gain deeper insights into massive and complex NGS and microarray data., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: French bulldogs can be affected by several neurological diseases, with myelopathies representing the most frequent cause of neurological signs. Studies focusing on the epidemiology of cervical diseases in this breed are lacking. This study aims to describe the prevalence of neurological pathologies responsible for cervical pain and/or signs of cervical myelopathy, assuming that intervertebral disc herniation represents the most common disease; a second aim was to evaluate how often different pathologies coexist in this spinal region in French bulldogs., Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of medical records from the database of a single referral center (AniCura I Portoni Rossi Veterinary Hospital-Zola Predosa, Bologna, Italy) was performed, including French bulldogs presented for neck pain and/or neurological deficits consistent with cervical myelopathy. Clinical and imaging data were reviewed and used as inclusion criteria. Based on the number of MRI-diagnosed diseases, the eligible dogs were divided into three groups., Results: One hundred five French bulldogs met the inclusion criteria. The most commonly diagnosed condition was an intervertebral disc herniation (66.9%), followed by C2 idiopathic hypertrophic ganglioneuritis (15.1%), cervical syringomyelia (11.5%), congenital osseous malformations (1.4%), spinal arachnoid diverticula (1.4%), neoplasms (1.4%), steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (0.7%), traumatic vertebral fractures (0.7%), and other (0.7%). For the vast majority of dogs (75/105) a single pathology was diagnosed, with intervertebral disc herniations accounting for 86.7% of cases, involving C3-C4 IVD most commonly. In the remaining 30 dogs, two or three different and concurrent diseases were detected. Among these 30 dogs, intervertebral disc herniations still remained the most diagnosed condition, in combination with C2 idiopathic hypertrophic ganglioneuritis and syringomyelia in 19 and seven cases, respectively., Conclusion: The results of this study highlight that different pathologies can affect the cervical spinal cord in French bulldogs, with intervertebral disc herniations representing the most frequent condition, as previously described in the veterinary literature. In almost a third of cases, different pathologies can coexist at the cervical level. However, for cases in which different pathologies are present at the same time, it is not always possible to clearly establish their clinical significance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Capasso, Canal and Balducci.)

Automated pollen analysis is not yet efficient on environmental samples containing many pollen taxa and debris, which are typical in most pollen-based studies. Contrary to classification, detection remains overlooked although it is the first step from which errors can propagate. Here, we investigated a simple but efficient method to automate pollen detection for environmental samples, optimizing workload and performance. We applied the YOLOv5 algorithm on samples containing debris and c. 40 Mediterranean plant taxa, designed and tested several strategies for annotation, and analyzed variation in detection errors. About 5% of pollen grains were left undetected, while 5% of debris were falsely detected as pollen. Undetected pollen was mainly in poor-quality images, or of rare and irregular morphology. Pollen detection remained effective when applied to samples never seen by the algorithm, and was not improved by spending time to provide taxonomic details. Pollen detection of a single model taxon reduced annotation workload, but was only efficient for morphologically differentiated taxa. We offer guidelines to plant scientists to analyze automatically any pollen sample, providing sound criteria to apply for detection while using common and user-friendly tools. Our method contributes to enhance the efficiency and replicability of pollen-based studies., (© 2024 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)

In this study, we present the preparation, stability, and in vivo fasciolicidal activity of three new intramuscular formulations in sheep of a prodrug based on triclabendazole, named fosfatriclaben. The new formulations were ready-to-use aqueous solutions with volumes recommended for intramuscular administration in sheep. The use of poloxamers (P-407 and P-188) and polysorbates (PS-20 and PS-80) in the new formulations improved the aqueous solubility of fosfatriclaben by 8-fold at pH 7.4. High-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection was used to evaluate the stability of fosfatriclaben in the three formulations. High recovery (> 90%) of fosfatriclaben was found for all formulations after exposure at 57 ± 2 °C for 50 h. The three intramuscular formulations showed high fasciolicidal activity at a dose of 6 mg/kg, which was equivalent to the triclabendazole content. The fasciolicidal activity of fosfatriclaben was similar to commercial oral (Fasimec®) and intramuscular (Endovet®) triclabendazole formulations at a dose of 12 mg/kg. In the in vivo experiments, all formulations administered intramuscularly reduced egg excretion by 100%, and formulations F1, F2, and F3 presented fasciolicidal activities of 100%, 100%, and 99.6%, respectively., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Palatine tonsils are lymphoid organs, whose anatomic localization gives them a role against antigens entering the body during feeding and breathing. In human medicine, MRI is used to investigate tonsillar diseases. In veterinary medicine, a recent study on healthy dogs described the MRI appearance of canine palatine tonsils, with no available reports about feline ones. Due to the similarities between animals and humans, and based on the study on canine tonsils, the authors aimed to evaluate the feasibility of low-field MRI to detect and describe presumed normal features of feline palatine tonsils, assessing the finding's reproducibility. Low-field MRI of the heads of 14 cats was reviewed, and qualitative findings (visualization, shape, margins, signal intensity, and pattern) and size of each tonsil were recorded. Each observer recorded 71% of the expected tonsils. Most of them were classified as oval, ill-defined, and hyperintense structures with both homogeneous and heterogeneous signal patterns; the overall agreement was considered good. Low-field MRI is potentially a useful imaging modality to visualize palatine tonsils in cats, and their normal appearance has been described for the first time. The authors recommend the evaluation of tonsils in the transverse plane and consider the most accurate estimation of the short axis.

(1) Background: Strain elastography (SE) is an ultrasound-based technique able to non-invasively assess tissue elasticity, with malignant tissues being stiffer than normal tissues. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of SE to differentiate feline mesenteric benign and malignant lymph nodes (LNs) using a multivariate approach including both SE results and B-mode ultrasound and color Doppler findings. (2) Methods: Feline enlarged mesenteric LNs were evaluated using B-mode ultrasound, color Doppler ultrasonography, and SE. Short-to-long axis ratios, borders, echogenicity, hilum, vascular flow distribution, elastographic patterns, and strain ratios were recorded. Histological and/or cytological diagnosis was available for each LN. (3) Results: A total of 88 LNs were included, 46 (52.3%) benign and 42 (47.7%) malignant; in the benign group, 40 LNs had a diagnosis of reactive hyperplasia (group A) and 6 eosinophilic sclerosing lymphadenitis (group B), while in the malignant group 42 had a diagnosis of lymphoma (group C). The principal component analysis approach showed evidence that by combining B-mode- and color Doppler-based scores with SE scores, the three groups of LNs can be accurately distinguished. (4) Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that a multivariate sonographic approach combining B-mode ultrasound, color Doppler ultrasonography, and SE can accurately distinguish benign from malignant LNs, thus helping in the clinical advice of feline patients.

Chronic non-septic pleural effusion is a condition that frequently may occur because of lung or pleural neoplasia, or chylothorax refractory to surgical treatment, in dogs. Effusion management can be performed with multiple pleurocenteses or the application of chest drains. New modified vascular devices have been used for patients with chronic diseases; they offer the advantage of allowing home management and do not require hospitalization. Eight PleuralPort TM devices were applied in seven dogs during thoracoscopic exploration and biopsy procedures; five were affected by mesothelioma; one by lung metastases from a mammary carcinoma; and one by chronic chylothorax. The median time of surgical procedure was 51 min; one developed pneumothorax post-operatively that resolved within 12 h after repeated drainage; one device was obstructed after 45 days and was successfully managed by flushing. All patients were discharged after 24 h. The median duration of port insertion in cancer patients was 5 months and those dogs were euthanized because of tumor progression; in the dog with chylothorax, the device was removed after 1 year when the effusion had resolved.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence and to describe the clinical and diagnostic imaging features of the different types of feline intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH)., Methods: Medical records and imaging studies were retrospectively reviewed for cats diagnosed with IVDH between January 2008 and October 2020. Information obtained from the clinical records included signalment, clinical presentation, the presence of spinal hyperaesthesia and neurolocalisation. Diagnostic imaging findings, including type (ie, intervertebral disc extrusion [IVDE], intervertebral disc protrusion [IVDP] or acute non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE), site and number of IVDHs, were recorded. The association between breed, age, sex, duration and severity of neurological signs, the presence of spinal pain and MRI features was evaluated., Results: Forty-three cats were included. A total of 50 IVDHs were identified: 39 cats were diagnosed with a single IVDH and four with multiple IVDHs. The most common type of IVDH was ANNPE (n = 22), followed by IVDP (n = 19) and IVDE (n = 9). Neuroanatomical localisation included L4-S3 (n = 19/43), T3-L3 (n = 18/43) and C1-C5 (n = 6/43). Cats with a single IVDH were statistically significantly associated with a diagnosis of ANNPE ( P  = 0.023) compared with cats with multiple IVDHs affected by IVDP ( P  = 0.004). Males were more commonly affected by IVDE ( P  = 0.020) and females by ANNPE ( P  = 0.020). Cats with IVDP had a longer duration of clinical signs ( P <0.001) than cats with ANNPE and demonstrated milder neurological deficits ( P  = 0.005). IVDEs were statistically significantly associated with spinal hyperaesthesia ( P  = 0.013), while ANNPEs were not ( P  = 0.014)., Conclusions and Relevance: ANNPE, IVDP and IVDE are each associated with distinctive clinical scenarios. Thoracolumbar and mid-to-caudal lumbar regions are the most affected, followed by the cranial cervical spine segment.

Kinematic MRI (kMRI) is a novel human imaging technique that couples the excellent soft tissue contrast and multiplanar capabilities of traditional MRI with kinematic potential. The study's goals are: (1) testing the feasibility of spinal cord and joints real-time kMRI; and (2) evaluating the quality of these kinematic studies as a new diagnostic option in veterinary medicine. Standard and real-time kinematic MRI were performed on cervical spine, elbow, and stifle joints of seven cadavers. Studies were repeated after a surgical insult aimed to create a certain degree of joint instability. A total of 56 MRI were performed-7 cervical spinal tracts, 3 elbow joints, and 4 stifle joints were examined. The technique was feasible in all the three regions examined. The images were considered of excellent quality for the stifle joint, good to fair for the cervical spine, whereas two of three elbow studies were considered to have unacceptable image quality. Additionally, real-time kMRI provided good to excellent information about stifle instability. Therefore we consider kMRI a promising technique in veterinary medicine. Further studies and an in vivo setting are needed to increase the quality of the kMRI images, and to fully evaluate clinical usefulness.

Human hypothalamic neuronal hamartomas are rare, nonprogressive, congenital malformations of the hypothalamus that do not expand or metastasize to other locations. A 1 yr old female vizsla was presented for progressive intracranial multifocal neurological signs present since adoption at 3 mo of age. MRI of the brain showed an ill-defined, intra-axial, space-occupying, nonenhancing lesion located in the ventral middle cranial fossa. Histopathological examination was consistent with hypothalamic neuronal hamartoma. This is the first report describing clinical, imaging, and histopathological features of a hypothalamic neuronal hamartoma in a dog. These findings are compared with their human counterparts., (© 2021 by American Animal Hospital Association.)

Fibrinogen plays a vital role in normal homeostasis by promoting platelet aggregation, clot formation and fibrinolysis. It is quantified in finished pharmaceutical products using different methods described in pharmacopoeia, but these are inaccurate, difficult to validate and do not allow for identification of aggregates or protein products of the same formulation. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a method for quantification of the content of fibrinogen and other proteins present in pharmaceutical formulations by comparing it with current pharmacopeial methods. Fibrinogen was quantified in two commercial products and compared to a pharmacopeial method using a validated method for size-exclusion high-pressure liquid chromatography (SEC-HPLC). The fibrinogen level was in accordance with both products' specifications. The SEC-HPLC method showed that the percentage of fibrinogen was 94.88 for one product and 50.68 for the other, and detected high molecular weight aggregates in the second product. The SEC-HPLC method that we developed is an improvement to the current pharmacopeial method, because it allows for quantification of fibrinogen and determination of product purity. This is important because greater purity can reduce potential adverse effects of pharmaceutical products in patients.

Background: Recent studies have reported contrasting results of the effects of laser therapy on post-operative intervertebral disk herniation, with a lack of evidence-based advantages of this modality within a rehabilitation protocol. The aim of this study was to report the clinical effects of photobiomodulation therapy within a post-operative rehabilitation protocol in dogs submitted to surgery for thoracolumbar disk extrusion. Twenty-four dogs were included in the study (12 dogs treated with laser therapy and rehabilitation protocol and 12 dogs treated with same rehabilitation protocol but without laser therapy)., Results: All dogs treated with laser therapy showed improved neurological status (Modified Frankel Score more than 3 within 30 days of physiotherapy starting) if deep nociception on admission was maintained (P = 0.04). However, Kaplan-Meier analysis did not show any statistical difference in time to regain ambulatory ability, although there was a tendency for a shorter mean time of 14.2 ± 8.55 days in the laser group versus 24 ± 18.49 days in the no laser group., Conclusions: The use of laser therapy in the post-operative rehabilitation of dogs affected by intervertebral disc extrusion and submitted to surgery for spinal decompression could help improve their neurological status.

Case series summary Four cats that presented with severe cluster seizures developed neurogenic urinary retention in the postictal phase. None of the cats had previous seizures. Micturition was reported as normal in all cats for 3 or more years before seizure onset. All cats required a continuous rate infusion of propofol to control the seizure activity. In all cats manual bladder expression was performed every 8 h until recovery of normal micturition. One cat was started on phenoxybenzamine to reduce internal urethral sphincter tone. All cats recovered normal micturition within 4 weeks of the last cluster of seizures. Relevance and novel information Transient neurogenic urinary retention has not previously been reported in cats or dogs following severe cluster seizures. Urinary retention should be considered a potential postictal deficit, requiring prompt recognition and treatment to avoid urinary tract infection and detrusor muscle atony.

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of and risk factors for development of postoperative diskospondylitis (POD) in dogs that underwent spinal decompression surgery for intervertebral disk herniation (IVDH). DESIGN Retrospective single cohort study. ANIMALS 372 dogs that underwent spinal decompression surgery for IVDH between January 2007 and January 2011. PROCEDURES Medical records of dogs were retrospectively reviewed. Data regarding signalment, type and anatomic site of IVDH, severity of neurologic signs, type of surgery, duration of anesthesia, esophageal temperature during surgery, and use of corticosteroid drugs were analyzed for associations with POD. RESULTS POD developed in 8 of 372 (2.2%) dogs. Univariate analysis revealed that German Shepherd Dogs had 9.8 times the odds of POD, compared with the odds for other breeds. In addition, dogs > 8.8 years of age, weighing > 20 kg (44 lb), or having disk protrusions were at higher risk of developing POD than were other dogs. The only factor that retained a significant association with POD after controlling for other factors in multivariate analysis was body weight > 20 kg. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Factors identified in this study may be useful for prediction of POD, an apparently uncommon outcome, in dogs undergoing spinal decompression surgery for IVDH. Dogs at higher risk than others, particularly those weighing > 20 kg, should be monitored carefully in the immediate postoperative period, and signs of worsening neurologic condition after initial improvement should be promptly investigated.

Two young dogs were evaluated for an acute onset of abnormal head posture and eye movement. Neurological examination was characterized mostly by permanent neck extension, abnormalities of pupils, and eye movement. A mesencephalic mass lesion was detected on magnetic resonance imaging in both cases. Neurophysiological pathways likely responsible for this peculiar clinical presentation are discussed.

Clinical, neuroimaging, and neuropathological findings of 2 cases of canine primary diffuse leptomeningeal gliomatosis are described. Magnetic resonance imaging and histopathological examination of the brain revealed diffuse leptomeningeal alterations with no parenchymal involvement. These cases share many similarities with the same disease in humans.