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Objectives: To describe the clinical outcome of dogs diagnosed with concurrent discospondylitis/vertebral physitis and congenital intrahepatic portosystemic shunts. Materials and Methods: Medical records from two academic institutions were searched for dogs diagnosed with discospondylitis and/or vertebral physitis, and a concurrent intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. Dogs were excluded if they did not undergo attenuation of their shunt, did not have a single congenital intrahepatic shunt and did not have at least 90 days of follow‐up. Results: Six dogs met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Discospondylitis alone was diagnosed in four dogs, vertebral physitis alone in one dog and both discospondylitis and vertebral physitis in one dog. Three dogs had a right divisional intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and three dogs had a left divisional intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. Median duration of antimicrobial therapy was 112 days (range 14 to 240 days). Clinical resolution of discospondylitis and vertebral physitis was noted in all dogs. Endovascular attenuation was performed in all dogs a median of 82 days after presentation (range 1 to 317 days). No perioperative or postoperative complications occurred. All dogs were alive at the last available follow‐up a median of 513 days after presentation (range 224 to 1504 days) and free of clinical signs associated with discospondylitis or vertebral physitis, as well as their portosystemic shunt. Clinical Significance: Dogs with intrahepatic portosystemic shunts may concurrently develop discospondylitis and vertebral physitis. With antimicrobial therapy and endovascular embolisation of their portosystemic shunt, all dogs in this study had a good outcome with clinical resolution of both disease processes. However, long‐term follow‐up was not obtained in all cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This section presents news briefs related to the education sector in Tennessee, as of October 20, 1887. A teacher in Knoxville was severely bitten in the thumb of his right hand while exhibiting a rattlesnake to his class. The graded schools in Morristown opened with an enrollment of 210 on October 3. The course of study at Central Tennessee College has been enlarges and a normal library is in prospect.

The article offers news from Tennessee. Tennessee Industrial School superintendent W. C. Kilvington reports that the attendance of white and colored students increased in less than a year. After their last meeting, the Nashville Board of Education decided to adopt a fire drill program throughout the various schools of the city.

Objective: To describe clinical signs, arthroscopic findings, and outcome in a group of dogs undergoing second look arthroscopy for the treatment of meniscal tears following original surgery to correct a CCL deficient stifle joint., Methods: The medical records of 26 dogs from the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Texas A&M University and the Veterinary Orthopedic Center (Round Rock, Texas) that had second look arthroscopy for lameness following an original surgical procedure were reviewed. Pre-operative clinical findings, 2nd look arthroscopic findings and owner assessed outcome were documented., Results: Postliminary bucket handle tears of the medial meniscus were detected in 22 (75.9%) cases. Other postliminary meniscal injuries included frayed caudal horn tears of the medial meniscus 6 (20.7%), and longitudinal tears of the lateral meniscus 1 (3.4%). An audible or palpable click was present in 27.6% of cases. An improvement or resolution of lameness was reported in 96.5% of cases reported. In conclusion, tears of the medial meniscus are a significant cause of lameness in dogs subsequent to surgery for cranial crucial ligament ruptures. Increased lameness or acute onset of lameness after surgery for cranial crucial rupture is a consistent finding. In rare cases, a palpable or audible click will be appreciated. Arthroscopic evaluation and partial meniscectomy improve or resolve lameness in the majority of cases., Clinical Significance: Sudden or increased lameness in dogs with historical CCL stabilization surgery should be evaluated and treated arthroscopically for postliminary meniscal injury if another cause for lameness can not be determined.

The effectiveness of naproxen in the management of acute gouty arthritis was assessed in an open study of 20 patients. These patients were selected on the basis of their clinical presentation of characteristic acute arthritis associated in 19 with concomitant hyperuricemia. There were 17 men and three women varying in age from 35 to 89 years. The first 12 patients were treated with 600 mg naproxen initially, followed by 300 mg every 8 hours for the first 48 hours and then tapered or discontinued depending upon their clinical response. The last eight patients received a loading dose of 750 mg naproxen, followed by 250 mg every 8 hours for a duration of 72 hours before tapering the drug. The response of 15 of the 20 was either excellent or good, while the response was fair in three and poor in two. Poor responders had been failures in other regimens or were treated late in the course of their attack. The higher loading dose was associated with more rapid and satisfactory remission. No significant undesirable side effects were observed. On the basis of this study, naproxen was found effective in alleviating the inflammation of acute gout.

The effect of cortisone treatment on the disappearance kinetics, the hepatic uptake, and the glomerular deposition of i.v. administered, soluble immune complexes (HSAantiHSA) was examined in mice. An initial rapid disappearance of complexes from the circulation occurred after the injection of complexes into control mice, which was caused by increased vascular permeability. This phase was absent in the cortisone-treated group. The half life of complexes composed of more than two antigen and two antibody molecules (greater than Ag2Ab2)was prolonged from 1.93 hr in control mice to 4.71 hr in cortisone-treated mice while the half life of Ag2Ab2 complexes was unchanged (11.40 hr vs 12.04 hr). Although the clearance velocity of greater than Ag2Ab2 complexes was suppressed in cortisone-treated mice, the quantity of complexes specifically located in the liver at 1, 2, and 4 hr was not significantly different in the two groups. Persistence of circulating greater than Ag1Ab2 complexes was associated with enhanced and prolonged glomerular depostion of complexes in the cortisone-treated mice.