Primary intraparotid peripheral nerve sheath tumour with characteristics of benign schwannoma in a horse.

Schwannomas arising in the parotid gland are rare in man and are not documented in domestic animals. This report describes the clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical findings of a benign schwannoma in the parotid gland of a 12-year-old warmblood gelding. A slow-growing mass was surgically excised from the parotid gland and did not recur within the following 6 months. The tumour was well circumscribed and was composed of densely packed spindle cells partly arranged in an Antoni A pattern and intermixed with hypocellular areas resembling the Antoni B pattern. Tumour cells expressed vimentin, S100 protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein and variably neuron-specific enolase. Less than 5% of the neoplastic cells were immunolabelled with the proliferation marker Ki67. Although malignant melanomas frequently involve the parotid gland in horses, schwannomas should be included in the differential diagnosis of parotid masses.

Dysfunctional coping in headache: avoidance and endurance is not associated with chronic forms of headache.

INTRODUCTION: About 4% of the population suffer from daily or near daily headache, which in most cases evolved from an episodic type of headache. The impact of psychological factors on this process is unknown. It seems reasonable to assume, that besides somatic and social conditions psychological factors like pain-related coping and cognition play an important role, as has been shown for other pain conditions. METHODS: We performed a cross sectional study on pain coping behaviour in 211 patients with migraine and tension type headache. Pain-related cognition and coping was investigated using the Kiel Pain Inventory. Prevalence of depression, medication intake and headache characteristics were analysed in regard to chronicity of headache. RESULTS: Overall pain intensity was high in the patient sample. The level of depression increased with headache frequency. Dysfunctional coping, characterized by fear and avoidance is frequently used by headache patients. As in low back pain, also endurance is highly prevalent. Other features known to be associated with chronic headache, like depression and medication overuse, could be confirmed. DISCUSSION: Dysfunctional coping was seen with high prevalence in the entire patient sample (66%). Against our hypothesis, it was not confined to chronic forms of headache. In respect to our data, we discuss the role of avoidance and endurance coping in headache and its possible role in chronicity.

Equid herpesvirus 5-associated dermatitis in a horse--Resembling herpes-associated erythema multiforme.

An equid herpesvirus 5 (EHV-5) infection was detected in lesioned skin from a nine-year-old Holsteiner stallion in the south of Germany. Macroscopically, the animal displayed a non-pruritic, multifocal, pustular dermatitis around both eyes, nostrils and the muzzle, which had been ongoing for one year. Histopathologically, skin lesions were characterized by orthokeratotic to parakeratotic hyperkeratosis, pustular dermatitis, epidermal hyperplasia, apoptotic keratinocytes, a lympho-plasmahistiocytic interface dermatitis with hydropic degeneration of keratinocytes, and perivascular to diffuse, lympho-histiocytic infiltrations. The stratum granulosum and the upper part of the stratum spinosum contained multiple amphophilic, intranuclear inclusion bodies. By in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry herpesvirus DNA and protein, respectively, were detected within keratinocytes containing inclusion bodies. Sequencing of the PCR-product revealed the presence of EHV-5 DNA. This is the first description of a dermatitis associated with EHV-5 in a horse, indicating that EHV-5 should be considered as an etiology of lymphohistiocytic interface dermatitis with intranuclear inclusion bodies in horses and is similar to herpes-associated erythema multiforme in humans.

[Retinopathia centralis serosa--stomach ulcer of ophthalmology?]. / Retinopathia centralis serosa--Magengeschwür der Augenheilkunde?

Centralis serosa retinopathy is regarded in ophthalmology as a psychosomatic disease, although this assumption has not been satisfactorily proven so far. With the use of the Freiburg Personality Inventory (FIP, [4]), the questionnaire for the evaluation of psychosomatic pathological processes [10], and by recording the affliction undergone by stressful events in the patients' lives, the question as to whether a psychogenic contributory cause existed was examined with a control group study (n = 11), parallelised according to age and sex. The results proved significantly that there was a psychosomatic connection, specifically a tendency to somatisation in patients with centralis serosa retinopathy. However, it was not possible to compile a typical personality profile, although it was possible to describe some conspicuous personality features. As a conclusion, the consequences for a subsequent study are being discussed.

[Oxygen partial pressure measurements in the perilymph and scala tympani in normo- and hyperbaric conditions. An animal experiment study]. / Sauerstoffpartialdruck-Messungen in der Perilymphe der Scala tympani unter normo- und hyperbaren Bedingungen. Eine tierexperimentelle Studie.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of hyperbaric oxygen on the oxygen tension (pO2) in the normal inner ear. We examined 16 anaesthetised guinea pigs by means of an oxygen-sensitive micro-coaxial needle electrode, using the method described by Baumgaertl and Luebbers. In all animals the pO2 in the perilymph of the scala tympani fell by 34% of the original value during insertion of the sensor into the scala tympani. After we had flooded the hyperbaric chamber with pure oxygen under normobaric conditions the pO2 increased by 244.3% of the original values. Furthermore the pO2 increased by 9.4 times the original values during hyperbaric oxygen at 1.6 bar.