Acute onset of hypertensive encephalopathy in a dog with right adrenal pheochromocytoma and neoplastic invasion of the caudal vena cava: Case report and review of the literature.

Background: Canine pheochromocytomas (PCCs) are rare tumors of the adrenal medulla. Clinical signs are often vague, resulting in intermittent catecholamine over secretion or neoplastic invasion of adjacent structures. Case Description: A 12-year-old Epagneul Breton dog with a 1-year history of chronic kidney disease, was examined for acute onset of severe neurological signs. Based on clinical and instrumental data, hypertensive encephalopathy was suspected. Cardiac and abdominal ultrasound were performed. Severe hypertensive cardiopathy and a right adrenal gland mass with invasion of the caudal vena cava were diagnosed. Computed tomography imaging confirmed the suspect of invasive malignant neoplasia. Emergency pharmacological therapy was started to reduce systemic pressure, improve clinical signs, and stabilize the dog in view of surgical resolution. After initial improvement, patient conditions abruptly worsened, and euthanasia was elected. Histology examination confirmed a right adrenal PCC, with caval invasion. Conclusion: To the authors' conclusions, acute hypertensive encephalopathy is a peculiar manifestation of PCCs. Ultrasound is a useful, and rapid test to suspect PCC as it can detect adrenal alterations, caval invasion, metastasis, and cardiac sequelae consistent with the condition. PCC can mimic multiple affections, and be misinterpreted, especially when a concurrent disease has already been diagnosed. Veterinarians need to be aware that comorbidities could mask clinical signs and delay diagnosis. Furthermore, this clinical case reminds us to include PCC also in the differential diagnosis of dogs with an acute onset of severe neurological signs.

Treatment of Canine Leishmaniasis with Meglumine Antimoniate: A Clinical Study of Tolerability and Efficacy.

Antimoniate therapy, in association with allopurinol, is one of the first-line treatments of canine leishmaniasis (CanL). This study evaluates the potential adverse effects associated with aNm in the treatment of CanL through both a retrospective analysis and a long-term prospective study also aimed to investigate its efficacy. The retrospective study reviewed records of 87 dogs with CanL with at least one follow-up available during or at the end of therapy with aNm (Glucantime®) at a dose of 50 mg/kg administered subcutaneously twice a day in association with allopurinol. In total, 29.8% of dogs showed adverse effects during treatment as local reactions at the injection site (n = 6), severe systemic reaction to pain (originating from the inoculation site) with depression and anorexia (n = 4), systemic disease due to renal function worsening (n = 4), acute pancreatitis (n = 1), diarrhea (n = 5), vomiting (n = 3) and severe idiosyncratic skin reactions (n = 3). Of these dogs, 13 (14.9%) required treatment suspension. The prospective study included 16 dogs, selected among the LeishVet stages II and III CKD IRIS stage 1 (International Renal Interest Society staging of canine Chronic Kidney Disease) and treated with the same aNm plus allopurinol protocol as in the retrospective study and observed for 360 days; 2 dogs were excluded for severe reactions at the injection site. Mild and transient adverse events were reported in the other 4 dogs. The criteria used to evaluate the efficacy of treatment with aNm were as follows: a reduction in the clinical score and improvement and/or normalization of laboratory parameters, negativization of PCR on the bone marrow samples and disease-free interval time. The proportion of reduction in the clinical score reached 91.9% at D180. No animals showed clinical laboratory relapse during the whole study duration and interestingly, the PCR results showed complete negativity between D0 and D60 in 78.5% of animals. Veterinarians must be vigilant regarding the potentially serious adverse effects associated with aNm and promptly stop drug administration if unexpected clinical manifestations occur. On the other hand, they should not discard its use for CanL treatment since it is confirmed that aNm in association with allopurinol is highly effective in controlling CanL.

The Role of Mitochondrial Copy Number in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Present Insights and Future Directions.

Neurodegenerative diseases are progressive disorders that affect the central nervous system (CNS) and represent the major cause of premature death in the elderly. One of the possible determinants of neurodegeneration is the change in mitochondrial function and content. Altered levels of mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) in biological fluids have been reported during both the early stages and progression of the diseases. In patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases, changes in mtDNA-CN levels appear to correlate with mitochondrial dysfunction, cognitive decline, disease progression, and ultimately therapeutic interventions. In this review, we report the main results published up to April 2024, regarding the evaluation of mtDNA-CN levels in blood samples from patients affected by Alzheimer's (AD), Parkinson's (PD), and Huntington's diseases (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim is to show a probable link between mtDNA-CN changes and neurodegenerative disorders. Understanding the causes underlying this association could provide useful information on the molecular mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration and offer the development of new diagnostic approaches and therapeutic interventions.

Clinical insights to address canine strongyloidosis in daily practice.

Canine strongyloidosis by Strongyloides stercoralis is a parasitic disease emerging in Europe, which represents both a veterinary clinical issue and a public health challenge because of the zoonotic potential. The disease, not yet frequent in Europe, could induce severe clinical signs in dogs; thus, an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are desirable. The aim of the present work is to retrospectively investigate the clinical and paraclinical findings in sick dogs naturally infected by S. stercoralis, with particular attention to ultrasound (US) changes at the gastrointestinal level. Twelve dogs were included in the study. The diagnosis was made by means of larval morphological identification on faecal samples and PCR. Most dogs presented with gastrointestinal signs; diarrhea and weight loss were the most common presenting complaint. Only one dog showed respiratory signs, associated to a parasitic cutaneous nodule. Hypoproteinaemia, anaemia, leucocytosis and an increase in alpha2-globulin fraction at serum protein electrophoresis were common (>50%) but not constant findings. The most reported US picture was a fluid-filled, distended, atonic small intestine mostly associated with altered wall layering, while the wall thickness commonly associated with chronic enteritis was only rarely reported. These changes, associated with other clinical and paraclinical alterations, could increase the suspicion of canine strongyloidosis and may direct clinicians to include strongyloidosis in the differential diagnosis of dogs with diarrhea. The histological examination at the intestinal level, available in five dogs, revealed the presence of parasites from the full-thickness biopsy, but not from the endoscopic biopsy. The critical points of diagnosis in clinical practice are also discussed.