Clinical and Clinico-Pathological Observations of the Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate in Dogs Affected by Leishmaniosis and Other Inflammatory Diseases.

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) has been used in canine medicine in several disorders, above all, to evaluate levels of inflammation. This study evaluated the ESR in canine leishmaniosis (CanL) and other inflammatory conditions. Three groups of dogs were examined: CanL affected dogs without clinical signs (INFECTED group, #25) or with clinical signs (SICK group, #43) and dogs affected by acute or acute-on-chronic conditions (OTHER DISEASE group, #65). The ESR was compared with acute phase proteins or reactants either positive or negative (leukogram, fibrinogen, iron, unsaturated iron binding capacity, ferritin, haptoglobin, and albumin) and immunological markers (gamma-globulins, IgG, and IgM). The ESR was higher in the SICK group than in the INFECTED group (median 39 vs. 11 mm/h; p < 0.0001), as well as in the OTHER DISEASE than in the INFECTED groups (median 41 vs. 11 mm/h; p < 0.0001). The ESR appeared outside the reference range for all dogs in the SICK and OTHER DISEASE groups and almost with similar values (mm/h; median 39, 95% CI 31-51 vs. 41, 95% CI 12-87; p > 0.05). The extent of changes in ESR can help to establish the severity of CanL and other inflammatory disorders. As a point-of-care test, the ESR can be used to screen dogs for unhealthy conditions, and its values correlate with the severity of any disease, including CanL.

Clinicopathologic features and biologic behavior of canine splenic nodules with stromal, histiocytic and lymphoid components.

The term fibrohistiocytic nodule has been discouraged in favor of specific pathologic entities, including complex nodular hyperplasia, splenic stromal sarcoma and histiocytic sarcoma. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of splenic lesions with mixed stromal, histiocytic and lymphoid components still remains a challenge due to lack of straightforward histologic criteria. Misestimation of the biologic behavior of these lesions may lead to detrimental consequences on the clinical management of patients. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the clinicopathologic features and outcome of canine splenic nodular lesions with mixed components, to identify prognostic factors and histologic criteria of malignancy. Thirty-seven cases were included. Immunohistochemistry did not allow for further subclassification. Nine (24.3%) dogs died from disease-related causes after a median of 234 days (range, 48-1,247). One-, 2- and 3-year disease-specific survival rates were 80, 60, and 43%, respectively. When considering nodules with stromal cell atypia and at least one of mitotic count ≥9, presence of karyomegaly/multinucleated cells and lymphoid component <40%, half of these dogs died of disease-related causes with a median disease-specific survival time of 548 days (95% CI, 0-1216). In the remaining dogs, no disease-related death was reported (P < 0.001). Canine splenic nodular lesions with mixed stromal, histiocytic and lymphoid components and histologic criteria of malignancy may behave aggressively, leading to distant metastasis and death. In the absence of further criteria aiding their classification, and to better characterize their biologic behavior, we encourage the distinction of these complex splenic tumors from conventional sarcomas and histiocytic sarcomas.

Histological and immunohistochemical characterization of feline renal cell carcinoma: a case series.

Four feline renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) were examined using histopathological and immunohistochemical procedures. Specimens were classified by predominant histological pattern according to WHO criteria. A panel of antibodies including ß-catenin, C-KIT, VEGF and VEGF-R2 and double immunostaining for vimentin/cytokeratin and for E-cadherin/CD10 was selected to characterize the tumors. Neoplasms were classified as tubular (3/4) and papillary (1/4). Neoplastic epithelial cells were cytokeratin, vimentin, E-cadherin, VEGF-R2 positive and C-KIT negative; 3 cases were ß-catenin positive, whereas only 2 tumors were CD10 and VEGF positive. No correlation with histotype was evident. Our results confirm the low frequency of RCCs in cats and suggest a histological pattern similar to canine RCCs. In contrast, a peculiar immunohistochemical profile different from both canine and human RCCs is identified.

Quantitative analysis of ultrasonographic images and cytology in relation to histopathology of canine and feline liver: An ex-vivo study.

The aims of the present study were to investigate, in a standardized experimental condition, the usefulness of histogram analysis on ex-vivo ultrasonographic images of the liver of dogs and cats compared with histological alterations and to evaluate whether the combination of histogram parameters and cytology might improve diagnostic accuracy referring to optical microscopy as gold standard. Histogram-based parameters were calculated on ultrasonographic images of liver tissue samples collected from the cadavers of 68 dogs and 31 cats. Standard deviation of the histogram (SDH) had a higher sensitivity and specificity in the detection of the lesions in cat compared with dog. Matched results of cytology and SDH improved sensitivity and specificity in dog where as no substantial improvement was evident in cat. Quantitative analysis of ultrasonographic images of the liver in dog and cat could become a potentially useful tool in the distinction between normal and pathological organs.