Acquired partial lower urinary tract obstruction caused by intravesical ureterocele in an adult dog.

Ureterocele is an uncommon condition in dogs characterised by a cystic dilation of the submucosal portion of the distal ureter. A 4-year-old intact male Siberian husky with a 4-month previous diagnosis of ureterocele was presented for pollakiuria. Abdominal ultrasound showed increased dimensions of the ureterocele, and a retrograde positive contrast urethrocystography detected a filling defect of the bladder neck lumen. The position of ureterocele was considered responsible for the partial urinary obstruction. This hypothesis is supported by the resolution of pollakiuria after surgical ureterocele resection. Based on a literature search, this is the first case of an intravesical ureterocele causing partial urinary obstruction in dogs. Ureterocele should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with pollakiuria.

Seasonal variation in canine anti-Leishmania infantum antibody titres.

Quantitative anti-Leishmania antibody titres are critical in the management of dogs with leishmaniosis, from diagnosis to treatment and follow-up, and there is a paucity of data relating changes in antibody titres to sand fly vector seasonality. This study aimed to evaluate seasonal variations in anti-Leishmania infantum antibody titres in dogs from a hyperendemic area for canine leishmaniosis (CanL). Leishmania infantum-seropositive and clinically healthy dogs (n=65) were sampled in June 2019 (sand fly season) and again in February-March 2020 (non-transmission season) to monitor clinical status and serological titres. There was a reduction in anti-L. infantum antibody titres during the non-transmission season in most dogs (n=36; 55.4%), and 44% of those dogs (n=16/36) became seronegative (i.e. below the cut-off value of 1:80). Given the relevance of serology to epidemiological, preventive and clinical studies related to CanL, seasonal variations in antibody titres are important in areas where phlebotomine vectors have seasonal patterns of activity. Sand fly seasonal period must be considered in the interpretation of annual anti-L. infantum antibody screening test results in asymptomatic dogs, to make clinical decisions about staging, treatment and prevention.

Neurological manifestations in dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum: descriptions of 10 cases and a review of the literature.

In order to evaluate possible nervous system involvement in canine leishmaniasis, retrospective evaluation of all medical records of leishmaniotic dogs exhibiting neurological signs referred to our hospital over a 5-year period was performed. The records of 10 dogs were reviewed. Depending on the neuroanatomical localisation, the dogs underwent advanced diagnostic imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, electrodiagnostic testing and histopathologic evaluations. The final neurological diagnosis was: meningoencephalitis (n=2), brain haemorrhagic stroke (n=1), haemorrhagic choroiditis (n=1), meningomyelitis (n=2), ischaemic myelopathy (n=1), polymyositis (n=2) and peripheral neuropathy (n=1). This study confirms that both central and peripheral nervous systems can be affected by leishmaniasis and provides an overview on the possible etiopathogenetic mechanisms. In addition, clinical and diagnostic findings, therapy and follow-up of affected dogs are described.

Bilateral cervical ribs in a Dobermann Pinscher.

An 11-year-old intact female Doberman Pinscher was presented with the complaint of non-ambulatory tetraparesis. Clinical and neurological examination revealed a caudal cervical spinal cord disfunction (C6-T2 spinal cord segments). Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomographic (CT) findings of the cervical spine were consistent with caudal cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM). During the diagnostic work-up for the cervical spine, bilateral bone anomalies involving the seventh cervical vertebra and the first ribs were found on radiographs and CT examination. The rib anomalies found in this dog appear similar to cervical ribs widely described in human medicine. In people, cervical ribs are associated with a high rate of stillbirth, early childhood cancer, and can cause the thoracic outlet syndrome, characterized by neurovascular compression at level of superior aperture of the chest. In dogs, only some sporadic anatomopathological descriptions of cervical ribs exist. In this report the radiographic and CT findings of these particular vertebral and rib anomalies along with their relationships with adjacent vasculature and musculature are shown intravitam in a dog. Specific radiographic and CT findings described in this report may help in reaching a presumptive diagnosis of this anomaly. Finally, their clinical and evolutionary significance are discussed.

A sacro-caudal spinal cord choroid plexus papilloma in a shar-pei dog.

A seven-year-old shar-pei dog was referred because of severe lumbosacral pain and faecal incontinence of 20 days' duration. Neurological examination was characterised by plegic tail, absence of perineal reflex, dilated anus, perineum and tail analgesia, and severe lumbosacral pain. The neurological clinical signs were suggestive of a selective lesion involving sacral and caudal spinal cord segments and/or related nerve roots. A magnetic resonance imaging of lumbosacral spine was performed and was suggestive of an intradural lesion. Primary or secondary neoplasia was considered as the most probable differential diagnosis. The dog was euthanased upon the owner's request. Histopathological examination confirmed the presence of an intradural-extramedullary neoplastic tissue enveloping intradural tract of spinal nerve roots. On the basis of histological and immunohistochemical findings, a diagnosis of well-differentiated choroid plexus papilloma was made. To the authors's knowledge, this is the first case of primary or metastatic spinal choroid plexus papilloma in dogs.

Detrimental effects of acute heparin administration on ischemic threshold in patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have indicated that heparin administration might decrease endothelial nitric oxide production. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of heparin on ischemic threshold. METHODS: Eighteen patients with a positive exercise test and proven coronary artery disease were submitted to a randomized, placebo-controlled trial using i.v. 0.9% NaCl as placebo and i.v. heparin (5,000 IU bolus + 1,000 IU/h). After both saline and heparin bolus, the infusion was started and, after 10 min, the exercise test was performed. Blood samples for nitric oxide metabolites and free fatty acid determinations were taken before, at peak exercise, and at ECG recovery. RESULTS: As compared to placebo, heparin significantly decreased time to 1 mm ST segment depression (241 +/- 160 vs 303 +/- 175 s, p = 0.003) and prolonged recovery (573 +/- 177 vs 441 +/- 195 s, p = 0.003), while exercise duration was similar. Accordingly, rate-pressure product at 1 mm ST segment depression was lower after heparin, while it was similar at peak exercise. No significant differences were found for plasma nitric oxide metabolite levels. Conversely, free fatty acid levels were higher after heparin throughout the study in all patients. The increase in free fatty acids was not correlated with the difference in rate-pressure product at 1 mm ST segment depression between placebo and heparin (r = 0.34, p = NS). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with stable coronary artery disease, heparin significantly decreased exercise ischemic threshold. The lower rate-pressure product at 1 mm ST segment depression during heparin, compared to placebo, suggests an impairment of coronary blood flow, which does not seem to be mediated by decreased nitric oxide production/release. The increased free fatty acid release, on the other hand, might contribute to the detrimental effect of heparin on exercise-induced ischemia, but the lack of a correlation with changes in ischemic threshold suggests that other, still unknown, factors are involved.

Relationship between endothelin-1 concentration and metabolic alterations typical of the insulin resistance syndrome.

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the endothelin-1 (ET-1) concentration and the metabolic variables characteristic of the insulin resistance syndrome ([IRS] hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, visceral obesity, and glycemic abnormalities). The measurement of circulating ET-1 is a well-recognized marker of endothelial atherosclerotic and cardiovascular disease. Two hundred subjects were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 included 50 subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) with IRS. Group 2 included 50 subjects with IGT or NIDDM without IRS. Group 3 included 100 normal subjects as controls. ET-1 levels were higher in group 1 versus groups 2 and 3 in women (11.2 +/- 0.7 v 7.9 +/- 0.5 and 6.6 +/- 0.4 pg/mL, P < .01) and men (10.1 +/- 0.6 v 6.5 +/- 0.8 and 7.2 +/- 0.3 pg/mL, P < .01). No differences were found between groups 2 and 3. With simple regression analysis, ET-1 levels significantly correlated with insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin, body weight, waist to hip ratio, and triglyceride values. However, with multiple regression analysis, only triglycerides (P < .009) and glycosylated hemoglobin (P < .001) remained independently correlated with ET-1. In conclusion, this cross-sectional study indicates that glycosylated hemoglobin and triglycerides are independently correlated with ET-1 levels in patients with IRS.