Syringomyelia and Craniocervical Junction Abnormalities in Chihuahuas.

BACKGROUND: Chiari-like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM) are widely reported in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Griffon Bruxellois dogs. Increasing evidence indicates that CM and SM also occur in other small and toy breed dogs, such as Chihuahuas. OBJECTIVES: To describe the presence of SM and craniocervical junction (CCJ) abnormalities in Chihuahuas and to evaluate the possible association of CCJ abnormalities with SM. To describe CM/SM-related clinical signs and neurologic deficits and to investigate the association of CM/SM-related clinical signs with signalment, SM, or CCJ abnormalities. ANIMALS: Fifty-three client-owned Chihuahuas. METHODS: Prospective study. Questionnaire analyses and physical and neurologic examinations were obtained before magnetic resonance and computed tomography imaging. Images were evaluated for the presence of SM, CM, and atlantooccipital overlapping. Additionally, medullary kinking, dorsal spinal cord compression, and their sum indices were calculated. RESULTS: Scratching was the most common CM/SM-related clinical sign and decreased postural reaction the most common neurologic deficit in 73 and 87% of dogs, respectively. Chiari-like malformation and SM were present in 100 and 38% of dogs, respectively. Syringomyelia was associated with the presence of CM/SM-related clinical signs (P = 0.034), and medullary kinking and sum indices were higher in dogs with clinical signs (P = 0.016 and P = 0.007, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Syringomyelia and CCJ abnormalities are prevalent in Chihuahuas. Syringomyelia was an important factor for the presence of CM/SM-related clinical signs, but many dogs suffered from similar clinical signs without being affected by SM, highlighting the clinical importance of CCJ abnormalities in Chihuahuas.

Topiramate as an add-on antiepileptic drug in treating refractory canine idiopathic epilepsy.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of topiramate as an add-on therapy in dogs with refractory idiopathic epilepsy. METHOD: Prospective, open label, non-comparative clinical trial of topiramate in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy and poor seizure control despite therapeutic serum concentrations of phenobarbital and potassium bromide. The efficacy of topiramate was evaluated by comparing seizure and seizure day frequencies during a retrospective 2-month period with a prospective short-term follow-up of 6 months. An additional long-term follow-up period ranging from 3 to 9 months was conducted on dogs that responded to topiramate therapy during the short-term follow-up. RESULTS: Ten dogs were included. Five (50%) responded to topiramate therapy during the short-term follow-up showing a significant (P=0·04) decrease of 66% in seizure frequency. Three of the five dogs remained responders during the long-term follow-up. Weight loss, sedation and ataxia were the most common adverse effects of topiramate therapy, but in dogs with moderate sedation or ataxia, signs subsided in a few weeks to few months to mild sedation or ataxia. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Topiramate may be effective as an add-on medication in treating canine idiopathic epilepsy. Apart from sedation and ataxia reported in some of the dogs, topiramate was well-tolerated.

Dermoid sinus and spina bifida in three dogs and a cat.

This case series describes four cases of concomitant dermoid sinus and spina bifida in a Chinese crested dog, two Swedish vallhunds and a Burmese cat. The diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography, computed tomography fistulography and pathology. Two dogs that showed abnormalities during neurological examination underwent magnetic resonance imaging. One of them had imaging findings interpreted as syringohydromyelia. All the dogs underwent surgery and the outcome was considered good in all the cases. Based on clinical and pathological examination as well as diagnostic imaging findings, two of the dermoid sinuses were classified as type IV, and two of them showed a previously unreported type of dermoid sinus. This new type is suggested here as type VI.

Diethyl phthalate in compost: ecotoxicological effects and response of the microbial community.

There is a great need to understand the environmental impacts of organic pollutants on soil health. Phthalates are widely used in consumables and can be found extensively. We studied the toxicity of diethyl phthalate (DEP), spiked in a compost plant growth substrate, by means of the acute toxicity Flash test and on the basis of the germination and plant growth of radish seedlings. The response of the microbial community to DEP in the growth substrate was studied by PCR-DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis). In the acute toxicity test, DEP was found to be less toxic as a pure compound than when mixed with the compost mixture. This suggests the synergistic effect of unknown toxic compounds or the release of compounds due to DEP addition. The same DEP concentration level in compost substrate induced toxic response in both plant test and microbial community analysis. The diversity of the major microbial community was reduced from a broad community to only 10 major species at toxic concentrations of DEP. Several of the identified microbial species are known to be able to degrade phthalates, which means that the suppression of other microbial species might be due to the substrate availability and toxicity. The major species identified included Sphingomonas sp., Pseudomonas sp., Actinomycetes sp.

Tissue expression of CA-125 and carcinoembryonic antigen in ovarian carcinoma in relation to nuclear DNA content, histologic grade, and patient survival.

In a prospective study the immunohistochemically detectable tissue expression of the antigens CA-125 and CEA in 112 epithelial ovarian carcinomas and 23 borderline tumors was related to histologic features of the tumor and to patient survival. The CA-125 antigen was expressed mainly in non-mucinous tumors, with no evident association between histologic grade and immunoreactivity. CEA was expressed in mucinous tumors regardless of tumor grade. Flow cytometric DNA analysis was performed on fresh frozen tissue in a subgroup of 60 cases. There was no association between DNA ploidy or S-phase fraction and the CA-125 or CEA antigen expression. Tumor stage, size of residual tumor masses after surgery and DNA ploidy had independent associations with patient survival in multivariate log-rank analysis of prognostic factors. However, there was no association between the CA-125 or CEA antigen expression and patient survival. Thus, in ovarian carcinoma the expression of the CA-125 and CEA antigens seems to be independent of the inherent malignant potential of the tumor epithelium, while DNA analysis provides valuable prognostic information.

Pretreatment serum levels of CA-125, carcinoembryonic antigen, tissue polypeptide antigen, and placental alkaline phosphatase, in patients with ovarian carcinoma, borderline tumors, or benign adnexal masses: relevance for differential diagnosis.

Pretreatment serum levels of the antigens CA-125, tissue polypeptide Antigen (TPA), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) were determined in samples from 295 women with adnexal masses. At laparotomy 48% of patients had epithelial ovarian carcinoma, 9% had tumors of low malignant potential, and 8% suffered from malignancies of other kinds. The sensitivity of CA-125 with 35 U/ml as the cutoff was 88% in women with ovarian carcinoma, but 74% among those with limited disease and 58% in borderline malignancy. Only 6 of 17 mucinous ovarian carcinomas were detected. Specificity was 83%. CEA was elevated above 5.0 micrograms/liter in 15 of 17 patients with mucinous ovarian cancer. TPA detected advanced stages of malignancy, but the sensitivity was low, 53%, in cases with limited disease. PLAP was elevated in 46% of ovarian carcinoma patients. For detecting malignancy overall, the use of a parallel combination of the CA-125 and CEA assays was more sensitive than use of CA-125 as a single marker. This test combination may be of value in the diagnosis of adnexal masses. The predictive value of a positive result was 90%, and that of a negative result, 76%.

Automatic analysis of Papanicolaou smears by digital image processing.

Papanicolaou smears from 378 patients were analyzed in a fully automated microscope system using an image analysis technique. The logic of the system subdivided the smears into "normal" (63%), "not possible to analyze in the machine" (17%) and "positive" (20%). The results have been compared with the conventional screening method available today taking into consideration the definition problems of a true diagnosis, cytopathological and histopathological consensus, reproducibility, sample-taking and interpretation mistakes, etc. As 37% (rejected and positive) of the smears in this particular study were analyzed visually after machine prescreening, it could be demonstrated that the false-negative rate among the remaining 63% of the specimens was significantly lower among the machine-screened smears when compared with visual screening if the results were correlated with histopathological consensus. The results clearly indicate that the technology required to build computerized microscope systems, which are able to automatically sort out at least two thirds of Papanicolaou smears is available today. The only limiting factor is the cost-benefit relationship.