No surgery required: the future of feline sterilization: An overview of the Michelson Prize & Grants in Reproductive Biology.

OVERVIEW: For many years, researchers have been studying reproduction of cats and dogs, including approaches to non-surgical sterilization, but scant funding has been available for this work. Recognizing the need to fund research and to attract researchers from the biomedical community to apply their expertise to this area, the Michelson Prize & Grants (MPG) in Reproductive Biology program was founded. Since 2009, it has funded 34 research projects in seven countries toward discovery of a safe single-administration lifetime non-surgical sterilant in male and female cats and dogs. GOAL: The goal of the MPG program is the reduction or elimination of the approximately 2.7 million deaths of healthy shelter cats and dogs in the US every year. The successful product is expected to be a single-dose injectable product approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a veterinary prescription item. The most optimistic prediction is that such a product will reach the hands of practicing veterinarians within the next decade. AREAS OF RESEARCH: Active research is in progress using approaches such as immunocontraception with a single-administration vaccine against gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). Long-term therapy with GnRH agonists such as deslorelin administered in controlled-release devices is also being studied. Other scientists are targeting cells in the brain or gonads with cytotoxins, such as are used in cancer chemotherapy. Gene therapy expressing proteins that suppress reproduction and gene silencing of peptides essential to reproduction are further avenues of research. Findings are available at www.michelsonprizeandgrants.org/michelson-grants/research-findings.

Community-based clinical veterinary education at Western University of Health Sciences.

This article describes a distributed model clinical curriculum developed by the College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences (CVMWU), and presents outcome data for the 2005/2006 academic year. Extramural clinical education requires close institutional involvement, including planning, formulation of learning objectives, selection of partner sites with numbers compatible with teaching needs, training of clinical preceptors, faculty commitment, administrative support, and ongoing assessment. Extramural delivery of the CVMWU clinical curriculum is facilitated by its geographical location in close proximity to participating sites and by an admissions process designed to select students judged likely to succeed in a student-centered learning environment. Outcome data collected from students and clinical preceptors supports the conclusion that year 3 of the curriculum was successfully delivered.

Relationship between inflammatory cytology of canine seminal fluid and significant aerobic bacterial, anaerobic bacterial or mycoplasma cultures of canine seminal fluid: 95 cases (1987-2000).

Seminal fluid was collected by manual ejaculation from 95 dogs. Quantitative aerobic bacterial, qualitative anaerobic bacterial and mycoplasma cultures were performed on the seminal fluid, and their association with presence of inflammatory cells present in the pellet formed after centrifugation of the fluid was investigated. There was a clinically meaningful aerobic bacterial growth in 28.4%, anaerobic bacterial growth in 13.7%, and mycoplasma growth in 57.9% of the seminal fluid samples. Presence of inflammatory cytology was statistically associated with clinically meaningful aerobic bacterial growth. However, of the 78 dogs (82.1%) with clinically meaningful growth of at least one aerobic, anaerobic or mycoplasma organism, 43 (55.1%) had non-inflammatory seminal fluid cytology.

Finasteride-induced prostatic involution by apoptosis in dogs with benign prostatic hypertrophy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of finasteride on programmed cell death (apoptosis) of prostatic cells during prostatic involution in dogs with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). ANIMALS: 9 dogs with BPH. PROCEDURE: Dogs were randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. Treatment dogs (n = 5) were administered finasteride (0.1 to 0.5 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h) for 16 weeks, whereas the 4 control dogs were administered an inert compound. Prostatic cells from the prostatic fluid portion of the ejaculate of treatment and control dogs were obtained before and 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 16 weeks after initiation of treatment. Cells were concentrated by use of centrifugation. Prostatic cells were examined for indications of apoptosis by use of a terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuracil triphosphate nick-end labeling technique. After receiving the inert compound for 16 weeks, the 4 control dogs were administered finasteride for 16 weeks, and evaluations were repeated. RESULTS: Percentage of apoptotic prostatic cells in ejaculated prostatic fluid of treatment dogs increased significantly (from 9% before treatment to 33, 31, 26, and 27% after 1, 2, 3, and 8 weeks of treatment, respectively). There was no significant change in percentage of apoptotic prostatic cells in the ejaculated prostatic fluid of control dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Finasteride-induced prostatic involution appears to be via apoptosis in dogs with BPH. Finasteride treatment of dogs with BPH causes prostatic involution by apoptosis rather than necrosis.

Hypothyroidism in a dog associated with trimethoprimsulphadiazine therapy.

Abstract Hypothyroidism and a neuromuscular disorder developed in a 4-year-old Golden Retriever after it received potentiated sulphonamide and metronidazole for 18 and 14 weeks, respectively. Serum total T4 concentrations were non-detectable before and 6 h after exogenous administration of 4IU bovine thyroidstimulating hormone. Thyroid gland biopsy revealed changes consistent with diffuse hyperplastic goitre. Serum T4 concentrations were normal 7 days after discontinuation of therapy. The long-term trimethoprim-sulphadiazine therapy was considered the most likely cause of this dog's hyperplastic goitre. The cause of the neuromuscular disorder was not determined. It is recommended that discontinuation of potentiated sulphonamide takes place at least 7 days prior to any assessment of thyroid function. Résumé- Une hypothyroïdie et des troubles neuromusculaires sont observés sur un Golden Retriever de 4 ans, après une thérapeutique à base de sulfonamides potentialisés et de métronidazole, respectivement de 18 et 14 semaines. Des concentrations sériques de T4 totale ne sont pas détectables avant et après 6 heures d'une stimulation à la TSH bovine (4 UI). Des biopsies de la thyroïde montrent un goitre hyperplasique diffus. Les concentrations sériques de T4 sont de nouveau normales 7 jours après l'arrêt du traitement. L'administration à long terme de triméthoprim-sulphadiazine semble être la cause la plus vraisemblable du goitre hyperplasique. La cause des troubles neuromusculaires n'a pas été déterminée. Il est recommandé d'arrêter l'administration de sulfonamides potentialisés au moins 7 jours avant une exploration de la function thyroïdienne. [Torres, S.M.F. Hypothyroidism in a dog associated with triméthoprim-sulphadiazine therapy (Hypothyroi'die en relation avec un traitement triméthoprim-sulphadiazine chez un chien). Veterinary Dermatology 1996; 7: 105-108.] Resumen Un perro Golden Retriever de 4 años desarrolló hipotiroidismo y una afección neuromuscular después de recibir un tratamiento con sulfonamidas potenciadas y metronidazol 18 y 14 semanas, respectivamente. Las concentraciones séricas totales de T4 eran indetectables antes y a las 6 horas después de la administración exógena de 4 UI de TSH bovina. La biopsia de tiroides mostró alteraciones indicativas de gota hiperplásica difusa. Las concentraciones séricas de T4 fueron normales a los 7 dias de retirar la terapia. La terapia prolongada con trimetoprim-sulfadiazina fue considerada la causa más probable de gota hiperplásica en este perro. No se determinó la causa del cuadro neuromuscular. Se recomienda retirar la terapia con sulfonamida potenciada al menos 7 días antes de la evaluación de la función tiroidea. [Torres, S.M.F. Hypothyroidism in a dog associated with trimethoprim-sulphadiazine therapy (Hipotiroidismo en un perro asociado a la terapia con trimetoprim-sulfadiazina). Veterinary Dermatology 1996; 7: 105-108.] Zusammenfassung- Hypothyreose und eine neuromuskuläre Störung entwickelten sich bei einem 4 Jahre alten Golden Retriever, nachdem er potenzierte Sulfonamide und Metronidazol über 18 beziehungsweise 14 Wochen erhalten hatte. Die Gesamt T4-Konzentrationen waren vor und 6 Stunden nach exogener Verabreichung von 4 IE bovinen TSH nicht meßbar. Eine Biopsie der Schilddrüse zeigte Veränderungen, die parallel mit diffusem hyperplasischem Kropf auftreten. Die Serum T4-Konzentrationen waren 7 Tage nach Abbruch der Therapie wieder normal. Die Langzeit-Trimethoprim-Sulfadiazin-Therapie wurde als wahr-scheinlichste Ursache dieses hyperplastischen Kropfes beim Hund angesehen. Die Ursache der neuro-muskulären Störung konnte nicht festgestellt werden. Es wird empfohlen, potenzierte Sulfonamide mindestens 7 Tage vor einer überprüfung der Schilddrüsenfunktion abzusetzen. [Torres, S. M. F. Hypothyroidism in a dog associated with trimethoprim-sulphadiazine therapy (Hyperthyreose bei einem Hund in Verbindung mit einer Trimethoprim-Sulfadiazin-Therapie). Veterinary Dermatology 1996; 7: 105-108.].