Relationship of serum leptin concentration with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism and cholestatic disease in dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To measure serum leptin concentration in dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism and varying degrees of cholestatic disease and determine whether serum levels differed between dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism and those with gall bladder mucocoele. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Client-owned healthy dogs (n=20), dogs diagnosed with gall bladder mucocoele (n=20) and dogs diagnosed with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (n=60) were enrolled. Only dogs of normal body condition score were included. Dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism were divided into three groups according to the severity of cholestatic disease: normal gall bladder (n=20), cholestasis (n=20) and gall bladder mucocoele (n=20). Serum leptin levels were measured using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Serum concentrations of leptin were similar between dogs with gall bladder mucocoele and those with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism accompanied by gall bladder mucocoele; these concentrations were significantly higher than those in healthy control dogs. In dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism, circulating leptin concentration significantly increased with the severity of cholestasis: higher in the cholestasis group than the normal gall bladder group and higher in the gall bladder mucocoele group than the cholestasis group. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Elevated circulating leptin concentration was associated with canine pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism and gall bladder mucocoele. Homeostatic imbalance of leptin concentration might be associated with severity of cholestatic disease in pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism.

Increased Leptin and Leptin Receptor Expression in Dogs With Gallbladder Mucocele.

BACKGROUND: Leptin and its receptor play a role in several disease processes such as pancreatitis and heart disease. However, their association with gallbladder mucocele (GBM) in dogs has not been reported. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To evaluate differences in the expression of leptin and leptin receptor between dogs with and without GBM. ANIMALS: Twenty-five healthy dogs, including 9 laboratory beagle dogs, and 22 client-owned dogs with GBM. METHODS: Serum leptin concentration was determined in blood samples of all dogs by ELISA. Canine gallbladder samples were collected from 9 dogs with GBM that underwent surgery for therapeutic purposes and from 9 healthy laboratory beagle dogs as a normal control group. Samples were analyzed for leptin and leptin receptor mRNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Serum leptin concentration was significantly higher in dogs with GBM than in healthy dogs (medians of 7.03 and 2.18 ng/mL, respectively; P < .001). Patients with GBM that had undergone surgery had significantly higher serum leptin concentrations than those that had not (medians of 12.2 and 4.09 ng/mL, respectively; P = .001). However, no difference in serum leptin concentration was found between dogs with GBM with or without endocrinopathies. The mRNA expression levels of leptin and its receptor were significantly increased in the gallbladder tissues of dogs with GBM. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Dysregulation of leptin might be involved in the pathophysiology of GBM, and leptin concentrations might be associated with GBM severity.

Evaluation of FOXP3 expression in canine mammary gland tumours.

The expression of the transcription factor forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) was examined in 62 canine mammary gland tumours via immunohistochemical analysis and association with the known expression of the oestrogen receptor-alpha (ERα), progesterone receptor (PR), c-erbB-2 receptor (HER2/neu), and survival. Positive staining for FOXP3 was present in 22.6% of the tumours and was associated with the histological type. Negative staining for FOXP3 was associated with positive ERα and PR expression (P < 0.001). The expression of FOXP3 in canine mammary gland tumours was significantly associated with the disease-free survival time (P = 0.029). The FOXP3 expression was not an independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis, though. The negative expression of FOXP3 in the canine mammary gland tumours was found to be related to histopathologic benignity and a longer survival time in canine mammary gland tumours.

The fate of implanted autologous chondrocytes in regenerated articular cartilage.

Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is used to treat some articular cartilage defects. However, the fate of the cultured chondrocytes after in-vivo transplantation and their role in cartilage regeneration remains unclear. To monitor the survival and fate of such cells in vivo, the chondrocytes were labelled with a lipophilic dye and the resultant regenerated tissue in dogs examined. It was found that, 4 weeks after implantation, the osteochondral defects were filled with regenerative tissue that resembled hyaline cartilage. Fluorescence microscopy of frozen sections of the regenerated tissue revealed that the majority of cells were derived from the DiI-labelled implanted chondrocytes. From these results, it was concluded that a large population of implanted autologous chondrocytes can survive at least 4 weeks after implantation and play a direct role in cartilage regeneration. However, it remains unknown whether other cells, such as periosteal cells or bone marrow stromal stem cells, are involved in the regeneration of cartilage after ACI.

Comparison of two fibrin glues in anastomoses and skin closure.

To control intra-operative haemorrhage, fibrin glues are preferred by many surgeons because of their biological advantages and convenience of application. Manufacturers have developed a few kinds of fibrin glues with a little difference in their composition. This study was to compare the effectiveness of two commercially available fibrin glues; Greenplast (Green Cross P. D. Company, Yongin, Korea) and Tisseel (Baxter-Immuno AG, Vienna, Austria). They were applied experimentally to several kinds of surgery in dogs - renal vessel anastomosis, partial splenectomy, intestinal anastomosis and incision skin wound - and evaluated for their haemostatic and adhesive effects. When the two glues were applied in renal vessel anastomosis, the amount of haemorrhage in artery and vein decreased significantly. They also decreased the haemorrhage in partial splenectomy. At 10 min after application of the glues to an incision skin wound, the tensile strengths developed were significantly higher than that of control. The present study indicates that two-component fibrin glues have a haemostatic effect as a mechanical barrier in renal vessel anastomosis and an adhesive effect in the early stage of incision skin wound closure, and the two glues have similar effects with no complications.

Effects of amniotic membrane on epithelial wound healing and stromal remodelling after excimer laser keratectomy in rabbit cornea.

AIMS: To investigate if the amniotic membrane (AM) promotes epithelial migration while inhibiting stromal remodelling associated with corneal haze after excimer laser keratectomy. METHODS: A wound 150 microm in depth and 6.0 mm in diameter was produced in 40 rabbits using an excimer laser. One eye was randomly chosen to be covered by the AM while the other eye served as a control. Epithelial wound healing was evaluated, together with any morphological changes of the anterior stroma connected with corneal haze. These morphological changes were histopathologically analysed using dichlortriazinyl aminofluorescein (DTAF), Masson trichrome staining, and an image analyser. RESULTS: The AM group had a short latent phase followed by fast epithelial healing (p<0.001) during the early wound healing period and a significant decrease in the inflammatory response, together with a smaller change in the number of keratocytes than the control group. The mean thickness of the regenerated stroma was significantly thinner in the AM group than in the control group at 8 weeks (p<0.0001). The AM group had a more regular architecture of regenerated stromal lamella at 8 weeks and significantly less haze after 4 weeks than the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Use of the AM as a dressing on a corneal wound created by excimer laser surgery, in which severe haze is expected, may induce rapid epithelial healing with less inflammatory response. The AM may inhibit the irregular synthesis of stromal collagen that is associated with corneal haze.

Concurrent multicentric hemangiosarcoma and ovarian teratoma in an aged Père david's deer (Elaphurus davidianus).

A 20-yr-old female Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus) died following a 3-wk history of depression, anorexia, and progressive respiratory distress. At necropsy, numerous soft to firm, tan or blood-filled nodular structures, 1-6 cm in diameter, were noted in the lung and the visceral and parietal pleura and within the mediastinum. Similar nodules were also found in the liver, spleen, kidney, and lymph nodes. Histologically, the nodules were diagnosed as hemangiosarcoma. A benign teratoma was present in the left ovary.

Metastatic malignant mesothelioma in a tiger (Panthera tigris).

An 8-yr-old female tiger (Panthera tigris) died following a 2-wk history of progressive depression, anorexia, respiratory insufficiency, and exercise intolerance. At the time of necropsy, numerous coalescing, 4-20-mm, tan, firm nodules were scattered throughout the pleural surfaces of the thoracic wall and the mediastinum, giving a velvety appearance to these surfaces. Histologically, the nodules were diagnosed as malignant pleural mesothelioma. Secondary metastasis to the regional tracheobronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes was observed.

Localization and sequence analysis of the phnH gene encoding 2-hydroxypent-2,4-dienoate hydratase in Pseudomonas sp. strain DJ77.

The phnDEFG genes of Pseudomonas sp. DJ77, which are responsible for the degradation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated aromatics, were located previously on the 6.8 kb XhoI fragment of chromosomal DNA. Here, we sequenced a downstream region hitherto unknown and identified the phnH gene encoding a 2-hydroxypent-2,4-dienoate hydratase, which is required for the conversion of 2-hydroxypent-2,4-dienoate to 4-hydroxy-2-oxovalerate in the meta-cleavage pathway of catechols. The relative position of the hydratase gene in the phn operon is unique compared to the other meta-cleavage operons which have a dehydrogenative branch of the pathway. The PhnH hydratase contains 264 amino acids with a Mr of 28048. The deduced amino acid sequence of the PhnH enzyme is 60.9-31.6% identical to those of homologous enzymes encoded by the todG, bphE, cmtF, bphH, bphX1, xylJ, dmpE, cumE, MTCY03C7.20 and etbE genes.