RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Liver regeneration is vital for the survival of patients submitted to extensive liver resection as a treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor of angiogenesis and cell division, both of which are integral components of liver regeneration. We investigated the effect of preoperative treatment with sorafenib, a drug used for the treatment of HCC, on liver regeneration and angiogenesis in healthy rats, after two-thirds partial hepatectomy (PH2/3). METHODS: In total 48 Wistar rats received intragastric injections of sorafenib (30 mg/kg/d) or vehicle, underwent PH2/3, and were sacrificed at 48, 96 or 168 hours after that. The regenerative index of the liver remnant was studied, as well as the mitotic index. DNA synthesis and angiogenesis were estimated by immunohistochemistry for the Ki-67 and CD34 antigens, respectively. RESULTS: Sorafenib reduced significantly the regenerative index at all time points but not the mitotic index at 48, 96 or 168 hours. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis and angiogenesis were not affected significantly either. CONCLUSIONS: Sorafenib, when administered preoperatively, reduces incompletely and transiently the regeneration of the liver after PH2/3 in rats. This could mean that sorafenib can be used as neoadjuvant treatment of patients with HCC prior to liver resection, but further experimental and clinical studies are needed to establish the safety of this treatment. Hippokratia 2015; 19 (3): 249-255.
RESUMEN
Hip dysplasia was diagnosed in three cats. Two were presented with a history of hindlimb lameness and the other had a history of constipation. All were confined for two weeks and showed considerable clinical improvement. At follow-up examination the cats were free of clinical signs despite the deterioration in the radiological appearance of their hips. Luxation or subluxation of the hips, insufficient development of the craniolateral acetabular edges, loss of the arched shape of the cranial subchondral acetabular bones, shallow acetabula and secondary degenerative changes on the femoral heads and necks were the main radiological findings in the affected cats.