Ultrasound-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation of Chemodectomas in Five Dogs.

Chemodectomas are low prevalence tumors with complex clinical management. Many present as an incidental finding however, in other dogs, they produce pericardial effusion and/or compression, leading to the appearance of severe clinical signs. There are currently several approaches: surgery, radiotherapy, stent placement and chemotherapy. This is the first description of percutaneous echo-guided radiofrequency ablation of aortic body tumors. This minimally invasive treatment is based on high frequency alternating electrical currents from an electrode that produces ionic agitation and generates frictional heat, causing coagulation necrosis. Five dogs with an echocardiographic and cytological diagnosis of chemodectoma underwent percutaneous echo-guided radiofrequency ablation. At the time of presentation, all the dogs showed clinical signs, such as ascites and/or collapse. There were no complications either during the procedure or in the following 24 hours. Rapid clinical improvement associated with a reduction in size and change in sonographic appearance of the mass were achieved with no complications. Six months follow-up was carried out in all dogs. A second percutaneous echo-guided RFA was performed eight months after the first procedure in one dog. Based on our experience, radiofrequency ablation seems to be a feasible and safe technique, making it a potential alternative therapeutic approach in the clinical management of aortic body tumors leading to severe clinical compromise.

Strain Elastography of Injured Equine Superficial Digital Flexor Tendons: A Reliability Study of Manual Measurements.

Early diagnosis of tendon injuries and accurate long-term monitoring of the healing process are key for equine veterinarians that use conventional ultrasonography. The development of strain elastography could improve the management of clinical cases. The aim of the study was to assess the intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility of manual measurements of the colored areas of the tendons within elastograms and to standardize this manual modality by comparing the analysis of the images with ImageJ. Twenty elastograms of the injured superficial digital flexor tendons (SDFTs) of horses were analyzed by two different operators after an acute injury was diagnosed with ultrasonography. Statistical analysis demonstrated excellent intraobserver repeatability (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC = 0.949) and good interobserver reproducibility (ICC = 0.855) for manual measurements performed with tools available on the ultrasound unit. A good agreement between manual measurements and measurements performed with ImageJ (ICC = 0.849) was then demonstrated. Despite its subjectivity, the manual modality proved to be a valid method for analyzing images obtained with strain elastography.

Humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 by healthy and sick dogs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.

COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Infections of animals with SARS-CoV-2 have recently been reported, and an increase of severe lung pathologies in domestic dogs has also been detected by veterinarians in Spain. Therefore, further descriptions of the pathological processes in those animals that show symptoms similar to those described in humans affected by COVID-19 would be highly valuable. The potential for companion animals to contribute to the continued transmission and community spread of this known human-to-human disease is an urgent issue to be considered. Forty animals with pulmonary pathologies were studied by chest X-ray, ultrasound analysis, and computed tomography. Nasopharyngeal and rectal swabs were analyzed to detect canine pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2. An additional twenty healthy dogs living in SARS-CoV-2-positive households were included. Immunoglobulin detection by several immunoassays was performed. Our findings show that sick dogs presented severe alveolar or interstitial patterns with pulmonary opacity, parenchymal abnormalities, and bilateral lesions. The forty sick dogs were negative for SARS-CoV-2 but Mycoplasma spp. was detected in 26 of 33 dogs. Five healthy and one pathological dog presented IgG against SARS-CoV-2. Here we report that despite detecting dogs with α-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, we never obtained a positive RT-qPCR for SARS-SoV-2, not even in dogs with severe pulmonary disease; suggesting that even in the case of canine infection, transmission would be unlikely. Moreover, dogs living in COVID-19-positive households could have been more highly exposed to infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Administration of glycerol-based formulations in sheep results in similar ovulation rate to eCG but red blood cell indices may be affected.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the metabolic and osmotic effects of different doses of glycerol or a glycerol - propylene glycol mixture in Sarda sheep with the aim to identify those able to beneficially modify ewe's metabolic status without harmful changes in red blood cell (RBC) indices. Thereafter, the selected doses were tested for their effects on ewe's ovarian activity during an induced follicular phase and compared to the effects of a hormonal treatment with equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG). RESULTS: Glycerol was administered alone (G groups: 90% glycerol and 10% water; % v/v) or in combination with propylene glycol (M groups: 70% glycerol, 20% propylene glycol, 10% water; % v/v). Treatments were formulated to provide 100, 75, 50 and 25% of the amount of energy supplied in previous experiments. Obtained results showed that the formulations G75 and M75 (22.5 and 18.2% on DM basis, respectively) induce metabolic changes comparable to those induced by M100. The latter dose has been already evaluated for its effects on sheep metabolism and reproductive performance. However, with these high doses, plasma osmolality increased significantly, and RBC indices showed significant alterations. The low dose groups (G25 and M25, 8.6 and 6.9% on DM basis, respectively) did not show any alterations in plasma osmolality and RBC indices, but the metabolic milieu differed markedly from that of M100. Between the medium dose groups, M50 (12.9% on DM basis) showed a more comparable milieu to M100 than G50 (15.9% on DM basis) and no RBC alterations. Therefore, M75, G75 and M50 doses were tested for their effect on ovarian functions and proved to be equally effective as eCG. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study evidenced an alteration of RBC indices, and possibly of their functions, as a side effect of glycerol administration at high doses in the diet of ewes. Therefore, protocols foreseeing the administration of glycerol should be tested for their effects on RBC indices and functions. In general terms, the medium dose of the glucogenic mixture (12.9% of dietary DM on offer) should be preferred.

The effects of sildenafil citrate on feto-placental development and haemodynamics in a rabbit model of intrauterine growth restriction.

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of sildenafil citrate (SC) to improve placental and fetal growth in a diet-induced rabbit model of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Pregnant rabbits were fed either ad libitum (Group C) or restricted to 50% of dietary requirements (Group R) or restricted and treated with SC (Group SC). The treatment with SC improved placental development by increasing vascularity and vessel hypertrophy in the decidua. The assessment of feto-placental haemodynamics showed higher resistance and pulsatility indices at the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in fetuses treated with SC when compared with Group R, which had increased systolic peak and time-averaged mean velocities at the MCA. Furthermore, fetuses in the SC group had significantly higher biparietal and thoracic diameters and longer crown-rump lengths than fetuses in Group R. Hence, the SC group had a reduced IUGR rate and a higher kit size at birth compared with Group R. In conclusion, SC may provide potential benefits in pregnancies with placental insufficiency and IUGR, partially counteracting the negative effects of food restriction on placental development and fetal growth. However, the present study also found evidence of a possible blood overflow in the brain that warrants further investigation.