Ana Whyte

Malformations of the epididymis, incomplete regression of the mesonephric tubules and hyperplasia of Leydig cells in canine persistence of Müllerian duct syndrome.

Persistence of the Müllerian duct syndrome (PMDS) is a rare form of pseudohermaphroditism characterized by the presence of uterus and oviducts in otherwise normally differentiated SRY-positive 78 XY canine males. Undescended testicles are also common. We report a case of a male PMDS dog with a uterus and bilateral cryptorchidism. The dog had an incomplete regression of the mesonephric tubules. As a consequence of this an abnormally enlarged head of the epididymis was observed. In addition, an extreme reduction in size of both the body and the tail was found. Microscopic examination of both testicles revealed bilateral hyperplasia of Leydig cells. The progesterone blood level was measured by ELISA and was found to be abnormally high (3.18 ng/ml) compared to that of normal male dogs (lower than 1 ng/ml). Three months after surgical removal of the internal genitalia, the serum progesterone, testosterone and oestradiol levels were normal for a castrated male dog.

Association Between Tegmen Tympani Status and Superior Semicircular Canal Pattern.

Objective: Detecting and quantifying the possible association between tegmen tympani (TT) status and superior semicircular canal (SSC) pattern. Design: Observational study. Setting: Study conducted in three tertiary Spanish hospitals. Patients: Nonselected consecutive patients of all ages (607 temporal bones). Interventions: Thin-section multidetector row computed axial tomography (CAT scan) of the temporal bones. Main Outcome Measure: Thickness of SSC bone coverture adjacent to the middle fossa, and TT status as a dichotomous variable: dehiscence (TTD) or integrity (TTI). Results: The observed SSC patterns were dehiscence (3.79%), papyraceous or thin (11.20%), normal (76.77%), thick (4.94%), and pneumatized (3.29%). The observed TT statuses were TTD (10.87%) and TTI (89.13%). TTD was associated with SSCD and papyraceous patterns, and TTI percentages were higher in normal and thick patterns (&khgr;2 = 11.102; p = 0.001). The TTD probability was estimated as a function of SSC pattern and age by a multivariate binary logistics regression model (&khgr;2 = 45.939; p < 0.001). Conclusion: SSC pattern was significantly associated with TT status. Age influenced this association. The risk for TTD increased by 4.1% per each year of increasing age, did not differ significantly for normal and thick patterns, and increased 12 times and 20 times for papyraceous and SSCD patterns, respectively.

Congenital dehiscence in the posterior semicircular canal.

Hypothesis Posterior semicircular canal dehiscence (PSCD) may be of congenital origin. Background PSCD is characterized by the lack of bone coverage, which results in its lumen being exposed to the meninges of the posterior cranial fossa or to the gulf of the jugular vein. It has an incidence of 0.2%. Its presence has been associated with several well-defined entities, although a congenital origin has not been proven. Methods We have analyzed, from a macroscopic, microscopic, and radiologic (computed tomography) viewpoint, the right temporal bone of a 32-week-old human fetus that presented a defect in the bone coverage located in the rear. Results The macroscopic study showed a solution of continuity in the posterior semicircular canal, with elliptic morphology and smooth edges. This defect was 3.4 mm long with a width that varied between 0.67 mm in its apical portion and 1.42 in the basal portion. The radiologic study (computed tomography) showed the absence of bone coverage of the posterior semicircular canal, which was open to the intracranial space in the posterior fossa. Its histologic study showed good bone coverage of this canal at the expense of compact bone tissue. However, at the medial end, there is a lack of bone coverage, resulting in the lumen of the canal being open to the intracranial space. The bone edges of the defect did not present any osteoclast activity. Conclusion The lack of bone coverage (dehiscence) of the posterior semicircular canal in a 32-week-old fetus suggests a congenital component of bony dehiscences of this canal. Even so, this single finding does not conclusively prove the congenital component, and the dehiscence is a finding that can be part of and not by itself a syndrome.

Canine stage 1 periodontal disease: a latent pathology.

To evaluate the potential health issues associated with periodontal disease (PD) in dogs, 1004 teeth from 25 dogs were examined. The dogs were randomly selected, aged 2-14 years, and had at least 95% of their teeth at the first PD stage. Significant positive correlations between plaque grade (PG) and gum inflammation, gingival regression, periodontal pocket, age and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity were identified. In contrast, PG was negatively correlated to total platelet count. Altogether, these findings suggest that prevention and therapy at the first PD stages can have an important impact on the general health condition of dogs.

Bilateral Ovotestes in a 78, XX SRY-Negative Beagle Dog

This report describes a disorder of the sexual development in a beagle dog resulting in an intersex condition. A 6 mo old beagle was presented for evaluation of a protruding structure from the vulva consistent with an enlarged clitoris. Ultrasonographic examination revealed the presence of both gonadal and uterine structures. Retrograde cystourethrovaginogram showed the presence of an os clitoris and severe vaginal stenosis. Histological studies revealed the presence of bilateral ovotestes and uterus. The gonad had interstitial cells within seminiferous-like tubules lined only with Sertoli cells and abundant interstitial cells among primordial, primary, and secondary follicles. Hormone assays completed before and after gonadohysterectomy showed an elevation in the levels of progesterone and dihydrotestosterone that returned to baseline 3 mo after surgery. Testosterone levels that were within the male reference ranges before surgery decreased to basal levels postsurgically. 17-β-Estradiol levels showed little variation and values were always within the reference ranges for a male. Cytogenetic analysis showed a normal female karyotype (2n = 78, XX) and polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed the absence of the sex-determining region Y gene. In summary, the dog presented bilateral ovotestes and a 2n = 78, XX chromosomal complement lacking the sex determining region Y gene, consistent with a diagnosis of true hermaphroditism.

Frey syndrome: factors influencing the time to event

Frey syndrome is a common complication after parotidectomy. The time from surgery to disease onset may be quite long; therefore, a time-to-event analysis was performed for the occurrence of this syndrome post-parotidectomy. Three hundred and thirty-four patients who underwent a parotidectomy between January 2002 and November 2012 were identified (retrospective study). Of these patients, 102 developed Frey syndrome post-surgery and 232 did not. The time-to-onset analysis enabled us to estimate the risk ratio associated with different types of parotid gland tumours, various parotidectomy procedures, and repeat parotidectomy, which is useful for predicting preoperative and surgical risk. The risk of developing Frey syndrome was lower in patients with malignant tumours than in those with benign tumours (risk ratio 0.351, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.155-0.594). Risk ratios for lumpectomy PA (pre-auricular area), superficial parotidectomy, and total parotidectomy with respect to lumpectomy T (tail) were 4.378 (95% CI 1.168-16.410), 8.040 (95% CI 3.286-19.670), and 8.174 (95% CI 3.076-21.723), respectively. Repeat parotidectomy also increased the risk of developing Frey syndrome (risk ratio 3.214, 95% CI 1.547-6.678). No effect of the use of a superficial muscular aponeurotic system (SMAS) flap on the risk of developing Frey syndrome was detected (P=0.888).

Peculiaridades Anatómicas del Canal Semicircular Superior y su Posible Implicancia Clínica

El objetivo fue estudiar las peculiaridades en la morfologia apical del canal semicircular superior, a nivel de la eminencia arcuata con la finalidad de obtener conclusiones aplicativas. Se estudiaron 48 cabezas de cadaveres humanos (96 huesos temporales), con la intencion de identificar la presencia de adelgazamiento o dehiscencia del canal semicircular superior, asi como la existencia de surcos vasculares de la eminencia acuata que, discurriendo sobre el techo del canal, pudieran afectar a su integridad anatomica. El estudio incluye un analisis histologico (Tricromico de Martins) y radiologico (Tomografia Computarizada) de los hallazgos positivos (dehiscencias y adelgazamientos), asi como estudio tomografico de los canales con surcos vasculares visibles. En un caso (1,04 %) hemos observado como el canal presentaba un defecto oseo completo (dehiscencia), en tres (3,12%) el canal presentaba una pared muy delgada cuyo grosor no excedia de 0,2 mm. En 12 casos (12,5%) la eminencia arcuata estaba recorrida por surcos por el que discurrian vasos colaterales meningeos, que determinaron una concavidad entre 0,1 y 0,2 mm, mientras que el grosor medio de dicha pared en estos casos fue de 1,2 mm. De las tres peculiaridades estudiadas, la falta de cobertura osea es la que produce el sindrome de dehiscencia del canal semicircular superior. Los canales que presentaban una cubierta adelgazada pueden estar predispuestos a una rotura y por lo tanto causar patologia en el canal. En cambio la presencia de surcos vasculares que recorren la superficie apical del canal, no parece tener consecuencias al disminuir minimamente su grosor.

Oral Disease and Microbiota in Free-Roaming Cats

Oral health status was evaluated in 34 free-roaming cats that were submitted to a Trap-Neuter-Return program. Only 38.2% of individual cats showed oral disease. Periodontal disease (PD) was present in 6 cats ( 17.6%). Four cats (11.8%) showed feline gingivostomatitis, and clinical evidence of feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions was detected in only 3 animals (8.8%) by probing, but radiological studies would be necessary for reliable detection. Signs of PD occurred in 31.6% of teeth; only the less severe stages of PD were present. No retention of deciduous teeth, malocclusion, tumors, or dental fractures were found. Calicivirus was detected in 50% of the cats. The most frequent bacteria found were α-hemolytic Streptococcus (23.5%), Staphylococcus (17.6%), Neisseria (15.7%), and Pasteurella (11.8%). A significant association between age and oral disease was found (P = .001). The mean of bacterial strains/genus was higher in healthy mouths than in diseased mouths (4.5 vs. 2.1). In diseased mouths, Staphylococcus was the most frequently isolated genus (23.1%), whereas α-hemolytic Streptococcus was most prevalent in healthy mouths (33.3%). A significant association was detected between Porphyromonas and fungal isolation, with a fear concordance coefficient (κ = .334; P = .016).

Influence of Sex and Age on Posterior Semicircular Canal Thickness

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine whether sex and age influence posterior semicircular canal (PSC) thickness. Methods: This observational study was conducted in 3 tertiary hospitals. The minimal distance between the PSC and the posterior cranial fossa (PSC thickness) was estimated by thin-section multidetector row computed axial tomography (CAT) scan of the temporal bones. Nonselected consecutive patients of all ages (607 temporal bones) were considered. Results: A significant effect was only detected for sex (F = 5.418, p = 0.020); PSC thickness showed a higher mean value in women (mean difference ± SE: 0.224 ± 0.096 mm). A significant and negative r value was detected for males aged >45 years (-0.173, p = 0.026); in that group of patients, PSC thickness decreased as age increased (0.018 ± 0.008 mm/year). For females aged ≤45 years, a significant and positive r value was found (0.198, p = 0.022); in that group, PSC thickness increased as age increased (0.020 ± 0.008 mm/year). Conclusions: PSC thickness did not significantly evolve with age in young males (≤45 years) but it decreased from age 45 years onwards. On the other hand, PCS thickness increased with age in women until the age of 45 years and it did not significantly change in older females.