Davide De Lorenzi

Bronchial abnormalities found in a consecutive series of 40 brachycephalic dogs

OBJECTIVE To detect abnormalities of the lower respiratory tract (trachea, principal bronchi, and lobar bronchi) in brachycephalic dogs by use of endoscopy, evaluate the correlation between laryngeal collapse and bronchial abnormalities, and determine whether dogs with bronchial abnormalities have a less favorable postsurgical long-term outcome following correction of brachycephalic syndrome. DESIGN Prospective case series study. ANIMALS 40 client-owned brachycephalic dogs with stertorous breathing and clinical signs of respiratory distress. PROCEDURES Brachycephalic dogs anesthetized for pharyngoscopy and laryngoscopy between January 2007 and June 2008 underwent flexible bronchoscopy for systematic evaluation of the principal and lobar bronchi. For dogs that underwent surgical correction of any component of brachycephalic syndrome, owners rated surgical outcome during a follow-up telephone survey. Correlation between laryngeal collapse and bronchial abnormalities and association between bronchial abnormalities and long-term outcome were assessed. RESULTS Pugs (n = 20), English Bulldogs (13), and French Bulldogs (7) were affected. A fixed bronchial collapse was recognized in 35 of 40 dogs with a total of 94 bronchial stenoses. Abnormalities were irregularly distributed between hemithoraces; 15 of 94 bronchial abnormalities were detected in the right bronchial system, and 79 of 94 were detected in the left. The left cranial bronchus was the most commonly affected structure, and Pugs were the most severely affected breed. Laryngeal collapse was significantly correlated with severe bronchial collapse; no significant correlation was found between severity of bronchial abnormalities and postsurgical outcome. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Bronchial collapse was a common finding in brachycephalic dogs, and long-term postsurgical outcome was not affected by bronchial stenosis.

Pseudorabies virus in European wild boar from central Italy.

Tissue and blood samples were collected from 152 wild boars (Sus scrofa) from the Maremma area (Grosseto district, Central Italy) between November 2002 and January 2003. The presence of pseudorabies virus (PRV) antibodies, antigen, and DNA were confirmed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. Of 152 animals, 62 (41%) were positive for viral antigen in tonsillar tissue. Of the 80 serum samples that were suitable for testing, 41 (51%) were positive for PRV antibodies. Positive immunohistochemistry results were confirmed by PCR. A significantly higher prevalence of PRV antigen and seroprevalence was detected in older animals. No differences were detected between males and females or for animals coming from different areas sampled. Results confirm that PRV is endemic in this wild boar population with a high prevalence of infection. The results of immunohistochemistry investigations demonstrated that a large number of wild boars harbor PRV in tonsillar tissues and should be considered as an important reservoir of PRV.

Gastric dilatation–volvulus associated with diaphragmatic hernia in three cats: Clinical presentation, surgical treatment and presumptive aetiology:

Three cats were examined because of acute dyspnoea and sudden abdominal enlargement. In all cats, radiographs revealed gastric dilatation–volvulus (GDV) and diaphragmatic hernia. Cardiovascular shock and dyspnoea were treated by intravenous fluid-therapy, oxygen administration and relief of diaphragmatic pressure by means of stomach decompression and in one case placing the patient in an inclined position. Gastric decompression was performed by needle gastrocentesis, placement of a rhino-gastric tube, or a combination of these. Diaphragmatic herniorrhaphy was performed in either case; one cat also underwent gastropexy. The immediate postoperative period resolved uneventfully and the cats were doing well at follow-up. Feline GDV is a rare event in which diaphragmatic hernia may be a predisposing factor.

Primary hyperoxaluria (l-glyceric aciduria) in a cat

A 7-month-old, male European cat was examined because of weakness and inappetence. The cat was dehydrated, polypnoeic and severely weak. Severe, generalised muscle atrophy was present. Spinal reflexes were all decreased to absent. Blood analysis and urinalysis showed several abnormalities, including intermittent hyperoxaluria. The l-gliceric acid concentration was remarkably increased. Electrodiagnostic tests of the peripheral nervous system were abnormal. At necropsy, generalised muscle atrophy was observed. Microscopically, both kidneys showed intraluminal birefringent oxalate crystals. Motor neuron degeneration and accumulation of neurofilaments were observed in the axons of the spinal motor neurons.

Cytologic, histologic, and immunohistochemical features of lingual liposarcoma in a dog

A 9-year-old female spayed mixed-breed dog was presented to the referring veterinarian with a history of decreased appetite and difficulty with prehension and swallowing because of a firm oval mass in the tongue. On cytologic evaluation of a fine-needle aspirate of the mass there were numerous round to polygonal cells organized individually or in loose clusters with rare branching capillaries. The cells had eosinophilic granular cytoplasm, round to oval nuclei, and occasionally indistinct borders. The cytologic diagnosis was granular cell tumor (GCT) of the tongue. Impression smears of a biopsy sample of the lingual mass contained similar eosinophilic granular cells with variable numbers of clear vacuoles in the background, numerous perivascular arrangements, and occasional lipoblasts, suggestive of liposarcoma. On histologic examination the tumor was composed of numerous lipocytes with rare foci of round eosinophilic granular cells without evidence of vacuolation; occasionally, atypical mitotic figures were seen. Immunohistochemically, the cells were uniformly negative for periodic acid-Schiff and did not express smooth muscle actin, desmin, or cytokeratin but were immunoreactive for vimentin and S100. A diagnosis of well-differentiated liposarcoma was made on the basis of morphologic and immunohistochemical results. Eosinophilic granular cells may be a component of well-differentiated liposarcoma and are not limited to GCT. Liposarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnoses of lingual tumors in the dog when cytological evaluation reveals eosinophilic granular cells consistent with GCT.

Amyloidosis in association with spontaneous feline immunodeficiency virus infection

Tissues from 34 naturally feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cats, 13 asymptomatic cats and 21 cats with signs of feline acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (F-AIDS), and 35 FIV-seronegative subjects were examined to determine the presence of amyloid deposits. Twenty experimentally FIV-infected cats and five specific pathogen-free (SPF) control cats were also included in the study. Paraffin-embedded sections from kidney and other organs were submitted to histological and histochemical analysis. Amyloid deposits were identified by a modified Congo red stain and confirmed by electron microscopy to demonstrate the presence of amyloid fibrils in amyloid positive glomeruli. In all positive cases, secondary amyloidosis was identified with potassium permanganate pretreatment and amyloid type was further characterised by immunohistochemistry using primary antibodies against human AA and feline AL amyloids. Amyloid deposits were present in different tissues of 12/34 (35%) naturally FIV-infected cats (seven presenting F-AIDS and five in asymptomatic phase) and in 1/30 FIV-seronegative cats. All the experimentally FIV-infected and SPF subjects showed no amyloid deposits. Amyloidosis has been reported in human lentiviral infections, and the data reported here demonstrate the need, in naturally FIV-infected cats, to consider the presence of amyloidosis in differential diagnosis of hepatic and renal disorders to better assess the prognosis of the disease.

Differential cell counts in canine cytocentrifuged bronchoalveolar lavage fluid: a study on reliable enumeration of each cell type.

BACKGROUND Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) allows cell recovery from the lower respiratory tract; differential cell counts of BAL fluid gives important information in the assessment of various bronchial and pulmonary diseases. To the best of our knowledge no study has investigated the relation between the number of cells counted and the reproducibility of BAL fluid differential cell counts. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate using statistical methods how many cells should be counted in cytocentrifuged BAL fluid preparations in order to obtain a reliable enumeration of each cell type. METHODS BAL fluid samples from dogs with suspected bronchopulmonary disease were obtained during fiberoptic bronchoscopy with a standardized protocol. Differential cell counts were performed on May-Grünwald-Giemsa-stained cytocentrifuged preparations by 2 independent observers. Reproducibility for the enumeration of each cell type was expressed as the intraclass correlation coefficient. We considered a threshold level of >or=0.90 to be high and a threshold level of >or=0.85 to be adequate. RESULTS Forty BAL fluid samples were included in the study. For neutrophils, alveolar macrophages, and eosinophils high reproducibility was reached by counting 200 cells; adequate reproducibility was reached for lymphocytes and bronchial epithelial cells by counting 500 cells. CONCLUSIONS A 500-cell differential count is required for all types of cells to be quantified with adequate reproducibility in canine cytocentrifuged BAL fluid samples.

Squash-preparation cytology from nasopharyngeal masses in the cat: cytological results and histological correlations in 30 cases ☆

Upper airway obstruction in cats can be a life-threatening condition. Early recognition of clinical signs and an appropriate diagnostic approach increases the possibility of appropriate therapeutic choices. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and diagnostic value of squash-preparation cytology in providing an accurate diagnosis of masses growing in the nasopharynx of cats. Cytological specimens prepared by a squash technique from nasopharyngeal masses in 30 cats were collected under direct endoscopic guidance and classified into four groups: benign inflammatory/hyperplastic mass, lymphoma, carcinoma and sarcoma. The cytopathological diagnosis was compared with the final histopathological diagnosis and indices of diagnostic test accuracy were calculated. The results showed good agreement between the cytological and histological diagnosis with a sensitivity of 0.94, a specificity of 0.81, a positive likelihood ratio of 0.9, a negative likelihood ratio of 0.9 and an overall accuracy of 0.9. Squash-preparation cytology is considered an accurate diagnostic tool for distinguishing benign from malignant nasopharyngeal masses in cats. For differentiation of lymphoma and lymphoid reactions histopathological confirmation is recommended.

Cytologic detection of Call‐Exner bodies in Sertoli cell tumors from 2 dogs

A 14-year-old Italian Griffon and an 11-year-old mixed breed dog were presented to our clinic with monolateral testicular enlargement. In both dogs, a firm, nodular, and nonpainful mass was palpated, and ultrasonographic examination of testicular parenchyma showed a large and irregular nodular area with hyperechogenic features. Fine-needle aspirates of the masses were highly cellular and consisted of populations of large elongated vacuolated cells in sheets and palisades, with finely granular chromatin and prominent nucleoli, consistent with neoplastic Sertoli cells. A variable number of structures also were observed that consisted of a central round area of amorphous, deeply eosinophilic, hyaline material surrounded by a peripheral, rosette-like arrangement of single or multiple rows of Sertoli cells. These structures were suggestive of Call-Exner bodies. Histologic sections of the tumors obtained following castration confirmed the diagnosis of Sertoli cell neoplasia and the presence of Call-Exner bodies. The Call-Exner bodies were intensely positive with PAS, toluidine blue, and Ziehl-Neelsen stains, moderately positive with alcian blue, and negative with Congo red and Luxol fast blue. Call-Exner bodies, thought to represent an attempt by neoplastic cells to form basement membrane, are seen most frequently in granulosa cell tumors, but are occasionally reported in testicular tumors that contain epithelial elements of sex-cord origin. To our knowledge, this is the first description of Call-Exner bodies in cytologic specimens from dogs, and only the fifth report of their presence in canine testicular neoplasms.

CHAPTER 14 – The Central Nervous System

The pineal gland synthesizes and releases a hormone, melatonin, which has been shown to have antioxidant, immuno-enhancing and anti-stress properties.1,2 We recently demonstrated that central administration of melatonin at low doses inhibits the induction of gastric lesions by water-immersion restraint stress and centrally administered thyrotropinreleasing hormone (TRH), a well established centrally mediated gastric ulcer model in conscious rats.3 Although previous reports have demonstrated that melatonin administered peripherally inhibits stressinduced gastric lesions,4,5 our results provide the first evidence that melatonin plays a protective, antistress, role in the gastric mucosa via a mechanism involving the central nervous system. Gastric acid and pepsin are the two major aggressive factors in the pathogenesis of gastric ulceration, and increases in gastric acid and pepsin secretion are also considered to be important pathogenic factors in stress-induced gastric mucosal lesions.6,7 The effects of centrally administered melatonin on gastric acid and pepsin secretion have not yet been studied. We hypothesized that centrally administered melatonin plays a protective, anti-stress, role in the gastric mucosa probably in part by inhibiting the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin. Therefore, in the present study, to examine whether melatonin modulates gastric acid and pepsin secretion through a mechanism involving the central nervous system, we investigated the effects of intracisternal (i.c.) injection of melatonin on gastric acid and pepsin secretion.