Itzhak Aizenberg

Comparison of Simultaneous Splenic Sample PCR with Blood Sample PCR for Diagnosis and Treatment of Experimental Ehrlichia canis Infection

ABSTRACT This report presents evidence that dogs recover from acute canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) after 16 days of doxycycline treatment (10 mg/kg of body weight every 24 h). Blood PCR was as valuable as splenic aspirate PCR for early diagnosis of acute CME. Splenic aspirate PCR was, however, superior to blood PCR for the evaluation of ehrlichial elimination.

Acute blindness associated with monoclonal gammopathy induced by Ehrlichia canis infection

Ehrlichia canis infection was diagnosed in a Labrador retriever presented with a primary complaint of acute blindness. Ocular signs on admission included bilateral hyphema, retinal haemorrhage and retinal detachment. Serum protein electrophoresis results revealed monoclonal gammopathy. This report discusses and suggests the pathogenesis of ocular bleeding in canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. Blood hyperviscosity, elevation in oncotic pressure, vasculitis, thrombocytopenia and platelet dysfunction are all proposed to be important factors in the pathogenesis of acute blindness in canine monocytic ehrlichiosis.

A New Model for Calculating the Lumbar Lordosis Angle in Early Hominids and in the Spine of the Neanderthal From Kebara

The debate over the posture of early hominids is longstanding, perhaps because the absence of a reliable method for reconstructing the lumbar lordosis angle (LA) in early hominid spines has made it difficult to determine whether their posture resembled or differed from that of modern humans. We have developed a new model for predicting the lordotic curvature of the lumbar spine of early hominids based on the relationship between the lordotic curvature and the orientation of the articular processes in the lumbar spines of living primates (modern humans and nonhuman primates). The orientation of the inferior articular processes explains 89% of the variation in lordotic curvature among living primates and, thus, should be a reliable predictor of the lumbar LA in disarticulated hominid spines. Based on this model, we calculated a LA of 25–26 degree angle for the Kebara 2 Neanderthal. The calculated value for Kebara 2 is below the normal range of lordosis for modern humans (30–79 degree angle). Anat Rec 293:1140–1145, 2010.

Canine tarsal architecture as revealed by high-resolution computed tomography.

Central tarsal bone (CTB) fractures are well documented and are a subject of increasing importance in human, equine and canine athletes although the mechanism of these fractures in dogs is not fully understood and an extrapolation from human medicine may not be accurate. This study reports the use of high-resolution computed tomography (CT) of 91 tarsal joints from 47 dogs to generate a more detailed in situ anatomical description of the CTB architecture in order to obtain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of CTB fractures in this species. The dogs studied represented a wide range of ages, breeds and levels of habitual physical activity and the angles of the tarsal joints studied ranged between maximal flexion (16.4°) and maximal extension (159.1°). Regardless of tarsal angle, the CTB articulated with the calcaneus exclusively at the level of its plantar process (PPCTB) in all dogs. The PPCTB presented two distinct parts in all dogs, a head and a neck. The calcaneus tended to rely on the PPCTB neck during flexion and on the PPCTB head during extension. This study describes new tarsal elements for the first time, including the calcaneal articular process, the fourth tarsal bone plantar articular process and the talar plantar prominence of the CTB. Based on calcaneo-PPCTB architecture, it is postulated that the PPCTB is a keystone structure and that at least some of CTB fractures in dogs could either commence at or are induced at this level due to the impingement forces exercised by the calcaneus.

DORSAL LAMINECTOMY TO RELIEVE SPINAL CORD COMPRESSION IN A CAPTIVE SYRIAN BEAR (URSUS ARCTOS SYRIACUS)

Abstract A 19-yr-old captive male Syrian bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) presented with a right hind limb lameness that progressed to nonambulatory paraparesis over the course of 2 wk. When night enclosure confinement and a short course of glucocorticoids and antibiotics did not lead to improvement, radiographs were performed, followed by cerebrospinal fluid analysis and myelography, revealing a dynamic spinal cord compression at the level of T2–T3. Dorsal laminectomy of both T2 and T3 was performed to allow decompression. The bear recovered uneventfully with first sign of neurological improvement apparent at 10 days postoperatively. Following 6 mo of rehabilitation the bear was walking and using his hind limbs normally.