Rubens Antônio Carneiro

Evaluation of adverse effects in tamoxifen exposed healthy female dogs

BackgroundMammary tumors are among the most frequent neoplasms in female dogs, but the strategies employed in animal treatment are limited. In human medicine, hormone manipulation is used in cancer therapy. Tamoxifen citrate is a selective inhibitor of oestrogen receptors and exerts a potent anti-oestrogen effect on the mammary gland. The aim of this study was to evaluate the adverse effects when exposing healthy female dogs to tamoxifen.MethodsTamoxifen was administered for 120 days at a dose of 0.5 or 0.8 mg/kg/day to either intact or spayed female dogs. The effects were assessed through clinical examination, haematology, serum biochemistry, ophthalmology and bone marrow aspirate examination. Ovariohysterectomy was performed and the uterus examined by histopathology.ResultsVulva oedema and purulent vaginal discharge developed with 10 days of tamoxifen exposure in all groups. Pyometra was diagnosed after around 90 days of exposure in intact females with frequencies increasing during the following 30 days of exposure. Up to 50% of dogs within the groups developed retinitis but none of the dogs had signs of reduced visual acuity. The prevalence of retinitis in each group was similar after 120 days of exposure. Haematological, biochemical and bone marrow changes were not observed. Due to the high risk of developing pyometra after prolonged exposure to tamoxifen, only spayed animals should be given this medication.ConclusionsA dose of 0.8 mg tamoxifen/kg body weight/day is recommended when treating tamoxifen-responsive canine mammary tumors. Due to the high risk of developing pyometra, ovariohysterectomy is recommended.

Diagnóstico citológico de neoplasia pulmonar por meio de lavado broncoalveolar em uma cadela: relato de caso

This article reports a case of a bitch, Poodle, 12 year-old with chronic cough, which had insufficient response to medicamentous therapy. Thoracic radiographic revealed a lobar consolidation in left caudal pulmonary lobe. A bronchoalveolar lavage sample was collected by bronchoscopy for cytology examination. Malignant epithelial cells were observed through cytology allowing the diagnosis of carcinoma. The differential diagnosis between primary pulmonary neoplasm and metastatic neoplasm was not possible.

Histoplasmose cutânea em gato: relato de caso

A case of a cutenous histoplasmosis in a three-year-old male Siamese cat is described. The diagnosis was based on clinical signs and laboratory exams. Dramatic remission of clinical signs was observed with cetoconazol therapy.

Punção aspirativa por agulha fina para diagnóstico de mastocitoma em cães

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) associated with the cytological diagnosis mast cell tumor is a widely employed technique in human medicine, but it is still underused in veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of FNA technique for the diagnosis of mast cell tumors in dogs. Over one year period all dogs referred to the Veterinary Hospital of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais with tumor-like formations of the skin were submitted to FNA. In order to detect metastasis, both skin lesions and the regional lymph nodes were subjected to FNA. After surgical removal of the lesions, histological examination indicated a complete agreement with the cytological diagnosis. In conclusion, FNA technique is a good choice for diagnosis of mast cell tumors in dogs. In addition, FNA allows an adequate and early therapeutic planning.

Perfil hematológico de ratas adultas hipotireóideas castradas e não castradas

The relationship between thyroid-gonads on the blood profile was investigated in adult Wistar female rats. These animals were either castrated or intact and were kept under hypothyroidism, induced by daily administration of propylthiouracil (PTU) during 120 days. Two groups (castrated and intact) were kept in an euthyroid condition and used as controls. It was collected plasma for free T4 dosage and blood for hematological analysis. The significant low values of free T4 in the treated rats confirmed their hypothyroid state. The hypothyroidism caused anemia in the rats with functional gonads. The castration reverted the effects of thyroxine deficit in the erythrogram. Both the hypothyroidism and the hypogonadism showed just a discret effect on the leucogram.

Absence of significant adverse events following thalidomide administration in bitches diagnosed with mammary gland carcinomas

The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of adverse events (AEs) in female dogs diagnosed with advanced clinical stage mammary gland neoplasms following treatment with thalidomide. A prospective analysis of 29 female dogs treated with a high dose (HD) of 20 mg/kg/day of thalidomide for three months followed by a low dose (LD) of 10 mg/kg/day of thalidomide for three months was performed. All patients underwent physical examination, complete blood count, serum biochemistry profile, thoracic radiographs, and abdominal ultrasound analysis before the treatment and after the HD and LD. Clinical AEs were absent in 16/29 (55.17 per cent) patients following HD. An initial 3–5 day period of somnolence was described in 4/29 (13.79 per cent), prolonged somnolence in 5/29 (17.24 per cent), a short period of somnolence lasting only a few hours in 3/29 (10.34 per cent), and difficulty to rouse was described in 5/29 (17.24 per cent) cases. Two patients (6.89 per cent) presented with prolonged somnolence that interfered with activities of daily living, resulting in anticipation of the dose reduction to the proposed LD after 15 days of the HD treatment. Following dose reduction, AE improvement was observed in all patients. Albeit remaining within the reference ranges, erythrocytes, haematocrit, total leucocyte count, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase showed significant alteration associated to thalidomide treatment.

Ocorrência de apoptose em leucócitos no esfregaço de sangue periférico e em sincícios na infecção in vivo pelo vírus da cinomose canina

The aim of this paper is to report the occurrence of apoptosis in peripheral blood leukocytes and in syncytia induced by experimental infection of dogs with canine distemper virus. Blood was collected from nine puppies that were inoculated with the Snyder Hill strain of CDV, and stained with May Grunwaldt-Giemsa. Dogs were necropsied and retropharyngeal lymph nodes were collected and processed for paraffin embedding. Five micrometers thick sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and methyl green pyronin. Other sections were submitted to TUNEL reaction for in situ detection of apoptosis, and immunohistochemistry to detect CDV antigen. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of viral antigen. Syncytia were present in all retropharyngeal lymph nodes. Several syncytia contained apoptotic nuclei as detected by hematoxylin-eosin and methyl green pyronin stains. Apoptotic nuclei were labeled inside syncytia by the TUNEL reaction. Blood smear analyses indicated higher proportion of apoptotic leukocytes in the peripheral blood of infected dogs.

Leiomiossarcoma pulmonar e renal em cão: relato de caso

This report describes a case of pulmonary and renal leiomyosarcoma in a nine-year-old Siberian Husky male dog with a history of progressive weight loss. Clinically, the animal had mildly pale mucosae and severe abdominal pain. Kidneys enlargement also was observed. On hemogram, a mild anemia was observed. On urinalysis, isosthenuria and renal epithelial cells were detected. Urea nitrogen and creatinine levels were normal. Bilateral renal neoplasia was diagnosed by laparotomy and the animal was submitted to euthanasia. On necropsy, many whitish firm nodules ranging from 0.5 to 4cm in diameter were found in the kidneys. The region of the hilum and the left apical lobe of the lungs had a mass with 11´ 7cm in area which was well vascularized and had an irregular whitish surface with either firm or friable areas. There was also a whitish firm nodule with 1cm in diameter in the right apical lobe. Histological sections were stained by hematoxilin-eosin, Masson and van Gieson. Positivity for the vimentin and smooth muscle actin were detected by immunohistochemistry. Cytokeratin 1, 5, 10, 14, 8 and 7, protein S100 and CD68 markers showed negative reactions. The anatomopathological and immunohistochemistry features allowed the diagnosis of pulmonary and renal leiomyosarcoma. However, it was not possible to determine the primary site of the neoplasia.

Perfil hematológico de ratas castradas e intactas induzidas experimentalmente ao hipertireoidismo

The changes of red and white blood cells counts in intact and castrated rats with hyperthyroidism were analysed. A total of 108 five-month-old female Wistar rats, divided into four groups, were used as following: euthyroid castrated, euthyroid intact, hyperthyroid castrated and hyperthyroid intact. Nine animals of each group were killed at 30, 60 and 90 days to evaluate the red and white blood cells counts. The conclusion was that castration or hyperthyroidism did not affect both the red and white blood cells.