Pulmonary function in obese vs non-obese cats

Obesity is a risk factor in the development of several respiratory diseases. Lung volumes tend to be decreased, especially expiratory reserve volume, increasing expiratory flow limitation during tidal breathing. Barometric whole-body plethysmography is a non-invasive pulmonary function test that allows a dynamic study of breathing patterns. The objective of this study was to compare pulmonary function variables between obese and non-obese cats through the use of barometric whole-body plethysmography. Nine normal-weight and six obese cats were placed in the plethysmograph chamber, and different respiratory variables were measured. There was a significant decrease in tidal volume per kilogram (P=0.003), minute volume per kilogram (P=0.001) and peak inspiratory and expiratory flows per kilogram (P=0.001) in obese cats compared with non-obese cats. Obesity failed to demonstrate a significant increase in bronchoconstriction index variable enhanced pause (Penh), as previously reported in humans and dogs. The results show that feline obesity impairs pulmonary function in cats, although a significant increase in bronchoconstriction indexes was not observed. Non-invasive barometric whole-body plethysmography can help characterise mechanical dysfunction of the airways in obese cats.

Prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient after a partial mandibulectomy

The treatment of orofacial tumors may cause facial deformities by losses of structures that affect basic functions, i.e. feeding, speech, and the reduction of patient self-steam. A white male patient was diagnosed with epidermoid cancer on the mandibular alveolar ridge with infiltration staging IV A. The patient was submitted to a mandibulectomy associated with a complete extraction of mandibular teeth. For rehabilitation, a conventional denture for the mandibular arch and a removable partial denture for the maxillary arch were fabricated. A correct occlusal adjustment and a satisfactory amount of alveolar bone was favorable for conventional dentures of the prostheses bases improve their retention and stability. After one year of follow-up, the patient was adapted to the prostheses, satisfied with their retention, and reported an improvement on his feeding. The prosthetic rehabilitation of patients after a partial mandibulectomy is essential for their self-steam. Conventional dentures may have their retention and stability improved if they are well fabricated, recorded and have a balanced occlusion. A correct occlusal adjustment and an adequate retention of the prostheses bases may improve their retention and stability. Patients without xerostomy and with a satisfactory amount of alveolar bone may have a favorable prognosis for conventional dentures.

Postoperative pain control in cats: clinical trials with pre-emptive lidocaine epidural co-administered with morphine or methadone

To evaluate the effectiveness of epidural lidocaine in combination with either methadone or morphine for postoperative analgesia in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy. Under general anesthesia, 24 cats that underwent ovariohysterectomy were randomly allocated into three treatments groups of eight each. Treatment 1 included 2% lidocaine (4.0 mg/kg); treatment 2 included lidocaine and methadone (4.0 mg/kg and 0.3 mg/kg, respectively); and treatment 3 included lidocaine and morphine (4.0 mg/kg and 0.1 mg/kg, respectively). All drugs were injected in a total volume of 0.25 ml/kg via the lumbosacral route in all cats. During the anesthetic and surgical periods, the physiological variables (respiratory and heart rate, arterial blood pressure and rectal temperature) were measured at intervals of time zero, 10 mins, 20 mins, 30 mins, 60 mins and 120 mins. After cats had recovered from anesthesia, a multidimensional composite pain scale was used to assess postoperative analgesia at 2, 4, 8, 12, 18, and 24 h after epidural. The time to first rescue analgesic was significantly (P <0.05) prolonged in cats that received both lidocaine and methadone or lidocaine and morphine treatments compared with those that received the lidocaine treatment. All cats that received lidocaine treatment alone required rescue analgesic within 2 h of epidural injections. All treatments had significant cardiovascular and respiratory changes but they were within acceptable range for healthy animals during the surgical period. The two combinations administered via epidural allowed ovariohysterectomy with sufficient analgesia in cats, and both induced prolonged postoperative analgesia.

Early transplantation of human immature dental pulp stem cells from baby teeth to golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dogs: Local or systemic?

Background:The golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dogs represent the best available animal model for therapeutic trials aiming at the future treatment of human Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). We have obtained a rare litter of six GRMD dogs (3 males and 3 females) born from an affected male and a carrier female which were submitted to a therapeutic trial with adult human stem cells to investigate their capacity to engraft into dogs muscles by local as compared to systemic injection without any immunosuppression. Methods Human Immature Dental Pulp Stem Cells (hIDPSC) were transplanted into 4 littermate dogs aged 28 to 40 days by either arterial or muscular injections. Two non-injected dogs were kept as controls. Clinical translation effects were analyzed since immune reactions by blood exams and physical scores capacity of each dog. Samples from biopsies were checked by immunohistochemistry (dystrophin markers) and FISH for human probes. Results and Discussion We analyzed the cells' ability in respect to migrate, engraftment, and myogenic potential, and the expression of human dystrophin in affected muscles. Additionally, the efficiency of single and consecutive early transplantation was compared. Chimeric muscle fibers were detected by immunofluorescence and fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) using human antibodies and X and Y DNA probes. No signs of immune rejection were observed and these results suggested that hIDPSC cell transplantation may be done without immunosuppression. We showed that hIDPSC presented significant engraftment in GRMD dog muscles, although human dystrophin expression was modest and limited to several muscle fibers. Better clinical condition was also observed in the dog, which received monthly arterial injections and is still clinically stable at 25 months of age. Conclusion Our data suggested that systemic multiple deliveries seemed more effective than local injections. These findings open important avenues for further researches.

Hypervitaminosis A-induced hepatic fibrosis in a cat

Rationale: The excessive intake of vitamin A in the form of vitamin concentrate, supplement or vitamin-rich liver can result in hypervitaminosis A in man and animals. Although osteopathologies resulting from chronic vitamin A intoxication in cats are well characterized, no information is available concerning feline hypervitaminosis A-induced liver disease. Clinical summary: We report the first case of hepatic stellate cell lipidosis and hepatic fibrosis in a domestic cat that had been fed a diet based on raw beef liver. Radiographic examination revealed exostoses and ankylosis between vertebrae C1 and T7, compatible with deforming cervical spondylosis. Necropsy showed a slightly enlarged and light yellow to bronze liver. Microscopic and ultrastructural analyses of liver tissues revealed diffuse and severe liver fibrosis associated with hepatic stellate cell hyperplasia and hypertrophy. These cells showed immunopositive staining for α-smooth muscle actin and desmin markers. The necropsy findings of chronic liver disease coupled with osteopathology supported the diagnosis of hypervitaminosis A. Practical relevance: As in human hepatology, if there is dietary evidence to support increased intake of vitamin A, then hypervitaminosis A should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic liver disease in cats.

Surgical approach for tentorial meningiomas in cats: a review of six cases

The surgical technique for removal of tentorial meningiomas is described on six cats using a unilateral temporal supracerebellar transtentorial approach. Complete gross tumour resection was achieved in four of six cats. In one cat, only subtotal resection was achieved. One cat died shortly after surgery because of extensive cerebral haemorrhage. The surgical approach, combined with cisternal or ventricular cerebrospinal fluid puncture and an open-window technique (tumour fenestration and enucleation) provided sufficient visibility and tumour accessibility without excessive manipulation of the brain parenchyma. In all patients, a postoperative transient worsening of the clinical signs was observed. The neurological signs resolved with time with the exception of blindness in two cats. All five surviving cats were monitored for a mean follow-up time of 19 months (median 20 months; range 6-30 months). All patients died or were euthanased because of tumour regrowth within the follow-up period. Although challenging, surgical treatment is a useful therapeutic measure in the treatment of cats presenting with tentorial meningiomas.

Retrospective analysis of seizures associated with feline infectious peritonitis in cats

Seizures have been reported frequently in feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) but have not been studied in detail in association with this disease. The purpose of this study was to perform a retrospective analysis of neurological signs in a population of 55 cats with a histopathologically confirmed neurological form of FIP. Seizure patterns were determined and it was attempted to relate occurrence of seizures with age, breed, sex and neuropathological features. Fourteen cats had seizure(s), while 41 cats had no history of seizure(s). Generalised tonic-clonic seizures were seen in nine cats; and complex focal seizures were observed in four patients. The exact type of seizure could not be determined in one cat. Status epilepticus was observed in one patient but seizure clusters were not encountered. Occurrence of seizures was not related to age, sex, breed or intensity of the inflammation in the central nervous system. However, seizures were significantly more frequent in animals with marked extension of the inflammatory lesions to the forebrain (P=0.038). Thus, the occurrence of seizures in FIP indicates extensive brain damage and can, therefore, be considered to be an unfavourable prognostic sign.

Testudinid Herpesviruses: A Review

Reptile medicine has been one of the fastest growing disciplines within the veterinary medicine arena during the last 20 yr. Infectious disease has proven to be one of the most interesting and challenging subspecialties of this discipline. Among the most significant pathogens discovered and investigated in the last 2 decades are the Testudinid herpesviruses, previously known as tortoise herpesviruses. The first article describing a bona fide Testudinid herpesvirus dates back to 30 yr ago. Several articles have followed and a number of features of these agents and of their associated diseases are now known. Nevertheless, several questions remain unanswered. The origin of the virus(es), the search for an effective therapy, the issue of the clinically healthy carrier and how to manage them, and the need to develop more-specific and sensitive diagnostic tests are just some of the “big” issues which will need to be tackled in the future. In this article we will review the major features of these viral agents, trying to provide a useful resource for veterinarians and researchers who either need to work with these viruses or simply to familiarize themselves with the topic.

Effects of treatment on orienting in Parkinson disease

Parkinson disease (PD) is a movement disorder affecting over one million Americans, and 1% of our population over 60 years of age. Currently, PD has an unknown cause, no predictive biomarker, and no cure, yet there are effective treatments (medicine and surgery) to chronically manage the motor symptoms. But, PD patients also develop cognitive symptoms (e.g., distractibility, executive dysfunction) that remain untreated or may decline as a result of treating the motor symptoms. To address this important issue, I measured covert orienting of attention and overt eye movements in PD patients to assess the patients' ability to automatically detect stimuli in their visual field, to predict and attend to where the stimuli would appear, and to volitionally look somewhere else. ^ PD patients completed the cognitive tasks under multiple treatment conditions, and their performance was compared to healthy adults. PD patients first completed the tasks after they had withdrawn from medication. Their unmedicated performance revealed exaggerated automatic orienting, poor predictability, and weak volitional orienting. PD patients then repeated the tasks while medication was giving its peak benefit. The medication returned automatic covert orienting toward normal but did not improve volitional covert orienting. Several PD patients completed the tasks a third time after receiving surgery (specifically, implantation of stimulating electrodes in a subcortical brain region to alleviate motor symptoms). The stimulation (without medication) returned automatic orienting toward normal, did not change predictability, and further impaired volitional orienting. Taken together, treatments prescribed to alleviate the motor symptoms (a patient's primary concern) only improve some cognitive functions. Future studies may establish criteria to predict which patients are more likely to have cognitive benefit from medication over surgery, or vice versa. ^ I have also hypothesized an anatomical model relating orienting circuitry to abnormal PD circuitry and the therapeutic targets. My results suggest medication is more effective restoring the orienting circuitry than stimulation. Further, automatic and volitional orienting abilities seem to be modulated independently, which differs from an earlier model proposing a dependent, inverse relationship. My results are further discussed in terms of response inhibition, response selection, and the location of the selection. ^

Commonplace book of Hector Orr, 1789-1804

Hector Orr began recording entries in this commonplace book during his first year as a student at Harvard and continued writing in the volume sporadically until 1804. The entries written while he was a student, from 1789 to 1792, include themes written on the following topics: Time, Discontent, Patriotism, Virtue, Conscience, Patience, Avarice, Compassion, Mortality, Self-knowledge, Benevolence, Morning, Anger, Profanity, Bribery, Autumn and Winter, Hermitage, Conscience and Anticipation. He also wrote detailed entries about the forensic disputations in which he and his classmates participated, explaining both the affirmative and negative positions. One of these disputations involved discussion of the Stamp Act, which was then quite recent history. Orr's entries about the disputations list the names of students involved and specify their position in the argument.

Medical Curriculum Change at Queen's-affiliated Medical Colleges: 1881 – 1910

This study explores the curriculum at Queen’s-affiliated medical colleges, specifically The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Kingston, the Kingston Women’s Medical College, and Queen’s Medical College, from 1881 to 1910, using the textbooks prescribed by these institutions as primary sources. The central question encompasses what factors primarily motivated the curriculum at Queen’s-affiliated medical colleges to change. Within the historiographical scholarship on Queen’s College, this question has not yet been addressed and, to my knowledge, this is the first medical education history to specifically address textbooks as part of a medical school curriculum. During this period, these institutions experienced reorganizational shifts, such as the reunification of Queen’s Medical College with The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Kingston, as well as the introduction and subsequent exclusion of female students. Within this context, this study examines how the forces of scientific innovation and co-education impacted the curriculum during the period under study, as measured by textbook change, specifically in the courses of obstetrics and gynaecology, the theory and practice of medicine, and surgery. To what degree was curriculum in these courses responsive to scientific inventions and discoveries, changing therapeutic practices, and possible gender biases? From 1881 to 1910, innovations such as x-ray and anaesthesia became commonplace within medical practice. Some technologies gained acceptance in the curriculum, while others fell out of favour. This study tracks these scientific discoveries through the textbooks used at Queen’s-affiliated medical colleges in order to demonstrate how the evolving nature of medicine was represented in the curriculum. To address how gender influenced the curriculum, textbooks from the Kingston Women’s Medical College and The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Kingston, were compared. For two out of the three examined courses, it was found that sections of textbooks discussing various topics at the Kingston Women’s Medical College contained significantly more detail than their corresponding sections within The Royal College’s textbooks. It was speculated that the instructors preferred to teach their female students through textbooks, rather than lectures.

Electron microscopic histology of the heart; an application of electron-microscopic research to physiology,

Reprinted from Experimental medicine and surgery, v. 9.

A system of treatment by many writers,

Printed in Great Britain.

Journal de médecine et de chirurgie pratiques : à l'usage des médecins praticiens.

Editors: 1830-1858, Just Lucas-Championnière; 1859-74, H. Chaillou; 1870-1913, J. M. M. Lucas-Championnière.

Opportunity monograph. Vocational rehabilitation series

Mode of access: Internet.