Axis Dorsal Laminotomy for Excision of a Meningioma in a Dog

Background: Surgical access to the spinal cord at the level of C2 vertebra presents technical limitations, due to anatomical particularities in this region. The ventral slot technique does not allow space for the removal of dorsolateral masses. The axis hemilaminectomy technique provides limited access to the dorsal aspect of spinal cord and there is a risk of damaging the vertebral arteries. The axis dorsal laminotomy technique allows good access to spinal cord and preserves the atlantoaxial and nuchal ligaments, however few papers describe this technique. The objective of this paper is to report the axis dorsal laminotomy performed in a dog with a meningioma at this level.Case: An 11-year-old male, Maltese dog, was presented with a 15-day history of progressive weakness, intense cervical pain and difficulty in locomotion of the four limbs. He was being treated with painkillers without improvement. On clinical examination, the physiological parameters were normal. Neurological examination showed tetraparesis with the syndrome localized in the cranial cervical region. The main differential diagnoses were intervertebral disc disease, neoplasia, inflammatory or infectious disease. Computed tomography was performed and the evaluation of images allowed the visualization of an intradural-extramedullary neoplastic process, promoting important spinal compression, with approximate dimensions of the lesion 0.70 cm high x 0.67 cm wide x 0.78 cm long, with apparent involvement of the meninges, with a more lateralized location on the left, with meningioma being the main differential diagnosis. Thus, exploratory surgery, through the technique of dorsal laminotomy of the axis was performed. After the removal of the mass, the spinous process was repositioned in its anatomical location and fixed with 0.6 mm steel cerclage wire that was passed through the holes made in the dorsal lamina of the axis. After the surgery a neck brace was kept for 45 days. According to the histological changes observed, the neoplasm was classified as grade one meningothelial meningioma. The patient showed gradual improvement and started walking again 4 days after the surgery, staying well and without pain for 5 months, when there was a recurrence of the neoplasia.Discussion: Surgical access to the cervical region in question is limited due to the presence of complex ligamentous structures, vascular network and the anatomical features of the first and second cervical vertebrae. Thus, the dorsal axis laminotomy technique was used. The approach allowed good visualization of the spinal canal as well as the preservation of the atlantoaxial ligament, maintaining atlantoaxial stability. Through histopathological analysis, the neoplasm was classified as grade I meningothelial, which is considered a benign meningioma, but its behavior is considered malignant due to the compression of the spinal cord and the impossibility of removal with surgical margins, as recommended for oncological surgeries. The patient's survival after surgical treatment is in accordance with that described by other authors which varies from 2.2 to 47 months. Radiotherapy seems to improve the prognosis, but this therapeutic modality is not easily available in the country. There is also insufficient information on the use of chemotherapy for this type of neoplasia, or on the relationship between tumor graduation and survival. The surgery was proposed in order to confirm the suspicion, decompress the spinal cord and collect material for biopsy; the technique performed is feasible and no intraoperative complications have occurred

Partial Obstruction of the Small Intestine by a Trichobezoar in a Dog

Background: Bezoars are accumulations of foreign material and indigestible organic substances in the gastrointestinal tract. There are different classifications for bezoars based on its primary composition. The trichobezoars are concretions composed of hair or hair-like fibers and are often associated with trichophagia in humans. The obstruction by a trichobezoar occurring in the stomach, with its tail extending to or beyond the ileocecal valve or jejunum is rare in humans. This condition is called Rapunzel Syndrome. Obstruction by trichobezoar has been reported few times in cats and dogs. This paper aims to describe an uncommon clinical presentation of a young dog with partial obstruction of the small intestine by a trichobezoar.Case: A 2-year-old, 5.5 kg, intact male poodle was referred due to kyphosis and a history of pain in the thoracolumbar region for approximately 10 months. Physical examination revealed that the dog walked without any difficulty or ataxia, but had pain on palpation of the lumbar vertebral column. Thoracolumbar spine radiographies failed to show any sign of disease. Conservative therapy for intervertebral disk disease did not shown any improvement. In addition, the dog showed signs of pain on abdominal palpation and 18-month history of hyporexia, apathy and dark colored diarrhea. Abdominal ultrasonography detected a 5-cm intraluminal intestinal structure at the ileo-jejunal junction, forming an acoustic shadow, with focal thickening of the intestinal wall. Exploratory celiotomy followed by jejunal enterotomy revealed a trichobezoar consisting of undigested hair and textile fibers partially obstructing that segment. The intestinal wall in that region formed a sacculation, so a 5 cm jejunal resection with end-to-end anastomosis was performed. Histopathology of this segment did not show any neoplastic formation. After 20 days of surgical procedure, no clinical sign was reported by the owner, the animal return to normal appetite and back pain was not present. Ultrasonography confirmed normal intestinal flow. At the last follow-up 180 days after surgery, the dog was in excellent condition with no obvious clinical sign related to the disease or surgical procedure.Discussion: The mild chronic signs presented by the animal lead to an initial inaccurate diagnosis, since abdominal pain may seem like a back pain. The ultrasonography was useful to identify the presence of an initially unknow foreign body. However, definitive diagnosis was only possible after exploratory celiotomy, since trichophagia was not reported by the owner. The trichobezoar found in this case cannot be classified as Rapunzel Syndrome, since it is not a gastric trichobezoar with a tail extending up to the small intestine. The occurrence of trichobezoar is usually associated with overgrooming, tumor or end-to-end anastomosis, but none of this conditions was present. The presence of omental adhesion on jejunum wall is suggestive of previous damage, probably caused due to long-term permanence of the trichobezoar in this segment. The intestinal perforation caused by trichobezoar is one of the most common life-threatening complication observed in human patients. A sacculation observed during surgery may have contributed to its formation. The case presented may be considered extremely uncommon, due to the partial obstruction of the intestinal lumen and long-term evolution

Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis in Dogs and Cats with Neurological Diseases

Background:Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is of great importance for evaluation of patients with central nervous system problems, because it helps to confirm or exclude many diseases when evaluated together with other relevant clinical and ancillary laboratory tests. As there are few studies in Brazil describing results of CSF analysis in dogs and cats, the objective of the present study was to evaluate results of CSF analysis in a period of ten years, grouping the changes observed, mainly total and differential cell count and total protein concentration, according to the following etiological categories of diseases: inflammatory, degenerative, traumatic, neoplastic and vascular disorders.Materials, Methods &Results:Medical records of dogs and cats with neurological diseases that had CSF collected and analyzed at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital between 2008 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient data included breed, sex, body weight, age at presentation, findings of clinical and neurological examination, results of CSF analysis, diagnostic imaging and other laboratory tests results including PCR and serologies for infectious diseases. A total of 245 CSF exams were studied (240 dogs and five cats). The established normal range for protein concentration was less than 25 mg/dL for cisternal collection and less than 45 mg/dL for lumbar puncture. Total nucleated cell count was considered normal when less than 5 cells/µL, with a predominance of mononuclear cells. Both pleocytosis and increased concentration of the protein level were classified as discrete, moderate and marked, and the pleocytosis was further classified as mononuclear, neutrophilic and mixed cell pleocytosis. The information obtained was analyzed in relation to the neurological syndromes and etiological categories of neurological diseases. The most frequent syndrome was thoracolumbar and the less frequent was cerebellar. Regarding the etiological categories, the most frequent in decreasing order were inflammatory, infectious, degenerative, neoplastic, traumatic, vascular and episodic. CSF examination was abnormal in 72% of cases. In viral infectious diseases, there was predominantly mononuclear pleocytosis with a slight increase of protein, whereas in dogs with presumptive diagnosis of meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO), marked mononuclear and mixed pleocytosis predominated with moderate to marked protein increase. In degenerative diseases, however, the absence of pleocytosis or mild pleocytosis, with normal to slightly increased protein was most observed. In neoplastic diseases there was a high frequency of mild to moderate pleocytosis, with and without albuminocytological dissociation, while in spinal trauma there was mainly mononuclear pleocytosis. A slight increase in protein was observed mainly in infectious, degenerative, neoplastic and traumatic diseases, while moderate to marked increase was more observed in cases of presumptive diagnosis of MUO. Albuminocytological dissociation was observed in half of the cases of neoplasia and less frequently in degenerative, infectious and traumatic diseases.Discussion: The exam was altered in a considerable number of patientsand provided important information even when normal. The diseases with more abnormalities were inflammatory/infectious and neoplastic diseases. When the exam was normal, the most frequent condition was degenerative diseases. Although the changes were not specific for each class of neurological disease, there were certain trends regarding pleocytosis type and protein increase in some of them. Based on the results of this retrospective study, result of CSF analysis, when interpreted along with signalment, etiological categories of diseases, neurological syndromes, and results of other complementary tests, provided support for the diagnosis of various neurological diseases

Acute Trigeminal Nerve Neuritis in German Shepherd

Background: Trigeminal nerve is composed by ophthalmic, maxillary and mandibular portion, presenting sensory and motor functions. Its most common conditions include vascular, neoplastic, infectious and inflammatory causes. Neuritis is an inflammation caused by a primary nerve injury that can progress to demyelination and even degeneration of nerve fibers. The present report aims to describe an unusual case of a female dog, German Shepherd breed, with acute manifestation of trigeminal nerve neuritis whose etiology may be associated with erlichiosis, since infection with Ehrlichia spp. through serological test was verified.Case: A 3-year-old female German Shepherd , weighing 26.8 kg and not neutered, was attended at Veterinary Hospital Dr. Halim Atique - UNIRP, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil presenting apathy, sialorrhea and polydipsia for seven days. The tutor reported an episode of foamy and yellowish vomit three days ago and ixodidiosis last week. Physical examination revealed flaccid open-mouthed posture, with mild bilateral masseter and moderate temporal muscle atrophy. Water was offered to the animal and it was observed that it could not properly seize, confirming a false polydipsia. The neurological examination revealed a slight decrease in head sensitivity, difficulty in chewing and seizure of food. It was not observed alterations in the other pairs of cranial nerves or other neurological parameters (postural reactions and spinal reflexes), and the diagnose of bilateral dysfunction of the trigeminal nerve was based on the affected neuroanatomic region. On neurological examination, other lesions of the nervous system were ruled out, suggesting an isolated manifestation of the trigeminal nerve. CBC revealed anemia, intense thrombocytopenia and leukocytosis by neutrophilia. Radiographic examination ruled out the possibility of trauma due to the absence of mandible fracture and also temporomandibular joint alterations. Masseter and temporal muscle biopsy were performed, and myositis or other masticatory muscle alterations were discarded among the diagnostic possibilities. Serological tests showed non-reactive results for toxoplasmosis and neosporosis, but reagent for Erlichia spp.Discussion: Idiopathic trigeminal neuritis (ITN) has an unknown etiology, but is not related to signs of systemic disease, and is usually not associated with deficits in other cranial nerves. The main clinical sign related to this condition is acute jaw paralysis, with inability to close the mouth, and in some cases is observed sensitivity deficits in face, as observed in the dog of this report during the neurological examination. In the patient of the present report, no justifiable causes were found for the presented symptoms, except the presence of erlichiosis. The treatment was based on the use of prednisone, doxycycline, antioxidants and vitamin complex. Response to treatment was satisfactory after seven days, and complete remission of clinical signs occurred nine days after its onset. Although cranial nerve neuritis is an uncommon clinical manifestation of erlichiosis, the patient in this study presented a good response to the treatment instituted, suggesting that erlichiosis is an important differential diagnosis for neuritis

Espectroscopia de Energia Dispersiva (EDS) associada à Análise de Componentes Principais (PCA) para análise de composição elementar e comparação de alfaces do tipo crespa (Lactuca Sativa L.) de cultivo orgânico e convencional

A alface crespa (Lactuca sativa L.) é uma das hortaliças folhosas mais cultivadas e consumidas em diversos países. A Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) incentiva o consumo de hortaliças e frutas, uma vez que estas são importantes para compor uma dieta saudável. Nos últimos anos a procura por produtos orgânicos aumentou significativamente, pois dispõe de alimentos mais valorizados e de maior qualidade em relação ao sabor e procedência. Técnicas espectroscópicas associadas a ferramentas estatísticas tem sido frequentemente usadas na indústria alimentícia, com elas pode-se obter de maneira rápida e precisa informações estruturais e elementares das amostras, a fim de compará-las. O presente trabalho utiliza a Espectroscopia por Dispersão em Energia (EDS) associada à análise de componentes principais (PCA) para obter a composição elementar, e comparar/discriminar grupos de amostras de alfaces crespa de cultivo orgânico e convencional. Foram encontrados os elementos Na, Mg, P, K, Ca, Cl, S, Al e Si, nas amostras, e ao realizar a PCA observou-se que as amostras de cultivo orgânicas e convencional adquiridas no hipermercado estão bem próximas da amostra de referência, orgânica

Parâmetros físico químicos e resíduos cianogênicos em farinhas de mandioca de diferentes casas de e um município do estado do Pará, Brasil / Physical chemical parameters and cyanogenic waste in cassava flours from different houses in a municipality in the state of Pará, Brazil

O objetivo foi avaliar os parâmetros físicos químicos resíduos cianogênicos livre e total em farinha de mandioca produzida em um município paraense. Foram coletadas 11 amostras de farinha de diferentes casas de produção do município de Irituia-PA. O ph foi medido com auxílio de um pHmetro. Para a determinação de sólidos solúveis (º Brix) foi utilizado o método refratométrico pela leitura direta dos graus Brix a 20 ºC. Para o parâmetro da umidade, foi realizada através da secagem direta em estufa a 105ºC, já a acidez total por titulação com hidróxido de sódio (NaOH). As amostras de farinha de mandioca foram analisadas em duplicata para quantificação do cianeto total e livre por espectrofotometria. As análises apresentaram variações, no qual a umidade teve resultados de 50% a 57%; pH entre 4,04 e 5,87; acidez titulável de 1,83% e 6,83% meq NaOH/100mL; corpos estranhos presentes em todas as amostras. A média de cianeto total obtida foi de 14,24, a mínimo de 7,5 e máximo de 22,1 mg/HCN/Kg. Quanto a análise de cianeto livre, a média encontrada foi de 1,46 mg/HCN/Kg e mínimo de 1,28 mg/HCN/Kg, máximo de 1,60 mg/HCN/Kg. 

CLIMA, VARIABILIDADE, MUDANÇAS CLIMÁTICAS E UMA PROPOSTA METODOLÓGICA PARA MAPEAMENTO DE DANOS PROVENIENTES DE EVENTOS SEVEROS

Este trabalho discorre sobre as concepções de clima, variabilidade climática, mudanças climáticas e eventos severos. Para a espacialização dos danos provocados por estes eventos, registrados pelo Departamento de Defesa Civil, propõe-se um procedimento metodológico com o uso do Sistema de Informações Georreferenciadas EstatCart -IBGE e ArcView GIS. O mapeamento das áreas atingidas e os tipos de impactos, ao longo de um determinado período, contribuirão para determinar as possíveis áreas de risco e servir de suporte logístico para os órgãos que trabalham com a assistência aos vitimados. Palavras-Chave: Clima. Tempestades. Sistema de Informação Geográfica. Mapeamento. ArcView GIS. EstatCart –IBGE