Malignant mixed tumor in the salivary gland of a cat

The presence of a malignant mixed tumor, also known as a carcinosarcoma, in the salivary gland is very rare. Such tumors, which are typically aggressive, are characterized by the presence of carcinomatous and sarcomatous components. A 9-year-old neutered female domestic short-haired cat presented with swelling in the right mandibular lesion that had rapidly enlarged over the previous 3 weeks. Physical examination revealed a large, fluctuated and painless subcutaneous swelling that was associated with a firm mass. Radiographs of the head revealed a soft-tissue density that involved faint circular calcific opacity. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed that the peripheral capsulated cystic area had a contrast enhanced region without bone lysis. The cat received a total excision of the mass and postoperative radiotherapy. Histopathological analysis of the mass revealed that it was a malignant mixed tumor. Metastasis to the lung was discovered 7 weeks later, at which time treatment was stopped

Application of ventriculoperitoneal shunt as a treatment for hydrocephalus in a dog with syringomyelia and Chiari I malformation

A twenty-month-old Chihuahua male dog was presented to us suffering with ataxia. Based on the physical examination, X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations, we diagnosed the dog with hydrocephalus, Chiari I malformation and syringomyelia. Treatment consisted of internal medical treatment and the placement of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. The ventricular dilatation was relieved and the dog improved neurologically; however, the Chiari I malformation and syringomyelia remained after surgically positioning the VP shunt

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Is Associated with Hypolipidemia at the Presymptomatic Stage in Mice

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that hypolipidemia is a typical feature of the mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to assess the association between hypolipidemia and disease stage, dietary intake, and sex. METHODS: We compared daily dietary intake, body weight, and serumlipid and glucose levels in ALS mice and wild-type controls at different stages of the disease. FINDINGS: Total cholesterol low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and LDL/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio were significantly lower in ALS mice compared with controls. Subgroup analysis revealed that the incidence of hypolipidemia was significantly greater in male, but not female, ALS mice compared with control mice and that hypolipidemia was present at the presymptomatic stage of the disease. This hypolipidemia can be found without a decrease in the serum levels of other energy sources, such as glucose, in the presymptomatic stage. CONCLUSIONS: Hypolipidemia is present at the presymptomatic stage of the ALS mouse model in the absence of malnutrition, significant neuromuscular degeneration or regeneration, and respiratory difficulty. Our findings suggest that hypolipidemia might be associated with the pathomechanism of ALS and/or lipid-specific metabolism rather than simply an epiphenomenon of neuromuscular degeneration or energy imbalance

Cerebral Blood Flow Monitoring by Diffuse Speckle Contrast Analysis during MCAO Surgery in the Rat

The rodent model has been used frequently to understand stroke pathophysiology, due to its low cost and the large spectrum of genetic strains available. Here, we present a diffuse speckle contrast analysis system (DSCA) with a 1 × 2 optical switch that was used to non-invasively assess cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in the rat during intraluminal suturing for middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery. The blood flow index (BFI) in the left hemisphere was lower than that in the right hemisphere because the left middle cerebral artery was occluded. Furthermore, the performance of the DSCA system was compared with that of commercial laser Doppler flowmetry. The changes in the BFI measured by the two systems were correlated strongly. The DSCA system was less sensitive to motion artifacts and able to measure relatively deep tissue flow in the rat’s brain. In conclusion, the DSCA system secured CBF monitoring during surgery in a rodent model without craniotomy. © 2017 Current Optics and Photonics.1

Sustained left ventricular diastolic dysfunction following ischemia reperfusion injury in an acute myocardial infarction rat model

The aim of this study was to investigate cardiac function in a rat myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury model during the early phase using echocardiography. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Echocardiography was performed at 2 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, and 7 days after the induction of myocardial infarction (MI). The ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS), indexes that reflect left ventricular systolic function, of the MI group were significantly decreased compared with those of the sham group at 2 hours and on day 1 (P ＜ 0.01). To assess left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, we measured the peak velocity of the transmitral flow at early filling (E), the early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E’) at the medial mitral annulus and the E/E’ ratio. During the entire experimental period, the E’ values were significantly decreased and the E/E’ values were significantly increased in the MI group compared to the sham group. These results suggest that, unlike systolic function, diastolic dysfunction does not recover in the early phase of ischemic reperfusion injury in rats; this may be important for the development of effective therapies for acute MI. Moreover, this animal model and ultrasound-based assessment of cardiac function can be used in translational research and in the development of new heart failure drugs

Smart Microbubble Eluting Theranostic Stent for Noninvasive Ultrasound Imaging and Prevention of Restenosis

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Basal serum levels of cholesterol (A), low-density lipoprotein (B), LDL/HDL ratio (C), glucose (D), and mean daily dietary intake (E), and average weight (F).

<p>The left panels show the combined value for ALS mice of all age (Tg, n = 30) and the control mice (Wt). The right panels show the values for the ALS mice and controls in each age group. (n = 10, for each group) Values in the boxes and whisker plots are median values and interquatile ranges respectively. LDL: low-density lipoprotein, HDL: high-density lipoprotein. * <i>p</i><0.05.</p