Atypisch junctioneel melanocytoma met pagetoïde spreiding bij een jong paard

Melanocytic tumors are commonly encountered neoplasms in horses. In this case report, an atypical case of a melanocytoma in an almost five-year-old Andalusian horse is described. Histopathological examination showed a striking epidermal component consisting of multifocal to miliary nests of epitheloid cells, which were spread discontinuously in all layers of the epidermis, including the outer root sheath of the hair follicles. This phenomenon is called pagetoid spreading or buckshot pattern and is a feature of multiple human neoplasms, among which are melanomas, Paget disease and Bowen’s disease. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case report to describe pagetoid spreading in an equine melanocytic tumor

Topical use of 5% acyclovir cream for the treatment of occult and verrucous equine sarcoids : a double-blinded placebo-controlled study

Background: Previous studies mention the use of topical acyclovir for the treatment of equine sarcoids. Success rates vary and since the bovine papillomavirus (BPV) lacks the presence of a kinase necessary to activate acyclovir, there is no proof of its activity against equine sarcoids. Results: Twenty-four equine sarcoids were topically treated with acyclovir cream and 25 with a placebo. Both creams were applied twice daily during 6 months. Before the start of the treatment and further on a monthly basis, photographs and swabs were obtained. On the photographs, sarcoid diameter and surface area were measured and verrucosity of the tumours was quantified using a visual analog scale (VAS). The swabs were analysed by PCR for the presence of BPV DNA and positivity rates were calculated as the number of positive swabs divided by the total number of swabs for each treatment group at each time point. Success rates were not significantly different between both treatment groups. There was also no significant effect of treatment on sarcoid diameter, surface area or VAS score. For the swabs, a significantly higher BPV positivity rate was found for acyclovir treated tumours compared to placebo treated sarcoids only after 1 month of treatment and not at other time points. Conclusions: None of the results indicate that treatment with acyclovir yields any better results compared to placebo treatment

Foot problems, stereotypies and substrate type in Asian elephants: a European survey

Foot problems are very common in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an association exists between floor type, the occurrence of repetitive behaviour and foot problems. For this research project, information about the enclosure floor type, the occurrence of repetitive behaviour and the occurrence of foot problems was collected for adult (older than 11 years) Asian elephants in European zoos, using a brief questionnaire (response rate = 38.09 %). Data on indoor and outdoor housing were pooled for statistical purposes. Information was obtained for 87 adult individuals, out of the 254 adult elephants that are incorporated in the EAZA European Studbook. Most of the elephants had access to areas with sand (87.36 %) or concrete (71.26 %) flooring. A considerable proportion of the animals (72.41 %) displayed repetitive behaviour (stereotypies). The most common type was weaving (37.93 %). The respondents observed foot problems in 59 individuals (67.82 %). Within the latter group, 53 elephants displayed repetitive behaviours, of which weaving was the most common type (34.38 %), followed by nodding (18.75 %) and pacing (15.63 %). The statistical analysis showed that elephants that had access to an enclosure with straw flooring had less chance of displaying stereotypic behaviour than elephants that were kept on other floor types (Prevalence ration (PR) = 0.12; P < 0.01). Elephants partly kept on dirt were less likely to have foot problems than animals standing on other substrates (PR = 0.67; P = 0.01). It was shown that elephants in this study that showed stereotypic behaviour were 337 times more likely to have foot problems than elephants that showed no stereotypic behaviour (PR = 3.37; P < 0.01). However, the results of this study should be interpreted with caution. Adhering to the advice of the EEP coordinator, questionnaire length was restricted and, consequently, certain factors (e.g., distribution of time spent indoors and outdoors, enclosure maintenance, elephant sleeping patterns) were no longer included. Future research elaborating on the development of stereotypic behaviours and foot problems should account for these factors

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Targeting of BPV-1-Transformed Primary Equine Sarcoid Fibroblasts

Equine sarcoids (EqS) are fibroblast-derived skin tumors associated with bovine papillomavirus 1 and 2 (BPV-1 and -2). Based on Southern blotting, the BPV-1 genome was not found to be integrated in the host cell genome, suggesting that EqS pathogenesis does not result from insertional mutagenesis. Hence, CRISPR/Cas9 implies an interesting tool for selectively targeting BPV-1 episomes or genetically anchored suspected host factors. To address this in a proof-of-concept study, we confirmed the exclusive episomal persistence of BPV-1 in EqS using targeted locus amplification (TLA). To investigate the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of BPV-1 episomes, primary equine fibroblast cultures were established and characterized. In the EqS fibroblast cultures, CRISPR-mediated targeting of the episomal E5 and E6 oncogenes as well as the BPV-1 long control region was successful and resulted in a pronounced reduction of the BPV-1 load. Moreover, the deletion of the equine Vimentin (VIM), which is highly expressed in EqS, considerably decreased the number of BPV-1 episomes. Our results suggest CRISPR/Cas9-based gene targeting may serve as a tool to help further unravel the biology of EqS pathogenesis

Randomised controlled trial of cervical radiofrequency lesions as a treatment for cervicogenic headache [ISRCTN07444684]

BACKGROUND: Cervicogenic headache (CEH) is a unilateral headache localised in the neck or occipital region, projecting to the frontal and temporal regions. Since the pathogenesis of this syndrome appears to have an anatomical basis in the cervical region, several surgical procedures aimed at reducing the nociceptive input on the cervical level, have been tested. We developed a sequence of various cervical radiofrequency neurotomies (facet joint denervations eventually followed by upper dorsal root ganglion neurotomies) that proved successful in a prospective pilot trial with 15 CEH patients. To further evaluate this sequential treatment program we conducted a randomised controlled trial METHODS: 30 patients with cervicogenic headache according to the Sjaastad diagnostic criteria, were randomised. 15 patients received a sequence of radiofrequency treatments (cervical facet joint denervation, followed by cervical dorsal root ganglion lesions when necessary), and the other 15 patients underwent local injections with steroid and anaesthetic at the greater occipital nerve, followed by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) when necessary. Visual analogue scores for pain, global perceived effects scores, quality of life scores were assessed at 8, 16, 24 and 48 weeks. Patients also kept a headache diary. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups at any time point in the trial. CONCLUSION: We did not find evidence that radiofrequency treatment of cervical facet joints and upper dorsal root ganglions is a better treatment than the infiltration of the greater occipital nerve, followed by TENS for patients fulfilling the clinical criteria of cervicogenic headache