Feline head trauma: a CT analysis of skull fractures and their management in 75 cats

The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate the configurations and management of feline skull fractures and concurrent injuries following head trauma

CT characterisation and classification of feline temporomandibular joint trauma : a case series of 79 cats

Research Areas: Veterinary SciencesObjectives The aim of this study was to characterise and describe patterns of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) injuries occurring in cats using CT. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in adherence with the STROBE guidelines. Among the medical and CT records of 79 cats, 158 TMJs were reviewed in a collaborative study between six institutions. Results TMJ injuries were most commonly unilateral, representing 70.9% of cases. The mandibular condyle was fractured in 88 cases (55.7%) of the 158 TMJs observed. Of those, 84.0% were intra-articular condyle fractures, with the medial half of the mandibular condyle over-represented. Luxations occurred in 32.9% of cases, which was 19.0% of all evaluated TMJs. Rostrodorsal luxations were most common representing 87.0% of all luxations. Temporal bone fractures were observed in 30.4% of all cases, which was 18.4% of TMJs. The majority of fractures were of an unknown cause. When the cause was determined, road traffic accident (RTA) was the most frequent, followed by animal interaction, other external forces (sharp or blunt force) and high-rise trauma. Bilateral injuries were 13.1 times more likely to occur in high-rise trauma (P=0.01) and temporal bone fracture was significantly associated with RTAs (P=0.016). No other significant associations were observed between cause of injury and the resulting TMJ injury pattern. Conclusions and relevance Various TMJ injury patterns can occur in cats as a result of trauma. Intra-articular fractures of the medial half of the mandibular condyle occur most commonly. Although unilateral injuries are more frequent, high-rise trauma tends to present with bilateral lesions. Further studies with a larger sample size should be performed to better understand TMJ patterns of injury and how they relate to possible causes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Extracellular Domain of Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Elicits Atypical Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Rat and Species

Atypical models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) are advantageous in that the heterogeneity of clinical signs appears more reflective of those in multiple sclerosis (MS). Conversely, models of classical EAE feature stereotypic progression of an ascending flaccid paralysis that is not a characteristic of MS. The study of atypical EAE however has been limited due to the relative lack of suitable models that feature reliable disease incidence and severity, excepting mice deficient in gamma-interferon signaling pathways. In this study, atypical EAE was induced in Lewis rats, and a related approach was effective for induction of an unusual neurologic syndrome in a cynomolgus macaque. Lewis rats were immunized with the rat immunoglobulin variable (IgV)-related extracellular domain of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (IgV-MOG) in complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) followed by one or more injections of rat IgV-MOG in incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (IFA). The resulting disease was marked by torticollis, unilateral rigid paralysis, forelimb weakness, and high titers of anti-MOG antibody against conformational epitopes of MOG, as well as other signs of atypical EAE. A similar strategy elicited a distinct atypical form of EAE in a cynomolgus macaque. By day 36 in the monkey, titers of IgG against conformational epitopes of extracellular MOG were evident, and on day 201, the macaque had an abrupt onset of an unusual form of EAE that included a pronounced arousal-dependent, transient myotonia. The disease persisted for 6–7 weeks and was marked by a gradual, consistent improvement and an eventual full recovery without recurrence. These data indicate that one or more boosters of IgV-MOG in IFA represent a key variable for induction of atypical or unusual forms of EAE in rat and Macaca species. These studies also reveal a close correlation between humoral immunity against conformational epitopes of MOG, extended confluent demyelinating plaques in spinal cord and brainstem, and atypical disease induction

Toezicht op de toezichthouders: Hoe kunnen non-gouvernementele organisaties ter verantwoording worden geroepen?

Abstract Background Our understanding of the biology of osteoblasts is important as they underpin bone remodelling, fracture healing and processes such as osseointegration. Osteoblasts isolated from human humeral samples display distinctive biological activity in vitro, which relates to the samples’ bone types (subchondral (S), trabecular (T), cortical (C)). Our aim was to isolate primary osteoblast cultures from different bone types from the proximal femur of a clinical population of dogs presented for total hip replacement and compare the behaviour of the osteoblasts derived from different bone types, to identify a preferred bone type for isolation. Results No differences were found for osteoblast doubling time (median for S = 2.9, T = 3.1 and C = 2.71 days, respectively; p = 0.33), final cell number (median for S = 54,849, T = 49,733, C = 61,390 cells/cm2; p = 0.34) or basal tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) activity (median for S = 0.02, T = 0.02, C = 0.03 U/min/mg protein; p = 0.81) between bone types after 6 days of culture in basal media. There were no differences in mineralizing TNAP activity (S = 0.02, T = 0.02, C = 0.03 U/min/mg protein, p = 0.84) or in mineralized area (S = 0.05, T = 0.04, C = 0.04%, p = 0.92) among cells from different bone types. Conclusions There is no significant difference in mean doubling time, basal or mineralizing TNAP activity or mineralized area in osteoblasts derived from subchondral, cortical, or trabecular bone types from the canine femoral head. However, there appears to be a high level of inter-animal variability in the studied parameters, which was independent of age, body mass, and sex. Trabecular isolate osteoblasts have the least variation of the bone types studied, and therefore should be considered a preferred source for primary osteoblast cultures. The work here provides baselines for canine osteoblast function, which has utility for future comparative studies

Muscle-specific VEGF deficiency greatly reduces exercise endurance in mice

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is required for vasculogenesis and angiogenesis during embryonic and early postnatal life. However the organ-specific functional role of VEGF in adult life, particularly in skeletal muscle, is less clear. To explore this issue, we engineered skeletal muscle-targeted VEGF deficient mice (mVEGF−/−) by crossbreeding mice that selectively express Cre recombinase in skeletal muscle under the control of the muscle creatine kinase promoter (MCKcre mice) with mice having a floxed VEGF gene (VEGFLoxP mice). We hypothesized that VEGF is necessary for regulating both cardiac and skeletal muscle capillarity, and that a reduced number of VEGF-dependent muscle capillaries would limit aerobic exercise capacity. In adult mVEGF−/− mice, VEGF protein levels were reduced by 90 and 80% in skeletal muscle (gastrocnemius) and cardiac muscle, respectively, compared to control mice (P < 0.01). This was accompanied by a 48% (P < 0.05) and 39% (P < 0.05) decreases in the capillary-to-fibre ratio and capillary density, respectively, in the gastrocnemius and a 61% decrease in cardiac muscle capillary density (P < 0.05). Hindlimb muscle oxidative (citrate synthase, 21%; β-HAD, 32%) and glycolytic (PFK, 18%) regulatory enzymes were also increased in mVEGF−/− mice. However, this limited adaptation to reduced muscle VEGF was insufficient to maintain aerobic exercise capacity, and maximal running speed and endurance running capacity were reduced by 34% and 81%, respectively, in mVEGF−/− mice compared to control mice (P < 0.05). Moreover, basal and dobutamine-stimulated cardiac function, measured by transthoracic echocardiography and left ventricular micromanomtery, showed only a minimal reduction of contractility (peak +dP/dt) and relaxation (peak –dP/dt, τE). Collectively these data suggests adequate locomotor muscle capillary number is important for achieving full exercise capacity. Furthermore, VEGF is essential in regulating postnatal muscle capillarity, and that adult mice, deficient in cardiac and skeletal muscle VEGF, exhibit a major intolerance to aerobic exercise