The laboratory diagnostic approach to thoracic and abdominal effusions in the dog, cat, and horse

Περιστατικά στα οποία διαπιστώνονται υπεζωκοτικές και περιτοναϊκές συλλογές είναι αρκετά συχνά στην κλινική πράξη. Ο καθορισμός της υποκείμενης αιτιολογίας σε αυτές τις περιπτώσεις βασίζεται κυρίως στην ανάλυση του υγρού της συλλογής. Η τεχνική που χρησιμοποιείται για τη λήψη του υγρού της υπεζωκοτικής ή περιτοναϊκής συλλογής μπορεί να επηρεάσει σε μεγάλο βαθμό τα αποτελέσματα της ανάλυσης. Στις πιο συχνά χρησιμοποιούμενες διαγνωστικές εξετάσεις περιλαμβάνονται η αξιολόγηση των φυσικών ιδιοτήτων του υγρού, ο προσδιορισμός του συνολικού αριθμού εμπύρηνων κυττάρων / ολικών πρωτεϊνών (TNCC / TP), ο προσδιορισμός χημικών / βιοχημικών παραμέτρων (γαλακτική αφυδρογονάση και γαλακτικό οξύ, χολοστερόλη, τριγλυκερίδια, γλυκόζη, κρεατινίνη, pH, pO2, pCO2, K), κυτταρολογική εξέταση (διάγνωση σηπτικών και μη σηπτικών φλεγμονών και νεοπλασμάτων), μικροβιολογικές εξετάσεις (επιχρίσματα με χρώση Gram, καλλιέργεια, μοριακές τεχνικές) και ειδικές διαγνωστικές εξετάσεις για ορισμένες παθολογικές καταστάσεις και νοσήματα. Η ταξινόμηση μιας συλλογής ως διίδρωμα, τροποποιημένο διίδρωμα και εξίδρωμα βασίζεται παραδοσιακά στις τιμές των TNCC και ΤΡ. Νέες διαγνωστικές μέθοδοι συνεισφέρουν στην αιτιολογική διάγνωση χωρίς απαραίτητα να ακολουθηθεί αυστηρά η παραδοσιακή ταξινόμηση. Πολλές από τις διαγνωστικές εξετάσεις που περιγράφονται σε αυτήν την ανασκόπηση είναι απλές και μπορούν να πραγματοποιηθούν στο ιατρείο, παρέχοντας γρήγορα πληροφορίες στον κλινικό κτηνίατρο σχετικές με την αιτία της συλλογής. Η γνώση αυτή είναι απαραίτητη για την έγκαιρη και αποτελεσματική θεραπευτική αντιμετώπιση της υποκείμενης παθολογικής κατάστασης.Cases involving pleural and peritoneal effusions occur relatively frequently in clinical practice. Determining the underlying etiology in these cases relies mainly on fluid analysis. The technique used for obtaining the pleural or peritoneal fluid can impact greatly the results of the analysis. Most often used diagnostic tools include evaluation of gross appearance, Total Nucleated Cell Count / Total Protein (TNCC/TP) measurement, chemical/biochemical analysis (Lactate dehydrogenase and lactate, cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, creatinine, pH, pO2, pCO2, and K measurements), cytology (identification of septic and non-septic inflammation and neoplasia), microbiology (Gram stain, culture, molecular techniques), and specific tests for certain clinical conditions and diseases. Classifying an effusion as transudate, modified transudate and exudate is traditionally based on the TNCC and TP values. New diagnostic methods encourage the clinician to approach the effusion etiologically instead of strictly following this traditional classification. Many of the diagnostic tests described in this review are simple and can be performed in-house, providing the clinician quickly with information about the cause of the effusion, essential for an effective treatment plan without wasting valuable time

Multicenter flow cytometry proficiency testing of canine blood and lymph node samples

Background: Flow cytometry (FC) is used increasingly in veterinary medicine for further characterization of hematolymphoid cells. Guidelines for optimizing assay performance and interpretation of results are limited, and concordance of results across laboratories is unknown. Objectives: This study aimed to determine inter-investigator agreement on the interpretation of FC results from split samples analyzed in different laboratories using various protocols, cytometers, and software; and on the interpretation of archived FC standard (FCS) data files contributed by the different investigators. Methods: This was a multicenter observational cross-sectional study. Anticoagulated blood or lymph node aspirate samples from nine client-owned dogs were aliquoted and shipped to participating laboratories. Samples were analyzed with individual laboratory-developed protocols. In addition, FCS files from a set of separate samples from 11 client-owned dogs were analyzed by participating investigators. A person not associated with the study tabulated the results and interpretations. Agreement of interpretations was assessed with Fleiss\u2019 kappa statistic. Results: Prolonged transit times affected sample quality for some laboratories. Overall agreement among investigators regarding the FC sample interpretation was strong (\u3ba = 0.86 \ub1 0.19, P <.001), and for specific categories, ranged from moderate to perfect. Agreement of the lymphoproliferation or other leukocyte sample category from the analysis of the FCS files was weak (\u3ba = 0.58 \ub1 0.05, P <.001). Conclusions: Lymphoproliferations were readily identified by FC, but identification of the categories of hematolymphoid neoplasia in fresh samples or archived files was variable. There is a need for a more standardized approach to maximize the enormous potential of FC in veterinary medicine

International Guidelines for Veterinary Tumor Pathology: A Call to Action

Standardization of tumor assessment lays the foundation for validation of grading systems, permits reproducibility of oncologic studies among investigators, and increases confidence in the significance of study results. Currently, there is minimal methodological standardization for assessing tumors in veterinary medicine, with few attempts to validate published protocols and grading schemes. The current article attempts to address these shortcomings by providing standard guidelines for tumor assessment parameters and protocols for evaluating specific tumor types. More detailed information is available in the Supplemental Files, the intention of which is 2-fold: publication as part of this commentary, but more importantly, these will be available as “living documents” on a website (www.vetcancerprotocols.org), which will be updated as new information is presented in the peer-reviewed literature. Our hope is that veterinary pathologists will agree that this initiative is needed, and will contribute to and utilize this information for routine diagnostic work and oncologic studies. Journal editors and reviewers can utilize checklists to ensure publications include sufficient detail and standardized methods of tumor assessment. To maintain the relevance of the guidelines and protocols, it is critical that the information is periodically updated and revised as new studies are published and validated with the intent of providing a repository of this information. Our hope is that this initiative (a continuation of efforts published in this journal in 2011) will facilitate collaboration and reproducibility between pathologists and institutions, increase case numbers, and strengthen clinical research findings, thus ensuring continued progress in veterinary oncologic pathology and improving patient care

The laboratory diagnostic approach to thoracic and abdominal effusions in the dog, cat, and horse

Cases involving pleural and peritoneal effusions occur relatively frequently in clinical practice. Determining the underlying etiology in these cases relies mainly on fluid analysis. The technique used for obtaining the pleural or peritoneal fluid can impact greatly the results of the analysis. Most often used diagnostic tools include evaluation of gross appearance, Total Nucleated Cell Count / Total Protein (TNCC/TP) measurement, chemical/biochemical analysis (Lactate dehydrogenase and lactate, cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, creatinine, pH, pO2, pCO2,and K measurements), cytology (identification of septic and non-septic inflammation and neoplasia), microbiology (Gram stain, culture, molecular techniques), and specific tests for certain clinical conditions and diseases. Classifying an effusion as transudate, modified transudate and exudate is traditionally based on the TNCC and TP values. New diagnostic methods encourage the clinician to approach the effusion etiologically instead of strictly following this traditional classification. Many of the diagnostic tests described in this review are simple and can be performed in-house, providing the clinician quickly with information about the cause of the effusion, essential for an effective treatment plan without wasting valuable time. © 2019 Hellenic Veterinary Medical Society

Serum concentrations of IL‐31 in dogs with nonpruritic mast cell tumours or lymphoma

Background: The aim of this study was to compare serum interleukin (IL)-31 concentrations in dogs with lymphoma and mast cell tumours (MCT) without pruritus to those of healthy dogs. Hypothesis/Objectives: To determine if IL-31 plays a role in tumour pathogenesis and if IL-31 could be a biological marker for disease progression. Animals: Forty-eight healthy dogs and 36 dogs with neoplasia [multicentric lymphoma (14), MCT (15) and cutaneous lymphoma (7)] were included in the study. Methods and materials: Dogs with neoplasia were assigned to three different groups. Group 1 consisted of patients with multicentric lymphoma, which were diagnosed by cytological, histopathological and clonality investigations. Thoracic radiographs, ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity, and fine-needle aspirates from liver and spleen were used to determine the lymphoma stage Patients with cutaneous lymphoma, diagnosed by cytological and histopathological findings, were included in Group 2. Patients with MCT, diagnosed by cytological and histopathological findings, were included in Group 3. Serum was frozen at -80oC before measuring the concentration of IL-31 via a Simoa ultra-sensitive, fully automated two-step immunoassay. Results: Serum concentrations of IL-31, regardless of the disease and its staging, were within the normal range in all patients;there was no difference between any of the different tumour groups and healthy dogs. Conclusions and clinical importance: IL-31 is not likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of canine MCT or lymphoma without pruritus

Cutaneous Lymphoma at Injection Sites : Pathological, Immunophenotypical, and Molecular Characterization in 17 Cats

Feline primary cutaneous lymphomas (FPCLs) account for 0.2% to 3% of all lymphomas in cats and are more frequently dermal nonepitheliotropic small T-cell tumors. Emergence of FPCL seems unrelated to feline leukemia virus (FeLV) serological positivity or to skin inflammation. A total of 17 cutaneous lymphomas with a history of vaccine injection at the site of tumor development were selected from 47 FPCLs. Clinical presentation, histology, immunophenotype, FeLV p27 and gp70 expression, and clonality were assessed. A majority of male (12/17), domestic short-haired (13/17) cats with a mean age of 11.3 years was reported. Postinjection time of development ranged from 15 days to approximately 9 years in 5 cats. At diagnosis, 11 of 17 cats had no evidence of internal disease. Lymphomas developed in interscapular (8/17), thoracic (8/17), and flank (1/17) cutaneous regions; lacked epitheliotropism; and were characterized by necrosis (16/17), angiocentricity (13/17), angioinvasion (9/17), angiodestruction (8/17), and peripheral inflammation composed of lymphoid aggregates (14/17). FeLV gp70 and/or p27 proteins were expressed in 10 of 17 tumors. By means of World Health Organization classification, immunophenotype, and clonality, the lesions were categorized as large B-cell lymphoma (11/17), anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma (3/17), natural killer cell\u2013like (1/17) lymphoma, or peripheral T-cell lymphoma (1/17). Lineage remained uncertain in 1 case. Cutaneous lymphomas at injection sites (CLIS) shared some clinical and pathological features with feline injection site sarcomas and with lymphomas developing in the setting of subacute to chronic inflammation reported in human beings. Persistent inflammation induced by the injection and by reactivation of FeLV expression may have contributed to emergence of CLIS