Dysuria Associated with Non-Neoplastic Bone Hyperplasia of the Os Penis in a Pug Dog

A three-year-old male Pug presented with a three-year history of urolithiasis and repeated urethral obstruction. Biochemical analysis, ultrasonography, and retrograde urethrocystography revealed probable portosystemic shunt and incomplete urethral obstruction due to uric acid ammonium calculi. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed portosystemic shunt and proliferation of the osseous tissue of the os penis, which was surgically removed. Histopathologically, the excised osseous tissue comprised bland lamellar bone without atypia or inflammation. Hyperplasia of the os penis was diagnosed based on the image findings and histopathology. The dysuria improved postoperatively. This is the first report of dysuria associated with non-neoplastic bone hyperplasia of the os penis in a dog. Careful evaluation of the os penis by CT is needed for accurate diagnosis in case of repeated penile urethral obstruction

Efficacy of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell transplantation in dogs with chronic spinal cord injury

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is relatively common in dogs and is a devastating condition involving loss of sensory neurons and motor neurons. However, the main clinical protocol for the management of SCI is surgery to decompress and stabilize the vertebra. Cell transplantation therapy is a very promising strategy for the treatment of chronic SCI, but extensive preclinical and clinical research work remains. Aim: The aim of this study was to confirm an effect of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cell (BM-MNC) transplantation for chronic SCI in dogs. Methods: We tested the treatment efficiency of chronic SCI in 12 dogs using BM-MNC transplantation. Neurological evaluation used the Texas Spinal Cord Injury Scale (TSCIS). Concurrently, we characterized the transplanted cells by evaluation using quantitative real-time PCR, flow cytometry, and ELISA. Result: All dogs had a pre-transplantation TSCIS score of 0. Two animals did not show any improvement in the final TSCIS score. The remaining 10 dogs (83.4%) achieved improvement in the final TSCIS score. Five of them (41.7%) regained ambulatory function with a TSCIS score greater than 10. We determined that canine BM-MNCs expressed hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) mRNA at higher levels than other cytokines, with significant increases in HGF levels in CSF within 48 hours after autologous BM-MNC transplantation into the subarachnoid space of the spinal dura matter in dogs. Conclusions: BM-MNC transplantation may be effective for at least some cases of chronic SCI

Lymphokine-activated killer cell transplantation after anti-cancer treatment in two aged cats

Immunotherapy improves both survival and remission rates after cancer surgery in humans, but its veterinary use has been limited. We determined the safety and feasibility of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell transplantation in two aged cats that had undergone surgery for malignancy. Case 1 involved an 18-year-old male Japanese domestic cat. The cat exhibited appetite loss and poor physical activity after surgical excision of oral squamous cell carcinoma followed by four sessions of radiotherapy, and the owner strongly requested immunotherapy for preventing further deterioration in the animal’s quality of life (QOL). We subsequently administered LAK cells three times during a 2-month period. Case 2 involved a 20-year-old female Japanese domestic cat who had undergone mammectomy after a diagnosis of breast adenocarcinoma. The owner strongly requested immunotherapy for QOL maintenance. We administered LAK cells four times over a period of 5 months. Autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) fractionated using density gradient centrifugation were cultured in media containing a high concentration of interleukin-2 and supplemented with 2.5% foetal calf serum. The derived LAK cells were centrifuged, suspended in 10 ml of saline containing 1% of the subject’s own blood, and infused into the cephalic vein of the cats over 30 mins. The composition ratios of CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD21 were evaluated by flow cytometry. Bacterial culture and endotoxin testing for a sample of LAK cells showed negative results in both cases. The leukocyte and erythrocyte counts and the body temperature were assessed on days 7, 14 and 21 after the transfusion. No abnormal signs were observed in either case, which confirmed the safety of the procedure. QOL scores showed no significant changes after the treatment, and the body temperature remained steady throughout the treatment. The findings from these cases suggest that transplantation of LAK cells derived from PBMCs may be safe and feasible for use in cats, regardless of their age

Comparative analysis of canine mesenchymal stem cells and bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells

Background and Aim: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which have multi-lineage differentiation potentials, are a promising source for regenerative medicine. However, the focus of study of MSCs is shifting from the characterization of the differentiation potential to their secretion potential for cell transplantation. Tissue regeneration and the attenuation of immune responses are thought to be affected by the secretion of multiple growth factors and cytokines by MSCs. However, the secretion potential of MSCs profiling remains incompletely characterized. In this study, we focused on the secretion ability related and protein mRNA expression of dog adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AT-MSC), bone marrow (BM)-derived MSCs, and BM-derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNC). Materials and Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed mRNA expression of nine growth factors and seven interleukins in these types of cells and three growth factors protein expression were determined using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: For the BM-MNC growth factors, the mRNA expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) was the highest. For the BM-derived MSC (BM-MSC) and AT-MSC growth factors, the mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was highest. BM-MSCs and AT-MSCs showed similar expression profiles. In contrast, BM-MNCs showed unique expression profiles for hepatocyte growth factor and epidermal growth factor. The three types of cells showed a similar expression of TGF-β. Conclusion: We conclude that expression of cytokine proteins and mRNAs suggests involvement in tissue repair and protection

Lymphokine-activated killer cell transplantation after anti-cancer treatment in two aged cats

Immunotherapy improves both survival and remission rates after cancer surgery in humans, but its veterinary use has been limited. We determined the safety and feasibility of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell transplantation in two aged cats that had undergone surgery for malignancy. Case 1 involved an 18-year-old male Japanese domestic cat. The cat exhibited appetite loss and poor physical activity after the surgical excision of oral squamous cell carcinoma followed by four sessions of radiotherapy, and the owner strongly requested immunotherapy for preventing further deterioration in the animal’s quality of life (QOL). We subsequently administered LAK cells three times during a 2-month period. Case 2 involved a 20-year-old female Japanese domestic cat who had undergone mammectomy after a diagnosis of breast adenocarcinoma. The owner strongly requested immunotherapy for QOL maintenance. We administered LAK cells four times over a period of 5 months. Autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) fractionated using density gradient centrifugation were cultured in the media containing a high concentration of interleukin-2 and supplemented with 2.5% fetal calf serum. The derived LAK cells were centrifuged, suspended in 10 ml of saline containing 1% of the subject’s own blood, and infused into the cephalic vein of the cats over 30 min. The composition ratios of CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD21 were evaluated by flow cytometry. Bacterial culture and endotoxin testing for a sample of LAK cells showed negative results in both the cases. The leukocyte and erythrocyte counts and the body temperature were assessed on days 7, 14, and 21 after the transfusion. No abnormal signs were observed in either case, which confirmed the safety of the procedure. QOL scores showed no significant changes after the treatment, and the body temperature remained steady throughout the treatment. The findings from these cases suggest that the transplantation of LAK cells derived from PBMCs may be safe and feasible for use in cats, regardless of their age.Keywords: CD4-CD8 ratio, Immunotherapy, Lymphokine-activated killer cells, T lymphocytes, Transplantatio

Effect of Intramuscular Medetomidine Administration on Tear Flow in Rats

Medetomidine has been reported to decrease tear flow significantly in dogs, cats, and pigs when used as a sedative or analgesic; however, there are no such reports when it comes to rats. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of medetomidine on tear flow in rats. Medetomidine in doses of 50, 100, or 200 µg/kg or a physiological saline solution as the control, were administered intramuscularly to male Slc:Wistar/ST rats. After the administration of medetomidine, tear flow in both eyes was measured using a phenol red thread tear test. The area under the curve (AUC) of phenol red thread test values from baseline to 8 h was calculated. Data were plotted against the dose of medetomidine and simple linear regression analysis was performed. The effect of the drug on phenol red thread test values was considered dose-related when linear analysis yielded a significant relationship. In all medetomidine-treated groups, tear flow decreased significantly in both eyes after administration, while no significant changes were observed in either eye in the control group. The AUC values from baseline to 8 h after administration in groups treated with 100 and 200 µg/kg of medetomidine were significantly lower in both the left and right eyes compared to the control group. The linear regression of the AUC values was significant for both eyes. Our results indicated that the intramuscular administration of medetomidine in rats decreased tear flow significantly in a dose-dependent manner

Effects of a Multimodal Approach Using Buprenorphine with/without Meloxicam on Food Intake, Body Weight, Nest Consolidating Behavior, Burrowing Behavior, and Gastrointestinal Tissues in Postoperative Male Mice

Distress affects animal welfare and scientific data validity. There is a lack of reports on the effects of multimodal analgesic approaches in mice. In this study, under the hypothesis that a multimodal analgesic protocol using buprenorphine with meloxicam has analgesic effects, we evaluated the effects of a multimodal analgesic protocol using buprenorphine with meloxicam on the well-being of mice during analgesic administration by changing the dosage of meloxicam. A total of 42 Slc:ICR male mice were categorized into nonsurgical and surgical groups (7 mice per group) and treated with an anesthetic (isoflurane) and analgesics (buprenorphine ± meloxicam). Analgesics were administered for 48 h after treatment. Buprenorphine (subcutaneous; 0.1 mg/kg/8 h) and meloxicam (subcutaneous; 0, 2.5, or 5 mg/kg/24 h) were administered twice. Body weight, food intake, nest consolidation score, and latency to burrow were evaluated. A significant decrease in food intake was observed 24 h after treatment, while a significant increase was observed 48 h post-treatment in all groups. Body weight showed a decreasing trend but was not significantly reduced. Furthermore, stomach, duodenum, and jejunum tissues showed no morphological abnormalities. Significant differences in burrow diving scores and the latency to burrow were observed between some groups, but these were not regarded as a consequence of the surgery and/or the meloxicam dose. When buprenorphine and meloxicam were combined, administering up to 5 mg/kg/day of meloxicam for 48 h to male mice after abdominal surgery had no significant negative effects on any tested parameters. In conclusion, a multimodal analgesic protocol of buprenorphine with meloxicam is among the options for increasing well-being in mice following abdominal surgery

Combining non-contrast enhanced magnetic resonance thoracic ductography with vascular contrast-enhanced computed tomography to identify the canine thoracic duct

Background: In humans, visualization of the thoracic duct by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been attempted, and recent advances have enabled clinicians to visualize the thoracic duct configuration in a less invasive manner. Moreover, MRI does not require contrast media and it enables visualization of morphological details of the thoracic structures. In veterinary practice, the thoracic duct has not been visualized three-dimensionally in MRI.　 Aim: This study aimed to assess the performance of our magnetic resonance thoracic ductography (MRTD) technique to visualize the thoracic duct and the surrounding 3D anatomical structures by combining MRTD and vascular contrast-enhanced thoracic computed tomography (CT) images in dogs. Methods: Five adult male beagle dogs (11.4-12.8 kg) were included in this study. Sagittal and transverse T2-weighted images were scanned in MRI. Scanning in MRTD used a single-shot fast spin echo sequence with a respiratory gate. CT was performed after the intravenous injection of contrast medium. All MRTD and CT images were merged using a workstation. Results: The thoracic ducts were identified in MRTD images of all dogs, and the surrounding anatomical structures were located with the aid of contrast-enhanced thoracic CT. In all dogs, the thoracic ducts coursed along the right-dorsal side of the aorta, cranially from the L2 level. Thereafter, these bent to the left side at the aortic arch and curved at the left external jugular vein angle. A comparison of the number of thoracic ducts at each vertebra between transverse T2WI and MRTD did not reveal any significant differences for all vertebrae. Conclusion: The results from our study suggest that MRTD using the single-shot fast spin echo sequence could be a useful tool for visualization of the thoracic duct. Furthermore, the image merged from MRTD and vascular-enhanced images provided detailed anatomical annotation of the thorax. The MRTD protocol described in this study is safe and easily adaptable, without the need for contrast medium injection into the lymph system. In addition, the images fused from MRTD and vascular contrast-enhanced CT image of the thorax could provide detailed anatomical annotations for preoperative planning