Intramedullary spinal cord meningioma in a Boxer: a case report

Meningiomas are the most common primary tumours of the canine central nervous system. The incidence of these tumours increases with age and they are more frequently encountered in dogs older than seven years. Meningiomas are solitary, well-defined neoplasias that more commonly grow via compression and less commonly by infiltrating the nervous tissue. Meningiomas exhibit 82% intracranial, 15% intraspinal and 3% retrobulbar location. Meningiomas of the spinal cord are mostly benign in character with intradural-extramedullary location in the cervical segments. The case reported here consisted of a 10-year old male Boxer presenting with a complaint of inability to use its left foreleg. In the neurological examination, upper motor neuron findings were recorded and direct radiography, myelography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical region were performed. Interpretation of the transversal, coronal and sagittal cross-section magnetic resonance images taken of T1-weighted, T2-weighted and T1-weighted with contrast sequences, revealed a well-defined intramedullary mass at the level of the C5-C6 vertebra. Histopathological examination of the neoplastic mass revealed it to be a transitional (mixed) meningioma which had infiltrated into the spinal cord

The association of genetic polymorphisms of bone formation genes with canine hip dysplasia

Background: Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is an orthopedic disorder characterized by abnormal laxity of the hip joint. It is considered multifactorial and polygenic and affects predominantly medium and large sized dog breeds. Aims: The aim of this study was to identify CHD associated polymorphisms in chromosomal regions on CFA19, CFA24, CFA26, and CFA34. Methods: Blood samples from 60 dogs of different breeds were collected and genotyped, including 46 cases and 14 controls. After sequencing and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) determination of the target regions, an individual SNP analysis with a chi(2) statistic was performed based on the comparison of allele frequencies in cases and controls. Results: A significant association was observed between CHD and a T/C SNP on CFA19, which harbors genes involved in bone metabolism. No other significant association was found in the study and previously identified SNPs cannot be validated as related to CHD. Conclusion: Further research is warranted to identify CHD-associated polymorphisms in order to develop a genotype-based diagnosis and selection approach