Dual energy imaging for determining urinary calculi composition: A theoretical and experimental study with computed tomography

Urinary calculi is a common problem worldwide and is associated with substantial patient morbidity and healthcare costs. The choice of treatment is dependent on the composition of the stone. Currently that can only be determined once it has been removed which is too late to impact treatment decisions. Considerable investigation into the use of dual-energy CT (DECT) for determining stone composition has lead to mixed results. The varied results may be due to inherent sources of error and it is unclear whether the mixed results with DECT are due to CT artifacts or insufficient fundamental difference in the linear attenuation coefficient between stones of various compositions. This work will develop a fundamental model for dual-energy CT to determine the ability to differentiate between stones of uniform and mixed composition. The model will be tested experimentally to optimize the parameters and determine the appropriate clinical measurement to reflect the results

The landscape of the Late Bronze Age royal tomb of Seddin (NE Germany): linking geomorphology, archaeology, and historic evidence

The monumental Late Bonze Age royal tomb of Seddin is located in the old morainic landscape of the Prignitz region, northeastern Germany. Together with other richly equipped burials and a row of stone pits in its direct vicinity, it provides evidence for the presence of an elite from the nineth to sixth centuries BCE in this region. Our map emphasizes the well-chosen location of the royal tomb in relation to the spatial arrangement of other archaeological monuments that together form an ensemble of a ritual landscape. We trace legacies of land use from the Bronze Age to the present against the backdrop of Late Quaternary landscape evolution. These include the Bronze Age landscape (re-)organization for ritual and economic purposes, its medieval use for arable farming, its economic use and settlement history in historic times, and modern times melioration of agricultural areas that together form the palimpsest of the present-day landscape

What is your diagnosis?

No abstract available.http://avmajournals.avma.org/loi/javmamn201

Seizure frequency discrepancy between subjective and objective ictal electroencephalography data in dogs

Background Many studies of epilepsy in veterinary medicine use subjective data (eg, caregiver-derived histories) to determine seizure frequency. Conversely, in people, objective data from electroencephalography (EEG) are mainly used to diagnose epilepsy, measure seizure frequency and evaluate efficacy of antiseizure drugs. These EEG data minimize the possibility of the underreporting of seizures, a known phenomenon in human epileptology. Objective To evaluate the correlation between reported seizure frequency and EEG frequency of ictal paroxysmal discharges (PDs) and to determine whether seizure underreporting phenomenon exists in veterinary epileptology. Animals Thirty-three ambulatory video-EEG recordings in dogs showing >= 1 ictal PD, excluding dogs with status epilepticus. Methods Retrospective observational study. Ictal PDs were counted manually over the entire recording to obtain the frequency of EEG seizures. Caregiver-reported seizure frequency from the medical record was categorized into weekly, daily, hourly, and per minute seizure groupings. The Spearman rank test was used for correlation analysis. Results The coefficient value (r(s)) comparing reported seizure to EEG-confirmed ictal PD frequencies was 0.39 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.048-0.64, P = .03). Other r(s) values comparing history against various seizure types were: 0.36 for motor seizures and 0.37 for nonmotor (absence) seizures. Conclusions and Clinical Importance A weak correlation was found between the frequency of reported seizures from caregivers (subjective data) and ictal PDs on EEG (objective data). Subjective data may not be reliable enough to determine true seizure frequency given the discrepancy with EEG-confirmed seizure frequency. Confirmation of the seizure underreporting phenomenon in dogs by prospective study should be carried out.Peer reviewe

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A 9-month-old Standardbred filly was admitted to the veterinary teaching hospital for evaluation of a rightsided facial swelling. Swelling over the right maxillary bone had been first noticed at 3 months of age. At that time, the site had been drained, and the swelling resolved. Four months later (2 months prior to hospital admission), the swelling developed again at the same location and gradually increased in size. Mild right-sided nasal and ocular discharge and intermittent respiratory noise were also observed.http://avmajournals.avma.org/loi/javmaai2017Companion Animal Clinical Studie

Spontaneous thoracolumbar hematomyelia secondary to hemophilia B in a cat

Case summary A 10-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat presented for evaluation of acute onset of paraplegia with loss of nociception and thoracolumbar spine hyperesthesia and no history of trauma. Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) was markedly prolonged, and specific coagulation factor testing revealed a factor IX level of 4% of normal activity, confirming the presence of mild hemophilia B. Prior abnormal bleeding had occurred at the time of castration as a kitten, as well as with laceration to a toe. Advanced imaging, including computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the thoracolumbar spine, confirmed the presence of multifocal intradural and intramedullary spinal cord hemorrhage through demonstration of focal ring enhancement on CT and multifocal areas of signal void on gradient echo T2* images on MRI. Despite factor IX supplementation through the use of fresh frozen plasma transfusions and normalization of the aPTT time, the cat’s neurological status did not improve. Owing to repeated urinary tract infections, with increasing resistance to antibiotic therapy, the cat was ultimately euthanized. Post-mortem examination showed no evidence of another underlying primary pathology for the hematomyelia. Relevance and novel information To our knowledge, this case demonstrates the first reported occurrence of spontaneous hematomyelia secondary to hemophilia B in a cat

Metastatic transitional cell carcinoma in the proximal humerus of a dog

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) was diagnosed in the proximal humerus of a dog that was presented with persistent right forelimb lameness with no clinical signs of urinary tract involvement. A diagnosis of TCC was made from surgical biopsy of the humeral lesion with subsequent necropsy revealing the prostatic urethra as the primary site of the tumor