Somatic cell cloned transgenic bovine neurons for transplantation in parkinsonian rats

OBJECTIVE: To identify consistent relevant mechanisms of small intestinal dysfunction in cats with experimentally induced feline immunodeficiency virus infection (FIV) that developed chronic diarrhea during the time they were being used in studies of pathogenicity and transmission of FIV. ANIMALS: 10 cats. PROCEDURE: The following investigative tests and techniques were performed on each of the cats: routine hematologic and serum biochemical analyses; urinalysis; fecal parasitologic and microbiologic examinations; breath hydrogen lactulose (BH2LT) and xylose (BH2XT) tests; intestinal permeability test; endoscopic examination of the intestinal mucosa; bacteriologic culture of endoscopically collected small intestinal juice; and histologic examination of endoscopically obtained intestinal biopsy specimens. RESULTS: Neutrophilia was evident in 3 cats, and lymphopenia was detected in 2 cats. Serum biochemical abnormalities were not observed. Urinalysis results were unremarkable. Fecal bacteriologic and parasitologic results were normal, except for isolation of Campylobacter sp from 1 cat. Abnormal BH2XT values suggestive of D-xylose malabsorption were identified in 2 cats, and BH2LT values indicated evidence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in 1 cat. Finally, permeability test results, quantitation of bacterial flora from the proximal part of the small intestine and histologic examination of biopsy specimens did not reveal any abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Enteric pathogens did not account for the development of diarrhea in cats with experimentally induced FIV infection, and consistent relevant mechanisms of small intestinal dysfunction were not identified.     

Visceral mast cell tumour with eosinophilia and eosinophilic peritoneal and pleural effusions in a cat

A cat with weight loss, pyrexia and recurrent lethargy and depression was found to have pleural and peritoneal eosinophilic effusions, peripheral eosinophilia, eosinophilic lymphadenitis and a massively enlarged mesenteric lymph node. Visceral mast cell neoplasia was diagnosed after histopathological examination of a biopsy of the mass. Palliative chemotherapy was attempted unsuccessfully and the cat was euthanased.     

Cutaneous horn and squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen''s disease) in a cat

Cutaneous horn and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in situ (i.e., Bowen's disease) were documented concurrently in a cat. The cat had multiple, crusted lesions and a cutaneous horn on the right dorsal lumbar area. All the crusted cutaneous lesions were diagnosed as SCC in situ. Other findings included the presence of a thymoma and hepatoma. This cat was tested, and results were negative for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency viruses. At necropsy (eight months after the initial diagnosis was made) the hepatoma had ruptured, resulting in exsanguination and death.     

Non-Hodgkin''s lymphomas and myeloid disorders: deletions associated with t(2;5) and t(3;5) detected by FISH

Tubulovillous adenoma of the duodenum is a rare tumor. Almost all of the lesions have been reported endoscopically and are recognized as small, sessile, polypoid lesions. This article discusses an unusual case of pedunculated tubulovillous adenoma of the duodenum in a 48-yr-old woman. The lesion was discovered on the upper part of the descending duodenum during a gastric mass survey. The polyp was removed using an electrocautery snare and was histologically diagnosed as tubulovillous adenoma.     

Endoscopically guided balloon dilatation of benign esophageal strictures in 6 cats and 7 dogs

Benign esophageal strictures in 6 cats and 7 dogs were treated with endoscopically guided balloon dilatation. Six of 13 had a history of anesthesia within 3 weeks prior to the onset of signs; 8 animals had a single stricture, and 5 had multiple strictures, for a total of 19 strictures. Four of the 19 strictures were in the upper esophagus, 11 were in the middle esophagus, and 4 were in the lower esophagus. The luminal diameters ranged from 1 to 18 mm, with a mean of 5.1 mm. Twelve animals survived the immediate postprocedure period and had a total of 50 dilatation procedures performed; the mean number of procedures per animal was 4.2 (range, 2 to 8). Complications included mild bleeding and tearing (11 of 13), moderate bleeding (1 of 13), and esophageal perforation (1 of 13). The cat with the perforation was subsequently euthanized. Follow-up information was available on the 12 remaining animals; 9 were known to be alive 6 to 59 months (mean, 28.2 months) after dilatation. Two were euthanized, 1 for persistence of signs and the other for unrelated causes. One animal died of possible aspiration pneumonia. Three of 13 animals had complete and 9 had partial resolution of signs. Of the 9 animals with partial resolution, 7 were substantially better with dietary modification, 1 was moderately better, and 1 had minimal improvement. Eleven of 13 animals (85%) had a successful outcome with moderate to complete resolution of signs. Thus, it is concluded that endoscopically guided balloon dilatation is an effective and relatively safe treatment for benign esophageal strictures in dogs and cats.     

Endoscopically removed benign fibroepithelial polyp

We here describe a patient where a process in the ureter initially suspected to be potentially malignant turned out to be a fibroepithelial polyp, diagnosed and treated endoscopically. The kidney function and the excretory urogram three years after the treatment were normal.     

Cobalt 60 irradiation of pituitary gland tumors in three cats with acromegaly

Acromegaly was diagnosed in 3 cats with insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus (DM) on the basis of history and physical examination findings, which ruled out other causes of insulin-resistant DM, and by documenting high plasma concentrations of growth hormone. Computed tomography revealed a mass in the area of the pituitary gland in each cat. Pituitary gland tumors were irradiated with cobalt 60, and none of the cats developed complications to radiotherapy. Each cat received a total dose of 48 Gy of cobalt 60 during 12 treatments. After completion of radiotherapy, insulin requirements were less for all cats, although in 1 cat, this improvement was transient. Diabetes mellitus resolved in 2 of 3 cats. After treatment, decreases in insulin requirements correlated with decreases in plasma growth hormone concentrations in 2 of 3 cats in which DM resolved. On the basis of these findings, irradiation of pituitary gland tumors appears to be a treatment option for cats with acromegaly.     

Generalised amyloidosis in two Siamese cats: spontaneous liver haemorrhage and chronic renal failure

Two cases are reported, illustrating the antemortem diagnosis of systemic amyloidosis in Siamese cats. A cat presenting with inappetence and depression was diagnosed as having systemic amyloidosis with spontaneous haemorrhage from the liver. In another cat from the same breeding cattery, chronic renal failure due to systemic amyloidosis was an incidental finding. Little treatment was possible in either case and both were later euthanased. The two cats had similar renal and hepatic pathology but different signs of disease.     

The liver and immune responses. I. Regional lymph node response in rats to injection of semi-allogeneic adult liver cells

A 12-year-old Domestic Shorthair cat with a soft, fluctuant, subcutaneous mass, approximately 5 cm in diameter on the posterior aspect of the left tarsus was diagnosed as having protothecosis. Cultures, histopathology, and fluorescent antibody reagents were used to identify Prototheca wickerhamii as the etiologic agent. Protothecosis has not previously been recorded in cats.     

Symmetric cutaneous necrosis of the hind feet and multicentric follicular lymphoma in a cat

A 7-year-old castrated male domestic shorthair cat was admitted to the veterinary teaching hospital for evaluation of symmetric necrosis of the skin of its hind feet and high liver enzyme activities. Lymphoma was diagnosed on cytologic examination of a fine needle aspirate of the liver. The owner declined treatment for the lymphoma. On postmortem histologic examination, lymphoma was found in the liver, stomach, and multiple lymph nodes. Immunohistochemical staining revealed the neoplasm to have a mixed B- and T-cell follicular arrangement, and a diagnosis of multicentric follicular lymphoma was made. The distal portion of the feet were necrotic, but a neoplastic infiltrate was not seen on histologic examination. After thrombosis and vasculitis were excluded as causes, the ischemic necrosis of the feet of the cat in this report was considered a paraneoplastic syndrome, as can be seen in people with lymphoma or other internal malignancies.     

Partial intestinal obstruction due to colonic adenocarcinoma in a cat

An abdominal mass was palpated in a 14-year-old, spayed female cat with unresolving diarrhea and decreased appetite. A stricture of the ascending colon was confirmed radiographically, identified upon laparotomy, and resected. Colonic adenocarcinoma with infiltration into lymphatics was diagnosed histologically. Eight months postoperatively, the subject was clinically normal.     

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy to treat upside-down stomach before stent insertion in a patient with distal esophageal carcinoma

A 89-yr-old woman presenting with dysphagia due to an obstructing adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus was additionally diagnosed to have an upside-down stomach creating a sharp angulation at the esophagogastric junction. Gastric anatomy had to be restored before palliative stent insertion. As the patient was judged unfit for surgery, the stomach was repositioned endoscopically and fixed to the abdominal wall by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. In the same sitting, a metal stent was placed. Effective palliation of dysphagia was achieved until the patient died of an unrelated cause 5 months later.     

Dental caries in 12-year-old children and the effectiveness of dental services in Salford, UK in 1960, 1988 and 1997

A 13-year-old neutered female domestic shorthaired cat had progressive ventral abdominal alopecia attributed initially to hyperthyroidism. Corrective treatment by unilateral thyroidectomy did not, however, resolve the dermatosis and the alopecia progressed to involve the whole ventral trunk, the lower limbs and the head. Pruritus of the lower limbs was a prominent feature and was associated with the finding of Malassezia on cytology; Malassezia-associated dermatitis was diagnosed. Resolution of pruritus was seen after treatment with oral ketoconazole and a cleansing shampoo to eliminate the yeast, but severe polyphagia, small intestinal diarrhoea and polydipsia developed subsequently and the cat was euthanased. Necropsy revealed an exocrine pancreatic adenocarcinoma with hepatic metastases. The pancreatic, hepatic and dermatological lesions were found to be typical of feline paraneoplastic alopecia (FPA). Malassezia-associated dermatitis can be associated with pruritus in cats with FPA.     

Cholecystadenocarcinoma in a cat

A malignant neoplastic process originating from gall bladder epithelium was diagnosed in a 14-year-old, spayed female, domestic shorthair cat. The tumor produced widespread pulmonary and lymphatic metastases. The clinical and pathological manifestations are described. Neoplasia arising from the gall bladder epithelium is rarely reported in animals.     

A new endoscopic classification of Chronic Esophagitis

Based on our experience of 97 cases of chronic esophagitis diagnosed endoscopically and histologically by guided biopsies, a new macroscopial classification is suggested as follows: Type I: Erosive-ulcerative form; Type II: Granulative form;; Type III: Barrett-type ulcers; Type IV: Esophagogastric or marginal ulcerations; Type V: Stenosing form. Type I (44.2%) and Type IV (26.7%) are commonly seen. Type II (15.4%) and Type V (11.3%) are healing stages of peptic esophagitis. Type III (2.4%) is rare. The above described classification is clearly correlated with the clinical symptoms of the disease.     

Ctenocephalides felis flea infestation in horses

The horses were in two stables: in the first stable they were kept together with sheep and in the second stable they were kept together with goats. All horses in both stables were diagnosed as being infested with the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis felis. Foals were severely infested, whereas adult horses were only moderately infested.     

Present day radiation diagnosis of upper stomach neoplasms

The paper analyzes over 3000 diagnosed gastric carcinomas. In the author's opinion, a drastic rise in the incidence of carcinomas of the upper stomach (as high as 60-65%) and the change in its anatomy common to gastric cancer--predominance of diffuse (endophytic) forms require a substantial correction of the present approaches to its detection. The paper gives the main points of radiation diagnosis (classic X-ray study, double contrasting, CT) for endophytic carcinomas at this site. In the author's opinion, nearly, as a rule, endoscopically diagnosed carcinomas of the lower esophagus and frequently involvement of the midesophagus are intramural carcinomas of the upper stomach with infiltration swiftly affecting the esophagus. The author considers radiation therapy to become a main method for detection of upper gastric carcinoma. He thinks that the active use of radiation techniques will also substantially expand diagnostic possibilities in these gastric carcinomas and will choose the most optimum plan of their surgical treatment.     

A case of acute hemorrhagic gangrenous acalculous cholecystitis with bile peritonitis during anti-coagulant therapy after coronary-artery bypass grafting

A 10-year-old male Domestic Longhair cat with weight loss, enlarged left testicle, icterus and mild liver enlargement showed, at necropsy, two white, raised, firm, circumscribed masses in the liver and striking enlargement of the left testicle. The histological features of the liver masses were consistent with lymphangioma. Severe, diffuse, coalescing to multifocal, subacute, necrotizing orchitis of the left testicle also was diagnosed. A literature review and examination of the epidemiology of lymphangioma in small domestic animals demonstrated the rarity of this tumour in cats.     

Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux disease: clinical experience and outcome in first 100 patients

Using retrospective chart review, the authors evaluated the results of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication in their first 100 patients. All patients were diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease. More than 90% of the patients in this series were symptomatically improved, and 92% of those studied endoscopically had healed esophagitis and intact fundoplication. No deaths, esophageal injuries, or splenic injuries occurred. Laparoscopic fundoplication can be performed safely and efficiently. Using a linear stapler enables rapid and safe fundi mobilization. Selective manometrics and ambulatory pH monitoring provide excellent results. Laparoscopic Nissen is safe and as effective as the open procedure. Research centers have noted some differences in postoperative function of the lower esophageal sphincter, but symptomatically patient satisfaction is comparable.