1.Clinical findings, rhinoscopy and histological evaluation of 54 dogs with chronic nasal disease.
Marco PIETRA ; Giuseppe SPINELLA ; Flavio PASQUALI ; Noemi ROMAGNOLI ; Giuliano BETTINI ; Alessandro SPADARI
Journal of Veterinary Science 2010;11(3):249-255
Nasal diseases are very common in dogs and rhinoscopy is often required for a definitive diagnosis. Rhinoscopy, while superficial in nature, can guide the clinician to the final diagnosis. In this study, rhinoscopy was performed on 54 dogs with symptoms of chronic nasopharyngeal disease. The endoscopic diagnosis of neoplasia or chronic nasal inflammation was validated with histological examination of pathological samples, in order to evaluate the degree of concordance between endoscopic findings and histological diagnosis. The agreement between endoscopy and histology was tested by application of Cohen's kappa coefficient. We conclude that correlation between endoscopic results and histological diagnosis, expressed by a Cohen's kappa coefficient of 0.73, is only possible with a constant cooperation between the clinician and the pathologist.
Animals
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Dog Diseases/*diagnosis/*pathology
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Dogs
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Endoscopy/methods/*veterinary
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Histological Techniques/veterinary
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Italy
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Nasopharyngeal Diseases/diagnosis/pathology/*veterinary
2.An atypical case of respiratory actinobacillosis in a cow.
Peli ANGELO ; Spadari ALESSANDRO ; Romagnoli NOEMI ; Bettini GIULIANO ; Scarpa FILIPPO ; Pietra MARCO
Journal of Veterinary Science 2009;10(3):265-267
A not pregnant 4-year-old Jersey cow was presented with the sudden appearance of respiratory noise, nasal discharge and moderate respiratory difficulty. Upon physical examination a snoring-like noise, extended head and neck position, exaggerated abdominal effort, bilateral nasal discharge and left prescapular lymph node enlargement were noted. Sub-occlusion of the initial portion of the respiratory tract was suspected. Radiographic and endoscopic examinations revealed a pedunculate mass on the dorsal aspect of the rhinopharynx, which was removed with endoscopically assisted electrosurgery. Histologic examination revealed a chronic pyogranulomatous inflammation with eosinophilic club-like bodies surrounding small colonies of rod-shaped bacteria. Results of histochemical staining were consistent with Actinobacillus-like bacteria and a diagnosis of respiratory actinobacillosis was reached. Surgery and antibiotic therapy were resolutive, as demonstated by an endoscopic check at the second month after surgery, even without the association of the traditional iodine cure, which is regarded as the treatment of choice for actinobacillosis.
Actinobacillosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/microbiology/surgery
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Actinobacillus/physiology
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Animals
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Cattle
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Cattle Diseases/*diagnosis/drug therapy/pathology/surgery
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Female
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Respiratory Tract Infections/drug therapy/pathology/surgery/*veterinary
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Treatment Outcome
3.Immunohistochemical expression of h-telomerase reverse transcriptase in canine and feline meningiomas.
Luciana MANDRIOLI ; Serena PANARESE ; Alessandro CESARI ; Maria Teresa MANDARA ; Paolo Stefano MARCATO ; Giuliano BETTINI
Journal of Veterinary Science 2007;8(2):111-115
Telomere length maintenance is regarded as a fundamental step in tumorigenesis, as most human brain tumors, including meningiomas, stabilize the ends of their chromosomes using telomerase. This investigation represents an introduction to telomerase expression in canine and feline meningiomas. Twenty-five archived cases (14 dogs and 11 cats) were immunohistochemically tested for human-telomerase reverse transcriptase (h-TERT), scored, and quantified; furthermore, mitoses were counted on sections stained with a modified toluidine blue. The h-TERT antibody immunolabelled the nucleus and nucleolus of meningeal neoplastic cells, with an intensity ranging from mild to strong and a speckled distribution; a significantly higher expression in cats was noted, while no significant association between h-TERT immunolabelling and sex or histotype was evident in dogs or cats. The telomerase enzyme represents a fundamental parameter of potential malignant transformation, which may occur independently of the signal to proliferate, thereby supplying the cells with unlimited growth capabilities. Telomerase expression could be a prognostic indicator independent of the kinetic parameters, although this should be evaluated using a larger dataset with available clinical information.
Animals
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Brain Neoplasms/enzymology/pathology/*veterinary
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Cat Diseases/*enzymology/pathology
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Cats
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Dog Diseases/*enzymology/pathology
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Dogs
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Female
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Immunohistochemistry/veterinary
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Male
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Meningioma/enzymology/pathology/*veterinary
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Mitosis/physiology
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Regression Analysis
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Telomerase/*biosynthesis