Predictors of outcome for cats with ureteral obstructions after interventional management using ureteral stents or a subcutaneous ureteral bypass device.

Novel treatment alternatives for feline ureteral obstruction(s) include placement of a double pigtail ureteral stent and a subcutaneous ureteral bypass (SUB) device. This study evaluated parameters for the prediction of hospitalization times, peri-operative survival, renal recovery and long-term survival in cats with benign ureteral obstructions after successful decompression with either a ureteral stent or SUB device. The medical records of 41 cats treated for benign ureteral obstruction(s) were retrospectively reviewed.

Expression of DISC1 binding partners is reduced in schizophrenia and associated with DISC1 SNPs.

DISC1 has been identified as a schizophrenia susceptibility gene based on linkage and SNP association studies and clinical data suggesting that risk SNPs impact on hippocampal structure and function. In cell and animal models, C-terminus-truncated DISC1 disrupts intracellular transport, neural architecture and migration, perhaps because it fails to interact with binding partners involved in neuronal differentiation such as fasciculation and elongation protein zeta-1 (FEZ1), platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase, isoform Ib, PAFAH1B1 or lissencephaly 1 protein (LIS1) and nuclear distribution element-like (NUDEL). We hypothesized that altered expression of DISC1 and/or its molecular partners may underlie its pathogenic role in schizophrenia and explain its genetic association.