The majority of canine lymphoma patients treated with the standard of care, the CHOP chemotherapy protocol, initially achieve remission but eventually relapse with a multi-drug-resistant phenotype. This study assesses gene expression profiles of canine lymphoma tumor cell populations using RNA-Seq data from 15 matched patient samples taken prior to treatment and again six weeks into treatment with CHOP. Two distinct clusters were present in the t-SNE dimensionality reduction of the gene expression profiles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMyelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are heterogeneous neoplasms of hematopoietic stem cells that are challenging to diagnose, differentiate, and prognosticate. Cytogenetic and mutational analyses are useful in humans but unavailable for dogs, where diagnosis and classification still rely largely on hematologic and morphologic assessment. The objectives of this study were to apply a classification scheme to myeloid neoplasms and to assess outcome in relation to predictor variables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFixation and demineralization protocols for bone marrow (BM) across diagnostic laboratories are not standardized. How different protocols affect histomorphology and DNA amplification is incompletely understood. In this study, 2 fixatives and 3 demineralization methods were tested on canine BM samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of the present study was to establish a reference interval (RI) for urine kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) in healthy cats.
Methods: History, physical examination, blood pressure, and feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus serology status were determined. A complete blood cell count, serum biochemical profile, urinalysis and kidney ultrasound were performed, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, total thyroxine (TT4) and urine KIM-1 were measured.
Two cat nasal swabs from Canada's earliest confirmed SARS-CoV-2 positive domestic cats were sequenced to over 99% SARS-CoV-2 genome coverage. One cat had lineage A.23.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpaghetti meat (SM) and woody breast (WB) are breast muscle myopathies of broiler chickens, characterized by separation of myofibers and by fibrosis, respectively. This study sought to investigate the transcriptomic profiles of breast muscles affected by SM and WB. Targeted sampling was conducted on a flock to obtain 10 WB, 10 SM, and 10 Normal muscle samples from 37-day-old male chickens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe collected oral and/or rectal swabs and serum from dogs and cats living in homes with SARS-CoV-2-PCR-positive persons for SARS-CoV-2 PCR and serology testing. Pre-COVID-19 serum samples from dogs and cats were used as negative controls, and samples were tested in duplicate at different timepoints. Raw ELISA results scrutinized relative to known negative samples suggested that cut-offs for IgG seropositivity may require adjustment relative to previously proposed values, while proposed cut-offs for IgM require more extensive validation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCase Series Summary: A total of 1692 medical records from a primary care feline practice and a veterinary referral hospital were evaluated retrospectively to assess discordant feline leukemia virus (FeLV) test results. In total, 73 cats were positive for FeLV using serum in a lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) or laboratory-based ELISA. Of these cats, 21 subsequently tested negative for FeLV proviral DNA by non-quantitative PCR on EDTA whole blood (16/21, 76.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnumeration of circulating tumour cells (CTC) has shown promise for prognostication and guidance of therapeutic decisions in human cancers. The objective of this study was to enumerate CTC over time in dogs with naturally occurring osteosarcoma (OSA), and to determine correlation with patient outcome. Twenty-six dogs with OSA and no evidence of metastatic disease at the time of amputation were enrolled.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 9-year-old neutered male American pine marten was referred for further evaluation of suspected lymphoproliferative disease. On physical examination, the pine marten was determined to be in an underconditioned state with an enlarged right mandibular lymph node. Hematology revealed a marked leukocytosis characterized by a lymphocytosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlveolar macrophages (AMs) are the predominant innate immune cell in the distal respiratory tract. During inflammatory responses, AMs may be supplemented by blood monocytes, which differentiate into monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). Macrophages play important roles in a variety of common equine lower airway diseases, including severe equine asthma (SEA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In humans, kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) is a biomarker of acute kidney injury that can be quantified in urine. Preliminary investigation in cats with experimentally induced acute kidney injury showed that KIM-1 urine concentration correlated with kidney injury histopathology scores. A lateral flow assay (LFA) has recently become available for patient-side feline KIM-1 measurement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMyelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) are primary myeloid neoplasms in dogs generally considered to have a poor outcome. In this study, we assessed toxicity, efficacy and outcome of concurrent administration of doxorubicin and cytarabine in 11 dogs with myeloid neoplasia. Bone marrow specimens were reviewed by three pathologists and classified as either MDS (n = 2), high grade MDS/early AML (MDS/AML; n = 4) or AML (n = 5).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn 8-wk-old, male, mixed-breed puppy was adopted from a rescue organization. From the time of adoption, the puppy suffered episodes of illness affecting various organ systems, which resolved with supportive therapy but relapsed once medical therapy was discontinued. Review of the hematologic data revealed cyclic fluctuations in circulating blood cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPulmonary hemorrhage (P-Hem) occurs among multiple species and can have various causes. Cytology of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) using a 5-tier scoring system of alveolar macrophages based on their hemosiderin content is considered the most sensitive diagnostic method. We introduce a novel, fully annotated multi-species P-Hem dataset, which consists of 74 cytology whole slide images (WSIs) with equine, feline and human samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) has a specific and distinctive profile of clinical features, the disease remains an enigma because causal explanation of the pathobiological matrix is lacking. Several potential disease mechanisms have been identified, including immune abnormalities, inflammatory activation, mitochondrial alterations, endothelial and muscular disturbances, cardiovascular anomalies, and dysfunction of the peripheral and central nervous systems. Yet, it remains unclear whether and how these pathways may be related and orchestrated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe tested swab specimens from pets in households in Ontario, Canada, with human COVID-19 cases by quantitative PCR for SARS-CoV-2 and surveyed pet owners for risk factors associated with infection and seropositivity. We tested serum samples for spike protein IgG and IgM in household pets and also in animals from shelters and low-cost neuter clinics. Among household pets, 2% (1/49) of swab specimens from dogs and 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Canine lymphoma, the most common hematological cancer in dogs, shares many molecular and clinical characteristics with human Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The standard treatment for canine lymphoma is "CHOP" multiagent chemotherapy protocol consisting of Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin (Hydroxydaunorubicin), Vincristine (Oncovin™), and Prednisone. Approximately 70-85% of patients treated with CHOP achieve clinical remission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSalivary scavenger and agglutinin (SALSA) is a secreted protein with various immunomodulatory roles. In humans, the protein agglutinates and inactivates microorganisms, and inhibits the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Saliva, which is rich in SALSA, accelerates bacterial phagocytosis, but SALSA's contribution is unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpaghetti meat (SM), woody breast (WB), and white striping (WS) are myopathies affecting breast muscle of broiler chickens, and are characterized by a loss of myofibers and an increase in fibrous tissue. The conditions develop in intensive broiler chicken production systems, and cause poor meat process-ability and negative customer perception leading to monetary losses. The objectives of the present study were to describe the physical and histological characteristics of breast myopathies from commercial broiler chicken flocks in Ontario, Canada, and to assess the associations between the severity of myopathies with the physical and histological characteristics of the affected breast muscle fillets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Severe equine asthma (SEA) is a common chronic respiratory disease and a significant health and well-being problem in horses. Current therapeutic strategies improve pulmonary function and clinical signs in some horses, but in the long-term, return to full athletic function appears to be rare. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and the effect of intrabronchial administration of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSC) on pulmonary inflammatory and clinical parameters in horses with SEA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHorses with severe equine asthma (SEA), also known as heaves and recurrent airway obstruction, have persistent neutrophilic inflammation of the lower airways. Cytologic evaluation of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid is commonly used to confirm the clinical diagnosis of SEA. However, the utility of microscopic assessment of bronchial brushings, endobronchial biopsies, and immunohistochemical detection of disease-associated biomarkers for the diagnosis of SEA remain poorly characterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere equine asthma (SEA) is a common, debilitating lower airway inflammatory disorder of older horses. Alveolar macrophages (AMs) survey inhaled particulates from barn sources causing them to switch from an anti-inflammatory to a proinflammatory phenotype, resulting in neutrophil recruitment to the lung. This proinflammatory switch may contribute to the development and prolongation of SEA.
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