Biliary Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection in a dog under immunomodulatory therapy.

An 8-year-old female spayed Labrador retriever was presented for the evaluation of severe weight loss 10 weeks after starting an immunomodulatory treatment, including prednisolone and cyclosporine, for meningoencephalitis of unknown origin. Plasma biochemistry analysis showed mild to moderate increases in liver enzyme activities and a moderate decrease in urea concentration. Abdominal ultrasound revealed mild hepatomegaly and a large gall bladder with unremarkable wall and content.

Accuracy of 1,2-o-Dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric Acid-(6'-methylresorufin) Ester (DGGR)-Lipase to Predict Canine Pancreas-Specific Lipase (cPL) and Diagnostic Accuracy of Both Tests for Canine Acute Pancreatitis.

Different lipase assays have variable reported diagnostic accuracies for acute pancreatitis (AP) in dogs. The aims of this retrospective study were to evaluate optimal cutoffs for 1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid-(6′-methylresorufin) ester (DGGR)-lipase to predict diagnostic cutoffs of canine pancreas-specific lipase (cPL; IDEXX). DGGR-lipase activity and cPL from the same blood draw in 301 dogs with a variety of diseases were compared using Spearman’s rank correlation, Cohen’s kappa agreement, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

An update of the systematic appraisal of the accuracy and utility of lumbar discography in chronic low back pain.

Background: The intervertebral disc has been implicated as a major cause of chronic lumbar spinal pain based on clinical, basic science, and epidemiological research. There is, however, a lack of consensus regarding the diagnosis and treatment of intervertebral disc disorders. Based on controlled evaluations, lumbar intervertebral discs have been shown to be the source of chronic back pain without disc herniation in 26% to 39% of patients.

An assessment of a new navigatable percutaneous disc decompression device (l'DISQ) through histologic evaluation and thermo-mapping in human cadaveric discs.

Study Design: This is an in vitro experimental study of the technical capability and safety study of a navigable percutaneous disc decompression device named L'DISQ.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine if L'DISQ could adequately reach certain target zones in the disc and to measure the distribution of rises in temperature in the surrounding tissue when the device was used to ablate the disc.

Methods: Placement of the wand of L'DISQ was attempted into the posterior annulus of the discs of four fresh human cadavers.