A practical protocol to prepare paraffin-embedded whole tick histology sections.

Ticks are important ectoparasites that are capable of transmitting multiple classes of pathogens and are currently linked with many emerging tick-borne diseases worldwide. With increasing occurrences of tick-borne diseases in both humans and veterinary species, there is a continuous need to further our understanding of ticks and the pathogens they transmit. Whole tick histology provides a full scope of the tick internal anatomy, allowing researchers to examine multiple organs of interest in a single section.

Cytauxzoon felis in salivary glands of Amblyomma americanum.

Cytauxzoon felis is a tick-borne piroplasmid hemoparasite that causes life-threatening disease in cats. Despite the critical role that ticks play in pathogen transmission, our knowledge regarding the C. felis life cycle remains limited to the feline hosts.

Cochlear Enhancement May Precede Cochlear Obliteration After Vestibular Schwannoma Excision.

Objective: Cochlear obliteration after vestibular schwannoma excision has been noted, with implications on cochlear implantation. Early postoperative cochlear enhancement with gadolinium on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has also been observed. Timing of enhancement and association with obliteration is described here.

Is MRI Equal to CT in the Evaluation of Thin and Dehiscent Superior Semicircular Canals?

Objective: Can magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnose abnormally thin and dehiscent superior semicircular canals (SSCs) that traditionally rely on evaluation by computed tomography (CT) imaging?

Study Design: Retrospective clinical study.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Patients: Adults who underwent both MRI and CT of the temporal bones over the past 3 years.

Does subspecialty referral affect the pretest probability for an abnormal finding on knee MRI of pediatric patients?

Objective: Pediatricians and orthopedists comprise the largest referral basis for knee MR examinations at our institution. In an era of cost optimization, the purpose of this study was to compare differences in pretest probability for an abnormal finding on knee MRI based on referral subspecialty.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of 501 consecutive knee MR examinations of pediatric patients (56% male; mean age, 14 years; age range, 1-18 years) referred by nononcology orthopedic surgeons and 93 consecutive knee MR examinations of patients (47% male; mean age, 14 years; age range, 2-18 years) referred by general pediatricians from 2005 to 2009 were reviewed.