Comparison of glomerular filtration rate determined by use of single-slice dynamic computed tomography and scintigraphy in cats.

Objective: To compare estimation of glomerular filtration rate determined via conventional methods (ie, scintigraphy and plasma clearance of technetium Tc 99m pentetate) and dynamic single-slice computed tomography (CT).

Animals: 8 healthy adult cats.

Procedures: Scintigraphy, plasma clearance testing, and dynamic CT were performed on each cat on the same day; order of examinations was randomized.

Relationships among subgross anatomy, computed tomography, and histologic findings in dogs with disease localized to the pulmonary acini.

During computed tomography (CT), the appearance of disease involving the pulmonary acinus may be described using terms such as atelectasis, ground-glass opacity, or consolidation. These CT signs, however, have not been correlated with histologic findings in canine pulmonary disease. To facilitate interpretation of lung diseases by CT signs, our goals were to review the morphologic organization of the lung and evaluate the medical records of four dogs with different types of pulmonary acinar disease.

The S-measurement in the diagnosis of canine hip dysplasia.

Objective: To propose a direct measure of subluxation of the femoral head (S) in the assessment of hip joint laxity and evaluate it for clinical use.

Study Design: Method comparison study.

Animals: Dogs (n = 51).

Comparison of radiography and ultrasonography for diagnosing small-intestinal mechanical obstruction in vomiting dogs.

A cross-sectional study was performed on acutely vomiting dogs to compare the accuracy of radiography and ultrasonography for the diagnosis of small-intestinal mechanical obstruction and to describe several radiographic and ultrasonographic signs to identify their contribution to the final diagnosis. The sample population consisted of 82 adult dogs and small-intestinal obstruction by foreign body was confirmed in 27/82 (33%) dogs by surgery or necropsy. Radiography produced a definitive result (obstructed or not obstructed) in 58/82 (70%) of dogs; ultrasonography produced a definitive result in 80/82 (97%) of dogs.

Evaluation of a fibrillin 2 gene haplotype associated with hip dysplasia and incipient osteoarthritis in dogs.

Objective: To determine whether a mutation in the fibrillin 2 gene (FBN2) is associated with canine hip dysplasia (CHD) and osteoarthritis in dogs.

Animals: 1,551 dogs. Procedures-Hip conformation was measured radiographically.

Differential genetic regulation of canine hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis.

Background: Canine hip dysplasia (HD) is a common polygenic trait characterized by hip malformation that results in osteoarthritis (OA). The condition in dogs is very similar to developmental dysplasia of the human hip which also leads to OA.

Methodology/principal Findings: A total of 721 dogs, including both an association and linkage population, were genotyped.

Acute noncardiogenic pulmonary edema in an anesthetized Nubian goat kid.

Observations: A 1-month-old Nubian goat presented for sialocyst resection. Physical examination and bloodwork were unremarkable. While pre-oxygenating, the goat was sedated with midazolam and morphine (0.

Semliki forest virus expressing interleukin-12 induces antiviral and antitumoral responses in woodchucks with chronic viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

A vector based on Semliki Forest virus (SFV) expressing high levels of interleukin-12 (SFV-enhIL-12) has previously demonstrated potent antitumoral efficacy in small rodents with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) induced by transplantation of tumor cells. In the present study, the infectivity and antitumoral/antiviral effects of SFV vectors were evaluated in the clinically more relevant woodchuck model, in which primary HCC is induced by chronic infection with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). Intratumoral injection of SFV vectors expressing luciferase or IL-12 resulted in high reporter gene activity within tumors and cytokine secretion into serum, respectively, demonstrating that SFV vectors infect woodchuck tumor cells.

Evaluation of serum iohexol clearance for use in predicting carboplatin clearance in cats.

Objective: To determine whether a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) assay based on serum iohexol clearance can be used to predict carboplatin clearance in cats.

Animals: 10 cats with tumors.

Procedures: GFR was measured concurrently by use of plasma clearance of technetium Tc 99m-labeled diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid ((99m)Tc-DTPA) to yield GFR(99mTc-DTPA) and serum clearance of iohexol to yield GFR(Iohexol).

Evaluation of quantitative trait loci for hip dysplasia in Labrador Retrievers.

Objective: To identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) that contribute to hip dysplasia in dogs.

Animals: 192 Labrador Retrievers.

Procedures: Hip dysplasia was measured by use of the Norberg angle (NA), dorsolateral subluxation (DLS) score, and distraction index (DI).

Phase I evaluation of carboplatin by use of a dosing strategy based on a targeted area under the platinum concentration-versus-time curve and individual glomerular filtration rate in cats with tumors.

Objective: To determine whether a carboplatin dose calculation that is based on a targeted area under the concentration-versus-time curve (AUC(Target)) and individual glomerular filtration rate (GFR) accurately predicts carboplatin-associated myelotoxicoses in tumor-bearing cats, and to determine the maximum tolerated AUC(Target).

Animals: 32 cats with tumors.

Procedures: In each cat, plasma clearance of technetium Tc 99m-labeled diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid was measured to assess GFR.

Estimation of heritabilities, genetic correlations, and breeding values of four traits that collectively define hip dysplasia in dogs.

OBJECTIVE-To estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations among 4 traits of hip joints (distraction index [DI], dorsolateral subluxation [DLS] score, Norberg angle [NA], and extended-hip joint radiograph [EHR] score) and to derive the breeding values for these traits in dogs. ANIMALS-2,716 dogs of 17 breeds (1,551 dogs in which at least 1 hip joint trait was measured). PROCEDURES-The NA was measured, and an EHR score was assigned.

The long (and winding) road to gene discovery for canine hip dysplasia.

Hip dysplasia is a common inherited trait of dogs that results in secondary osteoarthritis. In this article the methods used to uncover the mutations contributing to this condition are reviewed, beginning with hip phenotyping. Coarse, genome-wide, microsatellite-based screens of pedigrees of greyhounds and dysplastic Labrador retrievers were used to identify linked quantitative trait loci (QTL).

Use of surgical hemoclips in radiation treatment planning.

The goal of this prospective study was to determine the effect of hemoclip use on the size of radiation treatment fields based on a 3-cm margin around a surgical incision alone (field setup 1) vs. a 3-cm margin around the surgical incision plus hemoclips (field setup 2). Forty-seven dogs that underwent surgical resection of a total of 55 soft tissue masses had surgical hemoclips placed at the time of surgery and orthogonal radiographs made immediately postoperatively.

Investigation of two methods for assessing thyroid-lobe asymmetry during pertechnetate scintigraphy in suspected hyperthyroid cats.

Our aim was to investigate thyroid:thyroid (T:T) ratio and visual inspection for assessing thyroid-lobe asymmetry in suspected hyperthyroid cats. Although thyroid-salivary asymmetry is a preferred test, inherent thyroid symmetry may assist image interpretation. Association was determined using a scatter plot and Spearman's rank correlation.

Evaluation of agreement between two instruments in measurements of radiation dose rates in cats that underwent iodine I 131 treatment.

Objective: To assess agreement between a commercially available Geiger-Meuller (GM) survey meter and millirem tissue-equivalent (TE) meter for measuring radioactivity in cats treated with sodium iodine I 131 ((131)I).

Animals: 15 cats with hyperthyroidism and undergoing (131)I treatment.

Procedures: Duplicate measurements were obtained at a distance of 30 cm from the thyroid region of each cat's neck by 2 observers who used both meters on day 3 or 5 after(131)I administration.

Identifying removable radioactivity on the surface of cats during the first week after treatment with iodine 131.

Because radioiodine (1-131) is excreted in urine and saliva, treated cats can accumulate I-131 on their coats from contacting soiled litter and grooming. This could result in removable radioactivity, which is a potential source of human exposure to radiation and specifically to internal contamination. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is removable radioactivity on cats treated with I-131.

Assessment of bone mineral density of the femoral head in dogs with early osteoarthritis.

Objective: To compare the bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal portion of the femur in dogs with and without early osteoarthritis secondary to hip dysplasia.

Animals: 24 dogs (3 Greyhounds, 6 Labrador-Greyhound crossbreeds, and 15 Labrador Retrievers).

Procedure: Computed tomography (CT) of the pelvis, including a bone-density phantom, was performed for each dog.

Accuracy of increased thyroid activity during pertechnetate scintigraphy by subcutaneous injection for diagnosing hyperthyroidism in cats.

Our purpose was to determine the accuracy of increased thyroid activity for diagnosing hyperthyroidism in cats suspected of having that disease during pertechnetate scintigraphy using subcutaneous rather than intravenous radioisotope administration. Increased thyroid activity was determined by two methods: the thyroid:salivary ratio (T:S) and visual inspection. These assessments were made on the ventral scintigram of the head and neck.

Quantitative trait loci for hip dysplasia in a cross-breed canine pedigree.

Canine hip dysplasia is a common developmental inherited trait characterized by hip laxity, subluxation or incongruity of the femoral head and acetabulum in affected hips. The inheritance pattern is complex and the mutations contributing to trait expression are unknown. In the study reported here, 240 microsatellite markers distributed in 38 autosomes and the X chromosome were genotyped on 152 dogs from three generations of a crossbred pedigree based on trait-free Greyhound and dysplastic Labrador Retriever founders.

Somatostatin receptor imaging in vivo by planar scintigraphy facilitates the diagnosis of canine insulinomas.

Somatostatin receptors expressed by insulinomas in 5 dogs were imaged in vivo by means of indium in 111 pentetreotide (OctreoScan) scintigraphy. The diagnosis in each dog was supported by the presence of hypoglycemia (<60 mg/dL), hyperinsulinemia (>20 microU/mL), and histopathologic review of neoplastic tissue. All insulinomas expressed high-affinity somatostatin receptors of subtype sst2, as shown by receptor autoradiography in vitro using 125I-[tyrosine3]-octreotide and 125I-[leucine8, Dtryptophan22, tyrosine25]-somatostatin-28 with an sst2 subtype-selective analogue.

Effect of glomerular filtration rate on clearance and myelotoxicity of carboplatin in cats with tumors.

Objective: To characterize the pharmacokinetic disposition of carboplatin and determine whether glomerular filtration rate (GFR) could be used to predict carboplatin clearance and myelotoxic effects in cats with tumors.

Animals: 10 cats with tumors.

Procedure: Glomerular filtration rate was assessed in each cat by monitoring plasma clearance of technetium Tc 99m-labeled diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (99mTc-DTPA).

Clarifying some aspects of diagnostic-accuracy research.

Evidence-based medicine is an approach to improved patient care that integrates clinical experience with basic science and clinical research in diagnostic accuracy, prognostic indicators, efficacy, and safety of treatments. Both clinical experience and methodical research assessments are essential components in this type of medical practice and underscore the importance of providing residents the opportunity to gain clinical experience as well as training them in how to perform, apply, and interpret clinical research in diagnostic imaging. The challenge for researchers is to design a study so that the data are valid and may be generalized to clinical situations where the test will be used.