: a prominent platform for modeling and drug screening in neurological disorders.

Introduction: Human neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases (NDevDs and NDegDs, respectively) encompass a broad spectrum of disorders affecting the nervous system with an increasing incidence. In this context, the nematode , has emerged as a benchmark model for biological research, especially in the field of neuroscience.

Areas Covered: The authors highlight the numerous advantages of this tiny worm as a model for exploring nervous system pathologies and as a platform for drug discovery.

Potential Factors Influencing Complete Functional Recovery in Traumatized Unowned Cats with Orthopedic Lesions-A Cohort Study.

The management of unowned cats is an emerging problem, with public institutions and citizens' concerns regarding their care and arrangement. Little is known regarding the outcome of traumatic orthopedic injuries in these patients. Indeed, complete functional recovery (CFR) should be the goal of treatment for return to their original location or adoption.

Canine urothelial carcinoma: expression of Periostin in spontaneous canine urothelial carcinoma and its correlation with histological features.

The tumor microenvironment is considered one of the main players in cancer development and progression and may influence the behavior of cancer cells. Periostin (POSTN) is an extracellular matrix protein, and its main functions are induction of fibrillogenesis, fibroblastic cell proliferation and migration, enhancing regeneration in normal tissue, and promoting metastasis in case of neoplasia. POSTN has already been studied in humans in several normal tissues, inflammatory processes, and neoplasms, revealing an important role in tumor progression in various types of cancer, such as colon, lung, head and neck, breast, ovarian, and prostate.

Effects of animal position on M-mode, two-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiographic measurements in healthy French bulldogs.

Echocardiography is the most widely accepted diagnostic tool for assessment of cardiac function and morphology in dogs and is usually performed in lateral recumbency. However, in some situations or in stressed patients, it is necessary to perform it in a standing position. Only one study evaluated the effects of animal position on selected two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiographic variables in four healthy dogs of different breeds, but not in brachycephalic breeds.

Modified prepubic urethrostomy with body wall tunneling: Description of technique and long-term outcome in eight male cats.

Objective: To describe the procedure, complications, and long-term outcome of cats that underwent a modified prepubic urethrostomy (mPPU) technique for the management of proximal urethral obstructions.

Animals: Eight male cats.

Study Design: Short case series.

Circulating miRNome of Trachemys scripta after elective gonadectomy under general anesthesia.

Post-surgical management is an important issue in veterinary medicine, requiring biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for timely and effective treatment. Emerging evidence suggests that miRNAs are promising stress- and pain-related markers. The aims were to profile the circulating miRNA signature in plasma of turtles (Trachemys scripta) and point out potential candidate biomarkers to assess the status of the animal.

Determination of Efficacy of Single and Double 4.7 mg Deslorelin Acetate Implant on the Reproductive Activity of Female Pond Sliders ().

The use of long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists to suppress fertility has been poorly investigated in reptiles, and the few available studies show inconsistent results. The efficacy of single and double intramuscular 4.7 mg deslorelin acetate implants in captive pond sliders () was investigated, with 20 animals divided into three groups: a single-implant group (6 animals), a double-implant group (6 animals), and a control group (no implant).

Two-dimensional and doppler echocardiographic evaluation in twenty-one healthy Python regius.

Echocardiographic evaluation is a diagnostic tool for the in vivo diagnosis of heart diseases. Specific and unique anatomical characteristics of the ophidian heart such as the single ventricular cavity, a tubular sinus venosus opening into the right atrium, the presence of three arterial trunks and extreme mobility in the coelomic cavity during the cardiac cycle directly affect echocardiographic examination. Twenty-one awake, healthy ball pythons (Python regius) were analysed based on guidelines for performing echocardiographic examinations.

Comparison of Lateral and Dorsal Recumbency during Endoscope-Assisted Oophorectomy in Mature Pond Sliders ().

Ovariectomy via the prefemoral fossa is a well-described technique for sterilization in chelonians. The choice between lateral and dorsal recumbency is generally left to the surgeon's preference, with no data supporting an objective superiority of one over the other. Twenty-four sexually mature female pond sliders () were enrolled for elective prefemoral endoscope-assisted oophorectomy, and were randomly divided in two groups: 12 animals were placed in right lateral recumbency with a left fossa approach (Group A), and 12 in dorsal recumbency with a right fossa approach (Group B).

Long-term outcome of permanent tracheostomy in 15 dogs with severe laryngeal collapse secondary to brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome.

Objective: To report the long-term outcome of permanent tracheostomy for the management of severe laryngeal collapse secondary to brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: Fifteen brachycephalic dogs with severe laryngeal collapse treated with permanent tracheostomy.

Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in dogs from a cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis endemic area of Northwestern Italy: a case study and a retrospective data analysis.

Background: In Italy, Angiostrongylus vasorum, an emergent parasite, is being diagnosed in dogs from areas considered free of infection so far. As clinical signs are multiple and common to other diseases, its diagnosis can be challenging. In particular, in areas where angiostrongylosis and dirofilariosis overlap, a misleading diagnosis of cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis might occur even on the basis of possible misleading outcomes from diagnostic kits.

Application of hyaluronic acid in the healing of non-experimental open wounds: A pilot study on 12 wounds in 10 client-owned dogs.

Aim: Veterinarians have frequently to deal with wounds to the skin, subcutis, and underlying muscle. The aim was to explore the application of hyaluronic acid (HA)-containing dressing on open skin wounds in dogs. The progress of healing was assessed by wound area reduction and two scoring scales applied in human medicine.

The anatomy of the dog soft palate. III. Histological evaluation of the caudal soft palate in brachycephalic neonates.

A thickened and abnormally long soft palate is mostly involved in the pathogenesis of both nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal narrowing, affecting the respiratory activity in virtually all of the brachycephalic dogs suffering from Brachycephalic Airway Obstructive Syndrome (BAOS). The morphology of the soft palate in adult mesaticephalic and brachycephalic dogs has been previously described. In this article specimens from brachycephalic dog neonates (N=10) dead from one to 3 hr after birth of unrelated conditions were collected and histologically evaluated at three transverse levels to describe the microscopic aspect of the caudal part of the soft palate.

Glottic and skull indices in canine brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome.

Background: Forty dogs presented for brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome with laryngeal collapse not over 1st degree (saccule eversion) underwent glottis endoscopic and radiographic skull measurements before surgery. Fifteen Pugs, fifteen French and ten English Bulldogs were included. The goals were prospectively to compare three common brachycephalic breeds for anatomical differences regarding glottis and skull measurements, and to assess if any correlation between glottis and skull measurements was present.

Assessment of circulating concentrations of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide in dogs with brachycephalic airway obstruction syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate plasma concentrations of inflammatory mediators in dogs with brachycephalic airway obstruction syndrome, identify a possible role for these mediators in the syndrome, and investigate the relationship between plasma concentrations of inflammatory mediators and severity of clinical signs.

Animals: 17 dogs with brachycephalic airway obstruction syndrome and 10 mesocephalic (control) dogs.

Procedures: A blood sample was collected once from each dog.

Diagnostic accuracy of brush cytology in canine chronic intranasal disease.

Background: Most cases of canine chronic intranasal disease cannot be differentiated based on clinical examination alone, and biopsy is often required for a definitive diagnosis. Nonsurgical cytologic and histologic biopsy techniques represent desirable diagnostic approaches.

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of brush cytology in differentiating non-neoplastic and neoplastic diseases in dogs with chronic intranasal disease.

The anatomy of the dog soft palate. I. Histological evaluation of the caudal soft palate in mesaticephalic breeds.

The gross anatomy and overall structure of the soft palate has been described in the average dog's head, however, no descriptive microanatomical studies of the dog soft palate are available, despite their possible utility in view of the manifold and important repercussions of this organ physiology. This is the first of two companion papers, dealing with the caudal part of the soft palate in the canine species, in mesaticephalic and brachycephalic dogs. Specimens from mesaticephalic healthy dogs (N = 8) were collected after euthanasia, processed for histology and sectioned at six transversal levels.

The anatomy of the dog soft palate. II. Histological evaluation of the caudal soft palate in brachycephalic breeds with grade I brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome.

In brachycephalic dogs, the skull bone shortening is not paralleled by a decreased development of soft tissues. Relatively longer soft palate is one of the main factors contributing to pharyngeal narrowing during normal respiratory activity of these dog breeds, which are frequent carriers of the brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome (BAOS), which affects most part of them during their postnatal life. No histological studies assessing the morphology and the normal tissue composition of the soft palate in brachycephalic dogs are available, neither has ever been determined whether the elongated soft palate is a primary or secondary event.

Feline injection-site sarcoma: recurrence, tumour grading and surgical margin status evaluated using the three-dimensional histological technique.

The three-dimensional histology technique is used in human medicine for the evaluation of complete lateral and deep surgical margins. In this study, the technique was applied to 48 excised feline injection-site sarcoma specimens. The predictive value of the histological margin status and tumour grading on local recurrence was investigated.

Marginal excision of low-grade spindle cell sarcoma of canine extremities: 35 dogs (1996-2006).

Objective: To evaluate recurrence rate and disease-free interval (DFI) of dogs with low-grade soft tissue spindle cell sarcoma of the extremities treated by marginal excision.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Animals: Dogs (n=35) with soft tissue low-grade spindle cell sarcoma.

Primary osseous melanoma in the tibia of a dog.

An 18-month-old, female Cane Corso dog was presented with a suspected primary tumor of the tibia. Plain radiographs and computed tomography (CT) of the tibia were highly suggestive of a primary bone neoplasm. A diagnosis of malignant melanoma was made by cytology.

Prostatic sarcomatoid carcinoma in a dog: cytologic and immunohistochemical findings.

An 8-year-old neutered male Boxer was presented with tenesmus, hemorrhagic urethral discharge, and dysuria. Abdominal ultrasound and radiographic examinations revealed irregular prostatic enlargement. Laparotomy was performed and intraoperative cytology was done on imprint smears of a biopsy specimen obtained from a prostatic mass.