Surgical treatment of middle ear cholesteatoma using an oral approach in 2 dogs.

Middle ear cholesteatoma is caused by the formation of epidermoid cysts that result in distention and enlargement of the tympanic bulla with subsequent destruction of surrounding tissues. We report treatment of middle ear cholesteatoma in 2 dogs, an oral surgical approach. Abnormal tympanic bulla contents and the wall compressing the pharynx were successfully removed in both cases.

Effect of Childhood Disease on Hospital Presentation: A Survey of Pediatricians.

Background: Determining when caregivers should take their children to a hospital is crucial in ensuring the health and safety of children. Because children cannot make these decisions on their own, caregivers bear the core responsibility for the wellness of their children. The aim of this study was to determine how disease, disability, and child behavior affect when and how often caregivers take their children to a hospital.

Successful treatment of refractory demodicosis and transient papules with a single dose of fluralaner in a dog with uncontrolled severe endocrine disease.

A 12-year-old female Shih-Tzu with hyperadrenocorticism and hypothyroidism developed concurrent refractory generalized demodicosis that did not respond to doramectin treatment. Although amitraz treatment was effective, the dog developed severe diabetes, which resulted in the cessation of amitraz and trilostane. Attempts to control the diabetes were unsuccessful, and its hyperadrenocorticism was left untreated, leading to the recurrence of demodicosis.

Application of three hygrometers under different skin conditions in dogs: dry, moist and haired skin.

Background: Hydration is one parameter of skin barrier function. The Skicon-200EX and Corneometer CM825 are hygrometers used to measure skin hydration in humans based on different measurement methods. The ASA-MX3 is a hygrometer used to obtain measurements at haired skin sites in humans.

Contribution of oral triamcinolone to treating proliferative and necrotising otitis externa in a 14-year-old Persian cat.

Case Summary: A 14-year-old female spayed cat was referred for recurrent otitis externa and unusual proliferative lesions in both ear canals. The affected pinnae and external ear canals were covered with large reddish-to-dark-brown verrucous and necrotic tissue. Friable material and exudates occluded both ear canals.

The effect of a herbal paste and oil extract on the lipid content of canine hair fibres.

Background: Application of herbal paste and oil to a dog's coat and body before rinsing (often combining with shampooing) is a cosmetic therapy available in Japan. It is highly appreciated by users, who claim that the treatment makes the coat shinier, improves volume and eliminates tangles. However, there has been no scientific evaluation of such treatments.

Proliferative and necrotizing otitis externa in a kitten: successful treatment with intralesional and topical corticosteroid therapy.

Proliferative and necrotising otitis externa (PNOE) is a very rare disease affecting the ear canals and concave pinnae of kittens. This report describes a 5-month-old cat with PNOE. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis.

Measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in cats with experimental skin barrier dysfunction using a closed chamber system.

Background: A closed chamber evaporimeter is suitable for measuring transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in cats because of the compact device size, tolerance to sudden movement and short measuring time. TEWL is a representative parameter for skin barrier dysfunction, which is one of the clinical signs of atopic dermatitis in humans and dogs. Measurement of feline TEWL has been reported, but applicability of this parameter has not been validated.

Primary T-cell high-grade lymphoma of the feline uterus.

A 12-year-old female American shorthair cat presented with a one-month history of hematuria and general lethargy. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed complete thickening of the left uterine wall. At a diagnostic laparotomy, a large mass arising from the left uterine horn was discovered, and ovariohysterectomy was performed.

The modified corneocyte surface area measurement as an index of epidermal barrier properties: inverse correlation with transepidermal water loss.

Background: Corneocyte surface area (CSA) is as established parameter for skin barrier function in humans. Measurement of canine CSA has been previously reported but has not been validated.

Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of CSA as a barrier function parameter in dogs.

Analyses of a satiety factor NUCB2/nesfatin-1; gene expressions and modulation by different dietary components in dogs.

Nesfatin-1 is an anorexic peptide derived from a precursor, nucleobindin-2 (NUCB2), which is distributed in various organs, coexists with ghrelin in the gastric X/A-like cells and closely relates to an appetite control in rodents and humans. Nesfatin-1 may be a significant factor addressing the satiety also in veterinary medicine, however, there are few reports about nesfatin-1 in dogs. In the present study, we detected canine NUCB2/nesfatin-1 mRNA in various tissues, especially abundant in pancreas, gastrointestinal tracts, testis and cerebellum.

Genetic variants of the unsaturated fatty acid receptor GPR120 relating to obesity in dogs.

G protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 120 is an unsaturated fatty acid receptor, which is associated with various physiological functions. It is reported that the genetic variant of GPR120, p.Arg270His, is detected more in obese people, and this genetic variation functionally relates to obesity in humans.

Decreased gene expressions of insulin signal molecules in canine hyperadrenocorticism.

Hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) is a common endocrine disorder in dogs, in which excess glucocorticoid causes insulin resistance. Disturbance of insulin action may be caused by multiple factors, including transcriptional modulation of insulin signal molecules which lie downstream of insulin binding to insulin receptors. In this study, gene expressions of insulin signal molecules were examined using neutrophils of the HAC dogs (the untreated dogs and the dogs which had been treated with trilostane).

Canine bone marrow stromal cells promote functional recovery in mice with spinal cord injury.

Regenerative therapy has begun to be clinically applied in humans and dogs to treat neurological disorders, such as spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, we show the therapeutic potential of transplantation of cultured canine bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) into mice with SCI. Canine BMSC transplantation therapy was performed, immediately after the spinal cord was injured.

Is experience on a farm an effective approach to understanding animal products and the management of dairy farming?

The understanding of animal products and dairy farming is important for the promotion of dairy farming. Thus, to examine the effects of farm experience on the understanding of animal products and the management of dairy farming, the interaction between students and dairy cows was investigated in groups of first-year veterinary nursing students in 2011 and 2012 (n = 201). These students included 181 women and 20 men.

Transepidermal water loss in cats: comparison of three differently clipped sites to assess the influence of hair coat on transepidermal water loss values.

Background: The measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is one of the parameters that can be used to assess skin barrier function. The variability and reliability of TEWL measurements in dogs have been controversial, and the hair coat has been considered as one of the factors that may cause variation of TEWL values.

Hypothesis/objectives: The aims of the study were to establish a suitable procedure for measuring feline TEWL, to evaluate the influence of hair coat on TEWL measurements and to assess variations of TEWL at different anatomical sites.

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in dogs affected with neoplasia or inflammation.

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a member of the C-C family chemokines, which mobilizes monocytes from bone marrow to the site of inflammation. To evaluate the clinical utility of canine MCP-1 as a blood test item, we measured serum MCP-1 concentrations in normal and ill dogs. Reference interval of canine MCP-1 was established as 115.

Establishment and characterization of canine rhabdomyosarcoma cell line CMS-C.

A novel canine tumor cell line designated as the CMS-C cell line was established from pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) raised in the prostate gland of a 14-year-old intact male mixed-breed dog. CMS-C cells displayed the same immunohistochemical characteristics (positive for vimentin and desmin and negative for cytokeratin and smooth muscle actin) as the original tumor cells and express myoD1 and UCP3, known as striated muscle-specific molecules, as shown by RT-PCR assay. Therefore, the established CMS-C cell line appears to be of rhabdomyoblast cell origin.

Evaluation of artificial pancreas technology for continuous blood glucose monitoring in dogs.

Artificial pancreas technology, involving "closed-loop" controls with real-time blood glucose monitoring, has been increasing in reliability as its potential for clinical use and application grows. One such device, based on this technology, is the STG-22 (Nikkiso Co., Ltd.

Fluconazole decreases cyclosporine dosage in renal transplanted dogs.

The effect of fluconazole (Fcz) on the cyclosporine (CsA) dosage was investigated in renal transplanted dogs receiving CsA-based immunosuppressive therapy. Initially, CsA was administered orally twice daily to raise the blood trough level between 400 and 600 ng/ml. After the addition of Fcz, the CsA dosage was adjusted to maintain its therapeutic blood concentration.

Clustering of syndecan-4 and integrin beta1 by laminin alpha 3 chain-derived peptide promotes keratinocyte migration.

Syndecans function as receptors for extracellular matrix (ECM) with integrins in cell spreading. However, the molecular mechanism of their specific involvement in cell migration or in wound healing has not been elucidated yet. Here, we report that a synthetic peptide, PEP75, which contains the syndecan-binding sequence of the laminin alpha 3LG4 module, induces keratinocyte migration in in vitro and in vivo.

The antiproliferative effect of bovine lactoferrin on canine mammary gland tumor cells.

Lactoferrin has several biological activities, including antitumor activities in some human and animal tumor cells. Clinical trials have been carried out in human medicine based on these effects. However, the antitumor effects of lactoferrin in veterinary medicine remain unknown.

Adenosine deaminase activity in cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA), an enzyme involved in purine metabolism, has been shown to be of clinical importance in several diseases in humans. To investigate whether ADA is of any clinical significance in cats, plasma adenosine deaminase (P-ADA) and T cell adenosine deaminase (T-ADA) activities were measured in feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) negative and positive cats. The AIDS-related complex (ARC) group showed a significant elevation in P-ADA activity compared to the asymptomatic carrier (AC), and FIV-negative groups (P<0.

CD151 dynamics in carcinoma-stroma interaction: integrin expression, adhesion strength and proteolytic activity.

A member of tetraspanin CD151 is a scaffold protein of laminin-binding integrins and it plays an important role in stable interaction between cells and basement membrane. Although the upregulation of CD151 in tumor cells is thought to accelerate tumor invasion and metastasis, detailed pathological investigation on CD151 and its association with integrins has not been well documented, yet. In the present study, we showed that the expression levels of CD151 and its associated integrin subunits in epidermal carcinoma cell HSC5 were higher than those in immortalized epidermal cell HaCaT.