Background
Increased incidence of bacterial pneumonia (BP) has been reported in Irish Wolfhounds (IWHs), and recurrence of BP is common. The etiology of recurrent pneumonia in IWHs is largely ...unknown.
Objectives
To describe clinical findings in IWHs with recurrent BP and investigate possible etiologies.
Animals
Eleven affected IWHs, 25 healthy IWHs, 28 healthy dogs of other Sighthound breeds, and 16 healthy dogs of other breeds.
Methods
Prospective cross‐sectional observational study. All affected IWHs underwent thorough clinical examinations including thoracic radiographs, thoracic computed tomography, electron microscopic evaluation of ciliary structure, and bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology and culture. Serum and BALF immunoglobulin concentrations were measured using an ELISA method, and peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations were analyzed using flow cytometry. Esophageal function was assessed by fluoroscopy (n = 2).
Results
Median age of onset was 5.0 years (range, 0.4‐6.5 years), and when presented for study, dogs had experienced a median of 5 previous episodes of BP (range, 2‐6). The following predisposing factors to BP were detected: focal bronchiectasis (10/11), unilateral (2/9) and bilateral (1/9) laryngeal paralysis, and esophageal hypomotility (2/2). Local or systemic immunoglobulin deficiencies or primary ciliary defects were not detected.
Conclusions and Clinical Importance
Recurrent BP affects mostly middle‐aged and older IWHs without any evident immune deficit or primary ciliary defects. Focal BE was a frequent finding in affected dogs and likely contributed to the development of recurrent respiratory infections. Laryngeal and esophageal dysfunction identified in a minority of dogs may contribute to recurrent BP.
This case series describes four cases of concomitant dermoid sinus and spina bifida in a Chinese crested dog, two Swedish vallhunds and a Burmese cat. The diagnosis was confirmed by computed ...tomography, computed tomography fistulography and pathology. Two dogs that showed abnormalities during neurological examination underwent magnetic resonance imaging. One of them had imaging findings interpreted as syringohydromyelia. All the dogs underwent surgery and the outcome was considered good in all the cases. Based on clinical and pathological examination as well as diagnostic imaging findings, two of the dermoid sinuses were classified as type IV, and two of them showed a previously unreported type of dermoid sinus. This new type is suggested here as type VI.
OBJECTIVES: Aims of this study were to radiographically evaluate elbow congruity and to explore associations between elbow incongruity and lameness in Skye terriers. METHODS: Mediolateral, ...90°‐flexed, elbow joint radiographs were obtained for 45 Skye terriers. Elbow joint incongruity was graded mild, moderate or severe by measuring the width of the humeroulnar joint space. A questionnaire provided information on lameness history for each dog. RESULTS: In total, 49% (22/45) of the dogs had moderate or severe elbow joint incongruity which associated with lameness. Owner‐reported lameness was common: 15/45 (33%) dogs had been lame when less than one year old, and 6 (14%) had been lame at an older age. All dogs presenting with lameness when older than one year had also been lame in adolescence. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Lameness and moderate‐to‐severe elbow joint incongruity were common in Skye terriers and the two were associated. A novel protocol for radiographic screening of elbow joint incongruity of chondrodystrophic breeds is suggested.
Objective
To determine whether the current Finnish screening method using a single flexed mediolateral view as scored by osteophyte is sufficient to diagnose mild elbow dysplasia in Labrador ...retrievers and to determine if an additional craniocaudal oblique projection would result in improvement in the screening protocol.
Materials and Methods
Thirteen dogs with one mildly affected elbow joint and one elbow joint without radiological evidence of osteophytes were studied. Radiographic and computed tomography studies were performed and the results compared with each other.
Results
Medial compartment disease was observed in 14 of 26 joints based on computed tomography. The sensitivity and specificity of the grading based mainly on osteoarthritis was 79 and 92%, respectively. A strong association existed between elbow dysplasia based on computed tomography and medial humeral epicondylar osteophytes on the craniocaudal projection.
Clinical Significance
A single mediolateral flexed radiograph is reliable in diagnosing mild elbow dysplasia in Labrador retrievers. However, the craniocaudal oblique projection increases the specificity of the diagnosis, and it is proposed that it be included in the radiographic protocol in this breed.
Aim
Patients with vascular anomalies are often misdiagnosed, leading to delayed or improper treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an interdisciplinary team on the diagnosis ...and treatment of paediatric patients with vascular anomalies.
Methods
We reviewed the paediatric patients evaluated by our interdisciplinary team between 2002 and 2012, analysing the referral diagnosis, final diagnosis, patient age, sex, clinical history, laboratory tests, imaging studies and treatments.
Results
Of the 480 patients who were evaluated, 435 (90.6%) had a vascular anomaly: 30.7% of all patients had a tumour and 55.2% had a malformation. Haemangiomas comprised 93.2% of all tumours, while malformations included capillary (9.8%), lymphatic (30.1%), venous (36.8%), arteriovenous (3.8%) and combined slow–flow (7.9%) malformations. Tumours were initially diagnosed correctly in 89.2% of the patients, but only 38.0% of the malformations were diagnosed correctly. Improper treatment was given to 1.4%, due to incorrect diagnoses.
Conclusion
This study showed that haemangiomas were likely to be diagnosed correctly, but other tumours and vascular malformations were likely to be misdiagnosed. Misdiagnosis seldom led to improper treatment, but probably led to delayed treatment in many cases. The interdisciplinary approach led to improved diagnostics and treatment.
The Spin-plane double probe instrument (SDP) is part of the FIELDS instrument suite of the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission (MMS). Together with the Axial double probe instrument (ADP) and the ...Electron Drift Instrument (EDI), SDP will measure the 3-D electric field with an accuracy of 0.5 mV/m over the frequency range from DC to 100 kHz. SDP consists of 4 biased spherical probes extended on 60 m long wire booms 90
∘
apart in the spin plane, giving a 120 m baseline for each of the two spin-plane electric field components. The mechanical and electrical design of SDP is described, together with results from ground tests and calibration of the instrument.
The growth of stem cells in in vitro conditions requires optimal balance between signals mediating cell survival, proliferation, and self-renewal. For clinical application of stem cells, the use of ...completely defined conditions and elimination of all animal-derived materials from the establishment, culture, and differentiation processes is desirable.
Here, we report the development of a fully defined xeno-free medium (RegES), capable of supporting the expansion of human embryonic stem cells (hESC), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and adipose stem cells (ASC). We describe the use of the xeno-free medium in the derivation and long-term (>80 passages) culture of three pluripotent karyotypically normal hESC lines: Regea 06/015, Regea 07/046, and Regea 08/013. Cardiomyocytes and neural cells differentiated from these cells exhibit features characteristic to these cell types. The same formulation of the xeno-free medium is capable of supporting the undifferentiated growth of iPSCs on human feeder cells. The characteristics of the pluripotent hESC and iPSC lines are comparable to lines derived and cultured in standard undefined culture conditions. In the culture of ASCs, the xeno-free medium provided significantly higher proliferation rates than ASCs cultured in medium containing allogeneic human serum (HS), while maintaining the differentiation potential and characteristic surface marker expression profile of ASCs, although significant differences in the surface marker expression of ASCs cultured in HS and RegES media were revealed.
Our results demonstrate that human ESCs, iPSCs and ASCs can be maintained in the same defined xeno-free medium formulation for a prolonged period of time while maintaining their characteristics, demonstrating the applicability of the simplified xeno-free medium formulation for the production of clinical-grade stem cells. The basic xeno-free formulation described herein has the potential to be further optimized for specific applications relating to establishment, expansion and differentiation of various stem cell types.
Purpose Large mandibular resection defects historically have been treated using autogenous bone grafts and reconstruction plates. However, a major drawback of large autogenous bone grafts is ...donor-site morbidity. Patients and Methods This report describes the replacement of a 10-cm anterior mandibular ameloblastoma resection defect, reproducing the original anatomy of the chin, using a tissue-engineered construct consisting of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) granules, recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and Good Manufacturing Practice–level autologous adipose stem cells (ASCs). Unlike prior reports, 1-step in situ bone formation was used without the need for an ectopic bone-formation step. The reconstructed defect was rehabilitated with a dental implant-supported overdenture. An additive manufactured medical skull model was used preoperatively to guide the prebending of patient-specific hardware, including a reconstruction plate and titanium mesh. A subcutaneous adipose tissue sample was harvested from the anterior abdominal wall of the patient before resection and simultaneous reconstruction of the parasymphysis. ASCs were isolated and expanded ex vivo over the next 3 weeks. The cell surface marker expression profile of ASCs was similar to previously reported results and ASCs were analyzed for osteogenic differentiation potential in vitro. The expanded cells were seeded onto a scaffold consisting of β-TCP and BMP-2 and the cell viability was evaluated. The construct was implanted into the parasymphyseal defect. Results Ten months after reconstruction, dental implants were inserted into the grafted site, allowing harvesting of bone cores. Histologic examination and in vitro analysis of cell viability and cell surface markers were performed and prosthodontic rehabilitation was completed. Conclusion ASCs in combination with β-TCP and BMP-2 offer a promising construct for the treatment of large, challenging mandibular defects without the need for ectopic bone formation and allowing rehabilitation with dental implants.
Contractile actomyosin bundles, stress fibers, govern key cellular processes including migration, adhesion, and mechanosensing. Stress fibers are thus critical for developmental morphogenesis. The ...most prominent actomyosin bundles, ventral stress fibers, are generated through coalescence of pre-existing stress fiber precursors. However, whether stress fibers can assemble through other mechanisms has remained elusive. We report that stress fibers can also form without requirement of pre-existing actomyosin bundles. These structures, which we named cortical stress fibers, are embedded in the cell cortex and assemble preferentially underneath the nucleus. In this process, non-muscle myosin II pulses orchestrate the reorganization of cortical actin meshwork into regular bundles, which promote reinforcement of nascent focal adhesions, and subsequent stabilization of the cortical stress fibers. These results identify a new mechanism by which stress fibers can be generated
from the actin cortex and establish role for stochastic myosin pulses in the assembly of functional actomyosin bundles.
Dust particles from high latitudes have a potentially large local, regional, and global significance to climate and the environment as short-lived climate forcers, air pollutants, and nutrient ...sources. Identifying the locations of local dust sources and their emission, transport, and deposition processes is important for understanding the multiple impacts of high-latitude dust (HLD) on the Earth’s systems. Here, we identify, describe, and quantify the source intensity (SI) values, which show the potential of soil surfaces for dust emission scaled to values 0 to 1 concerning globally best productive sources, using the Global Sand and Dust Storms Source Base Map (G-SDS-SBM). This includes 64 HLD sources in our collection for the northern (Alaska, Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Sweden, and Russia) and southern (Antarctica and Patagonia) high latitudes. Activity from most of these HLD sources shows seasonal character. It is estimated that high-latitude land areas with higher (SI ≥ 0.5), very high (SI ≥ 0.7), and the highest potential (SI ≥ 0.9) for dust emission cover > 1 670 000 km2 , > 560 000 km2 , and > 240 000 km2 , respectively. In the Arctic HLD region (≥ 60◦ N), land area with SI ≥ 0.5 is 5.5 % (1 035 059 km2), area with SI ≥ 0.7 is 2.3 % (440 804 km2), and area with SI ≥ 0.9 is 1.1 % (208 701 km2). Minimum SI values in the northern HLD region are about 3 orders of magnitude smaller, indicating that the dust sources of this region greatly depend on weather conditions. Our spatial dust source distribution analysis modeling results showed evidence supporting a northern HLD belt, defined as the area north of 50◦ N, with a “transitional HLD-source area” extending at latitudes 50–58◦ N in Eurasia and 50–55◦ N in Canada and a “cold HLD-source area” including areas north of 60◦ N in Eurasia and north of 58◦ N in Canada, with currently “no dust source” area between the HLD and low-latitude dust (LLD) dust belt, except for British Columbia. Using the global atmospheric transport model SILAM, we estimated that 1.0 % of the global dust emission originated from the high-latitude regions. About 57 % of the dust deposition in snow- and ice-covered Arctic regions was from HLD sources. In the southern HLD region, soil surface conditions are favorable for dust emission during the whole year. Climate change can cause a decrease in the duration of snow cover, retreat of glaciers, and an increase in drought, heatwave intensity, and frequency, leading to the increasing frequency of topsoil conditions favorable for dust emission, which increases the probability of dust storms. Our study provides a step forward to improve the representation of HLD in models and to monitor, quantify, and assess the environmental and climate significance of HLD.
PDF
