Background
The Blastomyces antigen concentration in urine (BACU) test is used to diagnose blastomycosis and monitor treatment in dogs. It is unknown if a higher BACU is associated with shorter ...survival.
Objectives
To determine if the magnitude of BACU before treatment is associated with survival in dogs with blastomycosis.
Animals
Fifty‐two dogs with blastomycosis.
Methods
Retrospective case review. BACU, radiographic lung severity (RLS) score (0‐4 scale), and survival time up to 1 year after diagnosis were obtained through medical record review of dogs with Blastomyces dermatitidis.
Results
The overall survival was: discharge, 87%; 1 week, 85%; 2 months, 74%; and 6 months, 69%. BACU correlated with RLS score (rs = 0.33, P = .02). BACU and RLS scores were lower in survivors to 2 months than nonsurvivors (average BACU difference of 2.5 ng/mL, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.2‐4.8 ng/mL, P = .04; median RLS difference of 2; range, 0‐4, P = .02). Dogs with BACU <5 ng/mL and dogs with mild (0‐1) RLS scores had a greater proportion surviving than those with BACU >5 ng/mL (P = .03) and dogs with severe (3‐4) RLS scores (P = .04). All dogs with a BACU <5 ng/mL or mild RLS score were alive at last follow‐up (median, 365 days; range, 44‐365 days). In all, 68.1% of other dogs survived to 2 months (95% CI, 54.8%‐84.8%).
Conclusions and Clinical Importance
Dogs with lower BACU and RLS scores have improved survival; however, it is unclear what specific cutoffs should be used for prognosis.
An inherited polyneuropathy (PN) observed in Leonberger dogs has clinical similarities to a genetically heterogeneous group of peripheral neuropathies termed Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease in ...humans. The Leonberger disorder is a severe, juvenile-onset, chronic, progressive, and mixed PN, characterized by exercise intolerance, gait abnormalities and muscle atrophy of the pelvic limbs, as well as inspiratory stridor and dyspnea. We mapped a PN locus in Leonbergers to a 250 kb region on canine chromosome 16 (Praw = 1.16×10-10, Pgenome, corrected = 0.006) utilizing a high-density SNP array. Within this interval is the ARHGEF10 gene, a member of the rho family of GTPases known to be involved in neuronal growth and axonal migration, and implicated in human hypomyelination. ARHGEF10 sequencing identified a 10 bp deletion in affected dogs that removes four nucleotides from the 3'-end of exon 17 and six nucleotides from the 5'-end of intron 17 (c.1955_1958+6delCACGGTGAGC). This eliminates the 3'-splice junction of exon 17, creates an alternate splice site immediately downstream in which the processed mRNA contains a frame shift, and generates a premature stop codon predicted to truncate approximately 50% of the protein. Homozygosity for the deletion was highly associated with the severe juvenile-onset PN phenotype in both Leonberger and Saint Bernard dogs. The overall clinical picture of PN in these breeds, and the effects of sex and heterozygosity of the ARHGEF10 deletion, are less clear due to the likely presence of other forms of PN with variable ages of onset and severity of clinical signs. This is the first documented severe polyneuropathy associated with a mutation in ARHGEF10 in any species.
Allopregnanolone (ALLO) is a neurosteroid that modulates synaptic and extrasynaptic GABA
receptors. We hypothesize that ALLO may be useful as first-line treatment of status epilepticus (SE). Our ...objectives were to (1) characterize ALLO pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics PK-PD after intravenous (IV) and intramuscular (IM) administration and (2) compare IV and IM ALLO safety and tolerability. Three healthy dogs and two with a history of epilepsy were used. Single ALLO IV doses ranging from 1-6 mg/kg were infused over 5 minutes or injected IM. Blood samples, vital signs, and sedation assessment were collected up to 8 hours postdose. Intracranial EEG (iEEG) was continuously recorded in one dog. IV ALLO exhibited dose-proportional increases in exposure, which were associated with an increase in absolute power spectral density in all iEEG frequency bands. This relationship was best described by an indirect link PK-PD model where concentration-response was described by a sigmoidal maximum response (E
) equation. Adverse events included site injection pain with higher IM volumes and ataxia and sedation associated with higher doses. IM administration exhibited incomplete absorption and volume-dependent bioavailability. Robust iEEG changes after IM administration were not observed. Based on PK-PD simulations, a 2 mg/kg dose infused over 5 minutes is predicted to achieve plasma concentrations above the EC
, but below those associated with heavy sedation. This study demonstrates that ALLO is safe and well tolerated when administered at 1-4 mg/kg IV and up to 2 mg/kg IM. The rapid onset of effect after IV infusion suggests that ALLO may be useful in the early treatment of SE. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The characterization of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of allopregnanolone is essential in order to design clinical studies evaluating its effectiveness as an early treatment for status epilepticus in dogs and people. This study has proposed a target dose/therapeutic range for a clinical trial in canine status epilepticus.
Brain stimulation has emerged as an effective treatment for a wide range of neurological and psychiatric diseases. Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and essential tremor have FDA indications for ...electrical brain stimulation using intracranially implanted electrodes. Interfacing implantable brain devices with local and cloud computing resources have the potential to improve electrical stimulation efficacy, disease tracking, and management. Epilepsy, in particular, is a neurological disease that might benefit from the integration of brain implants with off-the-body computing for tracking disease and therapy. Recent clinical trials have demonstrated seizure forecasting, seizure detection, and therapeutic electrical stimulation in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. In this paper, we describe a next-generation epilepsy management system that integrates local handheld and cloud-computing resources wirelessly coupled to an implanted device with embedded payloads (sensors, intracranial EEG telemetry, electrical stimulation, classifiers, and control policy implementation). The handheld device and cloud computing resources can provide a seamless interface between patients and physicians, and realtime intracranial EEG can be used to classify brain state (wake/sleep, preseizure, and seizure), implement control policies for electrical stimulation, and track patient health. This system creates a flexible platform in which low demand analytics requiring fast response times are embedded in the implanted device and more complex algorithms are implemented in offthebody local and distributed cloud computing environments. The system enables tracking and management of epileptic neural networks operating over time scales ranging from milliseconds to months.
Canine idiopathic epilepsy is a common neurological disease affecting both purebred and crossbred dogs. Various breed-specific cohort, epidemiological and genetic studies have been conducted to date, ...which all improved our knowledge and general understanding of canine idiopathic epilepsy, and in particular our knowledge of those breeds studied. However, these studies also frequently revealed differences between the investigated breeds with respect to clinical features, inheritance and prevalence rates. Awareness and observation of breed-specific differences is important for successful management of the dog with epilepsy in everyday clinical practice and furthermore may promote canine epilepsy research. The following manuscript reviews the evidence available for breeds which have been identified as being predisposed to idiopathic epilepsy with a proven or suspected genetic background, and highlights different breed specific clinical features (e.g. age at onset, sex, seizure type), treatment response, prevalence rates and proposed inheritance reported in the literature. In addition, certain breed-specific diseases that may act as potential differentials for idiopathic epilepsy are highlighted.
Summary
Objectives
There are a limited number of marketed intravenous antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) available to treat status epilepticus (SE). All were first developed for chronic therapy of epilepsy, ...not specifically for SE. Epilepsy and canine SE (CSE) occur naturally in dogs, with prevalence, presentation, and percentage of refractory cases similar to human epilepsy. The objective of this study was to determine if CSE treated with fosphenytoin (FOS) results in a similar responder rate as for people.
Methods
A randomized clinical trial was performed for dogs with CSE. Dogs who presented during a seizure or who had additional seizures after enrolling received intravenous (i.v.) benzodiazepine (BZD) followed immediately by intravenous infusion of 15 mg/kg phenytoin equivalent (PE) of fosphenytoin (FOS) or saline placebo (PBO). If seizures continued, additional AEDs were administered per the standard of care for veterinary patients. Total and unbound plasma phenytoin (PHT) concentrations were measured.
Results
Consent was obtained for 50 dogs with CSE. Thirty‐one had additional motor seizures and were randomized to the study intervention (22 FOS and 9 PBO). There was a statistically significant difference in the 12 h responder rate, with 63% in the FOS group versus 22% in the placebo group (p = 0.043) having no further seizures. The unbound PHT concentrations at 30 and 60 min were within the therapeutic concentrations for people (1–2 μg/ml) with the exception of one dog. There was mild vomiting in 36% of the FOS group (7/22) within 20 min of FOS administration and none of the placebo group (0/9) (p = 0.064).
Significance
This proof of concept study provides the first evidence that FOS is tolerated and effective in canine SE at PHT concentrations clinically relevant for human SE. Furthermore, naturally occurring CSE can be utilized as a translational platform for future studies of novel SE compounds.
Abstract
Advances in ambulatory intracranial EEG devices have enabled objective analyses of circadian and multiday seizure periodicities, and seizure clusters in humans. This study characterizes ...circadian and multiday seizure periodicities, and seizure clusters in dogs with naturally occurring focal epilepsy, and considers the implications of an animal model for the study of seizure risk patterns, seizure forecasting and personalized treatment protocols. In this retrospective cohort study, 16 dogs were continuously monitored with ambulatory intracranial EEG devices designed for humans. Detailed medication records were kept for all dogs. Seizure periodicity was evaluated with circular statistics methods. Circular non-uniformity was assessed for circadian, 7-day and approximately monthly periods. The Rayleigh test was used to assess statistical significance, with correction for multiple comparisons. Seizure clusters were evaluated with Fano factor (index of dispersion) measurements, and compared to a Poisson distribution. Relationships between interseizure interval (ISI) and seizure duration were evaluated. Six dogs met the inclusion criteria of having at least 30 seizures and were monitored for an average of 65 weeks. Three dogs had seizures with circadian seizure periodicity, one dog had a 7-day periodicity, and two dogs had approximately monthly periodicity. Four dogs had seizure clusters and significantly elevated Fano factor values. There were subject-specific differences in the dynamics of ISI and seizure durations, both within and between lead and clustered seizure categories. Our findings show that seizure timing in dogs with naturally occurring epilepsy is not random, and that circadian and multiday seizure periodicities, and seizure clusters are common. Circadian, 7-day, and monthly seizure periodicities occur independent of antiseizure medication dosing, and these patterns likely reflect endogenous rhythms of seizure risk.
Abbreviated summary Dogs can accommodate ambulatory intracranial EEG devices designed for humans. Gregg et al. report that endogenous circadian and multiday seizure periodicities, and seizure clusters are common in dogs with naturally occurring epilepsy. Canine epilepsy can advance the development of seizure forecasting, personalized treatment protocols, and chronotherapy.
Graphical Abstract
Graphical Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological diseases in veterinary practice. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is regarded as an important diagnostic test to reach the diagnosis of ...idiopathic epilepsy. However, given that the diagnosis requires the exclusion of other differentials for seizures, the parameters for MRI examination should allow the detection of subtle lesions which may not be obvious with existing techniques. In addition, there are several differentials for idiopathic epilepsy in humans, for example some focal cortical dysplasias, which may only apparent with special sequences, imaging planes and/or particular techniques used in performing the MRI scan. As a result, there is a need to standardize MRI examination in veterinary patients with techniques that reliably diagnose subtle lesions, identify post-seizure changes, and which will allow for future identification of underlying causes of seizures not yet apparent in the veterinary literature.There is a need for a standardized veterinary epilepsy-specific MRI protocol which will facilitate more detailed examination of areas susceptible to generating and perpetuating seizures, is cost efficient, simple to perform and can be adapted for both low and high field scanners. Standardisation of imaging will improve clinical communication and uniformity of case definition between research studies. A 6-7 sequence epilepsy-specific MRI protocol for veterinary patients is proposed and further advanced MR and functional imaging is reviewed.
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