Elbow arthroscopy was performed in 100 dogs with foreleg lameness localised to the elbow joint, bilaterally in 48 of them, making a total of 148 joints examined. Lesions in the area of the medial coronoid process varied from cartilage fissures in 13 to fragmentation in 91, chondromalacia-like lesions in 27. This last lesion has not been reported previously in the veterinary literature. Kissing lesions on the medial side of the humeral condyle were present in 83 joints, whereas lesions of osteochondritis dissecans were found in only three. All these lesions were associated with varying signs of synovitis and arthrosis. Arthroscopic signs of arthrosis and/or synovitis without associated medical coronoid lesions were found in 14 elbow joints.
Results indicated that ASIs of PVF and VI determined via analysis of pressure plate measurements were reliable indicators of clinical lameness in dogs, but the ASI of PVP was not. The ASI of PCA is an interesting new variable for assessment of limb loading symmetry.
Interest in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) both for regenerative and reparative therapies in dogs is emerging, as the current treatment options for several conditions often do not result either in the desired clinical outcome or in the patients' return to normal function. In addition, canine MSCs have been evaluated in some experimental and preclinical studies on efficacy and safety testing of novel treatments for humans, since the dog is considered to be a superior model for humans than rodents. Although these MSCs can be derived from several sources, clinical use has favoured bone marrow and adipose tissue because of their relative ease of stem cell recovery and the minimal donor-site morbidity. Before any type of stem cell can be applied clinically, its unequivocal characterization by a set of specific functional or phenotypic markers is crucial. However, no uniform characterization criteria are available for canine MSCs so far. Moreover, although multi-lineage potential of canine MSCs has been demonstrated in a limited number of studies, research on the differentiation potential of MSCs towards tenocytes is still lacking in canine medicine. In contrast, this latter subject has been explored already in human as well as in equine medicine, demonstrating the need for a specific 'niche', i.e. factors with a positive influence on the MSC differentiation. Since most of these factors are still unknown regarding canine MSC, critical basic knowledge is urgently required to motivate and correctly translate the potential therapeutic applications of these stem cells in both dog and man.
Escherichia coli intramammary infection elicits localized and systemic responses, some of which have been characterized in mammary secretory tissue. Our objective was to characterize gene expression patterns that become activated in different regions of the mammary gland during the acute phase of experimentally induced E. coli mastitis. Tissues evaluated were from Fürstenburg's rosette, teat cistern (TC), gland cistern (GC), and lobulo-alveolar (LA) regions of control and infected mammary glands, 12 and 24 h after bacterial (or control) infusions. The main networks activated by E. coli infection pertained to immune and inflammatory response, with marked induction of genes encoding proteins that function in chemotaxis and leukocyte activation and signaling. Genomic response at 12 h post-infection was greatest in tissues of the TC and GC. Only at 24 h post-infection did tissue from the LA region respond, at which time the response was the greatest of all regions. Similar genetic networks were impacted in all regions during early phases of intramammary infection, although regional differences throughout the gland were noted. Data support an important sentinel function for the teat, as these tissues responded rapidly and intensely, with production of cytokines and antimicrobial peptides.
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