This study evaluated the effect of different dietary concentrations of Goji berries (GB) on the meat quality of rabbit. At weaning, New Zealand male rabbits were assigned to three groups and fed with a commercial standard diet (C), C supplemented with 1% (LG) or 3% Goji berries (HG) until slaughter. Supplementation did not affect colour, water holding capacity, and tenderness but regression analyses showed linear relationships between pH (P<.05), Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS; P<.001), Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC; P<.001), Redox Index (RI; P<.001), and phenolic content (P<.001) of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle and the rate of GB in the feed. However, by pairwise comparisons emerged that acidification (pH: P<.05), antioxidant/oxidant status (TBARS, ORAC, RI; P<.001), and phenolic content (P<.01) of muscle significantly improved only in HG compared with C group. Then, a dose-dependent relation was found but only the higher dose of GB guaranteed an increase in protection against oxidative phenomena of meat.

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Paragangliomas are tumors originating from paraganglia cells which represent a considerable constituent of the dispersed neuroendocrine system. Rarely these tumors are found within the orbital region. This report documents a case of primary extra-adrenal paraganglioma in a 15-year-old female quarter horse, diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs, gross anatomopathological, histopathological and immunohistochemical investigations. Clinical diagnostics led to full appreciation of the severe tumor invasiveness and to an informed decision by the owner for euthanasia. Gross inspection confirmed the previous clinical assessments of exophthalmos consequential to pressure from the orbital neoplasia, revealing a mass infiltrating into surrounding tissues. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry allowed for the final diagnosis of paraganglioma. Histology sections showed a partially encapsulated infiltrative mass with multifocal angiotropic growth, and composed of polygonal cells organized in nests, packets, and bundles supported by a fibrovascular stroma. The lobules were lined peripherally by spindle cells. The tumor was highly vascular with blood-filled lacunae and multifocal to coalescing areas of liquefactive necrosis. The polygonal cells were characterized by indistinct borders, lightly eosinophilic cytoplasm with moderate amount of granules, round or oval central nuclei with stippled chromatin ("salt and pepper" appearance) and inconspicuous nucleoli. Immunohistochemistry aided in the diagnostic discrimination of paraganglioma from neuroendocrine carcinoma and in the assessment of tumor differentiation. Orbital paraganglioma holds low likelihood for animal survival, but may have good prognosis when timely addressed.

Objectives: Oral pain is underrecognized and undertreated in small animal practice. This study aimed to develop and perform a preliminary validation of an instrument to evaluate oral and maxillofacial pain in dogs and cats. Methods: Indicators potentially associated with oral pain in dogs and cats were identified and selected. The Composite Oral Pain Scale-Canine/Feline (COPS-C/F) in the Italian language was developed using a two-part questionnaire (owner and veterinary specific questionnaires). The instrument was used to score the intensity of oral and maxillofacial pain in patients with oral disease. Content validity was performed and the COPS-C/F was applied to 20 dogs and 16 cats with oral disease at baseline and 15 days after dental treatment for construct validity. Criterion validity was assessed by comparing the COPS-C/F with a visual analog scale (VAS), a numeric rating scale (NRS), and a simple descriptive scale (SDS). Construct validity/responsiveness and criterion validity were assessed with Wilcoxon and Spearman Pearson tests, respectively ( p ≤ 0.05). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to calculate internal consistency. Thereafter, the instrument was refined and translated to English and back-translated for semantic equivalence. Results: Construct validity was confirmed with a significant reduction of pain scores after treatment ( p < 0.05) for most items. Criterion validity was confirmed by a significant correlation among the COPS-C/F total pain scores and those from VAS, NRS, and SDS ( p < 0.05). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.876 and 0.860 for the owner and the veterinary specific questionnaires, respectively, indicating good internal consistency. The items that did not present significant differences between time-points and the VAS, NRS, and SDS were removed prior to translation to English (COPS-C/F ENG). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: The study described the development and preliminary validation of the COPS-C/F as an instrument for pain assessment in dogs and cats. Refinement and back-translation of COPS-C/F with semantic equivalency resulted in the COPS-C/F ENG consisting of six and four items for the owner and veterinary specific questionnaires, respectively. The English version requires further validation and testing using a larger number of patients in the clinical setting.

The injury in this goat was successfully managed using vertebral stabilization similar to that used in dogs and cats. Extensive postoperative physiotherapeutic support contributed to the complete recovery of the animal.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is the process of joining materials to create layer-by-layer three-dimensional objects using a 3D printer from a digital model. The great advantage of Additive Manufacturing is to allow a freer design than traditional processes. The development of additive manufacturing processes has permitted to optimize the production of the customized product through the modeling of the geometry and the knowledge of the morphometric parameters of the body structures. 3D printing has revolutionized the field of Regenerative Medicine because, starting from computerized tomography (CT) images and using traditional materials such as plastic and metals, it can provide customized prostheses for each patient, which adapt perfectly to the needs of the subject and act as structures support. 3D printing allows you to print three-dimensional porous scaffolds with a precise shape and chemical composition suitable for medical and veterinary use. Some of these scaffolds are biodegradable and appear to be ideal for bone tissue engineering. In fact, they are able to simulate extracellular matrix properties that allow mechanical support, favoring mechanical interactions and providing a model for cellular attachment and in vivo stimulation of bone tissue formation.