Background: Gliomas in dogs remain poorly understood.Objectives: To characterize the clinicopathologic findings, diagnostic imaging features and survival of a large sample of dogs with glioma using the Comparative Brain Tumor Consortium diagnostic classification.Animals: Ninety-one dogs with histopathological diagnosis of glioma.Methods: Multicentric retrospective case series. Signalment, clinicopathologic findings, diagnostic imaging characteristics, treatment, and outcome were used. Tumors were reclassified according to the new canine glioma diagnostic scheme.Results: No associations were found between clinicopathologic findings or survival and tumor type or grade. However, definitive treatments provided significantly (P = .03) improved median survival time (84 days; 95% confidence interval [CI],

Traditionally, histological investigations of the epileptic brain are required to identify epileptogenic brain lesions, to evaluate the impact of seizure activity, to search for mechanisms of drug-resistance and to look for comorbidities. For many instances, however, neuropathological studies fail to add substantial data on patients with complete clinical work-up. This may be due to sparse training in epilepsy pathology and or due to lack of neuropathological guidelines for companion animals.The protocols introduced herein shall facilitate systematic sampling and processing of epileptic brains and therefore increase the efficacy, reliability and reproducibility of morphological studies in animals suffering from seizures.Brain dissection protocols of two neuropathological centres with research focus in epilepsy have been optimised with regards to their diagnostic yield and accuracy, their practicability and their feasibility concerning clinical research requirements.The recommended guidelines allow for easy, standardised and ubiquitous collection of brain regions, relevant for seizure generation. Tissues harvested the prescribed way will increase the diagnostic efficacy and provide reliable material for scientific investigations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0467-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Dogs develop gliomas with similar histopathological features to human gliomas and share with them the limited success of current therapeutic regimens such as surgery and radiation. The tumor microenvironment in gliomas is influenced by immune cell infiltrates. The present study aims to immunohistochemically characterize the tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) population of naturally occurring canine gliomas, focusing on the expression of Forkhead box P3-positive (FOXP3+) regulatory T-cells (Tregs). Forty-three canine gliomas were evaluated immunohistochemically for the presence of CD3+, FOXP3+, and CD20+ TILs. In low-grade gliomas, CD3+ TILs were found exclusively within the tumor tissue. In high-grade gliomas, they were present in significantly higher numbers throughout the tumor and in the brain-tumor junction. CD20+ TILs were rarely found in comparison to CD3+ TILs. FOXP3+ TILs shared a similar distribution with CD3+ TILs. The accumulation of FOXP3+ Tregs within the tumor was more pronounced in astrocytic gliomas than in tumors of oligodendroglial lineage and the difference in expression was significant when comparing low-grade oligodendrogliomas and high-grade astrocytomas. Only high-grade astrocytomas presented FOXP3+ cells with tumoral morphology. In spontaneous canine gliomas, TILs display similar characteristics (density and distribution) as described for human gliomas, supporting the use of the dog as an animal model for translational immunotherapeutic studies.

An 18-month-old neutered male Persian cat was referred to the Hospital Clinic Veterinari of the Universitat Aut onoma de Barcelona (HCV-UAB) for an investigation of a 4-week history of progressive paraparesis. Physical examination was considered normal. Neurologic examination was consistent with a T3-L3 myelopathy. Marked thoracolumbar pain was present. Main differential diagnoses included inflammatory/ infectious disease and neoplasia. Hematology and complete serum biochemistry profiles and an abdominal ultrasonographic examination were unremarkable; feline immunodeficiency virus/feline leukemia virus (FeLV) serologic tests were negative. Thoracic radiographs revealed a radiolucent lesion affecting T11-T13 vertebral bodies. Postmyelographic computed tomography revealed a marked thickening of the pedicle, lamina, and vertebral body of T13 and L1 vertebrae causing spinal cord compression on the left side (Figure 1). A T13-L1 left-side hemilaminectomy was performed in order to decompress the spinal cord and obtain a sample for analysis. Excisional biopsy of the proliferative lesion and intraoperative cytologic imprints were submitted for evaluation ( Figure 2). Figure 1. Transverse computed tomographic image at the level of T13 vertebra in a young cat with progressive paraparesis. Note the marked thickening of the pedicle, lamina, and vertebral body on the left side causing spinal cord compression (arrow).Figure 2. Imprint of an extradural vertebral mass from a young cat with progressive paraparesis. Modified Wright stain.

The mammalian ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) presents the highest neurogenic potential in the brain of the adult individual. In rodents, it is mainly composed of chains of neuroblasts. In humans, it is organized in layers where neuroblasts do not form chains. The aim of this study is to describe the cytoarchitecture of canine V-SVZ (cV-SVZ), to assess its neurogenic potential, and to compare our results with those previously described in other species. We have studied by histology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), electron microscopy and neurosphere assay the morphology, cytoarchitecture and neurogenic potential of cV-SVZ. Age groups of animals were performed. Histological and ultrastructural studies indicated that the cV-SVZ is organized in layers as in humans, but including migratory chains as in rodents. Neural progenitors were organized in niches in the subependymal area and a decline in their number was observed with age. Adult-young dogs contained migratory cells capable to expand and differentiate in vitro according with previous results obtained in rodents, primates, humans, pigs, and dogs. Some adult animals presented perivascular niches outside the V-SVZ. Our observations evidence a great similarity between canine and human V-SVZ indicating that the dog may be better representative of neurogenic events in humans, compared with rodents. Accordingly with our results, we conclude that dogs are a valuable animal model of adult neurogenesis in comparative and preclinical studies.