The aim of this study was to verify the applicability and accuracy of B-mode ultrasonography in detecting malignancy in dog cutaneous neoplasms. Forty-two neoplasms (12 benign and 30 malignant) of mesenchymal, round cells, epithelial and melanocytic origins from 24 dogs of different breeds and ages were included. The ultrasound evaluation was performed with a linear multi-frequency transducer (7.0 to 12MHz), with frequency dependent on the mass dimension. Ultrasonographic characteristics of echogenicity (hypo/hyperechogenic), echotexture (homogeneous/heterogeneous), regularity, invasiveness in adjacent tissues were classified. Dimensions were also measured to calculate the depth/width ratio. Neoplasms were classified as malignant or benign after cytological and/or histopathological analysis and the results were associated with ultrasound characteristics. There was a significant association (P<0.05) between malignancy and echogenicity, echotexture and invasiveness in adjacent tissues, so that 84.6% of hypoechogenic neoplasms, 76.9% of heterogeneous masses and 88.2% of invasive neoplasms were classified as malignant. However, for all these associations, moderate predictive values were obtained, which may be due to the small experimental number included in this study. Therefore, although it has been observed that hypoechogenic, heterogeneous and invasive neoplasms were more prone to malignancy, these findings should be used with caution until new studies are developed with a greater number and variety of cutaneous neoplasms in dogs.

Ruzigrass (Urochola ruziziensis) has a large capacity to take up K from the soil, including non-exchangeable forms, and can play an important role in nutrient cycling in integrated production systems. However, K transport to roots of brachiarias is not well known, nor the nutrient dynamics in the rhizosphere, where a concentration gradient may be established towards the non-rhizospheric soil, creating a favorable environment for the release of non-exchangeable K. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ruzigrass on K dynamics in the rhizosphere and on non-exchangeable K release. Ruzigrass was grown in pots filled with a Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo (Typic Hapludox) that was collected at 0.00-0.20 and 0.20-0.60 m layer from a cultivated area and fertilized with 0, 30, and 60 mg kg -1 of K, plus a treatment with forest soil, used as control. Thirty days after plant emergence, soil samples were taken at the following distances from the roots: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 3.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mm. For the highest exchangeable K rate (60 mg dm -3 ), the exchangeable K level was higher from 0 to 0.5 mm of the roots for both soils (0.00-0.20 and 0.20-0.60 m). Therefore, more K was transported to the rhizosphere than the plant could take up. A depletion of exchangeable K observed in the rhizosphere resulted in the release of K from non-exchangeable forms, as observed in the soils from 0.00-0.20 (60 mg dm -3 ) and 0.20-0.60 m (without application of K). Ruzigrass grown on low K soils without fertilizer application results in a larger exchangeable K depletion zone than in soils that were fertilized or originally high in exchangeable K, showing a high potential for K cycling in the system.

The objective was to evaluate the accuracy of B-mode ultrasonography and ARFI elastography in detecting malignancy in canine splenic lesions. Thirty-seven spleens with abnormalities (16 benign and 21 malignant) from dogs of different breeds and ages were evaluated. Echogenicity, echotexture, organ length and height were evaluated using B-mode. By ARFI elastography, tissue stiffness was evaluated qualitatively (elastogram) and quantitatively (measuring the shear wave velocity—SWV). Lesions were classified as diffuse, focal or multifocal (cranial, medial or caudal portion) and comparisons of the SWV between the injured and non-injured areas were performed. In the B-mode, no features were associated to malignancy (P > 0.05). In the elastogram, 35 spleens were non-deformable and 2 deformable, having no association with malignancy. The greater SWV was observed in malignant lesions (3.4 ± 0.6 m/s), followed by areas free from alterations (2.1 ± 0.3 m/s) and benign lesions (1.7 ± 0.5 m/s), with difference between groups (P < 0.0001). It was found that a SWV > 2.6 m/s indicates malignancy of canine splenic lesions (sensitivity of 95%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, NPV of 94% and accuracy of 97%), concluding that ARFI elastography is a promising technique for differentiating malignancy in these lesions.

Background Cutaneous and subcutaneous neoplasms are highly prevalent in dogs, ranging from benign to highly aggressive and metastatic lesions. The diagnosis is obtained through histopathology, however it is an invasive technique that may take a long time to obtain the result, delaying the beginning of the adequate treatment. Thus, there is a need for non-invasive tests that can help in the early diagnosis of this type of cancer. The aim of this study was to verify the accuracy of B-mode ultrasonography, Doppler, and ARFI elastography to predict malignancy in cutaneous and subcutaneous canine neoplasms. In addition, we aim to propose an ultrasonography evaluation protocol and perform the neoplasms characterization using these three proposed techniques. Results Twenty-one types of specific neoplasm were diagnosed, and using B-mode, we verified the association between heterogeneous echotexture, invasiveness, presence of hyperechoic spots, and cavity areas with malignancy. An increased pulsatility was verified in malignant neoplasms using Doppler (cut-off value > 0.93). When using the elastography, malignancy was associated with non-deformable tissues and shear wave velocity > 3.52 m/s. Evaluation protocols were proposed associating 4, 5, 6, or 7 malignancy predictive characteristics, and characterization was done for all tumors with at least two cases. Conclusions We concluded that ultrasonography methods are promising and effective in predicting malignancy in these types of tumors, and the association of methods can increase the specificity of the results.

The goal of this study was to describe and compare B mode and elastographic characteristics of the pectineus muscle of healthy dogs with dysplastic dogs. Thirty-one dogs (62 limbs) with hip dysplasia and 17 nondysplastic dogs (34 limbs) were evaluated. The hip dysplasia score was defined according to the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Using B mode, echotexture and echogenicity of different regions of the pectineus muscle were evaluated. By means of ARFI elastography, qualitative (elastogram) and quantitative (shear wave velocity) tissue stiffness was assessed. B mode findings demonstrated a hyperechoic and heterogeneous pattern of the pectineus tissue in dogs with hip dysplasia, with compromised muscular delimitation and loss of its normal sonographic appearance, indicating the disease (P < 0.001). In the elastogram, it was observed that dogs with hip dysplasia showed less deformable pectineus muscle, with red colors (rigid). In quantitative evaluation, the different regions evaluated presented similar shear wave velocities; in dysplastic patients, shear wave velocities were higher compared to nondysplastic animals, with values higher than 2.85 m/s being strong indicators of the disease. Values of shear wave velocity were also influenced by the grade of dysplasia and age of the patients; however, there was no correlation with the depth of the evaluated area or body weight. It was concluded that pectineus muscle in dogs with hip dysplasia presents B mode and elastographic changes when compared to normal animals, demonstrating that these techniques might aid the evaluation of diseased dogs.

The objectives of this prospective, experimental study were to describe changes in the stiffness of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) after induced injury, deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT), accessory ligament (AL‐DDFT), and suspensory ligament (SL) during 90 days of healing using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography. Eight healthy horses were selected. Preinjury B mode and ARFI evaluations were performed bilaterally in the palmar metacarpal region. Injury was induced only on the left forelimb (G2) by a single injection of collagenase in SDFT, 15 cm distal to the accessory carpal bone. The right forelimb was used as a control (G1). Evaluations were performed at eight timepoints: one before injury (T0) and seven (T1‐T7) after injury (3, 15, 30, 40, 60, 75, and 90 days post‐induction). Tendinopathies were visualized as hypoechoic areas with loss of parallel tendon fiber pattern. Injured SDFTs presented mainly cool colors (soft) from T1 to T3, and from T4, there was an increase in warm colors (hard), close to the appearance of tendons of G1. In the first four timepoints, there was a decrease in stiffness compared to G1 (P < 0.001). On T1 and T2, a cutoff value <6.21 m/s to determine tendinopathy of the SDFT was established (75.8% sensitivity and 92.03% specificity). Stiffness changes in the DDFT, AL‐DDFT, and SL of injured limbs occurred at different timepoints. Tendinopathy significantly altered the stiffness of the injured tendon and the adjacent tissues. ARFI made it possible to detect these changes, helping to monitor the reparation of this injury.

In women, high-definition ultrasonography provides high-quality images of normal and diseased tissues throughout pregnancy, however there are no veterinary studies describing the use of this technology in pregnant dogs. The objective was to evaluate pregnant female dogs daily, using high-definition ultrasonography (HD) in brachycephalic, documenting daily findings of maternal-fetal structures. Twelve healthy brachycephalic females were evaluated daily by HD ultrasound until delivery. It was possible to identify and categorize all maternal, embryonic, and fetal structures and their development, including some fetal tissues not yet described in the literature. The HD exam is an excellent method to monitor the pregnancy of female dogs and identify structures early, providing safe and complete information regarding fetal development.

The development of materials with a porous titanium surface has been widely studied in the field of biomaterials due to the excellent biocompatibility, high corrosion resistance and combination of high strength with low density. Another relevant fact is that porosity allows bone tissue growth. However, the high reactivity in liquid state ends up hindering titanium fusion, so an alternative is the powder metallurgy (PM).The aim of this work was to produce porous titanium samples by conventional PM. Porous samples was characterized by porosity and microstructure (optical microscopy - OP and scanning electron microscopy SEM), crystaline phase (X-ray diffraction –XRD), mechanical properties (three point bending test) and cytotoxic test. The results showed the presence of alpha phase, a decrease in the elasticity modulus, increase in average pore size and samples exhibited no toxic effects.