The objective of this observational, descriptive, retrospective study was to report CT characteristics associated with fractures following stereotactic radiosurgery in canine patients with appendicular osteosarcoma. Medical records (1999 and 2012) of dogs that had a diagnosis of appendicular osteosarcoma and undergone stereotactic radiosurgery were reviewed. Dogs were included in the study if they had undergone stereotactic radiosurgery for an aggressive bone lesion with follow-up information regarding fracture status, toxicity, and date and cause of death. Computed tomography details, staging, chemotherapy, toxicity, fracture status and survival data were recorded. Overall median survival time (MST) and fracture rates of treated dogs were calculated. CT characteristics were evaluated for association with time to fracture. Forty-six dogs met inclusion criteria. The median overall survival time was 9.7 months (95% CI: 6.9-14.3 months). The fracture-free rates at 3, 6, and 9 months were 73%, 44%, and 38% (95% CI: 60-86%, 29-60%, and 22-54%), respectively. The region of bone affected was significantly associated with time to fracture. The median time to fracture was 4.2 months in dogs with subchondral bone involvement and 16.3 months in dogs without subchondral bone involvement (P-value = 0.027, log-rank test). Acute and late skin effects were present in 58% and 16% of patients, respectively. Findings demonstrated a need for improved patient selection for this procedure, which can be aided by CT-based prognostic factors to predict the likelihood of fracture.

Yunnan Baiyao is a Chinese herbal medicine that has been utilized for its anti-inflammatory, haemostatic, wound healing and pain relieving properties in people. It has been utilized in the veterinary profession to control bleeding in dogs with hemangiosarcoma (HSA) and has been anecdotally reported to prolong survival times in dogs with this neoplasm. This study evaluated the in vitro activity of Yunnan Baiyao against three canine HSA cell lines after treatment with increasing concentrations of Yunnan Baiyao (50, 100, 200, 400, 600 and 800 µg mL(-1) ) at 24, 48 and 72 h. Mean half maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) at 72 h for DEN, Fitz, SB was 369.9, 275.9 and 325.3 µg mL(-1) , respectively. Caspase-3/7 activity increased in correlation with the IC50 in each cell line which was confirmed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL, APO-BRDU Kit; BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, USA) assay. VEGF in cell supernatant was also quantified. Overall, the study found that Yunnan Baiyao causes dose and time dependent HSA cell death through initiation of caspase-mediated apoptosis, which supports future studies involving Yunnan Baiyao.

Thrombocytosis is the cause of various complications in myeloproliferative disorders. We present the case of a 54-year-old woman with chronic myelogenous leukaemia who developed large ulcers on both lower legs that were refractory to standard treatment. As concomitant thrombocytosis persisted despite treatment with hydroxyurea, the new megakaryocyte inhibitor anagrelide (Agrelin) was administered and led to normalization of the platelet count within 11 days. The leg ulcers started to heal after 2 weeks and disappeared over a period of 5 months. Our findings argue for a pathogenic role of platelets in the development of leg ulcers in patients with thrombocytosis due to a myeloproliferative disorder.

Subclinical hyperammonemia in dogs with lymphoma or leukemia after L-asp administration appears to be common. No risk factors were identified for the development of hyperammonemia after L-asp treatment, and severe adverse events were rare.