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Infectious meningoencephalitides represent an important differential diagnosis for meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) in dogs. Treatment of the latter requires immunosuppression, but laboratory test results for infectious agents may take several days to return. This study investigated whether the presence of masticatory muscle changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head can be used to distinguish dogs with neosporosis from those with MUO at the time of diagnosis. Cases diagnosed with neosporosis or MUO at two referral centers in the United Kingdom (UK) were retrospectively collected. Clinical data were reviewed, and each MRI study was blindly assessed by a radiologist, a neurologist, and a neurology resident for the presence of masticatory muscle changes by consensus opinion. Statistical analysis was performed on obtained data. Twenty-two neosporosis cases and 23 MUO cases were enrolled. In the neosporosis group, six dogs (27%) had masticatory muscle changes, compared to one dog (4%) in the MUO group (p = 0.047). All six neosporosis cases had bilateral, multifocal, T2W and FLAIR hyperintense, contrast enhancing muscular changes, with three having concurrent masticatory muscle atrophy. The only MUO case with muscle changes had a mild, focal, unilateral temporal muscle lesion which was only visible in the T1W post-contrast images. Within the neosporosis group, dogs with masticatory muscle lesions had significantly higher cerebrospinal fluid WBC counts (p = 0.017) and protein concentrations (p = 0.025) compared to those without muscle changes. In conclusion, characteristic bilateral, multifocal masticatory muscle changes should raise the index of suspicion for neosporosis in dogs with an imaging diagnosis of meningoencephalitis and starting early antimicrobial treatment is recommended. However, the absence of masticatory muscle abnormalities does not exclude active Neospora caninum infection. In these cases, whether immunosuppressive or antimicrobial treatments are started prior to receiving further test results should still be based on the clinical status of the animal and index of suspicion using a combination of all available clinical information at that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the impact of the Production Code on Hollywood films, examining its role in shaping content and tone between 1930 and the mid-1950s. Topics include the historical context of the Code's adoption and decline, its influence on film style and content, and how filmmakers navigated its restrictions to subtly address themes of sex and violence.

The article focuses on the impact of the Hollywood Production Code on films like Only Yesterday (1933) and Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948). Topics include discrepant consciousness in melodrama, the moral implications of sexual morality in pre-Code films, and the differences in narrative representation between the two films, particularly regarding the characters' awareness of extramarital relationships and their consequences.

Single-cell transcriptomics, which utilises barcodes and unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) for polyA+ mRNA capture, is compromised by oligonucleotide synthesis errors. To address this, we modified the oligonucleotide capture design and integrated an interposed anchor between the barcode and the UMI. This design significantly reduces the need to discard reads due to synthesis inaccuracies. Our results demonstrate that this anchor-enhanced design substantially improves gene expression profiles in droplet-based single-cell sequencing analyses., Competing Interests: Competing interests: M.P., U.O. and A.P.C. are inventors on patents filed by Oxford University Innovations for single-cell technologies and are co-founders of Caeruleus Genomics. T.B. Jr. is a director and shareholder of ATDBio. T.B. Sr. is a consultant to ATDBio. The other authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Background: Spinal arachnoid diverticulum (SAD) is considered a rare disease in cats. Previous reports mainly classified SAD in cats as acquired., Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the signalment, clinical presentation, diagnostic imaging findings, and outcome in a group of cats with SAD., Animals: Twenty-one client-owned cats., Methods: Multicenter observational retrospective review of the medical records of cats diagnosed with SAD by magnetic resonance imaging., Results: Most cats were Domestic Short Hair (67%), male (63%), and had a wide range of ages (18 weeks to 13 years old). Neuroanatomical localization was consistent with a T3-L3 myelopathy in 18 cats (86%) and C1-C5 myelopathy in 3 cats (14%). One cat with a C1-C5 myelopathy demonstrated bilateral vestibular clinical signs. One cat (5%) had fecal incontinence. Most cats demonstrated a chronic, progressive, nonlateralized, nonpainful myelopathy. No underlying previous or concurrent spinal condition was found in 48% of the cats. No difference in age, body weight, breed, sex, treatment, or outcome was found between cats with or without a concurrent spinal disorder. One cat was euthanized after diagnosis. Six cats improved, 1 deteriorated and 1 remained static after surgery, whereas 3 cats improved, 5 deteriorated and 4 remained static after medical management on the short-term outcome. Overall, 73% (8/11) of the cats deteriorated on available long-term follow-up information., Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Spinal arachnoid diverticulum should be considered for cats with chronic, progressive, symmetrical, nonpainful myelopathy, particularly if male and with a history of spinal disease or surgery., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)