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This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of low dose cyclophosphamide chemotherapy plus meloxicam as an adjuvant treatment, compared with high dose doxorubicin or surgery alone in cats with mammary carcinoma. Medical records of 228 female cats treated for mammary carcinoma between 2008 and 2018, were reviewed in eight veterinary institutions. Only cats with complete tumour staging and radical mastectomy were included in the study. One hundred and thirty-seven cats were divided into three treatment groups: group 1 (n = 80) cats treated with surgery, group 2 (n = 34) cats that had surgery and adjuvant treatment with doxorubicin, and group 3 (n = 23) cats with surgery and adjuvant treatment with low dose metronomic cyclophosphamide and meloxicam. The study endpoints were disease free interval (DFI) and overall survival (OS). Toxicity was evaluated according to the VCOG-CTCAE criteria. The median DFI was 270, 226 and 372 days in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The median OS was 338 (group 1), 421 (group 2) and 430 (group 3) days. The differences between groups were not significant (DFI P = .280 and OS P = .186). Toxicity was observed in 52.9% (n = 18) of cats in group 2 and 39.1% (n = 9) of cats in group 3, with mild to moderate intensity. Differences were not significant (P = .306). In conclusion, adjuvant chemotherapy treatment did not improve survival and the overall benefit remains unproven. Randomized prospective trials are necessary to clarify the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy treatment for feline mammary carcinomas.

The enzyme catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) is responsible for inactivation of catechol estrogens, which are well-recognized carcinogenic metabolites. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in canine COMT gene were previously associated with the age of onset of mammary tumours and with the clinical progression of the disease. However, no information is available regarding the impact of other known SNPs in COMT gene in canine mammary tumours. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the influence of COMT SNP in clinicopathological features and outcome of canine mammary tumours. A case series study was conducted involving 155 non-neutered bitches with mammary tumours submitted to follow-up for 24 months after surgery. Three genotypes were considered: Genotype 1 (rs853046495); Genotype 2 (rs23350589, rs23322686, rs23336579, and rs852564758); Genotype 3 (rs851328636 and rs853133060). Genotype 1 was associated to low degree of tubular differentiation. Genotype 2 was related to the development of intermediate/high-histological-grade carcinomas and to vascular invasion. Genotype 3 was associated to reduced nuclear pleomorphism and well-differentiated carcinomas. Data from the present investigation allowed the identification of COMT genetic profiles associated with pathological features of mammary tumours that constitute relevant prognostic factors. The assessment of the COMT genotypes may represent a helpful tool in the clinical management of canine mammary tumours, assisting in the selection of individualized preventive and therapeutic strategies, according to the animals' genetic profile.

Grading of canine mammary carcinomas (CMC) is associated to subjective assessments made by the pathologists. Due to its unbiased nature, stereology can be used to objectively quantify morphological parameters associated with grading and malignancy. However, the use of stereology in CMC has not been fully disclosed. The nuclear numerical density [NV (nuclei, tumor)] is a cellularity-associated parameter that can be estimated by the optical disector. Herein, it was estimated in 44 CMC and its association with clinicopathologic factors - such as tumor size, histological subtype and grade, vascular/lymph node invasion, nuclear pleomorphism, and survival - was evaluated. Considering all the cases, the mean NV (nuclei, tumor) was 1.6 × 106 ± 0.5 × 106 nuclei/mm3 . Lower values were attained in complex carcinomas, comparing to simple carcinomas, in tumors smaller than 5 cm, with low mitotic activity and in those with high nuclear pleomorphism. No statistically significant association with grade or vascular/lymph node invasion was observed, but tumors with disease progression had lower nuclear densities. The NV (nuclei, tumor) and the correlated parameters mirror to some extension those in human breast cancer, suggesting an interesting interspecies agreement. This first estimation of the nuclear numerical density in CMC highlights the feasibility of the optical disector and their utility for objective morphological assessments in CMC. The association between nuclear numerical density and disease progression warrants future studies.

Urea, the main nitrogenous waste product of protein metabolism, is eliminated almost exclusively by the kidney, and hence, displays considerable clinical significance in the assessment of kidney disorders. The aim of this study is to prepare and investigate the potential of swellable cross-linked gelatin methacryloyl (c-GelMA) microneedles (MNs) as a platform for minimally invasive extraction of interstitial skin fluid (ISF) toward straightforward point-of-care healthcare monitoring of renal complaints, by quantification of urea. c-GelMA MNs are successfully prepared by photo-cross-linking and micromolding, faithfully replicating the master molds (387 ± 16 µm height, 200 µm base and 500 µm tip-to-tip distance). These MN patches display good mechanical properties, withstanding more than 0.15 N per needle without breaking. Ex vivo skin insertion assays reveal that the MNs penetrate up to 237 µm depth, reaching the dermis, where they should extract ISF considering a real application. In an in vitro application using an agarose skin model system, the c-GelMA MNs are able to efficiently recover urea (>98%). Additionally, these MNs exhibit noncytotoxic effects toward human keratinocytes. These findings suggest that c-GelMA MNs are promising devices for sampling ISF and offline analysis of urea, opening new avenues for simple point-of-care healthcare monitoring.

Although bioactive glasses are successfully used as bone substitutes, recent studies have revealed that the high alkali content in these glasses leads to fast in vivo degradation rates that may not match the rate of new bone ingrowth. This prompted us to design and develop novel bioactive glasses that are devoid of alkali but still demonstrate high bioactivity in vitro. This article describes the in vivo performance of an alkali-free bioactive glass with the following composition (Wt %): 13.03 MgO-33.98 CaO-13.37 P2 O5 -38.84 SiO2 -0.77 CaF2 (labelled as FastOs® BG). An animal model was used to assess the in vivo performance of FastOs® BG, using 45S5 Bioglass® as control. The evaluation was performed through implantation of FastOs® BG and 45S5 Bioglass® , during one month, in femoral bone defects in sheep. Subcutaneous implantation of both glasses was also performed in order to assess tissue response through a standardized method. Histological and scanning electron microscopy assessment of retrieved subcutaneous and bone samples demonstrated that FastOs® BG is biocompatible, osteoconductive, that it can be osteointegrated, and that it is more slowly resorbed than 45S5 Bioglass® . These features suggest that FastOs® BG is a potential candidate for bone grafting. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 30-38, 2017.

Eight cases of feline plasma cell pododermatitis, collected over a 3-year period, were studied using histological (haematoxylin and eosin), histochemical (methyl green-pyronin) and immunohistochemical (antibody against lambda light chains of immunoglobulins) techniques. No sex, breed or age predisposition, or paw predilection was observed. The disease began as a swelling of the footpads, followed by ulceration. Histologically, lesions were characterized by the presence of a large number of plasma cells in a predominantly perivascular pattern. Binucleated plasma cells and mitotic figures were observed. Clinical follow-up for over 1 year revealed total remission of the lesions both after glucocorticoid therapy in four cases, and total surgical excision in two animals. Follow-up studies were not possible in one case.