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Background The term meningoencephalocele ( MEC) describes a herniation of cerebral tissue and meninges through a defect in the cranium, whereas a meningocele ( MC) is a herniation of the meninges alone. Hypothesis/Objectives To describe the clinical features, magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) characteristics, and outcomes of dogs with cranial MC and MEC. Animals Twenty-two client-owned dogs diagnosed with cranial MC or MEC. Methods Multicentric retrospective descriptive study. Clinical records of 13 institutions were reviewed. Signalment, clinical history, neurologic findings and MRI characteristics as well as treatment and outcome were recorded and evaluated. Results Most affected dogs were presented at a young age (median, 6.5 months; range, 1 month - 8 years). The most common presenting complaints were seizures and behavioral abnormalities. Intranasal MEC was more common than parietal MC. Magnetic resonance imaging identified meningeal enhancement of the protruded tissue in 77% of the cases. Porencephaly was seen in all cases with parietal MC. Cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF) analysis identified mild abnormalities in 4 of 11 cases. Surgery was not performed in any affected dog. Seventeen patients were treated medically, and seizures were adequately controlled with anti-epileptic drugs in 10 dogs. Dogs with intranasal MEC and mild neurologic signs had a fair prognosis with medical treatment. Conclusion and clinical importance Although uncommon, MC and MEC should be considered as a differential diagnosis in young dogs presenting with seizures or alterations in behavior. Medical treatment is a valid option with a fair prognosis when the neurologic signs are mild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Fibrinolytic activity in cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF) is activated in humans by different pathologic processes. Objectives To investigate fibrinolytic activity in the CSF of dogs with neurological disorders by measuring CSF D-dimer concentrations. Animals One hundred and sixty-nine dogs with neurological disorders, 7 dogs with systemic inflammatory diseases without central nervous system involvement ( SID), and 7 healthy Beagles were included in the study. Dogs with neurological disorders included 11 with steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis ( SRMA), 37 with other inflammatory neurological diseases ( INF), 38 with neoplasia affecting the central nervous system ( NEO), 28 with spinal compressive disorders ( SCC), 15 with idiopathic epilepsy ( IE), and 40 with noninflammatory neurological disorders ( NON- INF). Methods Prospective observational study. D-dimers and C-reactive protein ( CRP) were simultaneously measured in paired CSF and blood samples. Results D-dimers and CRP were detected in 79/183 (43%) and in 182/183 (99.5%) CSF samples, respectively. All dogs with IE, SID, and controls had undetectable concentrations of D-dimers in the CSF. CSF D-dimer concentrations were significantly ( P < .001) higher in dogs with SRMA than in dogs with other diseases and controls. CSF CRP concentration in dogs with SRMA was significantly ( P < .001) higher than in dogs of other groups and controls, except for the SID group. No correlation was found between blood and CSF D-dimer concentrations. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Intrathecal fibrinolytic activity seems to be activated in some canine neurological disorders, and it is high in severe meningeal inflammatory diseases. CSF D-dimer concentrations may be considered a diagnostic marker for SRMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical signs and magnetic resonance imaging findings of multiple brain infarcts in two dogs infected with Leishmania spp. are reported. Clinical signs of intracranial dysfunction were peracute and there was no further deterioration. Magnetic resonance images of the brain were consistent with multifocal, non-haemorrhagic, ischaemic lesions. Routine serum biochemistry revealed hyperproteinaemia and hyperglobulinaemia. Serum antibody titres were highly positive for Leishmania infantum and Leishmania amastigotes were seen within bone marrow macrophages in both cases. Canine leishmaniasis can cause cerebrovascular alterations, such as vasculitis, that might predispose dogs to brain infarcts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents two case studies of dogs suffering from Bilateral Sciatic Neuropathy due to spontaneous muscular and intraneural hemorrhage. Two dogs were reported with several medical terms which include nonambulatory paraparesis, severe anemia and accumulation of subcutaneous fluid in both pelvic limbs. It also includes a picture of photomicrograph of semitendinosus muscle and sciatic nerve depicting the hemorrhages.

The article discusses the case of a two-year-old male boxer dg that was presented at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Autonomous University of Barcelona due to frequent coughing and anorexia for seven days. The dog underwent physical and neurological examination revealing a swelling right submandibular lymph node and diffuse paraspinal hyperaesthesia. The dog was also diagnosed of having multiple pyogranulomas under the light microscopic examination.

The article describes the case of a dog, which developed protothecal pyogranulomatous meningoencephalitis. Topics covered include the absence of other known case of canine protothecosis affecting the brain without involvement of other organs, and the findings of the study which suggest that prototheca organisms can use routes of entry apart from the gastrointestinal or ophthalmological routes to invade the central nervous system.

Summary Reasons for performing the study: Bacterial meningoencephalitis is a severe complication in septic foals and there is scarce and often unclear information in the equine literature. Objectives: To report the most frequent clinical signs, clinicopathological findings, causative agents, treatments given and outcome of a group of foals with confirmed bacterial meningoencephalitis. Methods: Foals aged <6 months of age admitted to the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (2004-2009) with confirmed bacterial meningoencephalitis were retrospectively included in the study. Diagnosis of bacterial meningoencephalitis was made by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture, CSF analysis consistent with bacterial infection, observation of bacteria in CSF cytology or post mortem confirmation. Results: Nine neonates and one 5-month-old foal were included. The most frequently observed clinical signs were alterations in mental status (10/10), recumbency (8/10), weakness (8/10), abnormal pupillary light reflexes (6/10), decreased suckling-reflex (6/9), seizures and/or nystagmus (4/10). Common clinicopathological alterations included hyperfibrinogenaemia (8/9), hyperlactataemia (7/7), and neutropenia (5/10) or neutrophilia (5/10). Most neonates (8/9) developed bacterial meningoencephalitis despite having a sepsis score near the cut-off value (median = 12). On CSF analysis, pleocytosis (9/9), increased total protein concentration (5/6) and intracellular bacteria (6/9) were detected. The most frequently isolated bacterium was Escherichia coli. Once bacterial meningoencephalitis was diagnosed, antimicrobial therapy was switched to third and fourth generation cephalosporins. Conclusions: The diagnosis of bacterial meningoencephalitis is established based on CSF analysis and culture. Clinical recognition of bacterial meningoencephalitis is difficult and can be easily overlooked. Moreover, severe sepsis is not necessary to develop bacterial meningoencephalitis. Potential relevance: CSF analysis should be considered more often in sick newborn foals with signs indicative of central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology and culture would help to confirm or rule out unnoticed bacterial meningoencephalitis, and to choose appropriate antimicrobial therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most frequent complications in diabetes but there are no treatments beyond glucose control, due in part to the lack of an appropriate animal model to assess an effective therapy. This study was undertaken to characterize the degenerative and regenerative responses of peripheral nerves after induced sciatic nerve damage in transgenic rat insulin I promoter / human interferon beta (RIP/IFNbeta) mice made diabetic with a low dose of streptozotocin (STZ) as an animal model of diabetic complications. In vivo, histological and immunohistological studies of cutaneous and sciatic nerves were performed after left sciatic crush. Functional tests, cutaneous innervation, and sciatic nerve evaluation showed pronounced neurological reduction in all groups 2 weeks after crush. All animals showed a gradual recovery but this was markedly slower in diabetic animals in comparison with normoglycemic animals. The delay in regeneration in diabetic RIP/IFNbeta mice resulted in an increase in active Schwann cells and regenerating neurites 8 weeks after surgery. These findings indicate that diabetic-RIP/IFNbeta animals mimic human diabetic neuropathy. Moreover, when these animals are submitted to nerve crush they have substantial deficits in nerve regrowth, similar to that observed in diabetic patients. When wildtype animals were treated with the same dose of STZ, no differences were observed with respect to nontreated animals, indicating that low doses of STZ and the transgene are not implicated in development of the degenerative and regenerative events observed in our study. All these findings indicate that RIP/IFNbeta transgenic mice are a good model for diabetic neuropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the case of a 16-year-old Westfalian gelding with severe stringhalt caused by a distal axonopathy. The gelding was presented with a sudden, progressive bilateral abnormal gait in the pelvic limbs. Stringhalt refers to a condition described by sudden and involuntary hyperflexion of one or both pelvic limbs during attempted movement. The gelding was released on vitamin E supplementation.

Clinical signs and magnetic resonance imaging findings of a caudal cerebellar artery infarct are reported for the first time in a dog. Clinical signs were characterised by a peracute, non-progressive, right-sided central vestibular syndrome with paradoxical right-sided head tilt. Magnetic resonance images were consistent with a territorial, non-haemorrhagic, ischaemic lesion affecting the caudo-ventral part of the right cerebellar hemisphere, mainly involving the right paramedian lobe, the ansiform lobe and the caudal cerebellar peduncle. Bloodwork results were suggestive of an underlying hypercoagulable state, although the concomitant presence of a histologically confirmed mammary gland adenocarcinoma could have also been related to the cerebellar vascular obstruction through metastatic emboli formation. Posterior-inferior cerebellar artery infarction is the human equivalent of caudal cerebellar artery infarct in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 13-year-old, female spayed, crossbreed dog of 32 kg was presented for evaluation of peracute onset of non-ambulatory tetraparesis after chewing an electrical wire. Neurological examination was consistent with a C1-C5 myelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a focal intramedullary lesion over the C2-C3 vertebral bodies, which was confirmed to be an acute focal necrotising poliomyelopathy with subarachnoid and subdural haemorrhages on postmortem examination. This report describes the clinical, imaging and histopathological findings of this unusual type of spinal cord injury, and the effects of electrocution in the central nervous system of dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Pekingese dog with hemivertebrae, rib malformations and spinal cord dysraphism without spina bifida was presented. Two types of hemivertebrae were seen: bilateral and unilateral. Thoracic hemivertebrae were associated with fused ribs and rudimentary ribs. Spinal dysraphism consisted of polycavitary syringomyelia in the dorsal and lateral funiculi, hydromyelia and anomalies of the dorsal median septum and median fissure, associated to lumbar and sacral hemivertebrae. Cauda equina agenesia was also present. To conclude, the dog showed two malformations from different embryonic origins. Vertebral and rib malformations are of mesodermic origin and spinal dysraphism is of ectodermic origin. A possible common mechanism responsible for both anomalies is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrically induced blink reflex was studied electromyographically in 21 healthy adult, detomidine-sedated horses. Using surface electrodes, the supraorbital nerve was electrically stimulated at the supraorbital foramen. The responses were recorded from the ipsilateral and contralateral orbicularis oculi muscles with concentric needle electrodes inserted in the lateral aspect of the ventral eyelids. Ipsilateral and contralateral recordings were made on successive stimulations of the same side of the face, maintaining a constant stimulus intensity. The electromyographically recorded responses consisted of an early R response in the orbicularis oculi muscle ipsilateral to the side of stimulation, a bilateral late response (ipsilateral R and contralateral R) and a third, R response, in the ipsilateral orbicularis oculi muscle. All the responses were polyphasic muscle potentials of variable duration and peak to peak amplitudes. The reflex latency of the R response was, as in man, fairly stable. The R response showed greater variability both within and between individual horses. The R response was recorded in only 13 of the 21 horses and showed a slightly longer latency than the corresponding R. The R response, which is significantly related to pain sensation in man, appeared in 19 horses and showed the greatest variability in latency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports on the clinical and pathological features of granular cell tumor arising from the third thoracic spinal nerve root and compressing the spinal cord of a dog. Immunohistochemical studies of canine suggested a multiple embryological origin. The presence of a basal lamina and the proximity and infiltration of the spinal nerve root suggest a Schwann cell origin, but the immunophenotype of the tumor differs considerably from that of mature Schwann cell origin for the tumor.