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Chronic renal failure is one of the leading causes of death in African lions, cheetahs, and tigers. Conventional methods to measure renal dysfunction include measuring serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) measurement is a reliable predictor of renal dysfunction in the domestic cat because SDMA serum levels increase early when the kidneys are damaged. Serum SDMA levels were assessed and correlated with creatinine as well as BUN from healthy captive Bengal tigers and lions at the Everland Zoo in Korea. Serum SDMA concentrations were increasingly associated with increased age in lions. However, SDMA concentrations were higher in some young Bengal tigers than in older ones, which may allow for earlier renal dysfunction detection in these young cats than would be BUN and creatinine alone. In Bengal tigers, the correlation between the SDMA and BUN was slightly higher than that between SDMA and creatinine. In lions, SDMA correlated better with creatinine than with BUN concentration. These results show that serum SDMA concentration can be used as a biomarker for age-associated renal dysfunction. SDMA measurement may be an essential preventive management method in zoos.

Metaplasia is a transformation of one mature cell type to other kinds of mature cells. Metaplasia is hardly detected in benign tumors, whereas it is frequently observed in malignant tumors. In this study, we report the first case of osseous metaplasia in canine leiomyoma. The region of osseous metaplasia was highly eosinophilic and had various sizes of distinct lacunae. The osseoid material was confirmed by Von Kossa staining. Except for the osseous metaplasia, the mass presented typical features of leiomyoma without any histopathological features of malignancy. The characteristics of malignant tumors, including pleomorphism, mitotic figures, and lymphatic metastasis were not identified and the mass was proven to be a benign tumor. The osseous metaplasia in leiomyoma without dysplastic changes might be due to plasticity which is a unique feature of smooth muscle cells, whether the tumor is malignant or not. This case suggests the possible occurrence of osseous metaplasia in leiomyoma, which has been overlooked due to the lack of reports. Also, it is recommended to pay attention to making a diagnosis of smooth muscle tumor with metaplasia so as not to be confused with leiomyosarcoma and leiomyoma variants.

The etiology of dilation of lymphatic vessels, termed as intestinal lymphangiectasia, remains unknown. In most cases, it occurs secondary to other pathologic conditions such as gastrointestinal neoplasms. However, only a few cases of canine intestinal lymphangiectasia concurrent with non-gastrointestinal neoplasms have been reported so far. Moreover, the correlation between intestinal lymphangiectasia and non-gastrointestinal neoplasms has not been discussed in any other literature. In this study, we report a rare case of intestinal lymphangiectasia concomitant with renal cell carcinoma in an 11 year old female mixed Maltese, suggesting that non-gastrointestinal neoplasms could be associated with the development of intestinal lymphangiectasia. On gross observation, the small intestine was irregularly swollen presenting an accordion like shape. Microscopic examination revealed prominent dilatation of the lymphatic vessels, especially, within the submucosa and muscularis layer. The lacteals within the villi were dilated and presented “club-shaped” tips. The carcinoma might trigger intestinal lymphangiectasia by compressing the main lymphatic vessels or the cisterna chyli, subsequently increasing the pressure of the lymphatic vessels in the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, metastasis of the carcinoma to the gastrointestinal tract could induce intestinal lymphangiectasia. Thus, the occurrence of intestinal lymphangiectasia must be considered when an abdominal neoplasm is located around major lymphatic vessels.

Spermatocytic tumor is a rare testicular tumor, which is originated from gonocytes. It is characterized by the histological feature of tripartite which is composed of large, medium, and lymphocyte-like small cells. It is well-known that spematocytic tumor is benign, thus a good prognosis is expected after simple resection. Metastatic spermatocytic tumor is extremely rare and usually accompanied by histological variants including sarcomatous changes and anaplastic variants. In this case, however, we report a canine metastatic spermatocytic tumor without prominent sarcomatous changes and anaplastic variants. The mass was composed of three kinds of cells including large, medium, and small cells with high pleomorphism. The neoplastic cells had an indistinct cytoplasmic border and mitotic figures were frequently observed. The primary spermatocytic tumor metastasized to the abdominal organs one month after the resection, and the dog died 13 months after the surgery. Thus, careful follow-up is recommended after surgical resection of canine spermatocytic tumor even though metastasis in spermatocytic tumors is rare.

Malignant pilomatricoma is malignant follicular tumor with only matrical differentiation. Malignant pilomatricoma is rare in dogs. There is little information about sex, breed and age predisposition. There are a few reports of canine malignant pilomatricoma in middle to old age dogs. However, this neoplasm was resected from 1-year-old intact male miniature poodle. The neoplasm was found in the dorsal part of the neck. The mass was firm and protruded. On gross findings the size of the mass was 3×2×1.5cm. The mass was located in the deep dermis and subcutaneous layer. The mass was composed of several lobules of grey-white chalky material. Microscopically, the mass was composed of several large and small lobules. There were basophilic round to oval basaloid cells at the periphery of the lobules. The basophilic cells showed abrupt keratinization. Numerous ghost cells were observed in the center of the mass. The ghost cells had abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm without a nucleus. The basophilic basaloid cells showed numerous atypical mitotic figures. Cellularity was high and pleomorphism was remarkable. No lymphatic metastasis was observed. We reported a rare case of malignant pilomatricoma in a 1-year-old young dog.

This study investigates the effects that three different test presentation formats, i.e., written Korean, written English and aural English, have on EFL learners' listening comprehension. A total of 169 Korean college students participated in this study. The participants were divided into six groups, by three presentation format types and two proficiency levels. They were presented with multiple-choice English listening tests. The results of the study showed that listening questions using the written Korean presentation mode were the easiest for them, while the aural English options were the most challenging. The analysis showed that high and low proficiency level students performed differently on the listening tests. The high level students performed best in written Korean and written English test formats, and had the most trouble with aural English tests. Students of both proficiency levels performed measurably better with test options written in Korean as compared to the other two presentation modes. Results of the post-test survey showed that test options written in participants' L1 were most preferred by the students, while the aural English option was the least favorable test method. However, the participants considered the aural English test mode to be the most fair and appropriate method of assessing test-takers' listening comprehension abilities.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in children is known to occur mainly from family clusters (1). However, children can be the only infected members in a household, especially when COVID-19 is contracted [...]