Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M D Willard.
A cat with severe weight loss and small bowel diarrhea was diagnosed as having lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis. Treatment with medium chain triglycerides and glucocorticoids was palliative. This disease appears similar to that reported in Basenji dogs. In retrospect, dietary therapy should also have been attempted since cats with a similar infiltration of the colon responded well to such therapy.
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Respiratory distress caused by pleural effusion resulted from chylothorax. Thoracic drainage and lowfat dietary therapy was effective in removing and preventing significant recurrence of the chylothorax; however, the patient died unexpectedly. At necropsy a blastomycotic granuloma found at the precava was considered the cause of the chylothorax. There had been no recognizable antemortem signs of blastomycosis. Blastomycosis can be considered as a rare cause of chylothorax.
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A dog with an acquired, progressive oropharyngeal dysphagia also had a myopathy-neuropathy. It was clinically similar to criocopharyngeal achalasia, and could easily have been confused with it, even with fluoroscopic evaluation. Conservative medical therapy was instituted since cricopharyngeal myotomy could have caused severe aspiration and death. Resolution was apparently due to anti-inflammatory therapy.
Hypoadrenocorticism developed in 4 of 26 dogs treated with mitotane (o,p-DDD) for hyperadrenocorticism. Evidence of the hypoadrenocorticism was detected from 2-8 weeks after the beginning of weekly or bimonthly maintenance o,p-DDD therapy. The adversely affected dogs had hyponatremia plus hyperkalemia, and 3 of the 4 had severely diminished plasma cortisol concentrations at rest or after stimulation with ACTH given IM. One dog did not have detectable plasma aldosterone concentrations before or after ACTH administration. Clinically, 3 of the 4 dogs responded well to mineralocorticoid replacement. Electrolyte determinations after replacement therapy in 1 dog documented normal serum sodium and potassium concentrations. One dog died despite therapy and was determined to have adrenocortical destruction.
Thirty-seven cases of canine hypoadrenocorticism were compared with 39 previously reported cases. The 2 series were compared because it was believed that a study of 37 consecutive cases diagnosed at 1 institution (Michigan State University) and compiled by 1 group of veterinarians would yield data that were more representative of the disease than multiple cases from various institutions. Age, sex, and breed data were similar in both series. The frequency of anorexia, vomiting, depression, and the mean values for the clinicopathologic data were similar for both series except for blood glucose concentration (P less than 0.025). The Michigan State University series was different in that it had a lower frequency of eunatremia, increased plasma total solids, and hypoglycemia but a higher frequency of lymphocytosis, lymphopenia, hyponatremia, hyperglycemia, and hypercalcemia. Further, 3 dogs in the Michigan State University series had azotemia plus near isosthenuric urine, suggesting renal disease, but they seemingly responded to therapy for hypoadrenocorticism. Only 1 such case was identified in the literature. Finally, we detected fewer instances of P waves not being evident in lead II of an electrocardiogram.
A modification of a previously reported enzymatic technique was used to isolate 60% to 90% pure populations of viable lymphocytes from canine small intestinal mucosa. Mitogenesis assays were then simultaneously performed on these and isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes from the same dogs. A technique to isolate intraepithelial lymphocytes was not successful. Intestinal mucosal lymphocytes were simultaneously purified by 2 different techniques (suspensions B and C), which produced cell populations that responded similarly to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A, and pokeweed mitogens. The peripheral blood lymphocytes demonstrated greater response to PHA and concanavalin A mitogens than did the intestinal mucosal lymphocytes (P less than 0.05). Furthermore, peripheral blood lymphocytes had a significantly higher response to PHA than to pokeweed mitogen (P less than 0.05). The impure preparation of intraepithelial lymphocytes (suspension A) did not show any evidence of reactivity to mitogens. Further studies are needed to determine whether the EDTA or collagenase had any effect upon the intestinal mucosal lymphocyte responsiveness. The present study demonstrated that viable mucosal lymphocytes can be isolated from the canine intestine and that they can maintain their responsiveness to mitogens.
Microgliomatosis was found in the central nervous system of a 7-year-old male Standard Schnauzer. History, neurologic examination, laboratory tests and electrodiagnostics could not localize the disease process in the central nervous system. The animal was not treated, continued to deteriorate, and was euthanatized approximately 8 weeks after clinical signs were first detected. Diagnosis was made upon histologic examination of the brain.
Colonic tissue from 3 male and 3 female Beagle dogs was stained for immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgM cells. The colonic mucosa was divided vertically into 3 zones with an ocular reticule. The mean numbers of IgA and IgM cells and the mean percentages of the total number of the IgA or IgM cells were determined for each zone. (A comparison of IgM cell counts obtained by 2 investigators gave evidence that the results were consistent between different counters.) Comparison of the data from males with data from females showed that there was no difference for IgM cells, but that young, male dogs had more IgA cells that did old, female dogs in that portion of the colonic mucosa that was closest to the colonic lumen. The number and pattern of IgA cells were similar to those found in a previous study of IgA cells which used male, mixed-breed dogs, ie, there were fewer IgA cells in the lamina propria closest to the colonic lumen than in the deeper lamina propria. The distribution of IgM cells showed a similar nonuniform trend. Finally, there were fewer IgM cells than IgA cells in the deeper lamina propria; however, the percentages of the total number of IgA and IgM cells found in each zone were equivalent.
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In 2 dogs (3 and 8 months old), double-chambered right ventricle was diagnosed by selective angiocardiography. In 1 dog, the systolic pressure in the outflow tract portion of the right ventricle and in the main pulmonary artery was 13 mm of Hg, whereas the systolic pressure in the right ventricle proximal to a constricting muscular ring was 80 mm of Hg. The absence of a valvular pressure gradient and the appearance of normal valves at surgery indicated that the right ventricular outflow obstruction was a congenital lesion. The 67-mm of Hg pressure gradient suggested the need for resection of the obstruction. The defect was corrected surgically and the dog was clinically normal when examined 1 1/2 years later. The 2nd dog was not considered for corrective surgery because of a clinically insignificant gradient in the right ventricular outflow tract. When the dog was examined at 11 months of age, the cardiac silhouette was bilaterally enlarged. However, inasmuch as the dog had not experienced any exercise intolerance or weakness and the electrocardiogram was normal, further diagnostic and therapeutic work was not done. When the dog was examined at 20 months of age, it appeared healthy.
The horizontal and vertical distributions of immunoglobulin (Ig) A cells were determined in canine intestines by immunoperoxidase assay on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. With this technique, excellent preservation of tissue morphology was obtained, and special tissue fixation and handling were not required. Immunoglobulin A cells were counted in 2-different ways at different magnifications. It was seen that (i) the duodenum usually had the highest cell counts at all levels of the lamina propria, (ii) IgA cells in the zone closest to the intestinal lumen became less numerous caudad from the duodenum to the colon, (iii) the zone closest to the submucosa (zone D) had the fewest IgA cells in the small intestines, and (iv) the IgA cell counts in zone D tended to be lowest in the jejunum and ileum and highest in the duodenum and colon.
An assessment of protein-calorie status was performed on 200 consecutive adult nonobstetric admissions to a private hospital from two group family practices. Anthropometric measurements, serum albumin level, and total lymphocyte count were determined at admission and weekly if the patient remained in the hospital. Nonnutritional factors affecting muscle protein stores and serum albumin level were taken into account. A total of 63 patients (31.5%) were found to be malnourished. The most common conditions associated with decreased protein stores were hypoxic cardiopulmonary disease, gastrointestinal disease, neuromuscular or arthritic impairment, organic brain syndrome, and febrile illness. Although nonnutritional factors accounted for many instances of protein depletion, expecially milder degrees of depletion, nevertheless protein calorie malnutrition was highly prevalent in this population.
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