BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Chemotherapy works on active cells. Active cells are cells that are growing and dividing into more of the same type of cell. Cancer cells are active, but so are some healthy cells. Also, scientists work constantly to develop ways of providing treatment with fewer chemotherapy side effects. Objectives: The aim of this study was antitumor effect of simultaneous low-intensity, 150 kHz ultrasound, in combination with the reduced dose of anticancer drug Doxorubicin (DOX) on breast adenocarcinoma using murine model (BALB/c). Methods: Twenty-five female BALB/c mice were used in this study. The tumor was implanted under the breast skin of mice. Mice were divided into five groups, namely control, sham, drug (IV injected of 2 mg/kg of DOX), drug (IV injected of 1 mg/kg of DOX) + US (150 kHz for 15 minutes) and exposure to ultrasound (150 kHz for 15 minutes) alone. The data were analyzed employing ANOVA using SPSS software V.13 and complementary test of Tooki was done. Results: It was shown that, after injection of DOX, exposure to ultrasound at 150 kHz the necrotic spaces in adenocarcinoma tumors compared to control and sham groups have meaningful variance (p<0.001). There was also a significant difference (the bigger the necrotic spaces) between the drug+US group and drug treated group (p<0.05), It should be mentioned that the dose of DOX in drug+US group was reduced to 1mg/kg. Conclusions: The co-administration of DOX and low-intensity ultrasound provided a more effective treatment than the drug alone in murine adenocarcinoma breast cancer. The combined treatment appeared to produce synergistic effects that could prove potentially useful in reducing the side effects of DOX by lowering the required effective dose of the drug while increasing the efficiency of the therapy as a whole.

The body condition score (BCS) is insufficient in determining the amount of body fat in horses, thus defining obesity. Measurement of the subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) by ultrasonography should be considered as an appropriate method in the definition of fat distribution at different body locations in horses. Therefore, this study aimed to 1) characterize the SFT in three different anatomical locations (i.e. neck, lumbar region, and gluteal region); 2) evaluate the relationship between BCS and SFT; 3) determine the influence of gender, weight, age, and gait on BCS and SFT measurements, and 4) explore the agreement between the morphometric measurements [i.e. body mass index (BMI), girth circumference: height at withers ratio (GC: HW), neck circumference: height at withers ratio (NC: HW)], and BCS and SFT in a population of Colombian Paso Horses (CPHs). The Henneke’s body condition scoring was applied to 69 adult CPHs,selected using a convenience sampling. Additionally, BMI, GC: HW, and NC: HW were calculated. Body fat percentage (BF%) was calculated by ultrasound measurement of the SFT in the neck, lumbar region, and gluteal region. The BF% in the CPHs was 6.4 ± 1.1. The GC: HW, NC: HW, and BMI were not predictors of the BF% or BCS, and neither gender nor gait was decisive in the definition of fattening in the study animals, although age and weight were determining variables. According to our results, ultrasound is an adequate tool to calculate the BF% of the CPHs. However, it must be accompanied by Henneke’s BCS assessment.

Introduction: The thyroid and parathyroid glands play a major role in maintaining physiological homeostasis in all vertebrates. Reptiles have plasma concentrations of thyroid hormones far lower than mammals. Low levels of these hormones in reptiles impede thyroid hormone detection with assays designed for the higher levels of mammals. The aim of this study was to explore teaming this with ultrasound imaging of the thyroid to appraise glandular function. Material and Methods: Thyroid function of four pond sliders was evaluated based on the results of T4 analyses and ultrasound. Results: The concentrations of T4 varied considerably between the examined animals from <9 nmol/L to >167.3 nmol/L. Ultrasound examination revealed uniform echogenicity and a smooth outline of the thyroid gland in all animals. Conclusion: Monitoring of thyroid function based on T4 and electrolyte concentrations is helpful in assessing the health and living conditions of reptiles, which is important in veterinary practice but problematic. Ultrasound examinations are useful in diagnosing changes in gland structure, such as tumours and goitres, and a combination of both methods supports comprehensive assessments of the anatomy and function of the thyroid gland.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the serum ferritin level and quantitate ultra¬sound elastography as a marker to distinguish dogs with benign and malignant liver tumors. Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight dogs were determined the serum ferritin and ultrasound elastography by using fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Results: Our results demonstrated that dogs with malignant liver tumors had significantly higher mean serum ferritin concentrations than those with benign liver tumors (p = 0.004). The mean intensity of blue and red colors from elastography was greater in the malignant than those in the benign group, especially for the blue color, meaning that lesions showed more hard tissue. Additionally, histograms of blue color in the malignant tended to be higher than the benign group. Conclusion: We suggested that quantitative ultrasound elastography and serum ferritin concen¬tration comprise an alternative and non-invasive diagnostic method that could be used to predict the type of liver tumors in dogs. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2020; 7(4.000): 575- 584]

To declare the interaction between IBR vaccination and the synchronization protocol, dairy heifers (n= 24), 12.5-14.0 months old, were equally and randomly assigned according to the timing of vaccination into pre-synch group (vaccinated 3 days before synchronization), in-synch group (vaccinated five days after the start of the synchronization), and control (given sterile water same as treated groups). Ovarian and uterine ultrasound examinations were done on Day -3, 5, 8, 19 and 43. Blood samples were collected for measuring estradiol and progesterone levels after vaccination. The effect of IBR vaccination on ovarian activity appeared on Day 5 (P= 0.07) through decrease in the mean diameter of the growing follicles in pre-synch group compared to in-synch group, and on Day 8 through reduction of the total and growing follicular numbers (P= 0.05 and 0.03, respectively) in in-synch group compared to other groups. Estradiol levels were significantly (P=0.03) higher on day 8 (day of insemination) in the pre-synch group than the other groups. The uterine changes were characterized by a significant decrease in uterine diameters on Day 5 in the pre-synch group compared with control. The ventral uterine diameter in-synch group decreased on Day 5 (P= 0.015) and re-increased on Day 8 (P= 0.007 compared to control group. In conclusion, administration of IBR vaccination prior to synchronization may possess some impacts on the ovarian and uterine activities without major adverse reactions on reproduction. Therefore, vaccination timing is recommended to be at least three days away from the beginning of the synchronization protocol.

Gallbladder mucocele is characterized by hyperplasia of the gallbladder epithelium, increased mucus production, accumulation, and densification of the bile content, which can lead to biliary obstruction, necrosis, and rupture of the gallbladder wall. Its finding may be accidental or related to symptoms. A retrospective study (2016-2019) was carried out based on abdominal ultrasound examinations in dogs, correlating aspects of the gallbladder and biliary system in the mucocele with existing comorbidities. Thirty dogs diagnosed with biliary mucocele were evaluated, of which 46.66% had the disease at an early stage, and 53.33% showed a more advanced stage. Of these, 66.66% were related to endocrinopathies and hyperadrenocorticism. Signs of extrahepatic bile duct obstruction and biliary peritonitis were observed in two animals. Due to their potential risk of complications, follow-up ultrasound assessments are indicated in cases that opt for clinical treatment, not excluding the need for surgical intervention.

Gallbladder mucocele is characterized by hyperplasia of the gallbladder epithelium, increased mucus production, accumulation, and densification of the bile content, which can lead to biliary obstruction, necrosis, and rupture of the gallbladder wall. Its finding may be accidental or related to symptoms. A retrospective study (2016-2019) was carried out based on abdominal ultrasound examinations in dogs, correlating aspects of the gallbladder and biliary system in the mucocele with existing comorbidities. Thirty dogs diagnosed with biliary mucocele were evaluated, of which 46.66% had the disease at an early stage, and 53.33% showed a more advanced stage. Of these, 66.66% were related to endocrinopathies and hyperadrenocorticism. Signs of extrahepatic bile duct obstruction and biliary peritonitis were observed in two animals. Due to their potential risk of complications, follow-up ultrasound assessments are indicated in cases that opt for clinical treatment, not excluding the need for surgical intervention.

A esclerite é uma doença inflamatória extremamente dolorosa e pode afetar seriamente a visão. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever dois casos de esclerite em cães tratados com imunossupressores e monitorados pela ultrassonografia ocular. Em ambos os casos, a parede ocular apresentava acentuado espessamento e as avaliações ultrassonográficas foram repetidas por semanas, revelando melhoria progressiva e permitindo ajustes na dosagem das medicações. Em conclusão, a ultrassonografia ocular é uma ferramenta útil no diagnóstico e tratamento da esclerite em cães. | Scleritis is a severe painful inflammatory and vision-threatening disease. The purpose of this paper is to describe two cases of scleritis in dogs treated with immunosuppressors and monitored by ocular ultrasound. In both cases the ocular wall presented marked thickening and the ultrasonic exams were repeated for weeks showing progressive improvement allowing adjusting the dosage of the medications. In conclusion, ocular ultrasound is a useful tool in the diagnosis and management of scleritis in dogs.

During embryological development, the eyelids of snakes fuse and no longer open like in mammals. They become transparent, thus forming spectacles, a transparent structure that covers the eyes. The primary function of these spectacles is to provide a physical barrier to protect the eyes without eyelids. This study aimed to evaluate the ocular biometry of Python bivittatus snakes. Ocular ultrasound examinations were performed on four individuals using the Logic E ultrasound device (GE, United States) with a 10-22 MHz linear probe. Conduction gel was used to make transducer contact with the cornea in these snakes. Images were obtained to evaluate the following measurements: axial length of the eyeball, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, and vitreous depth. These measurements of intraocular structures were, respectively: 0.05 ± 0.02 cm for corneal thickness in the right eye and 0.04 ± 0.007 cm in the left eye; 0.11 ± 0.04 cm for anterior chamber depth in the right and left eyes; 0.36 ± 0.07 cm for the lens thickness in the right eye and 0.39 ± 0.05 cm in the left eye; 0.35 ± 0.05 for the depth of the vitreous chamber in the right eye and 0.31 ± 0.02 cm in the left eye; and 0.85 ± 0.18 cm for the length of the globe in the axial plane in the right eye and 0.85 ± 0.14 cm in the left eye. Knowledge of snakes’ anatomical and ophthalmological parameters is scarce, and the incidence of eye diseases is still little known, making further studies necessary.