Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) diagnosis is still a challenge in endemic areas with limited diagnostic resources. This study proposes a score with the potential to distinguish positive CVL cases from negative ones. We studied 265 dogs that tested positive for CVL on ELISA and parasitological tests. A score ranging between 0 and 19 was recorded on the basis of clinical signs. Dogs with CVL had an overall higher positivity of the majority of clinical signs than did dogs without CVL or with ehrlichiosis. Clinical signs such as enlarged lymph nodes (83.93%), muzzle/ear lesions (55.36%), nutritional status (51.79%), bristle condition (57.14%), pale mucosal colour (48.21%), onychogryphosis (58.93%), skin lesion (39.28%), bleeding (12.50%), muzzle depigmentation (41.07%), alopecia (39.29%), blepharitis (21.43%), and keratoconjunctivitis (42.86%) were more frequent in dogs with CVL than in dogs with ehrlichiosis or without CVL. Moreover, the clinical score increased according to the positivity of all diagnostic tests (ELISA, p < 0.001; parasite culture, p = 0.0021; and smear, p = 0.0003). Onychogryphosis (long nails) [odds ratio (OR): 3.529; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.832-6.796; p < 0.001], muzzle depigmentation (OR: 4.651; 95% CI: 2.218-9.750; p < 0.001), and keratoconjunctivitis (OR: 5.400; 95% CI: 2.549-11.441; p < 0.001) were highly associated with CVL. Interestingly, a score cut-off value ≥ 6 had an area under the curve of 0.717 (p < 0.0001), sensitivity of 60.71%, and specificity of 73.64% for CVL diagnosis. The clinical sign-based score for CVL diagnosis suggested herein can help veterinarians reliably identify dogs with CVL in endemic areas with limited diagnostic resources.

HighlightsL. infantum-infected dogs were treated with allopurinol alone or plus Leish-F2 + SLA-SE.Both treatment regimen generated long term clinical improvement.Immunochemotherapy, but not chemotherapy alone, generated sustained parasite control.

The association between FokI polymorphism in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and susceptibility to arterial hypertension (HT) is controversial. Thus, we evaluated the relation between FokI and HT according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using MEDLINE® (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online)/PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library CENTRAL databases. Data from case-control studies, including the number of participants, age, 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, systolic and diastolic blood pressure values, FokI allele, and genotype frequency were extracted by 2 independent authors and OR was calculated with the 95% CI to assess the strength of the association between the FokI variant and odds of HT. In general and subgroup analyses, we used allelic (f compared with F), common (ff compared with FF + Ff), risk (ff + Ff compared with FF), and additive (ff compared with FF) models. Six case-control studies including 3140 cases and 3882 controls were reviewed in the meta-analysis. Global assessment revealed a correlation between FokI and reduced odds of HT in the additive/homozygote model (ff compared with FF; OR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.45–0.94) and common/recessive model (ff compared with FF + Ff; OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.57–0.99). In Asian subjects, there was a significant reduction in the odds of HT in additive (ff compared with FF; OR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.73–0.98) and risk models (ff + Ff compared with FF; OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.78–0.97), in particular, for Indians (South). In Africans, the statistically significant association occurred in the additive and common models. Allele f in the FokI polymorphism of the VDR gene was associated with reduced odds of HT in the general population based on the risk model. Thus, nutritional genomics can help understand the influence of nutrition on metabolic homeostasis pathways and the clinical consequences of hypertension. This study shows the need for healthy, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant compounds to prevent or treat chronic complications.

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RESUMO.Osteossarcoma é um dos tumores ósseos maligno mais comum em cães, sendo que nessa espécie mais de 80% das neoplasias ósseas malignas são osteossarcomas. A ocorrência desta doença é maior em cães com 5 a 9 anos, com pico ao redor de 7 anos, porém ela também pode ser observada em cães jovens, com 1 ano de idade. Em raças de grande porte a incidência é maior e ambos os sexos são igualmente acometidos. O osteossarcoma ocorre também em gatos, mas é menos comum do que em cães, e o desenvolvimento de metástases é mais lento. A etiologia do osteossarcoma canino permanece desconhecida. Os primeiros sintomas a serem observados são claudicação e extenso aumento de volume, doloroso, no foco tumoral. O diagnóstico é baseado no histórico, exame físico, laboratorial, citilográficos e principalmente achados radiográficos, que mostram áreas de destruição óssea, neoformação óssea, contorno indefinido, reação periosteal (em alguns casos em "raios de sol") e aumento do volume de tecidos moles, sendo a confirmação feita por biópsia e exame histopatológico. Os tratamentos podem ser com quimioterapia, radioterapia, cirurgia para a amputação do membro acometido e cirurgia com preservação de membro. O prognóstico em geral é ruim, porém dependerá da espécie, da raça e da resposta ao tratamento. Palavras chave: Neoplasia óssea, osteossarcoma, tumor ósseoCanine osteosarcoma: Case report ABSTRACT. Osteosarcoma is one of the most common malignant bone tumors in dogs, and in this species more than 80% of malignant bone neoplasms are osteosarcomas. The occurrence of this disease is greater in dogs with 5 to 9 years, with a peak around 7 years, but it can also be observed in young dogs, at 1 year of age. In large breeds the incidence is higher and both sexes are equally affected. Osteosarcoma also occurs in cats, but is less common than in dogs, and the development of metastases is slower. The etiology of canine osteosarcoma remains unknown. The first symptoms to be observed are lameness and extensive painful volume increase in the tumor focus. The diagnosis is based on the history, physical examination, laboratory examination, scintigraphy and mainly radiographic findings, showing areas of bone destruction, bone neoformation, indefinite contour, periosteal reaction (in some cases in "sun rays") and increase in tissue volume The biopsy and histopathological examination were confirmed. The treatments can be with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery for amputation of the affected limb and surgery with limb preservation. The prognosis is usually poor, but will depend on the species, the breed and the response to treatment.