Language：Japanese   Publisher：Veterinary Medicine and Science  

A 12-year-old male domestic cat with multiple subcutaneous mast cell tumours (MCTs) presented with a 2-week history of pruritus and raw/bleeding skin from self-trauma at Kagoshima University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and histopathological analyses revealed intertumoral heterogeneity among tumour locations based on the mutation status of KIT. In addition, the expression pattern of KIT was characterized. After failed treatment with vinblastine (2.0–2.2 mg/m2, intravenous administration, two doses in total) or nimustine (25 mg/m2, intravenous administration, two doses in total), toceranib (2.2–2.6 mg/kg, orally administered, every other day) was administered to treat recurrent MCTs harbouring the KIT exon eight internal tandem duplication mutation, achieving a complete response. However, toceranib resistance developed 2 months after treatment initiation. Subsequent PCR analysis was conducted to identify the mutational status of KIT in each MCT and to detect the presence of secondary mutations associated with the acquisition of toceranib resistance. Secondary KIT mutations (c.998G>C and c.2383G>C), which were not initially detected in tumour cells at diagnosis, were identified after the development of resistance to toceranib. This indicates that the tumour cells in feline MCTs in the same case have diverse characteristics. Our findings encourage further investigation into the development of therapeutic strategies for feline MCTs, particularly focusing on the heterogeneous nature of KIT/KIT and overcoming acquired resistance to toceranib.

DOI： 10.1002/vms3.70003

Scopus

PubMed

Language：Japanese   Publisher：Genes  

Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be difficult to differentiate but must be diagnosed correctly as treatment and prognosis for these tumors differ markedly. Relevant diagnostic biomarkers are thus needed, and those identified in dogs may have utility in human medicine because of the similarities between human and canine HCA and HCC. A tRNA-derived fragment (tRF), tRNA-Val, is a promising potential biomarker for canine mammary gland tumors but has not previously been investigated in hepatic tumors. Accordingly, we aimed to elucidate the potential utility of tRNA-Val as a biomarker for canine HCA and HCC using clinical samples (tumor tissue and plasma extracellular vesicles [EVs]) and tumor cell lines with qRT-PCR assays. We also investigated relevant functions and signaling pathways with bioinformatic analyses (Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes). tRNA-Val was markedly downregulated in HCC tumor tissue versus HCA tumor tissue and normal liver tissue, and a similar trend was shown in plasma EVs and HCC cell lines versus healthy controls. Based on areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs), tRNA-Val significantly distinguished HCC (AUC = 1.00, p = 0.001) from healthy controls in plasma EVs and HCC from HCA (AUC = 0.950, p = 0.01). Bioinformatics analysis revealed that tRNA-Val may be primarily involved in DNA repair, mRNA processing, and splicing and may be linked to the N-glycan and ubiquitin-mediated proteasome pathways. This is the first report on the expression of tRNA-Val in canine HCC and HCA and its possible functions and signaling pathways. We suggest that tRNA-Val could be a promising novel biomarker to distinguish canine HCC from HCA. This study provides evidence for a greater understanding of the role played by tRNA-Val in the development of canine HCC.

DOI： 10.3390/genes15081024

Scopus

PubMed

Language：English   Publisher：Japanese Society of Veterinary Anesthesia and Surgery  

<p>Malignant tumors arising from thoracic wall may require extensive resection, including ribs. The major complication following rib resection is the development of a flail chest, and resection of more than six ribs is not recommended. We performed a resection with six ribs for a liposarcoma in the thoracic wall of a dog, followed by reconstruction of two cephalic ribs with a titanium plate. There was no postoperative flail chest and the patient’s respiratory status was stable. Rib reconstruction with plates was considered to allow functional reconstruction of the thoracic wall after extensive mass resection.</p>

DOI： 10.2327/jjvas.54.53

Language：English   Publisher：Japanese Society of Veterinary Anesthesia and Surgery  

<p>A three-month-old intact female cat was presented with a history of regurgitation. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a complete vascular ring due to aberrant origin of the right subclavian artery and conjunction of the right subclavian and common carotid arteries, which had caused esophageal stricture with severe dilatation, cranial to the heart base. At eight months old, the cat underwent surgical transection of the aberrant right subclavian artery via a right-sided intercostal thoracotomy. The cat recovered uneventfully and was discharged six days after surgery. Although regurgitation occurred due to trichobezoars requiring removal from the dilated esophagus under endoscopy two months post-surgery, the cat has remained asymptomatic through 12 months post-surgery.</p>

DOI： 10.2327/jjvas.54.39

Language：Japanese   Publisher：Veterinary Research Communications  

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) was identified for the first time in cats in 2012 in Hong Kong. Although its association with chronic kidney disease in cats has attracted the attention of researchers, its clinical significance as an acute infection has not been reported. Previously, we reported FeMV detection using next-generation sequence-based comprehensive genomic analysis of plasma samples from cats with suspected acute febrile infections. Here, we conducted an epidemiological survey to detect FeMV by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) using blood samples from cats in Japan. FeMV was detected in 32/102 blood samples (31.4%) from cats with suspected acute viral infections. Most of the FeMV-positive cats had clinical findings consistent with acute viral infections, including fever, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and jaundice. No FeMV was detected in healthy cats or clinically ill cats that visited veterinary hospitals. Phylogenetic analysis classified FeMV L genes into various FeMV subtypes. We also necropsied a FeMV-positive cat that died of a suspected acute infection. On necropsy, FeMV was detected in systemic organs, including the kidneys, lymph nodes and spleen by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining. These results suggest that FeMV infections may cause acute symptomatic febrile infections in cats. A limitation of this study was that the involvement of other pathogens that cause febrile illnesses could not be ruled out and this prevented a definitive conclusion that FeMV causes febrile disease in infected cats. Further studies that include experimental infections are warranted to determine the pathogenicity of FeMV in cats.

DOI： 10.1007/s11259-023-10214-x

Scopus

PubMed

Publisher：(株)エデュワードプレス  

Authorship：Lead author   Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Article, review, commentary, editorial, etc. (trade magazine, newspaper, online media)  

Event date： 2022.9

Language：Japanese   Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

Venue：麻布大学（オンライン）   Country：Japan  

Event date： 2023.9

Event date： 2023.9

Language：Japanese  

Language：Japanese  

Award type：Award from Japanese society, conference, symposium, etc.  Country：Japan

Audience： High school students,　General

Type：Lecture

鹿児島大学共同獣医学部附属動物病院の会議室に一般の方を招いて、実際にリハビリテーションのやり方やセミナーを開催した。

鹿児島県動物愛護センターにて一般の動物の飼い主向けに介護やかかりやすい病気に関してセミナーを行った。