Angioinvasive lymphoma (lymphomatoid granulomatosis) in a cat,with cutaneous and ocular metastasis

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG) is a rare variant of an angioinvasive T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder that primarily affects the lungs, with common sites of metastasis including the skin and subcutis. In humans, it is a B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection. Our case is a 7-y-old, spayed female, domestic longhair cat that decompensated and was euthanized following an initial diagnosis of angioinvasive lymphoma from a skin biopsy. Autopsy revealed nodules in the lungs and subcutis, and corneal thickening and cloudiness. Histologic examination of cutaneous nodules, lungs, and eye showed similar angioinvasive cellular infiltrates and pattern to that of the original skin biopsy, consistent with a diagnosis of LYG. The neoplastic cells displayed CD3-positive immunoreactivity in the skin, eye, and lung, and PCR for antigen receptor rearrangement (PARR) showed T-cell clonality in all tissues tested. This is the third case of LYG to be reported in cats and is the only case in which PARR analysis and immunophenotyping immunohistochemical staining was performed. LYG with ocular involvement has not been reported previously in cats, to our knowledge. Our case demonstrates the necessity for considering LYG when presented with a cat with respiratory signs in conjunction with subcutaneous nodules and ocular lesions.     

Screening trial of 14 tropical hardwoods with an emphasis on species native to Costa Rica: Fourth year results

Fourth year results are presented from a species screening trial established at the La Selva Biological Station in northeastern Costa Rica. Of the 14 tropical hardwood species evaluated on survivorship, growth, form, and volume the most promising were (survival, diameter and height): Vochysia guatemalensis (84%, 12.2 cm, 10.5 m); Vochysia ferruginea (79%, 9.7 cm, 7.8 m); Hyeronima alchorneoides (83%, 8.1 cm, 7.9 m); Dipteryx panamensis (78%, 5.5 cm, 7.2 m); and Calophyllum brasiliense (80%, 6.3 cm, 6.2 m).

---

Resumen Se presentan resultados a los cuatro años de edad de un ensayo de adaptabilidad establecido en la Estación Biológica La Selva ubicado en el noreste de Costa Rica. Las variables evaluadas para todas las especies fueron: sobrevivencia, crecimiento (altura total, diámetro a la altura del pecho), forma, y volumen. Las siguientes especies presentaron los mejores resultados (sobrevivencia, diámetro y altura): Vochysia guatemalensis (84%, 12.2 cm, 10.5 m); Vochysia ferruginea (79%, 9.7 cm, 7.8 m); Hyeronima alchorneoides (83%, 8.1 cm, 7.9 m); Dipteryx panamensis (78%, 5.5 cm, 7.2 m); y Calophyllum brasiliense (80%, 6.3 cm, 6.2 m).

     

Single-molecule DNA sequencing of a viral genome

The full promise of human genomics will be realized only when the genomes of thousands of individuals can be sequenced for comparative analysis. A reference sequence enables the use of short read length. We report an amplification-free method for determining the nucleotide sequence of more than 280,000 individual DNA molecules simultaneously. A DNA polymerase adds labeled nucleotides to surface-immobilized primer-template duplexes in stepwise fashion, and the asynchronous growth of individual DNA molecules was monitored by fluorescence imaging. Read lengths of >25 bases and equivalent phred software program quality scores approaching 30 were achieved. We used this method to sequence the M13 virus to an average depth of >150x and with 100% coverage; thus, we resequenced the M13 genome with high-sensitivity mutation detection. This demonstrates a strategy for high-throughput low-cost resequencing.     

An inhibitor of FtsZ with potent and selective anti-staphylococcal activity

FtsZ is an essential bacterial guanosine triphosphatase and homolog of mammalian beta-tubulin that polymerizes and assembles into a ring to initiate cell division. We have created a class of small synthetic antibacterials, exemplified by PC190723, which inhibits FtsZ and prevents cell division. PC190723 has potent and selective in vitro bactericidal activity against staphylococci, including methicillin- and multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The putative inhibitor-binding site of PC190723 was mapped to a region of FtsZ that is analogous to the Taxol-binding site of tubulin. PC190723 was efficacious in an in vivo model of infection, curing mice infected with a lethal dose of S. aureus. The data validate FtsZ as a target for antibacterial intervention and identify PC190723 as suitable for optimization into a new anti-staphylococcal therapy.