Use of vascular access ports in femoral veins of dogs and cats with cancer

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term function of vascular access ports (VAPs) implanted in the femoral vein of dogs and cats undergoing cancer treatment. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. ANIMALS: 3 dogs and 6 cats treated via chemotherapy or radiation. PROCEDURES: VAPs were surgically implanted in the left femoral vein of 3 dogs and 6 cats over a 1-year period. Injection port location was alternated to either a caudal thoracic or ilial location in each patient. Duration of VAP function, ease of infusion, and ease of aspiration through the VAPs were recorded, and associated complications were assessed at each VAP use. Client satisfaction with VAP placement was evaluated by use of a questionnaire. RESULTS: Primary uses of the VAPs included blood sampling and delivering sedative or chemotherapeutic drugs. Median duration of successful infusion was 147 days (range, 60 to 370 days), and median duration of successful aspiration was 117 days (range, 10 to 271 days). The frequency of signs of VAP-related discomfort was low (7% of patient observations). Clients were satisfied with their decision to use VAPs. Complications included partial (n = 7) or complete (2) VAP occlusion, port migration (1), and presumptive infection (1). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggested that VAP implantation into the femoral vein provides an acceptable means of chronic venous access in dogs and cats undergoing cancer treatment.     

Lightning,precipitation and vegetation at landscape scale

Landscape Ecology - We investigated the question “Is there a relationship between seasonality in precipitation and vegetative cover in Pole Canyon, NM?” GIS and statistical methods were...     

Restoration and Rehabilitation of Mixed Espinales in Central Chile: 10-Year Report and Appraisal

A synthesis of progress achieved thus far is provided for a 10 - year research and development program aimed at the ecological and economic rehabilitation of agroecosystems in the unirrigated portions of the central valley of Chile's Mediterranean climate region. We review our data on (1) revised management techniques aimed at restoring the gross superstructure and former levels of diversity and productivity of a mixed espinales formation; (2) selection and utilization of ecotypes of the naturalized annual Medicago polymorpha L. and the N2-fixing microsymbiont Rhizobium meliloti, for gradual improvement of espinal soil fertility; and (3) studies of the outstandingly well adapted and fast growing Canary Island tree Chamaecytisus proliferus (L. fil.) Link ssp. palmensis (Christ) Kunkel (Tagasaste), which along with about three dozen other woody nitrogen - fixing legume and several nonlegume multipurpose trees, was considered to be of potential value for deep soil layer rehabilitation combined with economic improvements. In all these subprograms, efforts were made to identify techniques or organisms that could provide short-term benefits to landowners, especially in the form of wood, fuelwood, or forage for livestock. We also consider various approaches to be added to the program over the next decade, especially in view of the overarching goal of reintegrating fragmented landscapes and combining restoration with rehabilitation and reallocation at this spatial scale.     

Fungicidal activity and chemical constitution: XVII.—Activity of various 4-(1-substituted n-alkyl)-2,6-dinitrophenols and esters against apple powdery mildew

Members of series of 4-(cyclobutylalkyl, cyclohexylalkyl and benzylalkyl)-2,6-dinitrophenols were tested in a glasshouse against apple powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera leucotricha. Three series involving a cyclohexyl substituent separated from the phenolic nucleus by one, two or three methylene groups were of the same order of activity, but replacement of this substituent by a phenyl group in one case, resulted in a marked decrease in activity. Of a number of esters tested, none was significantly more active than the corresponding phenol.     

Experimental infection model for Taenia solium cysticercosis in swine. Cysticercosis Working Group in Peru

A novel method for infecting pigs with Taenia solium using an intramuscular innoculum of oncospheres was investigated in a series of five experiments in 18 animals. The model is simple to perform, requires a minimal number of oncospheres, permits multiple infections per animal, and decreases the variation inherent in oral infection models. This intramuscular oncosphere assay (IMOA) may provide a valuable tool to evaluate therapeutic agents or potential vaccines for cysticercosis.     

Regulation of cytokine receptors by Golgi N-glycan processing and endocytosis

The Golgi enzyme beta1,6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (Mgat5) is up-regulated in carcinomas and promotes the substitution of N-glycan with poly N-acetyllactosamine, the preferred ligand for galectin-3 (Gal-3). Here, we report that expression of Mgat5 sensitized mouse cells to multiple cytokines. Gal-3 cross-linked Mgat5-modified N-glycans on epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta receptors at the cell surface and delayed their removal by constitutive endocytosis. Mgat5 expression in mammary carcinoma was rate limiting for cytokine signaling and consequently for epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cell motility, and tumor metastasis. Mgat5 also promoted cytokine-mediated leukocyte signaling, phagocytosis, and extravasation in vivo. Thus, conditional regulation of N-glycan processing drives synchronous modification of cytokine receptors, which balances their surface retention against loss via endocytosis.