Use of alkaline phosphatase staining to differentiate canine osteosarcoma from other vimentin-positive tumors

Aspiration of lytic bone lesions is an excellent diagnostic test in the initial evaluation of primary bone neoplasia. However, cytologically, it can be difficult to differentiate osteosarcoma (OSA) from other bone neoplasms, including fibrosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, synovial cell sarcoma, and plasma cell myeloma. The purpose of this study is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining to differentiate OSA from other tumors that express vimentin by immunocytochemistry or immunohistochemistry. ALP is a hydrolytic enzyme present in multiple tissues including liver, kidney, intestine, placenta, and bone. Hypothetically, neoplasms actively producing bone should be specifically positive for ALP staining. Unstained, cytologic specimens were incubated for 8-10 minutes with nitroblue tetrazolium chloride/5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate toluidine salt-phosphatase substrate. A positive reaction stains the membrane of the cells gray to black. Samples were counterstained with a Romanowsky's stain to determine whether the sample was of representative cellularity. A total of 61 vimentin-positive neoplasms have been evaluated and confirmed histopathologically. Tumors that expressed vimentin and were positive for ALP included 33 OSAs, one multi-lobular tumor of bone, one amelanotic melanoma, and one chondrosarcoma. Tumors that expressed vimentin and were negative for ALP included chondrosarcomas (three of four), multiple fibrosarcomas, and multiple synovial cell sarcomas. The sensitivity is 100%, and the specificity is 89%. In conclusion, ALP appears to be a highly sensitive and fairly specific marker in the diagnosis of OSA.     

Embryonaler Fruchttod bei einer Kuh im Anschluß an eine Nachbesamung — nachgewiesen mit Hilfe der Progesteronbestimmung im Blut

Inhalt: Mit Hilfe der kompetitiven Proteinbindungsreaktion wurde Progesteron im peripheren Blut einer Kuh vom 16. his 56. Tag nach der Erstbesamung bestimmt. Die hohen Progesteronwerte, zum Teil über 10 ng/ml Plasma, his zum Tag der 2. künstlichen Insemination (Tag 27) lassen den Schluβ zu, daβ bereits die Erstbesamung zu einer Konzeption geführt hatte und zum Zeitpunkt der Zweitbesamung ein lebender Embryo vorlag. Die 2. Insemination, die aufgrund äuβerer Brunstsymptome durchgeführt wurde, hatte ein Absinken des Progesteronhlutspiegels auf Werte unter 1 ng/ml Plasma zur Folge. Daran schloβ sich ein normaler Zyklus von 20tägiger Dauer an. Dieser hormonanalytisch belegte Fall eines durch Nachbesamung ausgelösten embryonalen Fruchttodes unterstreicht die Forderung der Kliniker, vor Nachbesamungen die Eierstöcke auf das Vorhandensein eines Corpus luteum graviditatis zu kontroilieren.     

Consequences of nutritional and husbandry factors on the heat production of rats and broilers. 2. Effect of environmental temperature on the heat production of fully grown broilers and rats

In an experiment with broilers (origin Tetra B) and with rats (albino, Wistar line) with 2 animals each, heat production was ascertained by measuring CO2 production and O2 consumption over 20 minutes after their feeding 18 h and 1 h before the beginning of measuring at ambient temperatures of 30, 25, 20, 15 and 10 degrees C. Every variant was followed through over 6 h/d in 12 measuring sections. The feed amount/ánimal and day was adapted to energy maintenance requirement. At the beginning of the experiments the broilers and rats were 14 and 21 weeks old resp. and weighed 2.2 kg and 220 g resp. The variation of the ambient temperature did not influence the heat production of the broilers. In contrast to this, the time of feeding in relation to the beginning of measuring had a distinct effect on heat production. Whereas a heat production of 342 +/- 34 kJ/kg LW0.75.d was ascertained in the postabsorptive state 18 h after the last feed intake, it increased by 11% to 393 +/- 32 kJ/kg LW0.75.d when measuring began 1 h after feeding. The very act of feed intake increased heat production by 75%. Rats showed a distinct increase of heat production caused by a decreasing ambient temperature. In the temperature range of 30-25 degrees C the increase was shallower than in the range of 25-10 degrees C. Per 1 degrees C below 25 degrees C heat production increased by 30 kJ/kg LW0.75.d. The increase was independent of the metabolism level, which was influenced by the feeding variants. The results are discussed in connection with Rubner's theory of heat compensation.     

Purification of the ninth component of the bovine complement cascade.

Conditions for purification of the ninth component of bovine complement (C9) were established. The conditions for binding and elution from diethylaminoethyl cellulose and hydroxylapatite were different than for human C9. Serum albumin, a frequent contaminant of bovine C9 preparations, was removed by chromatography on reactive-red agarose. The calculated molecular weight of bovine C9 was 66,000, and reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol affected its migration on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Some preparations of bovine C9 migrated as 2 bands when partially reduced, but extensively reduced preparations had a single band.     

Influences on fermentation and thiamine metabolism in bovine rumen fluid (in vitro)--part 3: Effects of artificially contaminated hay with Cladosporium herbarum and Fusarium graminearum, respectively

The influence of contaminated hay [Cladosporium herbarum (CL) and Fusarium graminearum (FU), respectively] on fermentation and thiamine metabolism of bovine rumen content was investigated using the longterm rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC). Six investigation periods 25 days long each were carried out. A nine days feeding period with normal hay was followed by the testphase I (five days) with a mixture of normal and mouldy hay and testphase II (five days) with additive an 0.3 mg thiamine per reaction vessel. The last four days served as regeneration time with normal hay. The following marginal effects of mouldy hay on rumen fermentation patterns could be noted. A) During testphase I: cellulase activity: +10.0% (FU); alternation of the thiamine derivate pattern, but no effect on total thiamine content (CL, FU). B) During testphase II the results were more obvious: bacterial protein synthesis: -22.6% (CL), -24.4% (FU). Alternation of the fatty acid pattern: propionate (-7.30% FU), n-butyrate (-3.90% CL, +3.49% FU), n-valerate (-8.5% CH, FU). Cellulase activity: -17.0% (CL, FU). But no effect on total thiamine (CL, FU); alternation of the thiamine derivate pattern: more non phosphorylate thiamine. The noted effects on rumen fermentation and thiamine metabolism were not severe enough to be responsible for the development of a CCN.