Intramedullary cisplatin chemotherapy: Experience in four dogs with osteosarcoma

Single-agent intramedullary cisplatin chemotherapy provided effective localised control in two of four dogs with advanced stage osteosarcoma unable to withstand an amputation or limb-sparing surgery. Complete remission of the local neoplasm was observed in one of the four dogs, partial remission of the local neoplasm in one dog and progressive disease in the other two. Limb function was preserved in one dog for seven months and that dog was found to be tumour-free when euthanased due to unrelated causes. These preliminary results warrant further investigation into the use of intramedullary cisplatin chemotherapy in the localised management of canine appendicular osteosarcoma. It is possible that this mode of treatment may be combined with other treatments to maximise the survival (ie, systemic control) in other dogs affected with appendicular osteosarcoma.     

Bovine ephemeral fever

Ephemeral fever remains a viral disease of considerable importance to many countries including Australia. The virus has been only partly characterised and still awaits final classification. Although BEF virus was first thought to contain 6 structural proteins there is increasing evidence to suggest that it contains the 5 proteins characteristic of the Rhabdoviridae. Although BEF is thought to be arthropod borne, the vector has yet to be identified but it is clear from the distribution of BEF that more than one vector is capable of transmitting the disease. Despite rigorous investigation of the clinical signs and the pathology of ephemeral fever, little progress has been made on the pathogenesis of the disease. This has been partly due to the difficulty of propagating BEF virus in vitro and the inability to define the site of replication. However, there is mounting evidence to suggest that BEF is immunopathologic in nature and that the clinical expression of the disease is influenced by the release of one or more mediators of inflammation. The disease is characterised by a number of haematological and biochemical changes and early and prolonged treatment with phenylbutazone is capable of reversing a number of these changes. The intravenous administration of calcium can now be considered a justifiable addition to the treatment regimen together with prolonged phenylbutazone therapy. The vaccines currently available are prepared from either live attenuated or killed virus and may be less than reliable. There appears to be a need for a reliable, inexpensive, cold-chain independent alternative vaccine.     

COMPARISON BETWEEN COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC AND SURGICAL FINDINGS IN NINE LARGE-BREED DOGS WITH LUMBOSACRAL STENOSIS

In a three-year prospective study, computed tomographic (CT) and surgical findings were compared for nine large breed dogs with lumbosacral stenosis. Surgically-excised tissue was examined histologically in seven dogs and additional necropsy evaluation was performed in one dog. The CT abnormalities observed at sites of confirmed cauda equina compression were: loss of epidural fat, increased soft tissue opacity, bulging of the intervertebral disc margin, spondylosis, thecal sac displacement, narrowed intervertebral foramen, narrowed vertebral canal, thickened articular process, articular process subluxation, articular process osteophyte, and telescoped sacral lamina. The CT characteristics of lumbosacral degenerative disease and discospondylitis were similar to those described in humans. In three dogs, CT findings at the site of cauda equina compression were consistent with congenital or developmental spinal stenosis, but the method of surgical exposure precluded confirmation. Epidural fibrosis (eight dogs) and multi-level CT abnormalities (six dogs) were identified but the cause(s) and significance were unknown.     

Recommended guidelines for submission, trimming, margin evaluation, and reporting of tumor biopsy specimens in veterinary surgical pathology

Neoplastic diseases are typically diagnosed by biopsy and histopathological evaluation. The pathology report is key in determining prognosis, therapeutic decisions, and overall case management and therefore requires diagnostic accuracy, completeness, and clarity. Successful management relies on collaboration between clinical veterinarians, oncologists, and pathologists. To date there has been no standardized approach or guideline for the submission, trimming, margin evaluation, or reporting of neoplastic biopsy specimens in veterinary medicine. To address this issue, a committee consisting of veterinary pathologists and oncologists was established under the auspices of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists Oncology Committee. These consensus guidelines were subsequently reviewed and endorsed by a large international group of veterinary pathologists. These recommended guidelines are not mandated but rather exist to help clinicians and veterinary pathologists optimally handle neoplastic biopsy samples. Many of these guidelines represent the collective experience of the committee members and consensus group when assessing neoplastic lesions from veterinary patients but have not met the rigors of definitive scientific study and investigation. These questions of technique, analysis, and evaluation should be put through formal scrutiny in rigorous clinical studies in the near future so that more definitive guidelines can be derived.     

Natural durability of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) heartwood grown in southern Germany

Abstract

The natural durability of timber is an important property in order to assess its performance in service. For numerous species grown in primary forests, this property has already been determined. As plantation-grown timber becomes more and more important, detailed information on its properties is needed, because increasing amounts of this material are coming to the market. The majority of planted Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) in Germany is around 40 years old. In the present study, representative material of totally ten trees from two different sites in the south of Germany was investigated with regard to natural durability. In laboratory tests based on European standard DIN EN 350-1, inner and outer heartwood zones were exposed to basidiomycetes. Density measurements were additionally used for further characterisation of this material. Results showed a lower durability of the plantation-grown Douglas fir wood as compared with wood from natural sites. Significant differences for both durability and density were found between inner and outer heartwood, even though no correlation between the parameters was recognised. Data illustrate that for a better understanding of durability variations, chemical, topochemical and electron microscopic studies are needed.     

Influence of nitrogen fertilization on quality,respiration and storage life of Washington navel oranges

Summary The effects of N on quality and storage life of oranges were investigated in a factorial field experiment at Griffith N.S.W., Australia. The trees that did not receive any ammonium sulphate (N₀) produced fruit with the best quality of juice. However, such trees had only one quarter of the total yield (by weight) of trees receiving 2 kg ammonium sulphate (N₁) per annum. Higher levels of ammonium sulphate (4 and 8 kg; N₂ and N₄ respectively) did not increase in yield or quality as judged by the total soluble solids (T.S.S.) to titratable acid ratio of the juice. N₁ — trees had produced more juice and total soluble solids than other treatments. Organoleptic tests favoured juice with the highest T.S.S./acid ratio and the lowest percentage titratable acid. Although fruit stored at 0°C had the least fungal wastage, that stored at 15°C had less rind breakdown and total wastage (fungal + rind breakdown). Low temperature rind breakdown was particularly evident at 7.5°C and most oranges were affected irrespective of nitrogen treatment. At 20°C and 25°C, a high temperature rind breakdown was found with N4 — fruit on short storage, and in other fruit after longer storage. Associated with the rind breakdown and preceding its appearance was a higher rate of respiration. Some typicalSeptoria spot (with pycnidia) was found at 20°C and the high temperature rind breakdown is possibly related to this disease or its due to another pathogen; it was not possible to decide definitely its origin, whether pathogenic or physiological. In general N₀ — and N₁ —fruits stored better at most temperatures than N₂ — and N₄ — fruits. Respiration rate at 20°C was similar irrespective of treatment; a climacteric rise in evolution of carbon dioxide was not found. Yield, internal quality and storage life of fruit, considered collectively, indicated that trees receiving 2 kg sulphate of ammonia per tree per annum were, superior to all other treatments in this experiment.