Retrospective study of 60 cases of feline lymphosarcoma

Objective To characterise epidemiological and clinical findings, and diagnostic procedures undertaken, in cats with lymphosarcoma at a veterinary teaching hospital.
Design Retrospective case study.
Procedure Hospital records were reviewed for 7159 cats, sick or healthy, examined during a 10-year period (1984 to 1994). Sixty cats with lymphosarcoma were identified and classified by anatomical location of the tumour. Data on breed, age, sex, clinical signs and diagnostic procedures were collated.
Results The prevalence of feline lymphosarcoma in the hospital population was 0.84%. Siamese cats appeared predisposed to lymphosarcoma but other purebreds were not. Males were somewhat overrepresented amongst affected cats. Similar numbers of cases (12 to 18) were seen in each of the four anatomic categories (multicentric, mediastinal, alimentary and extranodal). Cats with mediastinal lymphosarcoma were mostly young and Siamese. Clinical signs in affected cats were varied, usually multiple and often nonspecific. Two of 22 cases tested positive for feline leukaemia virus antigen in blood and 6 of 13 were positive for feline immunodeficiency virus antibody.
Conclusions Extranodal lymphosarcoma seemed more prevalent in this study than reported elsewhere. Siamese cats in the study population may have had a genetic predisposition to lymphosarcoma. Limited evidence suggested feline leukaemia virus may be less important, and feline immunodeficiency virus more important, in the local population than indicated in overseas reports. Additional studies are needed to investigate breed predisposition and feline leukaemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus status in Australian cats with lymphosarcoma.     

Employment

The 1990s began with unprecedented market conditions for labour: unemployment rates were reaching their highest level in over 50 years, participation in the labour market had fallen to historically low levels and net emigration was widespread across all occupations. It seemed that things could only get better. While some did benefit from the limited growth that took place in the nineties, many did not. The greater inequality generated during the 1980s was fanned by the deregulation of the labour market and remained undiminished throughout the following decade. The marked reduction in manufacturing employment in the 1980s continued into the early 1990s negatively impacting Maori and Pacific Island men and women in particular. Increasingly post‐secondary school education became necessary to gain entry into regular work and those with little formal education and few work skills fell further down the queue. These changes are closely allied to the processes of globalisation which is already exercising considerable influence on the employment opportunities of New Zealanders.     

Long-term chemical and biological trends in Scottish streams and lochs

Between 1975 and 1985 several catchments in Scotland were established as reference sites to determine short-term (hours, days, weeks) and long-term (years, decades) changes in major physical, chemical and biological variables. The initial selection criteria included catchment size, land-use and deposition loading. Changes in fish status of lochs were determined by systematic netting while quantitative estimates of fish populations were made at stream sites. Egg survival and year class distribution assisted interpretation. Historical changes in pH based on stratigraphical changes in diatom assemblages are compared with recent measured changes which have occurred during the past 20 years when SO₂ emissions declined. Significant chemical and biological trends due to changes in pollutant loading are best detected in sensitive lochs which are unmanaged and with low organic content and acid neutralising capacity (ANC) close to zero. Significant trends are less apparent in lochs with managed (forested) catchments. Many stream sites also reveal long-term improvements in pH, sulphate (SO₄) Alkalinity (Alk) etc, but the significance of these trends is much less because of the greater inherent chemical variability. Stream sites close to ANC=0 provide the most wide-ranging evidence of ecological change, ie, increase in Alk, decrease in SO₄ and increase in numbers of juvenile salmonids. Measured chemical changes are compared with predicted estimates, based on critical load calculations and problems in interpretation are discussed.     

Venus: absence of a phase effect at a 2-centimeter wavelength

Observations of Venus made during 1967 and 1968 at a frequency of 15.4 gigahertz set an upper limits of 5 percent for the variation of brightness temperature with phase. This negative result appears to contradict earlier detections of a phase effect. By comparison with Virg A (3C 274), which has an assumed flux density of 29 x 10(-26) watt per square meter per hertz, the brightness temperature of Venus at this frequency is 485 + 60, -40 degrees K (mean error).     

Longitudinal studies of effects of divorce on children in Great Britain and the United States

National, longitudinal surveys from Great Britain and the United States were used to investigate the effects of divorce on children. In both studies, a subsample of children who were in two-parent families during the initial interview (at age 7 in the British data and at ages 7 to 11 in the U.S. data) were followed through the next interview (at age 11 and ages 11 to 16, respectively). At both time points in the British data, parents and teachers independently rated the children's behavior problems, and the children were given reading and mathematics achievement tests. At both time points in the U.S. data, parents rated the children's behavior problems. Children whose parents divorced or separated between the two time points were compared to children whose families remained intact. For boys, the apparent effect of separation or divorce on behavior problems and achievement at the later time point was sharply reduced by considering behavior problems, achievement levels, and family difficulties that were present at the earlier time point, before any of the families had broken up. For girls, the reduction in the apparent effect of divorce occurred to a lesser but still noticeable extent once preexisting conditions were considered.     

Lactoperoxidase: identification and isolation from Harderian and lacrimal glands

Investigation of bovine lacrimal and harderian glands revealed the presence of the enzyme lactoperoxidase, which was isolated and purified. A nonheme, iron-containing protein was identified at the same time. Both proteins are present in milk, mammary glands, and salivary glands. Their roles are discussed: The lactoperoxidase may be important in controlling bacterial flora.