A retrospective survey of endocardial proliferative lesions in rats

Sixty, proliferative, endocardial lesions were diagnosed in 19,304 rats, for an overall incidence of 0.3%. This population consisted of 10,127 Fischer 344, 8,737 Wistar, 200 Sprague-Dawley, and 240 Long Evans rats from chronic/oncogenicity studies reported at Lilly Research Laboratories from 1976 to 1988. Of the 60 proliferative lesions, 44 were classified as endocardial hyperplasia, 15 as endocardial schwannomas, and one as an endocardial sarcoma for prevalence rates of 0.2%, 0.08%, and 0.005%, respectively. Affected rats ranged in age from 42 to 110 weeks. There were no sex or treatment-related differences in the prevalence of the rat endocardial proliferative lesions. A review of endocardial lesions in 18 of 233 Wistar rats treated with carbamate derivatives revealed endocardial hyperplasia in 12 rats, schwannomas in five rats, and a sarcoma in one rat. One of the 12 rats with endocardial hyperplasia also had an intramural schwannoma. Of 200 Wistar rats given N-nitroso-N-methylurea, two had endocardial hyperplasia, and one had an endocardial schwannoma. Morphologic features were similar in either spontaneous or treatment-associated hyperplasia or neoplasia of the rat endocardium. Probable Schwann cell origin of the endocardial proliferative lesions was indicated by positive immunohistochemical staining for S-100 antigen in 10/12 spontaneous and 11/14 carcinogen-associated endocardial hyperplastic lesions. Further, 15/16 spontaneous and 6/7 carcinogen-associated neoplasms were immunoreactive to S-100. No tumor metastasis was recorded in either the spontaneously affected or carcinogen-treated rats.     

Hypoglycemia in Four Dogs With Smooth Muscle Tumors

Tumor-associated hypoglycemia has been reported in dogs with pancreatic β-cell tumors, hepatic tumors, and, rarely, with other neoplasms. This article describes 4 dogs with marked hypoglycemia associated with smooth muscle tumors (jejunal leiomyoma, gastric leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma, and splenic leiomyosarcoma). Presenting clinical signs included grand mal seizures, lethargy, weakness, ataxia, and, in 1 dog, polyuria/polydipsia. The serum insulin concentration was low in 1 dog and normal in the other dog evaluated. Immunohistochemical staining for insulin was negative in the 4 tumors; the 3 tumors arising from the stomach and jejunum stained diffusely positive for glucagon. Blood glucose concentrations rapidly returned to normal after complete surgical resection of the tumors, and clinical signs associated with hypoglycemia resolved. Long-term follow-up available in 3 of the 4 dogs found no recurrence of clinical signs related to hypoglycemia at 15, 31, and 38 months after surgery, respectively.