A comparison of the cytologic and histologic features of meningiomas in four dogs

Abstract: The cytologic and histologic features of 2 intracranial and 2 spinal (extramedullary cervical) canine meningiomas were compared. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis in 2 cases revealed mild, mixed cell pleocytosis, primarily composed of small lymphocytes and monocytoid cells, with a moderate increase in total protein concentration. Cytologic features suggestive of meningioma included cells with both epithelial and mes-enchymal characteristics and a tendency towards cell clustering. Tumor location also was useful in making a diagnosis. The 4 meningiomas differed histologically from one another, and included angioblastic, psam-momatous, meningotheliomatous, and microcystic anaplastic types, which conformed to a classification scheme for human meningiomas. The classification scheme could not be applied to cytologic specimens.     

Quantitative morphology in canine cutaneous soft tissue sarcomas

Stained cytological specimens from 24 dogs with spontaneous soft tissue sarcomas [fibrosarcoma (n = 8), liposarcoma (n = 8) and haemangiopericytoma (n = 8)], and 24 dogs with reactive connective tissue lesions [granulation tissue (n = 12) and dermal fibrosis (n = 12)] were analysed by computer‐assisted nuclear morphometry. The studied morphometric parameters were: mean nuclear area (MNA; µm²), mean nuclear perimeter (MNP; µm), mean nuclear diameter (MND mean; µm), minimum nuclear diameter (D_min; µm) and maximum nuclear diameter (D_max; µm). The study aimed to evaluate (1) possibility for quantitative differentiation of soft tissue sarcomas from reactive connective tissue lesions and (2) by using cytomorphometry, to differentiate the various histopathological soft tissue sarcomas subtypes in dogs. The mean values of all nuclear cytomorphometric parameters (except for D_max) were statistically significantly higher in reactive connective tissue processes than in soft tissue sarcomas. At the same time, however, there were no considerable differences among the different sarcoma subtypes. The results demonstrated that the quantitative differentiation of reactive connective tissue processes from soft tissue sarcomas in dogs is possible, but the same was not true for the different canine soft tissue sarcoma subtypes. Further investigations on this topic are necessary for thorough explication of the role of quantitative morphology in the diagnostics of mesenchymal neoplasms and tumour‐like fibrous lesions in dogs     

栉孔扇贝人工雌核发育的细胞学观察

运用荧光显微镜观察了栉孔扇贝正常卵子与雌核发育卵子在受精和成熟分裂过程中的核相变化。结果表明,尽管紫外线照射没有影响受精卵的成熟分裂以及雌性、雄性原核的形成,但使雌核卵的发育速度出现明显的滞缓。在第1次卵裂中期,雌核发育卵子中的雄性原核没有像雌性原核那样形成染色体,而是浓缩为一染色质小体(DCB),游离在细胞质中,不参与核分裂。胞质分裂结束时,DCB位于2个卵裂球之一的细胞质内或在赤道板处被分割成两部分。实验结果首次提供了栉孔扇贝雌核发育的细胞学证据。     

香榧体细胞胚发生、发育的形态与细胞学观察

将香榧(Torreya grandis‘Merrillii’)的未成熟合子胚置于SH+0.1 mg·L-1 NAA+500 mg·L-1AC+3%蔗糖+0.5 g·L-1 Gln培养基上暗培养45 d,诱导产生半透明颗粒状胚性愈伤组织;将胚性愈伤组织转入SH+20 g·L-1 PEG+10 mg·L-1 ABA培养基中暗培养3个月诱导体细胞胚。采用碘—碘化钾染色和石蜡切片技术对体胚起源、形态发育与细胞组织学进行了观察。结果表明:胚性愈伤组织起源于合子胚胚轴表皮或皮层细胞的对称分裂。胚性愈伤组织含有两类细胞,一种是细胞质浓厚、细胞核大、体积小的圆形胚性细胞,另一种是高度液泡化拉长的细胞。胚性愈伤组织包含由这两种细胞构成的原胚团Ⅰ、原胚团Ⅱ和原胚团Ⅲ,以及一些游离细胞。原胚团Ⅲ在无植物生长调节剂的SH基本培养基上形成原胚,原胚接入成熟培养基,历经球形、棒状、心形、鱼雷形胚后发育成子叶胚。将子叶胚转入萌发培养基后胚根伸长,胚芽发育长出针叶,形成完整的再生植株。同时在离体培养中合子胚胚柄处退化的裂生多胚也能重新发育形成胚体。在初生体胚发育过程中表面常伴有次生体细胞胚的形成。     

Production of hybrids between Cajanus acutifolius and C. cajan

There are many wild species of pigeonpea which are endemic to Australia. These wild species are cross incompatible with cultivated species of Indian origin. Cajanus acutifolius is one such species which does not easily cross with cultivated pigeonpea. Interspecific pollinations lead to hybrid seeds which were semi-shrivelled. Very few seeds germinated to give rise to F1 plants. Backcrossing the hybrid plants to C. cajan, the male parent, gave rise to aborting seeds which did not germinate in vivo hence BC1 plants are obtained after saving the aborting embryos in vitro. BC₁ plants showed normal meiotic pairing, but had low pollen fertility. The reasons for embryo abortion and low pollen fertility in spite of normal meiosis could be due to the effect of wild species cytoplasm. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.