Haematological and biochemical investigations of diseased koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus)

Haematological and biochemical investigations were performed on 14 koalas with uncomplicated cystitis, 8 with complicated cystitis, 8 with conjunctivitis, 8 with lymphosarcoma, and 14 with miscellaneous diseases. Changes were limited and inconsistent in individual koalas with uncomplicated cystitis and conjunctivitis. In contrast, individual koalas with complicated cystitis were more likely to have anaemia, leukocytosis due to neutrophilia, hypoproteinaemia due to hypoalbuminaemia, and azotaemia due to elevated urea concentration. Although these changes were non-specific they did allow assessment of prognosis for survival and response to treatment. Koalas with lymphosarcoma were invariably anaemic, leukaemic, azotaemic and hypoalbuminaemic. Elevated enzymes (aspartate transaminase [AST]. lactate dehydrogenase [LD] and gamma glutamyl transferase [GGT]) were more common in koalas with lymphosarcoma. Koalas affected by miscellaneous conditions showed variable changes but once again anaemia, leukocytosis, azotaemia, elevated AST and LD, and hypoalbuminaemia were not uncommon. On the basis of these findings a minimal profile is suggested for the investigation of sick koalas and would include haematocrit, total and differential leukocyte counts, urea, total protein and albumin concentrations and AST, GGT and LD activities.     

Profile of Steroid Receptors and Increased Aromatase Immunoexpression in Canine Inflammatory Mammary Cancer as a Potential Therapeutic Target

Canine inflammatory mammary cancer (IMC) has been proposed as a model for the study of human inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). The aims of this study were to compare the immunohistochemical expression of aromatase (Arom) and several hormone receptors [estrogen receptor α (ERα), estrogen receptor β (ERβ), progesterone receptor (PR) and androgen receptor (AR)], in 21 IMC cases vs 19 non‐IMC; and to study the possible effect of letrozole on canine IMC and human inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) in vitro using IPC‐366 and SUM‐149 cell lines. Significant elevations of the means of Arom Total Score (TS), ERβ TS and PR TS were found in the IMC group (p = 0.025, p = 0.038 and p = 0.037, respectively). Secondary IMC tumours expressed higher levels of Arom than primary IMC (p = 0.029). Non‐IMC PR‐ tumours contained higher levels of Arom than non‐IMC PR+ tumours (p = 0.007). After the addition of letrozole, the number of IMC and IBC cells dropped drastically. The overexpression of Arom found and the results obtained in vitro further support canine IMC as a model for the study of IBC and future approaches to the treatment of dogs with mammary cancer, and especially IMC, using Arom inhibitors.     

Changes in penetration resistance of Ultisols from southern China as affected by shearing

Shear stresses and soil properties modified due to stress play an important role during formation of seals in a series of rainfall events and during tillage. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effects of the penetrometer geometry on the penetration resistance as affected by shearing under different initial soil conditions and to use the information on soil strength to elucidate shearing process. Nine homogenous air-dried soils (<2 mm) were sprayed and stored so as to obtain equilibrium soil water contents. The moist soils were sheared by horizontal displacement of layers of soil particles/aggregates in between hands in one direction. The soil cores were prepared with comparable bulk density before the measurement of maximum penetration resistance (P_max) with a small flat tip and a cone tip penetrometers. At a wide range from 0.05 to 6.2 MPa, P_max was linearly correlated between the small flat tip and the cone tip penetrometers. The conversion ratio was higher under the saturation condition irrespective of the shearing effect. The penetrometer with the small flat tip was more sensitive for the weak soils. Shearing generally increased P_max in most cases, but it decreased P_max for some sandy soils under both saturated and unsaturated conditions and for a clayey soil under the saturated condition. The soil consisting of swelling clay exerted a decrease in P_max. Rearrangement and/or sliding of particles/aggregates and increase in soil suction during shearing were attributed to the increase in P_max. Increase in porosity due to the aggregation during shearing was ascribed to the decrease in P_max. In addition, it was shown that agricultural cultivation resulted in a reduction in soil strength.     

Agnostische Gedanken über die Rolle der Mathematik in der Biologie

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