MAGNETIC RESONANCE, ULTRASOUND AND HISTOPATHOLOGIC CORRELATION OF ACUTE AND HEALING EQUINE TENDON INJURIES

Ultrasonography and MRI have become valuable tools for imaging of tendon injuries. The current study examines the histopathologic basis for the imaging abnormalities. Five injured equine forelimbs and two normal contralateral limbs were studied with high resolution real time ultrasound and MRI. Histologic sections were made and correlated with the diagnostic images. All lesions were readily seen by both modalities. Lesions characterized by hemorrhage, edma, and cellular infiltration were sonolucent on ultrasound and bright on MRI images. MRI returned to normal as fibrogenesis ensued. Ultrasound images remained abnormal until fibrillar reallgnment occured with completion of the healing process. High resolution real time ultrasound and MRI both accurately reflect the tissue abnormalities in acute tendon injuries. The injured horse does appear to be an effective model for correlative imaging studies of tendon injuries.     

Use of 64Copper Measurements to Diagnose Canine Copper Toxicosis

Inherited canine copper toxicosis is a serious problem in Bedlington terriers and West Highland White terriers, and may also be a problem in other less-studied breeds. Affected dogs become ill at midlife with progressive and ultimately fatal liver disease. Treatments for removal of copper and prevention of copper accumulation are available, but are most effective if begun before the dog becomes ill. Until recently diagnosis has not been available until the dog is 1 year of age, and then only by an invasive liver biopsy with determination of liver copper concentration. The authors studied the use of 64copper for early diagnosis of canine copper toxicosis. Two procedures were evaluated. The first involved measuring the concentration of 64copper in blood 24 hours after oral administration of the radioisotope. At this time, 64copper was associated primarily with ceruloplasmin secreted into the blood by the liver. This procedure is useful in the diagnosis of the human counterpart, Wilson's disease. However, the authors found it to be nondiscriminatory between affected and unaffected dogs. In contrast, the second procedure, which involved measuring 64copper excreted in stool during 48 hours after an intravenous dose of radioisotope, yielded results that differentiated most affected and unaffected dogs.     

USE OF 123IODINE METAIODOBENZYLGUANIDINE SCINTIGRAPHY FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF A PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA IN A DOG

A 13-year-old neutered female Yorkshire terrier presented with a history of progressive episodic weakness and disorientation of 4 months duration. Physical and neurologic examinations were normal at presentation. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a mass involving the right adrenal gland. Standard planar scintigraphy was performed at 4, 18, and 24 hours after intravenous injection 185 MBq (5mCi) of ¹²³I-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine (¹²³I-MIBG). An area of focal intense uptake was identified in the area of the right adrenal gland. A pheochromocytoma was confirmed histologically after surgical excision.     

Evaluation of Transmittance and Reflectance Pulse Oximetry in a Canine Model of Hypotension and Desaturation

Ten, anesthetized dogs were instrumented with three pulse oximeter probes; two lingual transmittance probes and one rectal reflective probe. Arterial oxygen desaturation was produced by decreasing the inspired oxygen concentration. Hypotension was produced with an infusion of nitroprusside. Simultaneous pulse oximeter readings (SpO₂) were compared to co-oximeter measured arterial saturation (SaO₂) collected over a range of SaO₂ (50–100%) and mean arterial pressures (40–100mmHg). Each of the monitors and means of evaluating SpO₂ studied provided accurate SpO₂ measurements over a range of mean arterial pressure from 40–100mmHg. All of the monitors tested tended to overestimate the SaO₂ when the arterial saturation was less than 70%.     

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.     

Heavy Metal Contamination of Soil and Vegetation in the Vicinity of Industries in Bangladesh

Water, Air, &; Soil Pollution - A study was conducted to investigate the heavy metal contamination of soil and vegetation in the vicinity of industries around Dhaka city in Bangladesh....     

Major bacterial contribution to marine dissolved organic nitrogen

Next to N2 gas, the largest pool of reduced nitrogen in the ocean resides in the enormous reservoir of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). The chemical identity of most of this material, and the mechanisms by which it is cycled, remain fundamental questions in contemporary oceanography. Amino acid enantiomeric ratios in the high molecular weight fraction of DON from surface and deep water in three ocean basins show substantial enrichment in D enantiomers of four amino acids. The magnitude and pattern of these D/L enrichments indicate that peptidoglycan remnants derived from bacterial cell walls constitute a major source of DON throughout the sea. These observations suggest that structural properties of specific bacterial biopolymers, and the mechanisms for their accumulation, are among the central controls on long-term cycling of dissolved organic nitrogen in the sea.     

Pancreatic Polypeptide and Insulin-Secreting Tumor in a Dog With Duodenal Ulcers and Hypertrophic Gastritis

A 7-year-old spayed female Cocker Spaniel was hospitalized with a history of chronic vomiting, anorexia, and weight loss. Laboratory abnormalities included leukocytosis, metabolic alkalosis, hypoglycemia, hypoproteinemia, and hyperinsulinemia. Gastroscopy and ultrasonography revealed multiple gastric masses and a possible pancreatic mass, respectively. Examination of tissues obtained at necropsy showed a pancreatic adenocarcinoma with hepatic metastasis, gastric hypertrophy, and multiple duodenal ulcers. Immunocytochemical staining of the neoplasia was positive for pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and insulin and negative for gastrin, calcitonin, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), serotonin, L-enkephalin, chromagranin, glucagon, and somatostatin. Subsequent serum gastrin and PP assays showed a fasting hypergastrinemia with a normal response of gastrin to provocative testing and extremely increased PP values. The high PP values may have resulted in the vomiting and gastrointestinal ulceration. A PP-secreting tumor has not previously been reported in the dog.     

Mucosal and systemic isotype-specific antibody responses and protection in conventional pigs exposed to virulent or attenuated porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus

Eleven-day-old conventionally reared piglets were inoculated orally with two different doses of the cell-culture adapted strain CV-777 of the porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) or the virulent isolate of the same strain and challenged with the same virulent PEDV 3 weeks later. Pigs inoculated with the two doses of the attenuated virus did not show any typical sign of the disease, and virus shedding was not frequent. In contrast, 31% of pigs exposed to the virulent PEDV developed diarrhoea and virus shedding was demonstrated in 100%. At different postinoculation day (PID) and postchallenge day (PCD) virus-specific antibody-secreting cells (ASC) in gut associated lymphoid tissues (duodenum and ileum lamina propria and mesenteric lymph nodes) and systemic locations (blood and spleen) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT). Only a small response was detected in the groups inoculated with attenuated PEDV, whereas in the group previously exposed to the virulent virus on PID 21 a large number of IgG and IgA ASC was detected. Isotype-specific antibody responses in serum were investigated by ELISA. IgG responses were detected in all groups, although the highest response corresponded to the group inoculated with virulent virus and only this group showed an IgA response. The pigs exposed to virulent PEDV were completely protected against the challenge with a higher dose of the same virulent virus on PID 21 and none of them shed the virus. The pigs inoculated with the attenuated strain were partially protected against the challenge, and 25% of the low dose- and 50% of the high dose-exposed pigs did not shed virus after challenge. All the pigs from a control group, not previously exposed to the virus, excreted the virus in faeces. A strong positive correlation was established between protection and the ASC responses detected in gut associated lymphoid tissues and blood at the challenge day and also between protection and serum isotype-specific antibody titers on that day. In addition, the IgA and IgG ASC responses detected in the blood on PID 21 also correlated with the responses found in the gut associated lymphoid tissues. The ASC and serum antibody responses after the challenge corresponded to a secondary immune response in the groups inoculated with attenuated virus, whereas a primary response was evident in the control group. No increase was seen in any of the parameters studied in the pigs inoculated with virulent PEDV.     

Isotype-specific antibody-secreting cells in systemic and mucosal associated lymphoid tissues and antibody responses in serum of conventional pigs inoculated with PEDV

An enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) has been developed to detect porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV)-specific antibody secreting cells (ASC) in gut associated lymphoid tissues (duodenum and ileum lamina propria and mesenteric lymph nodes) and systemic locations (spleen and blood) of conventional pigs so as to characterise the mucosal and systemic antibody response generated by the infection with PEDV. A total number of 28 eleven-day-old conventional pigs were orally inoculated with the field isolate of the PEDV strain CV-777. Diarrhea was observed in 32% of the pigs and virus shedding was demonstrated in 100% between postinoculation day (PID) 1 and 8. Serum IgG and IgA antibodies to PEDV were detected by isotype ELISA from PID 12 and 15, respectively, reaching maximum values at PID 32 (IgG) and 21 (IgA). PEDV specific IgM ASC occurred in all the tissues between PID 4 and 7, with the strongest response in the intestinal lamina propria. IgA and IgG ASC responses were evident in the intestinal lymphoid tissues from PID 21, the highest number of specific ASC corresponded to the duodenum lamina propria. In the systemic lymphoid tissues the number of IgG and IgA ASC detected were lower than in the mucosal tissues, however, in the blood, presence of IgA ASC was constantly detected from PID 14 until the end of the experiment. Memory antibody response to the PEDV was also studied by secondary in vitro stimulation of the mononuclear cells (MNC) isolated from mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen and blood. The memory B cell response was prominent at PID 21 and 25 and consisted in IgG and IgA ASC. To our knowledge, this is the first report to research into the presence and distribution of specific ASC in different locations of the systemic and the gut associated lymphoid tissues after a PEDV infection as well as the presence of memory B cells.