Effects of Echinacea purpurea supplementation on markers of immunity, health, intake, and growth of dairy calves.

Echinacea purpurea (EP) is an herb that has demonstrated immunostimulatory and anti-inflammatory effects with the potential to improve immunity, health, and performance in animals. The objective of this study was to investigate how supplementing calves with EP affects their blood immunity marker profile, health, intake, and growth. Male Holstein calves (n = 240), sourced from local dairy farms or auction, arrived at a rearing facility between 5 and 14 d of age and were kept in individual pens in 1 of 3 rooms (80/room) for 56 d, and then put into groups for the remaining 21 d of the trial. Calves received milk replacer (MR) 2× per day for 56 d (total = 36 kg of MR) and had ab libitum water and starter access. Within room, calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: (1) control (n = 80), (2) 3g of dried (powder) EP extract per day split over 2 milk feedings from experiment d 14-28 (n = 80), and (3) 3 g of dried (powder) EP extract per day split over 2 milk feedings from experiment d 1-56 (E56; n = 80). The powdered EP treatments were mixed into the liquid MR. On d 1, 14, 28, and 57 rectal temperatures and blood were collected from a subset of calves (n = 117; 39 calves/treatment), and blood serum was assessed for serum total protein (d 1), haptoglobin, white blood cells, and cytokines. Failed transfer of passive immunity was defined as serum total protein <5.2 g/dL. Calves were health scored 2× per day, receiving fecal and respiratory scores until d 28 and 77, respectively. Calves were weighed on arrival and then weekly until d 77. Milk replacer and feed refusals were recorded. Supplementation of EP was associated with lower haptoglobin levels, segmented neutrophil counts, segmented neutrophil per lymphocyte ratio, respiratory scores in auction derived calves, and higher lymphocyte counts and d 28 rectal temperature. Of calves with heavier arrival body weight, E56 calves had greater postweaning weekly body weight. There was no detected effect of EP supplementation on total white blood cells, band neutrophil, monocyte, and basophil counts, IL-10, IL-6, and TNF-α levels, fecal scores, risk of receiving diarrhea and respiratory treatment, risk of bovine respiratory disease (calves were deemed at risk for bovine respiratory disease if they had at least 1 respiratory score ≥5), risk of mortality, MR and feed intake, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio. Overall, EP supplementation to dairy calves was associated with immunomodulation and reduced inflammation, evidenced through blood markers, although only few minor health and growth improvements were observed. Benefits were observed particularly when fed across the whole milk feeding period.

Relationship of thyroid transcription factor 1 to EGFR status in non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Activating mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene are known to drive a proportion of non-small-cell lung cancers. Identification of lung cancers harbouring such mutations can lead to effective treatment using one of the agents that targets and blocks egfr-mediated signalling. METHODS: All specimens received at the BC Cancer Agency (Vancouver) for EGFR testing were prospectively identified and catalogued, together with clinical information and EGFR status, over a 14-month period. RESULTS: Specimens from 586 patients were received for EGFR testing, and EGFR status was reported for 509 patients. No relationship between specimen type or site of origin and EGFR test failure rate was identified. Concurrent immunohistochemical (ihc) status for thyroid transcription factor 1 (ttf1) was available for 309 patients. The negative predictive value of ttf1-negative status by ihc was 94.2% for predicting negative EGFR status. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with limited tissue available for testing, a surrogate for EGFR status would aid in timely management. Immunohistochemistry for ttf1 is readily available and correlates highly with EGFR status. In conjunction with genetic assays, ttf1 could be used to optimize an EGFR testing strategy.

Acquired homozygosity (isodisomy) of chromosome 3 in uveal melanoma.

Cytogenetic investigation of uveal melanoma (UM) has revealed that monosomy 3 is the most frequent karyotypic abnormality, present in approximately 60% of cases. We investigated a cohort of 41 cases of UM, 19 of which retained two apparently normal copies of chromosome 3. Investigation of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) status was undertaken in an attempt to detect subcytogenetic loss of genetic material in those cases with two copies of chromosome 3. DNA from peripheral blood lymphocytes and fresh frozen or paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from 19 patients was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction for polymorphic loci on chromosome 3, including dinucleotide repeats, a tetranucleotide repeat, and polymorphic restriction enzyme sites. Three tumors showed LOH at multiple informative loci on both short and long arms of chromosome 3. Two additional tumors showed localized LOH on 3q, which corresponded to large deletions seen by cytogenetic analysis. The remaining 16 tumors showed retention of heterozygosity at all informative loci. This study did not detect the presence of cryptic deletions but revealed instead complete chromosomal homozygosity or functional monosomy, which probably occurred by loss and then duplication of the remaining chromosome 3. The demonstration of acquired isodisomy (functional monosomy) in a subset of UM increases the percentage of cases with monosomy 3 and provides further evidence for a central role of chromosome 3 loss in the molecular pathogenesis of uveal melanoma.

Bcl-6 and lymphoproliferative disorders.

We report a series of 37 cases of lymphoproliferative disorders with 3q27 structural chromosomal abnormalities. Breakpoints at 3q27, the site of the bcl-6 gene, appear in a broad range of B cell lymphoma histologies but are most frequently detected in follicular lymphomas lacking a t(14;18) and diffuse large cell lymphomas. The majority of 3q27 rearrangements result from translocations involving the immunoglobulin heavy or light chain genes, however, involvement of other partner chromosomes is also observed. Molecular rearrangement of bcl-6 is demonstrable in a subset of cases. Bcl-6 is a recently identified gene encoding a zinc-finger protein. It is normally expressed in germinal center B cells where it is believed to have a developmental or differentiation function. Transcriptional deregulation of bcl-6 through translocations, submicroscopic molecular rearrangements or point mutations may be responsible for this gene's putative lymphomagenic potential.

Histopathologic findings and frequency of clonality detected by the polymerase chain reaction in ocular adnexal lymphoproliferative lesions.

We report the reclassification according to recently described histologic categories of 48 patients with ocular adnexal lymphoproliferative lesions with long-term follow-up (mean, 8.1 yr). We used available formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, and frozen tissues to assess the frequency of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement detectable by polymerase chain reaction in these lesions. We reviewed patient records, obtained follow-up data, and examined hematoxylin- and eosin-stained slides. DNA extracted from tissues was amplified with consensus V- and J-region primers to detect immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement. We examined 28 orbital, 10 lacrimal, and 10 conjunctival lesions, of which 2 lesions were lymphoid hyperplasias, 3 were indeterminate, and 43 were lymphomas. Of the 44 patients with follow-up, systemic lymphoma developed in 24 (55%), of whom 11 died of the disease, and 6 are alive with disease. Thirty-one patients had sufficient DNA for polymerase chain reaction analysis; 9 specimens were nonclonal, 21 were clonal, and 1 failed to amplify. The nonclonal lesions included one hyperplasia, one indeterminate lesion, and seven lymphomas; two of these patients died of the disease, and one is alive with disease. The clonal lesions included 1 indeterminate lesion and 20 lymphomas. Systemic lymphomas developed in 16 patients; 8 died of the disease, and 4 are alive with disease. Of the lesions histologically classified as lymphoma, 74% were clonal. We conclude that most ocular adnexal lymphoproliferative lesions can be histologically classified as lymphomas, that systemic lymphoma will develop in at least 50% of these patients if they are followed for sufficient time, and that most lesions classified as lymphomas will be clonal using polymerase chain reaction techniques. Lack of amplification using a consensus primer strategy may account for the inability to detect clonality by polymerase chain reaction in some histologically identified lymphomas.

Acquired homozygosity (isodisomy) of chromosome 3 during clonal evolution of a uveal melanoma: association with morphologic heterogeneity.

Cytogenetic investigation of untreated uveal melanoma has shown that the most frequent abnormality is monosomy 3, which occurs in approximately 60% of cases. One of our cases showed distinct pigmented and nonpigmented areas at gross dissection; representative tissue was collected separately from each area, cultured, and harvested using standard cytogenetic techniques. On histologic examination, the pigmented area was found to be composed of small epithelioid cells, whereas the nonpigmented area contained large, pleomorphic epithelioid cells. The karyotype of the pigmented tumor revealed monosomy 3, whereas the nonpigmented tumor showed two apparently normal chromosomes 3. Our purpose in the present study was to investigate the two tumor areas by molecular techniques to determine whether the karyotype of the nonpigmented tumor evolved directly from the pigmented tumor with duplication of the remaining chromosome 3 or whether the two sublines evolved in a divergent fashion from a common precursor stemline. DNA was extracted from normal lymphocytes and separately from both areas of the tumor. The DNA was analyzed using the polymerase chain reaction for polymorphic dinucleotide and tetranucleotide repeat sequences on chromosome 3. Both pigmented and nonpigmented areas of the tumor showed loss of heterozygosity at all informative loci on chromosome 3 that were tested. These results support our hypothesis that an abnormality on chromosome 3 plays a central role in the molecular pathogenesis of uveal melanoma and that some melanomas develop acquired homozygosity (isodisomy) by loss and duplication of the remaining, presumably abnormal, chromosome 3.

Frequent association of t(3;14) or variant with other lymphoma-specific translocations.

Malignant lymphomas (ML) with t(3;14) or variant t(2;3) and t(3;22) have recently been recognized. These translocations have been shown to associate predominantly with B-cell diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL) and less frequently with follicular lymphoma (FL). The molecular alterations associated with these translocations involve one of the immunoglobulin gene (Ig) loci and a recently cloned gene, bcl-6 located at 3q27 which codes for a zinc-finger protein that may function as a transcription factor. We have identified by cytogenetic analysis 22 cases of ML with a 3q27/Ig translocation. The pathologic diagnoses of these cases include DLCL, FL, small non-cleaved non-Burkitt lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Molecular analysis confirmed a bcl-6 rearrangement in 10/12 cases tested. The karyotype in 5/22 cases revealed the t(3;14) or variant in association with another lymphoma-specific translocation, t(14;18) in three cases and t(8;14) in two cases. ML with dual translocations that implicate Ig genes in the deregulation of proto-oncogenes are being increasingly recognized and may represent distinct subtypes or 'hybrid' forms of malignant lymphoma.