Gross and histopathological characteristics of two lipomas and a neurofibrosarcoma detected in aquacultured southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau), in South Australia.

Three visible lesions were examined from two specimens of southern bluefin tuna. The lesions were examined grossly and two were identified as lipomas, the third bore similarities to a schwannoma. Histopathology confirmed that two consisted of mature adipocytes consistent with a diagnosis of lipoma. The third lesion consisted of spindle cells in Antoni A and B patterns and was tentatively diagnosed as a malignant schwannoma. Immunohistochemistry identified both S100 and glial fibrillary acid protein expression within the lesion, which, together with the histopathological appearance, is consistent with a diagnosis of neurofibrosarcoma.

A parasite survey of farmed Southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau).

Farmed Southern bluefin tuna (SBT) were examined for parasites. Samples of harvest fish, mortalities and some fish showing clinical signs of disease were investigated. Targeted screening was conducted for a scuticociliate, Uronema nigricans, the myxosporean Kudoa sp. and a sanguinicolid digenean, Cardicola forsteri. General parasitological investigation revealed a diverse parasite community of didymozoid digeneans, two species of copepods, a polyopisthocotylean monogenean and larval cestodes. Targeted screening for U. nigricans exposed a low prevalence, most probably due to a lack of sensitivity in the test method. Few of the parasites examined pose a risk to the health of farmed SBT.

Tetracycline and quinacrine in the control of malignant pleural effusions. A randomized trial.

Eighteen patients with advanced metastatic malignancy who had 21 pleural effusions requiring sclerosis for control were randomly allocated to intrapleural therapy with tetracycline or quinacrine. Tetracycline produced partial or complete control of the effusion in ten of 12 trials for a median duration of 6 months (range 1.5 to 22 months). Partial or complete control was obtained in nine of ten trials with quinacrine, for a median duration of 3 months (range 1 to 13 months). All complete responders who died achieved control of their effusions until their terminal admissions despite clinical evidence of overt systemic tumor progression in the intervening period. Single-dose tetracycline therapy was accompanied by less fever (p less than 0.04) and less pleuritic pain (p = 0.09) than quinacrine. Tetracycline is effective, well tolerated, easily administered, and should be considered as the initial therapy for malignant pleural effusions requiring pleural sclerosis.

Sarcoidosis: analysis of cells obtained by bronchial lavage.

The cellular content of bronchial lavage was studied in 14 patients with sarcoidosis and 20 normal volunteers. There was no alteration in the total number of cells recovered, except for the expected increase in cellularity in smokers. Nonsmoking patients with sarcoidosis had 19.6 per cent lymphocytes, compared to 8.1 per cent lymphocytes in nonsmoking control subjects. The percentage of alveolar macrophages showing spontaneous adherence of one or more bronchial lymphocytes were, respectively, 10.8 and 8.4 in nonsmoking and smoking patients with sarcoidosis, compared to 1.8 and 2.1, respectively, in nonsmoking and smoking control subjects.