Elevated serum thymidine kinase activity in canine splenic hemangiosarcoma*.

Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is a soluble biomarker associated with DNA synthesis. This prospective study evaluated serum TK1 activity in dogs presenting with hemoabdomen and a splenic mass. An ELISA using azidothymidine as a substrate was used to evaluate TK1 activity. Sixty-two dogs with hemoabdomen and 15 normal controls were studied. Serum TK1 activity was significantly higher in dogs with hemangiosarcoma (HSA) than in normal dogs (mean ± SEM = 17.0 ± 5.0 and 2.01 ± 0.6, respectively), but not dogs with benign disease (mean ± SEM = 10.0 ± 3.3). Using a cut-off of 6.55 U/L, TK activity demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.52, specificity of 0.93, positive predictive value of 0.94 and negative predictive value of 0.48 for distinguishing HSA versus normal. When interval thresholds of <1.55 and >7.95 U/L were used together, diagnostic utility was increased. Serum TK1 evaluation may help to discriminate between benign disease and HSA in dogs with hemoabdomen and a splenic mass.

Canine cardiac mesothelioma with granular cell morphology.

Cardiac mesothelioma with granular cell features was diagnosed in a 10-year-old Golden Retriever presenting with pericardial and abdominal effusions. The diagnosis was based on gross, morphologic, and immunohistochemical features. The immunohistochemical profile of the neoplasm was pancytokeratin positive, vimentin positive, and S-100 negative; most gross and morphologic features were consistent with both mesothelioma and granular cell tumor. To the authors' knowledge, the prognosis for either primary cardiac mesothelioma or granular cell tumor in the dog is unknown. At 4 months after thoracotomy, pericardectomy, and mass excision, this dog was alive and without clinical evidence of pericardial or abdominal effusions. We describe a granular morphologic variant of cardiac mesothelioma in a dog.

[The chronic central fracture dislocation of the hip]. / Die chronisch fixierte zentrale Hüftgelenkluxationsfraktur.

The acetabulum fracture with chronic dislocation of the femoral head is relatively uncommon. Due to complex morphology and bone defect of the acetabular dome, stable internal fixation is difficult. Primary total hip arthroplasty represents an alternative treatment. We report the case of a 66-year-old patient with a 3-month history of acetabular fracture with central dislocation of the femoral head. The patient was treated with cemented total hip arthroplasty and cancellous bone grafting of the central dome defect for stable cup fixation.

Monitoring of fusarium toxins in cereals and feed-stuffs from thuringia (1998 - 2001).

From 1998 to 2001 a total of about 1172 conventionally and organically produced samples of wheat, rye, barley and triticale were examined for the presence of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON). Furthermore, feedstuffs for pigs were included in the monitoring of Fusarium toxins. DON and ZON analyses were performed using ELISA or HPLC. The incidences and levels of toxins varied from year to year. Overall contamination levels were highest in wheat and triticale, followed by rye and barley. The highest DON contaminations were found in 1998. The probes of the years 1999-2001 showed lower incidences of Fusarium toxins. The second examined mycotoxin ZON was detected at lower levels in cereals. Similar results were observed in the monitoring of feedstuffs.

Job sharing in clinical nutrition management: a plan for successful implementation.

While women continue to enter the American work force in record numbers; many experience difficulty in juggling career and family obligations. Flexible scheduling is one option used to ease work and family pressures. Women's changing work roles have potentially noteworthy implications for clinical nutrition management, a traditionally female-dominated profession where the recruitment and retention of valued, experienced registered dietitians can prove to be a human resources challenge. Job sharing, one type of flexible scheduling, is applicable to the nutrition management arena. This article describes and offers a plan for overcoming obstacles to job sharing, including determining feasibility, gaining support of top management, establishing program design, announcing the job share program, and using implementation, monitoring, and fine-tuning strategies. Benefits that can be derived from a successful job share are reduced absenteeism, decreased turnover, enhanced recruitment, improved morale, increased productivity, improved job coverage, and enhanced skills and knowledge base. A case study illustrates one method for achieving job sharing success in clinical nutrition management.

Obesity and hyperlipidemia after heart transplantation.

Body weight and serum lipids were retrospectively analyzed in 54 heart transplant recipients (mean age, 43 years; 80% male) who survived at least 1 year. Data were collected preoperatively and at 1, 2, and 3 years after heart transplantation. Analysis was performed using item frequencies, analysis of variance, and Pearson product moment correlations. From preoperatively to 1 year after heart transplantation, the weight of patients increased significantly from 100% to 117% of ideal body weight and did not decrease significantly over the first 3 postoperative years. Serum cholesterol and triglyceride values increased significantly from preoperative values of 175 mg/dl and 139 mg/dl, respectively, to 1-year postoperative values of more than 200 mg/dl (p = 0.01). Serum cholesterol, but not triglyceride levels, decreased significantly 3 years after surgery as compared with 1 year after surgery. In addition, overall serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were higher in patients with coronary artery disease (248 mg/dl) than with dilated cardiomyopathy (207 mg/dl). Serum high-density lipoproteins remained within acceptable clinical levels (greater than 35 mg/dl) during all 3 postoperative years. Serum low-density lipoproteins, elevated (139 mg/dl) for the first 2 postoperative years, fell to within the desirable range (less than 130 mg/dl) by the third posttransplant year. Heart function was normal throughout all 3 years. Six patients (11%) were given lipid-lowering medications after heart transplantation (mean, 25 postoperative months).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Comparison of nutritional status in patients before and after heart transplantation.

Nutritional status before and after heart transplantation was analyzed from retrospective data on 65 patients (82% male, mean age, 43.1 years, and mean length of illness before transplantation, 57.3 months). Of all the patients 93% were on a 2 gm low sodium diet, and 55% were on a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet before surgery. After surgery 100% of patients were on the same salt-, fat-, and cholesterol-restricted diet. Visceral protein stores (determined from albumin and total lymphocyte count) and somatic protein stores (determined from weight-for-height calculations, triceps skin fold, and arm muscle circumference) increased significantly from before surgery to 6 months after surgery. The number of patients with adequate visceral protein stores increased from 66.1% to 98.1%, and those with adequate somatic protein stores increased from 67.2% to 84.6%. Weight was analyzed over time with analysis of variance. Patients gained weight (preoperative mean = 72.8 kg and postoperative mean at 6 months = 80.2 kg), and ideal body weight increased from 102% to 114%. With paired t tests the following differed before and after surgery (p less than or equal to 0.05): cholesterol levels increased from 180 to 262 mg/dl, and triglyceride concentrations increased from 139 to 221 mg/dl. In conclusion, patient protein stores returned to normal after surgery, patients increased body weight to more than 110% of ideal, and cholesterol and triglyceride levels became elevated.

Effect of n-alcohols and glycerol on the pretransition of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine.

We have systematically investigated the effect of short-chain n-alcohols and glycerol on the pretransition of 1,2-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) by spectrophotometry. It is found that the n-alcohols and glycerol remove the pretransition above a critical concentration for each ligand. In addition, the short-chain n-alcohols below the critical concentration decrease the pretransition temperature. The longer the aliphatic chain length of the n-alcohol (up to butanol) the greater the decrease in the pretransition temperature, and the lower the concentration necessary to remove the pretransition. However, glycerol differs from the short-chain n-alcohols in that it has no significant effect on either the pretransition or the main transition, but it is also capable of removing the pretransition above a critical concentration. It has previously been shown that alcohols have a biphasic effect on the main transition temperature of phosphatidylcholines (Rowe, E.S. (1983) Biochemistry 22, 3299-3305). At high alcohol concentrations, the main transition is not thermodynamically reversible (Rowe, E.S. (1985) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 813, 321-330). Recently, Simon and McIntosh (Biochim. Biophys. Acta (1984) 773, 169-172) have identified that at high ethanol concentration DPPC exists in the interdigitated phase. The critical ligand concentration at which the pretransition disappears coincides with the induction of main transition hysteresis and the biphasic alcohol effect in the main transition. These three effects appear to correlate with the induction of the interdigitated gel state by alcohols and glycerol.

13C-NMR and spectrophotometric studies of alcohol-lipid interactions.

The interactions of butanol and mixtures of butanol and ethanol with dipalmitoylphosphatidyl choline (DPPC) liposomes have been investigated by both spectrophotometric measurements and Fourier transform 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The spectrophotometric experiments indicate that butanol exhibits the same effects on the thermotropic properties of DPPC as the other short chain alcohols, methanol, ethanol and propanol, which have been shown to be characteristic of the alcohol induced transition of the lipid to the interdigitated state. An additive effect of butanol and ethanol on the induction of the interdigitated phase in DPPC was also observed. A decrease in line width and increase in T1 of the choline methyl signal were observed in the 13C-NMR experiments conducted at 32 degrees C when butanol was added to DPPC in increasing amounts suggesting an increase of disorder in the head group region of the lipid. Addition of ethanol to the NMR sample containing butanol produced hysteresis in the heating and cooling curves characteristic of the interdigitated state. In the interdigitated state, the choline methyl signal exhibited a T1 value equal to that when the lipid is in the fluid state. The increase of mobility in the head group region in the interdigitated gel state relative to the bilayer gel can be rationalized by the increase in surface area in that site when the lipid interdigitates.

An unusual arrangement of smooth membranes in the root meristem cells of Allium cepa L. following exposure to colchicine.

The unusual membranes in the root meristem cells of Allium cepa after exposure to colchicine are arranged in a closed multilayered structure consisting of a pair of double unit membranes enclosing a ground substance which consists essentially of ribosomes. The spaces between the unit membranes and between the pairs of unit membranes are uniform throughout the entire organelle. There is some indication of the association of this organelle with mitochondria.