Systematic review and meta-analysis: Diagnostic performance of DNA alterations in pancreatic juice for the detection of pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pancreatic cancer has a dismal prognosis. So far, imaging has been proven incapable of establishing an early enough diagnosis. Thus, biomarkers are urgently needed for early detection and improved survival. Our aim was to evaluate the pooled diagnostic performance of DNA alterations in pancreatic juice. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed in EMBASE, MEDLINE Ovid, Cochrane CENTRAL and Web of Science for studies concerning the diagnostic performance of DNA alterations in pancreatic juice to differentiate patients with high-grade dysplasia or pancreatic cancer from controls. Study quality was assessed using QUADAS-2. The pooled prevalence, sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratio were calculated. RESULTS: Studies mostly concerned cell-free DNA mutations (32 studies: 939 cases, 1678 controls) and methylation patterns (14 studies: 579 cases, 467 controls). KRAS, TP53, CDKN2A, GNAS and SMAD4 mutations were evaluated most. Of these, TP53 had the highest diagnostic performance with a pooled sensitivity of 42% (95% CI: 31-54%), specificity of 98% (95%-CI: 92%-100%) and diagnostic odds ratio of 36 (95% CI: 9-133). Of DNA methylation patterns, hypermethylation of CDKN2A, NPTX2 and ppENK were studied most. Hypermethylation of NPTX2 performed best with a sensitivity of 39-70% and specificity of 94-100% for distinguishing pancreatic cancer from controls. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis shows that, in pancreatic juice, the presence of distinct DNA mutations (TP53, SMAD4 or CDKN2A) and NPTX2 hypermethylation have a high specificity (close to 100%) for the presence of high-grade dysplasia or pancreatic cancer. However, the sensitivity of these DNA alterations is poor to moderate, yet may increase if they are combined in a panel.

Performance of the Emprint and Amica Microwave Ablation Systems in ex vivo Porcine Livers: Sphericity and Reproducibility Versus Size.

PURPOSE: To investigate the performance of two microwave ablation (MWA) systems regarding ablation volume, ablation shape and variability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this ex vivo study, the Emprint and Amica MWA systems were used to ablate porcine livers at 4 different settings of time and power (3 and 5 minutes at 60 and 80 Watt). In total, 48 ablations were analysed for ablation size and shape using Vitrea Advanced Visualization software after acquisition of a 7T MRI scan. RESULTS: Emprint ablations were smaller (11,1 vs. 21,1 mL p < 0.001), more spherical (sphericity index of 0.89 vs. 0.59 p < 0.001) and showed less variability than Amica ablations. In both systems, longer ablation time and higher power resulted in significantly larger ablation volumes. CONCLUSION: Emprint ablations were more spherical, and the results showed a lower variability than those of Amica ablations. This comes at the price of smaller ablation volumes.

Comparison of clinical and pathological diagnoses in dogs.

Clinical and pathological diagnoses were compared in a prospective study of 145 dogs. A diagnostic work up had been performed on all dogs of which 36 (24.8%) died and 109 (75.2%) were euthanatized. In 119 dogs (82.1%) both a clinical and patholical diagnosis was made, in 20 dogs (13.8%) no pathological diagnosis could be made and in 6 dogs (4.1%) no clinical diagnosis was established. In the 119 dogs the agreement level between clinical and pathological diagnosis was scored by the referring veterinarian together with a pathologist. Total agreement was found in 61 cases (51.3%) and disagreement in 31 cases (26.0%). In the remaining cases (27=22.7%) the pathological diagnosis further specified the clinical diagnosis. Consecutive submission appeared difficult to achieve by the participating veterinarians. However, no major differences in agreement level was present between the veterinarian which succeeded in almost consecutive submissions and the other veterinarians. At necropsy 42 cases were diagnosed as neoplasia, of which 52.4% had been diagnosed clinically. As to infectious diseases 55.0% of these diseases diagnosed at necropsy had been diagnosed clinically. In about 20% of the cases the differences were of clinical significance according to the referring veterinarians. In addition, it was indicated by the clinicians that about 50% of the necropsies revealed findings which could amend future patient care. The results of the study stress the relevance of postmortem examination as crucial part of continuing education and of quality monitoring and assurance in veterinary medicine.

[Campylobacter as a venereal disease in cattle]. / Campylobacter als dekinfectie bij rundvee.

Since the introduction of AI, venereal diseases caused by Tritrichomonas fetus and Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis haved been eradicated in The Netherlands. Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus can cause sporadic abortion and early embryonic death. When natural breeding is practised, venereal diseases must be included in the list of differential diagnoses of fertility problems. A case study of a Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus infection is described.

Bovine fetal neosporosis: a comparison of epizootic and sporadic abortion cases and different age classes with regard to lesion severity and immunohistochemical identification of organisms in brain, heart, and liver.

Eighty bovine fetuses with confirmed neosporosis were used to score lesion severity and presence of parasites in brain, heart, and liver. A comparison was made between epizootic and sporadic abortion cases. The possible influence of fetal age was also investigated. Histologic lesions of multifocal encephalitis, myocarditis, and periportal hepatitis with or without focal hepatocellular necrosis were almost always observed. Neospora caninum tachyzoites were identified immunohistochemically in 85% of the brains, 14% of the hearts, and 26% of the livers. Tissue cysts were observed in 21% of the brains. Significant differences between epizootic and sporadic abortion cases were found only in the liver. Hepatic lesions were more prominent and N. caninum tachyzoites were observed more frequently and in higher numbers in epizootic cases. Examination by immunohistochemistry of the liver in addition to the brain can be highly contributive diagnostically, particularly in epizootic cases. There were no significant age-related differences except for a higher presence of tachyzoites in the hearts of younger fetuses (3-4 months gestational age).

Factors influencing the isolation of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis from bovine fecal samples.

A modified procedure was used for culture of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Mptb) from bovine feces. Bovine fecal samples were decontaminated with NaOH, exposed to a mixture of oxalic acid and malachite green, incubated in a mixture of neomycin and amphotericin B. Decontaminated specimens were inoculated onto modified Löwenstein-Jensen medium. Specimens processed by high-speed centrifugation showed growth earlier than specimens prepared by low-speed centrifugation. However, the overall number of positive cultures at 16 weeks was not different for the 2 methods. When infected dairy herds were sampled 4 times at 6-month intervals and culture-positive cows were culled, the prevalence of infected cattle declined over time. After selective culling, the cattle left in the herds shed low numbers of Mptb, which explains why it took longer for cultures to become positive. No heifers younger than 11 months were culture positive, but heifers 13-14 months of age were more frequently culture positive than were heifers of any other age. The 16-week culture period is needed with this method to detect cattle shedding low numbers of Mptb. High-speed centrifugation of samples does not increase the efficiency of identification of animals shedding Mptb.

Failure of antibiotics gentamycin, tylosin, lincomycin and spectinomycin to eliminate Mycoplasma bovis in artificially infected frozen bovine semen.

To study the effect of antibiotics upon Mycoplasma bovis in fresh bovine semen just before freezing, specimens of bovine semen were artificially infected with 1 of 9 different strains of M. bovis. Inocula of each strain were prepared to contain 10(5) to 10(6)/mL colony-forming units of M. bovis at 3 different stages of the growth phase. The infected semen was diluted with a Tris extender by a 3-step procedure using an antibiotic mixture of gentamicin, tylosin, lincomycin and spectinomycin (GTLS). This semen-antibiotic mixture was placed into French straws that were stored at -196 degrees C. The control semen specimens contained no antibiotics Mycoplasmas were counted after 8 d of storage in 3 decimal dilutions of the frozen semen. No evident effect was noticed upon the 9 tested strains of mycoplasmas in the semen frozen with the antibiotics, compared with that of the untreated control samples. It was further shown that this lack of effect was irrespective of the stage of the growth phase of the mycoplasmas. It was concluded that the antibiotic mixture (GTLS) in semen specimens is not capable of total elimination of mycoplasmas in frozen bovine semen.

Hematological and clinicochemical profiles of healthy swine and swine with inflammatory processes.

The hematological and clinicochemical profiles of healthy swine and swine with inflammatory processes were investigated. Blood was collected at slaughter and postmortem examination was performed to select healthy swine and swine with pleuritis, pneumonia or abscesses. In healthy swine, the values of several variables revealed significant differences between gilts, barrows and boars. This was caused predominantly by the values obtained for boars. Inflammatory processes altered the values of most variables investigated, particularly for erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hemoglobin and hematocrit, for the activity of alkaline phosphatase, and for concentrations of iron, phosphate, albumin and fibrinogen in plasma. Compared with healthy swine, differences were largest for swine with metastatic abscesses and swine with both abscesses and other pathological lesions; differences were less pronounced in swine with solitary abscesses and were minor in swine with pneumonia and swine with pleuritis. Porcine hematological and clinicochemical profiles reflect the degree of inflammation.

The influence of disease on feed and water consumption and on pharmacokinetics of orally administered oxytetracycline in pigs.

In the present study the feed and water consumption and pharmacokinetic parameters of orally administered oxytetracycline were compared in clinically healthy pigs and in the same pigs following a challenge with Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae toxins. Endobronchial challenge with A. pleuropneumniae toxins was accompanied by anorexia, increased lassitude, labored breathing, fever, and increased white blood cell counts. Pleuropneumonia was evident in all pigs on autopsy. Following the challenge, both feed and water consumption were markedly reduced. In contrast to recommendations in the literature, it is concluded that drugs should not be administered to pneumonic pigs via water. In healthy pigs the oral bioavailability of oxytetracycline (50 mg/kg), given on an empty stomach, was 4.8% and the elimination half-life (t1/2 beta) was 5.92 h. After challenge, the pigs showed great variation in oxytetracycline plasma concentrations. In addition, the mean computed elimination rate constant (beta), t1/2 beta, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), and clearance in pneumonic pigs differed significantly (P less than .05) from the values found in healthy pigs. The elimination half-life (t1/2 beta), AUC, and volume of distribution (Vd area) were increased. In diseased pigs the mean of maximum plasma concentrations (.87 micrograms/ml) was reached after 7 h, in contrast to 1.74 h (1.87 micrograms/ml) in the healthy pigs.

Haematological and clinico-chemical profiles of barrows at the farm and at slaughter.

Haematological and clinico-chemical profiles of blood of healthy stress-resistant swine collected at the farm and at slaughter were determined to investigate whether values of blood variables can be used to establish stress. The values of most variables investigated showed highly significant changes. It is concluded that haematological and clinico-chemical values may be useful in studies to detect, quantify and reduce stress-provoking conditions in stress-resistant swine.

Changes in haematological and clinicochemical profiles in blood of apparently healthy slaughter pigs, collected at the farm and at slaughter, in relation to the severity of pathological-anatomical lesions.

Differences in haematological and clinicochemical profiles of blood of apparently healthy slaughter pigs collected at the farm and at slaughter were investigated in relation to the severity of pathological-anatomical lesions. For this purpose blood-samples of castrated male pigs were collected once at seven different farms and from the same pigs one to three days later at the slaughterhouse. In general, as far as the investigated blood variables are concerned, there were distinct and significant differences in the mean values between farm and slaughter blood-samples. As a rule the mean values of the investigated blood variables were higher in the slaughter blood than in the farm blood. The effects are most pronounced for leucocyte concentration and for the activity of the enzymes creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT). For the blood variables albumin, lymphocytes and magnesium there were significant, but not so strong interactions between the sites of blood-sampling and the groups, which were classified according to the severity of pathological-anatomical lesions. Despite the fact that there were significant differences in the mean values of blood profiles of the slaughter pigs between the sites of blood sampling, this effect was only manifest as a difference in the level of the values of the blood variables. This means that clinicochemical and haematological profiles from groups of pigs at slaughter reflect the herd's health status at the farm and can be used when monitoring it.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Total CK and CK-BB activity in serum from sheep with scrapie.

Total CK and iso-enzyme CK-BB activity was measured in serum from four sheep with scrapie and in serum from four healthy control sheep. Blood samples were taken weekly for about six months. There was a clear overlap between the total CK and CK-BB activity in serum from sheep with scrapie and that in serum from control sheep. Thus measurement of these enzymes does not aid the clinical diagnosis of scrapie.

Haematology and blood-chemistry for predicting abscesses and other abnormalities in slaughtered pigs.

Blood values of slaughtered pigs were determined in an attempt to relate the blood profile with the prevalence of abscesses. To this end 319 pigs were selected and grouped into classes on the basis of pathological ante- and post-mortem findings. The classes thus distinguished were (i) no pathology, (ii) pleurisy or pneumonia and (iii) abscesses occurring singly, metastasised or in combination with other abnormalities. By stepwise discriminant analysis it was established that the blood variables ln(fibrinogen) and albumin were particularly suitable for the detection of abscesses in slaughtered pigs. In this way a correct classification of 89.3% of affected pigs is possible. The numbers of false-positives and false-negatives were 19.3% and 10.7%, respectively. For meat-inspection purposes application of blood analyses is promising. For application in meat-inspection practice rapid on-line methods need to be devised.

Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae non-O:1 isolated from a goat in The Netherlands.

A case of enterotoxicosis in a goat at necropsy is described. The animal had died without clinical signs. Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae non-O:1 was isolated from the intestines. This species has not been reported earlier from healthy or diseased farm animals, such as goats, in the Netherlands.

[Pustular dermatitis in veterinarians following delivery in domestic animals; an occupational disease]. / Pustulaire dermatitis bij dierenartsen na verlossingen van landbouwhuisdieren; een beroepsziekte.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of contact dermatitis after deliveries in cattle or sheep among veterinarians. DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, The Netherlands. METHODS: By means of a short inquiry 31O veterinarians were asked whether and how often they had experienced pustular dermatitis after deliveries in cattle and sheep and what course the dermatitis had run. They were also asked about details of the deliveries (type of animal, condition of the foetus, course of the partus), about microbiological investigation, preventive measurements and therapy. RESULTS: The response to the questionnaires was 24.5%. One or more episodes of pustular dermatitis on an arm after a delivery in cattle or sheep was noticed by 6(2) (81.5%) of the 7(6) respondents. Sometimes it was associated with secondary symptoms like headache, fever and lymphadenitis. Listeria monocytogenes (7 times out of 13) and Salmonella dublin (4/13) were the agents cultured most often. CONCLUSION: Contact dermatitis after deliveries in cattle or sheep occurs frequently as an occupational disease of veterinarians.

[A men with a Salmonella dublin-infected aneurysm of the abdominal aorta]. / Een man met een door Salmonella dublin geïnfecteerd abdominaal aneurysma aortae.

A 71-year-old male was diagnosed with a Salmonella dublin infection. He presented with abdominal pain with no diarrhoea, and sepsis, and was found to have an infected aneurysm of the infrarenal abdominal aorta. He was treated surgically with resection of the aneurysm and implantation of an extra-anatomic axillobifemoral bypass, followed by long-term antibiotic treatment. Nine months after the primary treatment, the patient died as a result of rupture of the aortic stump. S. dublin-infected aneurysm of the abdominal aorta is a rare condition with high mortality. Human S. dublin infections are associated with the consumption of unpasteurised dairy products from infected animals.

[Lambing ewes as a source of severe psittacosis in a pregnant woman]. / Lammerende schapen als bron van ernstige psittacose bij een zwangere.

The first documented Dutch case of an ovine Chlamydia psittaci infection concerned a 20-year-old woman in the 26th week of pregnancy, following contact with lambing sheep. She had a severe sepsis and had to be artificially ventilated. Finally, the patient made a full recovery. The preterm born child died directly after birth. The placenta showed an acute intervillitis in which chlamydial antigen was demonstrated immunohistologically. Infection with an ovine C. psittaci was confirmed by sequence analysis of amplified chlamydial DNA from the placenta. Infections with C. psittaci are typically associated with contact with (sick) birds. However, mammals also may act as a source of human infection, especially sheep in which C. psittaci is an important cause of abortion. Infections with ovine C. psittaci are a particular hazard for pregnant women, in whom there is severe placentitis and frequently foetal loss. Such infections are mainly associated with contact with lambing sheep.

[Pustular dermatitis in veterinarians following delivery in farm animals; an occupational disease]. / Pustulaire dermatitis bij dierenartsen na verlossingen van landbouwhuisdieren; een beroepsziekte.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of contact dermatitis after deliveries in cattle or sheep among veterinarians. DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Provinces of Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe, The Netherlands. METHODS: By means of a short inquiry 310 veterinarians were asked whether and how often they had experienced pustular dermatitis after deliveries in cattle and sheep and what course the dermatitis had run. They were also asked about details of the deliveries (type of animal, condition of the foetus, course of the partus), about microbiological investigation, preventive measurements and therapy. RESULTS: The response to the questionnaires was 24.5%. One or more episodes of pustular dermatitis on an arm after a delivery in cattle or sheep was noticed by 62 (81.5%) of the 76 respondents. Sometimes it was associated with secondary symptoms like headache, fever and lymphadenitis. Listeria monocytogenes (7 times out of 13) and Salmonella dublin (4/13) were the agents cultured most often. CONCLUSION: Contact dermatitis after deliveries in cattle or sheep occurs frequently as an occupational disease of veterinarians.

[The bacterial flora of the hairy skin and the rumen contents of veal calves. A prospective study]. / De microbiële flora van de vacht en de pensinhoud van vleeskalveren. Een oriënterend onderzoek.

A prospective study of the bacterial flora of the haircoat, rumen contents and interdigital skin was done as part of investigations on the contamination and prevention of contamination of carcases and livestock products of veal calves in the slaughter line. These constitute a source of contamination of the meat during slaughter. Twenty calves were studied. The coats of these calves were found to be severely contaminated by bacteria of faecal origin. In addition to enterobacteriaceae showing multiple resistance to antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents, large numbers of pseudomonadaceae and Lancefield D streptococci were present in the rumen contents. Small numbers of lactobacilli were identified in the rumen contents. It is concluded that they may have detrimental effects on the safety and quality of the veal and carcases.

[Necropsy findings in fattening pigs during the period 1979-1989]. / Sectiebevindingen bij mestvarkens gedurende de periode 1979-1989.

Necropsy findings of 1041 fattening pigs, during the period of 1979-1989 are presented. The pigs originated from one veterinary practice association. Enterotoxicosis associated with E. coli serotype O149:K91:K88 was the most prevalent diagnosis, followed by fibrinous pleuropneumonia due to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. A decrease was noticed for Aujeszky disease during the late years. After 1985 an increase was found for torsio mesenterialis. In 1.7% of the cases no post mortem diagnosis could be made.