Evaluation of Egyptian sheep production systems: I. Breed crosses and management systems.

Our objective was to evaluate life-cycle performance of flocks of two Egyptian breeds, Rahmani (R) and Ossimi (O), and their crosses with Finnish Landrace (F) in two management systems. Management systems were one mating season per year (1M) and three mating seasons per 2 yr (3M). Breeds and crosses studied included purebred R and O, F1 crosses 1/2F-1/2R (FR) and 1/2F-1/2O (FO), and inter se matings of 1/4 F-3/4 R (RFR) and 1/4 F-3/4 O (OFO). A dynamic computer model was used to simulate animal performance and enterprise efficiency and profit. Two measures of lifecycle feed conversion (biological efficiency) were computed: kilograms of TDN input per kilograms of empty body weight output (TDN/EBW) and kilograms of TDN input per kilogram of carcass lean output (TDN/CLN). Profit was measured as gross margin (income minus variable costs per ewe per year, GM/EWE). Input parameters for the model were obtained from published results and analyses of data collected from experimental flocks of the same genetic stocks in Egypt. Profit for FR and RFR was 42 and 6% higher in 1M than in 3M. However, profit for all other genetic types was 4 to 8% greater in 3M than in 1M. Breed rankings changed depending on the measure of evaluation (i.e., biological efficiency or profit). Maximization of system output did not necessarily improve efficiency. Under accelerated lambing systems, greater overhead costs associated with labor and feed offset gains in ewe productivity. Genetic stocks should be matched to resources and management systems.

Evaluation of Egyptian sheep production systems: II. Breeding objectives for purebred and composite breeds.

Objectives for this study were to estimate relative economic weights for performance traits for two native and two composite sheep breeds under two management systems in Egypt. Breeds studied were Rahmani (R), Ossimi (O), 3/4R-1/4Finnish Landrace (RFR), and 3/4O-1/4Finn (OFO); OFO and RFR were composite breeds. Management systems were one mating season per year (1M) and three mating seasons per 2 yr (3M). A dynamic computer model was used to simulate animal performance and enterprise efficiency and profit. Input parameters for the model were obtained from published results and analyses of data collected from experimental flocks of the same genetic stocks in Egypt. Responses for two measures of life-cycle feed conversion and one measure of enterprise profit were evaluated. Life-cycle feed conversion was calculated as kilograms of TDN input per kilogram of empty body weight output (TDN/EBW) and kilograms of TDN input per kilogram of carcass lean output (TDN/CLN). Profit was measured as annual gross margin/ewe (GM/EWE). Traits evaluated were conception rate (CR), lambing rate (LR), mortality rate (MR), mature weight (MW), and milk production (MK). Based on responses to percentage changes in trait means, CR was most important for TDN/EBW, followed by LR and MR. For TDN/CLN, LR, MR, and CR were most important. For GM/EWE, CR was most important, followed by LR, MW, and MR. In the systems studied, there was little response to changes in MK. Based on changes in GM/EWE per genetic standard deviation change, LR was most important, followed by CR, MR, MW, and MK in all systems. Relative economic weights for O and OFO were similar, as were weights for R and RFR. Differences in economic weights between management systems for the same breed were not large enough to justify separate selection lines within breeds.

Failure of the Jonas prosthesis.

A total of 27 patients received the standard Jonas silicone-silver penile prosthesis. The procedure was done at 3 separate hospitals by 2 surgical teams. Four patients who were reported on previously presented consecutively to our clinic with failed penile rigidity and complete multiple wire fractures were found at reoperation. Therefore, the remaining 23 patients were reviewed and 7 had positive findings suggesting fracture, including decreased penile rigidity, crackling that was audible or palpable and/or evidence of fracture on an x-ray. Seven patients had completely negative evaluations and 9 were lost to followup. Two patients with suspicious x-ray findings and 1 with negative x-ray findings but who reported less rigidity have since had the prostheses removed, and all had multiple wire fractures. Radiographs of fractured prostheses, both in the penis and explanted, attest to the limited reliability of x-ray in the diagnosis of wire fracture.

Hodgkin's disease complicating pregnancy.

We report our experience in the management of 12 patients with Hodgkin's disease associated with pregnancy. Three patients presented in the first trimester; pregnancy was interrupted in two. They are alive and well after 8, 14 and 16 years of follow-up. Two patients presented in the second trimester; they elected to continue their pregnancies and both died from progressive disease, one of them having refused therapy. The remaining seven patients in the third trimester continued pregnancy; they are all alive after five to 11 years of follow-up and one is alive with active disease. Two patients received radiotherapy during pregnancy. Both had normal outcomes of pregnancy and no fetal abnormalities were found. There is no evidence to suggest that either pregnancy affects the course of Hodgkin's disease or that Hodgkin's disease affects pregnancy. General rules as to how to proceed in patients with Hodgkin's disease complicated by pregnancy are described.

Torsion of the contralateral testis 5 years after orchiopexy.

We report a case of spermatic cord torsion in the contralateral testicle 5 years after surgical fixation. Since diagnosis of such a lesion is difficult a high degree of suspicion is necessary. If torsion is suspected exploration is mandatory. We strongly recommend the use of a nonabsorbable reaction-producing suture (for example silk) when an orchiopexy is performed, with the point of fixation being between the visceral tunica vaginalis and the dartos muscle.

Multiple fractures of the silver wire strands as a complication of the silicone-silver wire prosthesis.

A review of 5 consecutive cases in which removal of the silicone-silver wire prosthesis was necessary within 2 years of implantation has revealed multiple breaks in all strands of the silver wire core in both of the paired cylinders.

[Laparotomy in Hodgkin's disease: significance of splenic involvement]. / La laparotomie dans la maladie de Hodgkin: signification de l'atteinte de la rate.

We retrospectively reviewed 224 cases of Hodgkin's disease, in 120 of which staging laparotomy was performed. The surgical findings in cases of clinical stage I or II disease with supradiaphragmatic presentation or clinical stage III disease did not influence the treatment plans. Of the 64 patients with positive results of laparotomy (splenic or lymph node involvement or both) 51 had splenic involvement; their 5-year survival rate, 57%, was similar to that of the patients with clinical or pathological stage III disease - 58% and 54% respectively. At laparotomy 11 patients with pathological stage III disease were found to have isolated splenic involvement; their 5-year survival rate, 64%, was not appreciably different from that of the patients with clinical stage II disease, 70%; both groups were treated with radiotherapy only. From this study we can conclude that splenic involvement in Hodgkin's disease has no deleterious effect on survival and that splenic irradiation seems to be as effective as splenectomy in controlling the disease.

Acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

In 25 patients receiving allogeneic bone marrow transplants methotrexate was used to prevent acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Acute GVHD, grades 2 to 4, developed in only 5 (20%) of the patients. The incidence of acute GVHD in other series of recipients of bone marrow transplants has ranged from 5% to 76%. A review of the literature suggests that this variation cannot be completely accounted for by age, type of disease treated by transplantation or type of GVHD prophylaxis. However, transfusion of allogeneic lymphocytes that have not been completely inactivated by irradiation (e.g., in platelet and granulocyte preparations) and inadequate isolation-decontamination procedures may increase the probability of GVHD following bone marrow transplantation.

Restoration of normal hematopoiesis by bone marrow ablation and allogeneic marrow transplantation in a case of Hodgkin's disease therapy-related preleukemia.

Therapy-related leukemias are generally preceded by a preleukemic phase of several months duration, characterized by pancytopenia, abnormal bone marrow findings, and nonrandom chromosomal abnormalities in almost all cases. No specific therapeutic guidelines are recommended in this preleukemic phase or any other type of preleukemia; aggressive combination chemotherapy is usually withheld until the full expression of leukemia. A 22-yr-old man with therapy-related preleukemia following treatment of Hodgkin's disease received as primary treatment ablative chemotherapy followed by marrow transplantation from his histocompatible sister. At day 316, the patient is still in complete bone marrow recovery with a normal donor karyotype. In the light of the very poor results obtained with conventional chemotherapy regimens once the leukemic phase is established, we suggest that bone marrow transplantation, if undertaken before leukemic conversion, may be the treatment of choice in young adults with therapy-related preleukemia.

Second malignancy complicating Hodgkin's disease.

We have reviewed the records of 227 patients with Hodgkin's disease diagnosed between 1969 and 1977 inclusively. The incidence of a second malignancy has been assessed. Fourteen patients developed second malignancies, 10 of which were solid tumors and four acute leukemias. The ratios of observed to expected malignancies were assessed for three subgroups: it was 1.58 for patients who received radiotherapy alone, 5.17 for patients who received combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and 14.73 for a third subgroup of patients who also received maintenance chemotherapy. A detailed analysis of the 14 patients with a second malignancy has been done. Only one occurred in a patient who had had a splenectomy. Patients who had a relapse of Hodgkin's disease did not have an increased incidence of second malignancy. Treatment-induced malignancies appear to be rather aggressive. Of the 14 patients, 12 died within one year and two are alive with disease, one year after diagnosis.

Malignant lymphoma of the testis.

Three cases of patients suffering from malignant lymphoma of the testicle are reported. The clinical aspects and characteristic pathological features are discussed. The evolution of lymphoma of the testicle differs from lymphomas in other sites and appears to be more agressive. It is recommended that a more extensive radiation therapy be applied because of frequent extra-nodal spread which is often excluded when using conventional fields. Chemotherapy provides long periods of remission in malignant lymphoma. This therapeutic weapon should be combined with radiation therapy for a better control of the disease.

[Anaplastic epithelioma of the thyroid gland 6 years after cervical irradiation for malignant lymphoma]. / Epithélioma anaplasique de la thyroïde 6 ans après irradiation cervicale pour lymphome malin

Carcinoma of the thyroid gland may develop after irradiation of the cervical region. It is well documented in patients who received radiation therapy to the neck in childhood but rarely when the therapy was given in adulthood. A case of an undifferentiated carcinoma of the thyroid gland occurring in an adult 6 years after irradiation of the cervical region for a malignant lymphoma is reported. The role of irradiation and the factors related to the development of carcinoma of the thyroid gland are reviewed.

Malignant testicular tumours.

A series of 71 patients with malignant testicular tumours treated primarily by orchiectomy and irradiation is reviewed with respect to pathological and clinical features and modes of treatment.The three-year crude survival rate in 36 patients with seminoma was 86% and in 24 patients with carcinoma it was 41.7%. There were no survivors among patients with choriocarcinoma. Our results are comparable with those of other series.A prospective study is proposed of the value of irradiation and subsequent limited lymph node dissection following orchiectomy in cases of carcinoma of the testis.