World Small Animal Veterinary Association Renal Pathology Initiative: Classification of Glomerular Diseases in Dogs.

Evaluation of canine renal biopsy tissue has generally relied on light microscopic (LM) evaluation of hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections ranging in thickness from 3 to 5 µm. Advanced modalities, such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunofluorescence (IF), have been used sporadically or retrospectively. Diagnostic algorithms of glomerular diseases have been extrapolated from the World Health Organization classification scheme for human glomerular disease. With the recent establishment of 2 veterinary nephropathology services that evaluate 3-µm sections with a panel of histochemical stains and routinely perform TEM and IF, a standardized objective species-specific approach for the diagnosis of canine glomerular disease was needed. Eight veterinary pathologists evaluated 114 parameters (lesions) in renal biopsy specimens from 89 dogs. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the data revealed 2 large categories of glomerular disease based on the presence or absence of immune complex deposition: The immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis (ICGN) category included cases with histologic lesions of membranoproliferative or membranous patterns. The second category included control dogs and dogs with non-ICGN (glomerular amyloidosis or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis). Cluster analysis performed on only the LM parameters led to misdiagnosis of 22 of the 89 cases-that is, ICGN cases moved to the non-ICGN branch of the dendrogram or vice versa, thereby emphasizing the importance of advanced diagnostic modalities in the evaluation of canine glomerular disease. Salient LM, TEM, and IF features for each pattern of disease were identified, and a preliminary investigation of related clinicopathologic data was performed.

Histology and clinical outcome of benign and malignant vascular lesions primary to feline cervical lymph nodes.

A novel form of primary feline hemangiosarcoma and additional cases of plexiform vascularization in the cervical lymph nodes are reported. Sixteen cases of feline lymphadenopathy attributed to abnormal vascular proliferation were identified and evaluated. Most of these lesions were diagnosed histologically as hemangiosarcoma. However, lesions of plexiform vascularization, with and without areas of putative malignant transformation, were also identified. Mean age of the cats was 11 years (range, 3-16 years) with most being domestic shorthair and medium hair (13). Two domestic long hair and 1 Maine Coon were identified. Excisional nodal biopsy was performed in 15 cases and incisional biopsy in 1 case. Six cats were euthanized due to their disease. Survival times ranged from ≤ 1 month to ≥ 30 months. We provide a new clinical differential for cervical lymphadenopathy in cats that is not widely recognized. Proper identification of primary nodal vascular lesions in cats will enable further characterization of clinical features and biologic behavior to determine specific therapy.

Prognostic evaluation of Ki67 threshold value in canine oral melanoma.

Oral melanoma is a common canine cancer with a historically poor prognosis. Recent evidence suggests that a subset of cases may have a more favorable outcome, defined as long-term survival in the absence of intervention other than initial surgery. Traditional histological parameters have had prognostic significance in some studies but not in others, potentially due to interobserver variation. We evaluated the prognostic utility of Ki67 immunohistochemistry in a group of 79 canine oral melanomas using a technique easily applied in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. A threshold Ki67 value of >19.5 had a sensitivity and specificity of 87.1% and 85.4%, respectively, at predicting death or euthanasia due to melanoma by 1 year postdiagnosis. Threshold values for classical histological parameters were also identified for most cases and were >4 (>30%; sensitivity = 83.9%, specificity = 86.0%) for the nuclear atypia score and >4/10 hpfs (sensitivity = 90.3%, specificity = 84.4%) for the mitotic index. In this study, the percentages correctly classified with respect to death by 1 year postdiagnosis were comparable for Ki67 (86.1%, 68/79), the nuclear atypia score (86.3%, 63/73), and the mitotic index (86.8%, 66/76). High pigmentation (>50%) had a high negative predictive value of 90.9% (18/20), but overall, only 61.0% (47/77) of cases could be correctly classified by this parameter. Based on these results, we recommend a panel of prognostic parameters, including the nuclear atypia score, the mitotic index, Ki67, and pigmentation quantification to more accurately predict the likely outcome of canine oral melanomas.

Prognostic markers for canine melanocytic neoplasms: a comparative review of the literature and goals for future investigation.

Many studies have evaluated various prognostic markers for canine melanocytic neoplasms either as primary or secondary goals; however, design, methodology, and statistical validation vary widely across these studies. The goal of this article was to evaluate and compare published canine melanocytic neoplasm studies in relation to the principals established in the Recommended Guidelines for the Conduct and Evaluation of Prognostic Studies in Veterinary Oncology. Based on this evaluation, we determined which parameters currently have the most statistically supported validity for prognostic use in canine melanocytic neoplasia. This information can also be used as part of evidence-based prospective evaluations of treatment regimens. Additionally, we highlight areas in which the current data are incomplete and that warrant further evaluation. This article represents an initiative of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists' Oncology Committee and has been reviewed and endorsed by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association.

Recommended guidelines for submission, trimming, margin evaluation, and reporting of tumor biopsy specimens in veterinary surgical pathology.

Neoplastic diseases are typically diagnosed by biopsy and histopathological evaluation. The pathology report is key in determining prognosis, therapeutic decisions, and overall case management and therefore requires diagnostic accuracy, completeness, and clarity. Successful management relies on collaboration between clinical veterinarians, oncologists, and pathologists. To date there has been no standardized approach or guideline for the submission, trimming, margin evaluation, or reporting of neoplastic biopsy specimens in veterinary medicine. To address this issue, a committee consisting of veterinary pathologists and oncologists was established under the auspices of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists Oncology Committee. These consensus guidelines were subsequently reviewed and endorsed by a large international group of veterinary pathologists. These recommended guidelines are not mandated but rather exist to help clinicians and veterinary pathologists optimally handle neoplastic biopsy samples. Many of these guidelines represent the collective experience of the committee members and consensus group when assessing neoplastic lesions from veterinary patients but have not met the rigors of definitive scientific study and investigation. These questions of technique, analysis, and evaluation should be put through formal scrutiny in rigorous clinical studies in the near future so that more definitive guidelines can be derived.

Recommended guidelines for the conduct and evaluation of prognostic studies in veterinary oncology.

There is an increasing need for more accurate prognostic and predictive markers in veterinary oncology because of an increasing number of treatment options, the increased financial costs associated with treatment, and the emotional stress experienced by owners in association with the disease and its treatment. Numerous studies have evaluated potential prognostic and predictive markers for veterinary neoplastic diseases, but there are no established guidelines or standards for the conduct and reporting of prognostic studies in veterinary medicine. This lack of standardization has made the evaluation and comparison of studies difficult. Most important, translating these results to clinical applications is problematic. To address this issue, the American College of Veterinary Pathologists' Oncology Committee organized an initiative to establish guidelines for the conduct and reporting of prognostic studies in veterinary oncology. The goal of this initiative is to increase the quality and standardization of veterinary prognostic studies to facilitate independent evaluation, validation, comparison, and implementation of study results. This article represents a consensus statement on the conduct and reporting of prognostic studies in veterinary oncology from veterinary pathologists and oncologists from around the world. These guidelines should be considered a recommendation based on the current state of knowledge in the field, and they will need to be continually reevaluated and revised as the field of veterinary oncology continues to progress. As mentioned, these guidelines were developed through an initiative of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists' Oncology Committee, and they have been reviewed and endorsed by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association.

Methylmercury: bacterial degradation in lake sediments.

During the first 50 days of a long-term period of incubation of lake sediments with inorganic mercury (Hg(2+)), low concentrations of methylinercury were observed to build up. Upon continued incubation there was a rapid decrease in amount of methylmercury in the system and a concomitant evolution of volatile inorganic mercury (Hg(0)). Transfer of the mixed culture to growth media containing methylmercury resulted in the degradation of methylmercury and the volatilization of Hg(0). Four bacterial isolates were obtained from the mixed culture which, in pure culture, rapidly degraded methylmercury to methane and Hg(0). The presence of methane in head space gases was confirmed by flameionization gas chromatography, and the presence of Hg(0) in head space gases was confirmed by mass spectrometry.

Production of mesenchymal tumors in nude mice by Ph1 negative fibroblasts obtained from a Ph 1 positive CML patient: a preliminary report.

An experimental model system is presented for the investigation in humans of the role of hematopoietic stromal elements in the regulation of hematopoiesis as well as in the pathogenesis of myelofibrosis in myeloproliferative disorders. The model is based on the simultaneous application of three experimental techniques: (1) growth of bone-marrow derived fibroblastic colonies in vitro, (2) cytogenetic demonstration of marker chromosomes associated with hematopoietic malignancies, and (3) the transplantation of isolated stromal elements into athymic (nude) mice. Using this model, we describe the induction of mesenchymal tumors in nude mice by Ph1 negative fibroblasts obtained from the bone marrow of a patient with a Ph1 positive chronic myelogenous leukemia. Mesenchymal tumors also were induced in nude mice with bone marrow-derived fibroblasts from a patient with aplastic anemia, who was successfully treated with bone marrow transplantation, and from a normal human volunteer. Morphologic, cytogenetic and electron microscopic studies of bone marrow mesenchymal elements in culture and of tumors induced in nude mice from the CML patient indicate the cells composing the tumor are of human origin and are negative for the Ph1 chromosome. The results provide the first in vivo morphological and cytogenetic support using human materials, of the hypothesized relationship of progenitors of in vitro fibroblastic colonies to marrow stromal elements.

Growth of canine T-lymphocyte colonies in vitro.

Canine lymphocytes from peripheral blood, lymph nodes, thymus and bone marrow were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA) or concanavalin-A (CON-A) to form colonies in methylcellulose. Lymphocytes exposed to mitogens in liquid phase formed clumps the size of colonies. Lymphocyte clumping was eliminated by plating cells directly into methylcellulose, but high concentrations of mitogens (CON-A or PHA is greater than 10 mg/10(6) lymphocytes) were required in order to get subsequent colony formation. Thus, in contrast to published reports, exposure of lymphocytes to mitogen prior to plating was not required for cloning of canine peripheral blood lymphocytes. Colonies from thymus, lymph node, or peripheral blood consisted predominantly of T lymphocytes, whereas cultures from bone marrow also produced colonies with macrophage morphology and surface-adherent colonies with mesenchymal morphology.

Murine branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase; cDNA cloning, tissue distribution, and temporal expression during embryonic development.

These studies were designed to demonstrate the structural and functional similarity of murine branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase and its regulation by the complex-specific kinase. Nucleotide sequence and deduced amino acid sequence for the kinase cDNA demonstrate a highly conserved coding sequence between mouse and human. Tissue-specific expression in adult mice parallels that reported in other mammals. Kinase expression in female liver is influenced by circadian rhythm. Of special interest is the fluctuating expression of this kinase during embryonic development against the continuing increase in the catalytic subunits of this mitochondrial complex during development. The need for regulation of the branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex by kinase expression during embryogenesis is not understood. However, the similarity of murine branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase and its kinase to the human enzyme supports the use of this animal as a model for the human system.

Simian hemorrhagic fever: Studies of coagulation and pathology.

Simian hemorrhagic fever (SHF) was induced in three species of monkeys (Macaca mulatta, M. radiata and M. fascicularis) using plasma from animals that died with SHF in the 1967 outbreak at the California Primate Research Center. The disease was uniformly fatal in all three species with death occurring by day 5 in M. radiata and M. fascicularis and by day 7 in M. mulatta. Serial studies of hemostasis were consistent with the occurrence of disseminated intravascular coagulation, particularly in the M. mulatta. Studies of pathology were typical of previously reported findings in SHF and support the possibility of intravascular coagulation. The role of intravascular coagulation in the pathogenesis and outcome of SHF remains uncertain but studies of the influence of heparin on the disease are in progress.

Simian Plasmodium knowlesi malaria: studies of coagulation and pathology.

Uniformly fatal simian malaria was induced in ten rhesus monkeys by injection of Plasmodium knowlesi. The results of serial studies of platelet and blood coagulation factor levels suggested the occurrence of intravascular coagulation during the last 48 hours of the disease, concurrent with a marked fall in hematocrit levels. Fibrinogen survival was slightly decreased (two animals), but quantitative fibrinogen levels were elevated. Pathologic studies revealed only minimal evidence of fibrin deposition without indication of resultant tissue damage. The results are consistent with terminal intravascular coagulation possibly triggered by massive destruction of parasitized red blood cells.

Inflatable cavernosal body device: feasibility and acute safety study in the canine model.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility, safety, and acute mechanical reliability of a two-piece, implantable, inflatable cavernosal body compression device in the canine model. METHODS: Six large male dogs underwent implantation of an inflatable cavernosal compression device consisting of an inflatable cuff and a pump reservoir. The device was implanted around the corpora cavernosa excluding the corpus spongiosum near the crura. RESULTS: All devices were cycled three times a week for 2 months and radiographic evaluation found them to be mechanically reliable. Infusion cavernosometry with inflation of the device demonstrated greater than a 100% increase of intracorporeal pressure from baseline levels. Histologic assessment showed no adverse tissue effects on the penile tissue underlying the cuff or remote from the cuff in the penis and there was no development of distant thromboembolism. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study will form the basis of long-term canine studies to investigate physiologic changes on the canine erection and chronic safety and reliability of the device.

Cerebral arterial ectasia and tuberous sclerosis: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Tuberous sclerosis is associated with a wide variety of central nervous system abnormalities. Cerebrovascular anomalies are extremely rare, but a case of cerebral arterial ectasia and giant fusiform aneurysm formation in a young child is reported. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 5-month-old male patient with tuberous sclerosis presented with seizures, a subependymal tumor, and intraventricular hemorrhage. Cerebral angiography demonstrated a large fusiform aneurysm of the left cavernous internal carotid artery as well as arterial ectasia of the proximal left anterior cerebral and middle cerebral arteries. The patient developed hydrocephalus and died of infectious complications after repeated shunt procedures. CONCLUSION: Tuberous sclerosis is commonly associated with central nervous system lesions. Although rare, cerebrovascular anomalies and aneurysms should be considered in the differential diagnosis of mass lesions to avoid an ill-advised biopsy of a vascular lesion, which could have disastrous consequences.

Magnetic resonance image-guided stereotactic cingulotomy for intractable psychiatric disease.

We describe the modern operative technique of magnetic resonance (MR) image-guided stereotactic cingulotomy and discuss the indications, results, and complications of this procedure. A retrospective analysis of psychiatric outcome was performed for 34 patients with intractable major affective disorder and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder who underwent MR image-guided stereotactic cingulotomy since 1991. Fourteen patients underwent multiple cingulotomies (50 total procedures). Overall, 38% of the patients were classified as responders, 23% as possible responders, and 38% as nonresponders. Of the patients who did not respond to initial cingulotomies and who underwent multiple cingulotomies, 36% became responders, 36% possible responders, and 28% nonresponders. There were no deaths or long-term side effects related to the procedure. The therapeutic results of MR image-guided stereotactic cingulotomy are similar to the results of earlier methods of cingulotomy, and the use of MR imaging offers substantial technical advantages. This procedure also compares favorably with other neurosurgical procedures performed for intractable psychiatric disease with a low rate of undesired side effects. Cingulotomy is safe and well tolerated, with over one-third of the patients demonstrating significant improvement; however, prospective long-term follow-up studies are needed to further define the role of surgery in treating intractable psychiatric disease.

Safety of trypsin inhibitors in the diet: effects on the rat pancreas of long-term feeding of soy flour and soy protein isolate.

The effects on the pancreas of chronic dietary exposure to defatted soy flour and soy protein isolate have been studied in two two-year feeding trials in rats. Emphasis was placed on detecting changes that might accompany low levels of dietary trypsin inhibitor (TI) as might be found in edible grade soy products and on studying the influence of protein nutrition. The major pathological findings in the pancreas were nodular hyperplasia (NH), consisting of foci of hyperplastic acinar cells often grossly visible by six months, and the benign neoplastic lesion, acinar adenoma (AA), which developed more slowly. In the first feeding trial, the objectives were to obtain the dose-response relationship of pancreatic pathology to dietary TI provided by raw and heated soy flour and to study the nutritional interaction of protein level which was varied from 10% to 30% using casein supplementation. Also, the responses to raw and heated soy protein isolate were compared to determine whether the removal of more than 50% of the constituents found in soy flour would alter the development of pancreatic lesions. In the second trial, the effect of unusually low levels of TI in raw and heat-treated soy protein isolate, prepared through a salt extraction process and fed at 10% and 30% protein in the diet, was investigated. The incidence of both NH and AA was positively related to the TI content of the diet. The probit transformation of the percent incidence of AA was linearly related to the log of TI/g protein in the diet. A single curve best described the response to 20% and 30% protein, with a slope that was distinctly greater than that for 10% protein. The intersection of the two curves near the TI concentration of edible grade soy flour predicts that protein level in the diet can be expected to have essentially no effect on the incidence of AA when TI activity is in this range. But, for proteins containing greater concentrations of TI, increasing the level of protein in the diet will increase the incidence of pancreatic pathology, while for proteins with quite low levels of TI, increasing the protein in the diet above 10% will have a protective effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Pathologic factors affecting postsplenectomy survival in dogs.

The apparently high prevalence of splenomegaly in dogs, along with the surgical accessibility of the spleen, results in a relatively large number of splenectomies in dogs in clinical veterinary practice. Splenic nodular lesions are widely considered to be indicative of hemangiosarcoma and thus a disease that is ultimately fatal. This study correlates the results of complete pathologic evaluation and classification of 500 spleens obtained by splenectomy with survival information for each dog. Among the spleens examined, 257 of 500 (51.4%) were classified nonneoplastic and 241 (48.2%) were neoplastic; 2 (0.4%) were unclassified. Miscellaneous non-nodular splenomegaly accounted for 46 of 257 (18%) of the nonneoplastic lesions; nodular splenomegaly accounted for 206 of 257 (79%) of nonneoplastic splenic lesions and was composed of lymphoid hyperplastic nodules and associated hematomas, hyperplastic lymphoid nodules alone, or hematomas with no apparent underlying cause. Nodular neoplastic diseases of the spleen were divided among benign tumors (11.5%) and a variety of primary sarcomas. Hemangiosarcoma made up 51% of splenic malignancies but accounted for less than 25% of the spleens evaluated. Survival of dogs with hematomas associated with nonneoplastic conditions of the spleen was markedly different from that in dogs with hemangiosarcoma-associated hematomas, even though most could not be effectively differentiated on gross inspection. Two month postoperative survival was 83% for dogs with nonneoplastic-related hematomas, whereas only 31% of dogs with hemangiosarcoma, with or without associated hematomas, were alive after 2 months. Twelve-month survival times were 64% and 7%, respectively. An overall postsplenectomy survival rate of 52% was based on the number of dogs surviving for a minimum of 6 months postoperatively.

Ultrastruct of the juxtaglomerular apparatus in the dog in a sodium-balanced state.

The ultrastructure of juxtaglomerular apparatuses (JGA) from four dogs in a state of sodium balance were examined. Plasma renin activity and urinary sodium excretion in the dogs were within normal values. At the vascular pole of the glomerulus, circumferentially oriented smooth muscle cells in the wall of the glomerular arteriole were abruptly replaced by modified smooth muscle cells with complicated interwoven cell processes. These modified cells were indistinguishable from the juxtaglomerular cells of the lacis region (extraglomerular mesangium). The basal lamina surrounding these modified smooth muscle cells in the wall of the glomerular arteriole was continuous with the basal lamina of the juxtaglomerular cells of the lacis (extraglomerular mesangium) and the macula densa. The most striking differences in the JGA of the dog, when compared with the JGA of other laboratory animals, are related to the observation that cytoplasmic secretory granules are less abundant in the dog, are generally smaller than the practical resolving capability of the light microscope, and are restricted to cells of the lacis area in the JGA.

Pathophysiologic response of the juxtaglomerular apparatus to dietary sodium restriction in the dog.

Pathophysiologic changes in the juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA) of the dog were induced by 10 days of dietary sodium restriction (less than 1 mEq of Na+/day). Plasma renin activity increased 12-fold and plasma aldosterone values increased 60-fold, whereas urinary sodium excretion decreased precipitously. Urinary potassium excretion remained within normal values throughout the period of sodium restriction. The JGA cell counts, determined by light microscopy, were significantly (P = less than 0.05) increased after 2 days of sodium restriction and remained increased through day 10. Adrenal gland weights and the cross-sectional width of the zona glomerulosa were not altered. Ultrastructurally, JGA cells showed progressive hypertrophy and hyperplasia. The Golgi apparatus became more prominent. The endoplasmic reticulum increased, as did the number of ribosomes. Cytoplasmic secretory granules increased in number and size from day 2 through day 6. On days 8 and 10, fewer and smaller secretory granules were encountered, even though plasma renin and aldosterone values continued to increase. In the dog maintained in a balanced sodium state, little renin is stored in cytoplasmic granules of the juxtaglomerular cells. Short-term stimulation results in increased plasma renin values and increased production and storage of renin in JGA cells. Continued stimulation results in depletion of cytoplasmic stores, although plasma renin content continues to rise, suggesting that renin is produced and secreted directly during more prolonged stimulation.

Oval lipid corneal opacities in beagles: ultrastructure of normal beagle cornea.

The ultrastructure of normal Beagle cornea was similar to the human cornea, except the Beagle lacked an anterior limiting lamina (Bowman's layer) and banding in the anterior portion of the posterior limiting lamina (Descemet's membrane). The epithelium was an average of 19 cells thick with 3 basic types: squamous, polygonal, and basal. The subepithelial stroma with a mean thickness of 9 microns was hypocellular, and the bundles of collagen were randomly oriented. The majority of the stroma consisted of closely packed, parallel collagen lamellae interspersed with keratocytes and occasional nerve fibers. The posterior limiting lamina was homogeneous and thick with increasing age. The endothelial cells formed a monolayer and had apical tight junctions.