Osteology and radiology of the Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) pelvic limb.

This study describes the osteology and radiology of the pelvic limb in maned wolves. Ten (five live and five dead) maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus), five males and five females, aged from 2 to 7 years old were used. Digital radiographs were taken and recorded for both pelvic limbs in all animals. Osteology was correlated with the radiographic images. The pelvis had a rectangular shape, and the obturator foramen (foramen obturatum) was oval. The femoral neck (collum femoris) was short and thick. The greater trochanter (trochanter major) extended proximally to near the dorsum of the femoral head (caput ossis femoris). The lateral femoral condyle (condylus lateralis) was larger than the medial condyle (condylus medialis), and the intercondylar fossa (fossa intercondylaris) had a slightly oblique orientation. The proximal tibia displayed medial and lateral condyles with the medial larger. The femur was slightly shorter than the tibia. Seven tarsal bones (ossa tarsi) were present, four long metatarsal bones (ossa metatarsalia II - V) and a short first metatarsal bone (os metatarsal I).

[Modulation of mRNAs P450 and hepatocarcinogenesis promotion]. / Modulation des mRNAs P450 et promotion de l'hépatocancérogenèse.

The adaptive response of the liver to phenobarbital is characterized by a strong cell hypertrophy and coordinate induction of specific P450 forms (IIB1, 2; IIC7, IIIA1). The pattern of active mRNA is significantly changed, demonstrating the establishment of PB phenotype. Employed as a promoting agent in experimental hepatocarcinogenesis, PB triggers a significantly different, uncoordinated response. Only P450 IIB1 is positively modulated while P450 IIC7 mRNA becomes repressed. Mechanisms underlying the differential P450 adaptative response to PB in the initiated versus non-initiated liver are discussed in the light of both the importance of epigenetic events and the possible role of P450 mono-oxygenases in hepatocarcinogenic promotion by PB.

Lymphocytic gastritis: a study of its frequency and review of the literature.

Lymphocytic gastritis is currently recognized as a special type of chronic gastritis characterized by a large number of intraepithelial lymphocytes in antral or oxyntic mucosa. The frequency of lymphocytic gastritis rarely exceeds 5% of the histologic diagnosis of gastric biopsies. This diagnosis can be easily made by intraepithelial lymphocyte counts in preparations stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Very little is known about the etiopathogeny, clinical significance and evolution of the disease. The objective of the present study was to investigate the frequency of lymphocytic gastritis in gastric mucosa biopsies from the antrum and body in patients submitted to upper digestive endoscopy in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Histological sections of antral and oxyntic mucosa from 400 patients with no gastric ulcer or neoplasia of the gastrointestinal tract were analyzed retrospectively. The following lymphocyte numbers per 100 epithelial cells were obtained: 0 a 5 lymphocytes in 366 patients (91.5%); 6 to 15 lymphocytes in 22 patients (5.5%); 16 to 29 lymphocytes in eight patients (2.0%), and 30 or more lymphocytes in four patients (1%). Patients with 30 or more lymphocytes were considered to have lymphocytic gastritis. Three of these four cases with lymphocytic gastritis presented an endoscopic diagnosis of enanthematous pangastritis, and one presented erosive pangastritis.

[Varioliform gastritis: frequency and relationship with lymphocytic gastritis]. / Gastrite varioliforme: freqüência e relação com a gastrite linfocítica.

Varioliform gastritis is currently recognized as a special kind of chronic gastritis characterized by nodules, thickened fugal folds and erosions. These features appear to be unusual and different from those seen in chronic gastritis. The frequency of varioliform gastritis rarely exceeds 3% and the diagnosis can be easily made by endoscopic examination. Very little is known about the etiopathogeny, clinical significance and evolution of this disease. The role of Helicobacter pylori still remains unknown, although a close relationship between this gastritis and lymphocytic gastritis was suggested to exist over the last few years. The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency of varioliform gastritis and its possible correlation with lymphocytic gastritis. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic study of varioliform gastritis in South America. We studied endoscopically 200 consecutive patients and found only one case of varioliform gastritis (0.5%). In a second part of the study, we examined histopathologically mucosa biopsies from 24 patients with varioliform gastritis and studied the presence of intraepithelial lymphocytes to verify the presence of lymphocytic gastritis. No case was found. We conclude that there was no correlation between varioliform gastritis and lymphocytic gastritis in our patients.

CYP2C8 polymorphism frequencies among malaria patients in Zanzibar.

OBJECTIVE: The determination of the prevalence of the CYP2C8 main alleles in a typical set of malaria patients in Zanzibar, as these patients represent a typical population exposed to amodiaquine, an antimalarial mainly metabolized by CYP2C8. Also, to determine for the first time the frequencies of CYP2C8 alleles in native African populations. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment polymorphism for the identification of CYP2C8*1, CYP2C8*2, CYP2C8*3 and CYP2C8*4 on a random population of 165 unrelated malaria patients. RESULTS: The allele frequencies found were: CYP2C8*1 (wild type, 83.4%), CYP2C8*2 (13.9%), CYP2C8*3 (2.1%) and CYP2C8*4 (0.6%). In terms of genotypes, 70.4% of the patients showed the CYP2C8*1/ CYP2C8*1 genotypes, while heterozygous between the wild type and other minor alleles were seen in 26.0%. Finally, 3.6% of the patients were homozygous for slow metabolizer alleles. The frequencies observed are equivalent to those documented for African-Americans. CONCLUSIONS: CYP2C8 non-wild type alleles have a significant prevalence in the East African population studied. The consequent frequency of 3.6% of patients homozygous for slow metabolizer alleles represent a significant fraction of the population potentially in higher risk of adverse effects due to a less efficient metabolism of amodiaquine. As approximately 10(6) first-line treatments are currently performed in Zanzibar per year, this represents a non-negligible absolute number of amodiaquine exposures. This information constitutes a background for the pharmacovigilance programs presently being employed in Zanzibar.

Canine histoplasmosis in Rio de Janeiro: natural and experimental infections.

Seven of 73 mongrel dogs in Rio de Janeiro gave positive results in skin tests with a polysaccharide mycelial antigen from Histoplasma capsulatum. Five of the positive reactors were necropsied and four of them had disseminated histoplasmosis proved by histopathology and culture. Four healthy puppies exposed for 10 min to soil at the site of a known outbreak of histoplasmosis developed symptoms and died 7-14 days after exposure with fulminant histoplasmosis. These experiments show the value of dogs as epidemiological indicator of histoplasmosis and as experimental models for the disease.

Prevalência e variaçöes mensais das larvas de Oestrus ovis (Linneus, 1761) em ovinos no município de Bagé, RS, Brasil / Prevalence and monthly variations of Oestrus ovis larvae (Linneus, 1761) in sheep, in Bagé, RS, Brazil

Estudos realizados entre janeiro/86 e dezembro/87, em Bagé (RS, Brasil) mostraram que a mosca Oestrus ovis pode parasitar os ovinos durante o ano todo, com uma prevalência de infestaçäo que varia de 50 a 100%. As infestaçöes mais intensas ocorrem nos meses de abril e julho. Os piques populacionais de O. ovis nos animais positivos ocorreram para as larvas de 1§ estágio (L1) e larvas de 2§ estágio (L2) nos meses de abril e julho e para as larvas de 3§ estágio (L3), em fevereiro, julho e outubro