The aim of the present study was to characterize the morpho-functional features of endometrosis in barren and foaling mares, using both conventional histopathological and immunohistochemical methods. ...Endometrial biopsy samples were collected during the physiological breeding season from 159 estrous, clinically healthy mares (mean age 12 years), and the quality and degree of endometrosis was histomorphologically defined. The mares were bred and those that foaled were put in the foaling group whereas those that did not foal were placed in the barren group. Foaling mares were then compared with barren mares. Sixty-four percent (101/159) of uterine samples showed varying degrees of endometrosis and were used for this study. The sample population consisted of 51 barren and 50 foaling mares suffering from endometrosis. Expression of steroid hormone receptors (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor) and endometrial protein secretion patterns (uteroglobin UG, uterocalin UC, calbindinD₉ₖ CAL, uteroferrin UF) was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (barren mares N = 51, foaling mares N = 31). In comparison with unaffected glands, fibrotic glands generally showed a cycle-asynchronous, partially patchy protein expression pattern which is interpreted as a sign of endometrial maldifferentiation within fibrotic areas. In barren mares (N = 51) more than half of biopsy samples (27/51) showed a destructive mostly moderate (20/27) type of endometrosis. In affected glands, staining for UG (17/21) was decreased (P < 0.001). Foaling mares (N = 50) frequently showed a mild, nondestructive endometrosis (35/50). Compared with barren mares, foaling mares had statistically (P < 0.05) more often a cycle-synchronous or increased UG expression pattern within fibrotic glands. Obvious deviations of either UG or UC rarely occurred. Within fibrotic foci, UF often demonstrated a cycle-synchronous or more intense expression pattern in both foaling (28/31) and barren mares (41/51), compared with healthy glands. Mares of both groups showed a cycle-asynchronous staining for estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor in the stromal cells in areas of periglandular fibrosis and the glandular epithelia. These findings indicate that affected areas become independent of the uterine control mechanisms and exhibit specific differentiation dynamics. Immunohistochemical investigations showed that the secretory patterns differ between barren and foaling mares. The findings in this study should be considered as a useful addition to the “classical” Kenney categorization.
The excitation spectrum of a two-electron quantum dot is investigated by tunneling spectroscopy in conjunction with theoretical calculations. The dot made from a material with negligible Zeeman ...splitting has a moderate spatial anisotropy leading to a splitting of the two lowest triplet states at zero magnetic field. In addition to the well-known triplet excitation at zero magnetic field, two additional excited states are found at finite magnetic field. The lower one is identified as the second excited singlet state on the basis of an avoided crossing with the first excited singlet state at finite fields. The measured spectra are in remarkable agreement with exact-diagonalization calculations. The results prove the significance of electron correlations and suggest the formation of a state with Wigner-molecular properties at low magnetic fields.
Both targeted and non-targeted metabolomic analyses were conducted on juvenile ocean-type fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) residing in two estuaries receiving wastewater treatment plant ...(WWTP) effluent and one reference estuary. The data show that the metabolome patterns for fish from the two WWTP-receiving estuaries were more similar to each other compared to that for the reference site fish. Also, a comparison of the metabolome for fish from the reference site and fish from a hatchery upstream of one of the effluent-receiving estuaries indicated no differences, implying that residency for fish in the contaminated estuary resulted in major changes to the metabolome. Based on general health parameters including whole-body lipid content and condition factor, plus the availability of prey for these fish, we conclude that juvenile Chinook salmon in these contaminated estuaries may have been experiencing metabolic disruption without any overt signs of impairment. Additionally, a non-targeted analysis was performed on hatchery summer Chinook salmon from a laboratory study where fish were dosed for 32 days with feed containing 16 of the most common contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) detected in wild fish. In the laboratory experiment a relationship was observed between dose and the number of liver metabolites that were different between control and treatment fish. Laboratory fish were exposed to only 16 CECs, but are generally exposed to hundreds of these compounds in contaminated aquatic environments. These results have implications for the health of juvenile Chinook salmon and the likelihood of a successful life cycle when exposed to effluent-related chemicals.
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•Fish in effluent-receiving estuaries exhibit altered metabolomes.•Metabolomic profile for feral and lab fish consistent with metabolic dysfunction•Metabolic disruption in first year juvenile Chinook salmon may affect population.•The altered metabolome may be useful as an early indicator of adverse effects.
Previous studies have shown that the equine uterus produces many progesterone-dependent proteins throughout gestation. In particular, uterocalin and uteroferrin are detectable using electrophoresis ...or blot analyses but information regarding the immunohistochemical placental distribution of these two proteins is rare and information regarding uteroglobin is still lacking. The aim of the present study was to co-immunolocalise these three secretory proteins in the mare's uterus throughout gestation in an effort to understand their functional role in the maintenance of pregnancy. Therefore, endometrial biopsy samples were obtained from 20 pregnant mares between 16 and 309 days of gestation and labelled immunohistochemically for uteroglobin, uteroferrin and uterocalin. Uteroferrin remained detectable in almost every endometrial gland at all stages but with an increase in staining intensity as gestation advanced. The most progesterone-dependent protein, uterocalin, showed variable staining throughout gestation with the most intense labelling in early pregnancy and during the period of endometrial cup reaction. Uteroglobin secretion was only detectable in traces and only in individual glands throughout gestation. The results indicate that uterocalin and uteroferrin, but not uteroglobin, may play important roles in supplying nutrients for the conceptus, thereby contributing to the maintenance of pregnancy. However, further investigations are necessary to understand the role of uteroglobin during gestation.
Primary and Secondary Heart Tumours in Dogs and Cats Aupperle, H.; März, I.; Ellenberger, C. ...
Journal of comparative pathology,
2007, 2007-Jan, 2007-1-00, 20070101, Letnik:
136, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Primary and secondary neoplasms of the canine and feline heart are uncommon. During a 2-year period, 83 dogs suffering from primary cardiac (
n=11), extracardiac benign (
n=6) or malignant (
n=66) ...tumours and 30 cats with primary cardiac (
n=1) or extracardiac (
n=29) malignant tumours were examined. Echocardiography revealed four cases of primary cardiac neoplasms in dogs, but secondary heart tumours were not detected. After necropsy, tissue samples from the heart and tumours were examined histologically and immunohistochemically. In dogs, primary neoplasms included seven haemangiosarcomas, two chemodectomas, one rhabdomyosarcoma, and one neurofibrosarcoma. In 24 of 66 dogs examined, metastases of extracardiac neoplasms were found in the heart (15 carcinomas, six malignant lymphomas, three haemangiosarcomas). In cats, one case of primary haemangiosarcoma of the pericardium and five cases of secondary cardiac tumours (two malignant lymphomas, three carcinomas) occurred. Cardiac neoplasms in cats were not identified clinically but were detected by detailed gross sectioning of the heart (
n=2) or histopathological examinations (
n=3). This study showed an unexpectedly high number (36%) of dogs with cardiac metastases.
Although alterations in patterns of protein secretion revealed in uterine flushings from mares suffering from endometrosis have been described, little is known about alterations at the cellular ...level. Hence, the aim of this study was to characterize deviations in patterns of uterine gland secretion patterns using endometrial biopsies, histochemical and newly established immunohistochemical methods. Forty-eight endometrial biopsies were obtained from mares suffering from various types of endometrosis (active and inactive, destructive and non-destructive) and degree (mild to severe) were analyzed for expression of the proteins uteroglobin, uteroferrin, calbindinD₉k and uterocalin as representatives of endometrial proteins detectable by immunohistochemistry using polyclonal antibodies. Glycogen was identified using the PAS-reaction and mucopolysaccharides were stained with alcian blue. Uterine glandular epithelia within fibrotic foci mostly revealed a protein and carbohydrate pattern of expression which was independent of hormonal changes during the estrous cycle. In comparison to non-affected glands, most epithelial cells within periglandular fibrosis exhibited decreased immunostaining intensity for proteins, especially when there was destructive endometrosis. However, uteroferrin staining intensity was strong within areas of severe destructive endometrosis. Moreover, only few basal glandular epithelial cells, especially those in cystic glands, stained for mucopolysaccharides that are typically seen within the luminal epithelia. Usually a single fibrotic focus caused only slight alterations in glandular proteins and carbohydrate reaction patterns, so that only more severe endometrosis lead to deviations which were detectable in uterine flushings. The highly sensitive methods used in the present study allow studies of uterine secretion patterns in the context of routine assessment of endometrial biopsies.
Summary
Delayed emergence from anaesthesia and neurological disturbances have been reported in patients undergoing parathyroidectomy who received methylene blue (MB) pre‐operatively. We hypothesised ...that MB would decrease propofol requirements. The Bispectral index (BIS) and a target‐controlled infusion of propofol were used in two groups of 11 matched patients. Patients in one group were pretreated with MB. During induction, clinical sedation scores and BIS values were significantly lower at the predicted effect‐site propofol concentration of 2 μg.ml−1 in the MB compared with the control group. Intra‐operatively, although similar BIS values were achieved in the two groups, patients pretreated with MB required a mean 50% lower dose of propofol compared with controls. In view of these findings, care should be taken to ensure an adequate depth of anaesthesia by titrating the administration of anaesthetic agents whenever MB is infused peri‐operatively.
Tuberculosis infections caused by
Mycobacterium (
M.)
pinnipedii in a South American sea lion, Bactrian camel, and Malayan tapirs kept in two zoological gardens spanning a time period of 5 years are ...reported. The zoos were linked by the transfer of one tapir. Conventional bacteriological and molecular methods were applied to detect the pathogen. Spoligotyping and MIRU/VNTR-typing performed to assess the genetic similarity revealed identical molecular characteristics of the isolates from all animals involved. Anti-tuberculosis antibodies were detected using ELISA and a recently developed serological rapid test. The study shows that: (i) using molecular methods, the assessment of the genetic relationship of infectious agents helps to confirm the routes of infection, and that (ii) immunological tests may help to detect tuberculosis infections
ante mortem more reliably and early. This would prevent the transfer of tuberculosis by asymptomatic animals.
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