Nesidioblastosis in a Simmental Calf

A 2-day-old Simmental calf with arthrogryposis and astasia was subjected to necropsy examination. The calf was normoglycaemic and normoinsulinaemic. Microscopically, pancreatic tissue was hyperplastic with an irregular lobular arrangement of pancreatic islets. Newly-formed islet cells budded from intralobular or inter-calated ducts (so-called ductulo-insular complexes) and there were prominent blood vessels with telangiectatic features surrounded by rows of cuboidal-columnar islet cells. The newly-formed islets expressed insulin antigen immunohistochemically. The lesion was diagnosed as nesidioblastosis, an uncommon abnormality previously associated with the double muscling trait in cattle. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Genetic and enzymatic properties of metallo-beta-lactamase VIM-5 from a clinical isolate of Enterobacter cloacae

A VIM-5-producing Enterobacter cloacae isolate (EDV/1) was identified in a collection of clinical strains stored before 2002. The gene, blav(VIM-5), was located on a 2,712-bp BamHI-HindIII fragment of a 23-kbp (approximately) nonconjugative plasmid (pEDV5) in a class 1 integron as a single gene cassette

A combination of methylprednisolone and quercetin is effective for the treatment of cardiac contusion following blunt chest trauma in rats

Cardiac contusion is a potentially fatal complication of blunt chest trauma. The effects of a combination of quercetin and methylprednisolone against trauma-induced cardiac contusion were studied. Thirty-five female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups (n=7) as follows: sham, cardiac contusion with no therapy, treated with methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg on the first day, and 3 mg/kg on the following days), treated with quercetin (50 mg·kg−1·day−1), and treated with a combination of methylprednisolone and quercetin. Serum troponin I (Tn-I) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels and cardiac histopathological findings were evaluated. Tn-I and TNF-α levels were elevated after contusion (P=0.001 and P=0.001). Seven days later, Tn-I and TNF-α levels decreased in the rats treated with methylprednisolone, quercetin, and the combination of methylprednisolone and quercetin compared to the rats without therapy, but a statistical significance was found only with the combination therapy (P=0.001 and P=0.011, respectively). Histopathological degeneration and necrosis scores were statistically lower in the methylprednisolone and quercetin combination group compared to the group treated only with methylprednisolone (P=0.017 and P=0.007, respectively). However, only degeneration scores were lower in the combination therapy group compared to the group treated only with quercetin (P=0.017). Inducible nitric oxide synthase positivity scores were decreased in all treatment groups compared to the untreated groups (P=0.097, P=0.026, and P=0.004, respectively). We conclude that a combination of quercetin and methylprednisolone can be used for the specific treatment of cardiac contusion

Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma with scant epithelial components in an Angora cat

CASE HISTORY: A 6-year-old, neutered, female Angora cat presented with a history of lethargy and anorexia for 2 months and a clinically palpable and gradually enlarging, solid mass in the abdominal cavity extending from the last costal arch to the pelvic cavity.CLINICAL FINDINGS: Examination of the cat revealed jaundice, dehydration and hypothermia. Haematological manifestations included lymphopenia and substantial decrease in haematocrit value. Biochemical analysis of the blood revealed hypoglycaemia, three-fold elevated blood urea nitrogen values, increased level of serum aspartate aminotransferase and increased total bilirubin while the creatinine level was normal. Ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen showed a disrupted and large hypoechoic area around the left kidney. The cat was anaesthetised and the left kidney was removed, but the cat died following surgery.PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: On post-mortem examination, the left kidney was markedly enlarged and both the cortical and medullary parenchyma were replaced by confluent, multilobulated, pale tan-white, firm nodular masses protruding above the capsular surface. Metastasis was not observed. Cytological examination revealed a population of spindle-shaped cells of variable size, with abundant coarse chromatin and occasionally prominent nucleoli. Initial sections of the kidney were indicative of undifferentiated sarcoma confirmed by immunohistochemistry revealing vimentin-positive and cytokeratin-negative results in all tumour tissues. Additional sections showed very small amounts of both cytokeratin-positive and vimentin-positive areas.DIAGNOSIS: Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (SRCC) with scant epithelial components originating from left kidney.CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Clinical and pathological features were similar to those of human SRCC, even though there was no evidence of metastases. Immunohistochemistry for vimentin and cytokeratin may be useful for definitive diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma with sarcomatoid differentiation, although staining of sections from several different parts of the tumour may be necessary. When a primary renal tumour is presented, SRCC should be considered as this diagnosis may influence treatment protocols and the clinical outcome

Immunohistochemical Characterization of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors in Canine Normal Testis and Testicular Tumours

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors belonging to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. Recent studies have demonstrated that PPARs regulate lipid metabolism and are expressed in various cancers. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of PPAR-alpha, -beta and -gamma in normal canine testicular tissue and canine testicular tumours (CTTs). Expression of PPAR-alpha, -beta and -gamma was greater (P <0.05) than in normal testicular tissue. PPARs were therefore induced in CTTs and they may play a role in the biology of these tumours. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved