Diagnosis of anaplastic large-cell lymphoma in a dog using CD30 immunohistochemistry

Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma or null-cell lymphoma is a clinical entity reported in people, classified according to the unique appearance of large pleomorphic cells that express CD30. Null-cell lymphoma has also been described in dogs when neither CD3 nor CD79α is expressed by the tumor. We describe a case of lymphoma in the dog in which neoplastic cells did not express routine B- or T-lymphocyte markers on flow cytometry or immunohistochemistry; however, cells immunohistochemically labeled for CD30. The dog in our case died 5 mo after initial presentation, confirming a poor prognosis. Identification of further similar cases in dogs would provide additional prognostic information for this subset of lymphomas. CD30 may also serve as a potential therapeutic target in anaplastic large-cell lymphomas

Thermal oxidation of reactively sputtered amorphous W_(80)N_(20) films

The oxidation behavior of reactively sputtered amorphous tungsten nitride of composition W_(80)N_(20) was investigated in dry and wet oxidizing ambient in the temperature range of 450 °C–575 °C. A single WO_3 oxide phase is observed. The growth of the oxide follows a parabolic time dependence which is attributed to a process controlled by the diffusivity of the oxidant in the oxide. The oxidation process is thermally activated with an activation energy of 2.5 ± 0.05 eV for dry ambient and 2.35 ± 0.05 eV for wet ambient. The pre‐exponential factor of the reaction constant for dry ambient is 1.1×10^(21) Å^2/min; that for wet ambient is only about 10 times less and is equal to 1.3×10^(20) Å^2/min

Absolute accuracy in membrane-based ac nanocalorimetry

To achieve accurate results in nanocalorimetry a detailed analysis and understanding of the behavior of the calorimetric system is required. There are especially two system-related aspects that should be taken in consideration: the properties of the empty cell and the effect of the thermal link between sample and cell. Here we study these two aspects for a membrane-based system where heater and thermometer are both in good contact with each other and the center of the membrane. Practical, analytical expressions for describing the frequency dependence of heat capacity, thermal conductance, and temperature oscillation of the system are formulated and compared with measurements and numerical simulations. We finally discuss the experimental conditions for an optimal working frequency, where high resolution and good absolute accuracy are combined

Serum anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations before and after treatment of an ovarian granulosa cell tumour in a cat

Case summary A 15-year-old female cat was presented for investigation of progressive behavioural changes, polyuria, polydipsia and periuria. An ovarian granulosa cell tumour was identified and the cat underwent therapeutic ovariohysterectomy (OHE). The cat’s clinical signs resolved, but 6 months later it was diagnosed as having an anaplastic astrocytoma and was euthanased. Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentration prior to OHE was increased vs a control group of entire and neutered female cats. Following OHE, serum AMH concentration decreased to <1% of the original value. Relevance and novel information Serum AMH measurement may represent a novel diagnostic and monitoring tool for functional ovarian neoplasms in cats

Conformity and controversies in the diagnosis, staging and follow-up evaluation of canine nodal lymphoma: a systematic review of the last 15 years of published literature

Diagnostic methods used in the initial and post-treatment evaluation of canine lymphoma are heterogeneous and can vary within countries and institutions. Accurate reporting of clinical stage and response assessment is crucial in determining the treatment efficacy and predicting prognosis. This study comprises a systematic review of all available canine multicentric lymphoma studies published over 15 years. Data concerning diagnosis, clinical stage evaluation and response assessment procedures were extracted and compared. Sixty-three studies met the eligibility criteria. Fifty-five (87.3%) studies were non-randomized prospective or retrospective studies. The survey results also expose variations in diagnostic criteria and treatment response assessment in canine multicentric lymphoma. Variations in staging procedures performed and recorded led to an unquantifiable heterogeneity among patients in and between studies, making it difficult to compare treatment efficacies. Awareness of this inconsistency of procedure and reporting may help in the design of future clinical trials

To Be or Not To Be… Cooperative? Trimetallic Catalysts for the Ring‐Opening Polymerisation of Cyclic Esters

Multimetallic catalysts have emerged as a promising route to enhance catalyst performance in cyclic ester ring-opening polymerisation (ROP), as these complexes can outperform the monometallic analogues in terms of reactivity and/or polymerisation control. Such enhancements are often attributed to “multimetallic cooperativity”, yet the origins of this cooperativity often remain unclear. Here, we report the synthesis and characterisation of two trimetallic Al-salen complexes (L1(AlMe)3 and L1(AlEt)3), containing three Al-salen subunits in close proximity, and their monometallic analogues (L2(AlMe) and L2(AlEt)). These complexes have been applied as catalysts for cyclic ester ROP under a range of conditions, to probe their potential for cooperative behaviour. Trimetallic L1(AlMe)3 and L1(AlEt)3 both display high activities in rac-lactide ROP, giving kobs values of up to 11 x 10-3 min-1. Yet careful benchmarking against the monometallic complexes reveals that whether these systems display multimetallic cooperativity or not depends upon the reaction conditions. Detailed kinetic and spectroscopic studies into the origins of cooperativity revealed that the neighbouring metals play a key role in the initiation step, rather than propagation. Overall, these studies highlight the importance of understanding the reaction conditions in order to accurately define whether a catalyst displays multimetallic cooperativity

(2E)-N-(3,5-Dibromo-4-methoxy­phen­yl)-2-(hydroxy­imino)acetamide

The title compound, C9H8Br2N2O3, is planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.030 Å) with the exception of the terminal methyl group which lies out of the plane [1.219 (3) Å]. The conformation about the C=N double bond [1.268 (3) Å] is E. An intra­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bond occurs. Linear supra­molecular chains along the b axis mediated by O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter­actions feature in the crystal structure. These chains are also stabilized by weak C—H⋯N contacts