Comparative review of human and canine osteosarcoma: morphology, epidemiology, prognosis, treatment and genetics

Osteosarcoma (OSA) is a rare cancer in people. However OSA incidence rates in dogs are 27 times higher than in people. Prognosis in both species is poor, with five year osteosarcoma survival rates in people not having improved in decades. For dogs, one year survival rates are only around ~45%. Improved and novel treatment regimens are urgently required to improve survival in both humans and dogs with OSA. Utilising information from genetic studies could assist in this in both species, with the higher incidence rates in dogs contributing to the dog population being a good model of human disease. This review compares the clinical characteristics, gross morphology and histopathology, aetiology, epidemiology, and genetics of canine and human osteosarcoma. Finally, the current position of canine osteosarcoma genetic research is discussed and areas for additional work within the canine population are identified

The Effects of Copper Pollution on Fouling Assemblage Diversity: A Tropical-Temperate Comparison

BACKGROUND: The invasion of habitats by non-indigenous species (NIS) occurs at a global scale and can generate significant ecological, evolutionary, economic and social consequences. Estuarine and coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to pollution from numerous sources due to years of human-induced degradation and shipping. Pollution is considered as a class of disturbance with anthropogenic roots and recent studies have concluded that high frequencies of disturbance may facilitate invasions by increasing the availability of resources. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To examine the effects of heavy metal pollution as disturbance in shaping patterns of exotic versus native diversity in marine fouling communities we exposed fouling communities to different concentrations of copper in one temperate (Virginia) and one tropical (Panama) region. Diversity was categorized as total, native and non-indigenous and we also incorporated taxonomic and functional richness. Our findings indicate that total fouling diversity decreased with increasing copper pollution, whether taxonomic or functional diversity is considered. Both native and non-indigenous richness decreased with increasing copper concentrations at the tropical site whereas at the temperate site, non-indigenous richness was too low to detect any effect. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Non-indigenous richness decreased with increasing metal concentrations, contradicting previous investigations that evaluate the influence of heavy metal pollution on diversity and invasibility of fouling assemblages. These results provide first insights on how the invasive species pool in a certain region may play a key role in the disturbance vs. non-indigenous diversity relationship

Kennis van kankersymptomen en de rol van psychosociale factoren bij tijdig medisch hulpzoekgedrag

Doel: In de huidige studie werd onderzoek gedaan naar de kennis van kankersymptomen, de adequaatheid van medisch hulpzoekgedrag en de psychosociale voorspellers van dit gedrag onder Nederlandse 55-plussers. Methode: Deze longitudinale studie werd uitgevoerd binnen een pretest-posttest design. Deelnemers (N= 493) werden per e-mail verzocht twee online vragenlijsten in te vullen. Kennis van kankersymptomen werd gemeten aan de hand van herinnering (recall) en herkenning (recognition). Verschillen tussen demografische groepen en voorspellers van medisch hulpzoekgedrag werden geanalyseerd. Resultaten: De herkenning van kankersymptomen was aanzienlijk hoger dan de herinnering. Vrouwen, samenwonenden, hoger opgeleiden en individuen met ervaring met kanker hadden de meeste kennis van kankersymptomen. Tijdig medisch hulpzoekgedrag was adequaat voor chronische symptomen, maar onvoldoende voor urgente symptomen. Weinig ervaring met kanker, weinig waargenomen nadelen en een hoge intentie aangaande medisch hulpzoekgedrag bleken het medisch hulpzoekgedrag significant te voorspellen. De invloed van herkenning van kankersymptomen werd gemedieerd door motivationele factoren, terwijl er geen causale relatie was tussen herinnering en tijdig medisch hulpzoekgedrag. Conclusie: Herkenning van kankersymptomen is een sterkere voorspeller van medisch hulpzoekgedrag dan herinnering. Aangezien de invloed van herkenning werd gemedieerd door motivationele factoren, is het aan te bevelen in toekomstige interventies zowel kennis als motivationele factoren te beïnvloeden. Toekomstige interventies moeten daarnaast worden gericht op minder bekende kankersymptomen en symptomen waarbij medisch hulpzoekgedrag veelvuldig wordt uitgesteld.Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the recall and recognition of cancer symptoms, timely medical helpseeking and its predictors amongst Dutch individuals aged 55 years and older.Method: The study had a longitudinal cohort pretest-posttest design. Respondents (N= 493) were asked by e-mail to fill out two online questionnaires. Knowledge of cancer symptoms was measured by means of recall and recognition. Differences between demographic groups and predictors of timely medical help-seeking were identified. Results: Recognition of cancer symptoms was considerably better than recall. Women, cohabitants, highly educated individuals, and those with cancer experience had the highest knowledge of cancer symptoms. Timely medical help-seeking for prolonged symptoms was sufficient in opposite to urgent symptoms. A low level of cancer experience, few perceived disadvantages, and a high intention towards medical help-seeking were significant predictors of timely medical help-seeking. The influence of recognition was mediated by motivational factors. No causal relationship was found between recall and medical help-seeking. Conclusion: Recognition is a stronger predictor of timely medical help-seeking than recall. Because the influence of recognition was mediated by motivational factors, future interventions should focus on influencing both knowledge and motivational factors. Future interventions should also address poorly known cancer symptoms and symptoms for which patient delay frequently occurs.</i