Four cases of cell cannibalism in highly malignant feline and canine tumors

Four cases of tumors in which cell internalization was frequently visualized are reported: one feline mammary carcinoma, one feline cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, one canine pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma and one canine pleural mesothelioma. Cell internalization was observed by cytology in two of these cases (the feline mammary tumour and the pleural effusion in the canine mesothelioma) and by histopathology in all but the canine mesothelioma. Immunohistochemical staining for pancytokeratin was positive for both internalized and host cells, while E-cadherin expression was frequently absent, although internalized cells occasionally stained positive. This cell-to-cell interaction seems to be associated with tumors displaying a strong epithelial-mesenchymal transitional phenotype, in which cancer cells become engulfed by other cancer cells. Such event could be regarded as an important hallmark of very high malignancy.This work was supported by ‘Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia’ through the Project PEst-OE/AGR/U10276/2014 and through PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/70720/2010

First description of a fatal equine infection with Halicephalobus gingivalis in Portugal. Relevance for public health.

Research Areas: Veterinary SciencesABSTRACT - Halicephalobus gingivalisis a small saprophytic rhabditid nematode, represented only by females with a typicalrhabditoid oesophagus and one egg in the uterus, capable of infecting vertebrates. This opportunistic parasitepresent in the soil, manure and decaying humus, is thought to penetrate through previous injuries to the mouth,eyes and skin of horses and migrate to various organs. The brain is one such organ, where the females lay theireggs, leading to malacia and causing a sudden onset of neurological signs, such as anorexia, ataxia, urinaryincontinence, blindness, decreased menace and tonal reflexes, tremors and aggressiveness. The disease isinvariably fatal whenever brain lesions are present, and the diagnosis usually achieved only post-mortem. Thepresent work aims to describe the first case of infection byH. gingivalisever reported in Portugal. An 8-yearold warmblood horse presented with an 8-day history of progressive blindness involving the left eye, initiallywith normal pupillary reflexes, advancing to bilateral blindness and increasing deterioration in clinical condi-tion. After euthanasia, the animal was submitted for necropsy. Organ samples were collected and fixed in 10%neutral buffered formalin for routine histopathology. A large mass was found in the left kidney correspondingto fibrous tissue heavily infiltrated with inflammatory cells and numerous nematodes. In the brain, multiple,bilateral and asymmetrical foci of malacia containing several rhabditoid nematodes, larvae and zygotes, andhigh numbers of inflammatory cells were found. The nematodes were identified asH. gingivalis.The clinicalhistory, necropsy and histological findings presented constitute a typical case ofH. gingivalisinfection in ahorse, never previously described in Portugal to the authors’ best knowledge. Humans can be infected bycontact with contaminated manure, which makes this nematode a public health concern, especially for peopleliving and/or working in close proximity to horses.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Establishing Animal Welfare Rules of Conduct for the Portuguese Veterinary Profession—Results from a Policy Delphi with Vignettes

Promoting animal welfare is one of the basic tenets of the veterinary profession and, in doing so, veterinarians are expected to abide to the highest legal and professional standards. However, the Portuguese veterinary code of conduct, established in 1994, largely overlooks animal welfare and fails to address issues such as the euthanasia or humane killing of animals. As part of a wider research aiming to revise the Portuguese veterinary code of conduct, a Policy Delphi study was conducted in late 2018, using a pre-validated three-round structure and vignette methodology, to explore the range of opinions and the level of agreement on end-of-life dilemmas and animal welfare rules of conduct of a purposeful sample of forty-one (out of seventy) Portuguese veterinarians. When faced with ethical vignettes involving end-of-life dilemmas, veterinarians were shown to privilege personal moral agency over legal obligations in order to defend the interests of stakeholders, namely of the animals. Most participants agreed that the suggested animal welfare rules of conduct reflected their own views on the subject (88%), in addition to representing a significant improvement in terms of regulatory standards (93%). We expect that this study will support regulation and policy-making by the Portuguese Veterinary Order and by veterinary representative bodies elsewhere

Granulomatous rhinitis secondary to feline leishmaniosis: report of an unusual presentation and therapeutic complications

Case summary A 12-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat underwent rhinoscopy due to inspiratory dyspnoea and stertor. Rhinoscopy showed signs of chronic rhinitis and a multinodular nasopharyngeal mucosa. A marked infiltrate of macrophages that contained intracellular parasitic forms morphologically compatible with Leishmania amastigotes were observed on histopathological examination of nasal and nasopharyngeal biopsies. PCR from nasal tissue was positive for Leishmania infantum DNA, confirming the diagnosis of granulomatous rhinitis secondary to this parasite. Two eyelid nodules were identified 2 weeks later. Fine-needle aspiration revealed Leishmania amastigotes within macrophages and in the background. Allopurinol therapy was started, but 5 days later the cat developed dermatological signs compatible with a cutaneous adverse drug reaction. The drug was discontinued and meglumine antimoniate prescribed. Twenty-five days later, the cat presented with acute kidney injury and meglumine antimoniate was discontinued. Despite clinical improvement after fluid therapy, mild azotaemia persisted. The cat was subsequently treated with nucleotides and active hexose correlated compounds (N-AHCC). Four months later upper respiratory signs were exacerbated. A relapse of granulomatous rhinitis was suspected and miltefosine therapy started. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) worsened during miltefosine treatment, having improved under fluid therapy. Since then, the cat has been treated with N-AHCC and renal diet and at the time of writing shows stable CKD with no recurrence of respiratory signs. Relevance and novel information This case describes Leishmania infantum as a cause of granulomatous rhinitis in a cat without cutaneous lesions, reporting the alternative use of N-AHCC and miltefosine when allopurinol seemed to have induced a cutaneous rash and there was acute kidney injury (AKI) after meglumine antimoniate therapy

Co-Expression of T- and B-Cell Markers in a Canine Intestinal Lymphoma: A Case Report

An 8-year-old female neutered Labrador retriever was presented for a second opinion consultation due to vomiting and lethargy, having failed to respond to symptomatic therapy. Blood analysis revealed hyperbilirubinemia and hypoalbuminemia, associated with hypocobalaminemia. An abdominal ultrasound identified diffused bowel thickening and hypoechoic hepatomegaly. An ultrasound-guided liver fine-needle aspiration was performed for cytology and also for cell block immunocytochemistry. Gastric and duodenal biopsies were collected by gastroduodenoscopy. Liver cytology showed numerous lymphocytes, suggesting lymphoma at the hepatic infiltration stage, and immunocytochemistry in the cell block of the hepatic aspirate indicated co-expression of CD3 and CD20 in the lymphoid cells present. The histopathology of gastric and duodenal biopsies supported the hypothesis of gastrointestinal lymphoma due to heavy lymphoid infiltration of the gastric epithelium and intestinal mucosa, including the villi. Concurrent immunohistochemistry was performed using CD3, CD20, PAX5, and CD79αcy antibodies. Immunomarking was positive for CD3 and CD20, which overlapped populations of lymphoid cells, and was negative for all other antibodies. In the clonality test, lymphocyte co-expression of CD3 and CD20 was confirmed by monoclonal rearrangement of T-cell gamma receptors. The final diagnosis was type 2 enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma with hepatic infiltration. Co-expression was examined in conjunction with the PARR result in the presence of T-cell monoclonal rearrangement

Impact of Bacille Calmette-Guérin revaccination on serum IgE levels in a randomized controlled trial

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2018-04-20T16:09:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Peleteiro T Impact of Bacille Calmette-Guérin ....pdf: 1175574 bytes, checksum: 2982b238a73d0d4a2965e2c7870786e9 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2018-04-20T16:17:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Peleteiro T Impact of Bacille Calmette-Guérin ....pdf: 1175574 bytes, checksum: 2982b238a73d0d4a2965e2c7870786e9 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-20T16:17:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Peleteiro T Impact of Bacille Calmette-Guérin ....pdf: 1175574 bytes, checksum: 2982b238a73d0d4a2965e2c7870786e9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia (Programa Primeiros Projetos Nº 160/2003).Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / Universidade Federal da Bahia. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / Universidade Federal da Bahia. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Salvador, BA, BrasilUniversidade Federal da Bahia. Hospital Universitário Prof. Edgar Santos. Salvador, BA, BrasilUniversidade Federal da Bahia. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Salvador, BA, BrasilUniversidade Federal da Bahia. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / Universidade Federal da Bahia. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Salvador, BA, Brasil / Rede Brasileira de Pesquisa em Tuberculose, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrasilBacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) downmodulates allergen-specific IgE levels and prevents other atopic responses in experimental models but fails to protect against respiratory allergies. Human responsiveness to BCG is variable and may interfere with protection. Methods: Multivariate models were evaluated to test the possible effect of responsiveness (assessed by IFN-γ production) to BCG revaccination on the modulation of total and allergen-specific serum IgE levels in healthy volunteers participating in a randomized controlled trial. Results: Serum total or Derp-specific IgE levels did not change regardless of the increase in IFN-γ levels. Conclusions: BCG responsiveness does not affect protection against atopy

Impact of Bacille Calmette-Guérin revaccination on serum IgE levels in a randomized controlled trial

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) downmodulates allergen-specific IgE levels and prevents other atopic responses in experimental models but fails to protect against respiratory allergies. Human responsiveness to BCG is variable and may interfere with protection. METHODS: Multivariate models were evaluated to test the possible effect of responsiveness (assessed by IFN-γ production) to BCG revaccination on the modulation of total and allergen-specific serum IgE levels in healthy volunteers participating in a randomized controlled trial. RESULTS: Serum total or Derp-specific IgE levels did not change regardless of the increase in IFN-γ levels. CONCLUSIONS: BCG responsiveness does not affect protection against atopy