Elements of Good Training in Anatomic Pathology

The American College of Veterinary Pathologists’ (ACVP’s) 2007–2012 strategic plan recognized the crisis confronting academic training programs and formed a task force to address these concerns. One area of concern identified by the ACVP Training Program Development Task Force was the lack of guidelines to make training more consistent across all programs and provide justification for maintaining or increasing faculty numbers and training resources. Training guidelines for clinical pathology have been outlined in three publications.1,2,4 The current document addresses the need for training guidelines in veterinary anatomic pathology

Anti-tumor necrosis factor-Α antibody treatment reduces pulmonary inflammation and methacholine hyper-responsiveness in a murine asthma model induced by house dust

Background/Aims Recent studies documented that sensitization and exposure to cockroach allergens significantly increase children's asthma morbidity as well as severity, especially among inner city children. TNF-Α has been postulated to be a critical mediator directly contributing to the bronchopulmonary inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness in asthma. This study investigated whether an anti-TNF-Α antibody would inhibit pulmonary inflammation and methacholine (Mch) hyper-responsiveness in a mouse model of asthma induced by a house dust extract containing both endotoxin and cockroach allergens. Methods A house dust sample was extracted with phosphate-buffered saline and then used for immunization and two additional pulmonary challenges of BALB/c mice. Mice were treated with an intravenous injection of anti-TNF-Α antibody or control antibody 1  h before each pulmonary challenge. Results In a kinetic study, TNF-Α levels within the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid increased quickly peaking at 2 h while BAL levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 peaked at later time-points. Mch hyper-responsiveness was measured 24 h after the last challenge, and mice were killed 24 h later. TNF inhibition resulted in an augmentation of these Th2 cytokines. However, the allergic pulmonary inflammation was significantly reduced by anti-TNF-Α antibody treatment as demonstrated by a substantial reduction in the number of BAL eosinophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils compared with rat IgG-treated mice. Mch hyper-responsiveness was also significantly reduced in anti-TNF-Α antibody-treated mice and the pulmonary histology was also significantly improved. Inhibition of TNF significantly reduced eotaxin levels within the lung, suggesting a potential mechanism for the beneficial effects. These data indicate that anti-TNF-Α antibody can reduce the inflammation and pathophysiology of asthma in a murine model of asthma induced by a house dust extract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73609/1/j.1365-2222.2005.02407.x.pd

Blood transfusion in the critically ill: does storage age matter?

Morphologic and biochemical changes occur during red cell storage prior to product expiry, and these changes may hinder erythrocyte viability and function following transfusion. Despite a relatively large body of literature detailing the metabolic and structural deterioration that occurs during red cell storage, evidence for a significant detrimental clinical effect related to the transfusion of older blood is relatively less conclusive, limited primarily to observations in retrospective studies. Nonetheless, the implication that the transfusion of old, but not outdated blood may have negative clinical consequences demands attention. In this report, the current understanding of the biochemical and structural changes that occur during storage, known collectively as the storage lesion, is described, and the clinical evidence concerning the detrimental consequences associated with the transfusion of relatively older red cells is critically reviewed. Although the growing body of literature demonstrating the deleterious effects of relatively old blood is compelling, it is notable that all of these reports have been retrospective, and most of these studies have evaluated patients who received a mixture of red cell units of varying storage age. Until prospective studies have been completed and produce confirmative results, it would be premature to recommend any modification of current transfusion practice regarding storage age

Grain Size and Texture of Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Films Synthesized by Cosputtering Binary Sulfides and Annealing: Effects of Processing Conditions and Sodium

We investigate the synthesis of kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) polycrystalline thin films using cosputtering from binary sulfide targets followed by annealing in sulfur vapor at 500 {\deg}C to 650 {\deg}C. The films are the kesterite CZTS phase as indicated by x-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, and optical absorption measurements. The films exhibit (112) fiber texture and preferred low-angle and Sigma3 grain boundary populations which have been demonstrated to reduce recombination in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and CdTe films. The grain growth kinetics are investigated as functions of temperature and the addition of Na. Significantly, lateral grain sizes above 1 um are demonstrated for samples grown on Na-free glass,demonstrating the feasibility for CZTS growth on substrates other than soda lime glass

Enhanced optoelectronic quality of perovskite thin films with hypophosphorous acid for planar heterojunction solar cells

Solution-processed metal halide perovskite semiconductors, such as CH3NH3PbI3, have exhibited remarkable performance in solar cells, despite having non-negligible density of defect states. A likely candidate is halide vacancies within the perovskite crystals, or the presence of metallic lead, both generated due to the imbalanced I/Pb stoichiometry which could evolve during crystallization. Herein, we show that the addition of hypophosphorous acid (HPA) in the precursor solution can significantly improve the film quality, both electronically and topologically, and enhance the photoluminescence intensity, which leads to more efficient and reproducible photovoltaic devices. We demonstrate that the HPA can reduce the oxidized I2 back into I�, and our results indicate that this facilitates an improved stoichiometry in the perovskite crystal and a reduced density of metallic lead

Role of TNFα in pulmonary pathophysiology

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is the most widely studied pleiotropic cytokine of the TNF superfamily. In pathophysiological conditions, generation of TNFα at high levels leads to the development of inflammatory responses that are hallmarks of many diseases. Of the various pulmonary diseases, TNFα is implicated in asthma, chronic bronchitis (CB), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In addition to its underlying role in the inflammatory events, there is increasing evidence for involvement of TNFα in the cytotoxicity. Thus, pharmacological agents that can either suppress the production of TNFα or block its biological actions may have potential therapeutic value against a wide variety of diseases. Despite some immunological side effects, anti-TNFα therapeutic strategies represent an important breakthrough in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and may have a role in pulmonary diseases characterized by inflammation and cell death