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

The utility of diagnostic tests for immune-mediated hemolytic anemia

Background: A definitive diagnosis of immune‐mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) can be difficult to make. However, it is critical to differentiate IMHA from other causes of anemia due to the impact on prognosis and outcome for IMHA patients. Recently published American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine recommendations for the diagnosis of IMHA should be followed to concurrently confirm ongoing anemia, verify in vivo hemolysis, and detect anti‐erythrocyte antibodies. The reliability of immunologic IMHA tests varies depending on which test is used and how it is performed. Objectives: Our aims were to determine which tests are currently used in veterinary medicine to diagnose IMHA and review the utility of assays that have historically been used to diagnose IMHA. Methods: A short survey was designed to see which diagnostic tests for IMHA were currently being used by veterinary practices. The survey was distributed via listserves to veterinarians and veterinary technologists. A literature review was performed to report the utility of diagnostic tests for the diagnosis of IMHA. Results: Survey respondents indicated a variability in test protocols used to diagnose IMHA. Most respondents perform saline agglutination or Coombs’ tests to detect anti‐erythrocyte antibodies. Additional tests that can be used to support a diagnosis of IMHA are discussed in this review. Conclusions: A standardized diagnostic approach should be followed to differentiate IMHA from other causes of anemia. Test methodology can vary from one laboratory to another, and clinicians should be familiar with the procedures used by their laboratory

Prevalence of Dal blood type and dog erythrocyte antigens (DEA) 1, 4, and 7 in canine blood donors in Italy and Spain

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Dal, and DEA 1, 4, 7 blood types, in a population of canine blood donors from Italy and Spain. Three hundred and twenty blood donor dogs receiving an annual health evaluation were included in the study. DEA 1 blood type was determined using an immunochromatographic strip technique while Dal, DEA 4 and 7 blood types were determined with polyclonal antisera using agglutination on gel columns.ResultsOut of 320 dogs blood typed 7 (2 Cane Corso and 5 Doberman Pinschers) (2.2%) were Dal negative; 137 (42.8%) were positive for DEA 1; 320 (100%) were positive for DEA 4 and 43 (13.4%) were positive for DEA 7.ConclusionThis study showed a similar prevalence of DEA 1, 7 and 4 to that reported in previous studies in the same, and in different, geographic areas, and provides new data on the prevalence of the Dal blood group in Italy and Spain. There was no significant difference (P=0.8409) between prevalence of Dal negative blood types found in our population (2.2%) and the prevalence reported in a canine blood donor population from the USA (2.5%). Our study identified Dal negative dogs in a previously tested breed i.e. Doberman Pinschers, but also the Cane Corso breed was found to have Dal negative dogs

Failure Analysis in Space: International Space Station (ISS) Starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) Debris Analysis

This slide presentation reviews the debris analysis of the Starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), a mechanism that is designed to keep the solar arrays facing the sun. The goal of this was to identify the failure mechanism based on surface morphology and to determine the source of debris through elemental and particle analysis

Prevalence of Dal blood type and dog erythrocyte antigens (DEA) 1, 4, and 7 in canine blood donors in Italy and Spain

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Dal, and DEA 1, 4, 7 blood types, in a population of canine blood donors from Italy and Spain. Three hundred and twenty blood donor dogs receiving an annual health evaluation were included in the study. DEA 1 blood type was determined using an immunochromatographic strip technique while Dal, DEA 4 and 7 blood types were determined with polyclonal antisera using agglutination on gel columns. Results: Out of 320 dogs blood typed 7 (2 Cane Corso and 5 Doberman Pinschers) (2.2%) were Dal negative; 137 (42.8%) were positive for DEA 1; 320 (100%) were positive for DEA 4 and 43 (13.4%) were positive for DEA 7. Conclusion: This study showed a similar prevalence of DEA 1, 7 and 4 to that reported in previous studies in the same, and in different, geographic areas, and provides new data on the prevalence of the Dal blood group in Italy and Spain. There was no significant difference (P = 0.8409) between prevalence of Dal negative blood types found in our population (2.2%) and the prevalence reported in a canine blood donor population from the USA (2.5%). Our study identified Dal negative dogs in a previously tested breed i.e. Doberman Pinschers, but also the Cane Corso breed was found to have Dal negative dogs

Guida pratica alla trasfusione di sangue nel cane

La trasfusione di sangue è una procedura che consente il trasferimento di sangue (o com- ponenti o derivati) da un soggetto donatore sano a un soggetto ricevente. È considerata una sorta di trapianto e per questo è poten- zialmente soggetta a rischio di incompatibili- tà (cd. reazioni trasfusionali). In Italia la trasfusione di sangue intero nel cane è regolata dalla “Linea Guida relativa all’e- sercizio delle attività sanitarie riguardanti la medicina trasfusionale in campo veterinario” pubblicata sulla GU n. 32 del 7-2-2008, Suppl. Ord. N.32. La presente normativa, purtroppo, non contempla l’impiego di emocomponenti* i quali, a giudizio degli Autori, sono erronea- mente equiparati agli emoderivati** nella nor- mativa riguardante il farmaco veterinario§. L’obiettivo principale è quello di fornire al me- dico veterinario una guida di rapida consul- tazione per l’approccio pratico alla medicina trasfusionale del cane. Il progetto è stato rea- lizzato grazie alla collaborazione tra un gruppo di esperti di questo argomento (costituitosi come Gruppo di Studio Trasfusioni Veterinarie, GSTVet) e Bayer Healthcare-Animal Health che ha fornito il supporto per la pubblicazione di quanto elaborato dagli Autori. Le indicazioni ri- portate nella presente guida sono il frutto della consultazione della bibliografia scientifica in- ternazionale esistente in materia, non disgiunta dall’esperienza dei singoli Autori. Quanto di seguito riportato vuole rappresen- tare solo l’inizio di un percorso di aggiorna- mento più ampio che prevede di trattare nel prossimo futuro anche l’impiego degli emo- componenti e degli emoderivati, al momento non ancora disponibili in Italia per l’attività del medico veterinario. In questa prima parte sono illustrate la scelta e la gestione del cane donatore di sangue, le modalità della raccolta del sangue, la gestio- ne della sacca di sangue intero e le indicazio- ni terapeutiche della trasfusione di sangue intero, inclusa la gestione dell’emotrasfusio- ne. Questo articolato processo richiede la collaborazione di diverse figure professionali che devono: operare in sinergia al fine di tu- telare la salute e il benessere del donatore e del ricevente; offrire al ricevente il miglior in- tervento terapeutico possibile, fornendo un prodotto sicuro di elevata qualità sanitaria; ottimizzare l’utilizzo del sangue, prodotto di elevato valore biologico ed etico, di diffici- le reperibilità. Nel testo, volutamente sinte- tico per una sua più agevole consultazione, non sono stati riportati tutti i dettagli propri di una materia così complessa quale la trasfusione

Information Continuity: A Temporal Approach to Assessing Metadata and Organizational Quality in an Institutional Repository

This paper was presented at the 8th annual Metadata and Semantics Research Conference held in Karlsruhe, Germany, November 27-29, 2014.Repositories provide a vital infrastructure for an institution to aggregate and disseminate creative output, yet this task is only as successful as the effective organization of its content. The University of Kansas is currently undergoing a systematic review to analyze metadata and content organization in its own repository. This paper argues that for a full assessment to be achieved it is necessary to not view the repository as a fixed item, but as an entity with its own continuity. This temporal approach has a significant impact on establishing resource provenance for metadata policy adjustments, disciplinary migration, and resource extensibility. For any repository it is essential for ensuring long-term viability

Elevated O-GlcNAc-dependent signaling through inducible mOGT expression selectively triggers apoptosis

O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) catalyzes O-GlcNAc addition to numerous cellular proteins including transcription and nuclear pore complexes and plays a key role in cellular signaling. One differentially spliced isoform of OGT is normally targeted to mitochondria (mOGT) but is quite cytotoxic when expressed in cells compared with the ncOGT isoform. To understand the basis of this selective cytotoxicity, we constructed a fully functional ecdysone-inducible GFP–OGT. Elevated GFP–OGT expression induced a dramatic increase in intracellular O-GlcNAcylated proteins. Furthermore, enhanced OGT expression efficiently triggered programmed cell death. Apoptosis was dependent upon the unique N-terminus of mOGT, and its catalytic activity. Induction of mOGT expression triggered programmed cell death in every cell type tested including INS-1, an insulin-secreting cell line. These studies suggest that deregulated activity of the mitochondrially targeted mOGT may play a role in triggering the programmed cell death observed with diseases such as diabetes mellitus and neurodegeneration

Selective autophagy maintains centrosome integrity and accurate mitosis by turnover of centriolar satellites

The centrosome is the master orchestrator of mitotic spindle formation and chromosome segregation in animal cells. Centrosome abnormalities are frequently observed in cancer, but little is known of their origin and about pathways affecting centrosome homeostasis. Here we show that autophagy preserves centrosome organization and stability through selective turnover of centriolar satellite components, a process we termed doryphagy. Autophagy targets the satellite organizer PCM1 by interacting with GABARAPs via a C-terminal LIR motif. Accordingly, autophagy deficiency results in accumulation of large abnormal centriolar satellites and a resultant dysregulation of centrosome composition. These alterations have critical impact on centrosome stability and lead to mitotic centrosome fragmentation and unbalanced chromosome segregation. Our findings identify doryphagy as an important centrosome-regulating pathway and bring mechanistic insights to the link between autophagy dysfunction and chromosomal instability. In addition, we highlight the vital role of centriolar satellites in maintaining centrosome integrity