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The value of the smear for acid-fast bacilli in predicting pulmonary tuberculosis is unclear in a setting where there is a high prevalence of Mycobacterium avium complex in respiratory specimens. To evaluate the impact of a high prevalence of M. avium complex on the predictive value of the acid-fast bacilli smear for tuberculosis, we reviewed findings on smears and results of cultures over a 3-year period at a hospital where M. avium complex is the predominant mycobacterial isolate. In this setting, the predictive value of the acid-fast bacilli smear for Mycobacterium tuberculosis was 92% for expectorated sputum specimens, 71% for induced sputum specimens, and 71% for bronchoalveolar lavage specimens. When multiple specimens collected from the same patient were excluded from the data base, the predictive values were 87%, 70%, and 71%, respectively, Smears of sputum samples were positive at the same rate for patients with tuberculosis who had AIDS and for patients with tuberculosis who did not have AIDS. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: In several clinical conditions beneficial effects of oxygen-ozone therapy have stimulated experimental studies on the effects of this therapy on rat organisms in an induced septic shock. Material and Methods: The studies were performed on adult male Wistar rats. Morphological and ultrastructural alterations were evaluated in the liver, kidneys, lungs and myocardium following ozone therapy. Four groups of animals were distinguished: control animals (C), rats treated with oxygen/ozone (O2/O3) mixture (CO), rats given Escherichia coli endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide — LPS) (CL), rats treated with LPS and O2/O3 mixture (OL). Results: In ultrastructural studies the cells were found to contain endoplasmic reticulum of a reduced surface, consisting of very short cisterns, irregularly covered by ribosomes. In the CL group, the mitochondria of densified matrix and widened intramembranous space were noted, some of which manifested a blurred pattern of cristae. Parallel administration of endotoxin and of O2/O3 mixture resulted in evident reversal of the developed ultrastructural lesions. Conclusion: Ultrastructural results indicate that O2/O3 mixture eliminates negative effects of the endotoxin, which is very important for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were evaluated in 11 women with adenomyosis. The material, sampled during operations, was silver-stained using the technique of Ploton et al. and verified histopathologically. A hundred cell nuclei per slide were assessed. The examined variables comprised the number of argyrophylic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) in the nucleus, the surface area of a single AgNOR and the position of the AgNORs in the cell nucleus, as well as the AgNORs’ coefficient, which were all estimated under a microscope. The parameters were quantitatively assessed using computer image analysis software Multi-Scan Base V.8. Adenomyosis was found to be associated with a significant decrease (up to 60%) in the nuclear area, as well as with a marked reduction (up to 50% as compared with normal endometrium) in the number of AgNOR granules. The total area of AgNORs in the cell nucleus also decreased from 3.55 to 1.57μm2. There were no significant differences in the number of granules per nucleus either in the control group or in the adenomyosis group. The AgNOR coefficient was found to be lower in adenomyosis compared to normal endometrium. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Many efforts have been made to obtain active and less toxic Vitamin D analogs for new clinical applications. The results of previous studies demonstrated the efficacy and safety of topical treatment of psoriasis with one of these analogs, 1,24-dihydroxyvitamin D3, tacalcitol (1,24-(OH)2D3). In the present study, we evaluated the toxicity and antitumor effect of this analog.Lethal toxicity of 1,24-(OH)2D3 after s.c. injection was significantly lower than that of calcitriol. No significant differences were observed in the toxicity of the analogs when administered p.o. Calcium levels in the serum of mice treated with calcitriol were significantly higher (111%) than those in mice treated with 1,24-(OH)2D3 (89%) at 5 day after the first s.c. (10μg/kg/day) administration in comparison to the control (healthy, untreated animals). Oral administration increased the calcium level by 78% for calcitriol and only to 47% over the control for 1,24-(OH)2D3. Parallel administration of clodronate prevented the calcitriol- and 1,24-(OH)2D3-induced lethal toxicity and also prevented increase in calcium levels.Single therapy with calcitriol did not affect tumor growth in the 16/C mouse mammary cancer model. In contrary, 1,24-(OH)2D3 alone reduced tumor volume to 41% of control. Cisplatin alone did not affect growth of 16/C tumor in these conditions. The growth of tumors in the presence of cisplatin was inhibited by 1,24-(OH)2D3 but not by calcitriol. Interestingly, the inhibition of tumor growth in cisplatin-treated mice by 1,24-(OH)2D3 was greater, than that observed in mice treated with this analog alone.In conclusion, 1,24-(OH)2D3 revealed higher antitumor and lower calcemic activity and toxicity than calcitriol. Application of biphosphonates along with Vitamin D analogs is sufficient to overcome the calcemic and toxic side effects of the proposed treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The study aimed at morphological and immunohistochemical analysis of 53 mast cell tumors in dogs. Immunohistochemical studies included determination of cell markers for CD2, CD25, mast cell tryptase and mast cell chymase in canine MCTs and comparison of their expression levels with parameters of malignancy (grade, mitotic index, Ki-67 labelling index and CD117 staining pattern). Patnaik grading system identified 20 dogs with grade I MCTs, 17 with grade II and 16 with grade III. According to Kiupel grading, 34 dogs had low-grade MCT and 19 high-grade tumors. Mitotic index was between 0 and 2.4 (mean 0.4). The CD2 expression was high in 32 of 53 cases, CD25 in 20, tryptase in 44, and chymase in 15. The Ki-67 labelling index ranged between 0 and 55% (mean 11%). Majority of MCTs revealed the second staining pattern of CD117 (n=21). We found that expression of CD2 is linked with tumor malignancy, while CD25 determined tumor development. The tumor division into MCTT and MCTTC may be used as prognostic factor. MCT tryptase positive and chymase positive are less malignant than tryptase positive and chymase negative ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disturbances in sex differentiation (DSD - disorder of sexual development) may result from disturbances in sex chromosomes or a disturbed development of gonads, or from genotypic disturbances. The objective of this article is to describe the histological structure of gonads in dogs showing sexual disturbances and a case of a cancer resembling gonadoblastoma in one of the animals. Among the 10 examined dogs with disturbances of sex development only a single case of a gonadoblastoma was observed. In animals with sex disturbances, similarly to humans, there exists a potential tendency for neoplastic lesions in dysgenetic gonads. As a rule, its frequency in population is confined due to the early procedure of castration of non-breeding dogs. In the present study dogs demonstrated phenotypical traits of bitches with developmental anomalies such as hyperplastic clitoris with vestigial os penis (baculum), or abnormalities in the location and structure of the vulva. The material for the study included canine gonads of various breeds, sampled from phenotypical bitches, aged 7 months to 4 years - patients of the Department of Reproduction and Clinic of Farm Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Wroclaw (Poland) in years 2006-2013. The organs were surgically removed from the abdomen and sent for histopathological examination for the purpose of determining their histological structure. The 10 examined cases of altered gonads included 6 bilateral cases of testes (60%), 2 cases of bilateral ovotestis (20%), one case of co-manifestation of testis and ovotestis (10%), and a single case of a testis and a neoplastically altered gonad (gonadoblastoma) (10%)., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: Among the recognized factors which induce multi-drug resistance, an increased activity of proteins belonging to the ATP-binding casette family, including breast cancer resistance protein 1 (BCRP-1), is regarded as the most important. Localization and intensity of BCRP-1 expression was evaluated in mammary adenocarcinomas and adenomas in dogs. The obtained results were compared to the grade of malignancy (G) of the tumours., Materials and Methods: Materials for the study were sampled in the course of surgery from 54 dogs, of various breeds, aged 6 to 16 years (36 cases of mammary adenocarcinoma and 18 cases of mammary adenoma). The tumours were histopathologically verified and immunohistochemical reactions were performed to evaluate expression of BCRP-1. The microscopic patterns were photographed and subjected to computer-assisted analysis taking advantage of MultiScanBase Ver. 14.02 software., Results: Expression of BCRP-1 was detected in over 85% of adenocarcinomas and almost 28% of adenomas. Samples of tumours with a higher grade of malignancy demonstrated an increased expression of BCRP-1. The two variables manifested a moderate positive correlation (r=0.35; p<0.05)., Conclusion: The results point to a role of BCRP-1 protein in biology of tumour cells in dogs.

Background: Minichromosome maintenance proteins (MCM), due to their involvement in DNA replication in the course of mitosis, may provide sensitive markers of cell proliferation. Localization of MCM-3 and the extent of its expression were evaluated in mammary adenocarcinomas and soft tissue fibrosarcomas in dogs. The obtained results were compared to grades of malignancy (G) of the studied tumours., Materials and Methods: The research material was sampled in the course of surgery in 71 dogs of various breeds, aged 4 to 14 years (50 cases of mammary adenocarcinoma and 21 cases of soft tissue fibrosarcoma). The tumours were verified by histopathology and immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate MCM-3 expression. The preparations were photographed and the images were subjected to computer-assisted image analysis using MultiScanBase Ver. 14.02 software., Results: Nuclear expression of MCM-3 was detected in 70% adenocarcinomas and in over 71% of fibrosarcomas. Augmented expression of MCM-3 was observed in samples of tumours manifesting higher grade of malignancy. Statistical analysis demonstrated strong positive correlation (r=0.71 for fibrosarcomas, r=0.52 for adenocarcinomas; p<0.05) between MCM-3 expression and grade of malignancy in the studied tumours., Conclusion: MCM-3 may provide a sensitive and useful marker of proliferative potential in various histological types of neoplastic tumours.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to determine the expression of the proteins related to tumour metastatic potential, including matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and E-cadherin, in correlation with the expression of proliferation-associated antigen (Ki-67) in canine mammary adenocarcinomas., Materials and Methods: Material for the studies was obtained during surgery from 35 dogs of various breeds, aged 7 to 16 years. Neoplastic tumours were verified by a pathologist. The studied proteins were detected by immunohistochemical reactions. The microphotographs of the studied tumours were subjected to computer-assisted image analysis using MultiScaneBase V 14.02 software., Results: Expression of MMP-9 was noted in almost 83% of the tumours, expression of E-cadherin in 77% of tumours, while expression of Ki-67 antigen was detected in fewer than 26% of studied tumours., Conclusion: The positive correlation (r=0.375) between expressions of MMP-9 and Ki-67 and negative correlations between E-cadherin and Ki-67 (r=-0.383) as well as between MMP-9 and E-cadherin (r=-0.45) could suggest that expression and biological significance of the studied markers in mammary adenocarcinomas in dogs resembles the pattern noted in ductal carcinoma, i.e. in the most frequent histological type of malignant tumour in humans. This may point to suitability of the animal model in studies on mechanism of neoplasia and metastases in humans.

Telomerase activity could be a potential marker for the neoplastic process, because it is absent in normal cells and present in tumor cells. Immunohistochemical studies were conducted using samples obtained from 32 uterine myomas, each sample having a size of 3-4 cm and obtained from women between 35 and 45 years of age. These studies also concentrated on fragments of macroscopically unaltered myometrium, collected 3-4 cm from a uterine tumor. Immunohistochemistry was performed using antibody to the catalytic unit of telomerase (hTERT; clone 44F12, NCL-L-hTERT, Novocastra Laboratories, UK). This study aimed at detecting a possible presence of potentially neoplastic cells in the margins of healthy tissue, which was removed together with the primary tumor. The results were classified according to the number of telomerase-positive cells. Tumors of the first group had up to 50% telomerase-positive cells, while their content in the second group exceeded 50%. Our study demonstrated an almost two-fold increase in the number of telomerase-positive tumor cells compared with myometrial cells 3-4 cm from the tumor. Hopefully, investigating the presence of telomerase in both uterine myometrium and myoma could facilitate the diagnosis of the neoplastic process.

Background: This study aimed at immunocytochemical demonstration of E-cadherin, beta-catenin and Ki-67 expressions and the examination of correlation between these markers in primary fibrosarcomas in dogs., Materials and Methods: Material for the study was sampled in the course of surgery from 24 mongrel dogs aged 5 to 16 years. The neoplastic tumors were subjected to histopathological verification and immunohistochemical reactions were performed to detect the studied markers. Microphotographs of the preparations were subjected to computer-assisted image analysis using the MultiScaneBase V 14.02 software., Results: Expression of beta-catenin was detected in all tumours examined while E-cadherin was expressed in only 8.2%. Expression of the Ki-67 proliferation-associated antigen was noted in over 33% of the tumours., Conclusion: The lack of correlation (r=-0.1035) between expression of Ki-67 and that of beta-catenin detected here in contrast to the high values of Ki-67 antigen found as a prognostic factor in many other studies allowed us to conclude that the presence of beta-catenin in cells of soft tissue fibrosarcoma in dogs manifested no unequivocal relationship to augmented proliferative potential of neoplastic cells, although it did not exclude participation of the protein in the development of this neoplasia in dogs.

In progression of tumours, resulting from, i.e., release of cells from the parental tumour and development of metastases, expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAM) plays a significant role. CAM, including E-cadherin and the linked to it beta-catenin, determine the extent of adhesion between normal and neoplastically altered cells. Moreover, the unbound form of beta-catenin in a cell nucleus may affect the rate of cell proliferation This study aimed at demonstrating intensity and localisation of E-cadherin and beta-catenin expression as related to expression of the proliferation-associated antigen, Ki-67 in mammary adenocarcinomas of bitches. The study was performed on 35 cases of the above mentioned tumours. On paraffin sections immunohistochemical reactions were performed using monoclonal antibodies directed against E-cadherin, beta-catenin and Ki-67 antigen. In the studies a membranous expression of E-cadherin, a cytoplasmic-nuclear expression of beta-catenin and nuclear expression of Ki-67 antigen were demonstrated. Statistical calculations using Spearman's test demonstrated a pronounced positive correlation between expression of beta-catenin and Ki-67 antigen and absence of correlation between expression of E-cadherin and Ki-67 antigen. No correlation could be detected between expression intensities of E-cadherin and beta-catenin.

Nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were assessed in 27 women affected by uterine leiomyoma. Tissue samples obtained during surgery were silver-stained according to the method of Ploton et al. The assessed parameters were as follows: the number of argyrophylic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) per nucleus, single AgNOR area, AgNOR intranuclear distribution, and AgNOR coefficient. The parameters were assessed quantitatively. It was found that the AgNOR coefficient was higher in uterine leiomyoma compared to the normal smooth muscle cells. The development of leiomyoma is associated with a marked decrease in myocyte nucleolar area, which accounts for 30% of the nucleus in the normal myometrium. With the comparable AgNOR number in the single nucleus, there were no differences in the single AgNOR granule area (1.21 microm2 +/- 0.047 and 1.11 microm2 +/- 0.025 in normal myometrium and in leiomyoma, respectively). In the normal myometrium, there was a positive correlation between nuclear area and the single AgNOR granule area, as well as between the AgNOR coefficient and the single AgNOR granule area. There was also a negative correlation between the number of granules per nucleus and their central and peripheral intranuclear distribution. The development of leiomyoma was associated with loss of all correlations observed in the control group.

Objectives: Endometriosis is an illness accompanied by invasion features, but malignant changes appear extremely seldom. Metallothionein (MT) is a protein and takes part in the detoxicating processes of the organism. MT is located, among others, in benign and malignant neoplasms in animals as well as humans, mainly in the S phase of cellular cycle, and that is why MT is considered to be both an index of cell proliferation and tumor progress., Materials and Methods: 34 specimens from 21 women with ovary endometriosis (III degree according to AFS) have been examined. The specimens were obtained during surgery and they were histopathologically verified. The material was coloured by H + E and by van Gieson method, and MT was determined immunohistochemically. The measurement of the cells number containing MT was performed with measurement system Multi-Scan Base V8.08, with the microscope Axiophot, Zeiss Jena in so-called measurements areas, with the surface 18802 microns 2., Results: High MT capacity was found in the epithelial cells in the endometriosis focus. This high MT capacity may imply that there exists the proliferation process in the focuses of external endometriosis. Simultaneously, the lowest MT capacity was discovered in glandular ducts., Conclusions: Proliferating epithelial cells contain the highest capacity of MT, which indicates increase of number of dividing cells particularly in the S phase of cellular cycle and that is why MT can be considered one of the markers of ovary endometriosis.