Invasive pleural malignant mesothelioma with rib destruction and concurrent osteosarcoma in a dog

A 7-year-old Dachshund was clinically examined because of a 10-day history of lameness in the left hind limb. On the basis of radiological and cytological findings, an osteosarcoma of the left acetabular region was suspected. The dog underwent a hemipelvectomy and osteosarcoma was diagnosed by subsequent histopathological examination. An immovable subcutaneous mass was noted on the left chest wall during the physical examination and non-septic neutrophilic inflammation was diagnosed by cytology. Forty days later, the dog showed signs of respiratory distress with an in-diameter increase of the subcutaneous mass up to 4 cm. Thoracic radiography and ultrasonography revealed pleural effusion and a lytic process in the fourth left rib. Furthermore, ultrasound examination revealed a mixed echogenic mobile structure with a diameter of around 2 cm floating within the pleural fluid of the left hemithorax close to the pericardium. The dog underwent surgery for an en bloc resection of the subcutaneous mass together with the fourth rib and the parietal pleura. Moreover, the left altered lung lobe, corresponding to the mobile structure detected by ultrasound, was removed. Based on cytological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical examinations, an invasive epithelioid pleural malignant mesothelioma was diagnosed

ISO's Contribution to the Study of Clusters of Galaxies

Starting with nearby galaxy clusters like Virgo and Coma, and continuing out to the furthest galaxy clusters for which ISO results have yet been published ($z=0.56$), we discuss the development of knowledge of the infrared and associated physical properties of galaxy clusters from early IRAS observations, through the "ISO-era" to the present, in order to explore the status of ISO's contribution to this field. Relevant IRAS and ISO programmes are reviewed, addressing both the cluster galaxies and the still-very-limited evidence for an infrared-emitting intra-cluster medium. ISO made important advances in knowledge of both nearby and distant galaxy clusters, such as the discovery of a major cold dust component in Virgo and Coma cluster galaxies, the elaboration of the correlation between dust emission and Hubble-type, and the detection of numerous Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) in several distant clusters. These and consequent achievements are underlined and described. We recall that, due to observing time constraints, ISO's coverage of higher-redshift galaxy clusters to the depths required to detect and study statistically significant samples of cluster galaxies over a range of morphological types could not be comprehensive and systematic, and such systematic coverage of distant clusters will be an important achievement of the Spitzer Observatory.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews ISO Special Issue "ISO science legacy - a compact review of ISO major achievements", Ed.C.Cesarky & A.Salama Updated 23 Aug. 2005 in order to change some citations from astro-ph nos. to full Journal references after they were publishe

Breast cancer prognostic classification in the molecular era: the role of histological grade

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with varied morphological appearances, molecular features, behavior, and response to therapy. Current routine clinical management of breast cancer relies on the availability of robust clinical and pathological prognostic and predictive factors to support clinical and patient decision making in which potentially suitable treatment options are increasingly available. One of the best-established prognostic factors in breast cancer is histological grade, which represents the morphological assessment of tumor biological characteristics and has been shown to be able to generate important information related to the clinical behavior of breast cancers. Genome-wide microarray-based expression profiling studies have unraveled several characteristics of breast cancer biology and have provided further evidence that the biological features captured by histological grade are important in determining tumor behavior. Also, expression profiling studies have generated clinically useful data that have significantly improved our understanding of the biology of breast cancer, and these studies are undergoing evaluation as improved prognostic and predictive tools in clinical practice. Clinical acceptance of these molecular assays will require them to be more than expensive surrogates of established traditional factors such as histological grade. It is essential that they provide additional prognostic or predictive information above and beyond that offered by current parameters. Here, we present an analysis of the validity of histological grade as a prognostic factor and a consensus view on the significance of histological grade and its role in breast cancer classification and staging systems in this era of emerging clinical use of molecular classifiers. © 2010 BioMed Central Lt

Roe and fallow deer: are they compatible neighbours?

International audienceThe analysis of the relationships between population density and habitat features is important to evaluate the ecological needs of a species, its potential impact on ecosystems and its interspecific interactions. We analysed the spatial variation of roe deer and fallow deer densities in a Mediterranean area in summer 2007 and winter 2007/2008. Previous research has shown that fallow deer can actively displace and exclude roe deer from natural feeding sites. Here we show that both species have the greatest densities in ecotone habitats between wood and open fields (abandoned olive groves and pastures), but with contrasting geographic patterns. The fallow deer showed the greatest densities in the central northern part of the study area near to local historical release sites. The densities of roe deer were great where fallow deer were rare and low where fallow deer were abundant. Spatial overlap was great at the habitat scale, indicating a high potential for competition, but was low at the plot scale, suggesting that partitioning of space occurred at a fine scale. Supporting great numbers of deer, the ecotone areas are crucial for the management of ecosystems. We suggest that roe deer avoid areas with great densities of fallow deer and that interspecific interference from the latter affects the density and distribution of the former both at a fine and at a large scale

The Constrained Maximal Expression Level Owing to Haploidy Shapes Gene Content on the Mammalian X Chromosome.

X chromosomes are unusual in many regards, not least of which is their nonrandom gene content. The causes of this bias are commonly discussed in the context of sexual antagonism and the avoidance of activity in the male germline. Here, we examine the notion that, at least in some taxa, functionally biased gene content may more profoundly be shaped by limits imposed on gene expression owing to haploid expression of the X chromosome. Notably, if the X, as in primates, is transcribed at rates comparable to the ancestral rate (per promoter) prior to the X chromosome formation, then the X is not a tolerable environment for genes with very high maximal net levels of expression, owing to transcriptional traffic jams. We test this hypothesis using The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) and data from the Functional Annotation of the Mammalian Genome (FANTOM5) project. As predicted, the maximal expression of human X-linked genes is much lower than that of genes on autosomes: on average, maximal expression is three times lower on the X chromosome than on autosomes. Similarly, autosome-to-X retroposition events are associated with lower maximal expression of retrogenes on the X than seen for X-to-autosome retrogenes on autosomes. Also as expected, X-linked genes have a lesser degree of increase in gene expression than autosomal ones (compared to the human/Chimpanzee common ancestor) if highly expressed, but not if lowly expressed. The traffic jam model also explains the known lower breadth of expression for genes on the X (and the Z of birds), as genes with broad expression are, on average, those with high maximal expression. As then further predicted, highly expressed tissue-specific genes are also rare on the X and broadly expressed genes on the X tend to be lowly expressed, both indicating that the trend is shaped by the maximal expression level not the breadth of expression per se. Importantly, a limit to the maximal expression level explains biased tissue of expression profiles of X-linked genes. Tissues whose tissue-specific genes are very highly expressed (e.g., secretory tissues, tissues abundant in structural proteins) are also tissues in which gene expression is relatively rare on the X chromosome. These trends cannot be fully accounted for in terms of alternative models of biased expression. In conclusion, the notion that it is hard for genes on the Therian X to be highly expressed, owing to transcriptional traffic jams, provides a simple yet robustly supported rationale of many peculiar features of X's gene content, gene expression, and evolution

Bees Provide Pollination Service to Campsis Radicans (Bignoniaceae), a Primarily Ornithophilous Trumpet Flowering Vine

Pollination syndromes refer to stereotyped floral characteristics (flower colour, shape, etc.) that are associated with a functional group of pollinators (bee, bird, etc.). The trumpet creeper Campsis radicans, endemic to the southeast and mid-west United States, has been assigned to the hummingbird-pollination syndrome, due mainly to its red, trumpet-shaped flowers. Previous studies demonstrated that the ruby-throated hummingbird Archilochus colubris is C. radicans\u27 primary pollinator, but anecdotal data suggest various bee species may provide pollination service when hummingbirds are absent. This study characterised C. radicans nectar volume and concentration by time of day. Nectar volume was suitable for hummingbirds, but concentration was higher than typical hummingbird-pollinated plants (∼20% w/w); at ∼30% w/w, it approached the concentration expected in bee-pollinated plants (∼50% w/w). We also found substantial amounts of nectar at night. Two C. radicans populations received virtually no hummingbird visits, but the number of bees were markedly higher than in the populations previously described. Interestingly, there were no night-time visitors despite the large quantity of nocturnal nectar. Based on previously published pollen delivery per visit by various species, this study estimated that cumulative deposition by bees routinely reached pollen deposition thresholds for setting fruit in C. radicans. They are, unequivocally, the predominant pollinators in these populations, thus providing pollination service in the absence of hummingbirds. These results highlight C. radicans as a food source for native bees and add to the understanding of how floral phenotypes can facilitate pollination by disparate functional groups

Diel Nectar Secretion Rhythm in Squash (Cucurbita pepo) and Its Relation With Pollinator Activity

Most studies of foraging behavior in bees have been performed under artificial conditions. One highly neglected area is the daily nectar secretion rhythm in flowers including how nectar properties may vary with time of day. As a first step in understanding the connections between forager behavior and nectar presentation under more natural conditions, we examined nectar secretion patterns in flowers of the squash Cucurbita pepo. Under greenhouse conditions, squash flowers exhibit consistent diel changes in nectar volume and concentration through anthesis. These temporal patterns are robust, persisting under field conditions as well as simulated drought conditions in the greenhouse. In the presence of active pollinators, diel patterns are evident but with highly variable, severely reduced volumes. The potential consequences of these factors for pollinator behavior are discussed

Octopamine and Serotonin Have Opposite Effects on Antipredator Behavior in the Orb-Weaving Spider, Larinioides cornutus

In this study, we experimentally elevated levels of octopamine and serotonin in an orb-weaving spider, and observed the effects on the antipredator behavior thanatosis (death feigning), activity level, and running speed. We found that octopamine significantly shortened the duration of thanatosis, and its effect wore off over 24 h. We also found that serotonin significantly lengthened thanatosis, but in this case, the effect persisted for over 24 h. Neither octopamine nor serotonin affected the general activity or running speed of the spiders. To our knowledge, this is the first study to directly explore the role of biogenic amines on a specific antipredator behavior in spiders. Given that spiders must be both aggressive toward prey, yet wary of predators, we believe that this system will be an outstanding model to explore connections between behavioral ecology and neurochemistry