Genetic characterization of diagnostic epitopes of cardiac troponin I in African rhinoceros.

African rhinoceros undergo chemical immobilization and prolonged transport during translocations for conservation purposes and, hence, experience several pathophysiologic changes, including skeletal muscle injury. Potential concurrent myocardial injury has not been investigated due to a lack of validated immunoassays. We aimed to use inferred cardiac troponin I (cTnI) amino acid sequences of southern white () and southern-central black () rhinoceros to assess the potential usefulness of several commercial cTnI immunoassays for detecting cTnI in African rhinoceros.

A Portable Fluid Administration System for Prolonged Intravenous Fluid Administration in Subadult and Adult White Rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum).

While translocations of white rhinoceroses have become an important conservation tool, dehydration during long-distance transports has been identified as a welfare concern. Intravenous (iv) fluid administration might therefore be useful to mitigate dehydration; however, special requirements need to be met to make iv fluid administration suitable for large, wild rhinoceroses during transport. Requirements include a portable and robust system that is capable of delivering high flow rates, is easy to set up, and remains patent and operating for long periods of time while allowing the animals to freely stand or lay down in the transport crates.

Platinum-Based Chemotherapy Induces Opposing Effects on Immunotherapy Response-Related Spatial and Stromal Biomarkers in the Bladder Cancer Microenvironment.

Purpose: Platinum-based chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors are key components of systemic treatment for muscle-invasive and advanced urothelial cancer. The ideal integration of these two treatment modalities remains unclear as clinical trials have led to inconsistent results. Modulation of the tumor-immune microenvironment by chemotherapy is poorly characterized.

Spatial relationships in the urothelial and head and neck tumor microenvironment predict response to combination immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) can achieve remarkable responses in urothelial cancer (UC), which may depend on tumor microenvironment (TME) characteristics. However, the relationship between the TME, usually characterized by immune cell density, and response to ICI is unclear. Here, we quantify the TME immune cell densities and spatial relationships (SRs) of 24 baseline UC samples, obtained before pre-operative combination ICI treatment, using multiplex immunofluorescence.

Dehorning Does Not Alter the Stress Response in Southern White Rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum) during Transport: A Preliminary Investigation.

Translocation and dehorning are common and important practices for rhinoceros management and conservation. It is not known if dehorning causes a stress response or negatively affects rhinoceroses during transport. Twenty-three subadult wild Southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) bulls were immobilized and translocated >280 km for population management reasons.

Regenerative response in dogs naturally and experimentally infected with Babesia rossi.

Background: The regenerative response following Babesia rossi infection in dogs is mild, despite severe hemolytic anemia.

Objective: We aimed to compare the admission absolute reticulocyte count (ARC) and reticulocyte indices in 103 dogs naturally infected with B. rossi with 10 dogs suffering from immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) and 14 healthy control dogs.

Atezolizumab With or Without Radiotherapy for Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Penis (The PERICLES Study): A Phase II Trial.

Purpose: Patients with advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma have a poor prognosis (21% 2-year overall survival [OS] from diagnosis). We assessed the activity of atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) in patients with advanced penile cancer, with or without radiotherapy (RT).

Patients And Methods: A single-center, nonrandomized phase II study with two treatment arms was conducted in 32 patients with histologically confirmed advanced penile cancer.

Poor Outcome in Postpartum Breast Cancer Patients Is Associated with Distinct Molecular and Immunologic Features.

Purpose: Patients with postpartum breast cancer diagnosed after cessation of breastfeeding (postweaning, PP-BCPW) have a particularly poor prognosis compared with patients diagnosed during lactation (PP-BCDL), or to pregnant (Pr-BC) and nulliparous (NP-BC) patients, regardless of standard prognostic characteristics. Animal studies point to a role of the involution process in stimulation of tumor growth in the mammary gland. However, in women, the molecular mechanisms that underlie this poor prognosis of patients with PP-BCPW remain vastly underexplored, due to of lack of adequate patient numbers and outcome data.

Poikilocytosis of Angora goats is associated with erythrocyte density and reticulocytosis.

Angora goats in South Africa experience several syndromes that result in notable morbidity and mortality in juveniles and adults, but not kids. Insight into their causes is hampered by the lack of normal reference values for this breed, and the present study therefore aimed to characterise (1) differences in the haematology of healthy kids at birth and weaning, and (2) the haematology of apparently healthy yearlings. Selected variables were measured by blood smear analysis, and complete blood counts were performed using an ADVIA 2120i.

Tumor cell-intrinsic and tumor microenvironmental conditions co-determine signaling by the glycoimmune checkpoint receptor Siglec-7.

Tumors create an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment by altering protein expression, but also by changing their glycosylation status, like altered expression of sialoglycans. Sialoglycans are capped with sialic acid sugar residues and are recognized by Siglec immune receptors. Siglec-7 is an inhibitory immune receptor similar to PD-1, and is emerging as glycoimmune checkpoint exploited by cancer cells to evade the immune system.

Guidelines for resident training in veterinary clinical pathology. IV: Laboratory quality management-Teaching domains, competencies, and suggested learning outcomes.

Background: The 2019 ASVCP Education Committee Forum for Discussion, presented at the annual ASVCP/ACVP meeting, identified a need to develop recommendations for teaching laboratory quality management principles in veterinary clinical pathology residency training programs.

Objectives: To present a competency-based framework for teaching laboratory quality management principles in veterinary clinical pathology residency training programs, including entrustable professional activities (EPAs), domains of competence, individual competencies, and learning outcomes.

Methods: A joint subcommittee of the ASVCP Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards (QALS) and Education Committees executed this project.

Markers of inflammation in free-living African elephants (Loxodonta africana): Reference intervals and diagnostic performance of acute phase reactants.

Introduction: Acute phase reactants (APRs) have not been investigated in free-living African elephants (Loxodonta africana), and there is little information about negative APRs albumin and serum iron in elephants.

Objectives: We aimed to generate reference intervals (RIs) for APRs for free-living African elephants, and to determine the diagnostic performance of APRs in apparently healthy elephants and elephants with inflammatory lesions.

Methods: Stored serum samples from 49 apparently healthy and 16 injured free-living elephants were used.

Acute phase reactants in nondomesticated mammals-A veterinary clinical pathology perspective.

Applications for acute phase reactants (APRs) in nondomesticated mammals include identifying inflammatory disease, monitoring the course of specific disease processes and recovery during rehabilitation, detecting preclinical or subclinical disease, being used as bioindicators for monitoring population and ecosystem health, and as markers of stress and animal welfare. Serum amyloid A, haptoglobin, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, albumin, and iron are most commonly measured. The procedure for evaluating an APR in a nondomesticated mammalian species should follow a stepwise approach beginning with an assessment of analytical performance, followed by an evaluation of overlap performance, clinical performance, and impact on patient outcomes and management.

Quality Assurance for Veterinary In-Clinic Laboratories.

Quality assurance and the implementation of a quality management system are as important for veterinary in-clinic laboratories as for reference laboratories. Elements of a quality management system include the formulation of a quality plan, establishment of quality goals, a health and safety policy, trained personnel, appropriate and well-maintained facilities and equipment, standard operating procedures, and participation in external quality assurance programs. Quality assurance principles should be applied to preanaltyic, analytic, and postanalytic phases of the in-clinic laboratory cycle to ensure that results are accurate and reliable and are released in a timely manner.

Experimental infection with African Horse Sickness Virus in horses induces only mild temporal hematologic changes and acute phase reactant response.

Objective: African Horse Sickness (AHS) is a vector-borne disease endemic to sub-Saharan Africa caused by African Horse Sickness Virus (AHVS). Infections in naïve horses have high morbidity and mortality rates. AHS pathogenesis is not well understood; neither the hematologic changes nor acute phase response occurring during infection has been fully evaluated.

Immune cells in mesothelioma microenvironment simplistic marker of response to nivolumab plus ipilimumab?

Introduction: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a malignant disease of the pleura which recently can be treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). To optimize this treatment, a better understanding of the tumor micro environment is needed. We investigated subgroups of immune cells in subsequent tumor biopsies of patients treated with ICI.

The effects of feeding and transport length on the welfare of white rhinoceroses () during long-distance translocations: a preliminary study.

Translocation is a valuable conservation tool, but poses significant risks for the transported rhinoceroses. Interventions reducing these risks are required to ensure positive welfare during transportation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of journey duration and feeding during the transport of white rhinoceroses ().

Temporally specific adrenocorticotropic hormone reference intervals for horses in South Africa.

An endogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentration above the reference interval (RI) is commonly used as means for diagnosing equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Basal ACTH concentrations are highly dependent on photoperiod and RIs should be month- and location-specific. To date, no ACTH RIs have been specifically established for South Africa.

Comprehensive multiplexed immune profiling of the ductal carcinoma in situ immune microenvironment regarding subsequent ipsilateral invasive breast cancer risk.

Background: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is treated to prevent subsequent ipsilateral invasive breast cancer (iIBC). However, many DCIS lesions will never become invasive. To prevent overtreatment, we need to distinguish harmless from potentially hazardous DCIS.

ASSESSMENT OF CAPILLARY ZONE ELECTROPHORESIS AND SERUM AMYLOID A QUANTITATION IN CLINICALLY NORMAL AND ABNORMAL SOUTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROS () AND SOUTHERN BLACK RHINOCEROS ().

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and an immunoassay for serum amyloid A (SAA) were used to examine serum samples from clinically normal and abnormal southern white rhinoceros () and southern black rhinoceros () under managed care. CZE resolved seven fractions as well as subfractions for α1 globulins. Reference intervals were calculated for white rhinoceros ( = 33) and found to have some differences over previously reported intervals generated using agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) methods in sera from free-ranging animals.

Comparison of three hematocrit measurement methods in the southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum).

Background: Hematocrit (HCT) determination is an integral part of health and disease assessments in captive and wild white rhinoceroses. Several affordable automated hematology analyzers have been developed for in-clinic and field use and have the advantage of being able to measure a large number of additional measurands. However, the accuracy of these analyzers for rhinoceros HCT measurements has not yet been investigated.

Serum cobalamin concentrations in dogs infected with canine parvoviral enteritis.

Objective: To compare the serum cobalamin concentrations in canine parvovirus (CPV)-infected dogs with those of healthy control dogs.

Animals: 45 dogs with CPV enteritis and 17 healthy age-matched control dogs.

Procedures: Infection was confirmed by visualization of CPV-2 through fecal electron microscopy.