Evaluation of toxicities from combined metronomic and maximal-tolerated dose chemotherapy in dogs with osteosarcoma.

Objective: To evaluate the tolerability of a piroxicam and cyclophosphamide metronomic treatment protocol combined with carboplatin alone or carboplatin and doxorubicin at maximal-tolerated doses.

Methods: Retrospective study of 30 dogs diagnosed with osteosarcoma. All dogs underwent amputation and chemotherapy treatment with one of the two maximal-tolerated dose protocols.

A retrospective analysis of the efficacy of Oncept vaccine for the adjunct treatment of canine oral malignant melanoma.

Oral malignant melanoma (OMM) in the dog is often locally aggressive with a high metastatic potential and there are few treatment options that have been demonstrated to improve outcome of this disease. The purpose of this study was to determine whether adjunctive treatment with the Oncept melanoma vaccine affected the outcome of dogs with OMM that had achieved loco-regional cancer control. Medical records from 45 dogs that presented to the Animal Cancer and Imaging Center were reviewed, including 30 dogs with stage II and III disease.

Actinomycin D as rescue therapy in dogs with relapsed or resistant lymphoma: 49 cases (1999--2006).

Objective: To evaluate response rate and disease-free interval in dogs with relapsed or resistant lymphoma treated with actinomycin D, determine hematologic toxicoses, and identify prognostic factors associated with response to treatment.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 49 dogs with relapsed or resistant lymphoma.

Phase I clinical evaluation of carboplatin in tumor-bearing cats: a Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group study.

Background: The dosage of carboplatin in cats has been reported anecdotally and experimentally in non-tumor-bearing cats, but the dosage for carboplatin treatment in tumor-bearing cats has yet to be defined in a prospective clinical trial.

Purpose: To determine the maximally tolerated dose (MTD) and dose-limiting toxicosis (DLT) of carboplatin in tumor-bearing cats. CATS: Fifty-nine cats with measurable solid tumors.

Doxorubicin and BAY 12-9566 for the treatment of osteosarcoma in dogs: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: This study was designed to assess the efficacy of a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor in prolonging posttreatment survival for dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma after treatment with amputation and doxorubicin chemotherapy.

Hypothesis: Survival will be prolonged in dogs receiving BAY 12-9566.

Animals: The study included 303 dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma.

Lomustine and prednisone as a first-line treatment for dogs with multicentric lymphoma: 17 cases (2004-2005).

Objective: To assess response rate, median duration of response, adverse effects, and prognostic factors associated with concurrent administration of lomustine and prednisone as a first-line treatment for dogs with multicentric lymphoma.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 17 dogs.

Kinetics of 3'-deoxy-3'-[F-18]fluorothymidine uptake and retention in dogs.

We have developed 3'-deoxy-3'-[F-18] fluorothymidine ([F-18]FLT) as an agent to image cellular proliferation with PET. Recent work has demonstrated that [F-18]FLT is stable to degradation and produces high contrast images of proliferating tissues and tumors. To increase our understanding for the use of this agent we have explored the kinetics of [F-18]FLT clearance from the blood and uptake into tissues in normal and tumor bearing dogs.

High plant diversity in Eocene South America: evidence from Patagonia.

Tropical South America has the highest plant diversity of any region today, but this richness is usually characterized as a geologically recent development (Neogene or Pleistocene). From caldera-lake beds exposed at Laguna del Hunco in Patagonia, Argentina, paleolatitude approximately 47 degrees S, we report 102 leaf species. Radioisotopic and paleomagnetic analyses indicate that the flora was deposited 52 million years ago, the time of the early Eocene climatic optimum, when tropical plant taxa and warm, equable climates reached middle latitudes of both hemispheres.

Liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin (Doxil) and doxorubicin in the treatment of vaccine-associated sarcoma in cats.

The purpose of this randomized, multicenter study was to evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin (LED) and doxorubicin (DOX) in the treatment of feline vaccine-associated sarcoma (VAS). Cats were divided according to their disease status into a microscopic arm (no evidence of gross disease) and a macroscopic arm (evidence of gross disease). Each arm was randomized to receive either LED (1-1.

STEALTH liposome-encapsulated cisplatin (SPI-77) versus carboplatin as adjuvant therapy for spontaneously arising osteosarcoma (OSA) in the dog: a randomized multicenter clinical trial.

Purpose: This trial was designed to compare the efficacy of adjuvant STEALH liposome-encapsulated cisplatin (SPI-77) to "standard-of-care" carboplatin therapy in dogs with osteosarcoma (OSA) in the context of a randomized study design.

Methods: The study included 40 pet dogs with spontaneously arising OSA which were randomized to receive SPI-77 (350 mg/m(2) i.v.

Granular cell tumor of the canine central nervous system: two cases.

Although pure granular cell tumors have been reported in various sites in the dog, only one tumor has been reported in the central nervous system. Two dogs presented with neurologic signs had brain lesions detected by magnetic resonance imaging in the area of the olfactory bulbs and frontal cortex. In both dogs, a clinical diagnosis of a granular cell tumor was made from tissues obtained from stereotactic biopsies guided by computed tomography.

Adjuvant therapy for melanoma in dogs: results of randomized clinical trials using surgery, liposome-encapsulated muramyl tripeptide, and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

Spontaneous canine oral melanoma (COM) is a highly metastatic cancer, resistant to chemotherapy, and can serve as a model for cancer immunotherapy. Liposome-encapsulated muramyl tripeptide-phosphatidylethanolamine (L-MTP-PE) can activate the tumoricidal activity of the monocyte-macrophage system following i.v.

Imaging proliferation in vivo with [F-18]FLT and positron emission tomography.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is now regularly used in the diagnosis and staging of cancer. These uses and its ability to monitor treatment response would be aided by the development of imaging agents that can be used to measure tissue and tumor proliferation. We have developed and tested [F-18]FLT (3'-deoxy-3'-fluorothymidine); it is resistant to degradation, is retained in proliferating tissues by the action of thymidine kinase 1 (TK), and produces high-contrast images of normal marrow and tumors in canine and human subjects.

Efficacy of pyridoxine to ameliorate the cutaneous toxicity associated with doxorubicin containing pegylated (Stealth) liposomes: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial using a canine model.

A cutaneous reaction termed palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPES) or hand-foot syndrome can be dose limiting for Doxil, a doxorubicin containing pegylated (Stealth) liposome. The objective of this study was to determine the ability of concomitant pyridoxine therapy to prevent the development of PPES during Doxil therapy. Forty-one dogs with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive either oral pyridoxine or placebo daily during Doxil chemotherapy (1.

Users as designers: how people cope with poor HCI design in computer-based medical devices.

In this paper we examine how users interact with a computer-based infusion device adapted for terbutaline infusion to treat preterm labor in women experiencing high-risk pregnancies. This study examines (a) the human-computer interaction (HCI) deficiencies in the device as related to this context of use, (b) how the device characteristics increase the potential for error, and (c) the tailoring strategies developed by users to insulate themselves from failure. Interviews with nurses and tests of the behavior of the infusion device in different conditions identified several classic HCI deficiencies: complex and arbitrary sequences of operation, mode errors caused by poor differentiation of multiple operating modes intended for different contexts, ambiguous alarms, getting lost in multiple displays, and poor feedback on device state and behavior.

Assessment of potential doubling time (Tpot), argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNOR), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) as predictors of therapy response in canine non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The predictive potential of several proliferation indices for therapeutic outcome was investigated in 55 dogs with spontaneously occurring non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Indices included potential doubling time (Tpot), argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) frequency, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index (PCNA-LI). All tumors were of intermediate- or high-grade histology as assessed by the Working Formulation, and all dogs presented with disease of advanced clinical stage.

Dealing with brittleness in the design of expert systems for immunohematology.

In recent years, there has been increased discussion about the potential of expert systems to support medical decision-making tasks, including applications in clinical laboratory settings. This study provides data regarding the cognitive errors that technologists make on an important problem-solving task: the identification of antibodies in a patient's blood. It explores alternative designs for expert systems developed to reduce such errors.

Empirical evaluation of the transfusion medicine tutor.

Previous research during the development of Antibody IDentification Assistant (AIDA) revealed that many medical technology students and other laboratory personnel have serious difficulties in determining the specificity of blood group alloantibodies, especially weak or multiple antibodies. Based on these previous results, AIDA was modified to provide a teaching environment for medical technology students. We report the results of a rigorous, objective evaluation of the resultant system, the Transfusion Medicine Tutor (TMT).

Liposome-encapsulated muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine adjuvant immunotherapy for splenic hemangiosarcoma in the dog: a randomized multi-institutional clinical trial.

Canine splenic hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is a spontaneous tumor with high metastatic potential. Despite surgical excision, most dogs die within 2 months of diagnosis as a result of widespread visceral metastasis. This study was designed to determine the efficacy of liposome-encapsulated muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine (L-MTP-PE) when used in combination with splenectomy and systemic chemotherapy for the treatment of HSA in the dog.

Current studies of liposome muramyl tripeptide (CGP 19835A lipid) therapy for metastasis in spontaneous tumors: a progress review.

Targeted delivery of macrophage activating agents is an attractive approach to treat micrometastatic disease. Liposome-encapsulated muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine (L-MTP-PE) is a potent activator of monocytes/macrophages in humans, mice, and dogs. We have conducted clinical trials in dogs with malignant and highly metastatic spontaneous tumors.

The Manson Impact Structure: 40Ar/39Ar Age and Its Distal Impact Ejecta in the Pierre Shale in Southeastern South Dakota.

The (40)Ar/(39)Ar ages of a sanidine clast from a melt-matrix breccia of the Manson, Iowa, impact structure (MIS) indicate that the MIS formed 73.8 +/- 0.3 million years ago (Ma) and is not coincident with the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (64.

Toxicoses and efficacy associated with administration of mitoxantrone to cats with malignant tumors.

Eighty-seven cats with histologically confirmed malignant tumors were used in a prospective study to determine the toxicity of mitoxantrone, a dihydroxyquinone derivative of anthracene, which was administered at 21-day intervals at dosages ranging from 2.5 to 6.5 mg/m2 of body surface, IV.

Effect of recombinant canine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on peripheral blood neutrophil counts in normal cats.

Recombinant canine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rcG-CSF) was administered subcutaneously at a dosage of 5 micrograms/kg/day to five healthy, young adult cats for 42 days. Mean neutrophil counts +/- standard deviation increased significantly (P < 0.001) from 10,966/microL +/- 2324 to 30,688/microL +/- 5296 within 24 hours after administration of the first dosage of rcG-CSF.

Carotid body tumors in the dog. Eleven cases (1978-1988).

Case records of 11 dogs with histologically confirmed carotid body tumors were reviewed. Surgical excision had been attempted in ten dogs with carotid body tumors, and one dog had been euthanatized at diagnosis. There were no intraoperative deaths but perioperative mortality was 40%.

Use of recombinant canine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor to decrease myelosuppression associated with the administration of mitoxantrone in the dog.

Ten dogs were given mitoxantrone at a dose of 5 mg/m2 body surface area intravenously. Recombinant canine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rcG-CSF) was administered subcutaneously daily for 20 days after an infusion of mitoxantrone in five of these dogs to determine the effect of the hematopoietic growth factor on the duration and severity of myelosuppression. The median neutrophil counts dropped below normal (less than 3,000/uL) for 2 days in the dogs that received rcG-CSF, and for 5 days in the dogs that received only mitoxantrone.