The predictive value of clinical, radiographic, echocardiographic variables and cardiac biomarkers for assessing risk of the onset of heart failure or cardiac death in dogs with preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease enrolled in the DELAY study.

Objectives: To identify the predictive value on time to onset of heart failure (HF) or cardiac death of clinical, radiographic, and echocardiographic variables, as well as cardiac biomarkers N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin I in dogs with preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD).

Animals: One hundred sixty-eight dogs with preclinical MMVD and left atrium to aortic root ratio ≥1.6 (LA:Ao) and normalized left ventricular end-diastolic diameter ≥1.

DELay of Appearance of sYmptoms of Canine Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease Treated with Spironolactone and Benazepril: the DELAY Study.

Introduction: Efficacy of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) blockade using angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) in dogs with preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is controversial.

Hypothesis: Administration of spironolactone (2-4 mg q 24 h) and benazepril (0.25-0.

Early and Pre-Clinical Detection of Prion Seeding Activity in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Goats using Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion Assay.

Since 2005, two cases of natural bovine spongiform encephalopathies (BSE) have been reported in goats. Furthermore, experimental transmissions of classical (C-BSE) and atypical (L-BSE) forms of BSE in goats were also reported. To minimize further spreading of prion diseases in small ruminants the development of a highly sensitive and specific test for ante-mortem detection of infected animals would be of great value.

Clinical, pathological, and molecular features of classical and L-type atypical-BSE in goats.

Monitoring of small ruminants for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) has recently become more relevant after two natural scrapie suspected cases of goats were found to be positive for classical BSE (C-BSE). C-BSE probably established itself in this species unrecognized, undermining disease control measures. This opens the possibility that TSEs in goats may remain an animal source for human prion diseases.

Commonalities in Development of Pure Breeds and Population Isolates Revealed in the Genome of the Sardinian Fonni's Dog.

The island inhabitants of Sardinia have long been a focus for studies of complex human traits due to their unique ancestral background and population isolation reflecting geographic and cultural restriction. Population isolates share decreased genomic diversity, increased linkage disequilibrium, and increased inbreeding coefficients. In many regions, dogs and humans have been exposed to the same natural and artificial forces of environment, growth, and migration.

Characterization of Amyloid-β Deposits in Bovine Brains.

Amyloid-β (Aβ) deposits are seen in aged individuals of many mammalian species that possess the same aminoacid sequence as humans. This study describes Aβ deposition in 102 clinically characterized cattle brains from animals aged 0 to 20 years. Extracellular and intracellular Aβ deposition was detected with 4G8 antibody in the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum.

Molecular identification of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in oral biopsies of Crohn's disease patients.

Oral lesions may be found in patients with Crohn's disease (CD), in a percentage up to 20%. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible relationship between Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and oral lesions in CD patients.

The role of intra-articular hyaluronan (Sinovial) in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) leads to significant pain and disability. For pain relief, a tailored approach using non-pharmacological and pharmacological therapies is recommended. If adequate symptom relief is not achieved with acetaminophen, other pharmacological options include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), topical analgesics, intra-articular corticosteroids and intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) viscosupplementation.

Treatment of post-traumatic hand Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis with oral linezolid.

The Authors report on the use of linezolid for the treatment of three patients with osteomyelitis. All three patients had post-traumatic multisensitive hand bone methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis, which did not respond to antimicrobial regimens including drugs in vitro active against the isolated strains. Clinical cure and microbiologic eradication was obtained with oral linezolid in all three patients.

Pathological changes in the bone marrow of dogs with leishmaniosis.

Bone marrow aspiration smears from 15 dogs naturally infected with leishmania were evaluated. Three of the dogs showed no clinical signs, six had up to three clinical signs and six had more than three. The most common pathological features of the bone marrow were megakaryocytic dysplasia in 10 of the dogs, erythrophagocytosis in eight, erythroid dysplasia in two and emperipolesis in two.

Monitoring surgical treatment of screen-detected breast lesions in Italy.

The object of this study was to assess quality of care and adherence to treatment guidelines of screen-detected lesions in Italy using a new audit system. Data on screen-detected cases surgically treated in 1997 were collected using a system (QT 2.3) developed within the Italian Group for Planning and Evaluating Mammographic Screening Programmes (GISMa) and the European Breast Cancer Screening Network.

Thrombophilias as risk factors for disorders of pregnancy and fetal damage.

Inherited thrombophilias have been suggested as a possible condition of increased susceptibility to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although there is no consensus on the association between the factor V Leiden mutation and early (less than 10 weeks) pregnancy loss, the evidence suggests an association between the mutation and second-, and third-trimester fetal loss and severe preeclampsia. At present the relationship between the prothrombin G20210A mutation and inherited thrombophilias and adverse pregnancy outcomes remains controversial.

Thromboxane inhibition improves renal perfusion and excretory function in severe congestive heart failure.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether thromboxane inhibition can favorably affect renal perfusion and clinical conditions in patients affected by severe heart failure.

Background: The renal formation of the vasoconstrictor thromboxane A(2) (TxA(2)) is increased during cardiac failure.

Methods: By oral administration of picotamide (a renal TxA(2) synthase and TxA(2)/prostaglandin H(2) receptor inhibitor), we blocked renal TxA(2).

Diagnostic considerations about visceral leishmaniasis. Two case report.

Unlabelled: Two cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in immunocompetent patients have been described. Both patients lived in endemicic areas for leishmaniasis in the south of Italy, tested positive for anti-Leishmania antibodies. A definitive diagnosis of VL was delayed by false negative microscopic examinations.

Frequency of hemochromatosis C282Y and H63D mutations in Sardinia.

Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is one of the most common autosomal recessive disorders of iron metabolism among Caucasians, and it is associated with C282Y mutation of the HFE gene in populations of Celtic origins. A second mutation, H63D, shows a very high widespread frequency, although its role in iron metabolism is still inconclusive. There are no data on the frequencies of these two mutations in Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean sea that has not been invaded by Celtic peoples.

Hyperthermic intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy with cisplatin and doxorubicin in patients who undergo cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal carcinomatosis and sarcomatosis: phase I study.

Background: Hyperthermic intraperitoneal intraoperative chemotherapy (HIIC) combined with cytoreductive surgery (CS) has been proposed as a new multimodal treatment mainly for carcinomatosis of gastrointestinal origin. To evaluate whether this regimen could be used for other tumor types, the authors conducted a Phase I study on HIIC with doxorubicin and cisplatin in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis or sarcomatosis.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-one patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis or sarcomatosis (PCS) were enrolled for the study.

H63D mutation in the HFE gene increases iron overload in beta-thalassemia carriers.

Background And Objectives: Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is an autosomal recessive disorder of iron metabolism. The HFE gene implicated in this disorder has been identified on chromosome 6 (6p21.3).

Fibrillin-1 (FBN1) gene frameshift mutations in Marfan patients: genotype-phenotype correlation.

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a multisystemic disease associated with mutations in the fibrillin-1 gene. Most of the reported mutations are missense substitutions mainly affecting the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like protein domain structure and the calcium-binding (cb) site. The aim of our study was to investigate the correlation between fibrillin-1 frameshift mutations and the clinical phenotype in patients affected by MFS.

The pectoralis major myocutaneous flap in head and neck reconstructive surgery: 16 years of experience.

Wide defects resulting after resection of malignant tumors of the head and neck need an adeguate closure. In the last 16 years, 85 pectoralis major myocutaneous island flap procedures were carried out for the immediate reconstruction of surgical defects following extirpation of malignant tumors at various sites of the upper aerodigestive tract. The final functional and cosmetic results were satisfactory.

Serum erythropoietin and circulating transferrin receptor in thalassemia intermedia patients with heterogeneous genotypes.

Background: Thalassemia intermedia patients usually do not require blood transfusions; however, all show variable degrees of erythropoietic marrow expansion to compensate for more or less marked anemia, and this represents the major cause of complications in untransfused individuals.

Materials And Methods: To assess the degree of erythropoietic expansion in thalassemia intermedia, serum erythropoietin (sEpo) and serum transferrin receptor (sTfr) were determined in thirty Italian patient's characterized by their beta-globin genotype.

Results: Six patients showed inappropriately low sEpo levels (O/P ratio < 0.

Isochromosome 6p and deletion of 6q characterize two related cytogenetic clones in a patient with immunoblastic lymphoma.

In a case of immunoblastic lymphoma we observed the presence of either a deletion of the long arm of chromosome 6 or of an isochromosome, i(6p), which occurred alternatively in metaphase cells. This suggests a selective pressure for loss of heterozygosity of genes located on 6q and is in accordance with the hypothesis that one or more tumor suppressor genes might be located on the long arm chromosome 6.

Characterization of bone marrow stromal cells from multiple myeloma.

We have cultured multiple myeloma (MM) bone marrow (BM) stromal cells that are able to sustain the in vitro growth of monoclonal B-cells. Our aim was to evaluate which adhesion molecules are expressed and which extracellular matrix proteins are produced by these cells and whether they differ from the stromal cells that can be grown under the same experimental conditions from the BM of monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance (MGUS) and of normal donors. MM BM stromal cells that support malignant B-cell development have a striking proliferative ability that is absent in MGUS and normal donors of the same age group and are formed by four major different cell populations.

Cytokine gene expression in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia: evidence of constitutive interleukin-8 (IL-8) mRNA expression and secretion of biologically active IL-8 protein.

To extent our knowledge on the cytokines possibly involved in the pathophysiology of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), the mRNA expression of a panel of 10 cytokines was investigated on purified B-CLL cells using a reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction method. Whereas negative RT-PCR signals were recorded for interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-7, tumor necrosis factor beta (TNF beta), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, we detected the expression of IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF alpha. Furthermore, the constitutive expression of IL-8 mRNA was observed in all 17 B-CLL samples analyzed.

Transduction of the IL2 gene into human acute leukemia cells: induction of tumor rejection without modifying cell proliferation and IL2 receptor expression.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that some of the limitations associated with the administration of high-dose exogenous interleukin 2 (IL2) may be overcome, at least partly, by cytokine gene transfer modalities. These findings have prompted investigations into whether human tumor cells may be transduced with the IL2 gene and whether tumor cell lines could be engineered to release IL2.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possibility of inducing a productive transfer of the IL2 gene into human acute leukemia cells and to assess the phenotypic and proliferative changes generated in the engineered cells, as well as their tumorigenic potential in nude mice.