Recommended Guidelines for Submission, Trimming, Margin Evaluation, and Reporting of Tumor Biopsy Specimens in Veterinary Surgical Pathology

Neoplastic diseases are typically diagnosed by biopsy and histopathological evaluation. The pathology report is key in determining prognosis, therapeutic decisions, and overall case management and therefore requires diagnostic accuracy, completeness, and clarity. Successful management relies on collaboration between clinical veterinarians, oncologists, and pathologists. To date there has been no standardized approach or guideline for the submission, trimming, margin evaluation, or reporting of neoplastic biopsy specimens in veterinary medicine. To address this issue, a committee consisting of veterinary pathologists and oncologists was established under the auspices of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists Oncology Committee. These consensus guidelines were subsequently reviewed and endorsed by a large international group of veterinary pathologists. These recommended guidelines are not mandated but rather exist to help clinicians and veterinary pathologists optimally handle neoplastic biopsy samples. Many of these guidelines represent the collective experience of the committee members and consensus group when assessing neoplastic lesions from veterinary patients but have not met the rigors of definitive scientific study and investigation. These questions of technique, analysis, and evaluation should be put through formal scrutiny in rigorous clinical studies in the near future so that more definitive guidelines can be derived.

Evaluation and identification of lightning models by artificial neural networks

This paper describes a novel approach for mapping lightning models using artificial neural networks. The networks acts as identifier of structural features of the lightning models so that output parameters can be estimated and generalized from an input parameter set. Simulation examples are presented to validate the proposed approach. More specifically, the neural networks are used to compute electrical field intensity and critical disruptive voltage taking into account several atmospheric and structural factors, such as pressure, temperature, humidity, distance between phases, height of bus bars, and wave forms. A comparative analysis with other approaches is also provided to illustrate this new methodology.

Laparoscopic evaluation and treatment of the impalpable testis

Objectives: To evaluate the laparoscopic technique as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in the management of patients with impalpable testis. Material and Methods: Fifty-nine patients with mean age of 6.3 years underwent laparoscopy to evaluate 85 impalpable testes that were classified as absent, canalicular and intra-abdominal. In the case of testicular absence, the procedure was terminated. In the case of canalicular testis, open inguinal exploration was performed. In intra-abdominal testis, either laparoscopic orchiopexy or orchiectomy was performed. According to the length of the vascular pedicle, orchipexy was performed either with or without vascular ligature. Post-operatively, the treated testes were evaluated according to size and location in the scrotum. Results: Seventeen (20%) of the 85 impalpable testes were diagnosed as absent, 21 (24.7%) as canalicular and 47 (55.3%) as intra-abdominal. Of the canalicular testes, 20 were explored by inguinotomy and one by laparoscopy. All the intra-abdominal testes were treated initially by laparoscopy, four being removed due to atrophy, 31 submitted to vascular ligature and 12 to primary orchipexy. Of those submitted to vascular ligature, 22 underwent a second stage orchipexy, of which 18 laparoscopically and 4 by inguinotomy. Of the 18 testes brought to the scrotum by staged laparoscopic orchipexy, 15 (83.3%) presented normal characteristics in the late follow-up, while of the 12 submitted to primary laparoscopic orchipexy, 8 (66.6%) were normal. There were no perioperative or late complications. Conclusions: Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure with low morbidity that enables precise diagnosis of the impalpable testes. When intra-abdominal testes are found, either immediate laparoscopic orchiectomy, or primary and staged orchipexy are possible, with results equivalent to open procedures, with the advantage of smaller surgical incisions and shorter postoperative recovery.

Late-onset sepsis: Epidemiology, evaluation, and outcome

Late-onset neonatal sepsis is a common serious problem in preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units. Diagnosis can be difficult because clinical manifestations are not specific and none of the available laboratory tests can be considered an ideal marker. For this reason, a combination of markers has been proposed. Complete blood count and acute-phase reactants evaluated together help in diagnosis. C-reactive protein is a specific but late marker, and procalcitonin has proven accurate, although it is little studied in newborns. Blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine cultures always should be obtained when late-onset sepsis is suspected. Blood culture, the gold standard in diagnosis, is highly sensitive but needs up to 48 hours to detect microbial growth. Various cytokines have been investigated as early markers of infection, but results are not uniform. Other diagnostic tests that offer promise include: neutrophil surface markers, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, toll-like receptors, and nuclear factor kappa B. The greatest hope for quick and accurate diagnosis lies in molecular biology, using real time polymerase chain reaction combined withDNAmicroarray. Sepsis and meningitis may affect both the short- and long-term prognosis for newborns. Mortality in neonatal meningitis has been reduced in recent years, but short-term complications and later neurocognitive sequelae remain. Late-onset sepsis significantly increases preterm infant mortality and the risk of cerebral lesions and neurosensory sequelae, including developmental difficulties and cerebral palsy. Early diagnosis of late-onset sepsis contributes to improved neonatal prognosis, but the outcome remains far from satisfactory. © 2010 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Economic growth in Latin America in the late 20th century: evidence and interpretation

Includes bibliography

Differences in dietary pattern between obese and eutrophic children

Background: Excessive consumption of energy is a decisive factor of obesity, but a simple quantitative assessment of consumption between obese and eutrophic individuals not always explains the problem, raising questions about the importance of the qualitative aspects of food. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in nutrient composition and meal patterns between eutrophic and obese schoolchildren. Methods. The diet of 83 children (42 obese and 41 eutrophic), aged between 7 and 11 years of age, was assessed by two non-consecutive dietary recalls. After the software analysis of macro and micronutrients composition, the different types and amount of legumes, fruits and vegetables were analyzed to verify the dietary patterns. Results: No differences were verified in energy consumption between the groups (eutrophic = 1934.2 672.7 kcal, obese = 1835.8 621.2 kcal). In general, children showed consumption within the recommended ranges of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. The average consumption of fiber was higher in the eutrophic group (20.7 g) when compared to the obese group (14.8 g). The dietary fiber was strongly correlated with the number of servings of beans (r = 0.77), when compared to fruits (r = 0.44) and leafy vegetables (r = 0.13). It was also observed that the higher the consumption of fiber and beans, the lower the proportion of dietary fat (r = -0.22) in the diet. Generally, there was a low consumption of fiber (20.7 g = eutrophic group/14.8 g = obese group), beans (1.1 portions in the eutrophic and obese groups), fruits (0.7 portions eutrophic group and 0.6 obese group) and vegetables (1.3 eutrophic group and 1.1 obese group). Conclusions: It is concluded that the obesity was more related to a dietary pattern of low intake of dietary fiber than excessive energy consumption and macronutrients imbalance. © 2011 de Oliveira et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Rationalizing social policy: evaluation and viability

Includes bibliography

Description and interpretation of Cenozoic vertebrate ichnofossils in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

In the neighborhood of the city of Boqueirão do Leão (State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) a set of three big-sized tunnels has been found. One of the tunnels is only partially filled with sand and accessible along its entire length. It is horizontal, slightly sinuous, 36 m long, up to 4.2 m wide and up to 2.0 m high. The surface morphology of the walls is composed of anthropogenic marks, speleothems, black incrustations and traces like digging scratches and smoothed surfaces. The 2nd tunnel has its entrance blocked by sand and sandstone cobbles, but the end of the tunnel is only partially clogged and therefore accessible. This accessible portion is 12 m long, 3 m wide and 1.5 m high. The 3rd tunnel is completely filled and collapsed and is nowadays only indicated by concave roof features at its end. The general features of the tunnel system and the analysis of the surface morphology of the walls of the accessible portions permit to conclude that the tunnels were produced by ground sloths of the Cenozoic South American megafauna. The size of the tunnels suggests that its excavation was gradually carried out by successive generations of sloth herds, and not by a single individual animal. The primary function of the tunnels probably was not protection from predators, which had easy access to structures of this size, but to shelter during a drier climate. However, it is not yet possible to relate the tunnels to a specific ground sloth genus, a task that depends on the discovery of better-preserved tunnel systems. © 2013 by the Sociedade Brasileira de Paleontologia.

Light microscopic evaluation and scanning electron microscopic analysis of horse eyes following deep anterior lamellar keratectomy

Objective To describe the technique of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) with Descemet's membrane (DM) exposure in horse eyes. Also, to compare the efficacy and safety of viscodissection and big-bubble techniques for DALK. Animals studied Thirty-four ex vivo horse eyes. Procedure Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty was performed in 34 ex vivo horse eyes. Two groups (Group V - viscodissection - 2% sodium hyaluronate; Group A - air - big-bubble) of 17 eyes were studied. Other than the substance used, the surgical technique was similar for both groups. Nonperforated eyes were submitted for light microscopic histologic evaluation and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis. Results Group V - Perforations occurred in 18% of the eyes during surgery. Light microscopy revealed exposure of DM in 28% of the eyes with mean thickness of the remaining stroma being 70.4μm. Group A - Perforations occurred in 42% of the eyes. Light microscopy revealed exposure of DM in 60% of the eyes with mean thickness of the remaining stroma being 23.3μm. No significant differences in safety, efficacy and thickness of the remaining stroma (including all eyes or excluding those with DM exposure) were observed. SEM of the surgical site revealed a more even surface in those eyes with DM exposure compared to eyes with thicker remaining stroma in both groups. Conclusions We describe two DALK techniques (viscodissection and big-bubble) for use in horses. No significant differences in safety, efficacy and thickness of the remaining stroma were observed. However, a nonsignificant trend toward the big-bubble technique being more efficacious but less safe was observed. © 2012 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

Prospect, evaluation and characterization of aeolian energy

Spanish version available

Latin American economic growth in the late twentieth century: evidence and interpretation

Includes bibliography

NADPH-diaphorase activity in area 17 of the squirrel monkey visual cortex: neuropil pattern, cell morphology and laminar distribution

We studied the distribution of NADPH-diaphorase activity in the visual cortex of normal adult New World monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) using the malic enzyme "indirect" method. NADPH-diaphorase neuropil activity had a heterogeneous distribution. In coronal sections, it had a clear laminar pattern that was coincident with Nissl-stained layers. In tangential sections, we observed blobs in supragranular layers of V1 and stripes throughout the entire V2. We quantified and compared the tangential distribution of NADPH-diaphorase and cytochrome oxidase blobs in adjacent sections of the supragranular layers of V1. Although their spatial distributions were rather similar, the two enzymes did not always overlap. The histochemical reaction also revealed two different types of stained cells: a slightly stained subpopulation and a subgroup of deeply stained neurons resembling a Golgi impregnation. These neurons were sparsely spined non-pyramidal cells. Their dendritic arbors were very well stained but their axons were not always evident. In the gray matter, heavily stained neurons showed different dendritic arbor morphologies. However, most of the strongly reactive cells lay in the subjacent white matter, where they presented a more homogenous morphology. Our results demonstrate that the pattern of NADPH-diaphorase activity is similar to that previously described in Old World monkeys.