Reproduction in the squirrel glider, Petaurus norfolcensis (Petauridae) in south-east Queensland

Reproduction was studied across a three-year period in two south-east Queensland populations of the squirrel glider, Petaurus norfolcensis, by measuring morphological (body weight, scrotal diameter, cutaneous scent-gland activity, condition index) and physiological (plasma steroid levels) variables. Reproduction showed a seasonal pattern, with peak numbers of pouch young recorded in late autumn and winter. Declines in oestrogen concentrations outside the breeding period indicate that females are anoestrous in the summer months. Most (83%) reproductive females captured during the study were 2-3 years old, but all individuals over one year of age were found to have bred. Average litter size was 1.73 +/- 0.01 (n = 23). Scrotal diameter and testosterone concentrations showed no significant seasonal variation. It is suggested that this is due to the presence of both socially dominant and subordinate males in the data set. Maximum testosterone concentrations did coincide with periods of mating. The condition index showed no relationship with reproductive variables, but it is likely that this results from the manner in which the index was generated.

Maternal care and infant behaviour of the bridled nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata)

Bridled nailtail wallabies Onychogalea fraenata are endangered, medium-sized, nocturnal macropodids that persist at only one location in central Queensland, Australia. Characteristics of juvenile development, shelter use, anti-predator behaviour and maternal care were investigated in the wild using trapping, radio-tracking and spotlighting observations., Timing of developmental stages was identical to the pattern previously found in captivity, except for age at weaning which was much earlier in the wild. After young had left the pouch permanently at 17 weeks of age and weighing c. 800 g, they always spent the day concealed in dense cover, generally > 200 m from their mothers. Juveniles were also alone in > 50% of observations at night, and stayed closer to cover than did adult females. Young became independent of their mothers 7-8 weeks after permanent exit from the pouch and weighing c. 1800 g. Females with dependent juveniles changed their behaviour in ways likely to reduce predation on young. They reduced their home ranges, stayed closer to cover and became more wary than other females. Juveniles differed from adult females in their habitat use, anti-predator behaviour and shelter site preferences. Juveniles were more likely than adults to respond to threats by standing still or lying flat on the ground, whether or not they were in concealing cover. Juveniles used a wider range of smaller shelters than adults, and were less likely to use solid shelters such as hollow logs during the day. Because bridled nailtail wallabies have a 'hider' strategy of maternal care and the young rely on crypsis, successful breeding in the wild requires dense vegetation cover.

Safety and efficacy of low anterior en bloc resection as part of cytoreductive surgery for patients with ovarian cancer

Objective. To examine the feasibility and safety of a low anterior resection of the rectosigmoid plus adjacent pelvic tumour as part of primary cytoreduction for ovarian cancer. Methods. This study included 65 consecutive patients with primary ovarian cancer who had debulking surgery from 1996 through 2000. All patients underwent an en bloc resection of ovarian cancer and a rectosigmoid resection followed by an end-to-end anastomosis. Parameters for safety and efficacy were considered as primary statistical endpoints for the aim of this analysis. Results. Postoperative residual tumour was nil, 1 cm in 14, 34, and 14 patients, respectively. The median postoperative hospital stay was 11 days (range, 6 to 50 days). Intraoperative complications included an injury to the urinary bladder in one patient. Postoperative complications included wound complications (n=14, 21.5%), septicemia (n=9, 13.8%), cardiac complications (n=7, 10.8%), thromboembolic complications (n=5, 7.7%) ileus (n=2, 3.1%) anastomotic leak (n=2, 3.1%) and fistula (n=1, 1.5%). Reasons for a reoperation during the same admission included repair of an anastomotic leak (n=1), postoperative hemorrhage (n=1), and wound debridement (n=1). Wound complications, septicemia, and anastomotic leak formation were more frequent in patients who had a serum albumin level of less than or equal to 30 g/L preoperatively. There was one surgically related mortality in a patient who died from a cerebral vascular accident 2 days postoperatively. Conclusions. An en bloc resection as part of primary cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer is effective and its morbidity is acceptably low. (C) 2001 Academic Press.

Peritoneal cytology: impact on disease-free survival in clinical stage I endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the uterus

The prognostic significance of positive peritoneal cytology in endometrial carcinoma has led to the incorporation of peritoneal cytology into the current FIGO staging system, While cytology was shown to be prognostically relevant in patients with stage II and III disease, conflicting data exists about its significance in patients who would have been stage I but were classified as stage III solely and exclusively on the basis of positive peritoneal cytology (clinical stage I). Analysis was based on the data of 369 consecutive patients with clinical stage I endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the endometrium. Standard treatment consisted of an abdominal total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with or without pelvic lymph node dissection. Peritoneal cytology was obtained at laparotomy by peritoneal washing of the pouch of Douglas and was considered positive if malignant cells could be detected regardless of the number of malignant cells present. Disease-free survival (DFS) was considered the primary statistical endpoint. In 13/369 (3.5%) patients, positive peritoneal cytology was found. The median follow-up was 29 months and 15 recurrences occurred. Peritoneal cytology was independent of the depth of myometrial invasion and the grade of tumour differentiation, Patients with negative washings had a DFS of 96'7e at 36 months compared with 67% for patients with positive washings (log-rank P < 0.001). The presence of positive peritoneal cytology in patients with clinically stage I endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the endometrium is considered an adverse prognostic factor. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Update on intrapartum fetal pulse oximetry

This article examines the current status of fetal pulse oximetry (FPO) as a means of intrapartum assessment of fetal wellbeing. FPO has been developed to a stage where it is a safe and accurate indicator of intrapartum fetal oxygenation. In general, sliding the FPO sensor along the examiner's fingers and through the cervix, to lie alongside the fetal cheek or temple is easy The recent publication of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of FPO versus conventional intrapartum monitoring has validated its use to reduce caesarean section rates for nonreassuring fetal status. An Australian multicentre RCT is currently underway. Maternal satisfaction rates with FPO are high. FPO may be used during labour when the electronic fetal heart rate trace is nonreassuring or when conventional monitoring is unreliable, such as with fetal arrhythmias. If the fetal oxygen saturation (FSpO(2)) values are < 30%, prompt obstetric intervention is indicated, such as fetal scalp blood sampling or delivery FSpO(2) monitoring should not form the sole basis of intrapartum fetal welfare assessment. Rather, the whole clinical picture should be considered.

Induction of birth in the bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus) with prostaglandin and oxytocin

As in eutherians, maturation of the fetal pituitary and adrenal glands together with an increase in prostaglandin and mesotocin or oxytocin production initiates birth in marsupials. in this study, prostaglandin (Lutalyse) or oxytocin (Syntocinon) were administered to pregnant bandicoots at 05:00 h on the calculated day of birth and the resultant effects were filmed for analysis. The administration of prostaglandin caused the bandicoot to adopt the birth position several minutes after injection (n = 2). However, the bandicoot did not give birth for several hours. Birth occurred at a similar time of day to that observed for untreated bandicoots (n = 7), between 08:00 h and 12:00 h. After an injection of oxytocin, the bandicoot assumed the birth position and birth occurred within several minutes. The young were alive while still connected to their allantoic stalks. However, they were unable to attach to the teats and did not survive (n = 4). The induced young were the colour of venous blood and died soon after the umbilicus was separated, indicating that the cardiopulmonary system of these neonates was underdeveloped and inadequate to maintain life. The results from this study demonstrate that prostaglandin is required to prepare the bandicoot for birth, and mesotocin is required for contraction of the uterus and for birth to occur.

A case of myoepithelial carcinoma displaying biallelic inactivation of the tumour suppressor gene APC in a patient with familial adenomatous polyposis

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutation of the APC gene. It is characterised by the appearance of hundreds to thousands of colorectal adenomas in adolescence and the subsequent development of colorectal cancer. Various extracolonic malignancies are associated with FAP, including desmoids and neoplasms of the stomach, duodenum, pancreas, liver, and brain. We present a family affected by FAP with an exon 14 APC mutation displaying two rare extracolonic lesions, a hepatoblastoma and a myoepithelial carcinoma. The hepatoblastoma was found in a male patient aged 2 years. The second lesion, a myoepithelial carcinoma of the right cheek, was found in a female patient aged 14 years. Inactivation of the normal APC allele was demonstrated in this lesion by loss of heterozygosity analysis, thus implicating APC in the initiation or progression of this neoplasm. This is the first reported case of this lesion in a family affected by FAP.

Plasma growth hormone and growth hormone-binding protein during development in the marsupial brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

Plasma concentrations of growth hormone (GH) were measured in the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) pouch young from 25 through to 198 days post-partum (n=71). GH concentrations were highest early in pouch life (around 100 ng/ml), and thereafter declined in an exponential fashion to reach adult concentrations (10.8 +/- 1.8 ng/ml; n=21) by approximately 121-145 days post-partum, one to two months before the young is weaned. Growth hormone-binding protein (GHBP), which has been shown to modify the cellular actions of GH in eutherian mammals, was identified for the first time in a marsupial. Based on size exclusion gel filtration, possum GHBP had an estimated molecular mass of approximate to 65 kDa, similar to that identified in other mammalian species, and binding of I-125-labelled human GH (hGH) was displaced by excess hGH (20 mug). An immunoprecipitation method, in which plasma GHBP was rendered polyethylene glycol precipitable with a monoclonal antibody to the rabbit GHBP/GH receptor (MAb 43) and labelled with I-125-hGH, was used to quantitate plasma GHBP by Scatchard analysis in the developing (pooled plasma samples) and adult (individual animals) possums. Binding affinity (K-a) values in pouch young aged between 45 and 54 and 144 and 153 days post-partum varied between 1.0 and 2.4 x 10(9)/M, which was slightly higher than that in adult plasma (0.96 +/- 0.2 x 10(9)/M, n = 6). Binding capacity (B-max) values increased from non-detectable levels in animals aged 25-38 days post-partum to reach concentrations around half that seen in the adult (1.4 +/- 0.2 x 10(-9) M) by about 117 days post-partum and remained at this level until 153 days post-partum. Therefore, in early pouch life when plasma GH concentrations are highest, the very low concentrations of GHBP are unlikely to be important in terms of competing with GH-receptor for ligand or altering the half-life of circulating GH.

Birth in the northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus (Marsupialia : Dasyuridae)

Birth has been observed in a number of marsupial species and, in the studies to date, the newborn have crawled up to or across to the pouch. The method of birth in the quoll, a dasyurid, differs greatly from that observed in other marsupials. Births were recorded at normal speed using hand-held digital video cameras. Birth was heralded by a release of about 1 mL of watery fluid from the urogenital sinus followed by gelatinous material contained in either one or two tubes emanating from the sinus. The newborn, still encased in their placental membranes, were in the gelatinous material within a column. To exit this column, they had to grasp a hair and wriggle about 1 cm across to the pouch. In the pouch the newborn young had to compete for a teat. Although the quolls possessed 8 teats, the number of young in the pouch immediately after birth was 17, 16, 6, 16, 13 and 11 for each of the 6 quolls filmed. While birth has been described previously in another two dasyurids, the observers did not describe birth as reported here for the quoll. Nevertheless the movement of the newborn from the sinus to the pouch is so quick that this could have previously been missed. Filming birth from beneath and from the side allowed for a greater understanding of the birth process. Further studies are required to determine whether this use of a gelatinous material is part of the birth process in all dasyurids.

Birth of Koalas Phascolarctos cinereus at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary following artificial insemination

This paper documents the successful development of an artificial insemination (AI) programme for the Koala Phascolurctos cinereus. The protocols for trials involving two methods to induce ovulation and two insemination techniques are described. In Trial 1, interrupted coitus using a 'teaser'♂ successfully induced ovulation in nine Koalas. Five ♀♀ were inseminated while conscious using a modified 'foley catheter' (Cook insemination catheter) resulting in the births of two offspring. The other four ♀♀ were anaesthetized and inseminated using a technique which allowed visualization of the most cranial portion of the urogenital sinus, where semen was deposited using a 3.5 Fr. 'Tom-cat catheter' (urogen-itoscopic insemination). Three of the four ♀♀ inseminated by this technique produced pouch young. Microsatellite analysis of DNA from the pouch young excluded the teaser ♀♀ as possible sires, confirming that all offspring were sired by donor sperm. In Trial 2, eight ♀♀ were induced to ovulate by injecting them with 250 International Units of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). A luteal phase was confirmed in all eight ♀♀ but only one gave birth following urogenitoscopic insemination. The Koala pouch young in this study are the first of any marsupial to be conceived and born following A1 procedures. Details of the A1 procedures used are presented and the significance of A1 to the conservation biology of P. cinereus discussed.

Non-colorectal intestinal tract carcinomas in inflammatory bowel disease: results of the 3rd ECCO Pathogenesis Scientific Workshop (II)

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have an excess risk of certain gastrointestinal cancers. Much work has focused on colon cancer in IBD patients, but comparatively less is known about other more rare cancers. The European Crohn's and Colitis Organization established a pathogenesis workshop to review what is known about these cancers and formulate proposals for future studies to address the most important knowledge gaps. This article reviews the current state of knowledge about small bowel adenocarcinoma, ileo-anal pouch and rectal cuff cancer, and anal/perianal fistula cancers in IBD patients.

"In vivo" leukocyte chemotaxis in experimental mice Schistosoma mansoni infection

The "in vivo" chemotaxis was studied in C57B1/10 mice 10, 30, 50 and 60 days after a Schistosoma mansoni infection in comparison to a control group (uninfected mice). Staphylococcal protein A was injected into a connective tissue air pouch of control and experimental mice and the leukocyte chemotaxis was counted. A decrease in polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocyte response was found in infected mice in comparison to the control group (p<0.05). The 10 day infected mice showed a decreased PMN leukocyte response respecting the control group (p<0.05) and this finding became more evident 30 and 50 days post-infection. Although the PMN leukocyte response of 60 day infected mice increased in comparison to 50 day infected animals, it was still significantly lower the control response. The mononuclear leukocyte response was not significantly different between infected or uninfected mice.

Is Demodex really non-pathogenic?

Although usually considered a non-pathogenic parasite in parasitological textbooks, Demodex folliculorum has been implicated as a causative agent for some dermatological conditions, such as rosacea-like eruptions and some types of blepharitis. Several anecdotal reports have demonstrated unequivocal tissue damage directly related to the presence of the parasite. However, this seems to be exceedingly rare, in contrast with the marked prevalence of this infestation. We have had the opportunity to observe one of such cases. A 38-year-old woman presented with rosacea-like papular lesions in her right cheek. Histopathological examination revealed granulomatous dermal inflammation with a well-preserved mite phagocytized by a multinucleated giant cell. This finding may be taken as an evidence for the pathogenicity of the parasite, inasmuch as it does not explain how such a common parasite is able to produce such a rare disease.

DISTINCT CELLULAR MIGRATION INDUCED BY Leishmania infantum chagasi AND SALIVA FROM Lutzomyia longipalpis IN A HEMORRHAGIC POOL MODEL

Recruitment of a specific cell population after Leishmania infection can influence the outcome of the disease. Cellular migration in response to Leishmania or vector saliva has been reported in air pouch model, however, cellular migration induced by Leishmania associated with host's blood and vector saliva in this model has not been described. Herein we investigated cellular migration into air pouch of hamster after stimulation with combination of L. chagasi and host's blood and Lutzomyia longipalpis saliva. Migration induced by saliva was 3-fold more than those induced by L. chagasi alone. Additionally, L. chagasi associated with blood and saliva induced significantly even more leukocytes into air pouch than Leishmania alone. L. chagasi recruited a diverse cell population; however, most of these cells seem to have not migrated to the inflammatory exudate, remaining in the pouch lining tissue. These results indicate that L. chagasi can reduce leukocyte accumulation to the initial site of infection, and when associated with vector saliva in the presence of blood components, increase the influx of more neutrophils than macrophages, suggesting that the parasite has developed a strategy to minimize the initial inflammatory response, allowing an unlimited progression within the host. This work reinforces the importance of studies on the salivary components of sand fly vectors of leishmaniasis in the transmission process and the establishment of the infection.

Effects of circular myotomy on the healing of esophageal suture anastomosis: an experimental study

For esophageal reconstruction in newborns with esophageal atresia, esophageal reunion with an end-to-end anastomosis is the ideal procedure, although it may result in leaks and strictures due to tension on the suture line, mainly in cases with a wide gap between the ends. Circular myotomy (Livaditis' procedure) is the best method to elongate the proximal esophageal pouch and reduce anastomotic tension. This experimental investigation in dogs was undertaken to attempt to verify that circular myotomy decreases the anastomotic leak rate in newborns with wide gap esophageal atresia, and to analyze whether the technique promotes morphologic changes in the anastomotic scar. A pilot study demonstrated that it is necessary to resect more than 8 cm (40% of the total esophageal length) in order to obtain high leak rates. In the experimental project, such resection was performed in dogs divided into two groups (control group, anastomosis only, and experimental group, anastomosis plus circular myotomy in the proximal esophageal segment). The animals were killed in the 14th postoperative day, submitted to autopsy, and were evaluated as to the presence of leaks and strictures, as well as to the features (macroscopic and microscopic aspects) of the anastomosis. Leak rates were the same in both groups. Morphometric analysis revealed that in animals in the experimental group, the anastomotic scar was thinner than the control animals, and the isolated muscular manchette distal to the site of myotomy was replaced by fibrous tissue. Correspondingly, a decreased number of newly formed small vessels were noted in the experimental animals, compared to control animals. We concluded that circular myotomy does not decrease the incidence of anastomotic leaks, and it also promotes deleterious changes in anastomotic healing.