Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase activity in dairy cows

Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase is considered the single most accurate marker of bone formation. In this study, 75 healthy Holstein dairy cows in their first, second, third, fourth or fifth parities underwent serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase quantification. The results indicate that enzyme activity values have a decreasing pattern with increasing order of parity (p < 0.05). However, the differences between cows in second and third parity and also between cows in fourth and fifth parity were not statistically significant (p > 0.1). We concluded that bone-specific alkaline phosphatase measurement by heat inactivation provides a simple method to determine bone metabolic status and useful data to evaluate calcium availability in dairy cows.     

Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma syndrome: a case report

The simultaneous occurrence of multiple cutaneous leiomyomas, uterine leiomyomatosis, and renal cancer is described as a cancer syndrome with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. We report a 79-year-old man who presented with multiple hyperkeratotic, erythematous nodules on his right leg with a histological diagnosis of pilar leiomyoma. In a review of systems, gross hematuria, weight loss, and bone pain were noted. His pathologic diagnosis was determined to be metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma. A family history revealed that his sister had a hysterectomy for uterine leiomyomas. The findings in this case can be attributed to hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma syndrome.     

Quantitative Doppler ultrasound evaluation of occlusive arterial disease in the lower limb

Forty consecutive patients with lower limb arterial disease were evaluated using a multi-gated pulsed Doppler system. Doppler signals were sampled at 4 sites in each limb, and following spectral analysis, the pulse rise time (PRT) was measured. The value obtained at the location giving the longest duration of PRT was used for comparison with ankle/brachial pressure index (A/B index) and angiography. A highly significant correlation was found between PRT and A/B index (r = -0.75, P less than 0.001). Based on receiver operating characteristic curves an overall diagnostic accuracy of 90% in diagnosing a pressure reduction greater than 20% was obtained. The diagnostic accuracy in detecting an angiographic stenosis greater than 50% was almost identical. Based on combined quantitative and qualitative analysis of Doppler signals sampled at the common femoral and popliteal artery, the aorto-iliac segments and the femoro-popliteal segments were evaluated separately. Comparison with arteriography revealed overall accuracies of 96% in the aorto-iliac segments and 87% in the femoro-popliteal segments. It is concluded that simple quantitatively measurable parameters in the Doppler spectrum may accurately predict and localize hemodynamically significant arterial lesions of the lower extremities.