Neorickettsia helminthoeca associated lymphoid,enteric, and pulmonary lesions in dogs from Southern Brazil: An immunohistochemical study

Neorickettsia helminthoeca (NH), the agent of salmon poisoning disease or canine neorickettiosis (CN), is a bacterial endosymbiont of the nematode Nanophyetus salmincola, and infections are spreading among specific fish‐eating mammalians. This article describes the pathologic and immunohistochemical findings associated with spontaneous NH‐induced infections in dogs from Southern Brazil. The principal pathologic findings were hypertrophy of Peyer patches and lymphadenopathy with lymphocytic proliferation, chronic interstitial pneumonia, and chronic enteritis associated with positive intralesional immunoreactivity to antigens of NH within macrophages and histiocytes. Positive immunoreactivity against canine parvovirus‐2 (CPV‐2) or/and canine distemper virus was not detected in the evaluated intestinal segments or in the samples from the cerebellum and lungs, respectively, from the dogs evaluated. These findings demonstrated that NH was involved in the enteric, pulmonary, and lymphoid lesions herein described, and provide additional information to confirm the occurrence of this bacterial endosymbiont within this geographical location. It is proposed that chronic pneumonia should be considered as a pathologic manifestation of NH‐induced infections. Additionally, our results show that the occurrences of CN seem to be underdiagnosed in Southern Brazil due to the confusion with the incidence of CPV‐2.     

The opportunity costs of caring for people with dementia in Southern Spain

Objective

The aim of this paper is to study the opportunity costs (OC) that are involved in being a caregiver and to compare them with the direct costs assumed by the State and the families. We evaluate direct cost (those that imply a payment-out-of-pocket) and indirect cost (those that imply a dedication in time). We hypothesized that costs increase with the severity of the dementia, with the educational level and active occupational situation of caregiver. They are greater if the caregiver is male, but if the patient and caregiver cohabit they are reduced.

Human hepatocellular carcinoma tumor xenografts

Castrated or sham-operated male athymic mice were inoculated with cells from the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line PLC/PRF/5. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to the number of animals developing tumors, the time to tumor development, or the subsequent rate of increase in either tumor base area or mouse serum alpha-fetoprotein concentration. Androgen receptors were assayed in nuclei obtained from three separate liver cancer cell lines and from normal adult human liver. Similar concentrations, ranging from 235 to 550 fmol/mg DNA, of nuclear androgen receptors were detected in all tissues. Low percentages of androgen receptors were retained on DNA-cellulose. Although the presence of receptors implies the potential for metabolic effects of androgens in normal and malignant liver, our in vivostudies suggest that castration does not alter significantly the growth of liver cancer xenografts in athymic mice.     

Chronic GVHD in minor salivary glands and oral mucosa: histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation of 25 patients

BACKGROUND: Graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT). The aim of our study was to identify the most relevant histological features for diagnosis of chronic Graft-vs.-Host Disease (cGVHD) in oral mucosa and minor salivary glands of 25 patients, as well as to evaluate the immunophenotype of the inflammatory cells. METHODS: Sixteen patients that were submitted to allogeneic BMT but did not present cGVHD were selected as a control group. The sections were studied on H & E and CD68, CD45, CD4, CD8, CD20 staining. RESULTS: The most frequent histologic findings in oral mucosa at the day of diagnosis of cGVHD were: hydropic degeneration of the basal layer of the epithelium, apoptotic bodies, lymphocytic infiltration, and focal or total cleavage between the epithelial and connective tissue. In the labial salivary glands (LSG), lymphocytic infiltration, acinar loss and fibrosis were the main alterations. Cytotoxic CD8-T cells and macrophages were predominant both in the epithelium and connective tissue, as well as in minor salivary glands. CONCLUSIONS: Histological features were useful in the diagnosis of oral cGVHD. It is suggested that CD8-T cells and macrophages play important role in the pathogenesis of the disease.