1,720,979 research outputs found
Renal nephroblastoma in a Green Anaconda (Eunectes Murinus)
No full textIntroduction: Nephroblastoma is a renal tumour reported in higher and lower vertebrates. In higher vertebrates, nephroblastoma is more often a paediatric tumour arising from metanephric rests. In contrast, in lower vertebrates, nephroblastoma derives from the opistonephros (mature kidney). Nephroblastomas are rare in snakes. The aim of this report is to document the second case of nephroblastoma in an
anaconda.
Materials and Methods: A 20-year-old, green, male anaconda was evaluated ultrasonographically in 2012 for severe coelomic distension caused by a bilateral renal mass. The animal was monitored yearly and due to the progressive increase of tumour size and development of anorexia, was humanely destroyed in 2017.
Results: The left kidney was replaced by a 3 kg, multilobulated tan-white neoplasm and was surrounded by a large haematoma. Histologically, a triphasic tumour composed of embryonic mesenchyme, primitive glomeruli and nests of polygonal cells (blastema) was observed. A definitive diagnosis of nephroblastoma was made. Conclusions: Nephroblastomas have been reported anecdotally in adult snakes and described only in one anaconda. However, nephroblastoma in snakes is a senile tumour since, contrary to mammals and birds, postembryonic nephrogenesis occurs in reptiles (including Corn snakes). The WT1 pathway is involved in renal development and increased WT1 expression has been associated with the onset of renal neoplasia, such as nephroblastoma, in several mammals and in renal cell carcinoma only in man
Concomitant Cutaneous Neosporosis and Toxoplasmosis in a Golden Retriever
No full textIntroduction: This report describes a case of concomitant cutaneous neosporosis (CN) and cutaneous toxoplasmosis (CT) in a dog. Materials and Methods: A 10-year-old, female golden retriever be- ing treated with ciclosporin for an autoimmune disorder suddenly developed multifocal cutaneous nodules. Imprints, fine needle aspi- rates and skin punch biopsy samples were submitted. An immunoflu- orescence antibody test (IFAT) on serum samples was performed twice at a 1-month interval. Unstained smears and dewaxed sections of skin were immunochemically labelled with polyclonal anti-Toxo- plasma gondii (TG) and anti-Neospora caninum (NC) primary anti- bodies. PCR assay with primers for TG and NC were conducted using DNA extracted from cutaneous formalin-fixed and paraffin wax-embedded tissue.
Results: Cytology demonstrated degenerate neutrophils admixed with fewer reactive macrophages containing numerous intracytoplasmic crescent shaped, 4e6 mm microorganisms, with a light basophilic cyto- plasm and a central nucleous (tachyzoites). Histology revealed diffuse and severe neutrophilic, histiocytic and eosinophilic dermatitis and panniculitis associated with necrotizing vasculitis. Elevated numbers of free and cytoplasmic tachyzoites within macrophages and epidermal and follicular keratinocytes were present. IFAT was positive for both TG and NC, with increased TG antibody titres after 1 month. Immu- nochemistry and PCR confirmed a concomitant TG and NC cutaneous infection. Clindamycin (11 mg/kg PO q12 h) and withdrawal of immu- nosuppressive medication resulted in clinical remission. Conclusions: CN and CT are rare manifestation of both diseases. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of a simultaneous infection of TG and NC with a cutaneous anatomical location
Oral scrab from a Frucifer pardalis with oral plaques
No full textBackground: Mycoses are considered rare in reptiles and, in the majority of cases, are associated with poor husbandry leading to immunosuppression. Few reports of oral mycoses are available in chameleons.
Objectives: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of cytological findings linked to concurrent multiple mycoses in Frucifer pardalis
Case description: A 2.5‐year‐old, male chameleon (F. pardalis) was presented to the University of Milan Veterinary Hospital, for a week history of lethargy, anorexia, and dysphagia. On clinical examination, the animal was dehydrated, in poor body condition, and lethargic. On oral cavity inspection, the animal had multiple white to yellow plaques adherent to both hard palate and gums. Scrubs and swabs from the oral lesions were obtained and submitted for cytopathology and microbiology. Cytological findings included necrosis and the presence of large aggregates of a mixed fungal population. Two types of hyphae (morphologically compatible with Microsporum spp. and Zygomyces) were detected. Numerous bacteria, degenerated het- erophils, few foamy reactive macrophages, and epithelial cells were also detected. A final diagnosis of heterophilic and macrophagic faucitis with intralesional bacteria and fungal hyphae was made. Mycological examination was negative.
Conclusions: Microsporum spp. have been previously associated with dermatophytosis in reptiles, while Zygomyces was reported as a common commensal of reptiles’ skin. The presence of multiple, vari- able pathogenic, fungal types supports the hypothesis that mycotic infections are generally secondary to immune suppression. Further- more, the mycological examination was negative, highlighting the role of cytology in the diagnosis of the reptiles’ infectious diseases
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Canine Smooth Muscle Tumours of Soft Tissue: A Series of 23 Cases
No full textIntroduction: Canine smooth muscle tumours (SMTs) occur mostly in the gastrointestinal and female genital tracts, while soft tissue SMTs are reported rarely. In man, soft tissue leiomyomas are preva- lent in cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues, while leiomyosarcomas develop more frequently in retroperitoneal, pelvic or intra-abdominal tissues in women. This study describes the clinicopathological features
of canine soft tissue SMTs.
Materials and Methods: Cases were collected retrospectively, clinical data retrieved and diagnoses confirmed by re-evaluation of HE-stained slides and by immunohistochemistry. Mitotic count, atypia, necrosis and histological grade were assessed. Oestrogen (OR) and progesterone (PR) receptor expression was evaluated immunohistochemically. Results: Twenty-three cases were collected: eight leiomyomas and 15 leiomyosarcomas (seven grade I, six grade II, two grade III). Thirteen dogs were female (5 neutered) and 10 male (one neutered). Eleven SMTs were subcutaneous (five in the limbs, four perineal, two perianal); five were pelvic, five retroperitoneal, one intraabdominal and one in the oral cavity. Seven of 10 retroperitoneal/pelvic SMTs were found in female (70%) and three in male dogs. Two perineal leiomyosarcomas and one pelvic leiomyoma expressed OR. One retroperitoneal leiomyoma expressed PR. All OR- and/or PR-positive SMTs occurred in intact females.
Conclusions: Canine soft tissue SMTs were more frequently subcutaneous (limbs and perianal/perineal region) and retroperitoneal (including pelvic). Retroperitoneal SMTs were more common in female dogs, paralleling human SMTs. OR and PR expression in some cases suggests the existence of a distinct subset of canine soft tis- sue SMTs that may display different behaviour, to be assessed in future studies
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