Studies on canine parvovirus infection: preparation of challenge virus

Two techniques, adsorption on to hydroxylapatite and density gradient centrifugation, were investigated as prospective methods for the large scale purification of canine parvovirus from faecal suspensions. Adsorption with hydroxylapatite successfully removed virus from faecal material. However, the resultant virus was contaminated and some virus was left behind in the faecal suspension. Repeated adsorption with hydroxylapatite appeared to result in some damage to the virus particles. In contrast, density gradient centrifugation provided a simple, economical method of purification which yielded uncontaminated, infectious virus. The final method, using both isopyknic and rate zonal centrifugation is described.

Primary lateral sclerosis. A clinical diagnosis reemerges

Adults with slowly progressive noninherited gait disorders may show no abnormalities on examination other than signs implicating the corticospinal tracts. That is the syndrome of "primary lateral sclerosis" (PLS), a clinical diagnosis that has been avoided because it is a diagnosis of exclusion, proven only at autopsy. Now, modern technology can exclude other disorders that can cause the syndrome with an accuracy of about 95%. That serves to eliminate the following: compressive lesions at the foramen magnum or cervical spinal cord, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Chiari malformation, syringomyelia, biochemical abnormality, and persistent infection with human immunodeficiency virus or human T-lymphotrophic virus type I. We studied three autopsy-proved cases of PLS; six living patients in whom PLS was diagnosed clinically after comprehensive evaluations that excluded the alternative diagnoses; and two patients with this syndrome of PLS and antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity that clinically resembled PLS. Primary lateral sclerosis is now a respectable and permissible diagnosis.

Use of histological examination to assess ultrastructure of liver in patients with long standing jejuno-ileal bypass for morbid obesity

To assess the pattern and severity of liver disease in patients who had undergone jejuno-ileal bypass for the treatment of morbid obesity, 23 patients were biopsied, all of whom had had intact bypasses for more than 10 years. These were examined by light and electron microscopy. Previous biopsy specimens from each patient, including specimens taken before bypass, were reviewed. Similar biopsy specimens were obtained from six obese patients undergoing gastroplasty. There was no evidence of cirrhosis, and mild or moderate degrees of fibrosis were found in only a few patients. Steatosis tended to persist after bypass, albeit to a lesser degree. Giant mitochondria and intramitochondrial filamentous inclusions were present in four of six specimens taken before gastroplasty and in 15 of 23 specimens taken after jejuno-ileal bypass, being especially numerous in those specimens showing little or no steatosis. It is suggested that such features reflect ultrastructural evidence of adaptation to an abnormal metabolic environment both in the morbidly obese and even many years after jejuno-ileal bypass. Their prognostic importance is unclear.

Studies on canine parvovirus infection: preparation of challenge virus

Two techniques, adsorption on to hydroxylapatite and density gradient centrifugation, were investigated as prospective methods for the large scale purification of canine parvovirus from faecal suspensions. Adsorption with hydroxylapatite successfully removed virus from faecal material. However, the resultant virus was contaminated and some virus was left behind in the faecal suspension. Repeated adsorption with hydroxylapatite appeared to result in some damage to the virus particles. In contrast, density gradient centrifugation provided a simple, economical method of purification which yielded uncontaminated, infectious virus. The final method, using both isopyknic and rate zonal centrifugation is described.

Multiple bidirectional alterations of phenotype and changes in proliferative potential during the in vitro and in vivo passage of clonal mast cell populations derived from mouse peritoneal mast cells

Mouse peritoneal mast cells (PMC) express a connective tissue-type mast cell (CTMC) phenotype, including reactivity with the heparin-binding fluorescent dye berberine sulfate and incorporation of [35S] sulfate predominantly into heparin proteoglycans. When PMC purified to greater than 99% purity were cultured in methylcellulose with IL-3 and IL-4, approximately 25% of the PMC formed colonies, all of which contained both berberine sulfate-positive and berberine sulfate-negative mast cells. When these mast cells were transferred to suspension culture, they generated populations that were 100% berberine sulfate-negative, a characteristic similar to that of mucosal mast cells (MMC), and that synthesized predominantly chondroitin sulfate [35S] proteoglycans. When "MMC-like" cultured mast cells derived from WBB6F1-+/+ PMC were injected into the peritoneal cavities of mast cell-deficient WBB6F1-W/Wv mice, the adoptively transferred mast cell population became 100% berberine sulfate-positive. In methylcellulose culture, these "second generation PMC" formed clonal colonies containing both berberine sulfate-positive and berberine sulfate-negative cells, but exhibited significantly less proliferative ability than did normal +/+ PMC. Thus, clonal mast cell populations initially derived from single PMC exhibited multiple and bidirectional alterations between CTMC-like and MMC-like phenotypes. However, this process was associated with a progressive diminution of the mast cells' proliferative ability.

The immunological relationship between canine herpesvirus and four other herpesviruses

Canine herpesvirus (CHV) was compared with four other herpesviruses by several serological techniques. Cross-neutralization was demonstrated between CHV and herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 and pseudorabies virus. Non-neutralizing cross-reactions were found with these viruses and also with equine abortion virus and bovine mammillitis virus. The data suggest that CHV is immunologically more closely related to herpes simplex virus than to the other viruses used in this study.

Carcinoma developing in ileostomies after 25 or more years

Primary carcinoma of the ileal mucosa in patients who have had an ileostomy has been documented rarely. This report describes 4 patients seen within the last 4 yr with ileal carcinoma adjacent to the mucocutaneous junction of an ileostomy 25, 29, 30, and 34 yr after the stoma was formed. The incidence of this serious complication may be increasing.

Canine parvovirus: interaction between passive immunity and virulent challenge

Two groups of puppies, one passively immunised by the administration of hyperimmune serum and the other with natural maternally derived antibody, were inoculated orally with virulent canine parvovirus of faecal origin. Serum antibody titres declined more rapidly in both groups after challenge than before. The dogs became clinically affected but the onset of clinical signs, seroconversion and faecal excretion of virus was delayed when compared to controls. It is postulated that this rapid decline of antibody was due to its sequestration by virus after the initial phase of viral replication in the lymphoid tissues. These findings have important implications. The incubation period of the disease is prolonged, making it more difficult to estimate accurately the time of infection in clinically affected animals. Furthermore, the more rapid decline of maternally derived antibody, which could occur in endemically infected premises, may complicate immunisation programmes based on the isolation and segregation of puppies in anticipation of a predicted decline in maternally derived antibody before vaccination.

Renal impairment following the combined use of high-dose methotrexate and procarbazine

A major side-effect of high-dose methotrexate is renal toxicity, which may develop unexpectedly despite adequate standard precautions such as hydration and alkalinisation of the urine. The pathogenesis is unclear. Recent reports suggest that the combination of high-dose methotrexate with non-chemotherapeutic agents may cause such renal impairment. Three cases of unexpected renal impairment following the combined use of high-dose methotrexate and another cytotoxic agent, procarbazine, are reported. Possible mechanisms of this interaction are discussed, as are recommendations for future combined administration.

Studies of parvovirus vaccination in the dog: the performance of live attenuated feline parvovirus vaccines

The performance of three live attenuated feline parvovirus vaccines licensed for use in the dog was studied. At the end of the primary vaccination course 67 per cent of dogs had inadequate antibody levels (less than or equal to 32) as measured by a haemagglutination inhibition test. Interference by maternal antibody accounted for some of the failures but the fact that there was no significant difference in performance between dogs vaccinated at 12 weeks or 16 weeks of age indicated that maternal antibody was not the only factor.

Incisional recurrence of endometrial adenocarcinoma

A 73-year-old woman manifested recurrent endometrial carcinoma, which presented as multiple nodular lesions in an abdominal scar from previous pelvic surgery.

Encephalitis in dogs associated with a batch of canine distemper (Rockborn) vaccine

During a period of seven months in 1982-83 cases of postvaccinal encephalitis were recorded in dogs in various parts of Britain after the administration of a particular batch of combined distemper/hepatitis vaccine. Detailed investigations of one of these cases revealed that the distemper component was responsible and the vaccine virus was recovered from the brain of an affected dog.

Early onset high grade dysplasia in ulcerative colitis

We report a patient with ulcerative colitis who underwent colectomy when aged 25 years for multifocal high grade dysplasia which had developed within 2 years of diagnosis, and only 5 1/2 years after his first symptoms. The implications of this case for the management of ulcerative colitis are discussed.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix metastatic to the umbilicus

A patient with umbilical metastasis from a primary squamous carcinoma of the cervix is presented and the literature is reviewed.

Plateletapheresis using single vein access: a comparison of Haemonetics V-50 and Fenwal CS-3000 blood cell separators

Donors were randomly selected for plateletapheresis using either the Haemonetics V-50 surge procedure or the Fenwal CS-3000 with special modifications. Six procedures using the V-50 were performed with 6 collection cycles. Platelet yields averaged 3.9 X 10(11) with an average white cell contamination of 3.8 X 10(8). Ten procedures were performed with 8 collection cycles. Platelet yields averaged 4.5 X 10(11) with an average white cell contamination of 1.2 X 10(8). CS-3000 procedures were performed using either 4,000 or 4,800 ml whole blood processed as the endpoint. Concentrates obtained using 4,000 ml (n = 10) as the endpoint contained 3.9 X 10(11) platelets with a white cell contamination of 9.2 X 10(8). A 4,800 ml (n = 5) endpoint produced concentrates with a yield of 4.5 X 10(11) and white cell contamination of 10.4 X 10(8).