Cisplatin (cisdiamminedichloroplatinum) for treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder or urethra. A retrospective study of 15 dogs

The records of 15 sequential cases of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder or urethra in dogs were examined to determine the results of treatment with cisplatin (cisdiamminedichloroplatinum) and to record and assess toxicities. All dogs had measurable disease and were considered eligible for evaluation of toxicity following one cisplatin treatment. Three dogs were eliminated from evaluation of efficacy because of acute toxicities. Of the 12 remaining dogs that received two or more cisplatin treatments, evaluations at the end of the second month of treatment revealed no complete responses; however, three dogs showed partial responses and six dogs maintained stable disease. Three dogs had tumor progression. The median survival time for these 12 dogs was 180 days (mean, 220 days; range, 36 to 589 days). Three dogs were azotemic before treatment. Two of these dogs showed improvement in renal function following therapy. Six of the other twelve dogs developed increases in serum creatinine during therapy. The objective and subjective improvements of some dogs to cisplatin chemotherapy suggest that this agent is active in selected dogs with transitional cell carcinomas of the urinary tract.

A comparison of six monoclonal antibodies for detection of cytokeratins in normal and neoplastic canine tissues

Twenty normal canine tissue specimens, both fetal and adult; 19 epithelial neoplasms; and 18 nonepithelial neoplasms were examined using 6 commercially available monoclonal antibodies differing in their recognition of various molecular weight cytokeratins in human tissues. Fresh tissue samples were fixed in 100% ethanol and paraffin embedded prior to sectioning. The intermediate filament proteins were identified by an avidin-biotin-immunoperoxidase method. Primary antisera used included AE1/AE3, CAM-5.2, 35BH11, 34BE12, PKK1, MAK-6 cytokeratins, and vimentin. Monoclonal antibodies detected cytokeratins in a wide variety of canine epithelial tissues and neoplasms. Normal mesenchymal tissues and neoplasms, and stromal elements of epithelial tissues, showed no reactivity with anti-cytokeratins, but reacted positively with vimentin. Although PKK1, CAM-5.2, and MAK-6 were the most consistently reactive anti-cytokeratins, the full panel of monoclonals was required to detect cytokeratins in all of the epithelia evaluated.

Paradoxical sleep augmentation after imprinting in the domestic chick

The EEG and EMG of two groups of chicks (Gallus domesticus), (an experimental one who was imprinted, and a control one who was not), were recorded during 3 hours before and 3 hours after imprinting. The fertilized eggs were kept in an incubator under controlled temperature and humidity until ecclosion occurred. The recording session began 10 hours after ecclosion and after two hours of habituation to the recording conditions. During the imprinting session, E group met a natural stuffed white hen moved by a slow motor. The total amount of time spent in paradoxical sleep (PS), as well as the number of PS episodes increased significantly following imprinting in the E group. Opposite results were found in C group: total amount and number of PS episodes decreased significantly after the pseudo-imprinting session. Neither slow wave sleep, nor wakefulness were modified.

Carbohydrate Catabolism in Azospirillum amazonense

The nitrogen fixer Azospirillum amazonense grew on the various disaccharides, hexoses, and pentoses tested in this study but not on polyols and on some tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. An active transport system was detected for sucrose and glucose but not for mannitol and 2-ketoglutarate. Six A. amazonense strains were examined for 16 carbon-metabolizing enzymes, and the results indicate that these strains employ the Entner-Doudoroff pathway to catabolize sucrose, fructose, and glucose. The hexose monophosphate and Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathways were not detectable.

Activation of brainstem serotoninergic pathways decreases homosynaptic depression of monosynaptic responses of frog spinal motoneurons

In the isolated neuraxis of the frog, low frequency stimulation (0.5-2 Hz) of the lateral columns produces monosynaptic responses in the ventral roots which are depressed with an exponential time course. Serotonin (10 mumol/liter) added to the bath, or stimulation of the brain-stem midline raphe nuclei, but not of the lateral reticular formation, reduced the magnitude of the low frequency depression of the responses. The above actions were abolished by methysergide (1 mumol/liter), a specific antagonist of serotonin. These observations show that the magnitude of the homosynaptic depression of monosynaptic responses of motoneurons can be controlled by descending serotonergic mechanisms. This action is considered to be an important component of the arousal behavior mediated by the brain-stem raphe nuclei.

Shaping and generalization procedures in the EMG-biofeedback treatment of tension headaches

The effectiveness of frontalis electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback in the treatment of chronic tension headaches using shaping and generalization procedures, was examined. Following remission, that took place early in the experiment (as a consequence of recording incidence), nine subjects from a sample of 40 patients suffering from chronic tension headaches were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions: five to a 'frontalis EMG-biofeedback' group, and four to a control condition designated 'high expectations of cure'. Frontalis EMG headache frequency and duration, personality variables, psychosomatic complaints and medication intake were recorded. Following treatment, results indicated that biofeedback was significantly superior to the control condition in reducing headache. Subjects in the biofeedback group achieved high degree of control over EMG responses under different stress conditions. Progress was maintained at 10 month follow-up.