Cutaneous melanoma with metastasis in a cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis).

BACKGROUND: A 3.3-year-old-male cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis) showed a focally extensive soft, dark, discoid dermal mass, 0.5 cm in diameter, on the dorsal surface of the right hind foot, over the fourth and fifth metatarsal bones. METHODS AND RESULTS Microscopic examination revealed a cutaneous melanoma with local lymphatic invasion, characterized by neoplastic melanocytes within the subcapsular sinus of popliteal and inguinal lymph nodes. The diagnosis was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of melanoma in a cynomolgus monkey.

Commentary on population health intervention research.

This commentary discusses the importance of the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network in facilitating the coordination and infrastructure of Canada's public health system. Within Canada, effective intervention practice and research is at the forefront of public health, but there are questions regarding how best to conduct population health intervention research, how to put the evidence into practice and where the necessary resources will come from. These issues are presented using Canadian examples drawn from public health practice, research and policy in the British Columbia context. Sustained and persistent collaboration regarding population health intervention research among Canadian public health practitioners, researchers and policymakers akin to PHIRIC's mandate will better position Canada's public health system to respond to public health issues.

Hospital planning for weapons of mass destruction incidents.

As terrorists attacks increase in frequency, hospital disaster plans need to be scrutinized to ensure that they take into account issues unique to weapons of mass destruction. This paper reports a review of the literature addressing hospital experiences with such incidents and the planning lessons thus learned. Construction of hospital disaster plans is examined as an ongoing process guided by the disaster planning committee. Hospitals are conceived as one of the components of a larger community disaster planning efforts, with specific attention devoted to defining important linkages among response organizations. This includes the public health authorities, political authorities, prehospital care agencies, and emergency management agencies. A review is completed of six special elements of weapons of mass destruction incidents that should be addressed in hospital disaster plans: incident command, hospital security, patient surge, decontamination, mental health consequences, and communications. The paper closes with a discussion of the importance of training and exercises in maintaining and improving the disaster plan.

Community innovation in hazardous materials management: progress in implementing SARA Title III in the United States. Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act.

Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA Title III) established a new federal approach to managing toxic chemical hazards. This legislation required industry to disclose the type and quantity of such chemicals and also required the establishment of state and local government organizations to receive those data, evaluate community vulnerability, develop local emergency response plans, and communicate with the public. This paper reviews the law's historical context and empirical studies of its implementation. The available evidence suggests that significant progress has been made in reducing chemical hazards but there is considerable variation across jurisdictions in the effectiveness of the law's implementation. The research results reviewed here suggest a variety of ways in which SARA Title III implementation can be improved.

Comparison of AIN-76A and AIN-93G diets: a 13-week study in rats.

Either purified or cereal-based diets may be used for toxicity testing in rats. Purified diets have advantages in terms of flexibility of formulation to meet specific study objectives and also assurance of relatively low levels of contaminants (e.g. heavy metals and pesticides). The American Institute of Nutrition recommended that the widely used purified diet AIN-76A be replaced by two newer diets, AIN-93G (for use during rapid growth, pregnancy and lactation) and AIN-93M (maintenance diet). The present study compared AIN-76A and AIN-93G by feeding these diets for 13 weeks to male and female rats. A cereal-based diet was also included for reference purposes. The groups fed purified diets had higher serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels than the chow-fed group. An increased incidence and severity of renal tubular mineralization in the purified diet groups was not observed in this study (in contrast to other published studies where rats were fed AIN-76A). Several histopathologic observations, including eosinophilic gastritis and mucification of gastric glands of the glandular stomach, occurred at higher rates in the AIN-76A group than the other dietary treatments. Hepatocellular fatty changes occurred in the purified diet groups at a significantly higher rate than in the chow diet group. In conclusion, AIN-93G is an appropriate diet for use in rat safety evaluation studies.

Celiotomy closure via permanent implantation of polyamide in horses.

Permanent implantation of nonabsorbable materials is appropriate in many surgical circumstances but is not commonly used to close equine celiotomies. This paper describes a simple method of continuous nonabsorbable implantation of polyamide suture used successfully to close 48 equine celiotomies. Forty-eight clean or clean-contaminated celiotomies were successfully performed over 5 years using this technique. The postsurgical survival observation period ranged from 1-6 years (median 3.5 years). There were 45 long-term survivors (93.75%). Only 2 minor implant complications (4.4%) were observed and successfully corrected. This study demonstrates that appropriately prepared nonabsorbable polyamide suture can be used for safe and cost effective closure of clean and clean-contaminated equine celiotomies.

Public sector employer evaluation of health plans in the United States.

Recently, public employers have experimented with different types of health plans including Indemnity, Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans. This study examines factors that are related to municipal employer satisfaction with each type of plan. The data are drawn from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) of municipal healthcare practices in 3301 US cities. Many more cities than anticipated used only indemnity plans, although there was widespread experimentation with managed care plans. Jurisdictions that offered only one type of plan showed highest satisfaction levels with HMOs, followed by PPOs and indemnity plans. In jurisdictions that offered multiple plans, patterns of satisfaction varied with the types of plans involved. Three factors were found to be correlated with employer plan satisfaction. As employee complaints and cost to the jurisdiction increased, plan satisfaction decreased. As the number of services offered by a plan increased, plan satisfaction also increased. While most municipalities contracted for health plans as individual employers, a small proportion contracted as part of a consortium: there was no statistically significant difference in satisfaction levels between the two arrangements.

Aged citizens in the warning phase of disasters: re-examining the evidence.

While there is a strong consistent empirical literature on older citizens in the recovery period of disasters, there is much less research on how the elderly respond to disaster warnings. Furthermore, there are conflicting findings among these studies, some characterizing the elderly as noncompliant and less likely to cooperate with authorities, while others find the elderly no less responsive than other age groups. The current article reviews the literature in this area and tries to sort out conflicting findings in terms of the timing of the research and methodological considerations. Data are analyzed from nine disasters-representing flood events, volcanic eruptions, and hazardous materials emergencies-which show citizens over sixty-five years old no less likely to comply with disaster warnings.

Ovarian cancer causing upper and lower urinary tract obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the gynecologic malignancy most commonly associated with urinary tract obstruction. Ovarian cancer rarely causes this problem, but when it does, the obstruction is due to impedance of flow in the pelvic ureters. CASE REPORT: A 34 year old female treated by total abdominal hysterectomy with ovarian preservation 9 months earlier for presumed stage IV endometriosis and menorrhagia presented with a recurrent pelvic mass along with symptoms of bladder outlet obstruction. Intravenous urography and computed tomography showed bilateral hydronephrosis and confirmed the bladder outlet obstruction. Laparotomy revealed a large pelvic mass, grossly resembling endometriosis, obstructing the right ureter and impinging upon the urethrovesical junction. Final pathological analysis revealed a mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary. CONCLUSION: Urinary tract obstruction, including both urethrovesical junction and ureteral obstruction, may be caused by ovarian cancer.

Poult malabsorption syndrome. II. Pathogenesis of skeletal lesions.

One-day-old poults were placed on litter on which poults had previously developed diarrhea, increased mortality, stunting, and malabsorption. Gross, microscopic, and morphometric evaluations of the proximal tibiotarsal growth plate, along with analysis of plasma calcium, phosphorus, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations, were conducted for 3 weeks to determine the development and character of skeletal lesions. Poults developed enteritis with diarrhea and dehydration. Body weights and shank lengths were significantly decreased. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations were significantly decreased. Plasma calcium was significantly decreased on day 8. Plasma phosphorus concentrations were significantly increased on day 8 and were significantly decreased on days 15, 18, and 22. Growth plates narrowed on days 8 and 11 and expanded on days 15, 18, and 22. The proliferating-prehypertrophy zone significantly decreased in length on days 11, 18, and 22, and significantly increased in length on day 15. The unmineralized hypertrophy zone was significantly increased in length on days 15, 18, and 22. The mineralized hypertrophy zone was significantly decreased in length on all days. Skeletal lesions during the poult malabsorption syndrome evolved from an early osteoporotic lesion associated with hypocalcemia to a rachitic lesion associated with depleted vitamin D and hypophosphatemia.

Poult malabsorption syndrome. I. Malabsorption in poult enteritis.

One-day-old poults were placed on littler on which poults had previously developed diarrhea, increased mortality, and stunting. Small intestines, pancreas, and liver were evaluated histologically. Morphometric evaluations were conducted to determine villous length and crypt depth. Poults were evaluated for malabsorption utilizing D-xylose and lipid absorption tests. Compared with controls, the gastrointestinal tract of affected birds was grossly distended, was fluid-filled, and had thin, flaccid walls on days 5 and 8. Ceca were distended with brown watery fluid and gas on days 5, 8, and 12. No histologic lesions were present in the liver, pancreas, or pancreatic ducts, and only mild inflammatory changes were present in the small intestine. Villous atrophy and crypt hypertrophy were present in the small intestine on days 5, 8, 12, 16, and 21. Morphometry revealed significant decreases in villous lengths and increases in crypt depth throughout the trial. D-Xylose and lipid absorption were significantly decreased on days 8 and 11. Intestinal epithelial damage by infectious agents with subsequent villous atrophy is postulated to have produced malabsorptive diarrhea.

Poult malabsorption syndrome. III. Skeletal lesions in market-age turkeys.

Skeletal deformities, a major contributing factor to economic losses in market-age turkeys, may be associated with the poult malabsorption syndrome. A study was performed to determine whether the naturally occurring malabsorption syndrome produces skeletal lesions in turkeys at market age. Poults were placed on litter on which poults had previously developed malabsorption. Exposed poults developed enteric disease with 21% mortality during the first 3 weeks. Controls had no enteric disease and no mortality. At the end of the study, 20-week-old exposed turkeys weighed 0.621 kg (5%) less than controls and had a higher incidence of angular limb deformities with significantly higher angulation scores. Exposed turkeys also had a greater incidence of rotated tibias and bowed tibias. The mechanical property of tibial shear strength was significantly lower in turkeys that had survived the earlier poult malabsorption syndrome.

Pathology of experimental vitamin D deficiency in turkeys and the effects of various vitamin D supplements.

One-day-old poults fed a vitamin D3-deficient diet were examined for clinical, biochemical, and morphological changes at 14 days of age. Changes in these parameters were compared at 15.5 and 17 days of age after one of the following vitamin D-replacement therapies was provided: water-soluble vitamin-mineral packs that contained vitamin D3; vitamin D3 in the feed; or vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the feed. The vitamin D3-deficient poults were lame and had significant decreases in weight gain and in longitudinal skeletal growth. None of the therapies alleviated all these changes, but clinical lameness subsided in poults provided 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Calcium concentrations were significantly improved by all therapies. Treatment with vitamin D3 in the feed and water significantly increased 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations in vitamin D-deficient poults. The growth plate zones, with the exception of the mineralized hypertrophied zone, were all increased in length and not modified by treatment. However, the mineralized hypertrophied zones in the 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 group and the group receiving vitamin D3 in the water were comparable to that in the controls on day 15.5.

Skeletal lesions associated with a naturally occurring poult enteritis.

One-day-old poults were placed on contaminated litter on which poults previously had developed an enteric disease characterized by diarrhea, increased mortality, and stunting. These exposed birds were examined for clinical signs and pathologic changes in bone and parathyroid glands compared with controls. Intestinal and fecal samples were examined for potential pathogens. Exposed poults varied in size as early as day 8 and had significantly decreased weight gains and reduced shank lengths on days 8, 12, 16, and 21. The proximal tibial growth plate was narrowed. The mineralized hypertrophy zone was decreased in length and contained multiple non-mineralized bands on days 8, 12, 16, and 21. Metaphyseal trabeculae were reduced in amount on days 16 and 21. Parathyroid glands were hyperplastic on days 16 and 21. The bone and parathyroid gland lesions indicated that mineral homeostasis was being maintained at the expense of the skeleton during the enteric disease. A specific etiology for the enteric disease was not determined. Cryptosporidium, rotavirus, paramyxovirus, and Salmonella were identified in the exposed poults, and paramyxovirus and Salmonella were identified in the controls.

Effects of the Chernobyl accident on public perceptions of nuclear plant accident risks.

Assessments of public perceptions of the characteristics of a nuclear power plant accident and affective responses to its likelihood were conducted 5 months before and 1 month after the Chernobyl accident. Analyses of data from 69 residents of southwestern Washington showed significant test-retest correlations for only 10 of 18 variables--accident likelihood, three measures of impact characteristics, three measures of affective reactions, and hazard knowledge by governmental sources. Of these variables, only two had significant changes in mean ratings; frequency of thought and frequency of discussion about a nearby nuclear power plant both increased. While there were significant changes only for two personal consequences (expectations of cancer and genetic effects), both of these decreased. The results of this study indicate that more attention should be given to assessing the stability of risk perceptions over time. Moreover, the data demonstrate that experience with a major accident can actually decrease rather than increase perceptions of threat.

Myocardial sarcocystosis in a grand eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus) and a Moluccan cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis).

Cardiac sarcocystosis is described in a grand eclectus parrot and a Moluccan cockatoo. Many cysts containing metrocytes were observed within cardiac muscle fibers on tissue sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Characteristic ultrastructural features of the cyst walls included the presence of villous projections containing microtubules. Compartmentalization of the cysts resulted from inward extensions of the cyst wall. The differential diagnosis of sarcocystosis, the life cycle of the parasite, and control measures are discussed.

Counterurbanisation and the characteristics of persons migrating to West Cornwall.

PIP: Current theories of counter-urbanization that are directed toward explaining population redistribution at the national or regional level are first reviewed, and a more localized research framework is proposed and illustrated using data on migration to West Cornwall, England. The data are from seven different areas in West Cornwall and were collected by postal questionnaire. Three population subgroups are identified, namely, return migrants, nonreturn migrants, and nonmigrants. Clear differences among the three subgroups and the seven areas studied are shown to exist.^ieng