Mercury exposure as a model for deviation of cytokine responses in experimental Lyme arthritis: HgCl2 treatment decreases T helper cell type 1-like responses and arthritis severity but delays eradication of Borrelia burgdorferi in C3H/HeN mice.

Lyme borreliosis is a complex infection, where some individuals develop so-called 'chronic borreliosis'. The pathogenetic mechanisms are unknown, but the type of immune response is probably important for healing. A strong T helper cell type 1 (Th1)-like response has been suggested as crucial for eradication of Borrelia and for avoiding development of chronic disease. Many studies aimed at altering the Th1/Th2 balance in Lyme arthritis employed mice deficient in cytokine genes, but the outcome has not been clear-cut, due possibly to the high redundancy of cytokines. This study aimed at studying the importance of the Th1/Th2 balance in murine Borrelia arthritis by using the Th2-deviating effect of subtoxic doses of inorganic mercury. Ninety-eight C3H/HeN mice were divided into four groups: Borrelia-infected (Bb), Borrelia-infected exposed to HgCl(2) (BbHg), controls exposed to HgCl(2) alone and normal controls. Mice were killed on days 3, 16, 44 and 65 post-Borrelia inoculation. Arthritis severity was evaluated by histology, spirochaetal load determined by Borrelia culture, IgG2a- and IgE-levels analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbemt assay (ELISA) and cytokine-secreting cells detected by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT). BbHg mice showed less severe histological arthritis, but delayed eradication of spirochaetes compared to Bb mice, associated with increased levels of IgE (Th2-induced) and decreased levels of IgG2a (Th1-induced), consistent with a Th2-deviation. Both the numbers of Th1 and Th2 cytokine-secreting cells were reduced in BbHg mice, possibly explained by the fact that numbers of cytokine-secreting cells do not correlate with cytokine concentration. In conclusion, this study supports the hypothesis that a Th1-like response is required for optimal eradication of Borrelia.

A urinary bladder fibrosarcoma in a young dog.

A 14-month-old female dog, Gos d'Atura Catala was presented for a 7-month-history of reoccurring urinary tract infection. Using sonography, a focal multilobulated thickening of the urinary bladder wall was discovered. The solid mass was arising from the area of the ureteral papllDae and bulging into the lumen of the bladder neck. The wall of the urethra was uniformly thickened. These findings were not considered typical for a generalized urinary tract infection but more indicative of local severe inflammation, neoplasia or hyperplasia in the area of the ureteral openings. The thickening of the urethra was suggestive of urethritis or neoplastic infiltration. Signs of metastasis were not detected on the thoracic radiographs or in the remainder of the abdominal ultrasound examination. A surgical excision of the multilobulated mass was performed and histologic examination was conducted. A fibrosarcoma in the lamina propria of the urinary bladder wall was diagnosed. Because of reoccurence of hematuria and unresponsiveness to therapy the dog was euthanized. Postmortem examination confirmed the diagnosis of fiborsarcoma in the urinary bladder. Additionally, neoplastic infiltration of the urethral wall and metastasis in the lungs and liver were detected histopathologically.

Negative spiral CT in acute pulmonary embolism.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the clinical outcome of non-anticoagulated patients with clinically suspected acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and no symptoms or signs of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) following a negative contrast medium-enhanced spiral CT of the pulmonary arteries (s-CTPA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: During a 24-month period, 739 of 751 patients underwent s-CTPA with acceptable diagnostic quality for clinically suspected acute PE. All patients who had a CT study not positive for PE were followed up with a questionnaire, a telephone interview and review of all medical reports, including autopsies and death certificates for any episodes of venous thromboembolism (VTE) during a 3-month period. RESULTS: PE was diagnosed in 158 patients. Of the remaining 581 patients with a negative s-CTPA, 45 patients were lost to follow-up. 88 patients were excluded because of anticoagulation treatment (cardiac disorder n=32, chronic VTE or acute symptomatic DVT n=31, PE diagnosed at pulmonary angiography n=1, thrombus prophylaxis during diagnostic work-up or other reasons than VTE n=24) and 7 patients undergoing lower extremity venous studies because of symptoms of DVT (all negative). Thus, 441 patients with a negative s-CTPA and no DVT symptoms, venous studies or anticoagulant treatment constituted the follow-up cohort. Four of these patients had proven VTE (all PE) during the 3-month follow-up period. Two of the PE episodes contributed to the patient's death. CONCLUSION: Patients with clinically suspected acute PE, no symptoms or signs of DVT and a negative single slice s-CTPA using 3-5 mm collimation, may safely be left without anticoagulation treatment unless they are critically ill, have a limited cardiopulmonary reserve and/or if a high clinical suspicion remains.

Canine hip dysplasia: study of heritability in 401 litters of German Shepherd dogs.

Heritability of hip dysplasia was estimated to be about 0.4 to 0.5 when based on the radiographic evaluations of the hip joints of 2,404 German Shepherd Dogs born at The Armed Forces Dog Training Center in Sweden. The material included all dogs in 401 litters born at the Center from 1965 through 1973 that reached the age of 15 months. To be expected with such high heritability, frequency of hip dysplasia in the offspring was shown to be affected by the hip joint status of sire and dam as well as by the hip joint status of their parents and littermates. Even matings between sires with normal hip joints and dams with only slight dysplasia resulted in significantly higher frequency of hip dysplasia in the offspring, when compared with the frequency if both sires and dams had normal hip joints. Frequency of hip dysplasia in the progeny of sires with normal hip joints varied greatly. Since 1973, selection of the breeding stock has been based on hip joint status (phenotype) of the breeding animals and of their relatives as well as on what had become known about frequency of hip dysplasia in the litters already born (progeny testing). In this way, frequency of hip dysplasia in 347 dogs born at the Center during 1975 was lowered to 28%. This figure should be compared with the figure of 50%, which represents the frequency of hip dysplasia in the kennel up to 1970, when selection was not as strict as could be expected in a well-controlled kennel.

[Blood levels after two different galenic forms of epicillin medication in a crossover study (author's transl)]. / Blutkonzentrationen zweier verschiedener galenischer Formen eines Epicillin-Präparats bei gekreuzter Applikation

The equipollent clinical effect of epicillin syrup compared with epicillin capsules was demonstrated by means of blood levels in a crossover study in seven children aged between one year and 13 years. The advantages in pediatrics of using epicillin with possibly a low frequency of exanthema are pointed out.