Maria Chiara Marchesi

CA 15–3 cell lines and tissue expression in canine mammary cancer and the correlation between serum levels and tumour histological grade

BackgroundMammary tumours are the most common malignancy diagnosed in female dogs and a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in this species. Carbohydrate antigen (CA) 15–3 is a mucinous glycoprotein aberrantly over-expressed in human mammary neoplasms and one of the most widely used serum tumour markers in women with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the antigenic analogies of human and canine CA 15–3 and to assess its expression in canine mammary cancer tissues and cell lines. Immunohistochemical expression of CA 15–3 was evaluated in 7 canine mammary cancer cell lines and 50 malignant mammary tumours. As a positive control, the human breast carcinoma cell line MCF7 and tissue were used. To assess CA 15–3 staining, a semi-quantitative method was applied. To confirm the specificity and cross-reactivity of an anti-human CA 15–3 antibody to canine tissues, an immunoblot analysis was performed. We also investigated serum CA 15–3 activity to establish whether its expression could be assigned to several tumour characteristics to evaluate its potential use as a serum tumour marker in the canine mammary oncology field.ResultsImmunocytochemical analysis revealed CA 15–3 expression in all examined canine mammary cancer cell lines, whereas its expression was confirmed by immunoblot only in the most invasive cells (CMT-W1, CMT-W1M, CMT-W2 and CMT-W2M). In the tissue, an immunohistochemical staining pattern was observed in 34 (68%) of the malignant tumours. A high statistical correlation (p = 0.0019) between serum CA 15–3 levels and the degree of tumour proliferation and differentiation was shown, which indicates that the values of this serum marker increase as the tumour stage progresses.ConclusionsThe results of this study reveal that CA 15–3 is expressed in both canine mammary tumour cell lines and tissues and that serum levels significantly correlate with the histological grade of the malignancy.

Disseminated angiostrongylosis with massive cardiac and cerebral involvement in a dog from Italy

A case of disseminated angiostrongylosis caused by Angiostrongylus vasorum in a dog living in Italy is here described. The dog was referred for severe respiratory distress and epileptic seizures; clinicopathological findings were consistent with severe pneumonia associated with right-sided heart failure and multifocal involvement of the brain. Bronchoalveolar fluid analysis identified a multitude of nematode larvae, identified as A. vasorum by conventional and biomolecular (PCR) methods. The major anatomo-histopathological lesions were chronic granulomatous pneumonia, a severe multifocal granulomatous myocarditis and multifocal mild vascular and inflammatory disease in the brain. A. vasorum should be included among the differentials of dogs with cardiovascular and neurologic disease.

Clinical findings and diagnosis in a case of cholangiocellular carcinoma in a horse

Clinical findings and diagnosis in a case of cholangiocellular carcinoma in a horse M. B. Conti & M. C. Marchesi & F. Zappulla & D. Buttarelli & E. Lepri & F. Passamonti & S. Galletti & G. Rucco & F. Rueca Published online: 7 August 2008 # Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2008

IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—TRANSESOPHAGEAL ULTRASOUND‐GUIDED REMOVAL OF A MIGRATING GRASS AWN FOREIGN BODY IN A DOG

A 3-year-old English Setter dog was presented for an acute onset of coughing. Tracheobronchoscopic examination allowed localization and removal of one grass awn foreign body. A second migrated grass awn was suspected to be present in the left caudal lung lobe. Transesophageal ultrasound revealed an area of pulmonary consolidation in the dorsomedial portion of left caudal lobe and a linear hyperechoic structure consistent with a grass awn foreign body within the area of consolidation. Transesophageal ultrasonography was also used to provide anatomical landmarks that facilitated successful thoracoscopic removal of the foreign body.

Cancer antigen 15/3: possible diagnostic use in veterinary clinical oncology. Preliminary study

The cancer antigen 15/3 is a mucin that is associated with the cell membrane, encoded by the MUC1 gene, and recognized by the monoclonal-clone DF3 antibody. The latter antigen was discovered to be specific for both the identification of human mammary neoplasia and during patient follow-up evaluations. The aim of this study is to report and compare the results of the application of direct chemiluminescence in canine blood sera and the kit utilized in human medicine for the determination of Ca 15/3 to verify the diagnostic efficiency of the kit in cases presenting mammary tumors. Specifically, CA 15/3 has proven to be measurable in all samples assayed to distinguish clinically healthy subjects from those with mammary neoplasia.

Assessment and Behavior of Alphafetoprotein (AFP), Antigen Cancer 15/3 (CA 15/3), Carcinembryonal Antigen (CEA) in Clinical Oncology of the Dog: Preliminary Study

Marchesi, M.C., Conti, M.B., Pieramati, C., Mangili, V. and Fruganti, G. 2007. Assessment and Behavior of Alphafetoprotein (AFP), Antigen Cancer 15/3 (CA 15/3), Carcinembryonal Antigen (CEA) in Clinical Oncology of the Dog: Preliminary Study. Veterinary Research Communications, 31(Suppl. 1), 301–304

Diagnosis and Treatment of Progressive Ethmoidal Haematoma (PEH) in Horses

M.B. Conti1*, M.C. Marchesi1, F. Rueca1 and M. Puccetti2 1,2Department of Clinical Sciences: 1Section of Internal Medicine; 2Section of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy *Correspondence: Dipartimento di Patologia, Diagnostica e Clinica Veterinaria, Sezione di Medicina Interna, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Perugia, 06126, Perugia, Italy E-mail: mbconti@unipg.it

A case of primary papillary disseminated adenocarcinoma of canine lung

Primary lung tumors are rare in dogs, whereas pulmonary metastatic neoplastic involvement is common. We describe a case of a 12-year-old male, mixed-breed dog with a 3-month history of coughing and dyspnea. The investigating protocol, which also includes transcutaneous pulmonary biopsy, allowed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma that necroscopic findings confirmed as a primary neoplasia. The tumor exhibited a nodular-disseminated growth, mimicking the metastatic involvement of the lung, instead of the single-mass appearance that has been observed by other authors. The present report indicates that, although the incidence of canine primary lung neoplasms is markedly low, this condition must be considered in the differential diagnosis of lung diseases that cause coughing and dyspnea in older dogs.

Changes in Blood Parameters in Healthy Horses and Horses With Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Diseases Undergoing Treadmill Exercise Tests

ABSTRACT Exercise tests are useful tools to evaluate the fitness level of horses in training or with a history of poor performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in blood parameters in three groups of horses undergoing treadmill exercise tests, either to detect the cause of exercise intolerance or to evaluate the level of fitness before a competition. Blood samples were taken from 30 horses before, at the end of, and two hours after a standardized treadmill exercise test, to detect differences in hematological parameters between healthy horses (10, group N), horses with upper (10, group U), and lower airway diseases (10, group L). Packed cell volume, erythrocyte number, hemoglobin, glucose, and total and unconjugated bilirubin concentration were statistically different between the groups, because of increased oxygen demands in respiratory diseases and intravascular hemolysis. This could occur during exercise and is worsened by the increased breakdown of erythrocytes secondary to exercise‐induced pulmonary hemorrhage, diagnosed in horses in group L. HIGHLIGHTSStandardized exercise tests are useful in investigating poor performance in horses.Hematologic parameters were influenced by respiratory diseases.Bilirubin was higher in horses with lower airway diseases.

Chronic renal failure (CRF) in horses: personal reports.

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is rare in horses, mostly appearing in subjects over 15 years of age (Schott, 1998). However, CRF has been also described in horses less than 5 years of age as a congenital disorder (Aguilera-Tejero, 2000). Progressive weight loss is the most common clinical sign, associated with hypercalcaemia and hypophosphataemia. As these clinical and laboratory findings may also be related to other extrarenal diseases, CRF must always be considered, even though it is rare. This paper describes two cases of CRF in horses.