Me Whenever I See A Corporate Ad Trying To Say “we’re All In This Together”:

Connective tissue

Anne Weston, London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK

This false-coloured scanning electron micrograph shows connective tissue removed from a human knee during arthroscopic surgery. Individual fibres of collagen can be distinguished and have been highlighted by the creator using a variety of colours. The horizontal field width of the image is 16 microns.

Urine sediment from a 6 year-old, male-intact, Rottweiler.  The patient has a multi-year history of recurrent urinary tract infections.  He recently presented to his primary care veterinarian for being unable to urinate.  Radiographs showed no bladder stones, but a penile ultrasound showed many obstructing the urethra.  The dog was then referred for surgery to relieve the obstruction…

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The surgeons were kind enough to snag us some urine!  The urine was full of these hexagonal crystals….consistent with cystine crystals!  Yes, the amino acid cystine.  In addition, there were all shapes of sperms (see them swimming in the background!) along with many inflammatory cells and some bacteria.

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Diagnosis:  Cystine crystalluria.  This is a very rare occurrence in veterinary medicine!  Such patient’s often have a genetic defect in the metabolism or transport of cystine, allowing the amino acid to accumulate in blood.  Once it filters into urine, cystine will polymerize into crystals and sometimes form stones.  Cystine stones do not obstruct x-rays…hence they cannot be found on standard radiographs (termed radiolucent).  The patient is recovering well following surgery, and may require a special diet to help with his disease.

New project!

I received a new research project in my lab today on concurrent ehrlichia infections in dogs! All the happy feels! 

Right lateral thoracic wall mass from a 10 year-old, female-spayed, Golden Retriever.  Approximately six months ago the owner noticed a small, firm swelling on the patient’s right chest.  No doubt it grew with time, as it finally got large enough for the owner to become truly concerned!  The patient is clinically healthy otherwise.

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The most prominent feature on the cytology were these gorgeous globules of magenta, streaming material!  In fact, the entire slide was imbued with this color when you looked at it without a microscope.  The substance is most likely matrix produced by cancer cells.  Matrix of this color is commonly observed in chrondrosarcomas.  Occasional malignant spindle-shaped cells were found imbedded in the matrix.

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Diagnosis:  Chondrosarcoma.  Well , that’s the most likely diagnosis given the location and appearance of the neoplastic cells and matrix!  Other possibilities include a myxosarcoma (which produces a mucous like material!) or osteosarcoma (malignant primary bone tumor).  Chondrosarcomas are often regionally invasive but rarely metastasize.  If the owner is on board with a chest wall resection, the patient will have  a good prognosis :-)

Cutaneous mass on the right flank of a 2 year-old, female-spayed, black Labrador Retriever.  The owner noticed the mass approximately a week earlier, and it has been growing in size every day.  On palpation, the lesion was quite painful.  The dog also had a fever, at 103.5°F.

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Fine needle aspiration revealed copious inflammatory cells.  Mainly neutrophils, with lesser numbers of macrophages.  Notice how some of the neutrophils appear ragged, some borderlining on unidentifiable?  Such changes are consistent with a degenerative change, which usually occurs in the presence of a bacterial agent.  And speaking of bacteria, there are TONS.  A mixed collection of cocci and filamentous rods (red arrow).  The presence of filamentous rods is often associated with plant foreign material (like a ‘grass awn’ or ‘cheat grass’).

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Diagnosis: Marked, septic, suppurative inflammation with necrosis.  Basically an abscess.  A key piece of history…the patient is a hunting dog and partook in some field trials a few days before the mass developed.  The patient is slated to have the mass surgically explored in hopes of finding planet debris.

my PI when she reads my writing

my PI when she listens to me talk

my PI

Colonial rotifers showing eyespots and corona, magnification 200x - 500x. Ralph Grimm.