Reporting and communication of randomisation procedures is suboptimal in veterinary trials

To evaluate randomisation mechanisms in the veterinary literature, all trials defined as ‘randomised’ were extracted from five leading veterinary journals for the year 2013. Three blinded investigators evaluated (1) if the random sequence generation was actually non-random, and (2) whether method (CONSORT item 8A) and (3) type of randomisation (CONSORT item 8B) were reported. Trialists were contacted via email to establish (1) willingness to respond to questions on randomisation procedures, (2) whether reporting of randomisation improved following a suggestion to use the CONSORT 2010 guideline. Seven per cent ((95 per cent CI 2 to 12 per cent); 8/114) of the trials defined as ‘randomised’ explicitly used methods that are considered non-random. Almost half of the trials (49 per cent (40 to 59 per cent); 52/106) did not report any mechanism of randomisation. Only 13 trials (12.3 per cent (6 to 19 per cent); 13/106) reported both items. 39 of 114 (34.2 per cent) trialists contacted were willing to respond to further questions on randomisation mechanisms; 4 (3.5 per cent) trialists were unwilling and 71 (62.3 per cent) trialists did not respond. Email correspondence resulted in a mean clarification of 0.7 items (95 per cent CI 0.4 to 1.0) for the 15 trials for trialists that replied. Improved adherence to CONSORT guidelines and trialists communication is imperative to increase the quality of published evidence in veterinary medicine and to reduce research waste.

Use of routine histopathology and factor VIII-related antigen/von Willebrand factor immunohistochemistry to differentiate primary hemangiosarcoma of bone from telangiectatic osteosarcoma in 54 dogs

Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) of bone and telangiectatic osteosarcoma (tOSA) can appear similar histologically, but differ in histogenesis (malignant endothelial cells versus osteoblasts), and may warrant different treatments. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for endothelial cell marker factor VIII-related antigen/von Willebrand factor (FVIII-RAg/vWF) is a well-documented ancillary test to confirm HSA diagnoses in soft tissues, but its use in osseous HSA is rarely described. Archived samples of 54 primary appendicular bone tumours previously diagnosed as HSA or tOSA were evaluated using combination routine histopathology (RHP) and IHC. Approximately 20% of tumours were reclassified on the basis of FVIII-RAg/vWF immunoreactivity, typically from an original diagnosis of tOSA to a reclassified diagnosis of HSA. No sample with tumour osteoid clearly identified on RHP was immunopositive for FVIII-RAg/vWF. RHP alone was specific but not sensitive for diagnosis of HSA, compared with combination RHP and IHC. Routine histopathological evaluation in combination with FVIII-RAg/vWF IHC can help differentiate canine primary appendicular HSA from tOSA.

Quality of life measurement in prospective studies of cancer treatments in dogs and cats

BACKGROUND

Quality of life (QOL) is an important consideration in healthcare decision-making for pets with cancer. To determine the effect of disease and treatment on pet QOL, this important variable should be objectively measured as an outcome in veterinary cancer studies.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence and methodology of QOL measurement in a sample of recently published reports of prospective studies evaluating cancer treatments in client-owned dogs and cats; to characterize reporting of QOL outcomes and to identify article characteristics associated with QOL measurement.

METHODS

English-language reports of prospective studies of cancer treatments in dogs and cats published from 2008 to 2013 were identified using medical research databases combined with a hand-searching strategy. Data pertaining to general article characteristics and QOL measurement were abstracted and summarized.

RESULTS

Reports of 144 eligible studies were identified. QOL was measured in 16 (11.1%) studies, with 8 (5.6%) reporting the results. All studies that measured QOL reported using unvalidated instruments, or did not report how QOL was assessed. Only 1 study provided sufficient information for QOL measurements to be replicated. Recently published articles (2011-2013) were significantly more likely to report measuring QOL, compared with earlier articles.

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of life of pets undergoing cancer treatment is largely unreported and cannot be meaningfully compared across treatments or disease states using the existing literature. Reliable, validated instruments are needed to facilitate the measurement and comparison of pet QOL in veterinary cancer research. Consistent reporting practices could improve transparency and interpretation of QOL results.

The interferon regulatory factors 1 and 2 bind to a segment of the human c-myb first intron: possible role in the regulation of c-myb expression

The preferential expression of the protooncogene c-myb in hematopoietic cells is in part regulated by a mechanism of transcriptional block in the first intron. By electrophoresis mobility shift assays using probes corresponding to different segments of the putative human c-myb intron 1 transcription pause region and nuclear extracts from myeloid leukemia HL 60 and fibroblast WI 38 cells, we detected a HL-60-specific DNA-protein complex with a 123-bp fragment containing binding sites for the interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) nuclear proteins. Formation of the DNA-protein complex was abrogated by competition with an oligomer containing the wild-type, but not the mutated, IRF binding site and the complex was specifically supershifted by the anti-IRF-1 or the anti-IRF-2 antibody. Moreover, in vitro translated IRF-1 or IRF-2 protein did interact with the 123-bp c-myb intron 1 fragment. Upon TPA-induced differentiation, c-myb expression was readily down-modulated in parental HL 60 cells, but not in cells transfected with an antisense IRF-1 plasmid. Moreover, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity driven by a c-myb promoter containing the entire intron 1 was suppressed upon IRF-1, but not IRF-2 expression. Together, these results are consistent with the existence of a functional relationship between IRF-1 and c-myb in which IRF-1 negatively regulates c-myb expression at the transcriptional level by a mechanism that may depend on the interaction of IRF-1 with a segment of the c-myb gene implicated in transcription pausing.

Possible role of the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) in the regulation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) gene expression during IFN gamma macrophage activation

In this report we discuss the role of interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) in the regulation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) transcription during IFN gamma human macrophage activation. We show that a binding sequence for the transcription factor IRF-1 is contained in the first intron of the human ODC gene (from nt +2711 to nt +2722) and we demonstrate that the level of expression of IRF-1 increases in human macrophages and in the human promonocytic cell line, U937, previously differentiated in monocytes/macrophages by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), after 2 h of IFN gamma stimulation. We also show that the hamster tk-ts13 cell line, stably transfected with the IRF-1 cDNA, over-expresses ODC. In addition, a specific complex was detected, by gel-shift assay after incubating a 20 bp double-stranded oligomer containing the binding sequence for IRF-1 with nuclear proteins extracted from human macrophages and from (PMA-differentiated) U937 cells stimulated with IFN gamma for 2 h.

AO 1535 inhibits O2- production by human macrophages

AO 1535 is a semisynthetic monoglycosylceramide derived from O-glycosilated sphingosine, with a chemical structure similar to the glycolipids present in many mammalian tissues. In the epidermis monoglycosylceramides contribute to consolidate the structure of cutaneous layers. It has been recently shown that sphingosine and its derivatives are potent inhibitors of Protein kinase C, and block the 'respiratory burst' of phagocitic cells. In macrophages, like in neutrophils, the reactive oxygen intermediates are produced by a membrane associated enzymatic complex, NADPH-oxidase, which is activated by Protein kinase C. This study demonstrates that AO 1535 is able to inhibit the production of reactive oxygen intermediates in human monocytes and macrophages stimulated by phorbol ester and chemotactic tetrapeptide, suggesting a potential clinical application of AO 1535 in the treatment of inflammatory dermatoses.