To evaluate the features and the course of cardiomyopathy in Becker muscular dystrophy, 68 patients--identified by clinical assessment and by reduced dystrophin labeling and/or DNA analysis--were followed in the years 1976-1993, for periods ranging from 3 to 18 years (mean 8). Patients periodically underwent clinical, electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, nuclear, and radiological assessments. Preclinical cardiac involvement was found in 67.4% of patients under 16 years of age, decreasing to 30% in patients older than 40. Clinically evident cardiomyopathy was found in 15% of patients under 16 years of age, increasing to 73% in patients older than 40. A real, dilated cardiomyopathy is the most frequent type of myocardial involvement after the age of 20. Results show that the severity of cardiac involvement can be unrelated to the severity of skeletal muscle damage and confirm that cardiac dysfunction is a primary feature of Becker muscular dystrophy.

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Abstract. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a dimeric protein that stimulates angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo by inducing endothelial cell proliferation and migration. In this immunohistochemical study, VEGF-immunolabeled cells were counted in a series of 10 benign and 40 malignant canine mammary tumors. The morphologic pattern of VEGF positivity (intensity of immunolabeling and VEGF granule size and distribution) was also evaluated. A low number of cells weakly positive for VEGF with few and small granules polarized to the luminal pole was detected in benign neoplasms. In contrast, in malignancies a high number of VEGF-positive cells had strong immunolabeling, often with large granules found diffusely in the cytoplasm. This level of immunolabeling was more pronounced in the less differentiated, more malignant phenotypes (grade 3). Macrophages, which can synthesize VEGF, were strongly positive. Stromal and myoepithelial cells were negative. VEGF data were correlated statistically with intratumoral microvessel density (number of newly formed microvessels) and both measures were greater in less differentiated malignant neoplasms, demonstrating that angiogenesis and malignancy increase together. VEGF appears to be a powerful angiogenic factor in canine mammary tumors.

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Abstract. Angiogenesis was evaluated by immunohistochemistry for platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (CD31) in a series of benign and malignant canine mammary neoplasms. Computer image analysis was used to measure the intratumoral microvessel density (number of microvessels per square millimeter) and the area and perimeter of immunolabeled vascular structures. A higher intratumoral microvessel density and lower values for area and perimeter were found in malignant neoplasms compared with benign tumors and among the malignant tumors, in less differentiated phenotypes and in more anaplastic histological types (solid and squamous carcinomas), most of which had metastasized. These findings are consistent with an increase in angiogenesis in multistage neoplasia. Therefore, in more anaplastic malignant neoplasms, numerous but small and often malformed new vessels can be identified. The correlation of angiogenesis data with differentiation grade and histological type of mammary neoplasms is consistent with the findings in human medicine and demonstrates that angiogenesis can also have a prognostic value in veterinary medicine.