Copyright 2006 Radoslaw Pilarski
Etiology
Etiology of prostate cancer development is not completely known. Factors that can influence the creation and development of this type of cancer include:
genetic factors – increase in risk of falling ill among men with a positive family history regarding the prostate cancer. Mutations of suppressor genes are also taken into consideration (p53)
dietetic factors – food rich in saturated fatty acids probably increases the risk of falling ill whereas the consumption of soya and rice may have a beneficial protective effect racial and geographical factors – Afro-Americans are 100% more likely to fall ill, whereas the lowest death rate is reported in Japan and in China
occupational factors – cancerogenous influence of heavy metals and toxins infectious factors – viral infection may lead to/ be the cause of anaplasia of adenocyte cells of prostate
Histopathologically, 95% prostate cancer cases occur in the form of adenocarcinoma. Other types (primary intracellular cancer, squamous carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma, and sarcoma) are rarely met. Adenocarcinoma usually develops in the peripheral area of the prostate (85%), in the transition area (25% ) and in the central area (5%).
Symptoms
In symptomatology of the prostate cancer, 4 clinical forms are distinguished:
1) visible form with distinct pathological symptoms 2) latent form (carcinoma latens) with no distinct pathological symptoms found 3) hidden form (ca occultum) which is detected in the case of distinct ailments caused by the existence of remote metastases, however changes in prostate are not found in the course of per rectum examination 4) accidentally detected form - based on histopathological test of the gland that was removed because of prostate overgrowth, or based on biochemical tests (PSA) During the development of prostate cancer, an induction phase that lasts about 30 years which is clinically invisible can be distinguished. During the next stage - in situ phase (5-10 years) and invasive phase (1 year), ailments connected with the local growth of tumour start to appear. During this period, symptoms connected with sub bladder obstacle appear including mainly: - pallakiuria - nycturia - weak urine stream - painful vesical tenesmus - impression of incompletion of bladder emptying The above-mentioned symptoms are typical of cancer and in some cases they may suggest mild overgrowth of prostate, or neurogenic or athermatous bladder disorders. During the dissemination phase (about 5 years), prostate cancer develops continuously infiltrating surrounding organs, such as: urinary bladder, rectum, ureters, pelvic walls and leading to urinary retention in kidneys and to secondary failure of function. Ailments typical for this period include: - haematuria - dysuria - urinary incontinence - erection disorders - aches of perineum, lumbar area and anus - haematospermia Metastases spread through the lymphatic vessels and the vascular system. Symptoms caused by the existence of remote metastases are as follows: - osteodynia and pathological fractures - pressure symptoms and spinal paralysis - lymphadema of limbs - clotting disorders - cachexy - coma
DIAGNOSTICS
In order to diagnose the prostate cancer, patient should undergo per rectum tests (DRE), PSA concentration (prostate specific antigen) in blood serum should be determined, ultrasonography per rectum examination (TRUS - transrectal ultrasound) should be done and if there is a suspicion of prostate cancer, histopathological test of the material obtained through a per rectum thick-needle biopsy done under the ultrasound control should take place. Histopathological test is the only test that confirms the presence of cancerous cells in the prostate gland area. DRE, which is an examination of sensitivity of 80% sensitivity and of specificity of 60%, enables to seize changes in the area of the prostate such as consistency change, palpable nodules and hardenings. It is the base for sending a patient to a diagnostic biopsy. At present, it is believed that cytological diagnosis achieved through a fine-needle biopsy is not sufficient to make a right diagnosis. It results from the fact that the assessment according to Gleason's classification is an important prognostic factor for the prostate cancer (see: prognostic factors). That is why a thick-needle biopsy is performed. Ultrasound use enables to take precise samples from suspicious foci. If there are no changes in TRUS picture, "sextant biopsy" is done (samples got for several places).
Recommendations for the biopsy of prostate gland: 1) palpable suspicion of the prostate cancer 2) PSA value over 15ng/ml regardless of DRE or TRUS tests 3) PSA value between 4 and 15 ng/ml with abnormalities detected during DRE or TRUS tests 4) PSA value exceeds the norm for a given age in the case of a positive family history regarding the prostate cancer
Recommendations for TRUS: 1) PSA between 4 and 12 ng/ml with abnormalities detected 2) questionable result of DRE test 3) necessity of a thick-needle biopsy Other diagnostic tests, such as CT and urography are not routinely performed because their value is questionable as far as the assessment of local stage and invasion of adjacent lymph nodes is concerned. Nowadays, magnetic resonance tomography done using transrectal coli (endorectal coil MRI - ERMR) to observe the prostate arouses great interest. Despite the increased sensitivity of the degree of the local stage, costs of the test do not allow for its routine use in the prostate cancer diagnosis. Scintigraphy of the skeleton is the most sensitive test (97%) in bone metastases detection. It is assumed that a patient with PSA under 10 ng/ml does not undergo scintigraphy because the probability of metastases is low.
Screening:
Screening: It is recommended that patients aged over 50 should undergo per rectum tests and PSA level tests every year.
PROGNOSTIC FACTORS:
Three groups of prognostic factors can be distinguished in the case of the prostate cancer:
1) development stage according to TNM 2) differentiation degree of the cancer based on the classification of Gleason and Mostofi 3) PSA level (prostate-specific antigen) in serum TNM classification
Preoperative assessment of the stage of the prostate cancer is made based on the above-mentioned tests.
T-stage: primary tumour
Tx - primary tumour cannot be assessed T0 - no evidence of primary tumour T1 - clinically unapparent tumour; not palpable or visible by per rectum imaging T1a - incidental tumour found in histopathological tests after transurethral resection of the prostate or after operational adenectomy: found in 5% or less resected tissue T1b - as above; found in more than 5% resected tissue T1c - tumour identified histopathologically by a needle biopsy (because of high PSA) T2 - tumour confined within the prostate gland T2a - tumour involves less than half of one lobe T2b - tumour involves more than half of one lobe only T2c - tumour involves both lobes T3 - tumour extends through the prostatic capsule T3a - extracapsular extensions (unilateral) T3b - extracapsular extensions (bilateral) T3c - tumour invades seminal vesicles T4 - tumour is fixed, invades adjacent structures other than seminal vesicles T4a - tumour invades bladder neck and/or external sphincter and/or rectum T4b - tumour invades levator muscles and/or pelvic wall N-stage: regional lymph nodes
Nx - regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed N0 - no regional lymph node metastases N1 - metastasis to a single regional lymph node with the diameter under 2cm N2 - metastasis to a single regional lymph node with the diameter > 2cm but < 5cm N3 - metastases to regional lymph nodes with the diameter over 5cm M-stage: remote metastases
Mx - remote metastasis cannot be assessed M0 - no remote metastases M1 - remote metastases M1a - non-regional lymph nodes M1b - bones M1c - other sites According to Whitmor-Catalon classification, grades A, B, C, and D correspond to T1, T2, T3 and T4 of TNM classification respectively.
Degree of cancer differentiation:
Degree of differentiation is defined according to 2 classifications: by Mostofi and by Gleason.
Mostofi's classification uses a 3-grade assessment of differentiation dependent on the degree of cell anaplasia – grading (G1-G3). The higher grade, the lower differentiation of cancer tissue, the greater atypy and at the same time, malignancy. In the case of a 10-grade Gleason system, the two extreme histological images in the preparation are assessed and then, added to produce a final grade.
PSA is a proteolyctic enzyme responsible for sperm melting. It is mainly produced by glandular epithelium, it might be also produced in organs such as salivary glands, pancreas and mammary gland and by clear cell carcinoma. Commonly used norm is the following: 0-4 ng/ml. Such concentration of PSA is found among 97% of men over 40. The level over 12 ng/ml is always connected with pathology. Difficulties with diagnosis are found among patients who have this level between 5-10 ng/ml because it may both stem from the prostate cancer or a mild overgrowth of the prostate, which causes the necessity of diagnostic methods use, such as TRUS. This test makes it possible to determine PSA density (PSAD - PSA density) - PSA concentration converted to prostate volume unit. It should be under 0.15 ng/ml/g. In the case of prostate cancer differentiation and mild overgrowth of prostate, free to total PSA (PSA F/T) is used. If it is over 20%, one may assume the presence of cancerous cells in the gland. PSA level does not correlate well enough with the natural development of the prostate cancer. However, it is useful as a prognostic factor after the treatment applied and in prognosis determination. However, high final levels indicate low survival rate.
TREATMENT
Proceeding strategy in patients with the prostate cancer depends on the degree of histological malignancy, the degree of local stage of development, coexisting diseases and age of a patient. There are many controversies as far as the choice of treatment is concerned. Radical treatment is possible in T1, T2 and N0 and Mo stages. In advanced cases (T3, T4, N-+, M-+), the procedure is restricted to delay the cancer progression and mitigate its effects (palliative treatment).
Surgery treatment - radical prostatectomy
The surgery consists in the prostate gland removal together with spermatic vesicles and adjacent tissues. Surgery is done through retropubic, transcoccgeal, perineal approach or through laparoscopy. Lymphadenectomy constitutes an integral part of the surgery. If the approach makes it impossible to remove the gland and lymph nodes (perineal approach) at the same time, a separate surgery is carried out. It precedes the operation proper. It is believed that cancerous cells found in the removed lymph nodes are the reason why prostatectomy cannot be performed. Invasion of lymph nodes to a certain extent suggests PSA level over 40ng/ml together with grade >7 in Gleason's scale.
Recommendations for surgery:
1) cancer limited to the prostate gland (T1BN0M0Gx - T2N0M0Gx, T1AN0M0G3) 2) predictable life span over 10 years 3) consent of a patient If positive chirurgical margins, capsule infiltration or cancerous changes in the removed lymph nodes are found in postoperative microscopic assessment, the prognosis is worse – such patients are qualified for palliative treatment. The death rate in the postoperative period does not exceed 5%. Intraoperative complications first of all include: bleeding from Santorini's plexus, damage of rectum wall, underpinning of ureter. Early complications after surgery: thrombotic and embolic complications (phlebothrombosis 3-12%, lung embolism 2-5%) and lymphocele. Late postoperative complications after prostatectomy include: urinary incontinence, erection disorders and narrowing of urethro-vesicular junction).
Radiotherapy
Apart from radical prostatectomy, radiotherapy is an effective method of treatment for patients with regional
Corn Protectors advanced prostate cancer. In radical treatment, the most frequently done using radiation from external sources, the dose of 50-70 Gy in fractions continuing over 5-7 weeks are given. T1ABC - T2ABCG1 and T1ABCG2 stages require radiation limited to the prostate. In other cases, area that is radiated includes adjacent lymph nodes as well. In recent years, multidimensional imaging with CT (3D conformal radiotherapy) is used in the treatment planning.
Brachytherapy constitutes another method that is used.
Recommendations for radical radiotherapy of the prostate:
1) prostate cancer confined with the organ 2) sufficiently long predictable survival span 3) no disorders in lower urinary tract 4) no disorders in rectum and colon 5) consent of patient to carry out treatment 6) early complications of radiation energy treatment (30% of patients) include dysuria, haematuria, diarrhoea, rectal tenesmus, inflammation of large intestine and rectum. Among later complications (11% of patients) chronic diarrhea, ulceration of rectum, bladder neck stenosis and intestinal fistula stenosis are observed.
Control of patients after radical prostatectomy and radical radiotherapy:
- per rectum test, PSA level in blood serum each 3 months. PSA level should be lower than 1 ng/ml (after radical prostatectomy it should be near to 0). Increase over 0.5 ng/ml within a year means failure of radiotherapy. Hormonotherapy
Hormonal therapy is mainly used as palliative treatment in advanced prostate cancer. It makes it possible to stop symptoms of the disease for some time and then, further progression of the disease takes place. Nowadays, the use of therapy in pulsation system is considered as it delays the development of hormone-resistant cell clones.
Ways of hormonal treatment include: 1) surgery castration (orchidectomy) 2) anti-androgens a) non-steroid b) steroid 3) analogues LH-RH 4) oestrogens, progestogens, inhibitors of androgens synthetase Hormonotherapy by analogues LH-RH is also recommended before planned radical radiotherapy. In the case of hormone-resistant cancer, treatment with combined cytoctatic and hormone (estramustine), however without significant effects.
PROGNOSIS
Prognosis depends on the development stage, degree of differentiation and PSA level (see: prognostic factors).
In T1A, B stage prognosis is good. 10-years survival 35-80%, death rate of the cancer 7-30%. In T2 stage, overall survival equals 34-85%, death rate equals 8-26%. In T3 stage, among patients who undergo non-invasive treatment for 9 years, overall death rate equalled 63%, from cancer – 30%. Depending on the degree of cancer differentiation, 10-year survival of patients is the following: for cells well differentiated - 81%, for cells moderately differentiated - 58% and for cells poorly differentiated - 26%.
Spring break (and winter and summer, and the average weekend for that matter) always gives me a new appreciation for teachers. Over the course of our most recent 9-day break, I realized that I would rather be sitting in a middle class seat, in coach, on a 15-hour nonstop flight to Cairo than spend nearly two weeks at home with both children. As the image of this wondrous flight lingered in my brain, I began searching Expedia for hot deals.
Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day, and after the recent school vacation, I am feeling an extremely strong desire to thank the preschool teachers in my life. Below is a letter I drafted to the teachers at my daughters' preschool. However, I feel that it is pretty universal. Please feel free to copy, paste and change the underlined text so that you can send a nice note to the teacher/school that is keeping you from the nearest inpatient psychiatric facility. *****
To the amazingly patient staff at Gan Noe Preschool:
Although there are many people that love my children, the care and affection that you bring to each of them is beyond words. However, since I am too lazy to drag both the girls out of the house and into their car seats to drive a mile to the flower store (where they will inevitably beg for me to buy them their own in purple or pink), I thought that I would give words a try.
Thank you for always smiling and offering a hug when Maisy walks in the door. You make her feel welcomed, loved and safe (especially on days when Mommy is feeling irritable and just wants a child-free latte).
Thank you for appropriately oohing and aahing over each dress Elana proudly adorns for school. Because you do this, Elana eagerly dresses herself each morning in a variety of patterns and colors in anticipation of your joyous reaction. (Seriously, I am not the one pairing rainbow flowered leggings with a red and white candy-cane Christmas dress to our Jewish preschool.)
Similarly, thank you for not judging me when Maisy arrives wearing last night's pajamas. I know that there are yogurt stains on the sleeves and that it can be an arduous task trying to fit her tiny toddler shoes over the fleece footies, but you never complain. In fact, your eyes never hesitate in expressing just pure happiness in her entrance - is it the contacts?
Thank you for providing a safe, contained place for both girls to play with paint, glitter, beads and glue. Because you do this, I have an excuse to say "no" when they ask to make use of our own art supplies after I spent the morning cleaning the house.
Thank you for allowing Maisy to proudly sing her "favorite" Top 40 radio song, repeatedly. Yes, I know that she is completely off-tune, and that she often mixes up the words (I expect that "Set fire to the range" is a remark on my cooking ability), but you somehow manage to appear excited to hear Katy Perry's latest for the fourteenth time that morning.
Thank you for teaching Elana all about the solar system. Because she learned that "Saturn has those icy rings" and "Uranus spins on its side", my husband and I were able to take a much-needed break from reading the daunting Rainbow Magic Fairy series, while Elana requested books about stars and planets for a few precious weeks.
Thank you for never turning on the television. I know that there are days that you are absolutely knackered, and the last thing you want to do is manage twelve 3 and 4-year-old children running amok around a small enclosed space threatening to dump every bin of toys onto the train-track rug. Still, you never throw your hands in the air and sit them all in front of Dora. Because you don't do this, I feel less guilty when I do.
Thank you for providing a variety of gender-neutral toys for my daughters to play with. Because you offer them the opportunity to engage in car, bug and superhero play, I am less disgusted that Maisy's room looks like the Disney Princess aisle at Target.
Thank you for telling
hallux varus me that "it is just a normal phase," when Maisy began hitting her classmates. While part of me knew that this, as with all things in childhood, was just another stage, a larger portion of me was truly worried that I was raising a child that would one day turn my basement into a meth lab. However, you were right, it was just a phase. I am now more confident that she will stick to making bootleg liquor in abandoned bathtubs.
Thank you also for always being available to answer Elana's inexhaustible questions. "How are caves made?" "Is Saturn wider than Jupiter if you count the rings?" "Why is it hotter in Miami than San Francisco if they have the same sun?" "What does 'the one that got away' mean?" Yes, of course I could take the time and energy to try to explain the answers in terms a 4-year-old will understand, but you just do it so well! (And, I am sort of tired of talking to the kids.)
But most importantly, thank you for loving my children between the hours of 8:45 to 12:45. Because you do this, I can love them a little more the rest of the day.
Thank you, a thousand times, thank you!
Sincerely,
Elana and Maisy's exhausted, but ever-so-grateful, mother
Follow Rhiana Maidenberg on Twitter:www.twitter.com/marriedwtoddler
Hotel magnate Leona Helmsley left $12 million for her dog Trouble when she died in 2007, but a judge reduced the bequest to $2 million.
Space Alien Really A Baboon
This close-up of the head of the animal shown in the previous slide, was, according to a local veterinarian, a baby baboon photographed by park ranger Llewellyn Dixon. The animal was found near the South African resort town of Nature's Valley.
Goose and Deer Become Unlikely Friend
Wildlife experts in Buffalo, N.Y., have been amazed by an unusual springtime friendship between a deer and a nesting goose. It's a relationship that has blossomed inside a cemetery.
Crocodile in Belgium - Dec. 2011
A man holds a crocodile with tape around its mouth, as workers from the Natuurhulpcentrum, a wildlife rehabilitation center, collect several crocodiles at a villa in Lapscheure, near the Dutch border, on Dec. 22, 2011. Police discovered eleven Nile crocodiles and one alligator (all alive) in a villa rented by a German man, Rolf D., during an investigation into financial fraud.
Bear in Hot Tub
Jenny Sue Rhoades sat down on her couch to watch television when something outside caught her eye. It was a large Florida black bear walking through the back yard of her Barry Court home in southwest Seminole County.
Heidi, The Cross-Eyed Possum
German media sensation Heidi the cross-eyed opossum is presented to the press at the Leipzig Zoo on June 9, 2011. On July 1st, 2011 Leipzig Zoo will open the 20,000m2 "Gondwanaland Tropical Experience World" to the public - a near-natural home for 300 exotic animals and more than 17,000 tropical plants with Heidi being one of its inhabitants.
Cat Cafes Threatened In Tokyo
TOKYO - JANUARY 20: A woman strokes a cat at Nekorobi cat cafe on January 20, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. Changes to Japan's Animal Protection Law threaten the future of these furry bars by imposing a curfew on cats and dogs. (Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)
Dolphin's Fake Tail
Winter, a six-year-old dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida, lost her tail when she was three months and now uses a prosthetic tail made especially for her.
Camel Fight
Afghan festival-goers watch as a "camel fight" starts during the second day of Persian new year, or "Nowruz," celebrations in Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan.
LEFT: The Stargazer fish which bears an uncanny resemblance to Homer Simpson. (Caters News / Getty Images)
Mass For Animals - Oct. 2011
Gil Florini, of Saint-Pierre-d'Arene's church, blesses donkeys with holy water after a mass dedicated to animals on Oct. 9, 2011, in the southeastern French city of Nice.
Two-headed Bearded Dragon
A two-headed bearded dragon is set to be the latest attraction at the Venice Beach Freakshow. Pancho and Lefty sit in new owner Todd Ray's hand.
Clothing a Battered Chicken
Amy Leader with Sunny, a rescued chicken, in his newly-knitted sweater. Kind-hearted animal lovers have come to the rescue of a group of featherless chickens by knitting them their very own woolly sweaters. Sunny and his not-so-feathered friends were rehomed after being rescued from a poultry farm. Many of them are missing their plumage because the conditions they used to live in.
Roo the Reading Dog
Roo the Reading Education Assistance Dog (R.E.A.D) helps a pupil at Graytown Elementary School in Graytown, Ohio.
Missing Rare Indian Star Tortoise
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's Tutti is a rare Indian star tortoise. Butti, the zoo's missing tortoise, looks similar to Tutti. The two are brothers and live at the zoo in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Allegedly Stolen Tortoise
FILE - In this undated file photo provided by Katlyn R. Gerken, a staff member of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa holds Cashew, an 18-pound African leopard tortoise. The museum said Friday, April 5, 2013, that an employee found the tortoise behind paneling in her enclosure and hid her in an elevator in a misguided attempt to prevent further embarrassment after officials announced Tuesday that they believed Cashew had been stolen. (AP Photo/Katlyn R. Gerken, File)
Mutant Pig Dog
Locals in Xinxiang city scratched their heads over this four-legged creature, believing it to be a mutant escaped from a scientific lab. Cops confirmed that it is, in fact, a Chinese Crested Hairless.
Kitten Found In Car Engine
After driving about 85 miles to Santa Cruz, Calif., a man discovered that this runaway kitten had been inside his car's engine in March 2012.
Chimp Art
In art, there's primitivism and there's primate-vism. Meet Jimmy, a 26-year-old chimpanzee who can paint. Pictured while creating a painting on cardboard on Sept. 20 at a zoo in Niteroi, Brazil, the monkey's art works have caught the attention of zoological experts who plan a special exhibit for the chimp.
Elephant Polo - Sept. 2011
Elephant polo players from the Spice girls team (left) and the British Airways British Army team battle it out for 5th place during the final day at the King's Cup Elephant polo tournament Sept. 11, 2011, in Hua Hin, Thailand.This year marked the 10th edition of the polo tournament with 12 international teams participating for the unusual annual charity sports event.
Animals In The News
This pet duck, named 'Duckie,' won't hurt himself on the hot sands of San Diego's beaches thanks to a pair of customized booties made especially for him. Previously, the owner, who goes by the name "Miss Love," had been putting duct tape over his feet instead.
Gary, the Kit-Kat Loving Fish.
Sea Life London Aquarium undated handout photo of a giant gourami that aquarium staff have weaned off chocolate.
Ranger Shoots Deers Whose Antlers Are Stuck
It was a shot in the dark, but an Illinois police officer manage to separate two whitetail deer whose antlers were tangled together - by shooting them apart.
Hippo Goes to the Dentist
North Carolina Zoo Chief Veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis recently returned from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, where he helped perform a dental procedure on a 3,000-lb. old friend.Loomis, along with veterinarians and keepers from the Parque de las Sciencias museums in Bayamon, conducted dental surgery on "Tomy," a 39-year-old male hippopotamus that the N.C. Zoo veterinarian has been treating on a semi-regular basis for two decades.
This image provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department shows an alligator Thursday June 6, 2013 in Lancaster, Calif. Part of the "Zoo to You" program in Paso Robles that introduces kids to animals, the alligator was being held by two females near a van after the animal urinated inside the van and the females had stopped to clean the the van. (AP Photo/ Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department)
Illegal snake colleciton
Thomas Cobb with his son
Foot Pain causes Caiden show off several of his exotic reptiles that he keeps in a special basement room of his home Friday, April 26, 2013 in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Cobb has been ordered by police to get rid of all but one of his 29 exotic boa constrictor snakes because he doesn
Dogs Wearing Pantyhose
Yep. Read about it and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/05/dogs-in-pantyhose-china_n_3022069.html?1365188859&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008" target="_hplink">see more photos here</a>.
Tyrannosaurus Bataar
The U.S. attorneys office sued Heritage Auctions of Texas in June to force it to return a Tyrannosaurus bataar skeleton to the Mongolian government.
Woman Punches Bear to Save Dog
Brook Collins holds her dog, Fudge, at her home in Juneau, Alaska on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011. Collins punched a black bear in the snout after the bear attacked Fudge on Sunday, Aug. 28.
Shortest Roadworthy Car
The "Mirai", which means 'future' in Japanese, measures 17.79 inches from the ground to highest part of the car. It was created by students and teachers of The Automobile Engineering Course at Okayama Sanyo High School in Asakuchi, Japan.
Dog With Man's Face
Meet Tonik, a poodle-shih tzu mix that is up for adoption at <a href="https://www.homewardboundawg.com/" target="_hplink">Homeward Bound Pet Rescue</a> in Mishawaka, Ind. (Credit:<a href="http://www.petphotosbyrenny.com/" target="_hplink"> Renny Mills Photography</a>)
In this March 5, 2013 photo, Nederland resident Mark Merchant, a biochemistry professor at McNeese State University holds many baby alligators in Lake Charles, La. You could say Mark Merchant has alligators in his blood. Before he was a biochemistry professor at McNeese State University studying the antibiotic properties of alligator blood, Merchant was just another Southeast Texas kid fishing with his grandpa on the bayous. (AP Photo/The Beaumont Enterprise, Dave Ryan)
Leaping Lemurs
A group of lemurs encounters a unusual roadblock on the way to their feeding den: a turtle. The lemurs clearly don't want to get into a territorial spat with the creature... so they take turns leaping over it in this photo sequence shot at the Indianapolis Zoo.
Boy Finds Lizard in Loaf of Bread
A HORRIFIED boy found a dead LIZARD in his Tesco toast as he munched his breakfast.William Evans, 10, screamed in terror after making the gruesome find - bringing his dad Marcus running from upstairs.Outraged Mr Evans, of Hawkchurch, near Axminster, Devon, said: "The poor little lad was absolutely traumatised by it."He went to take a slice off for some toast, turned the loaf over and found the lizard stuck on the bottom."He added: "It was one of Axminster Tesco's baked in-store, multi-grain brown loaves."The lizard had not been cooked so it must have got into the packaging and died there."You could see the impression of its body in the bread so it must have been warm when he got in."William, a pupil at Hawkchurch Primary School, said: "I was making some toast and cut off a slice when I saw something that looked like a leaf."So I took the wrapping off and found the lizard inside."It certainly put me off my toast!"It was about two to three inches long."His mum Clare said it would have been even worse if William had sliced through the end with the lizard on it - and eaten it."That would have been even more distressing," she said.Mr Evans, a volunteer church worker, said they had alerted Tesco's customer service department.He said they told him it was impossible for a lizard to get in one of their loaves because of their high level of hygiene"I am surprised they didn't tell me 'every little helps'," said angry Marcus."They have asked me to take it into the manager but I am thinking of contacting environmental health officers."We are keeping the lizard and loaf in the fridge for evidence."A Tesco spokesman said: "We have conducted a thorough inspection of the bakery area as well as the rest of the store."We are confident that our robust procedures mean that there was no food safety risk to the product whilst it was within the store."If the customer would like to return the product, packaging and proof of purchase to us, we will be able to investigate further."
Man Finds Pythons In N.J. Backyard
James Geist found two pythons in his West Milford, N.J., backyard within a few days.
IKEA Monkey
Look at that coat! <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/ikea-monkey-toronot_n_2270707.html?1355150852" target="_hplink">This little animal</a> got loose in an IKEA parking lot in Toronto. It was apparently scared, but eventually was reclaimed by its owners who were inside the store when the monkey escaped from its cage.
Sprinkles the Koala
'Sprinkles' the Koala following her life saving radiation treatment at the Brisbane Veterinary Specialist Centre in Brisbane, Australia, August 9, 2011. Suffering from an extremely rare case of excessive drooling, sprinkles developed a skin infection due to the excessive moisture flowing from her mouth.
Catherine Baucom, Surgeon, Avoids Traffic Jam By Riding Child's Bike To Operating Room
When a traffic jam kept surgeon Catherine Baucom from driving to work to meet a patient, she borrowed the bike of a 7-year-old and started pedaling.
Gorilla With Toothache
Two Bay Area dentists made a house call at the San Francisco Zoo on Monday, July 11, to help out a gorilla with a toothache. Dentist Dan Mairani (left) and endodontist Steve Holifield, who usually perform procedures on human patients, worked for three hours on Oscar Jonesy (O.J.), a 30-year-old male western lowland gorilla that developed an abscessed canine tooth. Thanks to this dental team, the abscess was successfully treated and the tooth was saved!
Rats vs. Snipers
A young volunteer picks up a dead rat from an open drainage channel in Tehran May 20. Tehran has a plague of rats estimated to number up to 25 million after winter snows melted raising the underground water level and flushing the rats from their nests. Municipal authorities have imported approximately 45 tons of rat poison and set up information tents to help deal with the plague.
Gorilla check-up - Oct. 2011
Yakini the gorilla received a medical check-up from vets at Melbourne Zoo before being moved to a new multimillion-dollar exhibit at Werribee Open Range Zoo, on Oct. 28, 2011, in Melbourne, Australia.
An alligator crosses the 14th fairway during the first round of the PGA Tour Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., on Thursday, April 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Water Skiing Elephant Dies
In this undated 1958 photo provided courtesy of Liz Dane, Dane is shown performing her act with Queenie the water skiing elephant. The Valdosta Daily Times reports that 59-year-old Queenie was euthanized Monday, June 2, 2011, after her health deteriorated.
30,000 Bees Stuck In New Jersey Attic (PHOTOS)
Bee removal expert Gary Schempp removed a 25-pound hive from the attic of a home in Cape May, N.J. The hive had 30,000 bees living in it.
Guru, the Hairless Chimp
Looking almost like a bronze statue of a person, Guru the hairless chimpanzee eats in his enclosure at India's Mysore Zoo. Guru lost all his hair to alopecia, a condition that can also affect humans.
In this Aug. 18, 2012 photo provided by Jody Bright, Molly Palmer poses with her catch_ a 12-foot marlin that took more than four hours to get on her team
Animals in the News
"Shrek," New Zealand's most famous sheep, died in June at the age of 16. This merino wether (a castrated male sheep) came to the world's attention in 2004 when he was found in a cave near the city of Otago after being on the lam for six years. He had managed to avoid capture all that time and when he was finally found, he was carrying nearly 60 lbs of untrimmed fleece, nearly six times more than the average merino fleece.
Titanic Toad
Of course she's unhappy. Who likes getting weighed right after the holidays? This is Agathe, a cane toad, and she's sitting on a toy scale during an annual animal inventory at the Hanover Zoo in Germany on Jan. 5. Agathe weighs a slight hop over 4 pounds.
Rebecca Reichart, Leroy Nunez, Nicholas Coutu, Claudia Grant, Kenneth Krysko
In an Aug. 10, 2012 photo provided by the University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History researchers, from left, Rebecca Reichart, Leroy Nunez, Nicholas Coutu, Claudia Grant and Kenneth Krysko examine the internal anatomy of the largest Burmese python found in Florida to date, on the University of Florida campus. The 17-foot-7-inch snake weighed 164 pounds and carried 87 eggs in its oviducts, a state record. Following scientific investigation, the snake will be mounted for exhibition at the museum for about five years, and then returned for exhibition at Everglades National Park. (AP Photo/University of Florida, Kristen Grace)
Star the Duck
District councils have slapped a collecting ban on one of the West Country's most loveable characters - Star, the bowtie wearing DUCK (pictured) See SWNS story SWDUCK; Star the duck, who has raised more than £6,500 may be forced to quit after he has been told he is no longer allowed to collect for Children's Hospice South West without a permit. District councils believe Star should be fair to all charities and want to limit how often members of the public are asked to donate by various organisations to avoid it becoming "irritating." His owner, Barrie Hayman, from Bideford, Devon, was left furious at the decision and wants to try and raise the most money possible for the sick children.
Camel in the Family
t's not every day you can say that a camel has shared your breakfast - unless you're Nathan and Charlotte Anderson-Dixon. Each morning they and their 18-month-son Reuben are joined by pet camel Joe, who pokes his head through their conservatory window to help himself to something to eat. The three-year-old happily munches eats bread, fruit and cereal plucked from the table at the family's detached country farmhouse. Joe, who measures 17.5 hands, loves bananas on toast but hates toast with cheese or Marmite. He lives with four other camels but is the only one to share breakfast with his owners. The others have to eat hay, barley, straw and corn mix in their stable in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Nathan, 32, has owned Joe for two years and uses him for camel racing.
