Neutrophilic myeloperoxidase index and mean light absorbance in neonatal septic and nonseptic foals

Background: Two neutrophilic indices reported by the ADVIA 120 Hematology Analyzer, neutrophilic myeloperoxidase index (MPXI), and mean light absorbance (neutrophil X mean [NXM]) have been proposed as indicators of systemic inflammatory disease in horses and of neutrophil activation in coronary ischemic syndromes in people. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate NXM and MPXI in healthy, sick nonseptic, and sick septic foals to determine whether conditions likely associated with neutrophil activation result in decreases in these variables. Methods: In this retrospective study, CBC data from 61 neonatal foals presented to the Equine Teaching Hospital of Barcelona were evaluated for correlations between MPXI, NXM, percentage of large unstained cells, neutrophil count, and percentage of band neutrophils. Results obtained in septic (n=32), sick nonseptic (n=22), and healthy foals (n=7) were compared. In addition, results recorded in septic/neutropenic (n=12), septic/non‐neutropenic (n=20), nonseptic/neutropenic (n=8), nonseptic/non‐neutropenic (n=14), and healthy foals (n=7) were also compared. Results: A weak negative correlation was found between MPXI and neutrophil count and between NXM and percentage of band neutrophils. Septic/neutropenic foals had significantly higher MPXI values (median 17.9, minimum–maximum 4.7–42.5) than did septic/non‐neutropenic (1.5, ?24.4 to 22.3), nonseptic/neutropenic (6.6, 0.6–17.9), and nonseptic/non‐neutropenic foals (8.8, ?10.1 to 16.8) but did not differ significantly from controls (12.8, ?8.5 to 20.4). Conclusions: Significant differences in NXM or MPXI were not found when disease groups were compared with controls; however, septic/neutropenic foals had significantly higher median MPXI than other groups of sick foals. Further prospective studies are needed to clarify if this finding is related to decreased neutrophil function or activation in septic/neutropenic foals.     

Evaluation of a point-of-care test for canine C-reactive protein

Background: In veterinary medicine, there is increasing interest in measuring C‐reactive protein (CRP) as a tool for diagnosis and monitoring of inflammatory diseases. Reported CRP concentrations for healthy dogs have ranged from 0 to 8.9 mg/L. Objectives: The aims of this study were to evaluate a canine‐specific point‐of‐care (POC) lateral flow immunoassay for qualitative CRP measurement in healthy and diseased dogs and to compare results with those obtained by a quantitative ELISA. Methods: Blood samples from 73 client‐owned dogs were available for testing: 16 healthy dogs and 57 dogs with a variety of infectious, inflammatory, or neoplastic diseases. CRP was measured in heparinized whole blood samples and serum with the TECOmedical Dog CRP‐visual POC test. A red line develops in the POC device if CRP is ≥5 mg/L, and results are scored as negative or positive. An ELISA validated previously for canine serum was used as the reference method. Results: For all dogs, serum CRP concentrations measured by the ELISA ranged from 0.1 to ≥350 mg/L (median=38 mg/L). Percentages of the CRP POC test results that agreed with the ELISA results were 98.6% for whole blood and 97.3% for serum samples. For serum samples, sensitivity of the POC test was 96.4% and specificity was 81.3%. For whole blood, sensitivity was 94.7% and specificity was 93.8%. Conclusions: The POC test had very good agreement with the ELISA test and had high sensitivity and specificity; therefore, it can be used as a qualitative test to screen for increases in CRP concentrations.     

Laminar inflammatory gene expression in the carbohydrate overload model of equine laminitis

Reasons for performing study: There is a need to assess the laminar inflammatory response in a laminitis model that more closely resembles clinical cases of sepsis‐related laminitis than the black walnut extract (BWE) model. Objectives: To determine if a similar pattern of laminar inflammation, characterised by proinflammatory cytokine expression, occurs in the CHO model of laminitis as has been previously reported for the BWE model. Methods: Sixteen horses administered 17.6 g of starch (85% corn starch/15% wood flour)/kg bwt via nasogastric (NG) tube were anaesthetised either after developing a temperature >38.9°C (DEV group, n = 8) or at onset of Obel grade 1 lameness (OG1 group, n = 8). Control horses (CON group, n = 8) were anaesthetised 24 h after NG administration of 6 l of deionised water. Laminar tissue was collected from horses while under anaesthesia, followed by humane euthanasia. Real time‐quantitative PCR was used to assess laminar mRNA concentrations of genes involved in inflammatory signalling. Results: Increased mRNA concentrations (P<0.05) for IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐12p35, COX‐2, E‐selectin and ICAM‐1 were present in laminae from horses with OG1 lameness but not at the DEV time, when compared to the CON horses. No differences between the groups were found for IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐10, TNF‐α, IFN‐γ or COX‐1 at either the DEV or OG1 time points. Conclusions: There was a notable difference in the temporal pattern of inflammatory events between the BWE and CHO models, with the majority of laminar inflammatory events appearing to occur at or near the onset of lameness in the CHO model, whereas many of these events peak earlier in the developmental stages in the BWE model. This suggests that, in addition to circulating inflammatory molecules, there may be a local phenomenon in the CHO model resulting in the simultaneous onset of multiple laminar events including endothelial activation, leucocyte emigration and proinflammatory cytokine expression. Potential relevance: The similar (although somewhat delayed) inflammatory response in the CHO model of laminitis indicates that inflammatory signalling is a consistent entity in the pathophysiology of laminitis.     

Effect of probiotic supplementation on growth performance,intestinal morphology,barrier integrity,and inflammatory response in broilers subjected to cyclic heat stress

This study investigated the protective effects of probiotic on heat stress‐induced intestinal injury and inflammatory response in broilers. A total of 180 male broilers were randomly allocated to three treatments with four replicates each from 22 to 42 days of age. The broilers were either raised under thermoneutral (TN) conditions (23 ± 1°C) or subjected to cyclic heat stress (28–35–28°C for 12 hr daily). The broilers kept at TN conditions were fed a basal diet, and those exposed to heat stress were fed basal diets supplemented with or without probiotic at a dose of 1.5 × 10⁸ cfu/kg. Compared with the TN group, heat stress decreased (p < .05) the growth performance, reduced (p < .05) villus height and villus height: crypt depth ratio in intestinal mucosa, increased (p < .05) serum levels of D‐lactic acid on day 28 and endotoxin, TNF‐α and IL‐6 on day 42, and decreased (p < .05) serum IL‐10 content on day 42. Dietary supplementation of probiotic reversed (p < .05) all these changes except for the growth performance in heat‐stressed broilers. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of probiotic could improve intestinal morphology and barrier function, alleviate inflammatory response, but exert no ameliorative effect on growth performance of broilers under cyclic heat stress.     

LC型自耦漏磁变压器式镇流器的重复着火能力与设计

本文讨论了LC型非饱和自耦漏磁变压器式镇流器的重复着火问题,提出了该种镇流器的一种设计方法和电参数的估算公式,并作了设计举例。     

连翘水提液体外对禽流感病毒增殖及炎症因子表达的抑制效应

旨在评估连翘体外抗H5N1和H9N2禽流感病毒（avian influenza viruses,AIVs）增殖及其介导炎症的效果,本试验制备了连翘水提液,首先采用CCK-8法测定了连翘水提液对DF-1细胞的安全浓度,并通过3种处理方法（药液预处理病毒后感染细胞、先感染病毒后给药、先给药后感染病毒）来筛选连翘水提液的最佳给药方式;在最佳给药方式下,使用TCID₅₀法检测禽流感病毒H5N1和H9N2的增殖情况,并采用qRT-PCR检测了炎症相关趋化因子和细胞因子的表达变化。结果显示,连翘水提液对DF-1细胞的最高安全浓度为4 mg·mL^-1;先感染病毒后给药是最佳的给药方式;在最佳给药方式下,连翘水提液能显著降低H5N1和H9N2 AIVs在各个时间点的病毒滴度,并呈剂量依赖性关系;与对照组相比,H5N1 AIV给药组中CX3CL1、IL8L1、CCL5、SCYA4、IL1β、IL-6和TNF-α的表达显著降低,H9N2 AIV给药组中CX3CL1、IL8L1、CCL5、IFN-β、IL-6和TNF-α的表达也有类似的下降趋势。这表明连翘能够抑制H5N1和H9N2 AIVs在DF-1细胞中的增殖,降低炎症相关细胞因子的表达,有良好的抗炎和抗病毒活性。     

In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Sulfated Polysaccharides Isolated from the Edible Brown Seaweed,Sargassum fulvellum

In the present study, the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of the sulfated polysaccharides isolated from Sargassum fulvellum (SFPS) were evaluated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and zebrafish. The results indicated that SFPS improved the viability of LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages from 80.02 to 86.80, 90.09, and 94.62% at the concentration of 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL, respectively. Also, SFPS remarkably and concentration-dependently decreased the production levels of inflammatory molecules including nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, prostaglandin E₂, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6 in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. In addition, SFPS significantly inhibited the expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, the in vivo test results indicated that SFPS improved the survival rate of LPS-treated zebrafish from 53.33 to 56.67, 60.00, and 70.00% at the concentration of 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, SFPS effectively reduced cell death, reactive oxygen species, and NO levels in LPS-stimulated zebrafish. Taken together, these results suggested that SFPS possesses strong in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities, and could be used as an ingredient to develop anti-inflammatory agents in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries.     

Turning Meat,Poultry, Eggs,and Dairy Products Into Nutraceuticals Through Increasing Their Conjugated Linoleic Acid Levels,Part One: Reviewing the Literature of Benefits Claimed for Conjugated Linoleic Acids in Human Health

ABSTRACT

In the first of this two-part series of articles, the debate in the clinical literature over the reality or extent of particular positive health benefits of a putative nutraceutical, conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs), in human subjects will be reviewed. In the second article, the means by which animal scientists and farmers—responding as much to annual sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars in health food stores of seed oil capsules rich in CLAs, as opposed to any conclusive clinical science—are aggressively pursuing ways to feed livestock that would naturally increase the concentration of CLAs per conventional consumer dietary portions, essentially allowing meat, eggs, fluid milk and the processed foods derived from them to be marketed as functional foods. In both installments in this series, the core journals covering developments in CLA-related research are identified for agricultural and food science librarians.