Veterinary public health: past success, new opportunities

Animal diseases are known to be the origin of many human diseases, and there are many examples from ancient civilizations of plagues that arose from animals, domesticated and wild. Records of attempts to control zoonoses are almost as old. The early focus on food-borne illness evolved into veterinary medicine's support of public health efforts. Key historical events, disease outbreaks, and individuals responsible for their control are reviewed and serve as a foundation for understanding the current and future efforts in veterinary public health. Animal medicine and veterinary public health have been intertwined since humans first began ministrations to their families and animals. In the United States, the veterinary medical profession has effectively eliminated those major problems of animal health that had serious public health ramifications. These lessons and experiences can serve as a model for other countries. Our past must also be a reminder that the battle for human and animal health is ongoing. New agents emerge to threaten human and animal populations. With knowledge of the past, coupled with new technologies and techniques, we must be vigilant and carry on.     

Exploring the foundations of population health and preventive medicine as essential elements for veterinary education

The evolution of preventive medicine and public health training in professional veterinary medicine curricula is documented. Most veterinary colleges in the US began with a single course in meat hygiene or public health, with a focus on food hygiene issues. These courses laid the foundation for modern veterinary preventive medicine and public health training for veterinary students. Most graduates of veterinary colleges today have extensive training in population health, preventive medicine, and zoonotic diseases.     

Risk of hemolytic anemia with intravenous administration of famotidine to hospitalized cats

BACKGROUND: Famotidine administered IV has been associated anecdotally with hemolysis in cats, and some veterinarians recommend using injectable famotidine only by the subcutaneous (SC) route for cats. However, the actual risk of such a reaction is not known. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that famotidine, when given IV slowly, would not be associated with a clinically significant drop in packed cell volume (PCV) in hospitalized cats. ANIMALS: One hundred and forty-two hospitalized cats. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review was performed for hospitalized cats prescribed famotidine IV (n = 56), famotidine SC (n = 48), or no famotidine (n = 38) at a veterinary medical teaching hospital over the period from January 2004 through December 2006. RESULTS: Baseline signalment, observation times, and famotidine dosage (in treated cats) were similar among groups. Median baseline PCVs were significantly lower in the IV (31.5%) and SC (32.0%) groups compared with the control group (35.0%; P= .04). The median percent drop in PCV (3-4%), however, was no different in cats that received famotidine by either route compared with the control group (P= .90), and no cats in either famotidine group were observed to have any clinical signs of hemolysis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: We conclude from this retrospective study that famotidine IV was given to 56 hospitalized cats without evidence of hemolysis, and that the IV route appeared safe when famotidine was administered over 5 minutes. We could not document a safety advantage of SC versus IV administration in this group of cats.     

Identification and characterization of the cofactor-independent phosphoglycerate mutases of Dirofilaria immitis and its Wolbachia endosymbiont

Drug treatments for heartworm disease have not changed significantly in the last decade. Due to concerns about possible drug resistance and their lower efficacy against adult worms, there is a need for the development of new antifilarial drug therapies. The recent availability of genomic sequences for the related filarial parasite Brugia malayi and its Wolbachia endosymbiont enables genome-wide searching for new drug targets. Phosphoglycerate mutase (PGM) enzymes catalyze the critical isomerization of 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PG) and 2-phosphoglycerate (2-PG) in glycolytic and gluconeogenic metabolic pathways. There are two unrelated PGM enzymes, which are structurally distinct and possess different mechanisms of action. The mammalian enzyme requires 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate as a cofactor (dependent PGM or dPGM), while the other type of PGM does not (independent PGM or iPGM). In the present study, we have determined that Dirofilaria immitis and its Wolbachia endosymbiont both possess active iPGM. We describe the molecular characterization and catalytic properties of each enzyme. Our results will facilitate the discovery of selective inhibitors of these iPGMs as potentially novel drug treatments for heartworm disease.     

Frequency of equine laminitis: a systematic review with quality appraisal of published evidence

Equine laminitis is a highly debilitating disease of the foot. Despite its perceived importance, epidemiological characteristics are poorly understood and the true frequency of the disease remains unclear. The objective of this study was to retrospectively assess previous research to identify publications which provide the best evidence of the frequency of naturally-occurring equine laminitis. A systematic review of English language publications was conducted using MEDLINE (1950–2010), CAB Direct (1910–2010) and IVIS (1997–2010). Additional publications were included by searching bibliographies. Search terms included laminitis, equine, frequency, prevalence and incidence. Studies that allowed frequency estimations to be made for naturally-occurring equine laminitis were included. Information was extracted using predefined data fields, including 13 study quality indicators.Sixty-nine publications were appraised. Ten were considered to provide the most reliable information, estimating the frequency of equine laminitis ranging from 1.5% to 34%. Previous publications estimating laminitis frequency were generally poor quality. Laminitis frequency varied across publications however the publications included in this review focussed on many of the different underlying laminitis aetiologies and comparison of the frequencies between groups would be inappropriate. High-quality evidence-based studies are needed to estimate the true disease frequency in different equine populations.     

《中国畜牧兽医》发展现状与展望

《中国畜牧兽医》是由农业部主管、中国农业科学院北京畜牧兽医研究所主办的全国性技术类期刊，其前身是创刊于1974年的《国外畜牧科技》，是我国畜牧兽医工作者的重要交流平台。作者简要回顾了《中国畜牧兽医》的发展历程，着重分析了期刊的影响力现状，并对刊物的发展及未来的方向进行了论述。     

Effects of different chemotherapeutic agents on reversing the acquired resistance to TRAIL gene in DLD1 colon cancer cells

AIM:To evaluate effects of different chemotherapeutic agents on reversing the acquired resistance to TRAIL gene and clarify the involved mechanisms in DLD1-TRAIL/R colon cancer cells. METHODS:Human colon cancer cell line DLD1-TRAIL/R cells that were resistant to TRAIL-expressing adenovector (Ad/gTRAIL) were treated with Ad/gTRAIL combined with different chemotherapeutic agents. Then, the cell viability was measured by MTT method, and apoptotic signaling conditions, including activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8, expression of Bax and Bcl-XL, were measured by Western blotting analysis. RESULTS:In vitro data showed that several chemotherapeutic agents, including 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and mitomycin c (MMC), overcome the acquired resistance to TRAIL gene in DLD1-TRAIL/R colon cancer cells. The combination of Ad/gTRAIL and 5-FU effectively suppressed tumor growth in vivo in subcutaneous tumors established from DLD1-TRAIL/R cells. Further data showed that treatment with the combination of Ad/gTRAIL and 5-FU or MMC led to enhance the activation of caspase-3. Moreover, MMC but not 5-FU induced overexpression of Bax gene that was sufficient to overcome the resistance to TRAIL gene in DLD1-TRAIL/R cells. CONCLUSION:Chemotherapeutic agents, such as 5-FU and MMC, overcome the acquired resistance to TRAIL gene in DLD1-TRAIL/R cells. The candidate mechanisms for MMC but not 5-FU to overcome this resistance might involve the induction of over-expressed Bax protein in DLD1-TRAIL/R cells.     

Bcl-2 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide increases the sensitivity of HL60 and K562 cells to daunorubicin

AIM:To investigate whether the bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotide increases the sensitivity of HL60 and K562 cell lines to daunorubicin.METHODS:IC50 for HL60 and K562 was determined with MTT method, the expression levels of Bcl-2 protein were assayed by immunofluorescence using fluoresce isothiocyanate labeling. In addition, apoptosis was detected by morphological observation and flow cytometric analysis of DNA fragmentation.RESULTS:It was found that the two oligonucleotides directed against the coding region and the translation initiation of bcl-2 mRNA, combined respectively with daunorubicin, inhibited expression of bcl-2 protein, increased apoptosis in HL60 and K562 cells, and decreased IC50 of daunorubicin significantly (P＜0.05). Compared to the antisense oligonucleotide directed against the translation initiation of bcl-2 mRNA, the antisense oligonucleotide directed against the coding region showed stronger effects in the aspects of increasing the sensitivity of HL60 cells to daunorubicin (P＜0.05).CONCLUSIONS:These two antisense sequences in the translation initiation and the coding region of bcl-2 mRNA increased the sensitivity of HL60 and K562 cell lines to daunorubicin in a sequence-specific manner.     

Analysis of gene expression profile of multidrug resistant MCF/DOX cell line after benflumetol derivative LY980503 treatment

AIM:To investigate the effect of LY980503(a benflumetol derivative)on multidrug resistance of tumor cell line using DNA microarray.METHODS:Total RNA was extracted from multidrug resistant MCF/DOX cell line. cDNA microarray containing 320 cDNAs was used to detect the gene expression profile.RESULTS:9 down-regulated genes and 1 up-regulated gene were identified after multidrug resistant MCF/DOX cells were treated with LY980503.CONCLUSION:LY980503 can effectively reverse the resistance of MCF/DOX to DOX in vitro by adjusting the expression of multi-genes.     

Effect of antifibrotic herb serum on rat hepatic stellate cell proliferation and collagen synthesis

AIM: To investigate the effect of Chinese herbs, Ganxianfang(GXF), on rat hepatic stellate cells (HSC) proliferation and collagen synthesis. METHODS: Two types of herb serum, portal venous serum and circumferential venous serum, were prepared from rats infused intragastrically with 16, 8, 4 times adult dose of GXF decoction. HSC isolated from rat liver were processed with the above sera in vitro. Then we mensurated the radioactivity of HSC admixed with [[³H]H]proline and [[³H]H]thymine to judge the effect on proliferation and collagen synthesis of HSC. RESULTS: Both two types of serum collected 0.5, 1, 2 h after intragastrical infusion inhibited HSC proliferation (P＜0.05), and the serum collected 1 h after intragastrical infusion had the strongest effect (P＜0.05). Portal serum decreasea collagen synthesis (P＜0.05), but circumferential serum had no effect (P＞0.05). CONCLUSION: Inhibition of HSC proliferation and decrease of collagen synthesis may contribute to the GXF antifibrotic action.