Effects of phenylbutazone alone or in combination with flunixin meglumine on blood protein concentrations in horses

OBJECTIVE: To assess effects of treatment with phenylbutazone (PBZ) or a combination of PBZ and flunixin meglumine in horses. ANIMALS: 24 adult horses. PROCEDURE: 13 horses received nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in a crossover design. Eleven control horses were exposed to similar environmental conditions. Treated horses received PBZ (2.2 mg/kg, PO, q 12 h, for 5 days) and a combination of PBZ and flunixin meglumine (PBZ, 2.2 mg/kg, PO, q 12 h, for 5 days; flunixin meglumine, 1.1 mg/kg, IV, q 12 h, for 5 days). Serum samples were obtained on day 0 (first day of treatment) and day 5, and total protein, albumin, and globulin were measured. RESULTS: 1 horse was euthanatized with severe hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, and colitis during the combination treatment. Comparisons revealed no significant difference between control horses and horses treated with PBZ alone. There was a significant difference between control and treated horses when administered a combination of PBZ and flunixin meglumine. Correction for horses with values >2 SDs from the mean revealed a significant difference between control horses and horses administered the combination treatment, between control horses and horses administered PBZ alone, and between horses receiving the combination treatment and PBZ alone. Gastroscopy of 4 horses revealed substantial gastric ulcers when receiving the combination NSAID treatment. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Analysis of results of the study indicates the need for caution when administering a combination NSAID treatment to horses because the detrimental effects may outweigh any potential benefits.     

Determination of the effective dose of the live Mycoplasma synoviae vaccine, Vaxsafe MS (strain MS-H) by protection against experimental challenge

The minimum effective dose of the Mycoplasma synoviae-H (MS-H) vaccine was determined through protection against experimental challenge. Chickens were vaccinated by eyedrop with the following doses of a vaccine: 1.2 x 10(5), 2.4 x 10(5) 4.8 x 10(5), 9.6 x 10(5), 1.92 X 10(6), and 3.84 X 10(6) color change units (CCU), then challenged 6 wk after vaccination. Rapid serum agglutination results indicated that 100% of birds receiving an MS-H dose of > or = 4.8 x 10(5) CCU had antibodies to MS and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results showed that 60% of birds receiving a dose of 4.8 x 10(5) or 9.6 x 10(5) CCU and 100% of birds receiving a dose of 1.92 x 10(6) or 3.84 x 10(6) had antibodies to MS. At postmortem after challenge, the following parameters were significantly lower in birds vaccinated with an MS-H dose of > or = 4.8 x 10(5) CCU: air sac (AS) lesion severity; incidence of AS lesions; mucosal thicknesses in the upper trachea, middle trachea, and lower trachea (LT); and MS colonization of the LT and AS. It was concluded that an MS-H dose of 4.8 x 10(5) CCU was sufficient to elicit an antibody response in birds, prevent MS colonization in the LT and AS, and protect against AS lesions caused by an experimental MS and infectious bronchitis virus challenge.     

Isotopic compositions of cometary matter returned by Stardust

Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotopic compositions are heterogeneous among comet 81P/Wild 2 particle fragments; however, extreme isotopic anomalies are rare, indicating that the comet is not a pristine aggregate of presolar materials. Nonterrestrial nitrogen and neon isotope ratios suggest that indigenous organic matter and highly volatile materials were successfully collected. Except for a single (17)O-enriched circumstellar stardust grain, silicate and oxide minerals have oxygen isotopic compositions consistent with solar system origin. One refractory grain is (16)O-enriched, like refractory inclusions in meteorites, suggesting that Wild 2 contains material formed at high temperature in the inner solar system and transported to the Kuiper belt before comet accretion.     

Broadband cavity ringdown spectroscopy for sensitive and rapid molecular detection

We demonstrate highly efficient cavity ringdown spectroscopy in which a broad-bandwidth optical frequency comb is coherently coupled to a high-finesse optical cavity that acts as the sample chamber. 125,000 optical comb components, each coupled into a specific longitudinal cavity mode, undergo ringdown decays when the cavity input is shut off. Sensitive intracavity absorption information is simultaneously available across 100 nanometers in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions. Real-time, quantitative measurements were made of the trace presence, the transition strengths and linewidths, and the population redistributions due to collisions and the temperature changes for molecules such as C2H2, O2, H2O, and NH3.     

RNA interference directs innate immunity against viruses in adult Drosophila

Innate immunity against bacterial and fungal pathogens is mediated by Toll and immune deficiency (Imd) pathways, but little is known about the antiviral response in Drosophila. Here, we demonstrate that an RNA interference pathway protects adult flies from infection by two evolutionarily diverse viruses. Our work also describes a molecular framework for the viral immunity, in which viral double-stranded RNA produced during infection acts as the pathogen trigger whereas Drosophila Dicer-2 and Argonaute-2 act as host sensor and effector, respectively. These findings establish a Drosophila model for studying the innate immunity against viruses in animals.     

Relationship between crystallization behavior, microstructure, and macroscopic properties in trans containing and trans free coating fats and coatings

The objective of this study is to gain further understanding into the relationship between crystallization behavior, microstructure, and macroscopic properties in coating fats. The isothermal crystallization behavior of two coating fats (one trans containing and one trans free) was examined, both as pure fats and in coatings, by DSC and microscopy. Furthermore, the hardness of the samples was examined after cooling in a water bath at two different temperatures and at three different storage times. Both fats seemed to show an alpha-mediated beta' crystallization at lower temperatures and a direct beta' crystallization at higher temperatures. The trans free coating fat clearly crystallized faster and in smaller crystals. The hardness was governed not only by the amount of solid fat present in the network but also by the structure of this network. The coating matrix components seem to have a pronounced influence on the microstructure and thus on the macroscopic properties.