Pharmacokinetics of ketoprofen in healthy horses and horses with acute synovitis

The pharmacokinetlc properties of a single intravenous dose of ketoprofen (2.2 mg/kg) in plasma and synovial fluid were compared in four healthy animals and four horses with experimentally induced acute synovitis. Synovitis was induced by the injection of a 1% solution of sterile carrageenan into the left intercarpal joint Ketoprofen was administered at the same time as carrageenan infection. The plasma disposition followed a biexponential equation or a two-compartment model in most horses. The plasma harmonic mean half-life in healthy horses (0.88 h) was longer than in horses with synovitis (0.5 5 h). Synovial fluid concentrations of ketoprofen in healthy horses approximated those in plasma by 3 h post-dose. In horses with synovitis, synovial fluid concentrations approximated plasma concentrations by 1 h. Synovial fluid concentrations of ketoprofen in horses with synovitis were 6.5 times higher than those in healthy horses at 1 h. The area under the synovial fluid concentration curve for horses with synovitis was greater than in healthy horses. These data suggest that the inflamed joint serves as a site of sequestration for ketoprofen. Furthermore, these results indicate that plasma pharmacokinetics may be altered by inflammation in a peripheral compartment such as the joint     

Effects of isorhapontigenin on cell cycle arrest and down-regulation of cyclin D1 expression in bladder cancer cells

AIM：To explore the inhibitory mechanism of isorhapontigenin (ISO) on the proliferation, migration and invasion of UMUC3 bladder cancer cells. METHODS：Human UMUC3 bladder cancer cells were pretreated with ISO, and the proliferation of the cells was observed under phase-contrast microscope and by ATPase assay. The expression of cyclin D1 was determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The cell cycle alteration was detected by flow cytometry, and the cell migration was examined by wound-healing assay. RESULTS：Over 20 μmol/L of ISO significantly inhibited the proliferation of UMUC3 cells with the IC50 of (22.5±2.8) μmol/L. The mRNA and protein levels of cyclin D1 in UMUC3 cells were markedly decreased after treatment with ISO. Exposure of UMUC3 cells to low dose (5 μmol/L) of ISO led to significant induction of G0/G1 growth arrest at both 12 h (58.82%) and 24 h (63.94%), compared with the negative control cells (47.33%) without inducing obvious apoptosis. ISO at dose of 5 μmol/L also markedly inhibited the cell migration. CONCLUSION：ISO significantly exhibits inhibitory effects on the proliferation and migration of human bladder cancer cells by down-regulation of cyclin D1 expression accompanying with G0/G1 cell cycle arrest.     

Interferon induction in dogs.

A synthetic complex of poly (I)-poly (C) with poly-L-lysine and carboxymethyl cellulose (poly ICLC), as well as UV-inactivated Newcastle disease virus, B-1 strain, was used to induce interferon production in dogs. Several criteria were used for interferon specificity. The interferon response depended on dosage and route of inoculation. Serum interferon concentrations usually reached a peak by 8 hours after inoculation (AI), rapidly declined thereafter, and were nondetectable in most instances at 24 hours AI. Dogs responded less to interferon inducers when reinoculated 2 days after primary induction. The interferon response was biphasic (2 and 8 hours AI) when reinoculated 1 week after primary inoculation. Reinoculation 2 weeks after primary inoculation simulated the first response. Although both inducers caused severe lymphopenia in dogs, the toxic side effects would limit clinical use (in dogs) of poly ICLC, but not of UV-inactivated Newcastle disease virus.     

Inhibition of telomerase in canine cancer cells following telomestatin treatment

Telomere shortening in normal somatic cells has been proposed as a major barrier to unlimited cellular proliferation. Telomerase is an enzyme capable of maintaining telomere length, and thus bypassing this barrier. In human beings, telomerase activity is restricted to cancer cells and cells of stem or germ cell lineages. Dogs represent a potentially useful clinical model for the development of telomerase‐based therapies because telomerase activity is also restricted to cancer cells and stem cells in this species. We examined the ability of telomestatin to inhibit telomerase activity in telomerase‐positive D17 and CMT7 canine cancer cell lines. At a concentration of 2 μM, telomestatin treatment resulted in a decrease in telomerase activity, telomere shortening, growth inhibition and apoptosis in telomerase‐positive cancer cells. These effects were not seen in telomerase‐negative skin fibroblasts or negative controls. These results confirm that telomestatin specifically inhibits telomerase activity in canine cancer cells and strengthens the usefulness of dogs as a model for testing telomerase‐based therapies.     

Lactate Kinetics in veterinary Critical Care: A Review

Elevation in blood lactate concentration, with or without accompanying metabolic acidosis, is a hallmark finding in patients with circulatory compromise, and is also consistently noted in other conditions affecting critically ill or injured individuals. Little is reported in a veterinary literature regarding lactate measurement in the emergency and critical care setting, despite impressive reports of the clinical usefulness of lactate measurement in people. The purpose of this article is to review lactate kinetics and the clinical utility of lactate measurement. Limitations to lactate evaluation will also be discussed.     

The rate of Salmonella spp. infection in zoo animals at Seoul Grand Park, Korea

Salmonellosis is an important zoonotic disease that affects both people and animals. The incidence of reptile-associated salmonellosis has increased in Western countries due to the increasing popularity of reptiles as pets. In Korea, where reptiles are not popular as pets, many zoos offer programs in which people have contact with animals, including reptiles. So, we determined the rate of Salmonella spp. infection in animals by taking anal swabs from 294 animals at Seoul Grand Park. Salmonella spp. were isolated from 14 of 46 reptiles (30.4%), 1 of 15 birds (6.7%) and 2 of 233 mammals (0.9%). These findings indicate that vigilance is required for determining the presence of zoonotic pathogen infections in zoo animals and contamination of animal facilities to prevent human infection with zoonotic diseases from zoo facilities and animal exhibitions. In addition, prevention of human infection requires proper education about personal hygiene.     

Ralstonia solanacearum virulence in tomato seedlings inoculated by leaf clipping

Ralstonia solanacearum is a phytopathogenic bacterium that colonizes the xylem vessels of host plants leading to a lethal wilt disease. Although several studies have investigated the virulence of R. solanacearum on adult host plants, infection studies of this pathogen on the seedling stages of hosts are less common. In a preliminary observation, inoculation of R. solanacearum F1C1 on 6‐ to 7‐day‐old tomato seedlings by a simple leaf‐clip strategy resulted in a lethal pathogenic condition in seedlings that eventually killed these seedlings within a week post‐inoculation. This prompted testing of the effect of this inoculation technique in seedlings from different cultivars of tomato and similar results were obtained. Colonization and spread of the bacteria throughout the infected seedlings was demonstrated using gus‐tagged R. solanacearum F1C1. The same method of inoculating tomato seedlings was used with R. solanacearum GMI1000 and independent mutants of R. solanacearum GMI1000, deficient in the virulence genes hrpB, hrpG, phcA and gspD. Wildtype R. solanacearum GMI1000 was found to be virulent on tomato seedlings, whereas the mutants were found to be non‐virulent. This leaf‐clip technique, for inoculation of tomato seedlings, has the potential to be a valuable approach, saving time, space, labour and costs.     

Enzymatic profiles of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae and Erysipelothrix tonsillae

The enzymatic activities of 39 strains of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae and 34 of E tonsillae were determined with the API ZYM system. The profiles of these two species were very similar, differing solely in N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase activity. Whereas 90 per cent of strains of E rhusiopathiae exhibited strong activity with N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, positive reactions were observed for this enzyme in only 24 per cent of strains of E tonsillae. These results support previous DNA-DNA hybridisation studies and suggest that E tonsillae is a new species of the genus Erysipelothrix.