Cytoarchitecture, morphology, and lumbosacral spinal cord projections of the red nucleus in cattle

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the morphology, cytoarchitecture, and lumbosacral spinal cord projections of the red nucleus (RN) in cattle. ANIMALS: 8 healthy Friesian male calves. PROCEDURES: Anesthetized calves underwent a dorsal laminectomy at L5. Eight bilateral injections (lateral to the midline) of the neuronal retrograde fluorescent tracer fast blue (FB) were administered into the exposed lumbosacral portion of the spinal cord. A postsurgical calf survival time of 38 to 55 days was used. Following euthanasia, the midbrain and the L5-S2 spinal cord segments were removed. Nissl's method of staining was applied on paraffin-embedded and frozen sections of the midbrain. RESULTS: The mean length of the RN from the caudal to cranial end ranged from 6,680 to 8,640 microm. The magnocellular and parvicellular components of the RN were intermixed throughout the nucleus, but the former predominate at the caudal portion of the nucleus and the latter at the cranial portion with a gradual transitional zone. The FB-labeled neurons were found along the entire craniocaudal extension of the nucleus, mainly in its ventrolateral part. The number of FB-labeled neurons was determined in 4 calves, ranging from 191 to 1,469 (mean, 465). The mean cross-sectional area of the FB-labeled neurons was approximately 1,680 microm2. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In cattle, small, medium, and large RN neurons, located along the entire craniocaudal extension of the RN, contribute to the rubrospinal tract reaching the L6-S1 spinal cord segments. Thus, in cattle, as has been shown in cats, the RN parvicellular population also projects to the spinal cord.     

Glycohistochemical characterization of histologically normal nasal mucosa and enzootic nasal tumor of sheep

Objective-To determine glycohistochemical characteristics of enzootic nasal tumors (ENTs) of sheep, compare results for ENT with those of histologically normal nasal mucosa of sheep, and identify the histologic origin of ENT. Sample-ENT and nasal mucosa samples obtained from cadavers of 5 adult Lacaune sheep with ENT and 5 Lacaune sheep unaffected by ENT, respectively. Procedures-Samples of ENT and nasal mucosa were collected from cadavers of sheep and sectioned. Conventional and lectin histochemical analyses were used to identify glycoconjugates in tissue sections on the basis of their principal chemical groups and principal terminal or internal oligosaccharidic glucidic residues, respectively. Results-ENTs had papillary and tubular portions. Cells in the papillary portion of ENTs had secretion and surface glycoconjugates, which included sulfated glycosaminoglycans and neutral and sialilated glycoproteins. Cells in the tubular portion of ENTs had surface glycoconjugates, which included neutral and sialilated glycoproteins. Both portions of ENTs had C(4)-acetylated sialoderivatives that were not detected in sections of histologically normal nasal mucosa. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-The papillary portion of ENTs in sheep may originate from respiratory glands and goblet cells. The tubular portion of ENTs in sheep may originate from olfactory glands. Presence of C(4)-acetylated sialoderivatives in cells of ENTs could confer resistance against pathogens to those cells.     

Procalcitonin gene expression after LPS stimulation in the porcine animal model

Procalcitonin (PCT), recognised as a marker of sepsis, was investigated in a porcine model of endotoxic shock. The results showed that continuous IV infusion (1-4 h) of LPS (40 μg/kg) in pigs was able to induce a generalised increase of PCT expression in lung, heart, kidney and liver. The increase in PCT was significant only in kidney and was accompanied by an increase in IL-6 gene expression. In vitro results demonstrated that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), as well as endothelial cells, were potentially capable of contributing to in vivo extrathyroidal PCT production. These findings support previous data from pigs concerning the occurrence of widespread activation of PCT extrathyroidal gene expression during endotoxic shock in pigs. Nevertheless, the levels of PCT detected were very low, suggesting the need for additional studies to validate the pig as a reliable animal model for investigating the role of PCT in sepsis.     

Facial lesions in piglets with intact or grinded teeth

Background

Piglets are born with eight sharp teeth that during nursing can cause facial lesions on littermates and teat lesions on the sow. Teeth grinding in piglets is therefore often practiced to reduce these lesions. The aim of this study was to assess the consequences of grinding piglet teeth in regard to the occurrence of lesions.In this study the piglets'' teeth were grinded in 28 litters, and in 36 litters the piglets'' teeth were kept intact. Twice, one time during the first week and one time during the second week after birth facial lesions of the piglets were scored and the teats of the sows were examined for lesions. The facial lesion score accounted for the amount and severity of lesions. The individual observations on piglets in the litter were synthesized in a litter facial lesion score.

Findings

69.8% and 43.5% of the piglets had facial lesions in week 1 and week 2 respectively. The effect of treatment was not significant on litter facial lesion score. The litter facial lesion score was higher in week 1 than in week 2 (p < 0.001) and higher in large litters (p = 0.003) than in small litters. Mortality between week 1 and week 2 was higher in litters with intact teeth (p = 0.02). Sow teat lesions only occurred if litters had intact teeth.

Conclusions

According to our results teeth grinding is only justifiable in large litters.     

Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharides and Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B differentially modulate inflammatory microRNAs in bovine monocytes

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of regulatory molecules involved in many physiological processes, including activation of cells of the immune system. This study investigated the effect of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB) on the expression of five miRNAs involved in the inflammatory response, including miR-9, miR-125 b, miR-155, miR-146 a and miR-223, in bovine CD14(+) cells (monocytes). Incubation of monocytes with SEB induced down-regulation of miR-155, miR-223 and miR-125 b, but not the anti-inflammatory miRNA miR-146 a. Conversely, incubation with LPS upregulated both miR-155 and miR-146 a. In vitro incubation of isolated CD14(+) bovine monocytes with LPS and SEB elicited different and opposite expression of miRNAs reportedly involved in inflammatory reactions.