Evaluation of the inhibitory activities of the extracts of Indonesian traditional medicinal plants against Plasmodium falciparum and Babesia gibsoni

Twenty-four kinds of water extracts derived from 22 plants that are traditionally used for the treatment of malaria on Java Island, Indonesia, were screened for their antibabesial and antimalarial activities. Among the extracts, 8 extracts displayed strong antimalarial activity, with an inhibition range from 89.6 to 100%, and 15 showed strong antibabesial activity, with an inhibition range from 84.2 to 98.1%. The extracts of Achillea millefolium, Baeckea frutenscens, Brucea javanica, Curcuma xanthorrhiza, Strychnos lucida and Swietenia macrophylla showed both strong antibabesial and antimalarial activities. The antimalarial activities paralleled the antibabesial activities, but the converse was not true.     

Outcome of dogs with high-grade soft tissue sarcomas treated with and without adjuvant doxorubicin chemotherapy: 39 cases (1996-2004)

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of adjuvant doxorubicin chemotherapy on outcome in dogs with high-grade (grade 3) soft tissue sarcomas (HGSTSs). DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 39 dogs. PROCEDURES: Medical records of dogs with HGSTSs were reviewed. Dogs treated with surgery alone or receiving single-agent doxorubicin chemotherapy postoperatively were included in the study. Owners and referring veterinarians were contacted for follow-up information. Slides from histologic sections were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis of HGSTSs. Cases in which follow-up examination was not performed and radiation therapy or chemotherapy other than doxorubicin was administered were excluded. RESULTS: 39 dogs met inclusion criteria. Twenty-one dogs received adjuvant doxorubicin. Tumor-, patient-, and treatment-related variables were not significantly associated with measured outcomes including local, metastatic, and overall disease-free intervals as well as survival time. Overall median disease-free interval was 724 days with a median survival time of 856 days for all dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy did not benefit this population of dogs with HGSTSs. Outcome for visceral HGSTSs was similar to that of nonvisceral HGSTSs in these cases.     

The mechanism by which mouse spermatozoa are injured during freezing

To improve the cryopreservation protocol for mouse sperm, we attempted to estimate the type and extent of cryoinjury at various steps of the process. First, we demonstrated that mouse sperm are sensitive to chilling at -15 C and that the sensitivity is dependent on the length of exposure. To estimate cryoinjuries, sperm suspensions were ice-seeded at -5 or -15 C, frozen with liquid nitrogen (LN(2)) gas and then frozen in LN(2). In one experiment, sperm seeded at -5 C were cooled slowly to -15 C before deep freezing. At various steps of the cryopreservation process, the sperm were warmed and their viability was assessed based on motility and the integrities of the plasma membrane and acrosome. The motility of frozen-thawed sperm was higher on seeding at -5 C (28%) than at -15 C (9%). The motility did not decrease when the sample was transferred from LN(2) gas to LN(2). To estimate cryoinjury of sperm, we presumed the viability of frozen sperm to be decreased by chilling, hypertonic stress and formation of intracellular ice. When the sperm suspension was cooled and seeded at -5 C, the motility decreased by 25% due to hypertonic stress. When the sperm were cooled in LN(2) gas, the motility decreased by 17% with the formation of intracellular ice. When the sperm were cooled to -15 C, the motility decreased by 51% from chilling. After seeding, the motility decreased by 18% due to formation of intracellular ice and by 7% due to hypertonic stress. Considering the results, it would be preferable to seed samples at a higher temperature to prevent intracellular ice from forming and to cool seeded samples rapidly enough to minimize chilling injury and hypertonic stress, but not too rapidly to allow intracellular ice to form.     

Chemical deicer poisoning was suspected as a cause of the 2005-2006 wintertime mortality of small wild birds in Hokkaido

Many small wild birds died in the 2005-2006 wintertime in Hokkaido. Thirteen birds were pathologically examined and it was attempted to detect West Nile and influenza viruses from their organs. Consecutive pathological changes were fresh hemorrhage and acute circulatory failure. Viral detections were negative. Selective occurrence in wintertime, literature review and the results of pathological and virological examinations suggested chemical deicer poisoning as the cause of wild bird death. Chicks treated orally with deicer showed acute death and their pathological changes were similar to those of the wild birds. Because the chicks showed significant elevation of plasma Na concentration, plasma electrolyte analysis of the affected wild birds might be crucial to confirm our tentative diagnosis.     

Unique cytologic and histologic features of a suspected cutaneous xanthoma in a dog

A 4‐year‐old spayed female American Staffordshire Terrier presented to the U‐Vet Animal Hospital, Werribee, Australia, with a cutaneous mass that had been slowly growing over 12 months. Cytologic evaluation showed cohesive to individualized, vacuolated spindled cells often arranged in a perivascular pattern. The mass was completely excised, and the histopathologic examination demonstrated sheets of vacuolated spindled to round cells expanding the full thickness of the dermis. The cells demonstrated both Iba1 and CD18 antibody binding, leading to an initial interpretation of histiocytic sarcoma. Given the discordance with the clinical presentation, further immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed. The cells demonstrated strong CD204 antibody binding and did not bind E‐cadherin antibody, consistent with a dermal macrophage origin. Ki‐67 antibody binding was regionally variable from <5% to 25%, with more regions that had low Ki‐67 expression. A fasted serum biochemistry panel revealed hypertriglyceridemia and persistent hypercholesterolemia. Based on clinical, microscopic, biochemical, and IHC results, the final interpretation was an indolent dermal histiocytic proliferation of macrophage origin, with a preference for cutaneous xanthoma or reactive dermal fibrohistiocytoma.     

Simulation of Pastoral Management in Mongolia: An Integrated System Dynamics Model

High grazing density has given rise to concerns about grassland degradation in periurban areas in Mongolia. Moreover, whether livestock can increase without harming the vegetation in these areas in Mongolia and what types of policy measures should be implemented is not documented. As such, this study develops an integrated simulation model of grassland biomass, animal growth, and livestock management for a forest-steppe area in northern Mongolia and conducts a simulation on long-term changes. The simulations show that, under current conditions, the number of animals will continue to increase, while the grassland biomass will decrease. Cooperative grassland management would lead to an increase in grassland biomass and higher incomes for herders. Furthermore, herders’ population changes would have a significant impact on animal density adjustments, while the effects of conventional economic measures, such as a tax on animals, would be limited if all other conditions remain constant. Consequently, the synergistic effects of herder population changes and cooperative management can contribute toward maintaining the herders’ income while preserving the grassland ecosystem.     

Investigation of fellow eye of unilateral retinal detachment in Shih‐Tzu

Objective To investigate disease in the fellow eye, and consider the relation to rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in Shih‐Tzus. Animals studied The fellow eyes of 49 Shih‐Tzus (27 male, 22 female; median age: 6.8 years) with unilateral RRD diagnosed by funduscopy or ultrasonography at Rakuno Gakuen University Teaching Animal Hospital were assessed in this study. Procedures Ophthalmic examinations (including menace response, pupillary light reflex, slit‐lamp biomicroscopy, and funduscopy) were performed in the subjects. Electroretinography was performed in 12 eyes that developed retinal degeneration. Maximum follow‐up period was 42 months. Results Cataracts and vitreous opacity were observed in 26 (53%) and 32 eyes (65%), respectively, by slit‐lamp biomicroscopy. Retinal degeneration with various degrees of hyper‐reflectivity of the tapetal fundus and/or attenuation of retinal vessels was observed in 35 eyes (71%) on funduscopy. A reduction of amplitude in rod, standard combined and 30 Hz flicker electroretingram was detected in 5 (42%), 10 (83%), and 6 eyes (50%), respectively. During the follow‐up period, RRD was detected in six eyes. Conclusion Retinal degeneration was frequently detected by funduscopy and electroretingrams in the fellow eye in Shih‐Tzus with RRD. In our subjects, vitreous degeneration was also observed frequently. It has been reported that peripheral retinal degeneration is one of the causes of RRD associated with vitreous degeneration in humans. We assume that primary retinal degeneration with secondary vitreous degeneration is one of the causes of RRD in Shih‐Tzus.