Evaluation of intestinal intramucosal pH,arterial and portal venous blood gas values,and intestinal blood flow during small intestinal ischemia and reperfusion in dogs

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether small intestinal ischemia and reperfusion affects intestinal intramucosal pH (pHi), arterial and portal venous blood gas values, and intestinal blood flow (IBF) and to investigate relationships between regional intestinal tissue oxygenation and systemic variables in dogs. ANIMALS: 15 healthy adult Beagles. PROCEDURE: Occlusion of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) for 0, 30, or 60 minutes, followed by reperfusion for 180 minutes, was performed; IBF, pHi, arterial and portal venous blood gas values, arterial pressure, and heart rate were measured at various time points; and intestinal mucosal injury was histologically graded. RESULTS: Occlusion of the SMA induced significant decreases in pHi and IBF. After the release of the occlusion, IBF returned rapidly to baseline values, but improvement in pHi was slow. Arterial and portal venous blood gas analyses were less sensitive than tonometric measurements of pHi, and there was no correlation between results of blood gas analyses and tonometric measurements. Histologic score for intestinal mucosal injury increased significantly, depending on duration of ischemia, and there was a correlation between tonometric results and the histologic score. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that it is difficult to accurately evaluate local oxygenation disorders by monitoring at the systemic level, whereas clinically pHi is the only reliable indicator of inadequate regional intestinal tissue oxygenation in dogs.     

Hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity is affected by chronic heat stress and dietary tyrosine in broiler chickens

1. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of high temperature and dietary tyrosine (Tyr) content on performance and activity of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.5.), an enzyme that catalyses the first step in the metabolic degradation of Tyr in broiler chickens. 2. Two-week-old birds were allocated to one of three temperature treatments: 24 degrees C (control), 36 degrees C (heat stress, HS) and 24 degrees C pair-fed (24PF) for 2 weeks and fed on diets containing 100% (Experiment 1) and 50, 100 and 200% (Experiment 2) of the NRC requirement for Tyr. 3. In Experiment 1, exposure of chickens to 36 degrees C for 2 weeks caused significant increase in hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity but no significant change in activity of hepatic phenylalanine 4-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.16.1) (an enzyme that catalyses conversion of phenylalanine to Tyr) compared with the 24PF birds. No significant changes attributable to heat stress were detected in hepatic glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (EC 2.6.1.1) activity. 4. In Experiment 2, heat stress caused reductions in weight gain and feed intake in chickens on all diets, compared with their control counterparts. Hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity was increased by heat stress compared with their 24PF counterparts in chickens fed on the 100 and 200% Tyr diets, while in chickens fed the 50% Tyr diet, it was reduced by heat stress. 5. From these results, it is suggested that hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity is affected by heat stress and dietary Tyr content and the increased tyrosine aminotransferase activity with, in part, relatively low phenylalanine hydroxylase activity in hepatic tissues may be involved in the Tyr metabolism characteristic of heat-stressed chickens.     

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a mixed breed cat family

A spayed female mixed cat (case 1) and its female offspring, the result of a pairing between case 1 and its male sibling, were diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). A pedigree survey revealed that the prevalence of HCM was at least 12.5% in the family, which was considered to be significantly higher than that in a hospital-based population (approximately 1.6%). Thus, this finding seems to support the suspected occurrence of familial HCM in this group of related cats.     

Electrocorticographic and histological findings in a Shetland sheepdog with intractable epilepsy

A Shetland sheepdog with epilepsy refractory to antiepileptic drugs was brought to the division of Veterinary Radiology at Nippon Veterinary and Animal Science University. Scalp electroencephalography and computed tomography was performed, but no abnormality was detected in either examination. To obtain detailed information, electrodes were implanted on the dura mater, and the electrocorticogram (ECoG) was recorded. In the ECoG, sporadic spikes were detected in the left parietal region, suggesting the presence of the epileptic focus in this region. After the dog's death, abnormalities of gyri were found in the region where spikes were detected in the ECoG. On histopathological examination, laminar malacia of the cingulate gyrus was observed. Furthermore, in the hippocampus, neuronal loss of pyramidal cells was observed.     

Effect of natural and synthetic retinoids on the proliferation and differentiation of three canine melanoma cell lines

The effect of two natural retinoids and synthetic retinoids with or without retinoid synergists on the proliferation and differentiation of 3 melanoma cell lines were investigated in vitro. No retinoids showed significant growth inhibitory effect on these cell lines when used alone, however, cell differentiation and significant growth inhibition were observed when treated with a combination of retinoids and a retinoid synergist. This study may suggest that, though the cells showed low susceptibilities when retinoids were treated alone, the combination of retinoids and a retinoid synergist may be effective to control the growth of canine melanoma cell lines.     

Seasonal atopic dermatitis in dogs sensitive to a major allergen of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen

Three dogs were examined because of episodes of recurrent pruritic dermatitis in the spring, the season of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, CJ) pollination in Japan. The dogs were shown to be sensitive to CJ pollen allergen using intradermal testing and antigen-specific IgE measurement. Fluorometric enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) showed increased concentrations of IgE specific to Cry j 1 and a negative result for Cry j 2 in the three dogs. The concentrations of IgE specific to Cry j 1 during the season of CJ pollination were higher than the concentrations found during the off-season in all the dogs, and the variation in the concentrations correlated with the variation in clinical signs. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed apparent proliferative responses to crude CJ pollen antigen and Cry j 1 during CJ pollination season. These findings indicated that Cry j 1 was the major allergen recognized by IgE and lymphocytes and resulted in the development of type I hypersensitivity to CJ pollen allergen in these atopic dogs.     

Analysis of serum cytokine profile in a holstein heifer with leukocyte adhesion deficiency which survived for long period

Serum cytokine levels and their expression of mRNA on neutrophils from a bone marrow (BM) transplanted heifer with leukocyte adhesion deficiency were evaluated. The clinical condition of the affected heifer was relatively stable after BM-transplantation. Persistent hyper gamma-globulinemia and increased serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations were monitored longitudinally. The concentration of interleukin (IL)-1beta in serum from the affected heifer ranged from 15.8 to 321.7 ng/ml, and maximum concentration occurred at the time which coincided with peak IL-6. Serum levels of IL-6 ranged from 0.32 to 27.9 ng/m l, and they appeared to be associated with the increment of serum IgG in the affected heifer. mRNAs for IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8 and granulocyte and macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were increased in neutrophils from the affected heifer compared to controls. Persistent hyper gamma-globulinemia of the affected heifer appeared to be associated with enhanced mRNA expression for IL-6 and its serum levels. These findings suggest that humoral immunity of the affected heifer is activated and the production of neutrophils appears to be enhanced under the incapability of beta(2) integrin-mediated functions of phagocytic cells.     

Influence of antibiotics used as feed additives on the immune effect of erysipelas live vaccine in swine

To investigate the influence of antibiotics used as feed additives on the immune response to erysipelas live vaccine, the pig inoculation test was applied. Avilamycin, oxytetracycline quaternary salt, enramycin, virginiamycin and tylosin phosphate were selected as test antibiotics. Five experimental feeds containing each antibiotic at the highest concentration permitted for feed additives in Japan, and the basal diet lacking antibiotics were examined. Twenty-nine pigs were divided into six groups. At first all the groups were fed with the antibiotic-free basal diet for 7 days, and then each group received the experimental feeds. On the 14th day after feeding with test feeds all the pigs, except for one control pig in each group, were immunized with the vaccine and all the pigs were then challenge-exposed to a virulent strain of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae 14 days after vaccination. The clinical response was observed every day for 14 days. In all the groups, most of the vaccinated pigs did not develop any clinical signs of acute erysipelas after the challenge exposure, whereas non-vaccinated control pigs died or showed severe generalized erythema with profound depression and anorexia. No differences in the protection against the challenge exposure were observed among the groups. Therefore, the present results suggest that these selected antibiotics would not interfere with the immune effect of the vaccine if given at the usual concentrations used for feed additives.     

Production of transgenic rabbits using centrifuged pronuclear zygotes

Superovulation of female rabbits was induced by subcutaneous injection(s) of porcine FSH. Zygotes were recovered 17 to 19 hr after hCG injection and were classified into two categories under a microscope equipped with Nomarski interference-contrast optics at x 200 magnification: (A) zygotes with clearly visible pronuclei, or (B) zygotes with visualized pronuclei after 10 min centrifugation at 12,000 x g. No significant difference between strains was found in the proportion of category-A zygotes (JW 72.6% vs NZW 79.3%). Pronuclei of category-A zygotes were located in the center of the cytoplasm, and the pronuclei of category-B zygotes were slightly moved by centrifugation toward the mass of cytoplasmic lipid droplets. Exogenous DNA solution (5 microg/ml of fusion gene composed of bovine alphaS1-casein promoter and human growth hormone structural gene) was microinjected into the pronucleus of the JW zygotes. The pronucleus of category-A zygotes with a mean volume of 7.4 pl swelled up to 16.6 pl (132% increase), while that of category-B zygotes with a mean volume of 6.1 pl swelled up to 15.9 pl (148% increase). Nevertheless, similar proportions of category-A and category-B zygotes developed into offspring after transfer to recipient females (11.1 and 11.2%, respectively). The efficiency to produce hGH-carrying transgenic rabbits was 0.9% (2/235) from category-A zygotes and 0.5% (1/215) from category-B zygotes (P>0.05). To date, transgenic rabbits have been produced without centrifugation of pronuclear zygotes. However approximately 25% of fertilized rabbit zygotes can be used for DNA microinjection after they have been centrifuged to visualize their pronuclei.