Intra- and interlaboratory variability of allergen-specific IgE levels in atopic dogs in three different laboratories using the Fc-ɛ receptor testing

The IgE specific Fc-? receptor test is widely used for serological evaluation of allergic canine patients. Aim of the study was to evaluate intra- and interlaboratory variability in three independent laboratories. Duplicate serum aliquots from 15 atopic dogs were submitted simultaneously to 3 laboratories (LA, LB, LC), which subsequently performed the test in a blinded fashion. LA and LC analysed sera for 35 allergens and expressed the results as optical density units (OD), while LB analysed 15 allergens and provided reaction grades (RG). Results were compared with three factorial ANOVA. Intralaboratory variability was evaluated by calculating the dispersion factor for data of LA and LC and standard deviation (SD) for LB. Correlation coefficients (r) were used to evaluate interlaboratory variability. Depending on the allergens, intralaboratory dispersion factor for LA and LC varied from 1.15 to 6.63 and 1.19 to 6.17, respectively. In LB the SD varied between 0 and 0.6 RG. Regarding interlaboratory variability, correlation of OD values between LA and LC was excellent (r > 0.8, p < 0.001) for 13 of 35 allergens. There was a significant difference in OD results for 9 allergens. The results were significantly correlated (r > 0.8, p < 0.001) for all except 3 allergens (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, mixed grasses, nettle). As far as negative/positive results were concerned, intralaboratory differences were 3.14% and interlaboratory differences were 4.76%.     

Retrospective evaluation of episodic collapse in the horse in a referred population: 25 cases (1995-2009)

Background: Episodic collapse in horses has equine welfare and human safety implications. There are, however, no published case series describing this syndrome. Objectives: To characterize the cause and outcomes for horses referred for investigation of episodic collapse. Animals: Twenty‐five horses referred for investigation of single or multiple episodes of collapse. Methods: Retrospective study. Clinical records from the Dick Vet Equine Hospital, University of Edinburgh from November 1995 to July 2009 were searched using the following keywords: collapse, collapsing, fall, syncope. Collapse was defined as an incident in which the horse lost postural tone with or without progression to recumbency and with or without loss of consciousness. Long‐term follow‐up information was obtained by telephone conversation with the owner. Results: A final diagnosis was reached in 11 cases, namely cardiac arrhythmia (4), right‐sided heart failure (1), hypoglycemia (2), generalized seizures (2), and sleep disorder (2). A presumptive diagnosis was reached in 8 cases, namely neurocardiogenic syncope (5), exercise‐induced pulmonary hemorrhage (2), and generalized seizures (1). No diagnosis was reached in 6 cases despite comprehensive investigations. Three horses were euthanized at presentation. Treatment was attempted in 9 horses with 6 cases having successful outcome before discharge. Follow‐up information was available for 14 of 19 horses discharged from the hospital. Only 1 of these horses was observed to collapse after discharge. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Definitive diagnosis was more likely to be reached in cases with multiple episodes of collapse. Horses in which 1 episode of collapse occurred did not necessarily collapse again.     

Sulphadimidine metabolism in vitro: I. sex differences in acetylation and hydroxylation in cultured rat hepatocytes

The hydroxylation and acetylation of 0.5 mM sulphadimidine (SDD) was studied in primary cultures of hepatocytes from male and female rats, and from castrated male and sham operated male rats. In addition, SDD metabolism was investigated in hepatocytes from castrated male rats treated with testosterone, prior to liver cell isolation. In male rat hepatocytes a significantly higher hydroxylation activity was observed than in hepatocytes from female and castrated male rats. Acetylation activity was higher in females. Testosterone induced hydroxylation but did not affect acetylation. These results correlate well with data from previous in vivo studies, showing the relevance of this in vitro model.     

Antiapoptotic activity of bovine herpesvirus type-1 (BHV-1) UL14 protein

Viruses have evolved different strategies to interfere with apoptotic pathways in order to halt cellular responses to infection. One previous study showed that transient transfection of bovine herpesvirus type-1 (BHV-1) UL14 protein is efficient in protecting Madin Darby kidney (MDBK) and human chronic myelogenous leukemia (K562) cells from sorbitol-induced apoptosis. This protein corresponds to a putative protein of BHV-1, which shares aminoacid sequence with a part of the peptide-binding domain conserved in human heat shock protein (HSP70) family. The pBK-CMV-UL14 plasmid transfected MDBK cells treated with sorbitol did not show caspase-3 and caspase-9 activation with respect to non-transfected MDBK cells (UL14 negative). Furthermore, we report that the expression of the full length sequence of BHV-1 UL14 is evident after 7 h of infection of BHV-1 on MDBK cells which were then treated with sorbitol. These results indicate that UL14 gene product has important implications to enhance cell survival in response to apoptotic stimuli.