Effects of isoprothiolane and phytosterol on adipocyte metabolism and fatty acid composition of serum and tissue lipids in rats.

Isoprothiolane at a dose of 250 mg/kg or phytosterol 50 mg/kg was orally administered to rats once a day for 2 weeks. Basal [U-14C]glucose conversion rate to total lipids in isolated adipocytes of the rats was significantly decreased by treatment with isoprothiolane (54%) or phytosterol (82%). Adipocytes from the rats with isoprothiolane released less glycerol than those from control rats only at an epinephrine concentration of 10 microM. The serum level of total cholesterol was depressed by phytosterol ingestion. The level of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) was increased by isoprothiolane. Desaturation in fatty acid composition of phospholipid or cholesterol ester was observed in serum, liver and adipose tissue of the rats treated with either drug. These results suggest that either drug may have common effects by preventing lipid deposition into adipocytes and accelerating fatty acid desaturation in tissue lipids.     

Renal effects of medetomidine in isoflurane-anesthetized dogs with special reference to its diuretic action

Renal effects of the selective alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist, medetomidine, were investigated in anesthetized dogs. Animals were administered medetomidine 20 and 40 microg/kg intravenously (IV) and 80 mug/kg intramuscularly (IM) or 1 ml of saline IV. Urine and blood samples were collected before and at 30, 60, 90 and 120 min following medetomidine injection. Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), renal blood flow (RBF), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), urine volume (U(v)), urine osmolality (U(osm)), free water clearance (C(H2O)), fractional clearance of sodium (F(Na)), plasma osmolality (P(osm)), plasma glucose levels and plasma antidiuretic hormone (ADH) concentrations were measured. The results showed that IV administration of medetomidine initially increased MABP 5-15 min followed by long-lasting decrease. The initial hypertension was not observed after IM administration, which was accompanied by a more profound hypotensive effects. RBF, GFR, U(v), C(H2O) increased after IV injection and decreased after IM. Medetomidine increased FNa and Posm and decreased U(osm). Plasma glucose levels initially increased and subsequently decreased. Plasma ADH concentration was decreased by IV injection but increased by IM administration. Our data imply that: 1) IV administration of medetomidine at dose rates of 20 and 40 microg/kg results in profound diuresis up to 2 hr; 2) Suppression of ADH release from the CNS is one of the mechanisms of medetomidine-induced diuresis although it may not be the principal one.     

Epidemiological survey of Babesia gibsoni infection in dogs in eastern Japan

To determine the distribution of Babesia gibsoni infection in dogs in the eastern part of Japan, an epidemiological survey of dogs suspected of having B. gibsoni infection was attempted using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Thirty-five of 115 such dogs (30.4%) were positive by PCR and/or ELISA. The 35 positive dogs consisted of 28 Tosa dogs, 4 American Pit Bull Terriers, and 3 mongrel dogs in Aomori, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Gunma, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Nagano Prefectures. The positive dogs had a significantly lower rate of tick exposure and a higher rate of bites by other dogs. Twenty-two of 35 B. gibsoni-positive dogs were infected with hemoplasma, and the rate of infection was significantly higher than that of B. gibsoni-negative dogs.     

Suppressive effect of deoxynivalenol, a Fusarium mycotoxin, on bovine and porcine neutrophil chemiluminescence: an in vitro study

We evaluated the immunotoxicity of deoxynivalenol (DON), a Fusarium mycotoxin, on bovine and porcine neutrophils in vitro by using two function parameters, luminol-dependent chemiluminescence and random migration under agarose. A 2-hr DON treatment suppressed the chemiluminescence of bovine and porcine cells by 42% and 35% (on average) at 10(-5)M, and by 19% and 26% at 10(-6)M. Slight suppression was observed at concentrations lower than 10(-6)M. However, after an 18-hr DON treatment, random migration of neutrophils of both species remained unaffected, even at the highest concentration (10(-5)M). Although further extensive studies are needed, to our knowledge this is the first study to have revealed in vitro that DON can affect neutrophil function.     

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of canine chromogranin A by use of immunological cross-reactivity of rabbit anti-bovine chromogranin A antibody

Bovine and canine chromogranin A were extracted and purified from each specie's adrenal glands. Isolated bovine 70 kDa protein showed 100% identity to bovine CgA reported previously, whereas isolated canine 68 kDa protein showed 83.3% identity to bovine CgA by the NH(2)-terminal amino acid sequence analysis. Rabbit antibody to purified bovine protein (CgA) was found to immunologically cross-reacted with purified canine protein (CgA). In sandwich ELISA with anti-bovine CgA, concentration-dependent curves were obtained ranging from 0.3 to 20 mug/ml for canine CgA. From these findings, sandwich ELISA with anti-bovine CgA is found to be useful to determine the concentration of canine CgA.     

B-cell immunoblastic lymphoma with multinucleated giant cells in a cat

A 10-year-old male mixed breed cat died after six months history of intermittent vomiting and weight loss. At necropsy, large white-colored foci were found in both kidneys, and whitish thickening of the gastric wall was present at the pyloric part of the stomach. Histopathological examination revealed that both lesions consisted of proliferation of large-sized neoplastic lymphocytes intermingled with multinucleated giant cells. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells were positive for both B-cell antigen receptor complex (CD 79 alpha cy) and MHC class II, although multinucleated giant cells were negative. The present case was diagnosed as B-cell immunoblastic lymphoma with multinucleated giant cells.     

Comparison of the prevalence of Salmonella infection in layer hens from commercial layer farms with high and low rodent densities

A comparison on the prevalence of Salmonella infection in layer hens from commercial layer farms with high and low rodent densities was investigated. Out of 280 laying hens sampled from three commercial layer farms with high rodent densities, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis (Salmonella Enteritidis) was isolated from 20 (7.14%) hens and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Infantis (Salmonella Infantis) from three (1.07%) hens. In contrast, layer hens sampled from four commercial layer farms with low rodent densities were negative for any salmonellae. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in the isolation rates of Salmonella from various organs of infected layer hens were also noted. For Salmonella Enteritidis, liver (55.0%) and the oviduct (55.0%) had the highest isolation rates while all Salmonella Infantis isolates were from the oviduct. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of BlnI-digested chromosomal DNA of Salmonella Enteritidis isolated from layer hens and rodents showed similar patterns. PFGE analysis of Salmonella Infantis isolated from layer hens, rodents, eggs, and the environment yielded identical patterns. In this study, the significantly higher prevalence rate (P < 0.05) of Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Infantis in layer hens from high rodent density farms could be attributed to the high rodent population density. The persistent Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Infantis infection inside layer houses may have been amplified by the increasing numbers in the rodent population over the years, which increased the opportunity for environment-rodent-chicken interaction and the transmission of salmonellae to chickens. Monitoring of salmonellae from rodents inside poultry premises is recommended to be an effective additional tool in the assessment of the Salmonella status of layer flocks.     

Porcine MHC classical class I genes are coordinately expressed in superantigen-activated mononuclear cells

The expression of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) classical class I genes is important for the adaptive immune response to target virus-infected cells and cancer cells. The up-regulation of the MHC is achieved by hormonal/cytokine signals including IFN-γ-inducible elements. The swine leukocyte antigen (SLA), the MHC class I region of pigs, consists of the duplicated classical class I genes, SLA-1, SLA-2 and SLA-3, but the molecular mechanisms involved in their up-regulation after T cell stimulation have not been fully elucidated. In order to better understand some of the putative regulatory mechanisms of SLA class I gene expression in activated T cells, we examined the coordinated expression of the SLA classical class I, IFN-γ and interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) genes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of SLA homozygous Clawn miniature swine stimulated for 72h with either IFN-γ or an enterotoxin produced by Staphylococcus aureus. This enterotoxin, toxic shock syndrome-1 (TSST-1), is known to act as a superantigen (sAG) to activate the T cells in various vertebrate species. We showed by using mAbs and flow cytometry that the CD4(+)CD25(+) cell number of swine PBMCs was also increased by TSST-1 and to a lesser degree by IFN-γ. Time course analyses of the expression of the IFN-γ, IRF-1 and the three classical class I genes, SLA-1, SLA-2, and SLA-3, in PBMCs by quantitative real-time PCR revealed a transitory response to TSST-1 or IFN-γ stimulation. The IFN-γ mRNA levels in the PBMCs were continuously up-regulated over the first 48h by TSST-1 or IFN-γ. In contrast, SLA class I expression moderately increased at 24h and then decreased to a baseline level or less at 72h of IFN-γ or TSST-1 stimulation. The three classical SLA class I genes showed similar expression kinetics, although SLA-3 mRNA level was consistently lower than those of SLA-1 and -2. The expression of IRF-1, a modulator of SLA expression, showed similar kinetics to those of the three classical SLA class I genes. The expression profiles detected by flow cytometry of the SLA molecules on the cell surface of PBMCs were maintained at a consistently high level during cell stimulation with either TSST-1 or IFN-γ, which was distinct from the kinetics of mRNA expression. These results showed that miniature swine SLA class I mRNA expression was effectively and equally up-regulated among the three loci and coordinately with IRF-1 gene expression after stimulation of T cell activation by sAG or IFN-γ.