Brown spider envenomation

The venom from spiders of the genus Loxosceles, the most famous being Loxosceles recluse (the most brown recluse spider) can cause serious poisoning. These spiders inhabit the south and south central states from Georgia through Texas and north to southern Wisconsin. They are commonly called violin spiders because of the violin-shaped marking on the dorsum of the cephalothorax. Many dermonecrotic lesions are incorrectly diagnosed as Brown recluse bites, as up to 50% of the diagnoses are in geographic regions of the country which do not have Loxosceles spiders. Sphingomyelinase D is the primary venom dermonecrotic factor. The toxin depletes serum hemolytic complement, prolongs the activated partial thromboplastin time and depletes clotting factors VIII, IX, XI, and XII. The venom induces rapid coagulation and occlusion of small capillaries, causing subsequent tissue necrosis. A classic "bulls eye" lesion develops, an erythematous area inside of which is a pale ischemic region that develops a dark necrotic center as the lesion matures. Healing is slow, and these ulcers may persist for months leaving a deep scar. Systemic signs occur less commonly but can be life threatening. The most prevalent sign is a hemolytic anemia with significant hemoglobinuria. There is no specific antidote. Dapsone a leukocyte inhibitor has been shown to be effective in treating dermal lesions in animal models. Conservative therapy includes several cleanings daily with Burrow's solution and hydrogen peroxide. Systemic signs of Loxosceles envenomation are potentially fatal and should be aggressively addressed. Hospitalization and intravenous fluid therapy may be needed to maintain adequate hydration and to protect renal function.     

Effect of Helicobacter pylori on apoptosis of SGC-7901 in vitro

AIM: To investigate if apoptosis of gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 could be induced by alive H. pylori in vitro. METHODS: The effect of H. pylori on cell apoptosis were estimated by Hoechst 33258 fluorochrome staining, flow cytometry and transmission electron microscope (TEM). RESULTS: Hoechst 33258 fluorochrome staining and flow cytometry presented a similar result:cell apoptosis rate of 3.2×10⁷ CFU/L and control group had no significant difference(P>0.05); when concentration of H. pylori≥1 6×10⁸ CFU/L, apoptosis rate increased in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.01); TEM showed some apoptosis-like morphologic changes: (1) irregular accumulation of nuclear chromatin and protrusive nuclear membrane with finger-protrusion; (2) condensing cytoplasm forming apoptotic body. CONCLUSION: H. pylori could induce apoptosis of gastric epithelial cell in vitro.     

Histologic evaluation of the immediate effects of diamond burr debridement in experimental superficial corneal wounds in dogs

Purpose To evaluate the corneal changes immediately after diamond burr debridement of superficial corneal wounds in dogs. Spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCEDs) are the most common form of canine recurrent corneal ulcers. The diamond burr has been used in the management of corneal lesions in humans since 1983. Recently, it has been successfully used in the treatment of SCCEDs in dogs; however, little has been documented as to its mechanism of action. Methods Five adult female research dogs euthanized for reasons unrelated to the study were included, providing 10 normal eyes. An excimer laser spatula was used for epithelial removal after delineation with an 8 mm punch biopsy trephine. Diamond burr debridement was performed for 30 and 45 s in five eyes each (groups 1 and 2 respectively). The procedure was performed on the ventral half of the experimental defect as well as ventral normal cornea, immediately after euthanasia, and prior to enucleation. Samples were processed routinely for histologic evaluation and stained with periodic acid–Schiff. Results No stromal defects could be identified under light microscopy. In experimental corneal wounds, multi‐focal areas remained covered by the epithelial basement membrane (BM) after diamond burr treatment in both groups (group 1 = 48%±16SD, group 2 = 26%±12SD). Removal of BM on group 2 was significantly higher than group 1 (P < 0.05). Conclusions The diamond burr allows a safe method of debridement and does not create defects beyond the epithelial BM in corneal wounds in normal dogs. Evaluation of the diamond burr debridement in cases of SCCEDs is warranted.     

Evaluation of ultrasonography for measuring solar soft tissue thickness as a predictor of sole ulcer formation in Holstein–Friesian dairy cows

The aim of this research was to investigate the correlation between the thickness of solar soft tissue (SST; i.e. the corium and subcutaneous tissue) in early lactation and sole ulcer formation in late lactation. Fifty Holstein–Friesian cows were examined three times: (1) 30 days after calving (locomotion scoring, trimming, claw examination, measurement of SST); (2) 70 days after calving (locomotion scoring); and (3) 180 days after calving (locomotion scoring, trimming, claw examination).SST thickness was measured using an 8 MHz linear probe, at two points (SST1 below the apex of the pedal bone, and SST2 below the flexor tubercle). Mean values for SST1 and SST2 were 3.26 ± 0.43 mm and 4.35 ± 0.46 mm, respectively; the two measures were positively correlated (r = 0.95, P < 0.001). At 180 days after calving, a sole ulcer was diagnosed in 12/50 cows (24%). Cows with a thinner SST had a higher risk of developing sole ulcers than those with a thicker SST. The optimal cut-off values of SST1 and SST2 in predicting cows with sole ulcers (as calculated by ROC analysis) was ?3 mm for SST1 and ?3.9 mm for SST2. The relative risk of a sole ulcer developing, based on those cut-off values was 4.25 (95 CI, 1.77–24.88) for SST1 ? 3 mm and 3.63 (95 CI, 1.18–10.8) for SST2 ? 3.9 mm.     

大鼠实验性胃溃疡自愈期间脾脏TFF3 mRNA的变化

目的探讨大鼠试验性胃溃疡自愈期间脾脏中肠三叶因子(intestinal trefoil factor,TFF3)基因的表达和变化。方法胃前壁胃黏膜下注射冰乙酸制备大鼠胃溃疡模型,原位杂交技术(ISH)检测正常组(6只)、盐水组(28只)和溃疡组(35只)雄性大鼠脾脏TFF3 mRNA的表达。结果 TFF3 mRNA阳性反应物呈灰蓝色颗粒状分布于细胞胞质中;TFF3 mRNA在正常组和盐水组大鼠脾脏中表达较弱;在溃疡组明显升高(P<0.05或P<0.01﹚。1～6d阳性细胞数密度逐渐增高,6d达到峰值,10～23d逐渐下降,但维持在较高水平;2d、4d和6d阳性细胞数密度与正常组和盐水组相比明显增高(P<0.01)。结论脾脏可以通过自身合成TFF3发挥作用在胃溃疡大鼠脾脏中呈高水平表达,推测可通过提高机体免疫反应性及促进胃溃疡愈合。     

Measurement of Carbonic Anhydrase I and II Isozymes in Feces as a Marker of Occult Blood in Horses with Intestinal Tract Bleeding

Although endoscopy is the definitive diagnostic method for the detection of colonic ulcers, the equipment required for performing the test is costly and difficult to use. Therefore, a simple cost-effective and reliable screening test for intestinal tract bleeding is needed. To this end, we measured carbonic anhydrase isozymes (CA-I and CA-II) originating from erythrocytes by ELISA in order to determine if they could be used as markers of occult blood in feces. For fecal extract preparation, 2 g of feces were mixed with 4 ml of 0.01 M Tris-HCl (pH 8.0) containing 0.01% thimerosal. The concentrations of CA-I and CA-II in the fecal samples of 13 clinically normal racehorses were found to be 30.0 ± 10.0 and 34.0 ± 13.0 ng/ml, respectively. Increased concentrations of CA-I were detected in the fecal samples of 5 horses after blood administration; however, no increase was observed in CA-II. The concentrations of CA-I and CA-II in the fecal samples of 88 racehorses with clinical signs of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) were 115.3 ± 79.0 and 41.0 ± 42.0 ng/ml, respectively. Thus, our results indicate that CA isozymes can be useful as markers of occult blood in the fecal samples of horses with intestinal tract bleeding.