Comparative lipid and lipoprotein metabolism

This review summarizes a number of recent reports in several areas of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. Absorption of dietary lipids, cholesterol synthesis, and biliary cholesterol metabolism are mentioned only briefly to be complete. Comparative aspects of lipoprotein metabolism, however, are detailed in an effort to integrate the myriad metabolic events which characterize these important lipid transport particles. Where comparative information is known, those aspects of lipoprotein metabolism that may be protective against atherogenesis in certain mammalian species are also described. Efforts to understand atherogenic resistance comparatively in animals lends a better understanding of the metabolic events leading to coronary artery disease in humans. They also provide an important basis for understanding lipid metabolism in numerous veterinary species.     

Effects of immune challenge on concentrations of serum insulin-like growth factor-I and growth performance in pigs

This study was designed to determine the long-term effects of repeated endotoxin treatment or immunization against human serum albumin on concentrations of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and other indicators of growth performance in growing pigs. Thirty gilts (38.5 +/- 0.9 kg) were randomly assigned to 5 treatment groups (n = 6 animals/group): 1) lipopolysaccharide injections, 2) lipopolysaccharide pair-fed, 3) human serum albumin immunization, 4) human serum albumin pair-fed, and 5) control. Pigs in the lipopolysaccharide group were treated intramuscularly with lipopolysaccharide on Days 0-3. The pigs in the human serum albumin group were immunized with human serum albumin emulsified in Freund's adjuvant on Day 0 and administered a booster on Day 28. The lipopolysaccharide pair-fed pigs were matched by body weight and pair-wise fed with pigs treated with lipopolysaccharide. Similarly, human serum albumin pair-fed pigs were matched to human serum albumin immunized pigs. Serum IGF-I concentrations did not differ between or within groups. There was no difference in feed disappearance between groups prior to the initiation of treatments. The lipopolysaccharide group had a decrease (P = 0.013) in feed disappearance on Day 0 compared with control and human serum albumin groups. On Day 1, both lipopolysaccharide and human serum albumin groups differed (P < 0.05) from control. Average daily gain and total weight gain did not differ between groups; however, feed efficiency differed (P < 0.05) between lipopolysaccharide and control groups. Long-term effects of repeated endotoxin challenge or immunization on IGF-I concentrations and growth were not evident in the present study. This failure presumably was due to the development of endotoxin tolerance and a relatively innocuous vaccination against human serum albumin.     

Comparison of methods to assess dog owners' therapeutic compliance

Objective To compare different methods for assessing the compliance of veterinary clients administering medication to their dogs.
Procedure Thirty-one owners whose dogs were prescribed amoxycillin-clavulanate, twice and thrice daily, for a duration of five to seven days were recruited from three Sydney veterinary hospitals. Compliance was assessed by electronic monitoring devices, return medication counts, client self-reports and veterinarians' estimation of likely compliance.
Results Electronic monitoring showed owners administered on average 84% (range 7 to 104%) of prescribed medication to their dogs. Both return medication counts and client self-reports tended to overestimate therapeutic compliance when compared with electronic monitoring. When questioned, the majority of owners (71%) claimed perfect compliance with the prescribed regimen. No correlation was found between veterinarians' estimates of owner compliance and that assessed electronically.
Conclusion Electronic monitoring provided valuable information on dose timing and variation, but proved costly and difficult to employ in veterinary practice. Simplicity and low cost of return medication counts makes this method attractive for use in veterinary compliance studies. Client self-reports reliably detected some noncompliers and permitted identification of individual problems or errors. For practical purposes a combination of return medication counts and client self-reports may have merit in future veterinary compliance studies.     

Use of Degenerate Primers in a RT-PCR Assay for the Identification and Analysis of Some Filamentous Viruses, with Special Reference to Clostero- and Vitiviruses of the Grapevine

RT-PCR with degenerate primers was used for the screening of the genome of some members of the Closterovirus, Vitivirus and Trichovirus genera. Two sets of primers, targeted to conserved sequences of the heat shock protein 70 homologue of closteroviruses or to the RNA dependent RNA polymerase genes of tricho- and vitiviruses, amplified the expected fragments from total RNA extracts or double-stranded RNAs of infected plants. Amplified cDNAs were cloned, sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. Results support the allocation of grapevine viruses A, B, D and heracleum latent virus (HLV) in the genus Vitivirus, whereas, the detection of a HSP70 homologue in grapevine leafroll-associated viruses agrees with their assignment in the genus Closterovirus. The use of degenerate primers for the identification of grapevine viruses belonging to Vitivirus and Closterovirus genera is envisaged.     

Kisspeptin,c‐Fos and CRFR Type 2 Co‐expression in the Hypothalamus after Insulin‐Induced Hypoglycaemia

Normal reproductive function is dependent upon availability of glucose and insulin‐induced hypoglycaemia is a metabolic stressor known to disrupt the ovine oestrous cycle. We have recently shown that IIH has the ability to delay the LH surge of intact ewes. In the present study, we examined brain tissue to determine: (i) which hypothalamic regions are activated with respect to IIH and (ii) the effect of IIH on kisspeptin cell activation and CRFR type 2 immunoreactivity, all of which may be involved in disruptive mechanisms. Follicular phases were synchronized with progesterone vaginal pessaries and at 28 h after progesterone withdrawal (PW), animals received saline (n = 6) or insulin (4 IU/kg; n = 5) and were subsequently killed at 31 h after PW (i.e., 3 h after insulin administration). Peripheral hormone concentrations were evaluated, and hypothalamic sections were immunostained for either kisspeptin and c‐Fos (a marker of neuronal activation) or CRFR type 2. Within 3 h of treatment, cortisol concentrations had increased whereas plasma oestradiol concentrations decreased in peripheral plasma (p < 0.05 for both). In the arcuate nucleus (ARC), insulin‐treated ewes had an increased expression of c‐Fos. Furthermore, the percentage of kisspeptin cells co‐expressing c‐Fos increased in the ARC (from 11 to 51%; p < 0.05), but there was no change in the medial pre‐optic area (mPOA; 14 vs 19%). CRFR type 2 expression in the lower part of the ARC and the median eminence was not altered by insulin treatment. Thus, disruption of the LH surge after IIH in the follicular phase is not associated with decreased kisspeptin cell activation or an increase in CRFR type 2 in the ARC but may involve other cell types located in the ARC nucleus which are activated in response to IIH.