Interaction of clarithromycin with cyclosporine in cats: pharmacokinetic study and case report

Clarithromycin (CLM) has been known to increase the cyclosporine (CsA) trough levels in human transplant patients. However, the interaction of CLM with CsA has not been reported in cats. In this study, the effects of oral dosing of CLM on the pharmacokinetics and dosing of CsA in cats were investigated. Co-administration of CLM with CsA resulted in significant increases of oral bioavailability of CsA. In addition, CLM reduced the CsA dosage required to maintain the therapeutic CsA trough levels to almost 35% of the initial CsA therapy and the dose frequency was successfully replaced from a twice a day schedule to once a day in a feline kidney transplant patient. The addition of CLM to the regular CsA-based immunosuppression could be used as an effective alternative to classical ketoconazole treatment in feline kidney transplant patients and may result in substantial cost saving and convenience for the cat owners.     

Performance and carbon turnover in fast- and slow-growing broilers submitted to cyclic heat stress and fed on high-protein diets

1. Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that when using similar protein/amino acid diets and environment temperature conditions, the performance and carbon turnover in muscle and liver tissues, as measured by the incorporation of stable isotopes (¹³C/¹²C), must be different between fast-growing Cobb 500® and slow-growing Label Rouge broilers.

2. For both experiments (Cobb and Label Rouge), 21-d-old birds were distributed in a completely randomised, 3 × 3 factorial design; three environmental temperatures (cyclic heat stress ad libitum, 22°C ad libitum, and 22°C restricted) and three crude protein concentrations (189.1, 210 and 220 g/kg CP) were used.

3. The Cobb 500® had better performance with higher concentrations of crude protein. Cyclic heat stress (a temperature factor), negatively affected this genetic strain’s performance. For the Label Rouge birds, the crude protein concentrations in the diet presented inconsistent results and cyclic heat stress did not affect the performance.

4. The carbon turnover rate was affected in the Cobb 500® strain, with a high protein content reducing carbon turnover in the evaluated tissues (liver and muscles). Feed intake had a greater impact on carbon turnover rates than cyclic heat stress. The Label Rouge birds were not affected by the evaluated factors, suggesting that genetic improvement has a leading role on tissue carbon turnover.

5. There is a genetic influence on carbon turnover in the liver and muscle tissues of broiler chickens. In addition, genetically fast-growing broilers are more susceptible to variations in diet composition and environmental temperature than less rapidly growing animals.

     

Variations in food abundance for Japanese sardine larvae related to the Kuroshio meander

Long-term fluctuations of chlorophyll a concentration, and abundance of herbivorous or omnivorous small copepods during the spawning season of the Japanese sardine, Sardinops melanosticta , were examined in relation to the types of Kuroshio meander. The purpose was to clarify the influence of the meander on the production of food organisms for the sardine larvae and their survival in the Pacific coastal region of central Japan. During an A-type meander of the Kuroshio, when the offshore and inshore movements of the Kuroshio path were small except at the beginning of the meander, the surface chlorophyll a concentration in the coastal region was lower than that during a non-A-type meander with frequent and prompt fluctuations of the Kuroshio path. The abundance of small copepods was also low during the A-type meander except in the subsequent spring just after the beginning of an A-type meander, but often high during the non-A-type meander. Prompt fluctuations of the Kuroshio path during the non-A-type meander probably cause local upwellings which stimulate primary and secondary production near the Kuroshio, and may enhance the survival of the sardine larvae. On the contrary, the quasi-stationary state of an A-type meander may be unfavourable for the production of phytoplankton and nauplii of herbivorous or omnivorous small copepods, and therefore the survival of the sardine larvae becomes poor.