OBJECTIVE To describe concentration-over-time data for ampicillin and sulbactam in the digital and systemic circulations and synovial fluid (SYN) of cattle following a single injection of ampicillin-sulbactam as a regional IV perfusion (RIVP). ANIMALS 6 healthy adult nonlactating Jersey-crossbred cows. PROCEDURES The right hind limb of each cow was aseptically prepared. A tourniquet was applied around the midmetatarsal region, and 1.0 g of ampicillin with 0.5 g of sulbactam in a combined formulation was administered as an RIVP into the dorsal common digital vein (DCDV). Blood samples from the DCDV and jugular vein and SYN samples from the metatarsophalangeal joint of the prepared limb were collected immediately before and at predetermined times for 24 hours after RIVP. One blood sample was obtained from the abaxial proper plantar vein of the lateral digit of the prepared limb 0.25 hours after RIVP. Serum and SYN ampicillin and sulbactam concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS Mean ± SD maximum concentration of ampicillin in SYN and serum obtained from the abaxial proper plantar and jugular veins was 1,995 ± 1,011 μg/mL, 5,422 ± 1,953 μg/mL, and 2.5 ± 1.6 μg/mL, respectively. Corresponding serum and SYN concentrations of sulbactam were lower but followed the same pattern over time as those for ampicillin. Synovial fluid ampicillin concentration remained above 8 μg/mL for a mean time of 18.9 hours. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Potentially therapeutic concentrations of ampicillin were achieved in regional serum and SYN samples; SYN concentrations remained at potentially therapeutic values for > 12 hours following RIVP of 1.5 g of ampicillin-sulbactam in the hind limb of healthy cows.

Eighty-six Escherichia coli strains from feces of either wild brown bears or those living in a zoo were screened for phylogenetic groups using the revisited Clermont phylotyping method and the prevalence of 24 virulence-associated genes (VAGs) of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC). Our results showed that most strains of E. coli in bears belonged to phylogenetic groups III/IV/V (29%) and B1 (26%). Only half of the tested VAGs were found in the E. coli bear strains, with fimH present in 72%, ompT in 63%, and kpsMT in 43% of the strains. When the data obtained on the fecal E. coli strains from brown bears were compared with the data obtained on 90 fecal E. coli strains from healthy humans, there were significant differences in E. coli population structures between both hosts.

Mitral valve disease and dilated cardiomyopathy are common acquired cardiac diseases in dogs. Standard echocardiography is commonly used on dogs to non-invasively evaluate myocardial function. The aim of this prospective study was to provide results about variabilities of peak systolic radial strain and strain rate at the level of the papillary muscles using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in a population of healthy and dogs with cardiologic disorders. Study Groups of A and B consisted of 3 dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy and 4 dogswith valve disease, respectively. Control Group (C) consisted of 7 healthy dogs. These dogs were presented forcardiac screening at the Veterinary Medical Hospital of Ankara University in Turkey and were analyzedretrospectively. It is revealed that for strain evaluation, Group A was significantly (P<0.05) different from Group C andGroup B. According to the literature, this is the first study from Turkey where speckle trackingechocardiography is used to assess the left ventricular function of Turkish Kangal dogs with naturally occurringdilated cardiomyopathy and mitral valve disease. Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography revealeddecreased left ventricular myocardial systolic performance in dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy compared withstrain levels of healthy dogs and dogs with valve disease.

The aim of this study was to compare serum nitrotyrosine concentrations in healthy dogs with those in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Fifty client-owned dogs were included in this study. Based on echocardiographic results, dogs were categorized into healthy (control), mild-, moderate-, and severe-MMVD groups. Serum nitrotyrosine concentrations were determined from enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. No significant difference between control dogs and dogs with mild MMVD was detected (p = 0.31). However, dogs with moderate MMVD had significantly higher serum concentrations of nitrotyrosine (p = 0.04) than that in controls, and dogs with severe MMVD had significantly lower serum concentrations of nitrotyrosine (p = 0.03) than that in moderate MMVD dogs. There were negative correlations in the association of serum nitrotyrosine with age (n = 30, R2= 0.067, p = 0.27), left atrial-to-aortic root diameter ratio (n = 30, R2= 0.02, p = 0.57), and platelet count (n = 30, R2= 0.39, p = 0.003); however, only the platelet correlation was significant. Among dogs with MMVD, there was no significant difference in serum nitrotyrosine concentration between males and females. The results of this study suggest that tyrosine nitration end-products might be potential biomarkers for the detection of MMVD in dogs.

This study investigated the effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccine on pig growth, carcass quality, and sensory perceptions of pork meat by Thai consumers. Male crossbred pigs (n = 30) were separated into three groups of 10 pigs each: boars, immunocastrated pigs, and surgically castrated pigs. The immunocastrated group was immunized at 13 and 19 weeks of age with GnRH vaccine (400 킽/dose). All pigs were slaughtered at 24 weeks of age. Blood samples were collected and testes size determined. Testes weight and back fat thickness were recorded at the time of slaughter, and meat samples were collected for sensory assessment by Thai consumers. Testosterone and progesterone concentration levels decreased significantly two weeks after the second dose of GnRH (p less than 0.05), and the GnRH antibody titer of the immunocastrated pigs was significantly high two weeks after the second dose of GnRH (p less than 0.05). GnRH vaccine significantly reduced the weight and size of testes. Thai consumers reported no significant differences in odor or flavor among meat samples from the three groups. In conclusion, immunocastration improved growth performance, removed the need for castration surgery, and avoided "boar taint" in the meat. It has also no distinct trace of the boar taint same as pork that is currently produced from physically castrated pig which is making it acceptable to consumers.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an important zoonosis caused by the mosquito-transmitted JE virus (JEV), which is a causative agent of reproductive failure in pregnant sows. Detection of JEV antibodies in swine is performed by hemagglutination inhibition (HI), virus neutralization (VN), and the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). The most stringent PRNT is the 90% endpoint PRNT (PRNT∧90). These conventional assays are difficult to carry out in diagnostic laboratories with insufficient instruments or cell culture systems. An alternative assay that is easily conducted and time efficient is required. In this study, we improved the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA) with clarified antigen for the detection of JEV antibodies. The I-ELISA results obtained from 175 swine serum samples were compared with HI, VN, and PRNT∧90 results. The sensitivity of I-ELISA was 91.8%, 95.0%, and 94.7% compared with HI, VN, and PRNT∧90 results, respectively. The specificity of I-ELISA was 92.2%, 94.7%, and 94.7% compared with HI, VN, and PRNT∧90 results, respectively. Moreover, the I-ELISA results were significantly correlated with the HI (r = 0.93), VN (r = 0.95), and PRN∧T90 (r = 0.92) results. These results suggest that the improved I-ELISA is useful for serosurveillance of JEV in swine.

This study investigated changes in certain blood parameters in calves and pigs after foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination. In this study, five calves and five pigs were selected from groups of 10 calves and pigs, respectively, and were vaccinated with an FMD vaccine. The remaining animals formed two non-treatment control groups. Blood samples were collected from all animals on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th days post-vaccination. In the FMD-vaccinated calves and pigs on day 7 post-vaccination, white blood cell counts, blood urea nitrogen levels, and alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities were higher than those in the respective controls. The present data suggested that the certain hemato-biochemical parameters on cattle and pigs were meaningfully changed between before and after FMD vaccination.

Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as tomato, is widely used in raw, cooked, or liquid forms because it contains nutritional compounds that are beneficial for human health, including carotenoids, lycopene, ascorbic acid, vitamins, and minerals. The tomato is perhaps the most widely studied fruit, especially with respect to its cardioprotective effects. In this study, we aimed to identify the anti-inflammatory mechanisms by which the tomato elicits its antiinflammatory properties. We treated murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells with a tomato ethanol extract and performed various biochemical assays including nitric oxide inhibition, cell viability, RNA extraction, expression of proinflammatory mediators and cytokines, and immunoblotting, as well we assessed cell survival rates. Our results have shown for the first time that a tomato ethanol extract treatment can suppress nitric oxide production in a dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity. Moreover, it inhibits the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines and elicits its anti-inflammatory effects via the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. In addition, administration of tomato syrup potently rescued mice from septic shock induced by lipopolysaccharide injection. Collectively, our results elucidate details regarding the antiinflammatory mechanisms of tomato.

The aim of this study was to examine normal bronchi in dogs by using virtual bronchoscopy (VB) and to evaluate the utility of VB in clinical practice. The bronchi of six dogs without tracheobronchial disease were visualized by VB. Airways from the tracheal bifurcation to the lobar bronchi were well visualized in all dogs. Segmental and subsegmental bronchi were also well identified, but the degree and number of those varied with dog size. The mean numbers of segmental and subsegmental bronchi identified in the six dogs were 41.83 and 50.17, respectively, whereas, the mean numbers in medium- and large-sized dogs were 55.00 and 82.67, respectively, and in small-sized dogs, the means were 28.67 and 17.67, respectively. Although there were size-dependent differences in VB visualization of the bronchi, it was possible to identify peripheral airways to the subsegmental bronchi level, which can rarely be accomplished via conventional bronchoscopy. VB is the noninvasive method that can be used to examine bronchial anatomy, and our results suggest that VB can be useful for evaluating bronchi, including segmental and subsegmental ones that cannot be examined routinely by conventional bronchoscopy. Thus, VB has potential as an alternative to conventional bronchoscopy in the examination of bronchi in dogs.

Bovine mastitis is an important microbial disease in the dairy industry. We investigated the frequencies of bacterial pathogens in 62 farms and pathogen antibiotic resistance from mastitis samples (n = 748). We tested the antimicrobial activity of chicken and duck egg white and lysozyme purified from chicken egg white. Moreover, we compared the microbiomes of normal and mastitic raw milk obtained by 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and culture methods. The results showed that the frequencies of Gram-positive pathogens (Enterococcus faecalis 37% and Staphylococcus aureus 36%) were higher than that of a Gram-negative pathogen (Escherichia coli 15%). Resistance frequencies to ampicillin and norfloxacin were lowest in Staphylococcus aureus (21%), Enterococcus faecalis (23%), and Escherichia coli (33%), and the antimicrobial activity of chicken egg white was higher than those of lysozyme and duck egg white. Pyrosequencing results revealed clear differences between the microbiomes of mastitic and normal raw milk samples and revealed a slightly similar, but clearly different, composition of pathogens compared to that from the culture method. Thus, pyrosequencing may be useful for elucidating changes in microbiomes during mastitis progression and treatment. A chicken egg white and antibiotic combination may help with mastitis treatment; however, further studies are needed.