Duration and magnitude of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression caused by daily oral administration of a glucocorticoid was investigated, using an anti-inflammatory dose of prednisone. Twelve healthy adult male dogs were given prednisone orally for 35 days (0.55 mg/kg of body weight, q 12 h), and a control group of 6 dogs was given gelatin capsule vehicle. Plasma cortisol (baseline and 2-hour post-ACTH administration) and plasma ACTH and cortisol (baseline and 30-minutes post corticotropin-releasing hormone [CRH] administration) concentrations were monitored biweekly during and after the 35-day treatment period. Baseline plasma ACTH and cortisol and post-ACTH plasma cortisol concentrations were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in treated vs control dogs after 14 days of oral prednisone administration. By day 28, baseline ACTH and cortisol concentrations remained significantly (P < 0.05) reduced and reserve function was markedly (P < 0.0001) reduced as evidenced by mean post-CRH ACTH, post-CRH cortisol, and post-ACTH cortisol concentrations in treated vs control dogs. Two weeks after termination of daily prednisone administration, significant difference between group means was not evident in baseline ACTH or cortisol values, post-CRH ACTH or cortisol values, or post-ACTH cortisol values, compared with values in controls. Results indicate complete hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis recovery 2 weeks after oral administration of an anti-inflammatory regimen of prednisone given daily for 5 weeks.

Hyperxanthinuria and xanthine uroliths have been recognized with increased frequency in dogs with ammonium urate uroliths that had been given allopurinol. We hypothesized that dietary modification might reduce the magnitude of uric acid and xanthine excretion in urine of dogs given allopurinol. To test this hypothesis, excretion of metabolites, volume, and pH were determined in 24-hour urine samples produced by 6 healthy Beagles during periods of allopurinol administration (15 mg/kg of body weight, PO, q 12 h) and consumption of 2 special purpose diets: a 10.4% protein (dry matter), casein-based diet and a 31.4% protein (dry matter), meat-based diet. Significantly lower values of uric acid (P = 0.004), xanthine (P = 0.003), ammonia (P = 0.0002), net acid (P = 0.0001), titratable acid (P 0.0002), and creatinine (P = 0.01) excreted during a 24-hour period were detected when dogs consumed the casein-based diet and were given allopurinol, compared with the 24-hour period when the same dogs consumed the meat-based diet and were given allopurinol. For the same 24-hour period, urine pH values, urine volumes, and urine bicarbonate values were significantly (P = 0.0004, P 0.04, and P = 0.002, respectively) higher during the period when the dogs were fed the casein-based diet and given allopurinol than when they were fed the meat-based diet and given allopurinol. Endogenous creatinine clearance was significantly (P = 0.006) lower when dogs were fed the casein-based diet and given allopurinol than when they were fed the meat-based diet and given allopurinol. Significantly lower concentrations of plasma uric acid (P 0.0001), plasma xanthine (P = 0.01), and serum urea nitrogen (P = 0.0001) were detected when dogs consumed the casein-based diet and were given allopurinol than when they consumed the meat-based diet and were given allopurinol.

The oil of Juniperus communis (JC) which is among medicinal plants, has many pharmacological activities. In this study, the effects of JC oil on serum paraoxonase (PON1), pancreatic enzymes levels and lipid levels in experimental diabetic rats were investigated.Thirty-two male Wistar-Albino rats (250-300g) were used. The rats were dividedequally into four groups, control (C), diabetes (D), JC oil (J), and diabetes + JC oil (DJ). D and DJ groups wereintraperitoneally (IP) injected with 45 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). JC oil was administered as 200 mg/kg/21days by oral gavage in J and DJ groups.Total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels were significantly decreased in the J and DJgroups when compared to C and D groups (p≤0.001). There was no difference in TG levels between D andcontrol group (p≥0.05). Lipoprotein levels were not statistically significant between any group (p≥0.05).Comparing to the control group in the diabetes and DJ groups; significant decreased amylase levels andincreased lipase levels (p≤0.001) was observed. Paraoxonase activity in D group was statistically lower thanin the other groups (p≤0.05). There is no significant difference between the C group and the Jgroup (p>0.05).PON1 level has a significant elevation in the DJ in comparison with the D group (p≤0.05). As a result, JC oil caused an increase in antioxidant PON1 enzyme level and a decrease in lipidlevels in diabetes. The data obtained are supportive that JC oil may be a potential protective effect againstdiabetes-associated complications.

Serological properties of leptospirae bacteria grown on differential nutritive media were studied by the example of sheep in the conditions of the Republic of Belarus. In the experiment there were used 6 pathogenic industrial leptospirae stock: Leptospira pomona VGNKI-6; Leptospira tarassovi VGNKI-4; Leptospira grippothyphosa VGNKI-1; Leptospira icterrohaemorragia VGNKI-2; Leptospira conicola VGNKI-3; Leptospira hardjo VGNKI-5. The results showed a serological difference of leptospirae grown on conventional and experimental media derived from ram's blood.

The realized studies of an experimental series of inactivated vaccine showed that the developed biological preparation made it possible to achieve high preventive efficiency in the conditions of cows heavy with calves for the creation in newborn calves the expressing immunity after milk feeding in the first hours of their life. As a result realized in the conditions of the Republic of Belarus production experiment of emulsified vaccine against rotavirus infection and colibacillosis of cattle in animal breeding farms of different regions of the Republic the prophylactic efficacy of a developed vaccine made up 97,9-98,9%. Research results showed that the developed inactivated vaccine caused at the immunizated animals the formation of specific antibodies at a higher level in comparison with other analyzed national and foreign analogue preparations.