Introduction: Tiletamine-xylazine-tramadol (XFM) has few side effects and can provide good sedation and analgesia. Adenosine 5’-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) can attenuate trigeminal neuralgia. The study aimed to investigate the effects of XFM and its specific antagonist on AMPK in different regions of the brain. Material and Methods: A model of XFM in the rat was established. A total of 72 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three equally sized groups: XFM anaesthesia (M group), antagonist (W group), and XFM with antagonist interactive groups (MW group). Eighteen SD rats were in the control group and were injected intraperitoneally with saline (C group). The rats were sacrificed and the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, thalamus, and brain stem were immediately separated, in order to detect AMPKα mRNA expression by quantitative PCR. Results: XFM was able to increase the mRNA expression of AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 in all brain regions, and the antagonist caused the opposite effect, although the effects of XFM could not be completely reversed in some areas. Conclusion: XFM can influence the expression of AMPK in the central nervous system of the rat, which can provide a reference for the future development of anaesthetics for animals.

OBJECTIVE To comprehensively characterize cardiac structure and function, from infancy to adulthood, in male and female wild-born captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) living in sanctuaries. ANIMALS 290 wild-born captive chimpanzees. PROCEDURES Physical and echocardiographic examinations were performed on anesthetized chimpanzees in 3 sanctuaries in Africa between October 2013 and May 2017. Results were evaluated across age groups and between sexes, and potential differences were assessed with multiple 1-way independent Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS Results indicated that left ventricular diastolic and systolic function declined at a younger age in males than in females. Although differences in right ventricular diastolic function were not identified among age groups, right ventricular systolic function was lower in adult chimpanzees (> 12 years old), compared with subadult (8 to 12 years old) and juvenile (5 to 7 years old) chimpanzees. In addition, male subadult and adult chimpanzees had larger cardiac wall dimensions and chamber volumes than did their female counterparts. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of the present study provided useful reference intervals for cardiac structure and function in captive chimpanzees categorized on the basis of age and sex; however, further research is warranted to examine isolated and combined impacts of blood pressure, age, body weight, and anesthetic agents on cardiac structure and function in chimpanzees.

Drugs applied on human cancer cells can influence the rate of cell proliferation. The present study investigates the use of the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrasodium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay to evaluate canine tumor cell proliferation after exposure to the injectable anesthetic, propofol. Primary (CIPp) and metastatic (CIPm) canine tubular adenocarcinoma cell lines were incubated with cell culture medium (control) or propofol (1, 5, and 10 μg/mL). The MTT assays were performed after 6 and 12 hours of exposure. Measurements of absorbance were obtained for each condition with a spectrophotometer and compared with controls using a 3-way analysis of variance (P < 0.05). An increased cell proliferation rate was observed in CIPp exposed to 5 and 10 μg/mL of propofol for 6 hours and 1, 5, and 10 μg/mL for 12 hours. No significant changes were observed in CIPm after 6 hours of exposure. All propofol concentrations decreased the cell proliferation rate in CIPm after 12 hours of exposure. The MTT assays showed that exposure of CIPp to propofol for 6 and 12 hours increased cell proliferation. A decrease in the CIPm proliferation rate was observed when propofol exposure lasted for 12 hours. Further studies are warranted to better understand the role of propofol on cancer cell proliferation.