A nationwide survey on radiation safety management in Korean animal hospitals was conducted. By 2013, 53 radiation generators were registered as veterinary medical devices (41 X-ray generators and 12 computed tomography scanners). Additionally there were six approved laboratories for radiation equipment and protection facility, and five approved laboratories for radiation exposure of employees, respectively. By March 2013, 2,030 out of 3,829 animal hospitals operated radiation-generating devices. Among these devices, 389 (19.2%) out of 2,030 were not labeled with the model name and 746 (36.7%) were not labeled with production dates. Thus, most veterinary X-ray generators were outdated (42.6%) and needed replacements. When periodic inspections of 2,018 animal hospitals were performed after revision of the Veterinarians Act in 2011, the hospitals were found to be equipped with appropriate radiation generators and protection facilities. Among 2,545 employees exposed to radiation at the hospitals, 93.9% were veterinarians, 4.3% were animal nurse technicians, and 18% held other positions. Among 169 employees supervised by administrators, none of those had a weekly maximum operating load that exceeded 10mA min This study suggests that the radiation safety management system of animal hospitals was general good.

The present study compared leptin, adiponectin, and thyroid hormone concentrations in normal and obese dogs, and evaluated the association between leptin and adiponectin concentrations and thyroid function. The serum leptin, adiponectin, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroxine (tT4), free thyroxine (fT4), triiodothyronine (T3), and cortisol concentrations were measured in 18 normal dogs (body condition score [BCS]: 4-5/9) and 16 obese dogs (BCS: 8-9/9). Leptin and T3 concentrations were higher in the obese group than the normal weight group (p 0.01 and p 0.05, respectively). In both groups, the T3 and leptin concentrations were correlated (r

A 2-year old castrated male Alaskan malamute was referred with primary complaints of marked anemia, hemeglobinuria and depression. Laboratory tests revealed canine babesiois with severe anemia. The dog was treated by blood transfusion and beneril (diminazene aceturate, 3.5 mg/kg IM). Two days after Beneril injection, the dog suddenly showed ataxia progressing to paresis. MRI revealed irregularly diffused lesions in the cerebellum. The case was tentatively diagnosed as cerebellar encephalopathy caused by diminazene toxicity. The dog successfully recovered following steroid therapy.

Uterine sterilization is important for improving fertility in cattle. This study compared bacterial flora in the uterus between healthy and repeat breeder cows (RBCs). The uterine flushing of six heifers, 13 healthy HanWoo cows and eight RBCs (HanWoo) were sampled, and 15 frozen semen samples were selected. Overall, 35 bacteria were identified from in HanWoo uterine flushing and semen. The bacterial genera identified from HanWoo uterine flushing were Alloiococcus, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Erysipelothrix, Gardnerella, Granulicatella, Kocuria, Pantoea, Pasteurella, Rothia, Serratia, Sphingomonas, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas and Streptococcus. The bacterial genera identified from HanWoo semen were Bacillus, Escherichia, Kocuria, Oligella, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Sphingomonas, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas and Streptococcus. The prevalence and presence of the identified bacteria between healthy cows and RBCs differed significantly. Further studies are needed to determine the role of these bacteria in the uterus of HanWoo cattle with reproductive disorder.

Klotho deficiency is an early event in acute kidney injury (AKI) that exacerbates acute kidney damage. The present study explored the expression of Klotho and inflammation related factors in cisplatin-induced AKI. Rats (n = 18) were treated with cisplatin intraperitoneal injection (5 mg/kg) or left untreated as controls (n = 6), then sacrificed at 5 (n = 6) and 10 days (n = 6) treatment. Five days after cisplatin injection, the serum kidney enzymes and kidney cell apoptosis were significantly increased. Moreover, the expression of Klotho was decreased when compared to the control group, especially in the cortex and outer medulla regions. In contrast, inflammation related signals including nuclear factor kappa B, tumor necrosis factor-¥�, and tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis were enhanced. However, 10 days after cisplatin injection, Klotho expression was enhanced upon both IHC and Western blot analysis, with slightly recovered renal function and decreased apoptosis. Furthermore, inflammation related signals expression was decreased relative to the 5 days group. Overall, this study confirmed the opposite expression patterns between Klotho and inflammation related signals and their localization in cisplatin-induced AKI kidney.

This study was investigated the change of concentration and toxicity of thermally cross-linked superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (TCL-SPION) on tissues of Sprague-Dawley rats. TCL-SPION at the dose of 15 mg/kg body weight was intravenously injected into the tail vein of the male Sprague-Dawley rats. The fate of TCL-SPION in serum, urine and tissues was observed during 28 days. Serum iron level was maximal at 0.25 h post-injection and gradually declined thereafter. In addition, the sinusoids of liver and the red pulp area of spleen were mainly accumulated iron from 0.5 h to 28-day post-injection. In kidney, iron deposition was detected in the tubular area until 0.5 h after injection. Malondialdehyde concentration in the liver slightly increased with time and was not different with that at zero time. In the liver and spleen, TNF-¥�and IL-6 levels of TS treated with TCL-SPION were not different with those of the control during the experimental period. From the results, TCL-SPION could stay fairly long-time in certain tissues after intravenous injection without toxicity. The results indicated that TCL-SPION might be useful and safe as a contrast for the diagnosis of cancer or a carrier of therapeutic reagents to treat diseases.

A calf suffering from diarrhea was admitted to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency for diagnostic evaluation. Postmortem examination revealed that the mesenteric lymph node was enlarged and small intestine wall was thin. Microscopically, a large number of small round organisms were attached to the small intestine villi. Villous atrophy and proprial neutrophil infiltration were also observed. Based on modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining, electron microscopy, and ELISA results, the calf was diagnosed with fatal cryptosporidiosis.

A 10-year-old castrated male papillon presented with nasal discharge, coughing and chronic dysphagia. On physical examination, the dog exhibited sneezing, gurgling and movement of the throat with repeated attempts to swallow fluids. A diagnosis of cricopharyngeal achalasia (CPA) was made based on video fluoroscopic demonstration of failure of relaxation of the upper esophageal sphincter. This report describes the diagnosis of CPA in an old dog, which is rarely diagnosed in older animals.

A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay of the outer membrane protein (OMP) P2 gene was developed and used to test 97 putative Haemophilus parasuis pure cultures and 175 clinical tissue samples. With standard culture isolation as the gold standard, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the PCR assay were determined to be 83% and 80%, respectively.

The effects of heparin administration, by the oral route, were evaluated in dogs. In single and multiple dose studies (single 7.5 mg/kg, multiple 3 × 7.5 mg/kg per 48 h), plasma, urine, and fecal samples were collected at various times up to 120 h after oral administration of unfractionated heparin. Changes in plasma and urine anti-Xa activity, plasma and urine anti-IIa activity, plasma activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and antithrombin (ATIII), and chemical heparin in urine and feces were examined with time. There was support for heparin absorption, with significant differences in APTT, heparin in plasma as determined by anti-Xa activity (Heptest) in the single dose study and plasma anti-Xa activity, anti-IIa activity and ATIII; and chemical heparin in urine in the multiple dose study. No clinical evidence of bleeding was detected in any dog during the studies. Oral heparin therapy may be applicable for thromboembolic disease in animals. Further studies are warranted to determine the effects of oral heparin at the endothelial level in the dog.