Immunological evaluation of captive green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) with ulcerative dermatitis.

Ulcerative dermatitis (UD) is common in captive sea turtles and manifests as skin erosions and ulcers associated with gram-negative bacteria. This study compared clinically healthy and UD-affected captive turtles by evaluating hematology, histopathology, immunoglobulin levels, and delayed-type hypersensitivity assay. Turtles with UD had significantly lower weight, reduced delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses, and higher heterophil:lymphocyte ratios. This study is the first to assay DTH in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and suggests that UD is associated with immunosuppression.

Differential expression of estrogen receptor alpha gene in the ampullae and isthmus regions of the rabbit oviduct during early pregnancy.

We characterized the expression pattern of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) gene in two regions of the oviduct, ampullae and isthmus, of the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) during early pregnancy (1-4 days) by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. In both regions of the oviduct, ERalpha mRNA was increased (P<0.01) in pregnant rabbits as compared with non-pregnant animals (NG). In the ampullae, the greatest amount of ERalpha mRNA was detected on the third day of pregnancy (1.01+/-0.02 relative amount), followed by a decrease on Day 4. In the isthmus, an increase in ERalpha mRNA was observed during the first 4 days of pregnancy, with the greatest amount on Day 3 (1.49+/-0.3 relative amount). A marked ERalpha immunostaining was detected in epithelial, stromal and smooth muscle cells of the ampullae on the second and third days of pregnancy as compared with the NG group. In contrast, a significant increase in ERalpha immunostaining was observed on the first and second days of pregnancy with a reduction on the third and fourth days in the epithelial, stromal and smooth muscle cells of the isthmus. The overall results suggest there is differential expression pattern for the ERalpha gene in the ampullae and isthmus during early pregnancy of the rabbit, and that these variations are related to specific functions of ERalpha in the reproductive tract during early pregnancy.

Distribución de mastocitos del estroma de la glándula mamaria de perra (Canis familiaris), en periodos activo e inactivo / Distribution of mast cells in mammary gland stroma, during the active and inactive periods in the bitch (Canis familiaris)

Los mastocitos (MC) son células del tejido conjuntivo que participan activamente en los mecanismos de comunicación paracrina mediante la liberación de diversos mediadores químicos contenidos en sus gránulos. El presente estudio se efectuó con el propósito de evaluar la distribución de los MC en la glándula mamaria de la perra (Canis familiaris), en periodos activos e inactivo. Las muestras de tejido mamario se obtuvieron a partir de perras adultas. Dichas muestras se procesaron siguiendo el método de inclusión en parafina y los cortes histológicos obtenidos fueron teñidos con azul de tolouidina para posteriormente efectuar la cuantificación de MC por mm², considerando para este fin el estroma interalveolar y el estroma interlobulillar del tejido mamario. Durante el periodo activo de la glándula mamaria, la población de MC presentes en el estroma disminuye significativamente respecto del periodo inactivo (P< 0.05). Estos resultados en conjunto sugieren que los MC presentes en el estroma de la glándula mamaria de perra, participan activamente en los cambios proliferativos que experimentan el tejido conjuntivo laxo areolar, dependiendo del estadio funcional de la glándula