The use of inflammatory markers as a diagnostic and prognostic approach in neonatal calves with septicaemia.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of inflammatory markers as a diagnostic and prognostic approach in neonatal calves with septicaemia. The study material consisted of 13 neonatal calves with septicaemia (septicaemic calves, SC) and ten healthy neonatal calves (control calves, CC). Blood samples were collected for biochemical, haematological and microbiological analyses. In addition, faecal samples were collected for microbiological and virological analyses. Three of neonatal calves with septicaemia were positive for E. coli (E. coli O157 serotype) by microbiological examination, but all neonatal calves with septicaemia were negative for rota- and coronaviruses. By haematological examination, there were no significant differences between SC and CC for white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil (NEU) counts (P > 0.05). NEU counts were higher on day 0 than on day 15 in SC (P < 0.05). Red blood cell (RBC) counts and packed cell volume (PCV) values were higher on day 0 in the SC than in the CC (P < 0.05). By biochemical analyses, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), procalcitonin (PCT), haptoglobin (Hp), and fibrinogen (Fb) concentrations were higher on day 0 in the SC than in the CC (P < 0.05). After treatment (on day 15), the serum IL-6, PCT, Hp, and Fb concentrations were significantly decreased in the SC compared to the CC (P < 0.05). The serum iron (Fe) concentrations were lower on day 0 in the SC than in the CC (P < 0.05), and were higher on day 15 than on day 0 in the SC (P < 0.05). The study revealed that inflammatory markers could be used for determining the diagnosis and prognosis in neonatal calves with septicaemia.

Investigation of the effects of hesperidin and chrysin on renal injury induced by colistin in rats.

This study aimed to investigate whether hesperidin and chrysin antioxidants have protective effects on renal injury induced by colistin in rats. Renal lipid peroxidation, total glutathione (GSH) levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) enzyme activities, serum urea and creatinine levels, as well as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) levels were determined. Injuries to the proximal and distal tubules were determined using histopathological and double immunohistochemistry examinations. The results showed that hesperidin and chrysin significantly decreased the levels of MDA and inflammatory parameters and significantly increased GSH, SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px levels against colistin-induced renal injury. The results also showed that cystatin C and calbindin D28K immunopositivities significantly increased through hesperidin and chrysin treatment. Hesperidin and chrysin alleviated the renal injury induced by colistin via anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Thus, hesperidin and chrysin could attenuate colistin-induced nephrotoxicity via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Addition of hesperidin or chrysin to the treatment protocol of colistin treatment might benefit patient treatment in terms of the prevention of colistin-induced renal injury.

Evaluation of arginase activity, nitric oxide and oxidative stress status in sheep with contagious agalactia.

It is known that inflammatory organ damages due to various agents, such as microorganisms including mycoplasmas, lead to oxidative stress. Nitric oxide (NO) functions as an antimicrobial agent, and arginase decreases proinflammatory cytokine release. There are very few studies on arginase activity, NO level and oxidative stress status in mycoplasmal infections. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate erythrocyte arginase activity, plasma NO level and oxidative stress status in sheep with contagious agalactia. The study material consisted of 10 healthy sheep and 14 sheep with contagious agalactia characterised by mastitis, arthritis and keratoconjunctivitis. Erythrocyte arginase activity, plasma NO, malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant capacity (TOC) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels were measured. Significant decreases in erythrocyte arginase activity and plasma TAC level (P < 0.001), and significant increases in plasma NO, MDA and TOC levels (P < 0.001) were found in the diseased sheep as compared with the healthy animals. This study suggests that contagious agalactia may cause oxidative stress due to increased plasma MDA and TOC levels and decreased plasma TAC levels, and that the decrease in erythrocyte arginase activity and increase in plasma NO level may contribute to the elimination of mycoplasmal agents causing contagious agalactia.

Evaluation of Oxidative Stress in Sheep Infected with Psoroptes Ovis using Total Antioxidant Capacity, Total Oxidant Status, and Malondialdehyde Level.

INTRODUCTION: The study aimed at evaluating oxidative stress using malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) markers in sheep naturally infected with Psoroptes ovis(Acari). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was performed on 40 sheep divided into two equal groups: a healthy group (group I) and a group naturally infected with Psoroptes ovis (group II). The sera were obtained by centrifuging blood samples collected from the vena jugularis and serum MDA level changes in the samples were measured spectrophotometrically. Commercially available test kits were used for the measurement of TAC and TOS levels. The percentage ratio of TOS level to TAC level was accepted as OSI. RESULTS: The serum malondialdehyde, total oxidant status levels, and oxidative stress index increased significantly (P < 0.01) in group II, while the serum total antioxidant capacity levels decreased significantly (P < 0.01) in this group. Negative correlations between total antioxidant capacity and total oxidant status and total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde, and a positive correlation between total oxidant status and malondialdehyde were found in infected sheep. CONCLUSION: The obtained results indicated the relationship between oxidant/antioxidant imbalance and Psoroptes ovis infection in sheep. Their MDA, TAC, TOS, and OSI markers may be used to determine the oxidative stress in natural infections with Psoroptes ovis.

Attenuating effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester with intralipid on hepatotoxicity of chlorpyrifos in the case of rats.

BACKGROUND: Chlorpyrifos (CPF), insecticide widely used in agriculture, may cause poisonings in the case of humans. As a result, there is a large amount of treatment research underway to focus on the possibility of chlorpyrifos induced poisonings. The aim of this study has been to evaluate the effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and intralipid (IL) on hepatotoxicity induced by chlorpyrifos in the case of rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The rats in this study were treated with CPF (10 mg/kg body weight (b.w.), orally), CAPE (10 µmol/kg b.w., intraperitoneally), IL (18.6 ml/kg b.w., orally), CPF+CAPE, CPF+IL, and CPF+CAPE+IL. The plasma total oxidant capacity (TOC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured and the oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. Liver histopathology and immunohistochemical staining were performed. RESULTS: Chlorpyrifos statistically significantly decreased the TAC levels in the rats' plasma and increased the apoptosis and the TOC and OSI levels. In the chlorpyrifos induced liver injury, CAPE and CAPE+IL significantly decreased the plasma OSI levels and the apoptosis, and significantly increased the plasma TAC levels. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that CAPE and CAPE+IL attenuate chlorpyrifos induced liver injuries by decreasing oxidative stress and apoptosis. Med Pr 2016;67(6):743-749.

Rutin attenuates gentamicin-induced renal damage by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and autophagy in rats.

Gentamicin is commonly used against gram-negative microorganisms. Its therapeutic use is mainly limited by nephrotoxicity. This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of rutin on oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and autophagy in gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. The rats were treated with saline intraperitoneally (group I), 150 mg/kg of rutin orally (group II), 80 mg/kg of gentamicin intraperitoneally for 8 d (group III), or 150 mg/kg of rutin plus 80 mg/kg of gentamicin (group IV). The serum urea, creatinine, kidney malondialdehyde (MDA), and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and protein concentration were measured, and renal histopathology analysis and immunohistochemical staining were performed. Rutin pretreatment attenuated nephrotoxicity induced by gentamicin by reducing the urea, creatinine, and MDA levels and increasing the SOD, CAT, and GPx activity, and the GSH levels. The rutin also inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cleaved caspase-3 and light chain 3B (LC3B), as evidenced by immunohistochemical staining. The present study demonstrates that rutin exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-autophagic effects and that it attenuates gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

Breed-related plasma disposition of ivermectin following subcutaneous administration in Kilis and Damascus goats.

Many factors related with drug and animals affect the plasma disposition of endectocides including ivermectin (IVM). The aim of the present study was to investigate the breed differences in pharmacokinetics of IVM in goats following subcutaneous administration. Two different goat breeds (Kilis and Damascus goats) were allocated into two treatment groups with respect to breed. The injectable formulation of IVM was administered subcutaneously at a dose rate of 0.2 mg/kg bodyweight. Blood samples were collected before treatment and at various times between 1h and 40 days after treatment and the plasma samples were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using fluorescence detection. The results indicated that the plasma disposition of IVM was substantially affected by breed differences following subcutaneous administration in goats. The last detectable plasma concentration (t(last)) of IVM was significantly later in Kilis goats (38.33 days) compared with Damascus goats (22.50 days). Although, there were no significant differences on C(max) (10.83 ng/ml vs. 10.15 ng/ml) and t(max) (2.75 days vs. 2.33 days) values; the area under the concentration-time curve-AUC (110.26 ng.d/ml vs. 73.38 ng.d/ml) the terminal half-life-t(1/2lambdaz) (5.65 days vs. 3.81 days) and the mean plasma residence time-MRT (9.31 days vs. 6.35 days) were significantly different in Kilis goats compared with Damascus goats, respectively. The breed-related difference observed on the plasma disposition of IVM between Kilis and Damascus goats could be attributable to different excretion pattern or specific anatomical and/or physiological characteristics such as body fat composition of each breed.

Sex-related plasma disposition of ivermectin following pour-on administration in goats.

The effect of sex difference on the pharmacokinetic profiles of ivermectin (IVM) was investigated following pour-on administration in goats. A total of 12 (six males and six females) Kilis goats were allocated into two treatment groups with respect to sex. The pour-on formulation of IVM was administered topically (pour-on) at dose rate of 0.5mg/kg bodyweight. Blood samples were collected at various times between 1h and 40 days after treatment and the plasma samples were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using fluorescence detection. Substantial sex-related differences on the plasma disposition of IVM were observed between males and female goats following pour-on administration. The last detectable plasma concentration of IVM was significantly later in males (16.17 days) compared with female animals (10.67 days). There were no significant differences on C(max), t(max) and the area under the concentration-time curve-AUC values between male and female groups, respectively. However the terminal half-life (t(1/2lambdaz)) and mean plasma residence time (MRT) in male goats (2.35 days and 4.78 days, respectively) were significantly longer compared with female animals (1.42 days and 3.55 days, respectively) and this suggesting that the excretion patterns of IVM in male and female animals are probably different each other.

Molecular detection and characterization of Ehrlichia canis from dogs in Turkey.

Seroprevalence of Ehrlichia canis antibodies among dogs in Turkey were previously reported, however, the ehrlichial organism has never been characterized in this region. The current study examined dogs from Ankara with febrile illness for E. canis infection with E. canis-specific PCR. Three of the 12 blood specimens from dogs showing clinical signs compatible with canine ehrlichiosis were found to be positive by PCR using E. canis-specific primers. E. canis detected in one of the blood specimens was designated as Kutahya strain. The representative E. canis strain was characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and Western blot analysis of the plasma sample from the dog infected with E. canis. The 16S rRNA sequence (1,388 bp) of the E. canis Kutahya was identical to that of Ehrlichia ovina from a sheep in Turkey and Venezuelan Dog Ehrlichia (VDE) and was closely related (99.9%) to that of type strain of E. canis, Oklahoma. The plasma of the dog infected with E. canis Kutahya was analyzed by Western blotting using the purified E. canis Oklahoma strain as antigen. The reactive antibody profiles of the dog infected with E. canis Kutahya was found to be similar to those of dogs infected with E. canis Oklahoma and VDE, suggesting the antigenic similarities among these strains. The findings in this study would help for a better understanding of epidemiology of canine ehrlichiosis. This is the first report of molecular detection and characterization of an ehrlichial agent in Turkey.