Myxoma virus induces apoptosis in cultured feline carcinoma cells.

There is growing interest in utilizing replicating oncolytic viruses as cancer therapeutics agents. The effectiveness of myxoma virus-induced oncolysis was evaluated in two feline cancer cell cultures. Although myxoma virus is a rabbit-specific pathogen, protein expression driven by myxoma virus and production of infectious viral particles were detected. Cell death occurred in primary feline cancer cells within 48 h of inoculation with myxoma virus. Future studies to determine if other feline neoplasms are susceptible to myxoma virus infection are warranted.

Effects of ophthalmic disease on concentrations of plasma fibrinogen and serum amyloid A in the horse.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: There is little scientific information available about the ability of ocular disease to cause a systemic inflammatory response. Horses are frequently affected with ocular disease and ensuring their systemic health prior to performing vision saving surgery under anaesthesia is essential for the successful treatment of ophthalmic disease. HYPOTHESIS: Ocular disease will cause elevations in the concentration of the acute phase proteins fibrinogen and serum amyloid A in peripheral blood. METHODS: Whole blood and serum samples were obtained from 38 mature horses with ulcerative keratitis or uveitis and no evidence of systemic disease, 9 mature horses with no evidence of ocular or systemic disease (negative controls) and 10 mature horses with systemic inflammatory disease and no evidence of ocular disease (positive controls). Blood samples were assayed for concentrations of the acute phase proteins fibrinogen and serum amyloid A. RESULTS: Fibrinogen and serum amyloid A were significantly different in the positive control group compared to the negative control, corneal disease and uveitis groups (P<0.126). There was no significant difference between the negative control, corneal disease and uveitis groups (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Ulcerative keratitis and anterior uveitis are not associated with elevated concentrations of the acute phase proteins fibrinogen and serum amyloid A in peripheral blood. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: When the clinician is presented with a patient with ocular disease and elevated plasma fibrinogen or serum amyloid A concentrations, a nonocular inflammatory focus should be suspected.

The role of the cowpox virus crmA gene during intratracheal and intradermal infection of C57BL/6 mice.

Intratracheal (i.t.) infection of mice with cowpox virus (CPXV), is lethal at a lower dose than intranasal (i.n.) inoculation. CPXV deleted for cytokine response modifier A (CPXVDeltacrmA) was attenuated compared to CPXV after i.t. inoculation. This attenuation could not be attributed to differences in virus replication, immunomodulators, or cells infiltrating the lungs. Deletion of crmA also caused attenuation during intradermal (i.d.) infection. In contrast to i.t.-inoculated virus, deletion of crmA reduced virus replication at the site of infection. This difference correlated to increased numbers of CD3(+) cells in CPXVDeltacrmA-associated dermal lesions. Thus, crmA is a virulence factor in mice during either pulmonary or dermal cowpox infection; however the influence of crmA is more evident during i.d. inoculation. This suggests that the host immune response differs in the two routes of infection and emphasizes the need to consider the effect of route of infection when examining functions of virulence factors in vivo.

Imipramine and rheumatoid factor.

It has been reported that imipramine reduces the titre of rheumatoid factor in schizophrenic patients. Twenty out-patients suffering from classical rheumatoid arthritis and having rheumatoid factor titre equal to, or greater than 1:64, were treated in a double-blind trial with imipramine 75 mg or matching placebo. In this study the dose of imipramine used failed to affect the levels of rheumatoid factor.