Iohexol-based measurement of intestinal permeability in birds

Background: Iohexol has been successfully used as a marker to assess intestinal permeability in humans and various other mammals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of oral iohexol as an intestinal permeability marker in four anatomically and nutritionally diverse bird species. Methods: Three dosages (1 ml/kg, 2 ml/kg, 4 ml/kg) of iohexol (755 mg/ml) were administered orally to each six clinically healthy pigeons and chickens at two-week intervals. Iohexol plasma concentration was determined 45, 90 and 180 minutes after administration. A comparative study was performed by administering iohexol twice to each six clinically healthy cockatiels and falcons, and determining iohexol plasma concentration at 45 or 90 minutes after administration. Results: The recommended iohexol dosage for permeability testing in birds was determined to be 1 ml/kg. Median plasma iohexol concentrations were 27.77 mu g/ml in pigeons, 12.97 mu g/ml in chickens, 14.24 mu g/ml in cockatiels, and 47.81 mu g/ml in falcons, 45 minutes after this dosage was administered. At 90 minutes after administration, median plasma iohexol concentrations were 40.68 mu g/ml in pigeons, 21.59 mu g/ml in chickens, 32.03 mu g/ml in cockatiels, and 55.96 mu g/ml in falcons. Conclusions and clinical relevance: Oral iohexol was a safe and feasible marker for intestinal permeability assessment in birds. Further investigations are warranted to establish species-specific reference intervals in larger numbers of healthy birds, and to examine the use of iohexol as a permeability marker in birds with disorders associated with altered intestinal permeability.Peer reviewe

A recent trend of drug-nanoparticles in suspension for the application in drug delivery

Persistent development in nanomedicine has enabled successful nanosizing of most drug samples which, in turn, imparts remarkable properties to the drugs such as enhanced solubility and bioavailability for the applications in drug delivery In this context several review articles are available in scientific domain covering inorganic nanoparticles such as Au Ag, SPIONs Qdots, carbon nanotubes and graphene; however, this review covers the development of drug nanoparticles together with their possibilities and limitation from ..

Indikatoren einer tiergerechten Mastputenhaltung unter den Bedingungen der ökologischen Geflügelmast

Ziel der Studie war eine Analyse der Häufigkeit und des Ausprägungsgrades tierschutzrelevanter Veränderungen bei Puten, die gemäß den Bedingungen der EU-Verordnung 889/2008 für den ökologischen Landbau gehalten wurden. In zwei Durchgängen wurden in neun Aufzucht- und 14 Mastbetrieben 32 Herden mit insgesamt 105.483 Tieren erfasst. Der Tiergesundheitsstatus der einzelnen Herden wurde stichprobenartig an fünf Zeitpunkten durch Beurteilung von 60 Einzeltieren dokumentiert. Bei jedem Bestandsbesuch wurden außerdem Einstreuproben entnommen und ihr Feuchtigkeitsgehalt thermogravimetrisch bestimmt. Die mittlere kumulierte Verlustrate in der Aufzuchtphase lag bei 3,3 % und in der 16. Lebenswoche bei 4,5%. Am Ende der Aufzuchtphase wiesen bis zu 44 % der untersuchten Tiere Epithelnekrosen an den Fußballen auf. Häufigkeit und Schweregrad von Ballenveränderungen nahmen im Verlauf der Mastphase weiter zu. So wurden in der 16. Lebenswoche bei über 80 % der untersuchten Puten Ballennekrosen festgestellt. Am Schlachthof erfolgte eine Aufnahme allgemeiner Daten zur Schlachtung und folgend die visuelle Beschau von 60 Puten je Herde. Der überwiegende Teil der Tiere (97,7%) wies zum Zeitpunkt der Schlachtung Veränderungen der Fußballen auf, während Brusthautveränderungen nur selten dokumentiert wurden. Vermehrt traten weiterhin Leberveränderungen, insbesondere Grünfärbungen auf, wobei deutliche Unterschiede zwischen verschiedenen Betrieben sowie zwischen den einzelnen Durchgängen festgestellt wurden. Auch Gelenksveränderungen waren häufige Befunde. Als ein maßgeblicher Faktor für die Gesunderhaltung eines Putenbestandes ist die Befähigung des bestandsbetreuenden Personenkreises anzusehen, gesundheitliche Probleme frühzeitig zu erkennen und zeitnah darauf zu reagieren. Neben der Qualität des Einstreusubstrates inklusive Beurteilung der Kotkonsistenz können Häufigkeit und Ausprägung von Ballenveränderungen wertvolle Hinweise für eine Einschätzung des Tierhaltungsstandards in einem Bestand liefern und sind als wichtige, einfach erfassbare Tierschutzindikatoren einzustufen . Auch Gelenks- und Leberveränderungen sind aufgrund hoher Prävalenzen als relevante Tiergesundheitsparameter zu betrachten, die im Rahmen eines Monitorings routinemäßig erfasst werden sollten

Nanomedicines towards targeting intracellular Mtb for the treatment of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), causes the most human deaths than any other diseases from a single infectious agent. Treatments are long and costly and have many associated side effects. Intracellular bacilli are slow growing and difficult to target, which is augmenting the emergence of multi?drug resistance. A hallmark trait of TB is the formation of granulomas, chronic cellular aggregates, which limit bacterial growth but provides a survival reservoir where bacilli may disseminate from. Targeting intracellular Mtb is challenging, but nanomedicine may offer a solution. Nanomedicine is a significantly growing research area and offers the potential for specific disease targeting, dosage reduction, and intracellular drug delivery. This review discusses the application of the various forms of nanomedicine towards targeting of Mtb

Coccidian Infection Causes Oxidative Damage in Greenfinches

The main tenet of immunoecology is that individual variation in immune responsiveness is caused by the costs of immune responses to the hosts. Oxidative damage resulting from the excessive production of reactive oxygen species during immune response is hypothesized to form one of such costs. We tested this hypothesis in experimental coccidian infection model in greenfinches Carduelis chloris. Administration of isosporan coccidians to experimental birds did not affect indices of antioxidant protection (TAC and OXY), plasma triglyceride and carotenoid levels or body mass, indicating that pathological consequences of infection were generally mild. Infected birds had on average 8% higher levels of plasma malondialdehyde (MDA, a toxic end-product of lipid peroxidation) than un-infected birds. The birds that had highest MDA levels subsequent to experimental infection experienced the highest decrease in infection intensity. This observation is consistent with the idea that oxidative stress is a causative agent in the control of coccidiosis and supports the concept of oxidative costs of immune responses and parasite resistance. The finding that oxidative damage accompanies even the mild infection with a common parasite highlights the relevance of oxidative stress biology for the immunoecological research

Nanotechnology and the Treatment of HIV Infection

Suboptimal adherence, toxicity, drug resistance and viral reservoirs make the lifelong treatment of HIV infection challenging. The emerging field of nanotechnology may play an important role in addressing these challenges by creating drugs that possess pharmacological advantages arising out of unique phenomena that occur at the “nano” scale. At these dimensions, particles have physicochemical properties that are distinct from those of bulk materials or single molecules or atoms. In this review, basic concepts and terms in nanotechnology are defined, and examples are provided of how nanopharmaceuticals such as nanocrystals, nanocapsules, nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanocarriers, micelles, liposomes and dendrimers have been investigated as potential anti-HIV therapies. Such drugs may, for example, be used to optimize the pharmacological characteristics of known antiretrovirals, deliver anti-HIV nucleic acids into infected cells or achieve targeted delivery of antivirals to the immune system, brain or latent reservoirs. Also, nanopharmaceuticals themselves may possess anti-HIV activity. However several hurdles remain, including toxicity, unwanted biological interactions and the difficulty and cost of large-scale synthesis of nanopharmaceuticals