Ultrasonographic evaluation of thyroid glands and comparative hormonal analysis of domestic cats and neotropical wild felids

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the morphological and metric of the thyroid gland, and Total T4 and Free T4 hormonal values among domestic and wild felids without thyroid diseases. Thirty-three felids without thyroid diseases were evaluated, being 13 felids, one Panthera onca, three Pumas concolor, three small wild cats, three Pumas yagouaroundi, two Leopardus pardalis and one Leopardus wiedii, and 20 domestic felines. The animals were submitted to ultrasonography of the thyroid gland and to hormonal serum dosage of Total T4 and Free T4 by the technique of chemiluminescence. Subsequently, they were divided into groups according to weight, sex, and age. The mean volume of thyroid lobe was 0.11cm³ for domestic cats, 0.18cm³ for the mixed wild feline group (Leopardus pardalis, Leopardus tigrinus, Leopardus wiedii and Pumas yagouaroundi) and 1.57cm³ for the jaguar group (Panthera onca e Pumas concolor). The mean Total T4 and Free T4 were 2.55µg/dL and 1.23ng/dL for domestic cats, 1.46µg/dL and 1.89ng/dL for the mixed feline group and 0.68µg/dL and 0.82ng/dL for the jaguar group, respectively. Animals over 10 years old presented higher Free T4 values

In vitro cultivation of canine multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells on collagen membranes treated with hyaluronic acid for cell therapy and tissue regeneration

Support structures for dermal regeneration are composed of biodegradable and bioresorbable polymers, animal skin or tendons, or are bacteria products. The use of such materials is controversial due to their low efficiency. An important area within tissue engineering is the application of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to reparative surgery. The combined use of biodegradable membranes with stem cell therapy may lead to promising results for patients undergoing unsuccessful conventional treatments. Thus, the aim of this study was to test the efficacy of using membranes composed of anionic collagen with or without the addition of hyaluronic acid (HA) as a substrate for adhesion and in vitro differentiation of bone marrow-derived canine MSCs. The benefit of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the differentiation of cells in culture was also tested. MSCs were collected from dog bone marrow, isolated and grown on collagen scaffolds with or without HA. Cell viability, proliferation rate, and cellular toxicity were analyzed after 7 days. The cultured cells showed uniform growth and morphological characteristics of undifferentiated MSCs, which demonstrated that MSCs successfully adapted to the culture conditions established by collagen scaffolds with or without HA. This demonstrates that such scaffolds are promising for applications to tissue regeneration. bFGF significantly increased the proliferative rate of MSCs by 63% when compared to groups without the addition of the growth factor. However, the addition of bFGF becomes limiting, since it has an inhibitory effect at high concentrations in culture medium

Resposta tecidual a implantes de discos de poliuretana de mamona nas formas pré-moldada ou biomassa moldada Tissue reaction to premolded or molded biomass disks of polyurethanes containing castor oil

O trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a resposta tecidual à implantação de discos de poliuretana derivada do óleo de mamona confeccionados de duas formas distintas, na forma pré-moldada fornecida pela indústria e em biomassa moldada no momento da aplicação, de forma a observar se haveria algum tipo de reação local tardia associada à possível continuidade do processo de endurecimento final do biomaterial. Foram utilizados 20 ratos, linhagem Wistar, fêmeas, com peso de 300-350g, nos quais foi inserido o disco pré-moldado no tecido subcutâneo do flanco direito e o de biomassa moldada no flanco esquerdo. Ambos os discos tinham 0,8cm de diâmetro por 0,5cm de espessura. Para o procedimento histológico, cinco ratos foram submetidos à eutanásia aos 3, 7, 15 e 30 dias de pós-cirúrgico. Os implantes e tecidos circundantes foram colhidos, processados e corados pela técnica de hematoxilina-eosina. Foi observada inicialmente uma reação inflamatória moderada, composta especialmente por células polimorfonucleares e macrófagos. Os linfócitos variaram de ausentes a discretos. A reação inflamatória diminui de intensidade à medida que se intensificou a formação de tecido conjuntivo fibroso ao redor dos implantes, porém sem modificação dos números de macrófagos. Sendo assim, conclui-se que ambos os discos de poliuretana induzem uma reação inflamatória similar, que varia de moderada a discreta na dependência do momento de avaliação.<br>The aim of this study was to histologically evaluate the tissue reaction to implantation of polyurethane disks containing castor oil produced in premolded form, supplied commercially, and biomass molded at the moment of application; since a late tissue reaction may occur during the total hardening process of the biomaterial. Twenty female Wistar rats, about 3 months of age, weighing 300-350g, and polyurethane disks 0.8cm in diameter and 0.5cm in thickness were used. The premolded disk was implanted into the subcutaneous tissue at the right flank and the molded biomass disk at the left flank. Five rats each were submitted to euthanasia at 3, 7, 15 and 30 days after surgery, and the polyurethane disks and surrounding tissue were collected. The specimens were processed for HE staining and examined microscopically. A moderate inflammatory reaction was primarily composed of polymorphonuclear cells and macrophages. The lymphocytes varied from absent to discreet. The intensity of the inflammatory reaction decreased at the same time the formation of fibrous conjunctive tissue increased around the implants. However, the numbers of macrophages remained the same. In conclusion, both polyurethane disks induce the same type of inflammatory reaction that varies from slight to moderate according to evaluation time