Effects of intraarticular treatment with stanozolol on synovial membrane and cartilage in an ovine model of osteoarthritis

Aim of the study was to verify the clinical and morphological effects of intra-articular stanozolol or placebo treatment, lasting 3 and 9 months, in sheep in which a femoro-tibial osteo-arthritis (OA) were surgically induced (medial bilateral meniscectomy). Twenty healthy sheep divided into four groups and two control animals group, after surgical medial bilateral meniscectomy, were weekly injected in femoral-tibial joint (FTJ) with stanozolol or placebo. Lameness evaluation was performed and synovial fluid was collected from all sheep at each treatment time. Necropsies were performed after 3 or 9 month as described in experimental design. Gross pathologies were described and specimen tissues collected from femoro-tibial articular joints were processed for routine histological examination. The gross anatomy of the FTJ was well-preserved in stanozolol-treated sheep; this also applied to the histological features of articular cartilage. Joint aseptic inflammation and fibrosis were observed in placebo- treated sheep, associated with a different degree of severity of condylar and tibial plate cartilage degeneration. Stanozolol intra-articular treatment reduces osteophytes formation and subchondral bone reaction and promotes articular cartilage regeneration

Evaluation of the effectiveness of intrauterine treatment with formosulphathiazole of clinical endometritis in postpartum dairy cows.

In cattle, elimination of bacterial contamination from the uterine lumen after parturition is often delayed or compromised, and pathogenic bacteria can persist causing uterine disease and infertility. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and bacteriological recovery following a single intrauterine administration of formosulphatiazole, cephapirin or placebo in cows with clinical endometritis. Cows (n=80), no less than 28 days postpartum, with clinical endometritis were enrolled in the study. Endometritis was diagnosed by a complete reproductive examination including rectal palpation, ultrasonography, vaginoscopy and uterine swab. All cows were randomly assigned to receive one of three intrauterine treatments (T0): 2500 mg of formosulphatiazole (Group A); 500 mg of cephapirin (Group B); placebo (4250 mg of propylene glycol; Group C). Cows were examined at the first estrus after treatment or no more than 30 days after (T1). Bacteria isolated were: E.Coli, A. Pyogenes, Pasteurella spp. and Streptococcus spp. After treatment, in Group A and B only 6/30 (20.0%) and 6/24 (25.0%) cows showed a positive bacteriological culture (P>0.05), while in Group C the number of positive animals was significantly higher (19/26; 73.1%; P<0.05). At T0, total clinical scores were similar between the three groups (Group A: 5.84±1.07; Group B: 5.91±1.0; Group C: 5.62±1.17; P>0.05) and indicative of clinical endometritis. At T1, endometritis scores were significantly lower than those reported before uterine infusion (P<0.05); however, Group A and B score, 0.5±1.2 and 1.4±2.7 respectively, correspond to no and slight endometritis, while animals in Group C reported a total endometritis score significantly higher (4.6±3.5; P<0.05) corresponding to endometritis. In the present study, a commercial formosulphatiazole preparation was as effective as cephapirin and more effective than placebo for the treatment of clinical endometritis

Effects of intraarticular treatment with stanozolol on synovial membrane and cartilage in an ovine model of osteoarthritis

Aim of the study was to verify the clinical and morphological effects of intra-articular stanozolol or placebo treatment, lasting 3 and 9 months, in sheep in which a femoro-tibial osteo-arthritis (OA) were surgically induced (medial bilateral meniscectomy). Twenty healthy sheep divided into four groups and two control animals group, after surgical medial bilateral meniscectomy, were weekly injected in femoral-tibial joint (FTJ) with stanozolol or placebo. Lameness evaluation was performed and synovial fluid was collected from all sheep at each treatment time. Necropsies were performed after 3 or 9 month as described in experimental design. Gross pathologies were described and specimen tissues collected from femoro-tibial articular joints were processed for routine histological examination. The gross anatomy of the FTJ was well-preserved in stanozolol-treated sheep; this also applied to the histological features of articular cartilage. Joint aseptic inflammation and fibrosis were observed in placebo- treated sheep, associated with a different degree of severity of condylar and tibial plate cartilage degeneration. Stanozolol intra-articular treatment reduces osteophytes formation and subchondral bone reaction and promotes articular cartilage regeneration