Assessment of S100 protein expression in the epididymis of juvenile and adult European bison.

In our study, we decided to compare S100 protein expression in the material obtained from the epididymes of 5- and 12-month-old calves, and adult European bison, and to detect any differences in S100 expression according to the animal age and size of the organ examined. We used the epididymes obtained from 6 adult European bison aged 6-12 years, from 6 at the age of 12 months and 6 calves aged 5 months. Immunocytochemical reactions were performed using the avidin-biotinylated-peroxidase (ABC) technique according to HSU. Specific polyclonal rabbit antiserum against bovine S100 protein (Bio Genex Laboratories) at a dilution at 1:400 was applied. We found the expression of S100 protein in endothelial cells of arteries, veins and lymphatic vessels in all the study animals. At the same time, we found no differences in the expression of S100 protein in vascular endothelial cells. Our observations seem to indicate that S100 expression in endothelial cells of European bison epididymis is not correlated with age or maturity of the organ tested. We found S100 protein in smooth muscle cells of arteries and veins in all European bison specimens examined. Interestingly in the current study, in young 5-month-old sexually immature European bison specimens we observed weaker expression of S100 protein in smooth muscle cells of small vessels as compared to the same cell type both in large vessels in these animals and in small vessels in adult specimens

Angiogenesis in gliomas.

Brain gliomas are characterized by invasive growth and neovascularisation potential. Angiogenesis plays a major role in the progression of gliomas and its determination has a great prognostic value. The aim of the study was to assess the vascularisation of chosen brain gliomas and to estimate how it is correlated with tumour histological type, malignancy grade, location and size, and with age and sex of patients. Tumour vascularisation analysis was based on the determination of microvascular proliferation (MVP) and microvessel density (MVD). Microvascular proliferation was measured with immunohistochemical methods using mouse monoclonal antibodies to detect cell proliferation antigens. The following antibodies were used Ki-67 and PCNA (DAKO). Identification of vessels was performed by CD31 antibody and anti-human von Willebrand factor (DAKO). The highest microvascular proliferation and microvascular density were observed in multiform glioblastomas and the lowest in oligodendrogliomas. Significant correlation was observed between the vascularisation and malignancy grade

Assessment of expression of selected Bcl-2 family proteins in lymphoid infiltration in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia treated with nucleoside analogues.

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) is characterized by clonal growth and accumulation of mature lymphoid cells due to disturbance in genetically regulated form of cell death called apoptosis. The intrinsic mechanism of apoptosis is controlled by Bcl-2 family proteins. Purine nucleoside analogues induce the apoptosis in cells in a state of quiescence. The aim of the study was to assess expression of selected Bcl-2 family proteins in neoplastic infiltration in bone marrow in patients with B-CLL treated with nucleoside analogues. The study comprised examination of bone marrow obtained routinely by trephine biopsy from 18 patients with B-CLL diagnosed before administration of purine nucleoside analogues treatment and after its completion. Expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-x and Bax proteins was examined. Lymphoid cells in bone marrow were present in all patients before administration of treatment. After treatment in two patients bone marrow was infiltrated in diffuse pattern, whereas other patients presented nodular pattern of infiltration. The difference between stage of infiltration before and after treatment was statistically significant (

Wetterfester Baustahl im Stahl- und Verbundbrückenbau – die neue DASt-Richtlinie 007

Wetterfester Baustahl zeichnet sich im Vergleich zu unlegiertem Baustahl durch einen höheren Widerstand gegen atmosphärische Korrosion aus. Bei gleichen mechanischen Werkstoffeigenschaften ermöglicht der unbeschichtete Einsatz des wetterfesten Baustahls aufgrund der korrosionshemmenden Deckschicht wesentliche ökologische und wirtschaftliche Vorteile gegenüber unlegiertem Baustahl mit einer zusätzlichen Korrosionsschutzbeschichtung. Gleichwohl sind für den dauerhaften Einsatz neben geeigneten Umgebungsbedingungen vor allem korrosionsschutzgerechte Konstruktionsregeln zu beachten, die auf Basis neuer Forschungserkenntnisse zu einer Aktualisierung der DASt-Richt linie 007 geführt haben

An assessment of the aversive nature of an animal management procedure (clipping) using behavioral and physiological measures

Animal management often involves procedures that, while unlikely to cause physical pain, still cause aversive responses. The domestic horse ( Equus caballus ) regularly has excessive hair clipped off to facilitate its use as a riding/driving animal and this procedure causes adverse behavioral responses in some animals. The aim of this study was to compare behavioral and physiological measures to assess the aversive effect of this procedure. Ten horses were selected on the basis of being either compliant (C: n = 5) or non-compliant (NC: n = 5) during this procedure. The horses were subjected to a sham clipping procedure (SC: where the blades had been removed from the clippers) for a period of ten minutes. Measures were taken pre, during and post SC (−10 min to +30 min) and mean values calculated for ALL horses and for C and NC separately. Behavioral activity was scored (scale 1-5) by twenty students from video footage in (phase/group-blind scoring). Heart rate (HR), salivary cortisol and eye temperature were monitored throughout the procedure. The NC horses were found to be significantly more behaviorally active/less relaxed throughout the trial than C horses(p b 0.05) with the greatest difference occurring during the SC procedure (p b 0.01). NC horses were more active/less relaxed during, compared with pre or post SC (p b 0.05), but showed no behavioral difference pre and post SC. HR of the NC horses was higher than that of the C horses throughout the trial but only significantly so after 10 min of SC (p b 0.01). ALL horses showed significant increase in HR between +5 and +10 min into the procedure (p b 0.05). There was a significant increase in salivary cortisol concentration in ALL horses post procedure (p b 0.01) with levels peaking at 20 minute post SC. No significant differences in salivary cortisol concentration between C and NC were found at any stage of the trial. Eye temperature increased significantly in ALL horses during SC, peaking at +10 min into the procedure (p b 0.05) and then decreased substantially when SC had ceased (p b 0.01). Although no significant differences were found between C and NC per se, there was a significant interaction between group and phase of trial (p b 0.05) with the NC group showing a greater decrease in eye temperature post SC. There was a significant positive correlation between changes in salivary cortisol concentration and eye temperature (p b 0.01) but no correlation between any of the other measures. Although the behavioral response of C and NC to this procedure was significantly different the physiological responses indicated that ALL horses found the procedure aversive. Eye temperature could be used as an objective and immediate measure of how an animal is responding to a specific situation in order to evaluate management procedures and adapt them where appropriate to reduce the negative impact on animal health and welfare

Simultaneous detection and quantification of six equine cytokines in plasma using a fluorescent microsphere immunoassay (FMIA)

Cytokines are cell signalling proteins that mediate a number of different physiological responses. They are also biomarkers for inflammatory conditions and potential diagnostic references for diseases. Until recently, simultaneous quantification of cytokine profiles had not been possible. Now however, fluorescent microsphere immunoassays (FMIA) are able to measure multiple cytokines in a single sample. The following pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were quantified in equine plasma and serum samples: interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. • The objective of this study was to quantify six equine cytokines simultaneously using the BioPlex® 200 system in equine EDTA-plasma and serum. • It demonstrates an increased number of detectable cytokines over published studies. • This technology has the advantage of reduced sample volume and assay time compared to traditional sandwich ELISAs

Using the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) to Assess Pain Associated with Acute Laminitis in Horses (Equus caballus)

Acute laminitis is a common equine disease characterized by intense foot pain, both acutely and chronically. The Obel grading system is the most widely accepted method for describing the severity of laminitis by equine practitioners, however this method requires movement (walk and trot) of the horse, causing further intense pain. The recently developed Horse Grimace Scale (HGS), a facial-expression-based pain coding system, may offer a more effective means of assessing the pain associated with acute laminitis. The aims of this study were: to investigate whether HGS can be usefully applied to assess pain associated with acute laminitis in horses at rest, and to examine if scoring HGS using videos produced similar results as those obtained from still images. Ten horses, referred as acute laminitis cases with no prior treatment, were included in the study. Each horse was assessed using the Obel and HGS (from images and videos) scales: at the admission (before any treatment) and at seven days after the initial evaluation and treatment. The results of this study suggest that HGS is a potentially effective method to assess pain associated with acute laminitis in horses at rest, as horses showing high HGS scores also exhibited higher Obel scores and veterinarians classified them in a more severe painful state. Furthermore, the inter-observer reliability of the HGS total score was good for both still images and video evaluation. There was no significant difference in HGS total scores between the still images and videos, suggesting that there is a possibility of applying the HGS in clinical practice, by observing the horse for a short time. However, further validation studies are needed prior to applying the HGS in a clinical setting

Circulating β-endorphin, adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisol levels of stallions before and after short road transport: stress effect of different distances

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since transport evokes physiological adjustments that include endocrine responses, the objective of this study was to examine the responses of circulating β-endorphin, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol levels to transport stress in stallions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forty-two healthy Thoroughbred and crossbred stallions were studied before and after road transport over distances of 100, 200 and 300 km. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein: first in a single box immediately before loading (pre-samples), then immediately after transport and unloading on arrival at the breeding stations (post-samples).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An increase in circulating β-endorphin levels after transport of 100 km (<it>P </it>< 0.01), compared to basal values was observed. Circulating ACTH levels showed significant increases after transport of 100 km (<it>P </it>< 0.001) and 200 km (<it>P </it>< 0.001). Circulating cortisol levels showed significant increases after road transport over distances of 100, 200 and 300 km (<it>P </it>< 0.001). An effect of transport on β-endorphin, ACTH and cortisol variations was therefore evident for the different distances studied. No significant differences (<it>P </it>> 0.05) between horses of different ages and different breeds were observed for β-endorphin, ACTH and cortisol levels.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results obtained for short term transportation of stallions showed a very strong reaction of the adrenocortical system. The lack of response of β-endorphin after transport of 200–300 km and of ACTH after transport of 300 km seems to suggest a soothing effect of negative feedback of ACTH and cortisol levels.</p

Awin welfare assessment protocols

What are the AWIN welfare assessment protocol? It is a science-based welfare assessment method, built on animal-based indicators, including pain. What are they for? It is intended to assess welfare of turkeys, sheep, goats, horses and donkeys on farm. Why use a two level approach strategy? The AWIN welfare assessment protocols offer, as a first level, a quick screening, consisting of a selection of robust and feasible animal-based indicators. Depending on the outcome, a second level, consisting of a more comprehensive and in-depth assessment, may be recommended