Effects in rats of adolescent exposure to Cannabis sativa on emotional behavior and adipose tissue.

OBJECTIVE: Cannabis sativa L has remained the most widely used recreational and abused drug worldwide. This study determined adipose tissue histological changes and the anxiety-like behavior in elevated plus-maze tests in rats treated with C. sativa. METHODS: C. sativa L. was provided from Islamic Azad University Herbarium. To reach cannabis powder, a rotary evaporator was used. Forty-five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three equal groups of experimental receiving 2 mg/kg of cannabis extract dissolved in 70 % ethanol in 0.6 mL volume subcutaneously daily for three weeks, the sham group subcutaneously injected with equal volume of 70 % ethanol and the control receiving just distilled water, identically. To assess the anxiety level, elevated plus maze was used. Histopathological changes in adipose tissue was evaluated after 7, 14, and 21 days post-intervention. RESULTS: After cannabis administration, inflammation, degeneration and necrosis in adipose tissue occured. Regarding the anxiety level for the percentage of time spent in open arm (OAT), the percentage of time spent in closed arm (CAT), the percentage of time spent in central parts, and head dipping over the side of the maze) after one week, no significant difference was noticed between the groups; but 2 and 3 weeks of cannabis use, the anxiety level significantly increased. CONCLUSION: Histological findings denoted to inflammation, degeneration and necrosis in adipose tissue after cannabis use. Behavioral assessment of anxiety level revealed that one week after cannabis, no changes were seen in anxiety, but 2 and 3 weeks after cannabis use, the anxiety level increased significantly (Fig. 5, Ref. 38).

Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus: the most common helminthic infection of wild boars in southwestern Iran.

A pathological and epidemiological study on Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus infection on 25 wild boars Sus scrofa in southwestern Iran was done. Overall 24 helminthes (18 female and 6 male) were collected from the intestine of 13 infected wild boars. Thus, the prevalence of acanthocephalans among the 25 examined boars was 52 %. Pathological evaluation revealed damages caused by the acanthocephalans penetrated in the small intestine tissue. Helminthes caused severe necrosis with ulcer and inflammation in tunica sub mucosa layer. High prevalence of this helminthic infection may cause severe hazard for farmers, residents and also wild life animals.

Effects of co-administration of dopamine and vitamin C on ischaemia-reperfusion injury after experimental testicular torsion-detorsion in rats.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dopamine as vasodilator, vitamin C as an antioxidant and combined administration of them on ischaemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury following testicular torsion (TT). Thirty adult male rats were divided into six groups each containing five rats. Testicular ischaemia was achieved by twisting the left testis for 4 h. Group 1 was for determination of the basal values. Group 2 had 4 h TT. Group 3 had 4 h TT and was then treated with dopamine. Group 4 had 4 h TT and was then treated with vitamin C. Group 5 had 4 h TT and was then treated with dopamine and vitamin C. Group 6 was designed as a sham operated group. Testicular torsion caused a significant decrease in the percentage of spermatogenesis and seminiferous tubules diameters compared with the control and sham groups. Administration of dopamine, vitamin C and their combination increased above mentioned parameters and decreased serum malondialehyde levels significantly. However, vitamin C had better results than the other treatments (P < 0.05). In conclusion, a potent antioxidant like vitamin C was found to be more effective than increasing blood flow by a vasodilator like dopamine on improving I-R injury following TT.

A comparative study on the adverse effects of flunixin, ketoprofen and phenylbutazone in miniature donkeys: haematological, biochemical and pathological findings.

AIM: To evaluate the adverse effects of flunixin, ketoprofen and phenylbutazone when administered I/V to clinically normal miniature donkeys. METHODS: Twenty clinically normal adult (2.0-2.5 years old) male miniature donkeys weighing 113-136 kg and 0.81- 0.86 m tall were randomly assigned to one of four groups, and administered either saline (n=5), 1.0 mg/kg flunixin (n=5), 2.2 mg/kg ketoprofen (n=5), or 4.4 mg/kg phenylbutazone (n=5) I/V at 0800 hours on Day 1, then every 12 h, for 12 days. The animals were observed every 8 h, and examined physically daily. Blood, faeces and urine samples were collected daily from all donkeys, for haematological indices and enzyme activities, occult blood, and urinalysis, respectively. Immediately after euthanasia, complete post-mortem examinations were performed on all donkeys, and gross lesions recorded. Histopathology was conducted on a wide range of tissues. RESULTS: Clinically, mild anorexia and diarrhoea were observed during the study only in donkeys treated with phenylbutazone. There was an effect of treatment with the non-steroidal anti-infl ammatory drugs (NSAID) on red blood cell (RBC) counts, packed cell volume (PCV) and enzyme activities, but not on urine. Lesions were observed in the glandular mucosa of the stomach of all donkeys treated with NSAID, including ulceration in most. Also, in donkeys treated with NSAID, hyperaemia, erosion and ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract, and congestion of the liver, kidney and spleen, were observed. Microscopically, hepatic and renal lesions comprised biliary hyperplasia and interstitial nephritis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The gastrointestinal, hepatic and renal lesions observed in the donkeys treated with NSAID demonstrated the toxic potential of NSAID, which was greatest for animals treated with phenylbutazone, less for flunixin, and least for ketoprofen. When use of these compounds is contemplated in clinical cases, the risk of adverse effects and the comparative toxic potential should be considered, together with the efficacy of the compound for the condition being treated.

First report of oligodendroglioma in a sheep.

Oligodendrogliomas occur most commonly in the dog, but have also been reported in cattle, horses and cats. A 1-year-old sheep with neurological disturbances, including blindness, ataxia, circling and incoordination was referred to the veterinary clinic of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. Following euthanasia and necropsy, a soft, relatively well-demarcated mass was observed in the white and grey matter of the right cerebral hemisphere, close to the sylvian fissure in the right cerebral hemisphere. Microscopic examination revealed a sheet of densely packed tumour cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, lightly staining cytoplasm and characteristic perinuclear halo effect which is consistent with a diagnosis of oligodendroglioma. This is the 1st report of oligodendroglioma in sheep.

Polioencephalomalacia associated with closantel overdosage in a goat.

This report describes clinical and pathological findings associated with closantel (a halogenated salicylanilide anthelmintic) overdosage in a 3-year-old goat. The clinical signs included blindness, incoordination, ataxia, depression of the palpebral and pupillary reflexes, and recumbency. No gross lesions were noted in tissue or organs at necropsy, but microscopic lesions were seen in nervous tissue and hepatic cells. Polioencephalomalacia was clearly evident. Bilaterally symmetrical status spongiosus of the white matter of the brain, bilateral laminar necrosis, microcavitations, ischaemic cell change and severe degeneration of the cerebellum were seen in nervous tissue. Fatty change and hydropic degeneration in the liver and hepato-cellular degeneration were observed histologically.

Assessment of frequency of complications of arterio venous fistula in patients on dialysis: a two-year single center study from Iran.

The arterio-venous fistula (AVF) remains the ideal vascular access for patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the complications associated with AVF and was conducted at the Ekbatan Hospital dialysis center in the years 2006 and 2007. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 90 patients with AVF were enrolled. For each patient, data related to age, gender, time of AVF surgery, duration of renal failure, duration on dialysis, number of fistulas and their sites and, data related to complications of AVF were entered in a check list and analyzed with SPSS software (version :11). Majority of the study patients were in the age-group of 41-60 years and there was a male preponderance (56.7%). The mean duration from the time AVF surgery was performed was 26 +/- 29.8 months, the mean duration of ESRD was 48.1 +/- 45.52 months and the mean duration on dialysis was 28.6 +/- 30.81 months. Most of the patients (75.6%) had undergone AVF surgery only once and in the majority (61.1%), the fistula was in the left arm. The most frequent complication seen in our patients was aneurysm (51%), followed by venous hyper-tension (16.7%), infection (4.4%), thrombosis (3.3%) and arterial steal syndrome (1.1%). Our study indicates that the prevalence of complications of AVF is high and greater attention should be paid to the prevention of these complications. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is essential to improve the quality of life in patients on HD.

Localized seborrhoeic dermatitis with hyperhidrosis due to mite infestation in an Iranian cross-breed ram.

A 3-years-old Iranian cross-breed ram with history of repeated local sweating, severe pruritus of body surface was referred to the veterinary clinic. On clinical examination wetness, warmness, pruritus and thickness of affected area were observed. In affected area, hair coat was staring and draggy. Body temperature, heart and respiratory rates were 40.4 degrees C, 120 beat min(-1) and 40 min(-1), respectively. Hematologic indices including packed cell volume, total and differential white blood cell (WBC) and total red blood cell (RBC) were normal. Laboratory examinations of skin scrapings confirmed infestation with Psoroptes ovis. Histopathologic findings included dilation of sweat glands, hyperplasia of sebaceous glands, hyperkeratosis, ulcer and scab formation and eosinophilic dermatitis. History and clinical findings association with the skin scraping and histopathologic findings indicated localized seborrhoeic dermatitis with hyperhidrosis. After treatment with ivermectin at the dose rate of 0.2 mg kg(-1), all clinical signs subsided. This confirmed that the cause of seborrhic dermatitis and hyperhidrosis was mite infestation and other possible causes were ruled out. So this is the first report of localized seborrhoeic dermatitis with hyperhidrosis due to mite infestation in animals.

Effect of Peganum harmala (wild rue) extract on experimental ovine malignant theileriosis: pathological and parasitological findings.

Malignant theileriosis of sheep is a highly fatal, acute or subacute disease is caused by the tick-borne protozoan parasite, Theileria hirci. In this investigation ten healthy male lambs aged 5-6 months were randomly divided into two groups, A and B and were kept in isolated tick-proof pens. They were treated for internal and external parasite before commencement of the experiment. The lambs were experimentally infected with T. hirci by placing ticks Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum infected with T. hirci on them. The ticks used in this survey had originally been isolated from sheep and colonies of them were established in an insectarium. Before and after infection rectal temperatures and clinical signs of the lambs were recorded, blood and prescapular lymph node smears were prepared and examined to determine the extent of the parasitaemia, and blood samples were analyzed to evaluate their haemoglobin (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV) rates. Three days after the commencement of a febrile reaction and appearance of the schizonts in the lymph node smears, treatment of the lambs in Group A with an extract containing the alkaloids of Peganum harmala (wild rue) was commenced. Group B lambs were kept untreated controls. Before treatment there were no significant differences in the rectal temperature, parasitaemia rate, and the Hb and PCV values between animals in the two groups but after treatment significant differences in these values was detected (P < 0.05). After treatment, the clinical signs and parasites in the lymph node smears of the animals in Group A disappeared and they all animals recovered. These parameters in the animals of Group B progressed until their death. Pathological studies showed the characteristic lesions of theileriosis in lambs in Group B, but not in Group A. The results indicate a therapeutic effect of the alkaloids of P. harmala for treatment of ovine malignant theileriosis.

Vascular hamartoma as the cause of hind limb lameness in a horse.

We report a 5-year-old gelding with a rare benign tumour of 2-month duration in the subcutis of the hind limb that presented with lameness. Physical examination revealed normal vital signs. Laboratory findings were within normal ranges. No bone abnormalities were detected on radiographic examination of the affected area. Bloody fluid was obtained by aspiration. Through an I-shape skin incision the tumour was excised en-block. Microscopic study showed a vascular hamartoma characterized by cavernous haemangiomatous tissue and proliferation of multiple vessels of variable diameter. This report highlights the importance of limb vascular hamartoma, as an infrequent lesion, in the differential diagnosis of lameness in the horse.