Molecular identification of Babesia canis canis genotype A in a dog from Iran.

BACKGROUND: Canine babesiosis is a common and clinically significant tick-borne disease caused by obligate haematozoan parasites of the genus Babesia. PURPOSE: To report Babesia canis canis genotype A infection in a dog. METHODS: A 2-year-old female Shih Tzu dog was submitted with the history of anorexia and depression for one week and no prior surgery. Fever, anorexia, depression and vomiting as well as mucosal pallor were noticed on physical examination. Microscopic examination of the Giemsa-stained blood smear disclosed large form of Babesia, and single to four pear-shaped merozoites within erythrocytes (RBCs). The specific primers were used for detecting Babesia canis. RESULTS: The result of PCR was confirmed by 18S rRNA gene sequence analyzing and has been registered in GenBank under following accession numbers for Babesia canis canis (MW199108). The sequences were compared to those in GenBank, and alignments showed that the B. canis canis isolate belonged to genotype A. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first description of B. canis canis genotype A in dog from Iran.

Pro-oxidant and degenerative effects of haloperidol under inflammatory conditions in rat; the involvement of SIRT1 and NF-κB signaling pathways.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different doses of haloperidol (HP) on induction of oxidative stress in blood and liver cell degeneration in comparison with influences of HP pre-treatment on inflammatory process induced by intraperitoneal (IP) administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). One hundred twenty male albino Wistar rats were randomly divided into eight groups (15 in each), including: Control group, LPS group, three groups as HP administration in three divided doses (0.50, 1.00 and 2.00 mg kg-1), and three treatment groups that HP was administered in three doses (0.50, 1.00 and 2.00 mg kg-1) prior to LPS administration. Concentrations of malondialdehyde, activities of antioxidant enzymes including glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and also the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin 1-beta were measured in blood and serum. In addition to liver histopathological changes evaluation, hepatic silent information regulator of transcription 1 (SIRT1) and phosphorylated-nuclear factor-κB (p-NF-κB) levels were quantitated. Our findings indicated that sole administration of HP (particularly higher doses) can induce oxidative stress in blood and cell degeneration in liver, while it can attenuate inflammatory process induced by LPS administration presumably via SIRT1 up-regulation and preventing the induction of p-NF-κB. The oxidative and degenerative effects of HP and its impact on inflammatory status were completely dose- dependent according to our results. The possible anti-inflammatory effects of HP may affect reparative mechanisms and hepatic cell degeneration. However, the influences of HP on immune system need further investigations and its higher doses should be administered cautiously especially in patients with immune system dysfunctions.

Babesia canis caused clinical babesiosis in a female Shih Tzu dog.

A 2-year-old female Shih Tzu dog was submitted with the history of anorexia and depression for one week and no prior surgery. Fever and pale mucosa were noticed in physical examination. Microscopic examination of the Giemsa-stained blood smear disclosed large form of Babesia and single to four pear-shaped merozoites within erythrocytes (RBCs). Regenerative anemia characterized by a marked reticulocytosis, significant intra-vascular hemolysis, nucleated RBCs, left-shifted neutrophils, thrombocytopenia, azotemia, high serum creatinine and urea concentrations were recorded following hemato-biochemical analysis. Abundant bilirubin crystals and abnormal reddish color after centrifugation were observed in urinalysis. Molecular analysis was performed using specific primers for detection of Babesia canis. Diminazene aceturate, ciprofloxacin, ivermectin and phosphorus-vitamin B12 were prescribed and the clinical signs improved after four days. Two months follow-up showed no recurrence. Such studies would significantly contribute to the development of appropriate preventive strategies and successful treatment. This communication reports a clinical case of canine babesiosis caused by B. canis in a female Shih Tzu dog.

Alterations of cardiac and renal biomarkers in horses naturally infected with theileria equi.

Equine theileriosis due to Theileria equi is probably the most widespread and pathogenic disease of equines, which comes with major cardiac and renal complications. This study was undertaken to investigate the biomarkers of cardiac and renal functions in horses infected with T. equi and determine the association between these parameters and the level of parasitemia. Giemsa-stained blood smears from 300 horses with ages of 3-4 years old were examined for detection of T. equi on erythrocytes. Moreover, multiplex PCR was employed for confirmation of the diagnosis in the 28 positive cases. Based on the rate of red blood cell infection, the infected animals were subdivided into horses with low (n = 9), moderate (n = 13) and high (n = 6) parasitemia. The concentrations of urea, creatinine, cystatin-C, cardiac troponin I (cTn-I), homocysteine (Hcy), myocardial fractions of creatine kinase (CK-MB) and d-dimer were determined in control (healthy) horses (n = 20) and the infected animals. The results revealed that both the renal (urea, creatinine and cystatin-C) and the cardiac (cTn-I, Hcy, CK-MB and d-dimer) biomarkers increased in a parasitemia burden-dependent pattern. However, urea, creatinine, cTn-I and d-dimer levels were not significantly influenced in the horses infected with low rate (<1 %) of parasitemia (p> 0.05). Moreover, all of the biomarkers were significantly and positively associated with the parasitemia (R2> 0.5). In conclusion, T. equi infection was related to cardiac and renal complications evidenced by increase in the levels of biomarkers and evaluation of these indices may have promise for early diagnosis of the complications.

Histopathological assessment of protective effects of selenium nanoparticles on rat hepatocytes exposed to Gamma radiation.

Gamma radiation are used in many medical and technical applications, however, it is one of the most dangerous kinds of radiation and can be harmful to the body. The present study was designed to clarify the protective effects of the selenium supplementation as selenium nanoparticle and selenite selenium in rat liver against Gamma irradiation with different intensities of 2.00 and 8.00 Gy. A total number of 45 healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into nine groups of five each. The radiation procedure was carried out in the Cobalt 60 equipment in Omid hospital, Urmia. The animals were simultaneously immobilized in a transparent acrylic plate and exposed to different intensities of 2.00 and 8.00 Gy radiations on day 7th and 14th of the experiment. After 72 hr after the last radiation, the animals were euthanized, and blood and liver tissue were collected. Histological analyses revealed the radiation-induced hepatic injury in rats, which included vacuolated cytoplasm, liver necrosis, fibrosis, and vascular lesions followed by a significant increase in alanine transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and Gamma-glutamyl transferase. Selenium nanoparticles bear a more potent antioxidant effect in comparison with selenium selenite and can effectively protect the liver cell against Gamma radiation at a dose of 8.00 Gy.

Comparative study of the protective effects of chicken embryo amniotic fluid, vitamin C and coenzyme Q10 on cyclophosphamide-induced oxidative stress in mice ovaries.

Cyclophosphamide is a chemotherapy drug for the treatment of cancer. Chicken embryo amniotic fluid, vitamin C and coenzyme Q10 have anti-oxidant properties. Total of 70 adult female mice were selected and divided into seven groups. The first group that received 2 ml kg-1 of inactivated amniotic fluid subcutaneously. The second group treated with 75 mg kg-1of cyclophosphamide by intraperitoneal injection. Third to fifth groups received 1, 2, and 4 ml kg-1 of chicken embryo amniotic fluid, respectively. The sixth group received vitamin C at a dose of 0.2 mg g-1 of body weight by oral gavages. Seventh group received 10 mg kg-1 coenzyme Q10 intraperitoneally. All cyclophosphamide treated groups (3-7) received 75 mg kg-1 of cyclophosphamide intraperitoneal on day 22. The mice were euthanized on day 29 and ovarian tissue antioxidant enzymes including glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated. Activities of above mentioned enzymes in treatment groups (3-7) was significantly higher than patient control group (2). The results also revealed that MDA levels were higher in the control group in comparison to other treatment groups. Therefore, it is concluded that the chick embryo amniotic fluid and coenzyme Q10 can compete with compounds like vitamin C in increasing the anti-oxidant level in ovarian tissue.

Comparative study of radioprotective effects of selenium nanoparticles and sodium selenite in irradiation-induced nephropathy of mice model.

PURPOSE: The current study was undertaken to evaluate radioprotective effects of selenium (Se) nanoparticles in irradiation-induced nephropathy of mice model compared to sodium selenite. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five mice were divided into three major groups including control, Se nanoparticle, and sodium selenite. Each major group was further subdivided into three more groups receiving various doses of 0, 2, and 8 Gy gamma irradiation. Both of the supplements were administered intraperitoneally with the dose of 0.1 mg/kg for 14 consecutive days. At the end of each week, the animals were exposed to gamma radiation and 48 h after the last exposure, the animals were humanely euthanized, then blood and renal tissue samples were taken. Serum creatinine, urea, cystatin C, and beta-2-microglobulin levels as well as activities of renal antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase, also malondialdehyde level, total antioxidant capacity, renal tissue Se content, and histopathological features were assessed. RESULTS: The results showed that both of the supplements could normalize aforementioned indices. However, selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) were more effective than sodium selenite. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusively, Se-NPs as an emerging potent antioxidant agent can protect against irradiation-induced nephropathy.

Effect of Short-term Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation and Precooling on Serum Endogenous Antioxidant Enzymes of Elite Swimmers.

Emami, A, Tofighi, A, Asri-Rezaei, S, and Bazargani-Gilani, B. Effect of short-term coenzyme Q10 supplementation and precooling on serum endogenous antioxidant enzymes of elite swimmers. J Strength Cond Res 32(5): 1431-1439, 2018-This study aimed to investigate the effect of the use of a 2-week precooling strategy and supplementation coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and serum glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in elite, adolescent swimmers during heavy and regular trainings and recording of freestyle swimming. Thirty-six healthy males (mean ± SD; age: 17.5 ± 1.1 years, body fat content: 14.55 ± 1.75%) were randomly selected and divided into 4 groups of CoQ10 (300 mg·d), precooling (immersion in the water at 18 ± 0.5° C), supplementation with precooling, and control, each with 9 participants. During an 18-session protocol in the morning and evening, participants attended speed and endurance trainings for 5 km every session. A 3-stage blood sampling was conducted before the first recording and before and after the second recording in 800, 200, and 50 m. Repeated measurement and the Bonferroni correction were used for the statistical analyses of the data (α = 0.05). According to the results, there was no significant difference between the mean serum level of SOD, CAT, and GPx in the groups at the first stage of blood sampling (p > 0.05). At the third stage, a significant difference was observed among all groups (p < 0.05). At the second stage, precooling and control groups show a significant increase compared with the supplementation and supplementation with precooling groups (p < 0.05). As an antioxidant essential for adenosine triphosphate synthesis, CoQ10 supplementation prevented adverse changes of antioxidant enzymes during heavy trainings and swimming recording and decreased the serum level, while precooling individually increased serum level of antioxidant enzymes by itself.

Comparative study of cardio-protective effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles and zinc sulfate in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The cardio-protective effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (Zn NPs) against diabetes-induced cardiopathy were evaluated and compared with zinc sulfate (ZnSO4). A total of 120 Wistar rats were randomly categorized as healthy and diabetic groups. Then, the 2 groups were classified in 5 subgroups. The animals received oral supplementations containing different Zn NP (ie, doses of 1, 3, and 10mg/kg) and ZnSO4 (30mg/kg) concentrations over 8 weeks. Blood and cardiac tissue samples were collected in the different time intervals and subjected to biochemical and histopathological analysis. Zn NPs showed dual effects, as its middle dose played protective role and recovered cardiac damages evidenced by significant reduction of serum cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, lipoprotein (a), atherogenic index, TNF-α, cardiac MDA, B-type natriuretic peptide and caspase-3 activity. Apoptosis indices and histopathological features also were improved. However, the highest dose was found to be toxic and resulted in aggravation of the injuries. Another interesting finding is the ability of the higher doses of Zn-NPs (3 and 10mg/kg) to elevate cardiac zinc levels above the normal range in healthy animal. ZnSO4 also helped to recuperation of the damages, but the middle dose of Zn NPs was more efficient as compared to ZnSO4. Conclusively, Zn NPs have the potential for Zn delivery in diabetic patients.

In vitro assessment of the digestibility of forage based sheep diet, supplemented with raw garlic, garlic oil and monensin.

The effect of inclusion of garlic essential oil (EO) at 33, 66 and 100 µg mL(-1), raw garlic (GAR) at 5, 10 and 15 mg mL(-1) and monensin (MON) at 7.5 µg mL(-1) of incubation medium on organic matter digestibility (OMD) was studied with in vitro gas production, ANKOM daisy(II) and conventional in vitro (IVOMD) methods. The material was incubated with sheep ruminal fluid and the experimental design was a completely randomized design. Cumulative gas production was recorded at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 hours of incubation. Conventional in vitro OMD was determined after 48 hours incubation in acid and pepsin solutions. Samples for Daisy(II) OMD prepared according to the operating instructions supplied by ANKOM(®) Tech. Co., Fairport, USA. Compared to in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), Daisy(II) and gas production techniques overestimated (P < 0.05) OMD. The addition of EO and MON reduced (P < 0.05) the organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid-detergent fiber (ADF) digestion, and gas production volume. The potential of gas production and rate of gas production for EO and MON were the lowest; however, these variables were higher for GAR supplemented groups. It was concluded that raw garlic could be of great interest for its usage as a modulator of ruminal fermentation.

Generation of mature monocyte-derived dendritic cells in the presence of heparin and monocyte conditioned medium: phenotypic and functional comparison.

BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DC) induce tumor or pathogen-specific T cell responses in humans. Several laboratories have developed culture systems, including maturation factors for human DC from peripheral blood monocytes. We comprehensively compared standard maturation stimulus, an autologous monocyte-conditioned medium (MCM), with heparin for their ability to promote uniformly mature DC that elicit T cell responses. METHODS: A short (4-day) priming of plastic adherent monocytes with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-4 with or without heparin was followed by 48-hour incubation in MCM to generate fully mature and stable DC. Phenotypic and functional analyses were carried out using anti-CD14 and anti-CD83 monoclonal antibodies, and mixed lymphocyte reaction, respectively. RESULTS: We found that fully matured DC with a large amount of cytoplasm and copious dendritic projections were visible at the end of culturing period in the presence of MCM, heparin and MCM plus heparin. Thus, DC generated with these maturation factors are non-adherent and have typical satellite morphology. Flow cytometric analysis using anti-CD14 (monocyte marker) and anti-CD83 (mature DC marker) revealed that expression of CD14 decreased in MCM plus heparin-treated DC, and the expression of CD83 was increased when heparin and MCM used as a maturation factor. Functionally, MCM and MCM plus heparin-treated DC showed stronger mixed leukocyte reaction than heparin alone. CONCLUSION: These results support the use of the MCM with heparin as maturation factor that could result in functionally mature monocyte-derived DC in comparison to either MCM or heparin alone.