Snake envenomation in three cats in South Korea.

Case series summary: Three cats in South Korea were diagnosed with snake envenomation based on the appearance and location of bite wounds. Two cats were envenomed by the Gloydius species and one by an unidentified species. Clinical signs were detected, including local bite-site swelling, haemorrhagic discharge and necrosis. All three cats were given supportive treatment. An antivenom was administered to one cat, and the cat showed no adverse reactions. All cats survived, but skin necrosis remained a complication of the snake envenomation. This was observed during the 1-year follow-up period. Relevance and novel information: Cats with snake envenomation are extremely rare in South Korea, and information regarding clinical details are limited. This study is the first to describe the clinical details and prognosis of feline snake envenomation in South Korea.

Diagnostic evaluation of carbon tetrachloride-induced rat hepatic cirrhosis model.

BACKGROUND: To find a non-invasive method of diagnosing hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis, we evaluated the relationship of the hepatic cirrhosis grade between histopathology and mean grey level (MGL) in B-mode ultrasonography in CCl4-induced liver cirrhosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three groups of rats were treated with olive oil, CCl4, and CCl4 + silymarin. Rats were sacrificed at weeks 4, 8 and 12, after B-mode ultrasonography examination, and then analyzed histopathologically for fatty change and fibrosis. RESULTS: On the grade of fibrosis, the CCl4 group showed higher value at 8 and 12 weeks than the silymarin group. However, the fatty change was enhanced in the silymarin group, compared with the CCl4 group. The B-mode histogram values were the highest in the silymarin group, but the collagen rate was highest in the CCl4-treated group, at week 12. These results suggest that the B-mode histogram can be more affected by infiltration of lipid than by intact accumulation of collagen fibers. CONCLUSION: In the histogram of 8 and 12 weeks, there were significant differences between the CCl4-treated group and silymarin group in mean grey levels of B-mode ultrasonography. The histogram of B-mode mean grey level has a close correlation with fatty change and is useful for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis by histopathological analysis.

Alterations of mast cells and TGF-beta1 on the silymarin treatment for CCl(4)-induced hepatic fibrosis.

AIM: Silymarin is a potent antioxidant, antiinflammatory and anti-fibrogenic agent in the liver, which is mediated by alteration of hepatic Kupffer cell function, lipid peroxidation, and collagen production. Especially, in hepatic fibrogenesis, mast cells are expressed in chronic inflammatory conditions, and promote fibroblast growth and stimulate production of the extracellular matrix by hepatic stellate cells. METHODS: We examined the inhibitory mechanism of silymarin on CCl(4)-induced hepatic cirrhosis in rats. At 4, 8, and 12 wk, liver tissues were examined histopathologically for fibrotic changes produced by silymarin treatment. RESULTS: In the silymarin with CCl(4)-treated group, increase of hepatic stellate cells and TGF-beta1 production were lower than in the CCl(4)-treated group at early stages. Additionally, at the late fibrogenic stage, expressions of TGF-beta1 were weaker and especially not expressed in hepatocytes located in peripheral areas. Moreover, the number of mast cell in portal areas gradually increased and was dependent on the fibrogenic stage, but those of CCl(1)+silymarin-treated group decreased significantly. CONCLUSION: Anti-fibrotic and antiinflammatory effects of silymarin were associated with activation of hepatic stellate cells through the expression of TGF-beta1 and stabilization of mast cells. These results suggest that silymarin prevent hepatic fibrosis through suppression of inflammation and hypoxia in the hepatic fibrogenesis.