Clinical efficacy of nutraceutical diet for cats with clinical signs of cutaneus adverse food reaction (CAFR).

Food allergies and food intolerances are clinically difficult to discriminate. Most often, along with cutaneous adverse food reactions or CAFR, they are classified as adverse food reactions, whose causes are numerous, including toxic compounds. Eighteen indoor-housed domestic cats with evident clinical symptoms related to CAFR (drooling, back and neck intense itching, neck eczema, chronic conjunctivitis and stomatitis) involving skin lesions were studied. Cytological evaluations of ear, skin and gingival swabs revealed an increased turnover of keratinocytes while the oxytetracycline ELISA determination showed an unexpected high amount of oxytetracycline in all cats at the first visit. All cats were then randomly assigned to receive a standard (SD group) or a nutraceutical diet (ND group) for 60 days. In the ND group a significant reduction of the mean serum concentration of oxytetracycline, pruritus intensity and skin lesion severity (**p<0.01, ***p<0.001, and ***p<0.001, respectively) was observed after 60 days, and associated with a significant improvement in the clinical picture. Although a direct correlation between oxytetracycline presence within cat sera and CAFR-related symptoms has never been described, this study highlights the benefit of a specific nutraceutical diet supplementation in improving clinical symptoms and skin lesions in cats with CARF.

Long-term preservation of chilled canine semen: effect of commercial and laboratory prepared extenders.

The present study was conducted to evaluate chilled semen conservation over time in 3 commercial and 4 laboratory prepared extenders, including a new Tris-glucose extender. The beneficial effect of adding egg yolk to these media was also analyzed. The effects of these extenders on motility and acrosome reaction were characterized objectively using a computer-aided semen analyzer and the chlortetracycline staining, respectively. No significant differences were observed when comparing the different commercial extenders without egg yolk, but addition of egg yolk improved all motility parameters significantly (preservation of 50% of motility was observed at 3.2+/-1, 2.9+/-0.5, 2.3+/-0.5, 8.5+/-0.2, 5.4+/-1.1, 5.2+/-0.4 d, for Biladyl, green extender and fresh-phos extenders without and with egg yolk, respectively). Motility parameters were best preserved in egg yolk supplemented Biladyl extender with a mean percentage of 86.3+/-10.5 motile spermatozoa after 7 d at 4 degrees C. Efficacy of egg yolk-supplemented commercial extenders on sperm motility at 4 degrees C was (in decreasing order) as follows: Biladyl > green extender > fresh-phos. However, high quality motility and the percentage of motile spermatozoa were highest with some of the laboratory prepared extenders: a 50% conservation rate of motile spermatozoa was observed following the use of supplemented egg yolk extenders. These are classified in decreasing order as follows: Tris-glucose (13+/-1 d) > Tris-fructose (9.7+/-0.6) > EDTA (4.+/-0.6 d) > Tris-bes (3.6+/-1.1 d). A low concentration of motile spermatozoa was still observed in the Tris-glucose egg yolk extender 16 d after collection, clearly demonstrating the importance of the medium and the beneficial effect of egg yolk on sperm motility of 4 degrees C chilled semen. Similar effects of extender were observed for acrosome reactions. Egg yolk clearly had a protective effect reducing acrosome reactions significantly in all media tested as follows: the highest acrosome losses were observed in the fresh-phos and EDTA extenders without egg yolk; the lowest rate was observed with Tris-glucose supplemented egg yolk extender. In conclusion, at 4 degrees C, egg yolk extender best-protected sperm motility parameters. Differences in osmolarity between the extenders in terms of substrate related to sperm metabolic activity may explain the optimal results obtained using egg yolk-supplemented Tris-glucose extender, which preserved motility and acrosome integrity in chilled dog semen. These results indicated that good quality dog spermatozoa could be preserved for up to 10 d.

Comparison of the clinical utility of medetomidine/ketamine and xylazine/ketamine combinations for the ovariectomy of cats.

A controlled trial was conducted to assess suitability of combinations of medetomidine and ketamine for the ovariectomy of cats, to investigate the possible side effects, and to compare medetomidine/ketamine with a combination of xylazine and ketamine. Three hundred and thirty-seven cats were submitted to surgery; 100 were anaesthetised with 80 micrograms/kg medetomidine and 5 mg/kg ketamine, 137 with 80 micrograms/kg medetomidine and 7.5 mg/kg ketamine, and 100 were anaesthetised with 1 mg/kg xylazine and 10 mg/kg ketamine. The combinations were injected intramuscularly in the same syringe. The anaesthesia provided by the medetomidine/ketamine combinations was characterised by good muscle relaxation, good analgesia and minimal side effects. The only difference between the two doses of ketamine was the length of the period of anaesthesia. The advantages of the medetomidine/ketamine combination in comparison with xylazine/ketamine were the need for a lower dose of ketamine, a longer duration of action and better analgesia. Similar side effects were observed with both medetomidine/ketamine and xylazine/ketamine combinations.

Coexpression of human growth hormone-releasing factor 1-37-like and alpha-melanotropin-like immunoreactivities in neurones of the rat lateral dorsal hypothalamus.

Antibodies recognizing the 29-37 sequence of the human somatocrinin specifically stain a large population of interneurones located in the lateral dorsal hypothalamus. Staining comparisons revealed that these perikarya also contain alpha-MSH-like immunoreactivity. The neurones exhibiting human GRF1-37-like immunoreactivity correspond to the system previously shown to present alpha-MSH-like and rat CRF-like immunoreactivities.