Effects of long term oral acrylamide administration on alpha naphthyl acetate esterase and acid phosphatase activities in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of rats.

Acrylamide is an important industrial chemical; it also is formed in starch-rich foodstuffs during baking, frying and roasting. Most acrylamide exposure occurs by ingestion of processed foods. We investigated possible immunotoxic effects of extended administration of low doses of acrylamide in rats. To do this, we measured alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE) and acid phosphatase (ACP-ase) activities in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Male and female weanling Wistar rats were administered 2 or 5 mg acrylamide/kg/day in drinking water for 90 days. Peripheral blood was sampled at the end of the administration period. We found ANAE staining in eosinophils and T-lymphocytes, but not in monocytes, platelets, B-lymphocytes and neutrophils. ACP-ase was found in B-lymphocytes. We found a significant reduction of the ratio of ANAE:ACP-ase in lymphocytes of the experimental animals compared to controls. We found no statistically significant differences between the doses or sexes. We found that acrylamide ingested in processed foods might affect the immune system adversely by decreasing the population of mature T- and B-lymphocytes.

Effects of bisphenol A on antioxidant system and lipid profile in rats.

We investigated the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on antioxidant system enzymes, blood lipid profile and histologic structure of liver and pancreas in rats. We used 40 8-week-old male Wistar albino rats. The animals were divided into five groups of eight: control, vehicle, BPA-5, BPA-50 and BPA-500. BPA was dissolved in ethanol, then mixed with corn oil. The control group was untreated. The vehicle group was given the ethanol-corn oil mixture. The BPA 5, BPA 50 and BPA 500 groups were given 5, 50, and 500 µg/kg body weights/day, respectively. After 8 weeks, blood and tissue samples were obtained from the animals and plasma GSH, TBARS, SOD, GPx, CAT, NO, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, LDL, insulin and glucose were measured. The sections were stained using histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. BPA significantly decreased the levels of GSH, SOD, GPx and CAT, and increased the levels of TBARS and NO in plasma. There was no significant difference among the groups in plasma insulin and glucose levels. The percentage of insulin immunoreactive cells in islets increased significantly in the BPA-500 group. The H-score of the BPA-5 and BPA-50 groups decreased significantly compared to controls. We found that BPA caused oxidative stress and disruption of pancreatic ß-cell function. Therefore, BPA is a risk factor for animal and human health.

Age and gender related changes in hematological parameters of thoroughbred foals.

Hematological and biochemical profiles commonly are required in equine medicine. We studied hematological parameters including red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (PCV), differential leukocyte counts, mean cell volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in thoroughbred foals at different ages and for both sexes. Sixty healthy thoroughbred foals, 1 day, 3 days and 1 year old were used. Each age group consisted of 10 male and 10 female animals. We found significant differences related to age in RBC values of females, PCV, MCV values of males, WBC, neutrophil percentages, lymphocyte percentages, monocyte percentages of females, and eosinophil percentages and basophil percentages. Significant differences related to gender were found only with regard to PCV at 1 year and WBC at 1 day. The hematological parameters of thoroughbred foals up to one year old may be useful for evaluating and monitoring the health of these animals.

Cytochemistry of peripheral blood leukocytes in thoroughbred foals.

We attempted to characterize the cytochemical staining patterns of leukocytes and to determine the percentages of alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE) and acid phosphatase (ACPase) positive lymphocytes in peripheral blood of thoroughbred foals at different ages. Blood samples were obtained from the jugular veins of 60 healthy thoroughbred foals, 1 day, 3 days and 1 year old. Each age group included 10 male and 10 female animals. Peroxidase (PO) activity was detected in neutrophils, eosinophils and monocytes. Lymphocytes were negative for PO staining. Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining was observed in neutrophils and monocytes; eosinophils were negative. The majority of lymphocytes were negative, but a few cells showed granular PAS positivity. Monocytes were strongly positive for ANAE and ACPase, and the enzymatic reaction was common in lymphocytes. Neutrophils showed a weakly positive reaction for ANAE and ACPase. Eosinophil granules were negative or weakly positive for ANAE and usually negative for ACP, but intergranular areas were positive. Mean ANAE positive peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were 67.70, 73.10 and 49.20% in females; 64.00, 70.53, and 50.60% in males 1 day, 3 days, and 1 year old, respectively. ACPase positive PBL were 27.33, 32.83, and 37.40% in females; 29.67, 31.67, and 38.40% in males 1 day, 3 days, and 1 year old, respectively. For both enzymes, the differences between mean values for the genders were not statistically significant, but significant differences were found with regard to age. We provide comparative hematological data as a guide for identifying blood cells in thoroughbred foals.

Determination of the effects of aflatoxin B1 given in ovo on the proximal tibial growth plate of broiler chickens: histological, histometric and immunohistochemical findings.

Detrimental effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on the embryonic development of broiler tibia and its proximal growth plate were determined by means of histological, histometric and immunohistochemical methods. For this, 420 fertile eggs from parent stocks of Ross 308 broiler chickens were divided into five groups according to the proposed treatment: a control untreated group, a group injected with 30% ethanol and three further groups to be injected with 5, 15 or 40 ng AFB1. The eggs were injected into the air space prior to incubation. Five eggs from each group were opened at 9, 11, 13, 17, 19 and 21 days of incubation and tibial tissue samples were removed, dissected of muscle and connective tissues, and processed by means of routine histological techniques. The cell proliferation rate of the epiphyseal growth plate cells was determined by immunohistochemical assay of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression. The results showed that both proliferative and hypertrophic zones narrowed significantly (P<0.05), when compared with the controls, in all of the AFB1-treated groups whereas the transitional zone thickened, especially in the group given 40 ng AFB1 group. The PCNA positivity indices of 15 and 40 ng AFB1-treated groups were significantly higher (P<0.05) on days 11, 13, 17, 19 and 21 of incubation. It was concluded that in ovo-administered AFB1 adversely affected embryonic development of the tibial growth plate, and that affected hatched broilers might also be more susceptible to skeletal disorders during growth.

Hematology and enzyme histochemistry of peripheral blood lymphocytes in domestic pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica).

The purpose of our study was to determine the percentages of alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE)-positive and acid phosphatase (ACP)-positive peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in both sexes of one-year-old domestic pigeons (Columba livia f. domestica). Blood samples obtained from 12 healthy domestic pigeons were used. The mean percentages of ANAE-positive PBL for females and males were 47.8% and 48.8%, respectively, whereas the mean percentages of ACP-positive PBL were 67.5% and 68.6%, respectively. The proportions of PBL were 49.3% and 48.6% in males and females, respectively.

Histological and enzyme histochemical investigation of the hemal nodes of the hair goat.

We investigated the structure of the hemal node in six healthy hair goats using histological and enzyme histochemical methods. After processing, tissue sections were stained with Crossman's trichrome, Gordon-Sweet's silver and Pappenheim's panoptic stains. Alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE) and acid phosphatase (ACP-ase) were demonstrated in frozen sections. Hemal nodes were encapsulated by connective tissue and few smooth muscle cells. Several trabeculae originated from the capsule and extended into the hemal node. A subcapsular sinus was present beneath the capsule and was continuous with the deeper sinuses. Subcapsular and deep sinuses were filled with erythrocytes. The parenchyma consisted of lymphoid follicles, diffuse interfollicular lymphocytes and irregular wide lymphoid cords. Cortical and medullary regions were not distinct. ANAE (+) and ACP-ase (+) cells were located mainly in the germinal centers of the lymphoid follicles and also were scattered equally in the interfollicular region and lymphoid cords. Monocytes, macrophages and reticular cells displayed a diffuse positive reaction, whereas localized granular positivity was observed in lymphocytes. We demonstrated that the general structure of the hair goat hemal nodes is similar to that of other ruminant species.

Laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with suturing technique.

Since December 1992 we have performed laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) in 50 women using strict, conventional, basic operative rules, and compared it with open abdominal hysterectomy with respect to operation time, cost, postoperative analgesia requirements, and length of hospital stay. The indications for hysterectomy were uterine myoma in 32 patients, dysfunctional bleeding in 13, and postmenopausal bleeding in 5. The mean operating time was 118 minutes. The mean blood loss was 3.2% for preoperative and postoperative hematocrit values. The complication rate was 15%. The advantages of LAVH include short hospitalization, early recovery, low blood loss, and minimal postoperative discomfort.