[Useful of animals as integrated rehabilitation in patients with psychological and physical discomfort]. / Integrazione riabilitativa con l'impiego degli animali in pazienti affetti da disagio psico-fisico.

In the context of social farming, understood as traditional agricultural production, there is a peculiarity appointed to generate innovative services of extreme importance from the health and social: the use of assisted therapy with animals for promoting the employment of disadvantaged people (handicapped). The proximity of the animal is to humans, and especially for young people, a great educational event, an important reference point for growth, a strong incentive to open up to the world, to communicate better, to gain a sense of responsibilities and to correct some defaillance behavioral and cognitive. This work attests to the validity of the animals as an aid in the treatment methodological neurorehabilitation of some diseases, emphasizing the importance of combining this new intervention strategy to conventional rehabilitation therapy.

Effects of topical 0.5% levobunolol alone or in association with 2% dorzolamide compared with a fixed combination of 0.5% timolol and 2% dorzolamide on intraocular pressure and heart rate in dogs without glaucoma.

The goal of glaucoma management is to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) and maintain it at a level compatible with the health of the optic nerve. New therapies are constantly being sought. Topical instillation of levobunolol 0.5%, alone or with dorzolamide 2%, has a hypotensive effect on the IOP in healthy dogs, and levobunolol combined with dorzolamide produces a stronger hypotensive effect than the combination of timolol and dorzolamide. All animals tolerate these topical medications well with no signs of discomfort, and no ocular side effects have been observed. Levobunolol, alone or in combination with dorzolamide, induces bradycardia, as does timolol with dorzolamide.

Effects of a medetomidine-ketamine combination on Schirmer tear test I results of clinically normal cats.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a medetomidine-ketamine combination on tear production of clinically normal cats by use of the Schirmer tear test (STT) 1 before and during anesthesia and after reversal of medetomidine with atipamezole. ANIMALS: 40 client-owned crossbred domestic shorthair cats (23 males and 17 females; age range, 6 to 24 months). PROCEDURES: A complete physical examination, CBC, and ophthalmic examination were performed on each cat. Cats with no abnormalities on physical and ophthalmic examinations were included in the study. Cats were allocated into 2 groups: a control group (n = 10 cats) anesthetized by administration of a combination of medetomidine hydrochloride (80 µg/kg) and ketamine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg), and an experimental group (30) anesthetized with the medetomidine-ketamine combination and reversal by administration of atipamezole. Tear production of both eyes of each cat was measured by use of the STT I before anesthesia, 15 minutes after the beginning of anesthesia, and 15 minutes after administration of atipamezole. RESULTS: Anesthesia with a medetomidine-ketamine combination of cats with no ophthalmic disease caused a significant decrease in tear production. The STT I values returned nearly to preanesthetic values within 15 minutes after reversal with atipamezole, whereas the STT I values for the control group were still low at that point. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results indicated that a tear substitute should be administered to eyes of cats anesthetized with a medetomidine-ketamine combination from the time of anesthetic administration until at least 15 minutes after administration of atipamezole.

Trombiculiasis: clinical contribution.

Neotrombicula autumnalis is an arthropod usually living in the soil, except for the short period of the larval stage when it becomes a real parasite of warm-blooded hosts. We present a case of human trombiculiasis, which is unusual because of the parasite transmission from animals to humans, as in a typical synanthropic dermatosis.

Biological active ingredients of traditional Chinese herb Astragalus membranaceus on treatment of diabetes: a systematic review.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious chronic metabolic disease which disease afflicting at present now afflicts approximately 4% of world population worldwide. Nowadays, the need for more potent and safe drugs to supply the present anti-diabetic and treated drugs has become an imperative. Astragalus membranaceus, the most common Chinese herb and key-component of many Chinese herbal anti-diabetic formulas, is rich in anti-diabetic compounds: polysaccharides (APS), saponins (ASS), and flavonoids (ASF) etc. Because of its various biological activities, especially its antidiabetic properties, that continuously arouse different studies. Recent studies focused on type 1 and type 2 treatment, respectively caused by autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells and insulin resistance and deficient glucose metabolism. Its total polysaccharides, saponins and flavonoids fractions and several isolated compounds have been the most studied. This paper discusses diabetic treatment and pharmacological action of the biological ingredients in relation to diabetes mellitus and diabetic complications.

Progesterone -17alpha -OH and androstenediona serum levels evaluation during the oestrus cycle in guilts (Sus Scrofa Domestica - Linnaeus, 1758) / Avaliação dos níveis séricos de 17-alfa-OH progesterona e androstenediona durante o ciclo estral em marrãs (Sus Scrofa Domestica - Linnaeus, 1758)

In the present study 21 young female swines, sexually mature, reared and kept under a industrial management system were assessed for their progesterone serum profiles during the oestrus cycle. Blood sampling was performed always at the same interval, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM. Each animal was submitted to 14 venal punctions at days 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22 and 23 of the oestrous cycle. the first day of the oestrous phase was assumed to be Day 0 and the 23rd as the first of the next cycle. Hormone determinations were performed employing a solid phase radioimmunoassay (RIA). For progesterone 17-alpha-OH hormone, the observed mean values ranged from 0.18 to 2.7 ng/ml and for the androstenedione hormone those values ranged from 0.08 to 0.24 ng/ml.

No presente trabalho, foram utilizadas 21 fêmeas suínas, virgens, sexualmente aptas, criadas e mantidas sob condições industriais, para observação dos perfis hormonais séricos de 17-alfa-OH progesterona e androstenediona, durante o ciclo estral. As colheitas de sangue foram efetuadas sempre no mesmo intervalo, entre 8 e 10 horas. Cada animal foi submetido a 14 punções venosas, distribuídas nos dias zero, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22 e 23 do ciclo estral. Considerou-se o dia zero como o primeiro dia da fase estral, e o 23º dia como o primeiro do estro subseqüente. Os ensaios para dosagens hormonais foram executados utilizando-se a técnica de radioimunoensaio (RIE) em fase sólida e para isso foi empregado conjunto de reagentes comerciais (Coat-A-Count®). Para o hormônio 17-alfa-OH progesterona, foram encontrados valores médios que variaram entre 0,18 e 2,7 ng/ml e para o hormônio androstenediona esses valores oscilaram entre 0,08 e 0,24 ng/ml.

Avaliaçäo dos níveis séricos de progesterona em porcas durante a gestaçäo / Evaluation of seric levels of progesterone in sows during gestation

No presente trabalho foram utilizadas 30 fêmeas suínas, adultas, mestiças Landrace X Large White sob condiçöes industriais de criaçäo. Objetivou-se determinar os níveis séricos de progesterona durante o período gestacional. As colheitas de sangue foram efetuadas sempre no mesmo intervalo, entre 08:00 e 10:00 horas e perfazendo um total de 10 punçöes venosas assim distribuídas: dias zero, 1§, 4§, 7§, 23§, 57§, 83§, 107§, 112§ e 114§, considerando o dia zero o da segunda e última cobertura e como dia primeiro o subseqüente. Os ensaios para as dosagens hormonais foram executados utilizando-se a técnica de radioimunoensaio (RIE) em fase sólida e para isso foi utilizado conjunto de reagentes comerciais (COAT-A-COUNTR). Os resultados mostraram valores crescentes para a progesterona desde o dia zero até o dia 107§, decrescendo a seguir