Pathology and
pathophysiology
Expression of the claudin-4 molecule
in benign and malignant canine hepatoid gland tumours. Csaba Jakab, Miklós Rusvai, Zoltán Szabó, Ágnes
Szabára and Janina Kulka ... 463
Haemangioma
in the oesophagus of a Red-eared Slider (Trachemys
scripta elegans). János Gál,
Csaba Jakab, Zoltán Szabó, Péter Pazár, Roland Psáder, Florian Roeber, Árpád Hegyi,
Kinga Katalin Lefler, Balázs Farkas and Míra Mándoki ... 477
Pharmacology
The stability of amoxicillin
trihydrate and potassium clavulanate combination in aqueous solutions. Ákos
Jerzsele and Gábor Nagy
... 485
Physiology
and physiological chemistry
Dose-related effects of
cholecystokinin octapeptide administered during various phases of the migrating motor
complex on small-intestinal motility in sheep.
Krzysztof W. Romański ...
495
Distribution of cocaine- and
amphetamine-regulated transcript-like immunoreactive (cart-li) nerve structures in the porcine large
intestine. Slawomir Gonkowski, Piotr
Burliński, Cezary Skobowiat, Mariusz Majewski, Marcin Bartlomiej Arciszewski, Piotr
Radziszewski and Jarosław Całka ... 509
Reproduction
Comparison of
aspiration and hormonal therapy for the treatment of ovarian cysts in cows.
Georgios
S. Amiridis ... 521
Testicular
function and semen characteristics of Awassi rams treated with melatonin out of the
breeding season. Vera
Faigl, Mónika Keresztes, Margit
Kulcsár,
Sándor Nagy, Zsuzsanna Keresztes, Georgios S. Amiridis, László Solti, Gyula
Huszenicza and
Sándor Cseh
...
531
EXPRESSION OF THE CLAUDIN-4
MOLECULE IN BENIGN AND MALIGNANT CANINE HEPATOID GLAND TUMOURS
Csaba Jakab1*, Miklós Rusvai1, Zoltán Szabó2,
Ágnes Szabára1 and Janina Kulka3
1Department of
Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Medicine and 2Department and Clinic of
Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, István utca
2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary; 32nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis
University, Budapest, Hungary
(Received 5 December 2008; accepted 23
March 2009)
Claudins are integral
membrane proteins of the tight junction structures expressed by epithelial and endothelial
cells. The present study has evaluated the expression of claudin-4
in 10 normal canine hepatoid glands and in 67 hepatoid glands
with hyperplastic and neoplastic lesions. The lesions studied included normal hepatoid
glands (n = 10), nodular hyperplasias (n = 10), adenomas
(n = 12), epitheliomas (n = 15), differentiated carcinomas (n = 15) and anaplastic
carcinomas (n = 15). There was an intensive expression of
claudin-4 in normal canine hepatoid
glands as well as in hyperplasias and adenomas. Claudin-4 was detected as a well-localised
linear circumferential membranous staining pattern of epithelial cells (mature hepatoid
cells) in normal hepatoid glands, perianal gland hyperplasias and adenomas. In nodular
hyperplasia and adenoma, the reserve cells showed membrane positivity for the claudin-4
molecule. There was a weaker expression in hepatoid gland epitheliomas. In the
epitheliomas, the basaloid reserve cells never expressed the claudin-4 molecule. The
multiple small parts of epitheliomas in which the cells exhibited typical hepatoid
features showed a well-localised linear circumferential membranous staining pattern for
claudin-4. The numerical score for cellular expression of claudin-4 was higher in
differentiated carcinomas than in epitheliomas, but moderately lower than in adenomas. The
anaplastic, poorly differentiated hepatoid gland carcinomas showed an overexpression of
claudin-4. These results suggest that low claudin-4 expression in epitheliomas is a
molecular characteristic indicative of increasing cellular disorientation, detachment
motility and invasion by tumour cells, and claudin-4 seems to be helpful in distinguishing
undifferentiated carcinomas from differentiated carcinomas and epitheliomas of the
hepatoid gland. In addition, claudin-4 can help distinguish epithelioma from
differentiated carcinoma of the canine hepatoid gland.
Key
words: Canine, hepatoid gland tumours, claudin-4, immunohistochemistry
HAEMANGIOMA
IN THE OESOPHAGUS OF A RED-EARED SLIDER (TRACHEMYS
SCRIPTA ELEGANS)
János Gál1*, Csaba Jakab1, Zoltán Szabó2,
Péter Pazár2, Roland Psáder2, Florian Roeber5, Árpád Hegyi3, Kinga Katalin Lefler3, Balázs Farkas4 and Míra Mándoki1
1Department of
Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Medicine and 2Department and Clinic of
Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, István u. 2,
H-1078 Budapest, Hungary; 3Department of Fish Culture, Institute of
Environmental and Landscape Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences,
Szent István University, Gödöllő, Hungary; 4European Freshwater Turtle
Breeders’ Association, Gyúró, Hungary; 5Faculty of Veterinary Science, The
University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia
(Received 13 November 2008; accepted 23 March 2009)
A haemangioma developing
in the wall of the oesophagus and protruding into its cavity is reported for the first
time from a Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta
elegans). As the tumour mechanically hampered swallowing, the animal was unable to eat
and consequently developed a poor condition. Histopathology of the tumour revealed all
characteristics of a haemangioma: the blood-filled blood-vessels having an irregular
cross-section were lined with endothelial cells. Claudin-5 immunohistochemical antibodies
were employed for characterising the tumour, and this examination confirmed our initial
diagnosis of a haemangioma.
Key
words: Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), oesophagus,
haemangioma, immunohistochemistry
THE STABILITY OF AMOXICILLIN
TRIHYDRATE AND POTASSIUM CLAVULANATE COMBINATION IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
Ákos Jerzsele* and Gábor Nagy
Department of Pharmacology and
Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, István u. 2, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary
(Received 10 December 2008; accepted 23 March 2009)
The effect of various
environmental factors on the stability of aqueous solutions of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid
combination in a veterinary water-soluble powder product was investigated. In the swine
industry, the combination is administered via the drinking water, where both substances
are quickly decomposed depending on several environmental factors. The degradation rate of
the substances was determined in solutions of different water hardness levels (German
hardness of 2, 6 and 10) and pH values (3.0, 7.0 and 10.0), and in troughs made of
different materials (metal or plastic). Increasing the water hardness decreased the
stability of both substances, amoxicillin being more stable at each hardness value than
clavulanate. Amoxicillin trihydrate proved to be most stable at an acidic pH, while
increasing the pH decreased its stability (P < 0.05). Maximum stability of potassium
clavulanate was experienced at neutral pH, while its decomposition rate was significantly
higher at acidic and alkaline pH values (p
< 0.01). The stability of the amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination depends mainly on
the less stable clavulanate, although the effect of metallic ions significantly increased
the decomposition rate of amoxicillin, rendering it
less stable in metal troughs than clavulanate (p
< 0.05). Therefore, the amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination should be administered
to the animals in soft water, at neutral pH and in plastic troughs.
Key
words: Amoxicillin, clavulanic acid, clavulanate, stability, aqueous, reversed-phase
liquid chromatography, water hardness, pH, metal, plastic
DOSE-RELATED
EFFECTS OF CHOLECYSTOKININ OCTAPEPTIDE ADMINISTERED DURING VARIOUS PHASES OF THE MIGRATING
MOTOR COMPLEX ON SMALL-INTESTINAL MOTILITY IN SHEEP
Krzysztof W. Romański*
Department of Animal Physiology,
Veterinary School, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Norwida 31,
PL-50-375 Wrocław, Poland
(Received 20 October 2008; accepted 23
March 2009)
Cholecystokinin (CCK)
may affect intestinal motility, but in ruminants its precise effects have not been
entirely explored. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of CCK-octapeptide
(CCK-OP) on small-intestinal myoelectric activity in rams in the course of chronic
experiments. Five rams underwent implantation of bipolar platinum electrodes to the
duodenal bulb, distal duodenum, and jejunum as well as a strain gauge force transducer
attached near the duodenal electrode. During continuous myoelectric recordings, 0.15 M NaCl or CCK-OP were injected slowly into the
jugular vein. Injections of CCK-OP at doses of 20 (over 30 s), 200 (over 30 or 60 s) and
2000 (over 30, 60 or 120 s) ng/kg of body weight were each administered 5 or 30–40 min
after the onset of the duodenal phase 1 or phase 2 of the migrating myoelectric complex
(MMC), respectively. Most of these CCK doses were considered physiological. Injections of
the smallest dose of CCK-OP exerted a slight and mostly insignificant inhibitory effect on
the duodenal bulb and the duodenal myoelectric activity index (MAI) values. In the
duodenal bulb, the effects of CCK-OP on myoelectric activity were dose dependent and
closely related to the phase of the MMC. In the duodenum, the high dose of the hormone
evoked short stimulatory and longer inhibitory biphasic effects on the MAI. These effects
were inversely related to the duration of the hormone injection. It is concluded that CCK
evokes a physiological stimulatory and inhibitory (biphasic) effect on the duodenal bulb
and duodenal motility in sheep, with the inhibitory effect of the hormone being more
pronounced in the duodenal bulb than in the duodenum. These effects were related to the
CCK dose and the MMC phase. Therefore, CCK is an important regulator of upper small bowel
motility in sheep.
Key
words: Duodenum, myoelectric and motor
activity, cholecystokinin octapeptide, migrating myoelectric complex, sheep
DISTRIBUTION OF COCAINE- AND
AMPHETAMINE-REGULATED TRANSCRIPT-LIKE IMMUNOREACTIVE (CART-LI) NERVE STRUCTURES IN THE
PORCINE LARGE INTESTINE
Slawomir Gonkowski1*, Piotr Burliński1, Cezary Skobowiat1, Mariusz Majewski1,2, Marcin Bartlomiej Arciszewski3, Piotr Radziszewski4 and Jarosław Całka1
1Division of Clinical
Physiology, Department of Functional Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,
University of Warmia and Mazury, Oczapowskiego 13, 10-957 Olsztyn-Kortowo, Poland; 2Department
of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury,
Olsztyn; 3Department of Animal Anatomy and Histology, University of Life
Sciences, Lublin; 4Department of Urology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
(Received 17 July 2008; accepted 11
December 2008)
The aim of the present
study was to investigate the number of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript-like
immunoreactive (CART-LI) nerve structures in the large intestine of juvenile pigs. The
distribution pattern of CART-LI structures was studied by immunohistochemistry in the
circular muscle layer, myenteric (MP), outer submucous (OSP) and inner submucous plexus
(ISP) as well as in the mucosal layer of six regions of the large bowel: caecum,
centripetal and centrifugal turns of the proximal colon, transverse colon, descending
colon and rectum. CART-LI neural structures were observed in all gut fragments studied.
CART-LI nerve fibres were numerous within the circular muscle layer and in the MP of all
the regions studied, while they were moderate or few in number in other layers of the
intestinal wall. The numbers of CART-LI neurons within the MP amounted to 2.02% in the
caecum to 7.92% in the rectum, within the OSP from 2.73% in the centrifugal turns of the
proximal colon to 5.70% in the rectum, and within the ISP from 2.23% in the transverse
colon to 5.32% in the centrifugal turns of the proximal colon. The present study reports
for the first time a detailed description of the CART distribution pattern within the
enteric nervous system (ENS) of the porcine large intestine.
Key
words: Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), enteric nervous system
(ENS), large intestine, immunohistochemistry, pig
COMPARISON OF ASPIRATION AND
HORMONAL THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF OVARIAN CYSTS IN COWS
Georgios S. Amiridis*
Clinic of Reproduction and
Obstetrics, Veterinary Faculty, University of Thessaly, 224 Trikalon str., P.O. Box 199,
43100 Karditsa, Greece
(Received 13 August 2008; accepted 11
December 2008)
Despite the variety of
hormonal treating regimes used, a proportion of cows with cystic ovarian disease (COD)
fail to be cured. The hypothesis of this study was that cyst aspiration would improve the
curing rate and/or accelerate the resumption of ovarian activity in affected cows. In four
groups of cows the following treatments were administered: Group A (n = 18) only cyst
aspiration, Group AGP (n = 19) cyst aspiration and a combination of GnRH and PGF2?,
Group GP (n = 25) only GnRH and PGF2?, and Group C (n = 15) untreated control.
Cysts were aspirated without ultrasonographic guidance, using a new device. All cows from
Group AGP responded to treatment, while 5.5% from Group A and 16% from Group GP remained
anoestrous (P < 0.05). These refractory cases were re-treated with the AGP protocol and
exhibited oestrus within 12.4 ± 1.1 days. The interval from PGF2? injection
to oestrus was significantly reduced in cows treated with cyst aspiration. Until day 80
post partum (pp), 11 of the 15 untreated cows (73.3%) retained the initial cyst and
remained anoestrous. It is concluded that persisting cases of COD can be treated by
combining aspiration with a hormonal regime. The technique presented here has no
complication for the cow, is efficient, easy, safe for the operator, and requires low-cost
equipment.
Key
words: Ovarian cyst, cyst aspiration, GnRH, prostaglandin F2?, cow
E-mail:
gsamir@vet.uth.gr; Phone: 0030-24410-66073; Fax: 0030-24410-66077
TESTICULAR FUNCTION AND SEMEN
CHARACTERISTICS OF AWASSI RAMS TREATED WITH MELATONIN OUT OF THE BREEDING SEASON
Vera Faigl1, Mónika Keresztes1, Margit Kulcsár1, Sándor Nagy2, Zsuzsanna Keresztes1§, Georgios S. Amiridis3, László Solti1, Gyula Huszenicza1 and Sándor Cseh1*§
1Department of Obstetrics and Reproduction,
Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, István u. 2, H-1078 Budapest,
Hungary, 2Awassi Corporation, Bakonszeg, Hungary; 3Clinic of Reproduction and Obstetrics, Veterinary Faculty, University of
Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece
(Received 12 January 2009; accepted 23
March 2009)
The objective of this
study was to evaluate the effect of long-term melatonin treatment applied during the
non-breeding season on semen characteristics, endocrine function of testicles and baseline
level of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in Awassi rams kept in the temperate
continental zone of Europe and used as semen donors in an artificial insemination (AI)
programme. On 23 February (day 0), slow-release melatonin implants were inserted
subcutaneously into rams (n = 8). Control animals (n = 8) received no treatment. In both
groups, basic semen parameters (concentration, total motility, fast and slow forward
motility, morphology), GnRH-induced testosterone response and basal IGF-I concentration
were evaluated on days 0, 47 and 71. No differences were found in concentration of
spermatozoa, total motility, and numbers of spermatozoa with fast and slow progressive
motility and normal/abnormal morphology between the melatonin-treated and the control
group. However, in melatonin-treated animals, basal and GnRH-induced testosterone levels
were slightly elevated on day 47 and became significantly higher on day 71 (P < 0.05)
as compared to controls. There was no difference in plasma IGF-I levels between the
groups. In conclusion, slow-release melatonin applied during the non-breeding season
improves testicular testosterone production but does not influence the semen
characteristics and the IGF-I level of semen donor Awassi rams used in an AI programme and
kept in the temperate continental zone of Europe.
Key
words: Melatonin, ram, testosterone, IGF-I, seasonality
