Recently, studies on natural source antioxidants have become increasingly active in various fields. Among analytical methods for assessment of antioxidant activity, the DPPH, ABTS, and TBA assays have become quite popular in natural antioxidant studies. One of the reasons is that these methods are simple to use and highly sensitive. In particular, DPPH and ABTS assays are based on the theory that a hydrogen donor is an antioxidant. The antioxidant effect can be easily evaluated by following the decrease of specific UV absorption and the results are usually expressed in terms of Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). The TBA assay has been commonly used for measurement of lipid oxidation in some foods and biological systems. Because the colored complex is formed by the TBA-malonaldehyde interaction, the TBA value can be evaluated using a UV spectrophotometer or HPLC. However, the TBA-malonaldehyde complex is very unstable and often is either not detected in many oxidized lipids or is a minor product of secondary oxidation. As a result of these defects, numerous studies are ongoing.

Prostatic calculi are common finding in radiographic examination, however, the true incidence and the clinical significance are not clearly known. We investigated the prevalence of prostatic calculi and the relationship between prostatic calcification and urolithiasis. From a database, 305 consecutive subjects older than 30 years of age who had undergone regular health checks in our hospital from January 2007 to July 2009 were enrolled in this study. Prostatic calculi and urinary stones were confirmed by non-enhanced CT. According to the presence of prostatic calculi, they were divided into two groups and the relationship with urolithiasis was determined using statistical analysis. Among 305 male subjects, prostatic calculi were found in 97 (31.9%), which revealed a linear trend with aging (r=0.928, p=0.023), while asymptomatic upper urinary tract stones were found in 45 subjects (14.9%). A significant difference was observed in mean age (p<0.001), however, no difference was observed in prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HT), and body mass index (BMI). In the prostatic calculi group, 24 (24.7%) subjects had previously unknown urolithiasis, while only 21 subjects (10.1%) in the non-prostatic calculi group had urinary stones. The prevalence of urolithiasis was significantly higher in men with prostatic calcification than in those without prostatic calcification (OR=2.92, 95% CI: 1.53-5.58, p=0.001). No significant differences in serum chemistry were observed between the two groups. Among the 45 patients with urolithiasis, no significant differences were observed in the mean stone size according to the presence of prostatic calcification. Our data showed that prostatic calcification was prevalent up to approximately 31.9% and was frequently combined with upper urinary tract stones. These results indicate that evaluation for urolithiasis might be needed in patients with incidentally detected prostatic calcification.

Due to the similarities of their anatomical morphology and physiology to those of humans, pigs have increasingly become useful models for toxicological and pharmacological studies. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the quality control level through hematological features of minipigs. Thus, we attempted to determine whether there are differences in hematological parameters between male and female minipigs. No significant differences in the levels of erythrocytes, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), leukocytes (WBC), and serum electrolytes were observed between male and female minipigs. However, leukocytes were higher than reference range in both sexes (26.46±2.06 vs 11.6±5.4 for male; 23.58±3.36 vs 10.0±2.0 for female). In differential leukocyte counts, no significant differences in leukocyte parameters were observed between sexes. However, neutrophils were higher than reference range in both sexes (60.65±13.92 vs 33.1±18.9 for male; 46.84±12.80 vs 15.4±5.6 for female). In serum biochemical analysis, no significant differences in biochemical parameters were observed between male and female minipigs. However, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALT) were higher than reference range, while alanine aminotransferase (ALP) was lower than reference range. In urine analysis, pH of male and female was 8.3±1.0 and 6.4±1.6, showing a higher value in male minipigs. These data indicate that quality control of minipigs must take precedence in conduct of toxicological and pharmacological studies.

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of Phellinus linteus (PL) water extract against carrageenan- and cotton pellet-induced acute and chronic inflammation in rats. Animals were divided into four experimental groups for conduct of acute and chronic inflammations studies: the vehicle control group, positive control group (aminopyrine 100 mg/kg), PL 10 mg/kg group, and PL 20 mg/kg group. Oral administration of PL water extract has dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effects against both acute and chronic inflammation models. In carrageenan-induced paw edema, significant inhibition was observed at 0.5 and 1 h in the PL 10 mg/kg group and at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 h in the PL 20 mg/kg group. In cotton pellet-induced granuolma formation, PL water extract at 10 and 20 mg/kg/day also showed significant inhibition in dry weights of granuloma. Results of the free radical scavenging assay showed that PL has a dose-dependent scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radicals. The results obtained in this study indicate that this plant material may be used beneficially as an anti-inflammatory agent having antioxidant action.

Iron catalyzes the production of free radicals, which can be related to a variety of pathological events, such as cancer and aging. The effect of dietary iron was investigated on formation of colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) induced by azoxymethane in male F344 rats. Animals were fed three different diets, including iron-deficient (3 ppm Fe), iron-normal (35 ppm Fe), and iron-overloaded (350 ppm Fe) diets for eight weeks. During the first and second weeks of the experiment, animals received two subcutaneous injections of azoxymethane (AOM, 15 mg/kg body weight) to induce ACF. After staining with methylene blue, the total numbers of ACF and aberrant crypts (AC) were counted on the colonic mucosa. Analysis of blood and serum was performed using a blood cell differential counter and an automatic serum analyzer. Iron-deficient diets induced a significant decrease in red blood cell counts and the values of hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular volume, while an iron-overloaded diet did not affect these values. The iron-overloaded diet induced an increase in deposits of iron in the liver of rats, as determined by the ICP method and Perl’s staining. The numbers of ACF per colon showed a slight increase in iron-overloaded or iron-deficient rats, without statistical significance, compared to iron-normal rats. The number of total AC per colon in iron-overloaded rats was significantly higher than that in iron-normal rats (p<0.05). The number of large ACF (≥ 4 AC per ACF) in iron-overloaded rats was also significantly higher than that in iron-normal rats (p<0.05). These results suggest that dietary iron intake may play an important role in colon carcinogenesis in humans and animals.

A four-year-old sexually intact male dog and a seven-year-old sexually intact female dog presenting with heavy tick infestation were tentatively diagnosed with tick paralysis. Both dogs died due to respiratory failure. A number of ticks were observed in the head, ears, neck, trunk, and limbs of each dog. In these cases, a presumptive diagnosis of tick paralysis could be based on the presence of a species of tick known to cause paralysis combined with the absence of any other disease previously. Most ticks were identified as Haemaphysalis longicornis according to morphological features. Tick paralysis in dogs has rarely been reported in Korea.

A ten-year-old female Yorkshire terrier was presented to Veterinary Medical Center, Chungbuk National University with signs of anorexia and cough. Blood electrolytes, complete blood count (CBC), and hormone analysis revealed mild elevated lipase and bile acid, moderate hypercholesterolemia and severe elevated alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphate (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). Survey radiographs revealed the potbelly-shaped abdomen, generalized hepatomegaly, and round and smooth marginated mass in right upper abdomen. On ultrasonography, enlarged gallbladder with combination of kiwifruit-like and stellate pattern consistent with gallbladder mucocele was revealed. On day 113 after diagnosis of gallbladder mucocele, free fluid and the hyperechoic structure mainly in the dorsolateral region of the gallbladder was found, which was consistent with gallbladder rupture. Cholecystectomy was performed after gallbladder rupture.