A 7-year-old, spayed female, domestic short hair cat showed signs of a 2-week history of chronic anorexia, depression, and severe weight loss. Upon physical examination, pyrexia, mild gingivitis, and pale mucus membranes were noted. Laboratory analysis revealed normocytic normochromic non-regenerative anemia, severe thrombocytopenia, and hypergammaglobulinemia. Serum protein electrophoresis revealed the presence of elevated alpha-2 fraction within the globulin concentration. Based on history, clinical signs, and laboratory results, systemic viral infection was strongly suspected. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction identified the presence of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in the serum. Furthermore, gene sequencing revealed the virus as FIV subtype A. Treatment with anti-retroviral agents, including azidothymidine (AZT) and recombinant human interferon-alpha, was continued for 4 weeks. However, the patient’s clinical condition deteriorated, resulting in death 1 month after initiation of treatment due to progressive renal failure. Necropsy and histopathology revealed hepatic and renal necrosis with hyper-cellular bone marrow mainly comprised of myeloid precursor cells. This case report is the first to describe phylogenetic subtyping, anti-retroviral combination treatment, and clinical outcomes in an FIV-infected cat in Korea. In addition, this report suggests that treatment should be initiated during the early phase of infection that could be effective for the virus.

Renal dysplasia is a developmental disorder of the renal parenchyma involving anomalous differentiation. It is characterized by persistent metanephric ducts surrounded by primitive mesenchyme, fetal or immature glomeruli, fetal or immature tubules, interstitial fibrosis, and dysontogenic metaplasia involving tissues such as cartilage. Renal dysplasia has been rarely reported in rats. Here, we observed a small left kidney in a rat used in a short-term repeat toxicity study. The rat showed no clinical signs throughout the study. All parameters, including those reflecting kidney functions, were normal upon hematological examination and urinalysis. Grossly, the kidney was small (5 × 8 mm) and its surface appeared normal. Histological examination revealed that the cortex and medulla were poorly demarcated and contained immature/atrophic glomeruli, immature renal tubules, and mesenchymal cells. The cortex contained immature glomeruli, atrophic glomeruli with cystic dilatation of Bowman’s capsular space, and some atypical tubules. Primitive metanephric tubules in the medulla were larger in diameter than normal collecting ducts, lined by a tall columnar epithelium with pale cytoplasm and basal nucleus, and surrounded by loose mesenchymal cells. Occasional tubules contained pale eosinophilic homogenous material in the lumen. Thus, this was diagnosed as a case of renal dysplasia on the basis of histologic features and is the first reported case of renal dysplasia in Sprague Dawley rats.

The current study was conducted to evaluate the biocompatibility of α-1,3 galactosyltransferase knockout pig bone graft in a rat calvarial defect model. Porcine cancellous bones were harvested from general and alpha-gal KO pigs and washed with 70% ethanol solution and normal saline. Bone pieces of the alpha-gal KO pig underwent a chemical treatment process to delipidize and deproteinize the bone. Bone graft particles were freeze-dried and stored at −70°C until use. Each bone graft was implanted into the rat calvarial defect in a fresh general pig, fresh transgenic pig, and chemical-treated pig bone group. There was no systemic adverse effect on hematology or necropsy findings in all groups at 1 week and 4 weeks. In the microcomputed tomography analysis, bone volume increased significantly in the chemical-treated transgenic pig bone group, whereas bone mineral density decreased significantly in the fresh general pig bone group compared with other groups. Histological evaluation showed cellular infiltration located at the margin of the bone graft particles, especially in the fresh general pig bone group. These results indicate that fresh general pig bone can elicit a greater local inflammatory response than fresh transgenic pig bone. Further, chemical-treated transgenic pig bone graft was less immunogenic than fresh bone graft. In conclusion, transgenic pig bone is a more biocompatible graft material. In addition, chemical treatment can reduce bone graft immunogenicity by delipidizing and deproteinizing bone.

One of the major problems in the modern pig industry is infectious disease. Susceptibility to infectious diseases is influenced by both constitutional (e.g. genotype, age, gender, and reproductive status) and environmental factors (e.g. nutrition, management, infections, and other forms of stress). Genetic variations within individual animals or herds can cause differences in the execution of immune functions against infectious agents in domestic pigs. The objectives of the present study were to identify genetic factor(s) responsible for piglet survival and mortality under commercial field conditions with infectious diseases as well as determine QTL regions for immune capacity in a pig reference family. Sex ratio was examined between normal grown and presumed dead groups of F2 animals generated by Korean native pigs (KNP) and Yorkshire (YS) breeds. The ratio of males was significantly higher in the presumed dead group than in the normal grown group. In order to study genetic factors associated with presumed mortality under disease outbreak, allelic frequencies of 239 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were compared between normal grown and presumed dead groups. Exactly 22 SNPs showed significant differences in their allelic frequencies between the two groups, and four of them were validated with another commercial population divided by normal and emaciated pigs. Furthermore, the relationships between 239 SNPs and immune-related traits were studied. These results demonstrate that identification of genetic components of animal immune systems and susceptibility to infectious diseases is possible and will be useful to improve disease resistance in individuals as well as in breeding programs.

Sargassum fusiforme has traditionally been widely consumed in Asia as a food, and it has gained much attention due to its high nutritional, pharmaceutical, and industrial value. This study aimed to examine the promotional effects of ethanol extract (ET) and fraction obtained from ethyl acetate (FR) of S. fusiforme on hair growth in C57BL/6 mice and HaCaT cells. Five-week-old mice were used to compare hair regrowth during application of ET and FR for 21 days. Hair regrowth was evaluated by macroscopic observation and verified by hematoxylin-eosin tissue staining. Levels of mRNA expression of factors relevant to the hair growth cycle such as keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) were examined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Our results showed that ET and FR successfully promoted hair regrowth in shaved C57BL/6 mice at a dose >20 mg/kg. Moreover, ET and FR were effective in stimulating expression of KGF and VEGF mRNAs in a dose-dependent manner, whereas TGF-β1 was not activated. These results indicate that ET and FR of S. fusiforme effectively promoted hair growth and gene expression relevant to hair growth cycles in both in vitro and in vivo models.

Background and Purpose: The Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) is the ratio of blood pressure in the lower legs to that in the arms. The intima-media thickness (IMT) of extracranial carotid arteries determined by B-mode ultrasound is a measurable index of the presence of atherosclerosis. A low ABI and a high carotid IMT are independently related to increased risk of cardiovascular events. This study examined the association between carotid IMT and ABI in patients with ischemic stroke. Materials and Methods: Retrospectively, 116 hospitalized patients with ischemic stroke were recruited. Using a pulse wave velocity ABI device along with carotid duplex sonography, we measured carotid IMT and ABI and investigated the correlation between average values. Results: There was a significant difference in carotid IMT between the normal and abnormal ABI groups (P=0.0262). The group with an abnormal ABI was more than five times as likely to have increased carotid IMT as the group with a normal ABI (age, sex-adjusted OR 5.67 (95% CI 1.85~17.38)). The ABI and carotid IMT showed a weak inverse linear correlation in patients with ischemic stroke (correlation coefficient −0.378 after adjusting for age and sex). Conclusion: Our study suggests that an abnormal ABI is associated with a high carotid IMT in patients with ischemic stroke.

An evidence suggests that even low-dose irradiation can lead to progressive cognitive decline as well as memory deficits in both humans and experimental animals in part due to hippocampal dysfunction. To determine whether or not green tea (GT) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) could attenuate memory impairment as well as suppress hippocampal neurogenesis, passive avoidance and object recognition memory test as well as TUNEL assay and immunohistochemical detection with markers of neurogenesis (Ki-67 and doublecortin (DCX)) were performed using adult mice treated with relatively low-dose gamma irradiation (2.0 Gy). GT was administered intraperitonially at a dosage of 50 mg/kg of body weight at 36 and 12 hr pre-irradiation and at 30 minutes post-irradiation, or orally at a dosage of 250 mg/kg of body weight/day for 7 days before autopsy. EGCG (25 mg/kg of body weight) was administered intraperitonially at 36 and 12 hr pre-irradiation and at 30 minutes post-irradiation. In the passive avoidance and object recognition memory test, mice trained for 1 day after acute irradiation (2 Gy) showed significant memory deficits compared with sham controls. The number of TUNEL-positive apoptotic nuclei in the dentate gyrus increased by 12 h after irradiation. In addition, the numbers of Ki-67- and DCX-positive cells significantly decreased. GT treatment prior to irradiation attenuated memory defects, blocked apoptotic death, as well as reduced the number of DCX-positive cells. Therefore, GT may attenuate memory defects in adult mice exposed to a relatively low dose of radiation possibly by inhibiting the detrimental effects of irradiation on hippocampal neurogenesis.

Hemodialysis is an effective therapy for renal failure in veterinary practice. To evaluate hematologic and hemodynamic changes during hemodialysis, 13 dogs were treated with hemodialysis, after which complete blood cell counts (CBC), serum chemistry, and mean systolic blood pressure were analyzed. For CBC, white blood cells (WBC) and platelets underwent significant changes. In serum chemistry, there were significant differences in blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, total protein, albumin, globulin, amylase, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus contents. Further, mean systolic blood pressure suddenly increased in early hemodialysis and decreased significantly thereafter. During hemodialysis, adverse effects were observed in some dogs as follows: bleeding (1 dog), anemia (2 dogs), leukopenia (8 dogs), thrombocytopenia (2 dogs), and hypotension (1 dog). This study demonstrates hematologic and hemodynamic effects during hemodialysis as well as complications similar to human medicine. Before applying the commercialized human hemodialysis system to canine renal failure patients, we monitored hematologic and hemodynamic findings during hemodialysis in healthy beagle dogs.

We would like to report a case of leiomyoma of the ovaries in a dog. Leiomyoma is commonly seen in the vagina in dogs. However, it is a very rare neoplasm in the ovaries. As there have only been a few reported cases, this report provides valuable information on veterinary medicine and pathology. Masses found in the ovaries need to be differentiated from other ovarian tumors. Therefore, we describe the gross, histopathological, and immunohistochemical features of a case of ovarian leiomyoma in a 10-year-old female Yorkshire Terrier dog. The mass on the right of the uterus was found accidentally by pelvic ultrasonography. Laparatomy revealed a large multi-nodulated ovarian mass. Grossly, cut surfaces of the mass showed multiple firm whitish nodules in the cortex and bloody loose connective tissue in the medulla. Histopathologically, the cortex of the mass was composed of spindle cells forming interlacing fascicles. The cells had elongated, blunt-ended nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm as detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Immunohistochemical stained sections were immunoreactive for α-smooth muscle actin and desmin but negative for vimentin and S-100. Therefore, differential diagnosis confirmed leiomyoma based on morphology and positive staining for α-smooth muscle actin and desmin.

Localized tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) usually occurs in the hand and foot regions. However, localized TGCT with extensive cartilaginous metaplasia is rare, especially in the tendon sheath of the toe. Here, we report a case of localized TGCT with cartilaginous metaplasia in a 57-year-old man. The tumor presented as a lobular mass measuring 2.2 cm in its greatest dimension and arose in the flexor digitorum tendon sheath of the right 2nd toe. Clinically, the mass was palpable 1 year ago and brought pain during walking. Microscopically, the mass was composed of focal conventional TGCT and cartilaginous components. The conventional TGCT areas consisted of mononuclear cells, multinucleated giant cells, and hemosiderin deposition. The chondroid areas were extensive and comprised more than 90% of the whole tumor. In this case, the mononuclear cells in the conventional TGCT areas showed focal immunohistochemical staining for podoplanin and S100 protein as well as diffuse staining for CD68, which is consistent with the staining pattern of conventional TGCT. The mononuclear cells in the chondroid areas were focal positive for podoplanin and diffuse positive for S100 protein. Chondroid metaplasia in diffuse TGCT has been reported in 10 cases involving the temporomandibular, elbow, and hip joints. However, there has been no report of a localized form of chondroid TGCT involving an extra-articular region.

Pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) is known to be associated with the long-term administration of antibiotics, which alter normal gastrointestinal flora and allow overgrowth of Clostridium difficile. However, antituberculosis agents are rarely reported as a cause of this disease. Besides, most cases of antituberculosis agent-induced PMC have been observed in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis but not with tuberculous meningitis. This report presents a case of PMC associated with antituberculosis therapy in a patient with tuberculous meningitis. A 29-year-old female patient was admitted due to headaches and diplopia that had lasted for 2 weeks. She had not recently received antimicrobial therapy. She was diagnosed with tuberculous meningitis by cerebrospinal fluid findings and neurologic examination, including brain imaging study. She was treated with standard antituberculosis agents (HERZ regimen: isoniazid, ethambutol, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide). After 11 days of HERZ, she developed a fever, sudden widespread skin eruption, and elevation of liver enzymes. Considering adverse drug reactions, antituberculosis agents were stopped. One week later, her symptoms were relieved. Thus, antituberculosis agents were reintroduced one at a time after liver function returned to normal. However, she presented with frequent mucoid, jelly-like diarrhea, and lower abdominal pain. Sigmoidscopy revealed multiple yellowish plaques with edematous mucosa, which were compatible with PMC. She was treated with oral vancomycin considering drug interactions. Symptoms were relieved and did not recur when all antituberculosis agents except pyrazinamide were started again. Therefore, when a patient complains of abdominal pain or diarrhea after initiation of antituberculosis therapy, the physician should consider the possibility of antituberculosis agent-associated PMC.

A 7-year-old spayed female English Cocker Spaniel dog presented with polyuria (PU), polydipsia (PD), intermittent vomiting, and weight loss. Physical examination revealed pale, tacky mucous membranes and severe emaciation. Hematological and biochemical examinations revealed moderate normocytic normochromic non-regenerative anemia and moderate azotemia. Abdominal ultrasonography demonstrated bilaterally small lumpy-bumpy kidneys with hyperechoic parenchyma as well as loss of renal corticomedullary junction. Based on clinical history and examinations, the dog was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The dog was treated with supportive care including fluid therapy, phosphate-binding agent, and histamine H2-receptor antagonist. Darbepoetin Alfa was administered to control renal secondary non-regenerative anemia. Prescribed diet with low-protein and low-phosphorus was fed to alleviate CKD signs. Further, dietary probiotics were supplemented. This case demonstrates that oral probiotic supplementation helped reduce blood urea-nitrogen (BUN) levels. This case indicates that dietary probiotics can be a potential alternative therapeutic agent for management of renal failure

Male pseudohermaphroditism is not commonly reported in veterinary medicine. Here, a 3-year-old Maltese/poodle mixed dog presented with malformed external genitalia and episodic hematuria. Inspection and palpation of the external genitals showed a malformed penis, shortened prepuce, external urethral orifice, and cryptorchidism. There was no urethral meatus at the tip of the penis. The urethral opening was situated between the prepuce and the penis. The anterior half of the prepuce was absent, and the penis was free and exposed to both trauma and licking. Plain radiographic examination showed absence of an os penis in the penis. A double-contrast cystograph showed the suspected uterus as well as the cystic calculi. A hypoechoic space was seen at the dorsal portion of the urinary bladder. The space was suspected to be the uterus. A sagital ultrasonograph showed cystic calculi in the urinary bladder. During surgery to remove cystic calculi, hypoplastic testes as well as the uterus were observed. Histological examination of the testes showed the seminiferous tubules and interstitial cells. The sertoli cells and spermatogonia were adjacent to the basement membrane. No evidence of spermatogenesis was found. Striated squamous epithelial cells and smooth muscle cells were found in the uterus. This dog had vestigial oviducts as well as a uterus with male-appearing external genitals.

An Australian cattle dog (case 1: 6-year-old castrated male) and a Shih-Tzu dog (case 2: 8-year-old castrated male) were referred to the Gyeongsang Animal Medical Center due to anorexia and depression. Physical examinations, complete blood counts, serum chemical analysis, radiography, ultrasonography, and bone marrow biopsy were performed. Upon physical examinations of cases 1 and 2, enlargement of superficial lymph nodes was not identified. Hematologic findings in these dogs included leukocytosis with severe lymphocytosis, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. Upon radiography, both dogs showed splenomegaly. Upon examination of a peripheral blood smear in case 1, immature lymphoid cells, featuring decreased nuclear chromatin condensation and nuclear pleomorphism, were present. Biopsy samples of the bone marrow in case 1 revealed hypercellularity as well as a large number of immature lymphoblastic cells similar in shape to cells in the peripheral blood. The characteristic morphological features of peripheral blood and bone marrow samples in case 2 were small lymphocytes. Thus, the dogs were tentatively diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), respectively. After diagnosis, the CLL patient was administered chlorambucil and prednisolone therapy. Due to its similarity to human leukemia, the canine leukemia model provides a valuable model for research into human leukemia.

This study evaluated the possibility of clinical application using matrigel-based bioceramic/polymer scaffolds treated with bone morphogenetic protein, angiogenic factor, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for new bone formation. In the in vitro study, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) containing matrigel, which is a basement membrane gel, was injected into HA/PCL scaffolds to estimate the release rates of growth factors. In the in vivo study, BMP-2, VEGF, and MSCs with matrigel-based scaffolds were implanted into rat femoral segmental defects, and new bone formation was evaluated at 4 and 8 weeks. In the results, the release rates of BMP-2 and VEGF explosively increased by day 5. For the in vivo study results, radiological evaluation revealed that the matrigel-based HA/PCL scaffolds with BMP-2 and VEGF grafted (M+B+V) and matrigel-based HA/PCL scaffolds with BMP-2, VEGF, and MSC grafted (MSC) groups showed increased bone volume and bone mineral density. Moreover, in the histological evaluation, large new bone formation was observed in the M+B+V group, and high cellularity in the scaffold was observed in the MSC group. In conclusion, grafted matrigel-based HA/PCL scaffolds with BMP-2, angiogenic factor, and MSCs increased new bone formation, and in clinical cases, it may be effective and useful to enhance healing of delayed fractures.

Although various animals have been used as models of cardiac valvular diseases in humans, the structural characteristics of cardiac valves in animals remain unclear. In this study, we investigated cardiac valves in representative animal models for the purpose of comparative anatomy. Adult hearts from three dogs, four goats, six rabbits, and six fowls were fixed with 10% neutral-buffered formalin and analyzed gross-anatomically. Cardiac appearance was spherical or oval in dogs, goats, and rabbits, whereas it had a long conical shape in fowls. Left atrioventricular (AV) valve was composed of membranous septal and parietal cusps connected to two papillary muscles in all animals. The right AV valve was composed of membranous septal, parietal, and angular cusps with three papillary muscles in dogs and goats, membranous septal and parietal cusps attached to four papillary muscles in rabbits, and a single muscular plate without any papillary muscles and chorda tendinae in fowls. Aortic valves with thin membranous right, left, and septal semilunar cusps in dogs, goats, and rabbits had a thick membrane with a bended free border in fowls. Pulmonary valve (PV) with membranous right, left, and intermediate semilunar cusps made a large central hole by being closely attached to the surrounding wall in dogs, goats, and rabbits, whereas it protruded into half of the lumen as a thick membrane in fowls. The membranous cusp of the PV was composed of several layers in dogs and goats but was a single layer in rabbits and fowls. These findings indicate that even if animals have two completely separated atria and ventricles each, cardiac valves have species-specific morphological characteristics, especially between mammals and fowls.

Panax ginseng, also known as Korean ginseng, has long been used as a broad tonic in Oriental medicine to augment vitality, health, and longevity, particularly in older people. This study investigated the effects of Korean red ginseng (RG) on bone loss in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. C3H/HeN mice (10-weeks-old) were divided into sham and OVX groups. OVX mice were treated with vehicle, 17β-estradiol (E2), RG (oral administration, 250 mg/kg/day), or RG (intraperitoneal administration, 50 mg/kg/every other day) for 6 weeks. Serum E2 concentration and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity were measured. Tibiae were analyzed using microcomputed tomography. Biomechanical properties and osteoclast surface level were measured. There was no significant difference in the degree of grip strength, body weight, uterine weight, mechanical property, tibiae length, or tibiae weight between the OVX and RG-treated groups. Compared with the OVX group, the serum ALP level was significantly lower in the RG-treated groups. Serum E2 levels and osteoclast surface levels did not change between the OVX and RG-treated groups. RG could not preserve trabecular bone volume, trabecular bone number, trabecular separation, trabecular thickness, structure model index, or bone mineral density of the proximal tibiae metaphysic. In conclusion, there was no definite effect of RG on OVX-induced bone loss in C3H/HeN mice.

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) causes a life-threatening opportunistic infection. Despite its clinical importance, very few therapeutic drugs against T. gondii are available. Furthermore, these therapeutic regimens are not always suitable for prolonged treatment due to adverse side effects as well as the potential of clinical failure by selecting drug-resistant parasite variants. Dictamnus dasycarpus is known to have many medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-fever, and anti-rheumatic activities. In this study, 70% ethanol extract of Dictamnus dasycarpus showed anti-T. gondii effects. Ethanolic extracts of Dictamnus dasycarpus used to treat T. gondii were tested in vitro for their anti-T. gondii activity and cytotoxicity. The selectivity of Dictamnus dasycarpus extract was 7.52, which was higher than that of Sulfadiazine (2.08). We conducted an in vivo animal test to evaluate the anti-T. gondii activity of Dictamnus dasycarpus extract as compared with that of Sulfadiazine. In T. gondii-infected mice, the inhibition rate of Dictamnus dasycarpus extract was high, similar to that of Sulfadiazine. This indicates that Dictamnus dasycarpus extract may be a source of new anti-T. gondii compounds.