Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) is a goal oriented intervention that intentionally includes or incorporates animals in health, education and human service for the purpose of therapeutic gains in humans. Animal assisted interventions incorporate human-animal teams in formal human service such as Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) or Animal Assisted Education (AAE). Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) is the informal AAI often conducted on a volunteer basis by the human-animal team for motivational, educational and recreational purposes. AAI could be used for rehabilitation therapy and psychotherapy for patients with various symptoms. AAI uses animals, mostly dogs, to aid in healing patients holistically. Dogs have an overwhelming gratitude and exuberance for life and this effect on people is astounding. Furthermore, AAI has been researched and its effectiveness on patients' outcomes and healing is documented. With a soaring trend of the incorporation of complementary therapies into the mainstream of therapy and health care, animal-facilitated therapy has become a popular interest for the therapy team to integrate into a patient's plan of therapy. The purpose of this manuscript is to raise awareness about AAI and to familiarize readers with the concepts surrounding AAI so that they can be informed aids to clients who might benefit from the technique.

This study investigated the effects of Acorus gramineus aroma on electrical activity in the brain as evaluated by an electroencephalogram (EEG). The subject was 20 healthy female young adult. EEG electrodes were attached at the frontal, temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes according to the international 10-20 system. The subject was exposed to Acorus gramineus aroma for a period of 1 minutes each before, and after aroma smelling. Acorus gramineus aroma increased the alpha power/beta power ratio on the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain. These increases induced by the increased alpha power. The increased alpha power induced calmness and stable status. It is concluded that Acorus gramineus aroma diminishes the state of wakefulness in the brain; alpha powers/beta powers ratio was decreased in the brain of subject. Acorus gramineus aroma may be used for a sleep-inducing effect.

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.

Onion (Allium cepa L.) contains high levels of dietary fibers and antioxidants, including vitamin C, D, and folates. Onion is also known as a quercetin-rich vegetable with high flavonoid content. Onion peel contains over 20 times more quercetin than onion flesh. The aim of this study was to examine the question of whether onion peel extract supplementation has an effect on maximal exercise performance in rat. Onion peel extracts were extracted with hot water. Thirty male Sprague Dawley rats were maintained on a pellet diet for one week, and then randomly divided into five groups: Normal control, Positive control (quercetin 20 mg/kg), Onion peel 4 mg/kg, Onion peel 20 mg/kg, and Onion peel 100 mg/kg. Oral administration was performed daily. The experimental period was four weeks. Thereafter, animals were then forced to swim in water and the maximal exercise performance period from the swimming start time to the exhausted time, in which they failed to rise to the surface of the water to breathe within a 7 second period, was measured. After necropsy, weights of gastrocnemius muscles were measured. Lactate dehydrogenase concentration in serum was measured using an enzymatic method, using a commercial kit. The maximal exercise performance period was significantly longer in the onion peel extracts fed groups, compared with the control group. The lactate dehydrogenase concentration of the onion peel extracts fed groups was significantly lower, compared with the control group. Based on these results, we suggest that onion peel water extract supplementation can enhance exercise capacity caused by the mechanism of decreasing lactate dehydrogenase concentration.

The anti-diabetes mechanism of silkworm Bombyx mori L. powder and extracts was found to inhibit the activity of α-glycosidase. The major functional component of silkworm powder was 1-deoxynojirimycin (1-DNJ), which exerts a blood glucose-lowering effect. In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of the supplements, including red ginseng extract on the functional components of silkworm. Fifty silkworm larvae were divided into the control group (Con, N=50), group A (A, artificial diet 95% and mulberry leaf powder 5%), group B (B, artificial diet 95% and mulberry powder 5%), group C (C, artificial diet 95% and Rubus coreanus remainders 5%), group D (D, artificial diet 95% and red ginseng extract 5%), and group E (E, artificial diet 95% and yeast powder (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Body weights and length of silkworm larvae showed significant improvement in group A, D. In particular, the growth rate in group D (artificial diet 95% and red ginseng extract 5%) was larger than that of Con. In addition, the results showed that 1-DNJ concentration was significantly largest in group D. From these results, it is concluded that the addition of red ginseng extract may be effective for larval growth and 1-DNJ accumulation in silkworm rearing with an artificial diet.

A three-year-old Russian Blue female cat was presented for long-standing infertility and recent development of male behavior. From one to three years of age, the cat had been bred, however, pregnancy never resulted. Abnormal enlargement of the uterus and ovaries was observed by abdominal sonography and radiography. An ovariohystectomy was performed. In the uterus, adenocaricnoma lesions were found and characterized microscopically by replacement of the endometrium with a population of large polyhedral cells with a tubulopapillary or nested arrangement and a supporting fibrous stroma with minimal vascularization. In addition, the pedunculated mass was diagnosed as leiomyoma, which was continuous with the myometrium, composed of closely packed sheets of spindle cells embedded in vascularized stroma, and covered with a discontinuous endometrial epithelium. The ovarian neoplasm was diagnosed as an ovarian interstitial cell tumor. Based on the histopathological characteristics, this case was diagnosed as a simultaneous occurrence of an ovarian interstitial-cell tumor and uterine adenocarcinoma and leiomyoma in a female cat. To the best of our knowledge, this report represents a rare case of multiple tumors in the genital organs of a cat.

In this study, a medicinal herbal plant, Cinnamomum cassia, was extracted by three different methods using water, methanol, or ethanol. For anti-helicobacter activity screening, inhibitory zone tests as an in vitro assay were performed respectively with the extracting compounds. As the result of inhibitory zone test, Cinnamomum cassia extract exhibited strong anti-helicobacter activity. In addition, we performed a comparison of the antibacterial activities according to the extracting methods of Cinnamomum cassia against Helicobacter pylori. The 70% ethanol-extracted compound exhibited stronger anti-helicobacter activity than the compounds extracted with water or methanol. These results indicate that it can be used for treatment against H. pylori infection and protected against H. pylori-induced pathology using 70% ethanol-extracted Cinnamomum cassia.

The influence of various forms of Houttuynia cordata with fermented red koji as feed additives on the performance of duck livestock was evaluated through a field study. Two hundred and forty ducks (Pekins) aged 0–38 d were used. They were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (0%, 1% H. cordata powder with fermented red koji, 1% H. cordata pelleted with fermented red koji, and 1% H. cordata coated with fermented red koji) with four replicates (15 ducks per replication). Foreconomic evaluation, the data (a total of 240 duck) obtained from each treatment were applied to 10,000 ducks per treatment 38-d after the feeding trial. Overall, the results of economic evaluation were the highest in the treatment with 1% H. cordata coated with fermented red koji, followed by 1% H. cordatapelleted with fermented red koji, 1% H. cordatapowder with fermented red koji, and control. In conclusion, using 1% H. cordatawith fermented red koji as coating and pellet type duck diets might be of economic advantage for sustainable environmental management.

We conducted two experiments to evaluate effects of feeding various types of red ginseng marc and Houttuynia cordata (H.cordata) on blood profiles of poultry in a completely randomized design. In experiment 1 (28 d), a total of 240 broilers (Arbor acres) were used. Four dietary treatments (15 broilers per pen with four replicate pens per treatment) were included: (1) control, (2) 2% red ginseng marc, (3) 1% fermented red ginseng marc with red koji, and (4) 2% liquid red ginseng. There were no significant differences in HDL and LDL-cholestrol among treatments (P > 0.05), but total cholesterol and triglyceride decreased in diets supplemented with red ginseng marc and 1% fermented red ginseng marc with red koji compared to that in the control treatment (P < 0.05). In experiment 2 (38 d), a total of 240 Pekin ducks were randomly divided into 4 groups by dietary treatments (control, 1% fermented H. cordata powder with red koji, 1% fermented H. cordata pelleted with red koji, and 1% fermented H. cordata coated with red koji) with 4 replicates of 15 ducks in each group. Total cholesterol and VLDL-cholesterol were not affected by diet with various types of H. cordata. However, increase in HDL-cholesterol and decrease in LDL and VLDL-cholesterol were greater in treatments with different types of H. cordata than in the control treatments (P < 0.05). In conclusion, using various types of red ginseng marc and H. cordata in poultry diets was effective for increasing HDL-cholesterol and decreasing total, LDL, and VLDL-cholestrol or triglyceride.