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Veterinary Research Forum - Volume:13 Issue: 1, Winter 2022

Veterinary Research Forum
Volume:13 Issue: 1, Winter 2022

  • تاریخ انتشار: 1400/12/18
  • تعداد عناوین: 20
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  • Guangwei Zhao, Xinzhu Deng, Di Wu, Ruibing Cao, Aojun Shao, Yu Zhou, Tianqi Zhang, Ge Li, Hongzhang He, Jing Lu, Liwu Zhang * Pages 1-6
    The gosling gout, a newly emerged disease, has widely broken out in China since 2017. Typical signs for the disease include diarrhea, anorexia, depression, dehydration, emaciation and paralysis. At autopsy, uratosis was the main pathological change which could be found at kidney, pericardium, air sac, muscle and leg joint. In this study, gosling gout was firstly diagnosed by metagenomic analysis. Samples of kidney, Fabricius bursa, spleen and jejunum were collected and submitted to next-generation DNA sequencing. Our results demonstrated that goose avastrovirus was highly related with this disease. We confirmed the sequencing results by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method and artificial infection experiment and got consistent results. In summary, metagenomic sequencing method combined with traditional molecular identification was applied toward diagnosis of a novel gosling gout disease in China and revealed that goose avastrovirus was highly related with this disease. It has been proved to be a powerful tool for rapid and sensitive diagnosis of animal diseases, especially for some exceptional pathogens. In addition, host range, variation, molecular pathogenesis and potential zoonotic infection of this novel goose astrovirus need to be further studied.
    Keywords: China, Diagnosis, Goose avastrovirus, Gosling gout, Metagenomic analysis
  • Hikmet Dinç *, Akın Yiğin, İsmail Koyuncu, Mustafa Aslan Pages 7-14
    At the present time cancer is one of the biggest health problems and because of the problems encountered in its treatment, alternative treatment methods of herbal origin are researched. In this study, the cytotoxic effects of the essential oil extracted from the Micromeria congesta plant on various cancer cells (A549, ECC-1, HCT-116, HELA, HGC-27, MDA-MB-231, SNU-423, U20S, DLD-1, PC-3) and normal cells (BEAS-2B, CRL-4010) have been examined. Anticancer mechanism of action has been particularly examined on gastric cancer (HGC-27; IC50: 15.84 µg mL-1), on which essential oil showed a high cytotoxic effect. In the study, the cytotoxic effect and the apoptotic effect have been applied by MTT and flow cytometric annexin-V methods, respectively. The apoptotic gene expression (caspase 3, caspase 9, MMP2, MMP9, ACTB) real-time PCR content analysis has been performed with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). M. congesta essentials oil has the highest cytotoxic effect on gastric cancer (HGC-27) cells, decreases MMP2 and MMP9 expressions, and induces apoptosis with increasing the expression of caspase 3 and caspase 8 genes. In addition, it has been determined that piperitenone oxide (40.00 - 45.00%), pulegone (11.00%) and cyclohexanone (18.00 - 19.00%) are the major components of M. congesta essentials oil. In conclusion, it has been determined that the compounds found in high amounts in M. congesta plant induces apoptosis by affecting the expression of compound genes and thus can have the potential to be an alternative drug in the treatment of gastric cancer.
    Keywords: ‎ Apoptosis, ‎ HGC-27‎, ‎ Micromeria congesta, ‎ Real-time PCR
  • Tahir Karaşahin, Nese Hayat Aksoy, Şükrü Dursun, Gaye Bulut, Ali Evren Haydardedeoğlu, Güzin Çamkerten, İlker Çamkerten, Ramazan İlgün * Pages 15-19
    This study was performed to determine the blood reference values of hematological and biochemical parameters in Hair goats at different ages. For this aim, clinically healthy Hair goats (n = 180, ages of six month and 1-3 years male and female) were used to collect blood samples. In whole blood, white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)and red cell distribution width (RDW) were evaluated. The levels of, albumin, total protein, globulin, glucose, total bilirubin, urea, creatinine, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), creatine kinase (CK), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and iron levels were investigated in sera. Age and sex had no effect on the cell structures of blood. In the either sex (male or female), age had no effect. However, sex had a significant effect on the blood cell structures except for WBC, HGB, and HCT. Albumin, protein, calcium, AST, ALT, ALP and magnesium values were not different among groups. Both the age and sex of the goats had significant effects on blood levels of glucose, phosphorus, urea, cholesterol, creatinine, GGT, CK and total bilirubin. In conclusion, this was the first study reporting the hematologic and biochemical parameters in blood of the Hair goats. The results indicated that these parameters could show variations under physiological conditions due to age and gender.
    Keywords: age, ‎ Biochemical parameters, ‎ Hair goat, ‎ Hematological parameters, ‎ Sex
  • Ümit Gürbüz, Hatice Kahraman *, Arife Telli, Yusuf Biçer, Yusuf Doğruer Pages 21-27
    The purpose of the present study was to investigate the physicochemical characteristics, meat quality, oxidative stability and sensory properties of lamb meat during 0, 7 and 14 day of the dry aging process. The M. longissimus lumborum (LL) and M. longissimus thoracis (LT) muscles from male Akkaraman lambs were used. The pH values of the LT and LL cuts were not changed during the aging periods. The LT cuts had significantly higher weight loss, a* and b* values, and lower shear force compared to the LL cuts. However, dry aging led to greater decreases in shear force in the LL cuts on 7th day of aging. The total mesophilic aerobic counts, total psychrophilic counts, Enterobacteriaceae counts, lactic acid bacteria, and yeast-mold counts were increased during the aging process. The sensory panel scoring showed a significant difference in the LL cuts and no significant difference in the LT cuts compared to the control group. There were significant changes in sensory panel scores for the LL cuts, whereas there were no significant changes for the LT cuts according to the non-aged samples. In conclusion, dry aging improved the quality of both cuts, however, the LL muscle of lamb was more suitable for dry aging. Moreover, 7 days were sufficient to produce the desired sensory properties in the lamb loins. Increasing the aging time from 7 to 14 days did not appreciably affect the sensory attributes or tenderness.
    Keywords: Color, ‎ Dry aging, ‎ Lamb meat, ‎ Quality, ‎ Texture
  • Masoud Ahmadnejad Asl Gavgani *, Masoud Maham, Bahram Dalir Naghadeh Pages 29-37

    Tanacetum balsamita (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant previously used in human medicine to solve gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal pain. Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, immune-modulatory, and antioxidant effects of T. balsamita have been proven in previous studies. The present study investigated the effects of T. balsamita essential oil (TBEO) on ruminant smooth muscle contractions. The experiment was performed on the circular smooth muscle of ileum samples taken from slaughtered bulls in the organ bath. Nine cumulative concentrations of TBEO from 0.10 to 1000 µg mL-1 were added to tissue samples. The solution used was Tyrode’s solution aerated with a mixture of 95.00% oxygen and 5.00% carbon dioxide, and the temperature was set at 37.00 ˚C. The effect of TBEO on baseline contractions and three induced contractions with potassium chloride, barium chloride, and carbachol was investigated. In GC-MS analysis of TBEO, carvone was identified as a major ingredient. The effects of eight concentrations of 0.001 to 10.00 µM of carvone on all contractions were investigated under similar conditions. The effects of TBEO, carvone, and verapamil (standard calcium channel blocker) on calcium channels were assessed. The results revealed that TBEO and carvone significantly inhibit spontaneous contractions as well as all spasmogen-induced contractions. The TBEO and carvone exert their myorelaxant properties by inhibiting Ca++ channels in smooth muscle. The anti-spasmodic properties of T. balsamita can be employed for the treatment of intestinal spasms or hypermotility.

    Keywords: Carvone, ‎ Costmary, ‎ Ethnoveterinary, ‎ Gastrointestinal motility, ‎ Medicinal plant ‎
  • MohammadReza Esmaili Nejad, Majid Masoudifard *, Omid Azari, Ehsanollah Sakhaee, Nima Ghalekhani Pages 39-46

    Echocardiography illustrates a convenient and noninvasive tool for measuring cardiac output (CO) changes after administration of sedative drugs, but it is unknown in camelids practice. The aim of present study was to investigate echocardiographic effects of intravenous (IV) injection of medetomidine and xylazine in camel calves. Twenty apparently healthy immature male one-humped camel calves (Camelus dromedarious) were divided into four groups (five animals in each treatment). Medetomidine and xylazine were injected into the left jugular vein at two different doses of 10.00 and 20.00 μg kg-1 and 0.20 and 0.40 mg kg-1, respectively. Effects on some selected echocardiographic parameters were recorded at different intervals, before drug administrations (baseline) and after 3, 60 and 120 min. Data were analyzed by repeated measure, ANOVA test, then relevance and significance were taken as p ≤ 0.05. Significant decrease in fractional shortening percentage (FS%), ejection fraction percentage (EF%), stroke volume (SV), heart rate (HR) and subsequent CO were noticeable 3 min after drug administration in medetomidine high dose (MH), medetomidine low dose (ML) and xylazine high dose (XH) groups (p ≤ 0.05), furthermore at this time significant decrease in left ventricular mass (LVmass) and left ventricular systolic time intervals were seen in these groups, however, in xylazine low dose (XL) group, the lowest level of most echocardiographic parameters were detectable after 60 min. High dose IV injection of medetomidine was associated with significant decrease in most echocardiographic parameters without echocardiographic arrhythmia. Although, ML and XH groups had the same effects on echocardiographic indices but the intensity and duration were less than MH group.

    Keywords: α2-adrenoceptor agonist drugs, Dromedary camel, Echocardiography, Medetomidine, Xylazine
  • Nasser Darban Maghami, Abolghasem Nabipour *, Mohammad Mohsenzadeh, Maryam Torabi Pages 47-53
    Meat and meat products are highly important sources of protein in the diet. Nowadays, the consumption of meat and meat products has increased owing to modern manufacturing techniques. Due to the economic value of meat, the use of unauthorized tissue is possible in meat products. In some cases, there is fraud in the percentage of meat in meat products to reduce prices. In this study, 34 samples of minced meat, hamburger and sausage were randomly collected from the markets in the northeast of Iran. Then, sections were stained using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H & E), Verhoeff-van-Gieson, Masson's trichrome and periodic acid–Schiff-Alcian blue stains. In this regard, for the first time, the efficacy of stereological technique to determine the percentage of meat listed in sausages and the possible existence of fraud was evaluated. The results showed that, due to the presence of some unusual tissues, histological technique could determine different tissues in meat products. The stereological results of control samples showed a very slight difference; whereas, the results for the samples collected from the city stores showed a distinctive difference regarding the percentage of meat compared to the percentage of label. Skeletal and smooth muscles, blood vessels, nerve, gizzard, adipose tissue, glandular tissue, cartilage, bone, tendon, skin, lymphatic tissues and plant materials were observed. It was confirmed that stereology was a reliable method to determine and confirm the percentage of meat used in meat products.
    Keywords: Authorized Tissues, ‎ Histology, ‎ Meat product, ‎ Stereology, ‎ Unauthorized tissues
  • Mina Ahangarzadeh *, Masoud Ghorbanpour Najafabadi, Rahim Peyghan, Hossein Houshmand, Mostafa Sharif Rohani, Mehdi Soltani Pages 55-60
    Aeromonas hydrophila is a bacterium associated with many diseases and disorders such as fin rot, skin ulcers and lethal hemorrhagic septicemia in fish. It bears several virulence factors including type III secretion system (T3SS), aerolysin, cytolytic enterotoxin and enzymes (e.g. hemolysins, lipase) that seem to play an important role in its pathogenesis. Detection of virulence markers by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a key procedure in defining the pathogenic ability of pathogenic bacteria and preparing a vaccine for its treatment. In this sense, this study was aimed to determine the frequency of virulence genes in isolates obtained from infected cultured carps in Khuzestan province. Out of 200 moribund carps with septicemic symptoms, 125 isolates were belonged to the motile aeromonads and 59 isolates were identified as A. hydrophila by biochemical methods. Finally, using PCR analysis, 31 isolates were identified as A. hydrophila. Five virulence genes were detected in these isolates including hemolysin, aerolysin, cytolytic enterotoxin and T3SS (aopB and ascV) by specific primers. Results showed that 23 (74.19%), 18 (58.06%), 16 (51.61%), 13 (41.63%) and 10 (32.25%) isolates possessed cytolytic enterotoxin, hemolysin, aerolysin, and T3SS genes, respectively. The results of the present study showed that among 31 isolates, only five isolates had all of dominant virulence genes. Thirteen other isolates had genotypes including hlyA+, aerA+, and act+. The remaining isolates had at least one virulence gene. This study showed that determination of the virulence genes by PCR can be a reliable method to identify a potential pathogenic Aeromonad strain.
    Keywords: Aeromonas hydrophila, ‎ Carp, ‎ Hemorrhagic septicemia, ‎ Virulence genes
  • Reza Ijab, Esmail Ayen *, Amir Khaki, Ali Soleimanzadeh Pages 61-70
    Heat stress (HS) has caused relative hypoxia, oxidative stress and high level of homocysteine, which contributes significantly to fertility failures in bulls. The aim of present study was to evaluate the role of dietary betaine (BET) in improving dual purpose Simmental (Fleckvieh) post-thawed semen quality especially during the hottest summer days. A total number of 16 mature bulls were randomly assigned to three equal groups including: 1) Control condition (without betaine), 2) BET1: 57.00 mg of betaine kg-1 per day and 3) BET2: 114 mg of betaine kg-1 per day, through daily intakes for 90 days in summer. Plasma levels of homocysteine, seminal plasma antioxidants levels and sperm parameters such as DNA fragmentation, chromatin integrity, motility, viability, morphology and membrane integrity were evaluated. Under maximal HS, serum homocysteine concentrations were reached 16.67 ± 0.09 µmol L-1. Dietary betaine supplementation influenced DNA fragmentation of sperm and was higher in the control group compared to BET2 group. There were significant decreases in seminal plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and sperm viability and motility in bulls treated with betaine. The activity of GPx and SOD in the control group was increased up to 0.08 ± 0.00 U mg-1 protein and 0.52 ± 0.01 U mg-1 protein in seminal plasma. There were no significant differences between groups in the percentage of swollen spermatozoa, membrane integrity, sperm morphology, abnormal head morphology and percentage of spermatozoa stained with aniline blue. In conclusion, BET supplements improved semen parameters in sperm motility, sperm viability and influenced DNA fragmentation during HS with reduction in serum homocysteine concentrations.
    Keywords: Betaine, Heat stress, Bulls, Semen quality
  • Iman Yousefian, Ahmad Zare Shahneh *, Hamid Kohram Pages 71-78

    The effects of MitoTEMPO, a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, and its non-targeted parent, TEMPO, on bovine oocyte maturation competence have not been determined so far. Hence, our study was aimed to investigate the effects of supplementing maturation medium with different concentrations of MitoTEMPO (0.00, 0.10, 1.00 and 10.00 µM) or TEMPO (0.00, 5.00, 10.00 and 15.00 mM) on in vitro maturation (IVM) and fertilization (IVF) of bovine oocytes. The oocytes after IVM and IVF were evaluated for the signs of nuclear maturation and normal fertilization. The average number of spermatozoa penetrated per oocyte and the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also evaluated. The results showed that percentages of bovine oocytes reached the metaphase II stage of meiosis were significantly higher in the 1.00 µM MitoTEMPO group compared to the control group (without antioxidant supplementation). The normal fertilization rate also tended to be greater in this group than the control group. In comparison with the control group, the medium supplementation with 1.00 µM MitoTEMPO led to a significant decrease in the intracellular ROS level. The average number of spermatozoa penetrated per oocyte was not significantly different among the antioxidant-treated and the non-treated groups. The TEMPO addition to the maturation medium affected neither the rate of maturation/fertilization nor the level of intracellular ROS in bovine oocytes. Based on these results, we concluded that MitoTEMPO at a concentration of 1.00 µM had beneficial effects on the quality and fertilization potential of bovine oocytes.

    Keywords: Antioxidant, ‎ Cattle, ‎ Fertilization, ‎ Maturation, ‎ Reactive oxygen species
  • Marzieh Faezi, Azam Mokhtari, Ahmadreza Mohamadnia * Pages 79-84
    Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is a contagious infectious disease which causes lameness in dairy cows. It has a multifactorial etiology which is not yet fully understood but Treponema spp. seem to play a significant role in development of BDD lesions. This study evaluated the presence of Treponema phylotypes commonly associated with BDD (T. medium/T. vincentii, T. phagedenis and T. putidum/T. denticola), in four farms different areas in Iran. Single biopsies were taken from 113 Holstein cows with active BDD lesions (scored according to size) on the farms and polymerase chain reaction assays used to detect 16S rRNA nucleotide fragments of three BDD Treponema phylotype groups: ‘‘T. medium/T. vincentii’’, ‘‘T. phagedenis’’ and ‘‘T. putidum/T. denticola’’ (now T. pedis). Over 95.00% of samples were positive for at least one of phylotypes, with 89.00%, 91.00 %, and 66.00% of samples were positive for T. putidum/T. denticola, T. phagedenis and T. medium/T. vincentii, respectively. Out of the 113 samples, 60.00% were positive for all three phylotypes, the detection of T. putidum/T. denticola was positively associated with detection of both T. phagedenis and T. medium/T. vincentii. No association between lesion size and phylotypes identified was found but there were significant differences between farms in the proportion of each phylotypes identified. Further research is required to establish the factors influencing the proportions of individual phylotypes, especially at the farm level.
    Keywords: Cow, ‎ Digital dermatitis, ‎ Lameness, ‎ Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‎, ‎ Treponema
  • Homayoun Khazali *, Fariba Mahmoudi Pages 85-90
    Kisspeptin is a hypothalamic peptide which stimulates hypothalamus- pituitary- gonadal (HPG) axis. Morphine is an alkaloid which suppresses reproduction. Ghrelin and leptin are metabolic peptides which play role in relaying information to the HPG axis. In the present study, the interaction effects of kisspeptin and morphine were investigated on plasma and gene expression levels of leptin and ghrelin. Twenty adult male Wistar rats in four groups received injection of saline, kisspeptin (1nmol), morphine (5mg kg-1) or kisspeptin+ morphine. Rats received kisspeptin and morphine via third cerebral ventricular and subcutaneous injection respectively. Ten male rats in two groups received intravenous injection of saline or kisspeptin (7/5nmol). Blood samples, hypothalamic and adipose tissue samples were collected. Plasma and gene expression levels of ghrelin and leptin were measured by using the methods of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real time-PCR respectively. Morphine significantly increased plasma concentration and hypothalamic mRNA levels of ghrelin compared to saline while kisspeptin significantly decreased them compared to saline. Morphine significantly decreased plasma and mRNA levels of leptin in adipose tissue compared to saline but kisspeptin did not increase plasma and mRNA levels of leptin in adipose tissue compared to saline. Kisspeptin significantly decreased the effects of morphine on plasma concentration and hypothalamic gene expression levels of ghrelin compared to alone morphine but it did not affect morphine’s influence on plasma and leptin gene expression levels compared to alone morphine. Kisspeptin and morphine may be involved in the regulation of reproductive activity partly via regulation the metabolic hormones synthesis.
    Keywords: Morphine, Kisspeptin, Ghrelin, Leptin
  • Aghakhan Kheiri, Javad Aliakbarlu *, Rahele Tahmasebi Pages 91-99
    The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effect of season and fish species on the antioxidant capacity, fatty acids profile, and vitamin E content of fish fillets from Aras River. The antioxidant potential of hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts of fish fillets was evaluated. The fillet extracts of zander and bream in summer and common carp in winter had the highest antioxidant activity. Palmitic and oleic acids were the major saturated (SFA) and monounsaturated (MUFA) fatty acids, respectively. The fatty acids C22:6n3 and C20:5n3 were the most abundant polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids in all the fishes. In summer, the highest levels of SFA (44.09), total PUFA (25.97), n3 PUFA (20.71) and n3/n6 ratio (4) were found in zander. In winter, the highest amounts of total PUFA and n3 PUFA were determined in silver carp, followed by zander. The highest n3/n6 ratio was also found in silver carp. The ratio of PUFA/SFA was higher in winter than in summer for all the fishes. Vitamin E content of fishes was largely varied. In conclusion, seasonal variation changed the antioxidant potential and fatty acid composition of fish fillets. Aras River fishes, especially zander, possess excellent antioxidant activity and high nutritional quality.
    Keywords: Antioxidant, ‎ Aras River, ‎ Fatty acid, ‎ Fish, ‎ Zander
  • Zohreh Arab, Mahmoud Hosseini *, Narges Marefati, Farimah Beheshti, Akbar Anaeigoudari, HamidReza Sadeghnia, MohammadHossein Boskabady Pages 101-110

    The study was aimed to evaluate the effects of hydro-ethanol extract Zataria multiflora on the brain tissue oxidative damage, and hippocampal interleukin-6 (IL-6) as well as learning and memory capacity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) - challenged rats. The rats were randomized into five groups as follow: Control group: Rats were treated with saline, LPS group: Rats were treated with LPS 1.00 mg kg-1, ZM50, ZM100 and ZM200 groups in which the rats were treated with Z. multiflora extract (50.00, 100 or 200 mg kg-1 per day, respectively). The treatments including extract or vehicle were administered intraperitoneally ‎and given three days before the behavioral tests and were continued within a6-day behavioral experiment. Injection of LPS was daily done before the behavioral tests. Finally, the brains were collected for biochemical evaluations. Although LPS administration prolonged the latency in Morris water maze and shortened the latency to enter the dark chamber in passive avoidance test, ZM extract restored these changes to approach control group values. Also, LPS increased IL-6, malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) metabolites levels and lowered thiol, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) levels in the brain, however, Z. multiflora extract reduced IL-6, MDA and NO metabolites concentrations, but increased thiol content, SOD, and CAT levels. The results of this study showed that Z. multiflora ameliorated learning and memory dysfunction in LPS - challenged rats by alleviating of inflammatory responses and brain tissue oxidative damage.

    Keywords: Inflammation, ‎ Lipopolysaccharide, ‎ Memory, ‎ Oxidative stress, ‎ Zataria multiflora
  • Naeem Erfani Majd *, Raheleh Shahraki, MohammadReza Tabandeh, Shima Hosseinifar Pages 111-119

    Cisplatin (CP) as an important chemotherapeutic drug is used for the treatment of various malignancies; but it has some side effects on central nervous system, in particular hippocampus. The present study was aimed to determine the protective effects of Aloe vera (AV) gel on CP-induced oxidative stress, apoptosis and neurons structure changes in the hippocampus of rats. Forty-eight rats were divided into six groups including control, CP (5 mg kg-1 per week; intra-peritoneally), CP + AV (400 mg kg-1 per day; orally), CP + metformin (200 mg kg-1 per day; orally), AV (400 mg kg-1 per day; orally) and metformin (200 mg kg-1 per day; orally). At the end of treatment, brain samples were obtained for analysis of apoptotic genes expression and anti-oxidant markers as well as histological study. The results showed that CP caused an increase in malondialdehyde level and a decrease in glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase levels in CP group compared to control. The AV gel could diminish oxidative stress in the hippocampus of CP group and it resulted in down-regulation of Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-8 and up-regulation of Bcl-2 in CP group. It could ameliorate degenerative changes in hippocampus after exposure to CP. Our results showed that AV gel ameliorated oxidative stress, apoptosis and neuronal loss in the hippocampus of rats under CP treatment.

    Keywords: Aloe vera, Apoptosis, ‎ Cisplatin, ‎ Hippocampus, ‎ Oxidative stress
  • Parisa Forsati, Yaghub Pazhang * Pages 121-126
    Inflammation is an initial response of the body to infection and relationship between inflammation and cancer has been established. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is a central factor in inflammation and its activity contributes to tumor progression and apoptosis prevention consequently leading to cancer promotion. As a result, NF-κB inhibitors can cause apoptosis. In this study, the effect of mesalazine as a NF-κB inhibitor on growth and apoptosis of K562 cells has been investigated. The K562 cells were first cultured in RPMI-1640 medium containing 10.00% fetal bovine serum. After that, they were treated for 72 hr with different concentrations of mesalazine (20.00, 40.00, 60.00 and 80.00 μM mL-1). The MTT assay was used to evaluate cell viability. Hoechst staining and RT-PCR of apoptosis related genes (Bcl-2 and Bax) were carried out to illustrate apoptosis induction and immunocytochemistry was performed to investigate changes in c-Myc protein level. According to the results of MTT assay, all of applied mesalazine concentrations decreased K562 cells viability. Hoechst staining showed that the fragmented nuclei increased indicating apoptosis induction. Immuno-cytochemical ‎ results showed that mesalazine decreased c-Myc in treated cells. The RT-PCR results also showed an increase in Bax and a decrease in Bcl-2 expressions in mesalazine-treated cells. As the results suggest, mesalazine reduces cell viability by inducing apoptosis in K562 cell line; therefore, it can be used as a candidate for the leukemia treatment.
    Keywords: Apoptosis, ‎ Cancer therapy, ‎ K562 cell line, ‎ Mesalazine, ‎ Nuclear factor kappa B
  • Tuğba Ersoy, Ozlem Ozmen * Pages 127-131

    Canine parvovirus (CPV) causes a contagious and fatal viral disease in dogs characterized by hemorrhagic enteritis. Apoptosis is a programmed cell death and one of the primary markers of this process is caspase 3. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is also associated with important vital cellular processes. This study was conducted to examine the expressions of caspase 3 and PCNA in the intestinal samples of dogs naturally infected with CPV using immunohistochemical methods. A total of 30 dogs with parvoviral enteritis and five control dogs gut tissues were evaluated for caspase 3 and PCNA expressions. Increased immunoactivities of caspase 3 and PCNA were observed in epithelial, crypt and inflammatory cells in the CPV-infected dogs. Increased expressions of both markers were observed being related to the severity of disease. These results demonstrated the important roles of caspase 3 and PCNA in CPV pathogenesis. These markers may be useful for early diagnosis, estimation of the severity or future treatment strategies of this important disease.

    Keywords: Caspase 3‎, ‎ Immunohistochemistry, ‎ Parvovirus, ‎ Proliferating cell nuclear antigen
  • Ingudam Shakuntala, Arockiasamy Arun Milton *, Samir Das, Sandeep Ghatak, Rajkumari Sanjukta, Kekungu-U Puro, Raj Pegu, Swapnil Doijad, Sukhadeo Barbuddhe, Arnab Sen Pages 133-139

    Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen of great concern to the food industry. The present study was aimed to explore the clonal relationships amongst L. monocytogenes strains isolated from foods of animal origin (milk, beef, chevon (goat meat), pork and chicken) and fish. Forty-six L. monocytogenes strains were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The PFGE analysis using ApaI and AscI enzymes revealed 37 pulsotypes, with Simpson’s discriminatory index of 0.987. This study demonstrated the presence of a few similar L. monocytogenes pulsotypes in different foods of animal origin in different places and years of isolation and this indicates that some L. monocytogenes subtypes may be ubiquitous which are acclimatizing and persisting in different foods of animal origin. This also emphasizes the importance of cross-contamination in local wet markets. Thus, the understanding of genetic diversity will contribute to the development of rational and workable strategies to control this important zoonotic infection.

    Keywords: food, ‎ Genetic diversity, ‎ India, ‎ Listeria monocytogenes, ‎ Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis ‎
  • Yingming Zhu, Ting Yao, Yan Wang, Ziliang Zhao, Xiaowei Yang, Xia Liu, Guangwei Zhao * Pages 141-144

    Shewanella xiamenensis, a newly virulent zoonotic pathogen belonging to the genus Shewanella is the causative organism of emerging intra-abdominal infection, acute skin ulceration, rotten limbs and ascites in humans and animals. The global spread of S. xiamenensis entails severe economic impact. However, it was rarely reported as a cause of infection and no reports were found that S. xiamenensis isolated from clinical samples. The isolate was identified as a S. xiamenensis strain by 16S rDNA amplification and DNA sequencing identification method. Even if co-infection by other bacteria could not be ruled out, this is the first report of acute disease caused by S. xiamenensis in the Chinese giant salamander in China. By using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method, the sensitivity of the isolate to clinical antibiotics was evaluated. Antibiotic susceptibility test indicated that the isolate was resistant to 32 antibacterial drugs such as kanamycin, florfenicol and ceftriaxone suggesting that the isolate was a multi-drug resistant strain.

    Keywords: ‎16S rDNA‎, ‎ Antibiotic susceptibility test, ‎ Chinese giant salamander, ‎ Shewanella xiamenensis
  • Saeed Azizi *, Hamed Masoudi Pages 145-147

    Colic is a clinical syndrome and has been defined as a visceral abdominal pain and/or acute abdominal disease. It is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in horses. The most common forms of colics are related to gastrointestinal tract in nature and most often linked to colonic disturbances. However, colics are not well understood in donkeys compared to those of in horses and the literature is poor regarding bowel strangulating obstruction in donkeys. This report described the clinical signs and post-mortem necropsy findings of an abdominal colic due to the left colon volvulus following a non-surgical castration using Burdizzo emasculatome in a 6-year-old donkey. The castration was done under local analgesia following a sedation with a combination of xylazine-acepromazine and physical restraint on a tilt table. Severe abdominal colic and death occurred after discharging from the hospital. Left colon volvulus at the sternal and diaphragmatic flexures in a ventromedial-dorsolateral direction of 720° was the main cause of colic found at the necropsy examination. Although left colon volvulus is not considered as a complication of castration, it maybe rational to prescribe an analgesic agent in postoperative care in donkeys undergoing non-surgical castration.

    Keywords: Castration, ‎ Colic, ‎ Donkey, ‎ Large colon volvulus