Animal Care Research Articles

Trends among Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees and Animal Resource Programs for Providing Oversight and Animal Care during the (COVID)-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on facility oversight and animal care at 2 y after declaration of the pandemic, we distributed a comprehensive survey to targeted groups within the broader animal research community in early 2022. A total of 265 surveys were returned (161 responses to IACUC questions, 193 responses to animal resource program [ARP] questions, and 89 responses to both). IACUC questions focused on the use of virtual interactions for IACUC activities and on remote work for IACUC support staff during and after the pandemic. ARP questions focused on remote work arrangements, altered work schedules, personnel shortages, and operational changes made during and after the pandemic. Results indicate that IACUCs readily adopted remote work options for staff and virtual meetings, changes that are now largely viewed as permanent, and are using modified methods for postapproval monitoring (PAM), while largely rejecting virtual semiannual facility inspections. This pattern reflects available guidance for virtual IACUC meetings, whereas new guidance for virtual semiannual facility inspections might have caused confusion and regulatory compliance concerns. Remote work options were available for some ARP staff, depending on job responsibilities, but were mostly eliminated by 2 y after the start of the pandemic. ARP staff expressed a strong desire for continued in-person presence of supervisors; this preference was not expressed by IACUC staff. Based on the timing of the survey (April 2022), substantial disruptions in the labor market had resulted in a considerable number of job openings and lack of entry level staff. Long-term assessment of effects on compliance and IACUC engagement would be useful given the widespread use of virtual IACUC meetings and other changes related to institutional and programmatic adoption of remote work options in ARPs.

Origins of US Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training.

The US Government Principles for the use of animals in research are a landmark statement of ethical values and guidance for the biomedical research community. However, when The Principles were introduced, a context was not provided for their source or foundation. The US Government Principles were formulated with input from the Council of Europe, World Health Organization, and US Interagency Research Animal Committee. The Principles continue to provide an ethical foundation for the biomedical research community.

Increased animal ownership in the home is correlated with worse health outcomes based on health-care indicators investigated in canines and felines in rural Mississippi.

Although research on animal hoarding, both in urban and rural settings, is growing, a gap remains in the literature about community patterns of animal ownership. Our objective was to determine patterns of companion animal ownership in a rural setting and the association between number of animals in a household and indicators of animal health. Retrospective review of veterinary medical records from 2009 to 2019 from a university-based community clinic in Mississippi. Review of all owners who reported having animals from a household with 8 or more other animals on average, excluding animals from shelters, rescues, or veterinary practices. Across the study period, 28,446 unique encounters occurred among 8,331 unique animals and 6,440 unique owners. Indicators of care for canine and feline animals were taken from values indicated on the physical examination. Animals were largely from single-animal households (46.9%) or households with 2 to 3 animals (35.9%). However, 2.1% of all animal cases reviewed lived in a household reported to have 8 or more animals, and 2.4% of canines and 4.3% of felines lived in a household with 8 or more animals. Increased animal ownership in the home correlated with worse health outcomes based on the health-care indicators investigated in canines and felines. Veterinarians working in community settings are likely to encounter cases of animal hoarding and should consider collaborating with mental health practitioners if repeated incidences of negative health-care indicators occur for animals from the same household.

Poster 136: Augmented Meniscus Radial Tear Healing via Local Transforming Growth Factor-beta 1 (TGF- β1) Gene Therapy in a Rat Model

Objectives: Meniscus tears cause significant musculoskeletal impairment and are among the most common knee injuries. Tears in the inner third of the meniscus have intrinsically poor healing capacity due to insufficient blood supply. In an effort to improve healing, use of biologic augments is a promising area of investigation. Tissue engineering strategies, such as growth factor gene therapy, have emerged as encouraging approaches to improving meniscal healing. Transforming Growth Factor-Beta 1 (TGF-β1) gene therapy has shown promise in vitro and ex vivo as a therapeutic strategy, but its effects on meniscus healing in vivo remain unknown. This study aimed to determine whether local delivery of viral vectors carrying the TGF-β1 gene could improve the healing of a meniscus tear involving the avascular zone in vivo in a rat model. Methods: Recombinant adenoviruses were generated using the AdEasy system. Briefly, the coding regions of mouse TGFβ1 were PCR amplified and cloned into an adenoviral shuttle vector and subsequently used to generate recombinant adenoviruses in HEK293 cells. The resulting adenoviruses were designated as Adv-TGF-β1. An analogous adenovirus expressing only GFP (Adv-GFP) was used as mock virus controls. To achieve local delivery of viral vectors to the injury site, we utilized a thermoresponsive biodegradable polydiolcitrate-gelatin delivery scaffold (PPCNg). A full-thickness radial tear was made in the medial meniscus of the left hind leg of twelve Wistar rats. Rats were divided into two groups: one receiving a mixture of PPCNg+TGF-β1 (n = 3) and the other receiving PPCNg+GFP (n = 3). A 4ºC pre-chilled solution of PPCNg seeded with Adv-TGF-β1 or Adv-GFP at 1011 infectious viral particles/injection was administered at the site of the induced meniscus tear. After 3 weeks, rats were euthanized, and the menisci were histologically evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The histologic assessment and scoring of meniscus tissue wound healing were done by one blinded and one unblinded observer, each using selected wound healing parameters as described in Table 1, and the results were averaged. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was computed based on a mean rating (k=2), absolute agreement, and two-way random effects model to assess the agreement between the wound healing score rating of the two observers. Statistical significance between groups was determined using the Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon rank sum test. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. All animal procedures were performed according to an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocol at the home institution. Results: Immediately after and 3 weeks post-surgery, there was no evidence of infection, dehiscence, or functional deficit. Histologic evaluation of the sections (n = 8/group) of harvested rat menisci (n = 2/group) revealed improved healing of tears in the PPCNg+TGF-β1 group compared to the control group (5.7 ± 0.48 vs. 5.0 ± 0.89, p = 0.011) (Figure 1B). The lesion area demonstrated significantly greater neovascularization (2.75 ± 0.45 vs. 2.06 ± 0.68, p = 0.004), better collagen organization (1.94 ± 0.25 vs. 1.62 ± 0.50, p = 0.038), and increased hypercellularity (1.0 ± 0.00 vs. 1.3 ± 0.48, p = 0.018) in the PPCNg+TGF-β1 group compared to the controls (Figure 1C). Moderate absolute agreement between the two raters was observed in their wound healing score ratings (ICC = 0.615). Conclusions: Our results indicate that PPCNg-mediated delivery of Adv-TGF-β1 enhanced the early (3 weeks) healing of the meniscus lesion in rats compared with control (Adv-GFP) gene therapy. Further, localized administration of Adv-TGF-β1 induced greater neovascularization, better organization of collagen fibers, and increased hypercellularity at the injury site in the Adv-TGFβ-1 rat group compared with controls at 3 weeks post-injury. These results together suggest that TGF-β1 gene therapy may enhance meniscus healing by inducing more cellular proliferation and infiltration and greater neovascularization at the injury site to serve as nourishment for the establishment of new wound matrix, leading to more significant deposition and remodeling of mature collagen matrix. Further study that includes larger sample sizes, confirmation of successful gene transfer to meniscal cells around the tear site, and investigations of both later time points of wound healing and the mechanisms by which local TGF-β1 gene therapy may modulate augmented meniscus healing in this rat model of meniscal defect is necessary to better determine the potential future clinical utility of local TGF-β1 gene therapy to treat of meniscus tears with poor healing capacity. [Table: see text]

OCE-205, a Selective V1a Partial Agonist, Reduces Portal Pressure in Rat Models of Portal Hypertension.

Management of decompensated cirrhosis may include the use of vasoconstrictors that can lead to serious adverse events. OCE-205 was designed as a highly selective V1a receptor partial agonist, intended to have a wider therapeutic window than full vasopressin agonists. We aimed to characterize the activity of OCE-205 treatment in two rat models of portal hypertension (PHT). For both models, OCE-205 was administered as a subcutaneous bolus injection. Thirty male Wistar rats were fed a methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet to model PHT. Animals received OCE-205 (10, 25, 100, or 500µg/kg) or intra-arterial terlipressin (100µg/kg). In a more severe model of PHT, 11 male Sprague Dawley rats had the common bile duct surgically ligated (BDL) and received OCE-205. Portal pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured. For PP in the MCD model, MAP increased while PP decreased in rats treated with OCE-205 or terlipressin; the peak changes to MAP were 14.7 and 33.5 mmHg, respectively. Changes in MAP began to plateau after 10min in the OCE-205 groups, whereas in the terlipressin group, MAP rapidly increased and peaked after 20min. Across all treatment groups in the BDL model, a dose-related decrease from baseline in PP was observed following OCE-205, plateauing as the dose increased. In all treatment groups, PP change remained negative throughout the 30-min testing period. In both PHT rat models, a reduction in PP was coupled to an increase in MAP, with both plateauing in dose-response curves. Data support OCE-205 as a promising candidate for further development. Procedures were approved by the Ferring Research Institute (FRI) Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee on July 13, 2011, under protocol FRI-07-0002.

Poster 101: Evaluation of Novel Treatment Agents on Rotator Cuff Tendon and Muscle Pathology in a Murine Subacromial Impingement Model

Poster 101: Evaluation of Novel Treatment Agents on Rotator Cuff Tendon and Muscle Pathology in a Murine Subacromial Impingement Model

The Relationship between Reticuloruminal Temperature, Reticuloruminal pH, Cow Activity, and Clinical Mastitis in Dairy Cows

We hypothesized that reticuloruminal temperature, pH as well as cow activity can be used as parameters for the early diagnosis of clinical mastitis in dairy cows. Therefore, we aimed to detect the relationship between these factors and the disease. We randomly selected cows with clinical mastitis and clinically healthy cows (HG) out of 600 milking cows. We recorded the following parameters during the experiment: reticulorumen temperature (RR temp.), reticulorumen pH (RR pH), and cow activity. We used smaXtec boluses (smaXtec animal care technology®, Graz, Austria). In this investigation, reticulorumen data obtained seven days before diagnosis were compared to HG data from the same time period. CM cows were observed on the same days as the healthy cows. The healthy group’s RR pH was 7.32% higher than that of cows with CM. Reticulorumen temperature was also 1.25% higher in the CM group than in the control group. The healthy group had a higher average value for walking activity, which was 17.37% higher than the CM group. The data of reticulorumen pH changes during 24 h showed that during the day, the pH changed from 5.53 to 5.83 in the CM group. By contrast, pH changed from 6.05 to 6.31 in the control group. The lowest reticulorumen pH in the CM group was detected on the third day before diagnosis, which was 15.76% lower than the highest reticulorumen pH detected on the sixth day before diagnosis. The lowest reticulorumen pH in CM cows was detected at 0 and 1 days before diagnosis and it was 1.45% lower than the highest reticulorumen pH detected on the second day before diagnosis. The lowest walking activity in the CM group was detected 0 days before diagnosis, which was 50.60% lower than on the fifth day before diagnosis. Overall, the results confirmed our hypothesis that reticuloruminal temperature, reticuloruminal pH, and cow activity could be used as parameters for the early diagnosis of clinical mastitis in dairy cows.

Caring animals and the ways we wrong them

Many nonhuman animals have the emotional capacities to form caring relationships that matter to them, and for their immediate welfare. Drawing from care ethics, we argue that these relationships also matter as objectively valuable states of affairs. They are part of what is good in this world. However, the value of care is precarious in human-animal interactions. Be it in farming, research, wildlife ‘management’, zoos, or pet-keeping, the prevention, disruption, manipulation, and instrumentalization of care in animals by humans is ubiquitous. We criticize a narrow conception of welfare that, in practice, tends to overlook non-experiential forms of harm that occur when we interfere with caring animals. Additionally, we point out wrongs against caring animals that are not just unaccounted for but denied by even an expansive welfare perspective: The instrumentalization of care and caring animals in systems of use can occur as a harmless wrong that an approach purely focused on welfare may, in fact, condone. We should therefore adopt an ethical perspective that goes beyond welfare in our dealings with caring animals.

Review of man to animal transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) infection caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (Sars-Cov-2)

Coronaviruses infect a wide variety of animals, including birds and mammals, where they cause infection in animals, mutate and cause disease outbreaks in humans. The review focused on the origin and spread of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to animals. A systematic literature search of PubMed, ProMed-mail, and Google Scholar databases, using keywords "animals", "COVID-19", and "SARS-CoV-2", for articles providing information on animal studies and case reports between December 2019 and September 2021. Published articles included in this review are in English and conducted studies on animals and case reports of human-animal transmission. Fifty-seven COVID-19 in animals published articles featured in this review. Humans can spread the disease to pets (dogs and cats) during close contact when they are clinically infected. Although cats are susceptible to subclinical infection, they developed a robust neutralizing antibody response that prevented re-infection to a second viral challenge in a laboratory setting. Clinically positive Farm workers on mink farms tend to spread the disease to the Minks. Pangolins are a natural reservoir of SARS-CoV-2-like CoVs, the Coronaviruses most related to SARSCoV-2. Companion animals living with infected owners are at risk of Man-to-animal spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Therefore, applying basic hygiene measures such as handwashing when handling and caring for animals is suggested.

The Reflection of Educational Value in the Dexterity Fight Art of Garut’s Sheep

Purpose: This article examines DFAGS from various aspects including religious, aesthetic, ethical, social, environmental, and cultural values. Method: A qualitative approach with a field study design was used to assess the problem. Results and conclusion: As a result, ethical and aesthetic values are demonstrated in the practice of competitions, animal care, and accompanying art instruments. The value of socio-cultural education and entrepreneurship is derived from the folkloristic function of performing arts as [i] the projection of thoughts and beliefs, [ii] uniting the collective in the same hope, and [iii] providing recreational facilities that have the potential to boost the community's economic sector. Research implications: The study highlights the importance of cultural values and their impact on various aspects of society such as religion, ethics, social norms, environment, and entrepreneurship. Originality/value: The study contributes to the literature on cultural products and their values by providing a comprehensive analysis of DFAGS from various perspectives.

Precision Medicine Is Changing the Roles of Healthcare Professionals, Scientists, and Research Staff: Learnings from a Childhood Cancer Precision Medicine Trial.

Precision medicine programs aim to utilize novel technologies to identify personalized treatments for children with cancer. Delivering these programs requires interdisciplinary efforts, yet the many groups involved are understudied. This study explored the experiences of a broad range of professionals delivering Australia's first precision medicine trial for children with poor-prognosis cancer: the PRecISion Medicine for Children with Cancer (PRISM) national clinical trial of the Zero Childhood Cancer Program. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 85 PRISM professionals from eight professional groups, including oncologists, surgeons, clinical research associates, scientists, genetic professionals, pathologists, animal care technicians, and nurses. We analyzed interviews thematically. Professionals shared that precision medicine can add complexity to their role and result in less certain outcomes for families. Although many participants described experiencing a greater emotional impact from their work, most expressed very positive views about the impact of precision medicine on their profession and its future potential. Most reported navigating precision medicine without formal training. Each group described unique challenges involved in adapting to precision medicine in their profession. Addressing training gaps and meeting the specific needs of many professional groups involved in precision medicine will be essential to ensure the successful implementation of standard care.

Agricultural business in independent Ukraine: thirty-year dynamics of the reorganization process

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to identify stages in development and to analyze the content of transformation processes in Ukrainian agriculture for the period of 1991–2022 years.
 Methodology / approach. This research uses content analysis of legislative field to present basis for organization of agriculture business activity for the 30-years of restoration of Ukraine independence. Official statistical data are studied to reveal repercussion in productivity as an effect of Laws, Acts and Agreements implementation. Methods of regression and correlation analysis are used to unveil peculiarities in agriculture tendency. Hodrick-Prescott method is applied to extract structural components, exclude random impacts on economical processes and to find out significant changes or turnings in the sector development. Quantitative analysis results were obtained by the GNU Octave software tool.
 Results. Legislative evolution has influenced on the way of agriculture business organization and branch productivity. Analysis revealed two stages in its development. The first one (1991–1999) is the period of business transformation with changes of ownership forms on the land. This period is notable by its descending dynamics. Transformation has required to build relationships in business environment after collapse of Soviet Union, to supply with material and technical resources, to support its activity with financial funds. The essence of the first stage is in findings of an effective form of farming management. The second stage is the exit from the lowest point at which agrarian business was in 1999 and the gradual growth of its activity and profitability. This is the period of strengthening of relationships in the business environment, development of crop and livestock production, implementing of new technologies of land cultivation, plant, and animal care. It is the period of economic recovery on the base of private land ownership, motivation of producers’ activity, agreements on free trade and cooperation with the EU and other countries. Simultaneously, it is the years of overcoming of such shocking consequences as economic collapse of the end of 1990s, the instability of foreign currency and the banking crisis of 2008–2009, the beginning of the hybrid occupation of Ukraine by Russia in 2014, the rapid fluctuation of the value of its own currency in 2014–2015 because of war. The alteration of the principles of currency exchange rate formation with the transition from a fixed value to that is formed under the influence of market conditions was a mean to overcome this instability. Russia’s full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine since 2022 caused the latest devastating events in the economy.
 Originality / scientific novelty. The novelty of the obtained research results is in presentation, argumentation, and interpretation of productivity waves in agriculture development for the 30-years of Ukraine independency with the use of extract method of structural components and correlation analysis of smoothed data sets. The continuity of legislative stages of agriculture reorganization was built to reveal ground for agriculture growth and to understand factors of branch sustainability. It is the first time when research shows how to detect latent changes in the development in the context of legislative changes, external threats, and internal peculiarities of branch.
 Practical value / implications. Results of analysis can be implemented in the historical reconstruction of causes and consequences of falls and rises in the Ukrainian economy for the period of 1991–2022. Used smoothing method is suggested to be applied in econometric research when the dynamics of indicators behavior cannot be approximated with certain function unmistakably because of ambiguous form of data scattering or its latent character.

Understanding Job Satisfaction and Occupational Stressors of Distinctive Roles in Zoos and Aquariums.

For professionals caring for humans or non-human animals, many joys are to be found in working towards what an individual believes to be their calling, especially as they contribute to purposeful, meaningful work consistent with and intrinsic to their own values and beliefs. However, there can be downfalls. Empathic strain, conflict between co-workers, dissatisfaction with upper management, lack of opportunities to make positive changes, limited or no access to level and experience-appropriate professional development, and other stressors are all risks carried by organisations concerned with animal welfare. In the present study, a survey on job satisfaction and workplace stressors was completed by 311 zoo and aquarium professionals working in a range of roles from junior animal care staff to curator. Respondent profiles were created using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) and four distinct clusters were identified through Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components (HCPC), highlighting common themes in different levels of experience and in job roles regarding stressors, satisfaction, and feelings about their work and workplaces. Overall, many zoo professionals were concerned with lacking the ability to feel empowered to do their best for animal welfare, and they described a link between the staff welfare and their perceptions of the welfare of the animals they cared for. Through identifying and understanding where organisations can better support their staff it is possible to target and reduce the number of common stressors faced by zoo professionals, leading to increased staff retention, higher job satisfaction, and an improved ability to perform at their best for animal welfare.

Animal ethics in biology teaching and research in selected Asian countries

Governance and regulation of the use of live animals in research and teaching is examined in Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, China, Japan and India. A comparison of the systems in different countries will enable the determination of best practice and fit-for-purpose regulation. The most comprehensive government regulation of animal welfare in institutions covers a broad range of animals and institutions are required to have an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, whose membership is specified in guidelines or regulations. The work of the Committees is rigorously overseen by government and facilities that use live animals are audited externally. All countries examined have legislation governing the use of live animals in research, although only Australia and Malaysia have a fully equivalent mandated oversight of teaching. Teaching that uses live animals is partly covered in the Philippines, Japan, Singapore and Thailand This paper thus aims to review the regulation of animal use in different Asian jurisdictions in order to determine best practices that are appropriate to those settings. The most comprehensive oversight is provided in Australia and Malaysia that essentially use the same regulatory framework.

#4544 THE ASSOCIATION OF TAMOXIFEN TO THE CONSERVATIVE CKD TREATMENT PROMOTED ADDITIONAL ANTIFIBROTIC EFFECTS IN A MODEL OF HYPERTENSIVE NEPHROSCLEROSIS

Abstract Background and Aims Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an insidious, progressive and highly debilitating condition, which leads to the loss of renal function and to the need of life-sustaining renal replacement therapy. The conservative treatment of CKD is mainly based in the blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which can be associated to immunosuppressant drugs, according to the etiology of the renal injury. However, this pharmacological approach is not able to prevent CKD progression completely. Until the present moment, medical community still lack of a specific drug to effectively stop the progression of renal fibrosis associated to CKD, which once triggered became irreversible. Tamoxifen (TAM) is an estrogen receptor antagonist, widely employed for the clinical treatment of breast cancer, and responsible for saving a number of lives worldwide, in the past decades. This well-tolerated and cost-effective drug have been reported to exert antifibrotic effects in both experimental and human peritoneal fibrosis. Moreover, our research group already demonstrated that TAM efficiently prevented albuminuria, glomerulosclerosis, and interstitial fibrosis in a model of CKD. In the present study, we investigated if the association of TAM to the classic conservative treatment of CKD, here obtained by the association of Losartan (LOS) and Micofenolate Mofetil (MMF), could promote further renoprotection in an experimental model of hypertensive nephrosclerosis, induced by the chronic nitric oxide synthase blockade, obtained by the oral administration of L-NAME (NAME), associated to a high sodium (HS) diet, in rats. Method The experimental protocol was approved by the local Research Ethics Committee (CAPPesq) and was developed in strict conformity with the international standards for care and manipulation of laboratory animals. Thirty male Wistar rats were kept with a 3.2% HS diet for 15 days of adaptation, before the protocol start. After this period, the animals continued to receive the HS diet and were divided among 5 groups. CONT: receiving no further drugs or treatments, NAME: treated with 70 mg/kg/d of L-NAME, diluted in drinking water, LOS: NAME rats treated with 50mg/Kg/d of LOS, also diluted in drinking water, MMF: NAME rats treated with 10 mg/Kg/d of MMF given by gavage, TAM: NAME rats treated with 10 mg/Kg/d also by gavage, and LOS+MMF+TAM: NAME rats treated with all the drugs simultaneously. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), urinary albumin excretion (24 h uAE), glomerulosclerosis (GS), glomerular ischemia (GI), interstitial fibrosis (INT), tubulointerstitial infiltration of macrophages (CD68) and T-cells (CD3), as well as renal cortical interstitial collagen I (COLL1) and fibronectin (FIBRO) accumulation were evaluated after 30 days of treatment. Results The association of TAM to the classic treatment of CKD improved the renoprotection obtained by LOS+MMF. The triple combined treatment significantly reduced hypertension, albuminuria, glomerular structural damage, renal macrophage and T-cell infiltration in NAME rats, compared to the animals treated with the respective monotherapies. Moreover, both TAM alone or the association, were equally effective in reducing interstitial collagen and fibronectin accumulation, in NAME rats. Data are presented as Mean ± SE. For One-way ANOVA statistical analysis, we considered: p<0.05 vs.*CONT, #NAME, †LOS, §MMF, &TAM. Conclusion Our preliminary results shown TAM to be effective in reducing renal inflammation and fibrosis in the chronic nitric oxide synthase blockade model and to exert additional renoprotective effects when associated to LOS and MMF in all the analyzed parameters. Although further studies with different nephropathy models are still required in order to confirm our findings, here we suggest TAM to be a potential adjuvant in the conservative management of CKD.

#3508 FUROSEMIDE DECREASES KYNURENIC ACID SYNTHESIS IN RAT KIDNEY IN VITRO

Abstract Background and Aims Loop diuretics are highly potent agents, particularly beneficial in patients with impaired kidney function or heart failure exacerbation. Furosemide, due to fast onset and short time of action, remains the most commonly used drug from this class of diuretics. Inhibition of sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter (NKCC2) in the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop is the main mechanism of furosemide's action. Other effects of furosemide, like modulation of potassium channels activity or activation of prostaglandin synthesis, were previously described. It was postulated that furosemide may exacerbate kidney injury in a dose dependent manner. Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is a tryptophan derivative synthesized from L-kynurenine (L-KYN) by kynurenine aminotransferases (KATs). KAT I and KAT II are the main KAT isoenzymes. Non-selective antagonism towards ionotropic glutamatergic receptors, as well as activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptors and the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are known mechanisms of KYNA’s action. KYNA was shown to regulate water and electrolyte balance through natriuretic effect. By some researchers KYNA, together with other tryptophan metabolites, is classified as uremic toxin. We aimed to analyze the influence of furosemide, widely used loop diuretic, on KYNA’s synthesis and the activity of both KATs in rat kidney in vitro. Method The influence of furosemide on KYNA’s production with KAT I and KAT II activity was tested in rat kidney homogenates in vitro after 2 hours incubation in the presence of KYNA precursor L-KYN and furosemide. Diuretic was examined at increasing concentrations: 1 μM, 10 μM, 50 μM, 100 μM, 500 μM and 1 mM. Enzymatic KYNA’s production was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorometric detector. All applicable international, national and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. Results Furosemide at 500 μM and 1 mM lowered KYNA formation in kidney homogenates in vitro to 80% (p < 0.05) and 70% (p < 0.05) of control value, respectively. At 1 mM concentration furosemide inhibited kidney KAT I activity in vitro to 38% (p < 0.01) of control value. Similarly, furosemide at 500 μM and 1 mM concentration decreased kidney KAT II activity in vitro to 53% (p < 0.01) and 18% (p < 0.001) of control value, respectively. Conclusion Our study presents a novel mechanism of action of furosemide. Inhibition of KYNA synthesis in the kidney by furosemide may have influence on kidney function.

KLASIFIKASI RAS ANJING MENGGUNAKAN METODE CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK DENGAN ARSITEKTUR VGG-16

Dogs are lovable animals that bring companionship and fun to any household, but things to consider before getting a dog are their daily needs including food, shelter, and animal care, as well as affection and physical and mental stimulation. This research was conducted to introduce dog breeds and how to care for each breed. This system is built using Mask R-CNN and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a deep learning architecture.
 Mask R-CNN model is used for detecting and cropping dog in images, trained using Microsoft Common Object of Context (MS COCO) dataset. CNN is used for classification of dog breeds in images and is trained using 17.513 images of 17 different breeds. Result for Mask R-CNN show the detection accuracy for dogs has 74% using test images, and CNN show the identification accuracy using test images has 82% accuracy, and for CNN using cropped images has 87% accuracy.

Animal Safety and Welfare App using IOT

The increasing need for animal welfare and conservation has led to the development of various technologies to monitor and manage animals. This research paper proposes a mobile application that integrates safety, adoption, foster, and IoT features to enhance animal welfare and conservation. The safety features include a reporting system for animal sightings, emergency alerts, information on local wildlife rehabilitation centres, and public education on animal welfare. The adoption and foster features provide a searchable database of adoptable animals and foster families, online applications and screening processes, in-app communication with shelter staff, and the ability to make donations to animal shelters. The IoT feature incorporates smart collars with sensors to monitor the animal's location, health metrics, and behaviour patterns, providing real-time notifications to the animal owner or caregiver when the animal requires attention or care. The application also includes analytics and data visualization to provide insights into the animal's overall health and behaviour patterns for proactive care. The proposed web application aims to promote animal welfare, conservation, and coexistence with wildlife, ultimately improving the overall well being of animals.

Rural producer's perspective on the impacts of care in the promotion of animal health and welfare

Introduction: This is a study that covers issues of animal health and welfare; in this sense, health care and well-being have been widely debated in society, meeting not only the vital demands of man, but also of the animal, which consists of quality of life Objective: to analyze health care and animal welfare in the Recriar Project, comparing them with the care offered by rural producers on their properties. Material and Methods: This is a qualitative research, which used the participant observer method. This research complied with ethical principles and was submitted to the ethics committee through CAEE 65758922.3.0000.8078 and appears to have been approved. Ten rural producers who were involved in the Recreate Results: Based on the questions raised, it is argued that the project contributes to the reduction of the manpower needed in the properties, since it has a multidisciplinary team dedicated to the care animals, providing adequate food and administering medications correctly when necessary. Considerations: It is concluded that the research carried out on the perception of the rural producer participating in the Recreate Project about the benefits of promoting animal care, health and well-being reveals relevant aspects. Although there are questions from some producers regarding the project's effectiveness in improving animal welfare, it is observed that participation in the project provides significant advantages.

Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Brucellosis in Taif City, Saudi Arabia.

Brucellosis is a serious zoonotic infectious disease. Humans contract the disease by coming into contact with infected animals or their products. In Saudi Arabia, brucellosis is considered to be an endemic disease, with an annual incidence of 15.34 per 100,000 population from 2003 to 2018. Because of the devastating consequences for human health, raising awareness is an essential component in preventing brucellosis. Our study aims to assess the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes regarding brucellosis among the residents of Taif City, Saudi Arabia. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey conducted in June-October 2022 targeted the population of Taif City, Saudi Arabia. The data were collected by an online questionnaire, which included questions on sociodemographic characteristics, awareness regarding brucellosis, behaviorand attitude towardanimals, and consuming animal-based products. A total of 743 participants were included. The participants were 18-70 years old, 63.4% were females, and 79.4% had a university education. Only 450 participants answered yes to the first question: "Do you know about brucellosis or have you heard about it?" Therefore, they were asked to answer knowledge questions. It was found that out of 450 participants, 46.9%demonstrated a "poor" knowledge level. Participants aged 26-55 years old demonstrated significantly more "good" knowledge than the other age groups (p = 0.001). Males demonstrated significantly more "good" knowledge (30.6%) than females (14.9%) (p < 0.001). The practices and attitudes of animal breeder participants (16.2%) were satisfactory because more than half of them did not participate in the birth of animals (53.4%), 50.7% did not participate in the birth with abortion, and approximately 61% used gloves when taking care of animals. The practices were unsatisfactory because 53.4% of the participants reported that they "always" eat the meat of animals they keep, and 64.4% reported that they personally slaughter sheep or cows from the herd. Our study showed that most of the participants were aware of brucellosis; however, at the same time, the knowledge level regarding brucellosis was not satisfactory.