Present study was done to delineate the immune-regulated interplay following the toxicological deterring effect of ethion. The study was conducted in chicks and they were equally and randomly divided into four groups (n=6) with group I served as control, group II, III and IV were administered with ethion at 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 mg/kg body weight per os route respectively for 30 days. On 30th day the blood and tissue samples were collected to assess the immunotoxic potential of ethion. The study revealed significant (P < 0.05) reduction in total protein, albumin and globulin, splenic cell cellularity count, lymphocytic count whereas significant (P < 0.05) increase was observed in dose dependent manner on apoptotic cell count via FACS. The non significant changes were observed in HI titre, DTH response and lymphocyte proliferation assay following 30 days administration of toxicant to chicks. Histopathological examination of spleen and skin tissue revealed more pronounced alteration in the normalcy of spleen and skin in group III and IV as compared to control. The study therefore concluded that ethion intoxication in poultry birds produced significant (P < 0.05) apoptosis in splenocytes, heterophilia and lymphocytopenia as a part of defensive mechanism albeit at given experimental doses direct immunotoxic effect was not advocated. Further downstream apoptotic signaling studies are warranted.

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A new transvaginal artificial insemination (AI) procedure by frozen-thawed semen using a Foley catheter in ewes was performed in the present study. A 30-ml ballon was fixed in the vagina and frozen-thawed semen expelled into the vagina was retained near the cervical os for approximately 30-60 min. In the first trial, a single AI was performed on eight ewes after estrus synchronization and one ewe became pregnant (12.5%). In the second trial, AI was performed for two consecutive days on the seven ewes that did not become pregnant in the first trial. Three of the seven (42.9%) ewes become pregnant. These results suggest the usefulness of transvaginal AI by frozen-thawed semen using a Foley catheter for two consecutive days.

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A 5-year-old spayed female domestic short haired cat presented with chronic nasal obstruction. The cat was diagnosed with B-cell nasal lymphoma based on histological examination of biopsy specimens and intracranial invasion was suspected. We initiated treatment with nimustine (ACNU), known to pass the blood–brain barrier, as the primary protocol with prednisolone, with the owner’s consent. The ACNU dose was 20–25 mg/m² (4–5-week intervals, four or six administrations, two courses). The cat remained oligosymptomatic until day 962 after the first dose and no serious adverse events were reported. The cat lived until day 1089. To our knowledge, this is the first report of long-term survival achieved using ACNU as the primary treatment in a cat with nasal lymphoma.

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Oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) plays a role in intracellular viral defense. Mouse Oas1b is responsible for the susceptibility to flaviviruses. The flavivirus replication inhibitory effect of Oas1b is independent of its enzymatic activity; however, its mechanism remains unclear, though mouse Oas1b possibly targets the 3′-stem-loops (SLs). We measured the effect of Oas1b by removing and overexpressing SLs in the 3′-untranslated regions (UTRs) of the West Nile virus (WNV) replicon. Both SL2 deletion and SL2 RNA overexpression in the 3′-UTR of the WNV replicon resulted in the loss of Oas1b-mediated replication inhibition. These results revealed that WNV SL2 is essential for Oas1b-mediated replication inhibition.

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