[Examinations on the pharmacokinetics and compatibility of enalapril in racing pigeons].

Objective: It was the aim of this study to examine the compatibility and the pharmacokinetics of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril after oral application in racing pigeons and Amazons, and to contribute to a safe dosage regime of this drug in birds.

Material And Methods: For the examination of drug compatibility, three groups of pigeons (n = 8 each) received enalapril into the crop at a dose of 5 or 10 mg/kg body weight, or placebo, respectively. Health status, and water and food consumption were monitored regularly, and clinical, hematological and blood-chemical parameters were determined.

Expression and functional coupling of liver β2 - adrenoceptors in the human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers and a leading cause of death worldwide. There are now multiple lines of evidence demonstrating that the β-adrenoceptor ( β-AR) signaling plays an important role in the progression and metastasis of cancer and may become a novel target for cancer therapy. Little information exists regarding the status of β-ARs and their postreceptor intracellular signaling cascade in the development of human HCC.

Monitoring of antibiotic consumption in livestock: a German feasibility study.

Every application of antibacterial drugs in veterinary medicine may encourage selection for resistant bacteria. In Germany no valid data are available which would be suitable for a species specific estimation of drug consumption especially regarding food producing animals. Therefore, a representative monitoring of consumption of antibacterial drugs in food producing animals should be implemented.

Altered liver α1-adrenoceptor density and phospholipase C activity in the human hepatocellular carcinoma.

The human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer with high mortality rate. We examined the density and coupling to phospholipase C (PLC) of the α(1)-adrenoceptors. In HCC liver, the α(1)-adrenoceptor density - as assessed by [³H]-Prazosin binding - was significantly reduced to about 75% when compared to non-adjacent non-tumorous liver (NA-NL) (P=0.

Growth and differentiation of primary and passaged equine bronchial epithelial cells under conventional and air-liquid-interface culture conditions.

Background: Horses develop recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) that resembles human bronchial asthma. Differentiated primary equine bronchial epithelial cells (EBEC) in culture that closely mimic the airway cells in vivo would be useful to investigate the contribution of bronchial epithelium in inflammation of airway diseases. However, because isolation and characterization of EBEC cultures has been limited, we modified and optimized techniques of generating and culturing EBECs from healthy horses to mimic in vivo conditions.