Rehoming and Other Refinements and Replacement in Procedures Using Golden Hamsters in SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Research.

Effective vaccines are needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty golden hamsters were inoculated with two promising vaccine candidates and eighteen animals were used in pilot trials with viral challenge. ELISA assays were performed to determine endpoint serum titres for specific antibodies and virus neutralisation tests were used to evaluate the efficacy of antibodies.

Extracellular Vesicles in Domestic Animals: Cellular Communication in Health and Disease.

Apoptotic and healthy cells of domestic animals release membrane-enclosed particles from their plasma membrane. These special structures, called extracellular vesicles, play an important role in intercellular communication. In the past, it was believed that their function was mainly to dispose unwanted cell contents and to help maintain cell homeostasis.

Articular Cartilage Regeneration in Veterinary Medicine.

Cartilage is an avascular tissue with a limited rate of oxygen and nutrient diffusion, resulting in its inability to heal spontaneously. Articular cartilage defects eventually lead to osteoarthritis (OA), the endpoint of progressive destruction of cartilage. In companion animals, OA is the most common joint disease, and many pain management and surgical attempts have been made to find an appropriate treatment.

Effect of intrabronchial administration of autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells on severe equine asthma.

Background: Severe equine asthma (SEA) is a common chronic respiratory disease and a significant health and well-being problem in horses. Current therapeutic strategies improve pulmonary function and clinical signs in some horses, but in the long-term, return to full athletic function appears to be rare. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and the effect of intrabronchial administration of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSC) on pulmonary inflammatory and clinical parameters in horses with SEA.

Treatment of canine cognitive dysfunction with novel butyrylcholinesterase inhibitor.

Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is common in aged dogs and has many similarities with Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, like Alzheimer's disease, CCD cannot be cured. In the present study, we treated dogs with CCD with our newly developed and characterized butyrylcholinesterase inhibitor (BChEi).