Systemic immune responses in Cytauxzoon felis-infected domestic cats.

Objective: To characterize systemic immune responses in Cytauxzoon felis-infected cats.

Sample: Blood and lung samples obtained from 27 cats.

Procedures: Cats were allocated into 4 groups: cats that died of cytauxzoonosis, acutely ill C felis-infected cats, healthy survivors of C felis infection, and healthy uninfected cats.

Cardiac function and circulating cytokines after endotoxin exposure in neonatal mice.

Complications after cardiac surgery in neonates can occur because of activation of the inflammatory system. This study used lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin exposure to cause cytokine activation in neonatal mice and examine left ventricular (LV) function and the effects of antioxidant treatment on cytokine levels. Neonatal mice (6 d old) were injected with either 25 mg/kg LPS (n = 13) or PBS (n = 14), and LV function (echocardiography) was measured at 4 h.

Comparison of variability associated with sample preparation in two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of cardiac tissue.

Variability is a major complicating factor in analysis by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Improvements in methodologies have focused on improving individual gel quality rather than reproducibility. We homogenized rat cardiac tissue and rehydrated using a matrix of buffers to determine the optimal sample conditions.