Lockbox enrichment facilitates manipulative and cognitive activities for mice.

Background: Due to the lack of complexity and variety of stimuli, conventional housing conditions of laboratory mice do not allow these animals to fully express their behavioral repertoire, including manipulative and cognitive activities. Therefore, we designed mechanical puzzles, so-called lockboxes, for mice that can be provided in their home cages. We investigated the impact of the lockbox enrichment on their phenotype and affective state when compared to conventional housing (CH) and super-environmental enrichment (SEE).

Lethal Borna disease virus 1 infections of humans and animals - in-depth molecular epidemiology and phylogeography.

Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) is the causative agent of Borna disease, a fatal neurologic disorder of domestic mammals and humans, resulting from spill-over infection from its natural reservoir host, the bicolored white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon). The known BoDV-1-endemic area is remarkably restricted to parts of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. To gain comprehensive data on its occurrence, we analysed diagnostic material from suspected BoDV-1-induced encephalitis cases based on clinical and/or histopathological diagnosis.

Repeated Injection of Very Small Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Particles (VSOPs) in Murine Atherosclerosis: A Safety Study.

Citrate-coated electrostatically stabilized very small superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (VSOPs) have been successfully tested as magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) contrast agents and are promising tools for molecular imaging of atherosclerosis. Their repeated use in the background of pre-existing hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis has not yet been studied. This study aimed to investigate the effect of multiple intravenous injections of VSOPs in atherosclerotic mice.

Borna disease virus 1 infection in alpacas: Comparison of pathological lesions and viral distribution to other dead-end hosts.

Borna disease is a progressive meningoencephalitis caused by spillover of the Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) to horses and sheep and has gained attention due to its zoonotic potential. New World camelids are also highly susceptible to the disease; however, a comprehensive description of the pathological lesions and viral distribution is lacking for these hosts. Here, the authors describe the distribution and severity of inflammatory lesions in alpacas ( = 6) naturally affected by this disease in comparison to horses ( = 8) as known spillover hosts.

Genomic, biochemical and expressional properties reveal strong conservation of the gene in birds and mammals.

Recent studies have revealed the dynamic and complex evolution of gene homologues in and between mammals and birds with a particularly high diversity in mammals. In contrast, has only been found as a single copy gene in mammals, to date. Furthermore, has only been investigated in few mammalian species but not in birds.

Rustrela virus infection - An emerging neuropathogen of red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus).

The rustrela virus (RusV) was recently described as a novel pathogen in a circumscribed area of northern Germany close to the Baltic Sea. Up to now, the virus has been detected in cases of fatal non-suppurative meningoencephalitis in zoo animals of different species and a single wild carnivore as well as in apparently healthy yellow-necked field mice (Apodemus flavicollis). Data regarding the background of this previously undiscovered pathogen, including clinical presentation of the disease, host range and distribution of the virus, are still limited.

Biodegradable core-multishell nanocarrier: Topical tacrolimus delivery for treatment of dermatitis.

Two challenges in topical drug delivery to the skin include solubilizing hydrophobic drugs in water-based formulations and increasing drug penetration into the skin. Polymeric core-multishell nanocarrier (CMS), particularly the novel biodegradable CMS (bCMS = hPG-PCL-mPEG-CMS) have shown both advantages on excised skin ex vivo. Here, we investigated topical delivery of tacrolimus (TAC; > 500 g/mol) by bCMS in a hydrogel on an oxazolone-induced model of dermatitis in vivo.

Progressive Lameness of a Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros () Associated with a Retroperitoneal Abscess and Thrombus Caused by Subspecies .

In rhinoceroses, lameness is an occasionally seen symptom primarily caused by lesions affecting the feet and interdigital space. A 3-year-old male Greater one-horned rhinoceros developed a progressive, severe movement disorder of the right hind limb with subsequent death. The pathological analysis diagnosed a severe, retroperitoneal abscess and chronic thrombosis of the right iliac artery.

Evolutionarily conserved properties of CLCA proteins 1, 3 and 4, as revealed by phylogenetic and biochemical studies in avian homologues.

Species-specific diversities are particular features of mammalian chloride channel regulator, calcium activated (CLCA) genes. In contrast to four complex gene clusters in mammals, only two CLCA genes appear to exist in chickens. CLCA2 is conserved in both, while only the galline CLCA1 (gCLCA1) displays close genetic distance to mammalian clusters 1, 3 and 4.

Borna disease outbreak with high mortality in an alpaca herd in a previously unreported endemic area in Germany.

Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) is the causative agent of Borna disease, an often fatal neurologic condition of domestic mammals, including New World camelids, in endemic areas in Central Europe. Recently, BoDV-1 gained further attention by the confirmation of fatal zoonotic infections in humans. Although Borna disease and BoDV-1 have been described already over the past decades, comprehensive reports of Borna disease outbreaks in domestic animals employing state-of-the-art diagnostic methods are missing.

The Family of Chloride Channel Regulator, Calcium-activated Proteins in the Feline Respiratory Tract: A Comparative Perspective on Airway Diseases in Man and Animal Models.

Members of the chloride channel regulator, calcium-activated (CLCA) family are considered to be modifiers in inflammatory, mucus-based respiratory conditions such as asthma and cystic fibrosis. Previous work has shown substantial differences between human and murine CLCA orthologues that limit the value of mouse models. As an alternative, the cat is an unfamiliar but powerful model of human asthma.

Soft X-ray microscopy for probing of topical tacrolimus delivery via micelles.

The penetration of topically applied tacrolimus formulated in micelles into murine skin is reported, measured by X-ray microscopy. Tacrolimus and micelles are probed for the first time by this high spatial resolution technique by element-selective excitation in the C 1s- and O 1s-regimes. This method allows selective detection of the distribution and penetration depth of drugs and carrier molecules into biologic tissues.

Quantification and characterization of radical production in human, animal and 3D skin models during sun irradiation measured by EPR spectroscopy.

Sun radiation is indispensable to our health, however, a long term and high exposure could lead to erythema, premature skin aging and promotion of skin tumors. An underlying pathomechanism is the formation of free radicals. First, reactive oxygen species (*OH, *O) and then, secondary lipid oxygen species (C centered radicals, CCR) are formed.

Grayanotoxin I Intoxication in Pet Pigs.

Contaminated honey is a common cause of grayanotoxin intoxication in humans. Intoxication of animals, especially cattle, is usually due to ingestion of plants of the Ericaceae family, such as Rhododendron. Here, we report the ingestion of Pieris japonica as the cause of grayanotoxin I intoxication in 2 miniature pigs that were kept as pets.

Visualizing Oxidative Cellular Stress Induced by Nanoparticles in the Subcytotoxic Range Using Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging.

Nanoparticles hold a great promise in biomedical science. However, due to their unique physical and chemical properties they can lead to overproduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). As an important mechanism of nanotoxicity, there is a great need for sensitive and high-throughput adaptable single-cell ROS detection methods.

Soluble mucus component CLCA1 modulates expression of leukotactic cytokines and BPIFA1 in murine alveolar macrophages but not in bone marrow-derived macrophages.

The secreted airway mucus cell protein chloride channel regulator, calcium-activated 1, CLCA1, plays a role in inflammatory respiratory diseases via as yet unidentified pathways. For example, deficiency of CLCA1 in a mouse model of acute pneumonia resulted in reduced cytokine expression with less leukocyte recruitment and the human CLCA1 was shown to be capable of activating macrophages in vitro. Translation of experimental data between human and mouse models has proven problematic due to several CLCA species-specific differences.

Crosstalk between core-multishell nanocarriers for cutaneous drug delivery and antigen-presenting cells of the skin.

Owing their unique chemical and physical properties core-multishell (CMS) nanocarriers are thought to underlie their exploitable biomedical use for a topical treatment of skin diseases. This highlights the need to consider not only the efficacy of CMS nanocarriers but also the potentially unpredictable and adverse consequences of their exposure thereto. As CMS nanocarriers are able to penetrate into viable layers of normal and stripped human skin ex vivo as well as in in vitro skin disease models the understanding of nanoparticle crosstalk with components of the immune system requires thorough investigation.

Fatal Neurotoxicosis in Dogs Associated with Tychoplanktic, Anatoxin-a Producing Tychonema sp. in Mesotrophic Lake Tegel, Berlin.

In May 2017, at least 12 dogs showed signs of acute neurotoxicosis after swimming in or drinking from Lake Tegel, a mesotrophic lake in Berlin, Germany, and several of the affected dogs died shortly afterwards despite intensive veterinary treatment. Cyanobacterial blooms were not visible at the water surface or the shorelines. However, detached and floating water moss () with high amounts of sp.

Interspecies diversity of chloride channel regulators, calcium-activated 3 genes.

Members of the chloride channel regulators, calcium-activated (CLCA) family, have been implicated in diverse biomedical conditions, including chronic inflammatory airway diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cystic fibrosis, the activation of macrophages, and the growth and metastatic spread of tumor cells. Several observations, however, could not be repeated across species boundaries and increasing evidence suggests that select CLCA genes are particularly prone to dynamic species-specific evolvements. Here, we systematically characterized structural and expressional differences of the CLCA3 gene across mammalian species, revealing a spectrum of gene duplications, e.

Dendritic Core-Multishell Nanocarriers in Murine Models of Healthy and Atopic Skin.

Dendritic hPG-amid-C18-mPEG core-multishell nanocarriers (CMS) represent a novel class of unimolecular micelles that hold great potential as drug transporters, e.g., to facilitate topical therapy in skin diseases.