Gaining knowledge about biomarkers of the immune system and inflammation in the saliva of pigs: The case of myeloperoxidase, S100A12, and ITIH4.

An assay for the measurement of myeloperoxidase (Mpx) in porcine saliva was developed and validated, and factors influencing Mpx and another two biomarkers of inflammation and immune system, the protein S100A12 and the inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 4 (ITIH4), were studied. The spectrophotometric method for Mpx measurement validated in this assay showed an adequate analytical performance including precision and accuracy. When a group of twenty healthy pigs was sampled every 4 h from 8 a.

Analytical characterization of trace elements (zinc, copper, cadmium, lead and selenium) in saliva of pigs under common pathological conditions in the field: a pilot study.

Background: This study is focused on the measurement of trace elements (zinc, copper, cadmium, lead and selenium) in the saliva of pigs in order to study their levels on different porcine pathological conditions in the field. The experiment involved 15 pigs without clinical signs of disease and 42 diseased pigs (suffering from lameness, rectal prolapse, fatigue or growth rate retardation). Individual saliva samples were collected, allowing the pigs to chew a sponge each for trace element quantifications through atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS).

Gender influence on the salivary protein profile of finishing pigs.

Unlabelled: A study on gender differences in the normal range of biomarkers in porcine saliva samples has the scope for further attention. In the present study, the salivary protein profiles of age-matched healthy male and female finishing pigs were compared. The levels of salivary adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity, haptoglobin (Hp) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been quantified in 32 male and 32 female pigs to ensure the presence of gender effect on the median levels of salivary biomarkers.

Easy and non-invasive disease detection in pigs by adenosine deaminase activity determinations in saliva.

The quantification of adenosine deaminase (ADA) in porcine saliva samples has been analyzed for its use as a marker of disease. First, an analytical validation of the enzymatic assay used for ADA measurements was performed. Afterwards, saliva samples were collected from 50 healthy animals and 64 animals with different symptoms of disease, which were divided into local inflammation, gastrointestinal disorder, respiratory disorder and growth retardation.

Design and construction of a real simulator for calibrating lung servo-ventilators.

This work shows the theoretical and practical development of a lung simulator for the calibration of Servoventilators of common use in health centers. It shows the development of a prototype device, Shown in the paper the formulation of a model to consider factors that exist in a human respiratory system in order to simulate normal and pathological conditions. Includes the calculation and construction of electronical and fluidic systems that were developed to set up an emulator that allows real lung adequate to connect with any type of servoventilator; as well as the results in terms of graphics of the required functions, highlighting the practical part that behaves like a real lung subsequently introduced into a torso anthropomorphic designed to better emulate real operating conditions of the lung embedded in a actual context closest to where the components behave as does the lung of a patient.

Serum total sialic acid in pigs: new possibilities for an old inflammatory biomarker.

The potential use of total sialic acid (TSA) as an acute-phase biomarker in pigs was investigated through clinical and analytic validation of an automated commercial enzymatic-colorimetric assay. Intra- and interassay precision, accuracy, and detection limit were determined for the analytical validation of the method. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation (%CV) were 2.

Relationship between serum acute phase protein concentrations and lesions in finishing pigs.

To establish the relationship between serum levels of three acute phase proteins, haptoglobin (Hp), C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA), and the occurrence and severity of lesions at slaughter, a study was carried out using 70 fattening pigs from a finishing unit. Pigs were divided into three groups: Group 1 (25 pigs with clinical signs of disease), Group 2 (25 apparently healthy pigs with lesions at slaughter) and Group 3 (20 apparently healthy pigs with no lesions at slaughter). Serum levels of CRP, SAA and Hp were significantly higher in pigs with clinical signs of disease than in apparently healthy animals.