Silica-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation in vitro and in rat lungs.

Rationale: Mineral particles in the lung cause inflammation and silicosis. In myeloid and bronchial epithelial cells the inflammasome plays a role in responses to crystalline silica. Thioredoxin (TRX) and its inhibitory protein TRX-interacting protein link oxidative stress with inflammasome activation.

Effect of different blood-guided conditioning programmes on skeletal muscle ultrastructure and histochemistry of sport horses.

The effects of three different blood-guided conditioning programmes on ultrastructural and histochemical features of the gluteus medius muscle of 2-year-old sport horses were examined. Six non-trained Haflinger horses performed three consecutive conditioning programmes of varying lactate-guided intensities [velocities eliciting blood lactate concentrations of 1.5 (v1.

Percutaneous lung biopsy in the horse: comparison of two instruments and repeated biopsy in horses with induced acute interstitial pneumopathy.

The aim of the study reported here was to compare complications of lung biopsy in horses and the quality of the lung specimens after biopsy using the manual Tru-Cut biopsy needle (TC) and an automated biopsy needle (ABN). For experiment 1, lung biopsy was performed in 50 horses with one instrument on one side of the thorax, and then with the other instrument on the other side. Postmortem examination was performed in 20 of the 50 horses.

Dose-response and threshold analysis of tumor prevalence after intratracheal instillation of six types of low- and high-surface-area particles in a chronic rat experiment.

Over a period of 20 years, rat experiments have consistently shown tumorigenic responses after exposure to poorly soluble low-toxicity particles (PSP). We performed a rigorous dose threshold analysis of a large previous rat study. Seven hundred and nine rats were intratracheally exposed to five different PSP: carbon black and titanium dioxide of low and high surface area, diesel emission particles (low surface area), and one soluble dust (amorphous silica, high surface area), at varying instilled total mass doses ranging from 3.

Compensated overexpression of procollagens alpha 1(I) and alpha 1(III) following perilla mint ketone-induced acute pulmonary damage in horses.

Interstitial lung disease with chronic fibrosis is a frequent cause of reduced performance in horses. The aim of this study was to establish a model of acute alveolar damage and interstitial lung disease in horses that could be used to monitor the histopathological lesions and changes in expression levels of genes relevant to pulmonary fibrosis. Six adult horses were given a single intravenous injection (6 mg per kg body weight) of perilla mint ketone (PMK).