Endoscopy represents a commonly employed technique for canine enteropathies. Different trials in human intestinal endoscopy have suggested that the introduction of water for luminal distension, in place of air, improves the visualization of the mucosal texture and decreases pain.

The aim of the study was to compare water immersion (WI) vs. air insufflation (AI) during duodenoscopy in anesthetized dogs in terms of mucosal visualization and nociception.

Twenty-five dogs undergoing duodenoscopy were included. The same image of the descen- ding duodenum was recorded applying WI and AI. Each pair of images was analyzed using mor- phological skeletonization, an image entropy evaluation, and a subjective blind evaluation by three experienced endoscopists. To evaluate differences in nociception related to the procedure applied, heart rate and arterial blood pressure were measured before, during and after WI/AI. To compare the two methods, a t-test for paired data was applied for the image analysis, Fleiss’ Kappa evaluation for the subjective evaluation and a Friedman test for anesthetic parameters.

No differences were found between WI and AI using morphological skeletonization and entropy. The subjective evaluation identified the WI images as qualitatively better than the AI images, indicating substantial agreement between the operators. No differences in nociception were found.

The results of the study pointed out the absence of changes in pain response between WI and AI, likely due to the sufficient control of nociception by the anesthesia. Based on subjective evaluation, but not confirmed by the image analysis, WI provided better image quality than AI.

Postoperative adhesion (POA) is a common and well-known complication with an estimated risk of 50-100%. The antioxidant effect of n-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) can increase intracellular glutathione levels, thereby reducing adhesion. This study was conducted to compare the outcomes of NAC nanoparticles (Nano-NAC) on intra-abdominal adhesion (IAA) after laparotomy in rat. A total of 25 male Wistar rats were randomized into five groups: 50 mg/kg Nano-NAC, 75 mg/kg Nano-NAC, 150 mg/kg Nano-NAC, NAC and control. During the surgical procedure, some sections (2×2cm) were collected through abdominal midline incision to ensure the infliction of peritoneal damage by a standard adhesion. Macroscopic evaluation was performed on the 14th and 28th day and blood samples were collected to evaluate the inflammatory factor (C-reactive protein) on days 0, 14 and 28. According to the serologic results (CRP test), C-reactive protein was at highest level in 150 mg/kg Nano-NAC and control groups and at lowest level in 50 mg/kg Nano-NAC and 75 mg/kg Nano-NAC groups (p<0.001). The macroscopic evaluation results showed that frequency of adhesion bands was significantly lower in 50 mg/kg Nano-NAC group than the control at the intervals. Results showed that the intraperitoneal administration of lower Nano-NAC dosages (50 and 75 mg/kg) had a major role in the management of postoperative inflammation. Nano-NAC administration was proved feasible, safe and effective in reduction of the C-reactive protein level.

The present study was conducted to characterize the infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) circulating in clinically diseased broiler chicken flocks with previous vaccination history during 2015-2016 in Egypt. IBDVs were isolated from 48 out of 63 of the investigated bursae from 10 flocks onto embryonated chicken eggs (ECEs) and verified by reverse transcriptase-poly- merase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Histopathologically, bursae lesions revealed some lymphocytes depletion as well as the presence of vesicles in the lining epithelium. The hyper variable region (HVR) of VP2 and VP1 genes of the 10 isolates (1 isolate/flock) were partially sequenced and subjected to comparative alignment and phyologenetic analysis. Phylogenetically, IBDV isolates were clustered into two distinct genetic lineages: variants of classical virulent (cv) and very viru- lent (vv) IBDV strains based on VP1 and VP2 amino acid (aa) sequences. Alignment analysis of HVR-VP2 aa sequences has demonstrated that the vvIBDV isolates have the conserved residues of the vvIBDV pathotype (A222, I242, and I256), while, the cvIBDV isolates have the same aa sequences of the classical attenuated vaccine strain (D78). Expected single point mutation occurred at position 253 (H253N). All previously characterized isolates were re-subjected to molecular analysis with VP1 protein due to its correlation with virulence and pathogenicity of IBDVs. vvIBDV isolates have the conserved tripeptide (TDN), while, the cvIBDV isolates have aa substitutions at conserved tripeptide including NEG at 145-147 amino acid. The present study has demonstrated that variants of classical virulent and very virulent IBDV circulated among vaccinated flocks in Egypt during 2015-2016.