• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제24권5호
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• pp.71.1-71.12
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• 2023

With the growing interest in companion animals and the rapidly expanding animal healthcare and pharmaceuticals market worldwide. With the advancements in RNAsequencing (RNA-seq) technology, it has become a valuable tool for understanding biological processes in companion animals and has multiple applications in animal healthcare. Historically, veterinary diagnoses and treatments relied solely on clinical symptoms and drugs used in human diseases. However, RNA-seq has emerged as an effective technology for studying companion animals, providing insights into their genetic information. The sequencing technology has revealed that not only messenger RNAs (mRNAs) but also noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) such as long ncRNAs and microRNAs can serve as biomarkers. Based on the examination of RNA-seq applications in veterinary medicine, particularly in dogs and cats, this review concludes that RNA-seq has significant potential as a diagnostic and research tool. It has enabled the identification of potential biomarkers for cancer and other diseases in companion animals. Further research and development are required to maximize the utilization of RNA-seq for improved disease diagnosis and therapeutic targeting in companion animals.

• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.101-110
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• 2022

This study was performed to investigate infectious gastrointestinal diseases in 115 Korean cats (83 indoors and 32 outdoors) with digestive signs such as diarrhea, anorexia or abdominal distention. Detection of infectious pathogens was analyzed using real-time PCR. As a result, 85 of 115 Korean cats were detected with feline corona virus (FCoV), feline parvo virus, Group A rotavirus, Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens), Campylobacter coli (C. coli), Campylobacter jejuni, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Tritrichomonas foetus, Cyclospora cayetanensis, and Giardia lamblia. The most frequently detected pathogen was C. perfringens (52 cats, 61.2%), followed by FCoV (43 cats, 50.6%) and C. coli (16 cats, 18.8%). Also, single infection was the most common (43 cats), followed by double infection in 31 cats, triple infection in 7 cats, and quadruple infection in 4 cats. There was no significant relationship between pathogen detection and age, gender, living environment, weather, and diarrhea. However, there was a significant difference between the age group under 1 year and the age group 1~7 (P value<0.05). In this study, cats with suspected gastrointestinal infection were randomly evaluated, and other factors that could affect pathogen detection were insufficiently considered. For this reason, additional epidemiological investigations with a larger number of cats and sufficient consideration of the causes that may affect the results are needed. Nevertheless, it is thought that this study can also provide valuable information on gastrointestinal pathogens in Korean cats.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.42.1-42.22
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• 2020

Regenerative medicine using stem cells from various sources are emerging treatment modality in several refractory diseases in veterinary medicine. It is well-known that stem cells can differentiate into specific cell types, self-renew, and regenerate. In addition, the unique immunomodulatory effects of stem cells have made stem cell transplantation a promising option for treating a wide range of disease and injuries. Recently, the medical demands for companion animals have been rapidly increasing, and certain disease conditions require alternative treatment options. In this review, we focused on stem cell application research in companion animals including experimental models, case reports and clinical trials in dogs and cats. The clinical studies and therapeutic protocols were categorized, evaluated and summarized according to the organ systems involved. The results indicate that evidence for the effectiveness of cell-based treatment in specific diseases or organ systems is not yet conclusive. Nonetheless, stem cell therapy may be a realistic treatment option in the near future, therefore, considerable efforts are needed to find optimized cell sources, cell numbers and delivery methods in order to standardize treatment methods and evaluation processes.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.1-5
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• 2014

고양이 백혈병 바이러스(feline leukemia virus, FeLV)는 전 세계적으로 고양이의 가장 일반적이고 중요한 전염성 질환 중 하나이며, 다른 어떤 전염병 보다 고양이에 폐사를 일으키는 중요한 전염병이다. 방글라데시에 있어서 이 질병의 이환율은 집에서 기르는 고양이나 집을 나간 야생 고양이에 대한 예방, 관리, 치료 방침을 정하는데 중요한 자료를 제시할 것이다. 이 연구는 신속 면역크로마토그라피 분석법을 이용한 RapiGEN$^{(R)}$ FeLV 항원검사 키트(RapiGEN$^{(R)}$ Inc., 대한민국)를 사용하여 방글라데시 Mymensingh 지역의 FeLV의 감염률을 조사하기 위해 수행되었다. 총 130마리 고양이(23마리 집에서 기르는 고양이와 107마리의 집을 나간 야생 고양이)의 혈액 샘플은 제조 업체의 사용법에 따라 수집 및 검사를 수행하였다. FeLV 감염의 전체 유병률은 1.54%(2마리/130마리)이었으며, 감염률은 1세 미만의 고양이에서는 1.79%(2마리/112마리)로 나타났으며, 1세 이상의 고양이에서는 모두 음성이었다. 수컷과 암컷의 감염률은 각각 1.72%(1마리/58마리), 1.39%(1마리/72마리)로 나타났다. 집에서 기르는 고양이에 있어서는 모두 음성이었으나 집을 나간 야생 고양이에 있어서 감염률은 1.87%로 나타났다. FeLV 양성은 모두 임상증상이 나타나는 고양이에서 발견되었다. 이 연구결과에 있어서는 성별, 소유 및 건강 상태에 따라 유의한 상관관계가 있는 것은 아니었다. 이 연구결과는 방글라데시에서 FeLV 감염률에 대한 처음 보고이며, 이 검사 방법에 사용한 신속 면역크로마토그라피 분석법을 활용한 항원검사 키트는 저렴하고, 빠른 검사로 결과를 얻을 수 있는 장점이 있어서 임상에 적용하기에 효과적인 것으로 판단된다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제60권4호
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• pp.241-246
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• 2022

Felids are the unique definitive host of Toxoplasma gondii. The intestine of felid is the only site for initiating Toxoplasma gondii sexual reproduction. T. gondii excretes millions of infectious oocysts from the intestine, which are the primary source of infection. There are many difficulties in developing vaccines and drugs to control oocyst excretion due to the lack of an appropriate experimental model. Here, we established an in vitro feline intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) infection system and an efficient animal model of T. gondii Chinese 1 genotype, Wh6 strain (TgCtwh6). The Kunming mice brain tissues containing TgCtwh6 cysts were harvested 42-day post-infection. The bradyzoites were co-cultured with cat IECs in vitro at a ratio of 1:10. Five 3-month-old domestic cats were orally inoculated with 600 cysts each. The oocysts were detected by daily observation of cat feces by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction. We found that the parasite adhered and invaded cat IECs in vitro, transformed into tachyzoites, and then divided to form rose-like structures. These parasites eventually destroyed host cells, escaped, and finished the asexual reproduction process. Schizonts associated with sexual reproduction have not been observed during development in vitro cultured cells. However, schizonts were detected in all infected cat intestinal epithelial cells, and oocysts were presented in all cat feces. Our study provides a feasible cell model and an efficient infection system for the following studies of T. gondii sexual reproduction, and also lays a foundation to develop drugs and vaccines for blocking excretion and transmission of oocysts.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.115-122
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to evaluate double-pigtail ureteral stent fixation in cats. Medical records of 19 cats (23 ureters) with complete ureteral obstruction that double-pigtail ureteral stent placement were carried out were retrospectively reviewed. The cats were randomly classified into two groups; 13 cats (16 ureters) with double-pigtail ureteral stent fixed to urinary bladder (SF group) and 6 cats (7 ureters) with not fixed to urinary bladder (SNF group). The average age and weight of the cats was 7.4 years and 3.73 kg, respectively. Postoperative complications included chronic renal failure (n = 11), lower urinary track diseases (cystitis, hematuria, pollakiuria) (n = 7), stent migration (n = 6), anemia (n = 5), ascites (n = 2), hyperthermia (n = 1), enteritis (n = 1), oliguria (n = 1), hypotension (n = 1), ureteritis (n = 1), and pyelonephritis (n = 1). Stent migration did not occur in the 16 ureters of the cats in SF group but did occur in 4 out of 7 ureters of the cats in SNF group. The prevention of stent migration by stent fixation was significant (P = 0.04). Among the 13 cats in SF group, only 2 cats developed lower urinary track diseases, while 4 of the 6 cats in SNF group showed symptoms of lower urinary track disease. Thus, the cats that underwent double-pigtail ureteral stent fixation to the urinary bladder developed significantly fewer lower urinary diseases (P = 0.046). In conclusion, double-pigtail ureteral stent fixation to the urinary bladder for treatment of complete ureteral obstruction in cats can effectively prevent stent migration, which is common complication of stent placement.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제52권6호
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• pp.691-694
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey of Dirofilaria immitis infection among stray cats in Korea using nested PCR. We included 235 stray cats (121 females and 114 males) and evaluated each for the presence of feline heartworm infection. Blood samples were collected from 135 cats in Daejeon, 50 cats in Seoul, and 50 cats from Gyeonggi-do (Province). Of the 235 DNA samples, 14 (6.0%) were positive for D. immitis. The prevalence of infection in male cats (8/114, 7.0%) tended to be higher than that in female cats (6/121, 5.0%), but the difference was not statistically significant. In each location, 8, 2, and 4 cats were positive for infection, respectively, based on DNA testing. No significant differences in the prevalence were observed among the geographic regions, although the rate of infection was higher in Gyeonggi-do (8.0%) than Daejeon (5.9%) and Seoul (4.0%). We submitted 7 of the 14 D. immitis DNA-positive samples for sequencing analysis. All samples corresponded to partial D. immitis cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene sequences with 99% homology to the D. immitis sequence deposited in GenBank (accession no. FN391553). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first survey using nested PCR to analyze the prevalence of D. immitis in stray cats in Korea.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제51권2호
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• pp.129-137
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• 2011

Swine diseases could be caused by unrecognized or minor pathogens. In this study, two unknown cytopathogenic agents were isolated from swine, through cell culture. In order to identify these two cytopathogenic agent (designated CP129 and #2045-7), a particle associated nucleic acids PCR (PANPCR) from previous paper was used with simple modification. The cloning procedure was more specified in this study by adding cell control system. According to the modified PAN-PCR, two and four agentsspecific DNA sequences were obtained from CP129 and #2045-7, respectively, and they were identified as Mycoplasma (M.) hyorhinis and Mammalian orthoreovirus by nucleotide BLAST. Since M. hyorhinis (CP129) was filterable and non-visible by microscope, this unusual virus-like nature of M. hyorhinis (CP129) was discussed. Especially, the reovirus (#2045-7) was a serotype 3 and a triple reassortant among three serotypes of reoviruses. It was grouped with recently reported reoviruses from disease cases (swine, human and feline), based on the genetic analysis of L1 and S1 partial sequences. In conclusion, two unknown cytopathogenic agents were successfully identified using modified PAN-PCR with cell control system and they were characterized in this study.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제8권6호
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• pp.339-344
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• 2004

Recent data have shown the importance of oxidative stresses in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease, crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. $H_2O_2$, reactive oxygen species (ROS) donor, has been reported to act as a signaling molecule involved in a variety of cellular functions such as apo/ptosis and proliferation. In the present study, we investigated viability of cultured ileal smooth muscle cells (ISMC) after stimulation with $H_2O_2$. Trypan blue method revealed that the cell viability of ISMC treated with 1 mM $H_2O_2$ was not different from that of controls at up to 2 h time point, while treatment of ISMC with 1 mM $H_2O_2$ for 48 h finally induced significant decrease in the cell viability. Therefore, we evaluated whether $H_2O_2$ was capable of ERKs activation in ISMC for the short-term exposure and examined whether tyrosine kinase was involved in the process of ERK activation by $H_2O_2$ in ISMC. We also investigated the effects of $H_2O_2$ on activation of SAPK/JNK and p38 MAP kinase in ISMC. Thus, ISMC were cultured and exposed to $H_2O_2$, and western blot analysis was performed with phosphospecific MAP kinase antibodies. Robust activation of ERK occurred within 30 min of 1 mM $H_2O_2$ treatment. $H_2O_2-induced$ ERK activation was attenuated by a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein, indicating that tyrosine kinase was probably involved in the ERK activation by $H_2O_2$. $H_2O_2$ was a moderate activator of SAPK/JNK, while p38 MAP kinase was not activated by $H_2O_2$. We suggest that ERK activation induced by short-term $H_2O_2$ treatment plays a critical role in cellular protection in the early stage of response to oxidative stress. The present study suggests the necessity of identification of MAPK signaling pathways affected by ROS, since it could ultimately elucidate cellular consequences involved in initiation and perpetuation of intestinal tissue damage in the diseases such as crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, resulted from excessive ROS.