Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXIII, Issue 1
Written by Cristin COMAN, Ene VLASE

The aim of this study was the preparation and determination of the main chemical parameters for 5 purified diets for laboratory mice and rats: 2 diet for maintaining and growth/breeding animal colonies and 3 diets for inducing metabolic disorders (atherosclerosis, diabetes type II and obesity). Diet recipes for maintenance and growth are the classic recipes and diets that induce metabolic syndromes attempts to replicate human food behaviour with unidirectional nutrition (excess cholesterol, excess fructose and excess fat). For all chemical parameters were established limits values necessary to achieve the aims pursued by manufacturing these diets. Diets were prepared in our laboratory. To all diets were made the following measurements for determining the gross chemical composition: protein, fat, fibres, ash, dry matter and cholesterol for atherosclerosis induced diet. It was also calculated gross energy. For comparison purposes, similar diets were purchased from a specialized company, diets that were analysed for the same chemical parameters in the same specialized laboratory. The results showed that the values of the analysed parameters were within the limits set by recipes and compared to acquired diets the values of most parameters are close to having a coefficient of variation lower than 10. The results allow the transition to the next phase of that study, respectively the administration of purified diets in mice and rats and in achieving the induction of metabolic syndromes.

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Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXI
Written by Elvira GUBCEAC ,Liviu GAITA, Paul GAGNIUC, Manuella MILITARU

The functional status of adypocites is reflected in their morphology and is directly related to the metabolic state of the individual. Here, we investigate if fractal analysis is useful in highlighting the impact on adipocytes of progressive exposure to a hypercaloric diet. A total of 18 NMRI mice were assigned to 3 groups: control group (C), obesity induced by hypercaloric diet at one (M1) and two months (M2). Samples from mesenteric, omental, perirenal and inguinal subcutaneous adipose tissue samples were collected from each subject and analyzed through fractal dimension (FD) method. Within the performance range of current medical tests, FD showed differences between M1 and C (area below ROC curve > 0.9), as well as between M2 and C. Data collected from the inguinal subcutaneous site provided a statistical distinction between M2 and M1 (area below ROC curve 0.714). Thus, we concluded that FD represents a reliable method for identifying the smallest changes in the adipose tissue morphology.

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This review is a practical aspect of transfusion therapy for dogs and of the blood banking process and transfusion standards. Many of these aspects are based of the current veterinary and human standards. The first documented transfusion occurred in 1665, and was made by withdrawing blood from one dog and replaced it with blood from another dog. Since then veterinary transfusion medicine has made remarkable progress, following close to our human contra parts. Whole blood refers to blood that has not been separated. Blood products are composed from blood components and these are prepared either by centrifugation or by apheresis. The use of blood components allows several patients to benefit from one donation and reduces the risk of transfusion reactions to unnecessary components. Both whole blood and blood components may be used shortly after the collection or after storage, Blood banking allowing the user access to both blood and blood components immediately. This procedures may be feasible to obtain and process blood on demand. However for emergency clinics with a large requiring caseload of transfusion therapy, blood banking is essential

Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXI
Written by Cristin COMAN, Magda GONCIAROV

The introduction of alternative methods in the research, in the diagnosis of diseases and in the production of biopreparations, led over time to a drastic reduction in the number of animals used for scientific scope in Romania. However, our country has always aligned legislation in this area with the European Union. In this regard, last year was transposed into national law Directive 63/2010 which refers to animal protection used for scientific scope, transposition materialized by Law no. 43/2014.Although the law is very complex, including a large number of issues, including general and special requirements on the units, care and housing of animals, animal species that can be used in procedures, there are a number of issues for which the law requires the development of a secondary legislation in areas such as: authorize breeders and users of laboratory animals, create a bank of organs and tissues of animal origin, able to reduce the number of animals used in experiments, authorization of projects, setting and punishing contraventions and others. This law, new for Romanian legislative landscape, will determine an increase in the level of consciousness in the use of this category of animals and conducting scientific research of the best quality.

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Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXIII, Issue 1
Written by Gheorghe V. GORAN, Emanuela BADEA, Victor CRIVINEANU

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of 20 potentially toxic metals and essential minerals in hair samples from cats with different liver disorders, compared to control samples. Analysis of the hair elemental content of the cats with liver failure (n=5), cats with liver abscess (n=4), cats with chronic hepatitis (n=6), and clinically healthy cats as control (n=15), were performed by inductively coupled plasma-optic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). In this study, Ca and Mg levels registered very significant differences (p<0.001), and Cu, Na, and Zn concentrations registered significant differences (p<0.05) between their levels in hair samples from cats with different liver disorders and control samples. No significant differences have been registered for heavy metals present in hair samples from cats with different liver disorders and clinically healthy cats. Independent of the significant differences, the highest values were registered by all the elements in hair samples from cats with chronic hepatitis, excepting Ca, Mg, and Se levels, which were higher in clinically healthy cats. The current study presents one of the first investigations of the suitability of hair as an indicator for mineral status of cats with different liver disorders in an urban area of Romania. Hair mineral levels determined in the present research may be considered as a contribution to a base of reference concentrations of minerals in female cats in Romania.

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The paper aimed to present the possibility of obtaining a larger number of calves from valuable cows, increasing their contribution to genetic progress, completing the amelioration programs by artificial insemination, using poliovulation and embryo transfer. We used in this study 15 donor cows from the Montbeliarde breed belonging to three different farms from southern Romania. The current paper presents poliovulation results with a view to the number and quality of embryos harvested following the FSH poliovulation in decreasing doses. In the 16-th day of the protocol, the embryos were harvested and morphologically assessed before transferring or freezing them. After harvesting the embryos through the lavage of the uterine horns, they were transferred in special plates and they were identified employing a Nikon magnifier loupe. They were also evaluated employing an inverted Nikon Eclipse TS 100 microscope. Following the morphological assessment of the 116 harvested formations, they were classified as follows: 2 compact morulas (1.72%), 94 early blastocysts (81.03%), 13 blastocysts (11.21%) and 7 unfertilized ovules (6.03%). By employing this protocol, there were no instances of cystisation of ovarian follicles. This fact proves that the FSH administered in decreasing doses leads to a very uniform ovulation and, implicitly, to a smaller number of late ovulated follicles as compared to other poliovulation protocols.

Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXI
Written by Florin STAN, Melania CRIȘAN, Aurel DAMIAN, Cristian DEZDROBITU, Cristian MARTONOȘ and Alexandru GUDEA

Small rodents are the most used experimental models in research related to cardiovascular and respiratory system. The guinea pigs occupy a leading position. However, detailed anatomical descriptions of the thoracic cavity of this specie are relatively few in the literature. Compared to mice, rats or hamsters, widely used in research, electrocardiogram waves are similar to humans, making the guinea pigs to be the choice model for studies related to cardiac arrhythmias, and in particular, pharmacological studies. Using gross dissection of the thoracic cavity of ten guinea pigs, this study aims to achieve a detailed description of the heart topography and pericardial ligaments in guinea pigs. Occupying the majority of the narrow thoracic cavity, in the middle mediastinum, in guinea pigs, like all mammals, heart is double layer coated by the pericardium. It lies in the median plane, slightly oriented to the left at the level of 2nd-4th intercostals space and approximately at 1 cm cranial to the xiphoid appendix. External thin walls of the atria are separated from the ventricles by the grooves of coronary arteries and veins, showing multiple branches in all specimens studied. Ventrally and dorsally the ventricles are separated by two shallow interventricular sulci. Pericardial ligaments are well represented and are generated by reflection of the fibrous pericardium on the neighbouring structures, making heart attachment, mechanic protection of the heart and its great vessels. The following ligaments were visualized in all subjects: sterno-pericardial ligaments (cranial and caudal), in four subjects being joined by a thin blade of adipose tissue; phreno-pericardial ligaments (central-strong, left-shorter, missing in two subjects and right-long); dorsally the verterbro-pericardial ligaments which connect the pericard to the spinal cord, more developed on the left side, forming sheaths for the aorta and for the large vessels. In conclusion, pericardial ligaments achieved a dynamic balance, constantly modified in relation to the phases of the cardiac cycle, their knowledge being necessary both practitioners and researchers which uses guinea pigs as experimental models in cardiovascular studies.

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Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXI
Written by Branimir NIKOLOV, Vassil MANOV, Roman PEPOVICH, Tandzhu MEHMEDOV, Kalin HRISTOV, Krasimira GENOVA, Elena NIKOLOVA, Reneta PETROVA, Any GEORGIEVA, Anton KRIL

Some haematological and biochemical parameters in turkeys, hatched from embryonated eggs inoculated with the proven hepatocarcinogen N-nitrosodiethylamine were studied. Histopathology confirmed the presence of clear-cell and basophilic foci of altered hepatocytes and hyperplasia of cholangiocytes. The application of the chemical carcinogen affected both haematological and biochemical parameters. The established conditions such as thrombocytopenia and increased levels of the major liver enzymes were associated with the process of malignancy. In addition, leukogram abnormalities (leukocytosis, lymphocytosis and neutropenia) as well as hypoproteinaemia, hypoalbuminaemia and hypoglycemia were also observed.

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Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXIV, Issue 1
Written by Cristin COMAN, Ene VLASE, Angelica DINU

Laboratory mice are still the most used animal in research and animal experiments. In most experiments, knowledge of hematology and biochemistry data base is essential to achieving quality results and used the research results. Cantacuzino Institute from Bucharest is the most important provider of laboratory mice in Romania and therefore making it available to the users the hematological and biochemical physiological data of the mice strains from his animal facility was an ethical obligation. Hematologic analysis and biochemical from blood were performed in 4strains of mice (2 inbred and 2 outbred) in both sexes and age groups, in dynamics. Hematologic analyses were made from whole blood and biochemical ones from blood plasma. The results showed differences between the lines, sexes and age categories. The results obtained can be used by the researchers on selecting the mice strains according to the purpose of the research and according to the values of the hematological and biochemical parameters. The results thereby helping to reduce stress in animals.

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Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXIV, Issue 2
Written by Kalin HRISTOV, Roman PEPOVICH, Branimir NIKOLOV, Georgi STOIMENOV, Petar STAMBEROV

The aim of this study was to investigate haematological changes in lactating goats with subclinical mastitis. Determination of mammary health status was based on CMT results, microbiological and cytological examination. Blood samples were taken from all goats included in the study by venopuncture of the jugular vein and blood was collected in vacuum blood collection tubes. The results showed that the mean ± SE in healthy animals and goats with subclinical mastitis were as follows: Red Blood Cell count (RBC) 10.43 ± 0.63×1012/L and 9.38 ± 0.42×1012/L; Haemoglobin (Hb) 85.69 ± 2.43 g/L and 77.13 ± 1.73 g/L; Hematocrit (HCT) 18.77 ± 0.87 % and 17.77 ± 0.68 %; Red Blood Cell Distribution (RDW) 21.55 ± 0.16 % and 22.21 ± 0.13 %; Mean Cell Volume (MCV) 16.96 ± 0.29 fL and 15.63 ± 0.20 fL; Mean Cell Haemoglobin (MCH) 6.18 ± 0.10 pg and 6.73 ± 0.09 pg; Mean Cell Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) 379.81 ± 3.72 g/L and 378 ± 3.12 g/L; White Blood Cell Count (WBC) 13.37 ± 1.60×109/L and 16.66 ± 1.23×109/L. The RBC and Hb were significantly higher (P<0.05) in normal lactating compared to goats with subclinical mastitis. RDW, MCH and WBC count was significantly lower in healthy goats.

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