The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Tarantula cubensis alcoholic extract (TCAE) on tumour development pathways in azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colorectal cancer in rats by molecular methods. Eighteen paraffin-embedded intestinal tissues, six from each group, were studied in the healthy control (C), cancer control (CC), cancer + TCAE (C-TCAE) groups. Sections of 5 µm thickness were taken from the paraffin blocks and submitted to staining with haematoxylin-eosin. In the histopathological examination, the number of crypts forming aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and the degree of dysplasia in the crypts were scored. Real-time PCR analysis was completed to determine β-catenin, KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma virus), APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) and P53 expressions on samples from each paraffin block. The grading scores of the number of crypts forming ACF and dysplasia in the crypts showed an evident decrease in the C-TCAE group in comparison to the CC group (P < 0.05). In real-time PCR analysis, mRNA expression levels of P53 (P > 0.05) and APC (P < 0.001) genes were found to be increased in the C-TCAE group according to the CC group. The expression levels of KRAS (P < 0.01) and β-catenin (P < 0.005) mRNA were found significantly decreased in the C-TCAE group. In conclusion, the effects of TCAE on AOM-induced colorectal cancer (CRC) in rats were evaluated molecularly; TCAE was found to modulate some changes in CRC developmental pathways, inhibiting tumour development and proliferation, and stimulating non-mutagenic tumour suppressor genes. Thus, it can be stated that TCAE is an effective chemopreventive agent.

This study aimed to diagnose Sarcina ventriculi in lambs with haemorrhagic abomasitis using histopathological and real-time PCR methods. The material used in this study consisted of 43 abomasum tissues recovered from lambs presenting bleeding, ulcer, gas or a combination of these in the abomasum, that were brought for necropsy to the Department of Pathology of the Veterinary Faculty, Selcuk University. The recovered samples were stored in a 10% formaldehyde solution for histopathological examinations and in Eppendorf tubes at −20 °C for PCR examinations. All the samples were analyzed by histopathological and PCR methods. While S. ventriculi pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) amplicon was determined by real-time PCR in 17 cases, the packaged form of Sarcina-like bacteria was found microscopically in 3 cases only. In this study, the diagnosis of S. ventriculi in cases of lambs presenting bleeding, ulcers and gas in the abomasum or haemorrhagic abomasitis simultaneously at the necropsy was performed using histopathological and real-time PCR methods; in parallel, the real-time PCR method for the diagnosis of S. ventriculi-derived haemorrhagic abomasitis in lambs was also optimized.

Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is defined as colon and rectum cancer and is among the major causes of mortality in developed Countries. Tarantula cubensis alcoholic extract (TCAE) and Nerium oleander distillate (NOD) are reported to have anticancer and antioxidative activity. In this study, it was aimed to research the impact on cell proliferation markers of TCAE and NOD given simultaneously in experimental colon cancer. A total of 24 rats, 6 in each group, were used in the study. Cancer Control (CC): Azoxymethane was administered at the beginning of the experiment at a dose of 15 miligrams (mg)· kilograms-1 (kg), (Subcutaneous, SC) twice, with an interval of a week (wk), to induce cancer. CC+TCAE: the dosage of Azoxymethane administered was 15 mg·kg-1 (SC) twice a wk at the beginning of the experiment, while in the case of TCAE, it was 0.2 mL·kg-1 (SC) once a wk for 18 wk from the beginning of the experiment. Fifteen mg·kg-1 (SC) of Azoxymethane was administered twice at one-wk intervals at the beginning of the experiment to the CC+NOD group, and NO distillate (NOD) was given with water throughout the experiment. Afterwards, animals were euthanized under appropriate conditions, paraffin blocks formed from colon tissues, histochemical AgNOR (Silver-stained nucleolar organizer regions), and immunohistochemical PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) stainings were performed. In the study, immunohistochemically, PCNA scores and AgNOR count per nucleus (AgNCI) were significantly decreased in C-TCAE and C-NOD groups (P<0.001). AgNOR Area index (AgNAI) (P<0.01), Core Area Index (CAI) (P<0.05), and AgNOR Area index/Core Area Index (AgNAI/CAI) (P<0.01) scores were significantly decreased in the C-TCAE group. As a result, it was concluded that both TCAE and NOD are effective as chemopreventive drugs and that TCAE presents a more pronounced antiproliferative effect than NOD.

The aim of this research was to determine the embryotoxic and teratogenic effects and lethal dose (LD50) of maropitant in ovo, using fertile chicken eggs. The study was designed in two stages, CHEST-I and CHEST-II. For CHEST-I, 210 fertile eggs were divided into seven equal groups; control, saline solution and 5 different doses of maropitant (10, 5, 2.5, 1.25, 0.625 mg/kg) injected groups. For CHEST-II, 150 fertile eggs were divided into five equal groups; control, saline solution and 3 different doses of maropitant (8, 6, 4 mg/kg)-injected groups. Eggs were opened on day 21 of incubation. Maropitant did not cause teratogenicity at any dose, while higher embryonic death rates were observed at doses above 4 mg/kg. The LD 50 dose of maropitant was determined as 7.24 mg/kg. In conclusion, maropitant should only be used after full consideration of risks and benefits in pregnancy.

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