Neospora caninum is a leading cause of abortion in cattle, and is thus an important veterinary health problem of high economic significance. Vaccination has been considered a viable strategy to prevent bovine neosporosis. Different approaches have been investigated, and to date the most promising results have been achieved with live-attenuated vaccines. Subunit vaccines have also been studied, and most of them represented components that are functionally involved in (i) the physical interaction between the parasite and its host cell during invasion or (ii) tachyzoite-to-bradyzoite stage conversion. Drugs have been considered as an option to limit the effects of vertical transmission of N. caninum. Promising results with a small panel of compounds in small laboratory animal models indicate the potential value of a chemotherapeutical approach for the prevention of neosporosis in ruminants. For both, vaccines and drugs, the key for success in preventing vertical transmission lies in the application of bioactive compounds that limit parasite proliferation and dissemination, without endangering the developing fetus not only during an exogenous acute infection but also during recrudescence of a chronic infection. In this review, the current status of vaccine and drug development is presented and novel strategies against neosporosis are discussed.

The purpose of this report is to advocate speedy approval and less stringent regulations for the use of experimental drugs such as favipiravir in emergencies. Favipiravir is a new antiviral medication that can be used in emerging viral pandemics such as Ebola virus, 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1 virus, Lassa fever, and Argentine hemorrhagic fever. Although favipiravir is one of the choices for the treatment of patients with Ebola virus, several concerns exist. First, a clinical trial of favipiravir in patients infected with the Ebola virus has not yet been conducted, and further studies are required. Second, favipiravir has a risk for teratogenicity and embryotoxicity. Therefore, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor of Japan has approved this medication with strict regulations for its production and clinical use. However, owing to the emerging Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, on August 15, 2014, the Minister of Health, Welfare and Labor of Japan approved the use of favipiravir, if needed. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1-3)

The effect of dietary protein supply, as manipulated by both crude protein content and/or substitution of existing ingredients, mainly soya (SOYA), with the more digestible dried skimmed milk powder (DSMP), and the consequences of removing in-food antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) on the performance and risk of post-weaning enteric disorders (PWED) in newly weaned pigs was investigated. Pigs weaned at 28·7±3·45 days of age (no. =49) were individually housed in an environmentally controlled room and assigned to one of seven dietary treatments; a 3×2 factorial combination of dietary protein content (130, 180 and 230 g crude protein (CP) per kg) and main protein source (DSMP and SOYA), plus an additional control containing 230 g CP per kg, DSMP and in-food AGPs (ZnO, CuSO4 and avilamycin). Individual food intake, faecal score (FS), cleanliness score (CS) and health score (HS) were taken daily, and live weight and faecal samples were taken on days 0, 4, 7, 11, 12, 13 and 14. All animals were slaughtered on day 14 to examine variables describing aspects of gastro-intestinal health. Increasing CP content and the removal of AGPs both led to a significant increase in faecal fluidity and contamination although there was no effect on HS. There was no effect of DSMP inclusion on FS, CS or HS. Increasing CP content led to an increase ( P<0·05) in the number of coliforms in faecal and proximal colon (PC) samples taken at slaughter and a decrease ( P<0·01) in the lactobacilli to coliform ratio (L:C) in the PC. Increasing CP content had no effect on average daily food intake (ADFI) but led to improvements in average daily gain (ADG) ( P<0·001) and food conversion ratio (FCR) ( P<0·001) over the whole trial period. The inclusion of DSMP had no effect on performance during the 1st week, but animals on the DSMP diets had improved ADG ( P<0·05) and FCR ( P<0·01) compared with those on the SOYA diets in the 2nd week. The inclusion of AGPs increased ADFI ( P<0·05) and ADG ( P<0·05) but had no effect on FCR over the whole trial period. The results indicate that in the absence of AGPs both growth performance and the risk of PWED increased as protein supply was increased. The increased risk of PWED was associated with an increased fluidity of faeces, a reduction in the L:C ratio and an increase in intestinal pH. Consequently, it is important to balance the trade-off between maximizing performance and minimising the risk of PWED through manipulating protein supply, particularly in an environment where AGPs are no longer permitted.

The possible cochlear toxicity of topically applied povidone-iodine solution was investigated in guinea pigs by measuring transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs). Seven adult pigmented guinea pigs (14 ears) with a normal acoustic pinna reflex were used. After the baseline TEOAE measurements, 0.1mL of povidone-iodine solution was applied transtympanically into the middle ear in the study group. Saline solution and gentamicin were used as negative and positive control, respectively. TEOAE measurements were repeated on the 10th day, and four weeks after the first application. Tympanometric measurements were also carried out for both ears of all animals at the end of the study. Responses in all ears, which had povidone-iodine applied to them, disappeared in a way similar to those recorded in gentamicin-treated ears. Tympanometric measurements at the end of the study showed ’type A’ tympanograms in all ears of all animals. The present study showed that povidone-iodine could have a cochleotoxic effect in guinea pigs. A study in humans with TEOAE before and after middle-ear surgery, where povidone-iodine can reach into the middle-ear cavity, may be useful for evaluating this result for clinical practice.

Referrals for epistaxis management constitute a significant proportion of paediatric ENT consultations. A prospective audit of all new referrals to our paediatric ENT department for epistaxis management yielded 88 patients over four months. Parents completed a questionnaire with particular reference to the duration of history and frequency of epistaxis. After assessment some patients were given topical chlorhexidine and neomycin cream (Naseptin), in addition some children also underwent chemical cautery (silver nitrate). Of the 64 children in whom out-patient nasal cautery was attempted it was tolerated by 63 (98 per cent). In response to a follow-up postal questionnaire returned by 65 per cent, most parents (74 per cent) felt that Naseptin was useful. A telephone survey of the patients’ general practitioners found that 91 per cent of the children did not consult their general practitioner regarding epistaxis again. We conclude that paediatric epistaxis can be effectively managed with a single out-patient consultation.

Background and objective: Thymol is a naturally occurring phenol derivative used in anaesthetic practice as a stabilizer and preservative of halothane, usually at a concentration of 0.01%. Although analgesic effects have long been described for thymol and its structural homologue menthol, a molecular basis for these effects is still lacking. We studied the blocking effects of thymol and menthol on voltage-activated sodium currents in vitro as possible molecular target sites.

Methods: Whole cell sodium inward currents via heterologously (HEK293 cells) expressed rat neuronal (rat type IIA) and human skeletal muscle (hSkM1) sodium channels were recorded in the absence and presence of definite concentrations of either thymol or menthol.

Results: When depolarizing pulses to 0 mV were started from a holding potential of-70 mV, halfmaximum blocking concentrations (IC50) for the skeletal muscle and the neuronal sodium channel were 104 and 149 µmol for thymol and 376 and 571 µmol for menthol. The blocking potency of both compounds increased at depolarized holding potentials with the fraction of inactivated channels. The estimated dissociation constant K d for thymol and menthol from the inactivated state was 22 and 106 µmol for the neuronal and 23 and 97 µmol for the skeletal muscle sodium channel, respectively.

Conclusions: The results suggest that antinociceptive and local anaesthetic effects of thymol and menthol might be mediated via blockade of voltage-operated sodium channels with the phenol derivative thymol being as potent as the local anaesthetic lidocaine.

In an attempt to overcome infections associated with central venous catheters, a new antiseptic central venous catheter coated with benzalkonium chloride on the internal and external surfaces has been developed and evaluated in a clinical trial. Patients (235) randomly received either a triple-lumen central venous catheter coated with benzalkonium chloride (117) or a polyurethane non-antiseptic catheter (118). The incidence of microbial colonization of both catheters and retained antiseptic activity of the benzalkonium chloride device following removal were determined. The benzalkonium chloride resulted in a significant reduction of the incidence of microbial colonization on both the internal and external catheter surfaces. The reduction in colonization was detected at both the intradermal (21 benzalkonium chloride catheters vs. 38 controls, P=0.0016) and distal segments of the antiseptic-coated catheters. Following catheter removal retained activity was demonstrated in benzalkonium chloride catheters which had been in place for up to 12 days. No patients developed adverse reactions to the benzalkonium chloride catheters. The findings demonstrate that the benzalkonium chloride catheter significantly reduced the incidence of catheter-associated colonization.