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Background: Echocardiography (EC) is a method used for the investigation of cardiac morphology and function. Two-dimensional EC gives a visualisation of the morphology of the heart. M-mode EC allows heart function to be monitored. Pulsed Doppler EC is the method of choice to measure blood flows.
Objective: To describe the information EC can provide for cardiovascular investigation in laboratory animals, with a special focus on the potential helpfulness of EC in preclinical toxicology and safety pharmacology.
Methods: This review includes publications describing the methodology of EC and its application to several animal species used in biological experimentation.
Results/conclusion: EC has been established in dogs, monkeys, rodents, rabbits and pigs. As demonstrated by experiments in different species, EC can be particularly helpful in toxicology and safety pharmacology, based on the amount of information it can give on the causes and consequences of drug adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. Furthermore, EC does not require any surgery and is therefore a key refinement compared to invasive methods generally used for investigating the cardiovascular function in laboratory animals. Despite some limitations of the method (the need for trained people, time required for an accurate EC recording, lack of current validation), EC should be further developed in preclinical toxicology and safety pharmacology.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1517/17425255.4.6.681 | DOI Listing |
Med Int (Lond)
August 2025
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, P.R. China.
Punicalagin, a polyphenolic compound extracted from pomegranate peel, has received increasing attention in recent years due to its antibacterial and antiviral properties. Punicalagin is capable of inhibiting bacterial growth at sub-inhibitory concentrations by affecting cell membrane formation, disrupting membrane integrity, altering cell permeability, affecting efflux pumps, interfering with quorum sensing and influencing virulence factors. Additionally, punicalagin inhibits viruses by modulating enzyme activity, interacting with viral surface proteins, affecting gene expression, blocking viral attachment, disrupting virus receptor interaction and inhibiting viral replication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe conclusions of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) following the peer review of the initial risk assessment carried out by the competent authority of the rapporteur Member State Austria, for the pesticide active substance pinoxaden are reported. The context of the peer review was that requested by the European Commission following the submission and evaluation of confirmatory information in the areas of environmental fate, mammalian toxicology and residues. The conclusions were reached on the basis of the evaluation of the representative uses of pinoxaden as a herbicide in winter and spring cereals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCan Vet J
September 2025
Alberta Beef Health Solutions, PO Box 307, Picture Butte, Alberta T0K 1V0 CANADA (Brookhart, Dimmers); Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T3R 1J3 CANADA (Goldsmith, Janzen, Olchowy, Morrison, Zachar, Remnant. Rogers, Waine); Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Wester
Over 1200 heavy feedlot cattle presented with severe tongue lesions during a 7-month interval. Review of the literature and discussions with colleagues revealed previous similar outbreaks had occurred in Canada and the USA, with extensive investigations conducted and no cause identified. In the current outbreak, examination of the environment, feed, water, cattle behavior, and husbandry systems were conducted, as well as diagnostic testing including necropsy, histopathology, bacteriology, virology, and toxicology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Int
September 2025
Center for Respiratory Safety Research, Korea Institute of Toxicology, 30 Baehak1-gil, Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do 56212, Republic of Korea; Department of Human and Environmental Toxicology, University of Science & Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:
Plastics, particularly polystyrene (PS), are extensively used worldwide, especially in disposable packaging, which contributes to environmental pollution by generating microplastic particles. Herein, we investigated the pulmonary toxic effects of PS microplastics, focusing on airway inflammation and immune response. PS microplastic (50 nm to 1 μm) exposure was more likely to cause a severe pulmonary inflammatory response, particularly with smaller particle sizes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Toxicol
September 2025
Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
The transition from traditional animal-based approaches and assessments to New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) marks a scientific revolution in regulatory toxicology, with the potential of enhancing human and environmental protection. However, implementing the effective use of NAMs in regulatory toxicology has proven to be challenging, and so far, efforts to facilitate this change frequently focus on singular technical, psychological or economic inhibitors. This article takes a system-thinking approach to these challenges, a holistic framework for describing interactive relationships between the components of a system of interest.
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