It is clear that sex hormones impact ventilation. While the effects of the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, testosterone, and progesterone on resting ventilation have been well documented, effects of sex hormones on the hypoxic (HVR) and hypercapnic ventilatory responses (HCVR) are inconclusive. In addition, in no study have systemic sex steroid hormone levels been measured. Age and sex differences in long-term facilitation in response to episodic hypoxia were found in anesthetized rats. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of sex and age [young, 3-4 mo; middle age, 12-13 mo; and old, >20 mo] on the HVR and the HCVR of awake rats relative to systemic hormone levels. Based on findings from long-term facilitation studies, we hypothesized that the HVR would be influenced by both sex and age. We found no age-related changes in the HVR or HCVR. However, female rats have a greater HVR than male rats at old age, and at middle age female rats have a greater HCVR than male rats. Additionally, we found no correlation between the minute ventilation/oxygen consumption and the progesterone-to-estrogen ratio during hypoxia or hypercapnia. However, changes in ventilatory responses with age were not similar between the sexes. Thus it is critical to take sex, age, estrous cycle stage, and systemic hormone levels into consideration when conducting and reporting studies on respiratory control.

No abstract

No abstract

In -endemic countries, controlling infection within dogs, the domestic reservoir, is critical to public health. There is a need for safe vaccines that prevent canine progression with disease and transmission to others. Protective vaccination against requires mounting a strong, inflammatory, Type 1 response. Three commercially available canine vaccines on the global veterinary market use saponin or inflammatory antigen components (Letifend) as a strong pro-inflammatory adjuvant. There is very little information detailing safety of saponin as an adjuvant in field trials. Safety analyses for the use of vaccine as an immunotherapeutic in asymptomatically infected animals are completely lacking. , the causative agent of canine leishmaniasis, is enzootic within U.S. hunting hounds. We assessed the safety of LeishTec after use in dogs from two different clinical states: 1) without clinical signs and tested negative on polymerase chain reaction and serology or 2) without clinical signs and positive for at least one diagnostic test. Vaccine safety was assessed after all three vaccinations to quantify the number and severity of adverse events. Vaccinated animals had an adverse event rate of 3.09%, whereas placebo animals had 0.68%. Receiving vaccine was correlated with the occurrence of mild, site-specific, reactions. Occurrence of severe adverse events was not associated with having received vaccine. Infected, asymptomatic animals did not have a higher rate of adverse events. Use of vaccination is, therefore, likely to be safe in infected, asymptomatic animals.