A 5-year-old Poodle-cross was initially presented for exercise intolerance and difficulty in chewing and yawning. Some months later it acutely developed lethargy referable to complete heart block. Further investigations before and after permanent pacemaker implantation demonstrated Coombs-positive immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia, presumptive masticatory myositis and hypoadrenocorticism, suggesting the possibility of multisystem auto-immune disease. A diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was made based on these findings and a positive anti-nuclear antibody titre. It was thought that immune-mediated destruction of cardiac conduction tissues was responsible for the development of atrioventricular conduction block. Glucocorticoid deficiency was corrected using cortisone replacement therapy. SLE was controlled successfully for 10 months using azathioprine monotherapy until signs, subsequently shown to be due to subacute bacterial endocarditis, resulted in the death of the patient. Lupus should be considered as a potential underlying aetiology in dogs that develop heart block.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of orally administered Uncaria tomentosa aqueous extracts (UTE) (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) DC. (Rubiaceae) during 7, 15, 30 and 90 days of treatment on the expression of anxiety, as expressed in the elevated plus maze test in male Albino Swiss mice. UTE revealed an anxiogenic effect in relation to the control group at 15 and 30 days, but it was reversed after 90 days of administration, without affecting the locomotor activity or any deleterious effects on the overall performance of the animal, either for its ambulation, or clinical status, and body weight and organ weight/body weight from liver, lung and kidney were unaffected. These biphasic effects are usually indicative of heterogeneity in sites of action due to the presence of many alkaloids (speciophylline, uncarine F and uncarine E) and flavanols (catechin and epigallocatechin) identified and isolated from UTE.