ABSTRACT. To investigate influence of general anesthesia on immunological anti-tumor activity, the natural killer (NK) cytotoxic activity of peripheral lymphocytes (PBLs) was measured in 7 dogs anesthetized for 3 hr with isoflurane following propofol-induction (anesthesia group) and 6 dogs without anesthesia (control group). Blood samples were collected before (baseline) and 24, 120 and 192 hr after the anesthesia. The PBLs were isolated via centrifugation with Ficoll-Hypaque solution (density, 1.073), and adherent cells were removed. The NK cytotoxic activity of the isolated PBLs against canine thyroid cancer cells was detected by the colorimetric rose Bengal assay. Significant decrease in the NK cytotoxic activity was observed at 24 hr after the anesthesia, compared with the baseline values and the control group. The NK cytotoxic activities were recovered to the baseline values until 120 hr after the anesthesia. The general anesthesia with isoflurane following propofol-induction decreased the NK cytotoxic activities of PBLs in dogs. This finding has a clinical relevance to the risk of tumor recurrence or metastasis induced by the suppression of immunological anti-tumor activity after general anesthesia in dogs. The results further emphasized the importance of the need to evaluate immune suppression following general anesthesia in animals.

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ABSTRACT:The levels of rheumatoid factor (RF), antinuclear antibody (ANA), and composition of peripheral lymphocyte subsets in 515 dogs were examined. Of these sample cases, 33 cases were diagnosed as immune-mediated fever that presented with high C-reactive protein (CRP), 31 cases were diagnosed with Hansen's Type 1 disc herniation and the remaining 415 cases were clinically healthy dogs, and served as controls. In the cases diagnosed with immune-mediated fever, 84% of the dogs tested positive to either RF or ANA (RF positive 60.6%; ANA positive 24.2%). By contrast, 16.2% of the healthy dogs were positive for either RF or ANA (RF positive 14.9%; ANA 1.3%). The CD4/CD8 ratio for peripheral lymphocyte was high for all analysed cases diagnosed with immune-mediated fever, and was significantly higher than those of healthy controls. These results indicate that the abnormal levels of lymphocytes may be an effective indicator for immune-mediated disease coupled to immune-mediated fever.

We carried out experiments in rabbits to determine whether treating nerve transplants with gradually increasing concentrations of ethanol, ether and ficin would inhibit the graft-host immune reaction to the allograft. After treatment with ethanol, the basal laminar scaffold of the Schwann cell remained intact and there was satisfactory axonal regeneration. The results after additional treatment with ether or ficin did not achieve such good results. Preservation of the basal lamina is considered to be the essential factor in allowing neural regeneration in these circumstances.

Rehabilitation after femoral head ostectomy (FHO) is recommended on awakening from anaesthesia. This report summarises the effects of delayed rehabilitation in a Yorkshire terrier and two toy poodles who underwent rehabilitation beginning at 1 month, 3 months and 9 years after FHO surgery, in cases where rehabilitation was impossible immediately after surgery. Rehabilitation was conducted once per week for approximately 3 hours at our facility; we focused on underwater therapy and inclined walking. The results in the dog that underwent rehabilitation 9 years after surgery showed a poor increase in femoral muscle perimeter; in all three cases, improvement in gait was observed. If rehabilitation begins with a long delay after surgery, the end of rehabilitation will be similarly delayed. Nevertheless, the effects of rehabilitation were evident in these cases.