The aim of this study was to evaluate the most frequent lesions in the bone marrow of dogs naturally infected byLeishmania (Leishmania) chagasi.Thirty-three dogs sacrificed at the Zoonosis Control Center of Araçatuba, a municipality endemic for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), were used. The animals were classified as asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic, and symptomatic groups. At the necropsy, bone marrow samples were collected from the femur, fixed, processed, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The lesion intensity was classified as mild, moderate, or severe. The parasite load was determined using immunohistochemistry. The most important lesions consisted of multifocal to diffuse granulomas, megakaryocytic dysplasia, and medullary aplasia. There were no statistical differences between the three clinical groups regarding parasite load and lesion intensity. Asymptomatic dogs also presented high parasitism in the bone marrow as dogs with clinical signs of VL. It was concluded that, regardless of clinical group, the bone marrow is a site for multiplication ofLeishmania chagasi. Possibly, the bone marrow dysplasia may arise from the presence of many parasitized and activated macrophages in this organ. Consequently, it affects the profile of hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow and systemic circulation.

The hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves of Rosmarinus officinalis (HE), a species of medicinal value, and its constituent rosmarinic acid (RA) were evaluated for hepatoprotective in the acetaminophen-induced liver damage model. Groups of Wistar albino rats (n=6) were pre-administered with HE (100, 250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.) and RA (10, 25 and 50 mg/kg, p.o.) prior to a single dose of acetaminophen (APAP, 600 mg/kg body weight; p.o). The hepatoprotective activity of HE extract was observed through histopathological analysis and reduction of the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). These observations were comparable to the normal group prior to APAP administration. Group that was treated with APAP alone exhibited high levels of transaminases and ALP. The obtained results from the present study suggested that HE may prevent APAP-induced hepatic injuries. RA did not displayed significant hepatoprotective activity against APAP-induced liver damage.

Antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) in animal production have been related to the increase in multidrug-resistant bacteria. The AGP ban in many countries has highlighted the growing need for alternatives for feed additives. Considering the non-antibiotic anti-inflammatory theory of AGPs, chicks received three different doses of sodium salicylate (SS) in feed (10, 30, 90 mg/kg), basal diet (BD) was used as a negative control, and zinc bacitracin (ZB) was used as a positive control. Chicks were individually housed to increase the accuracy of the dose of SS ingested. Performance parameters and footpad dermatitis were evaluated weekly, while haematology, serum biochemistry, histopathology, and tibial dyschondroplasia were determined on Days 21 and 42. A linear dose-dependent decrease in haemoglobin concentration was observed, but the values were within the normal reference range. Among all the other evaluated parameters, no relevant differences between treatments were observed; however, not even the AGP group performed better than the control group. It is possible that the conditions in which the birds were raised were not stressful enough to allow for anti-inflammatories to demonstrate their beneficial effects on performance. Studies should be conducted where the animals are exposed to commercial conditions, as the presence of natural stressors could allow a better evaluation of the efficacy of the anti-inflammatory agent as a growth promoter.