Non-specific immunity parameters and the formation of advanced glycosylation end-products (AGE) in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), fed high levels of dietary carbohydrates

The effects of long-term hyperglycaemia (5 months), through feeding high levels of dietary carbohydrates, on the non-specific immunity parameters of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), was assessed. Fish were fed one of three diets composed of a basal diet containing ≈ 14% digestible carbohydrate which was progressively diluted with gelatinized potato starch in the following ratios of basal diet to supplemental carbohydrate (gelatinized potato starch): 65:00, 65:20, 65:35. The three diets were pair-fed based on the feed intake of the fish fed the diet containing the highest level of starch (65:35) and representing 100% intake. The other diets were then fed at different levels in a manner that allowed all the groups of fish in the same block to receive the same amount of the basal diet [e.g. the basal diet (undiluted, 65:00) was fed at 65% of the dietary intake of the 65:35 diet]. Blood glucose concentrations and relative liver-to-body size increased with increased dietary carbohydrate intake. Feeding supplemental carbohydrates resulted in a small increase in weight gain of the fish at both supplemental levels. Pronephros tissue lysozyme activity and pronephros macrophage superoxide production were not affected by the dietary treatments. The results suggest the presence of advanced glycosylation end-products in muscle tissue collagen, but were not significantly different between treatments. No substantial effect of long-term feeding of a high carbohydrate diet on the non-specific immunity of rainbow trout was observed. However, the results suggest that dietary carbohydrates may have a slight stimulatory effect on phagocytosis at low–moderate levels.     

Influence of Disease Process and Duration on Acute Phase Proteins in Serum and Peritoneal Fluid of Horses with Colic

Background

The acute phase proteins (APP) serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin, and fibrinogen are valuable blood biomarkers in equine inflammatory diseases, but knowledge of factors influencing their concentrations in blood and peritoneal fluid (PF) of horses with colic is needed.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of demographics (age, sex, breed), disease process (simple obstruction, strangulating obstruction, inflammatory), disease location, disease duration, hypovolemia, and admission hospital on concentrations of APP, lactate and white blood cell counts (WBC) in horses with colic admitted to 2 referral hospitals.

Animals

The study included 367 horses with colic admitted at 2 referral hospitals.

Methods

Prospective multicenter observational study of clinical data, as well as blood and PF biomarkers. Associations between biomarker concentrations and clinical variables were analyzed using multivariate linear regression analysis.

Results

Increasing pre‐admission duration of colic was associated with increased concentrations of APP in blood and PF. Blood concentrations of SAA and fibrinogen were associated with disease process (inflammatory, strangulations, simple obstructions) in more colic duration groups (5–12 and >24 hours) than any of the other biomarkers. No relevant associations between demographic factors, hospital, or hydration status and the measured biomarkers were found.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

In horses with colic, concentrations of APP are associated mainly with disease process and duration of colic and may thus be used for assessment of disease independently of demographic or geographic factors. Serum amyloid A may be a diagnostic marker for use in colic differential diagnosis, but further evaluation is needed.     

Conduct,Oversight, and Ethical Considerations of Clinical Trials in Companion Animals with Cancer: Report of a Workshop on Best Practice Recommendations

Development of effective and safe treatments for companion animals with cancer requires the collaboration of numerous animal health professionals and the full engagement of animal owners. Establishing ‘Best Practice Recommendations’ for clinical trials in veterinary oncology represents an important step toward meeting the goal of rigorous clinical trial design and conduct that is required to establish valid evidence. Likewise, optimizing patient welfare and owner education and advocacy is crucial to meet the unique ethical obligations to both owners and animals enrolled in these clinical trials and to ensure trust in the team conducting the research. To date, ‘Best Practice Recommendations’ for clinical trial conduct have not been reported for veterinary oncology. This document summarizes the consensus of a workshop held in November, 2014 to identify relevant ethical principles and to ensure responsible conduct of clinical research in companion animals with cancer. It is intended as a working document that will be updated as advances in science and ethical considerations require. To the extent possible, existing guidelines for the conduct and oversight of clinical trials in humans have been adapted for veterinary trials to avoid duplicative effort and to facilitate integration of clinical trials such that translational research with benefits for both companion animals and humans are encouraged.     

Clinical validation of a proANP 31-67 fragment ELISA in the diagnosis of heart failure in the dog

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a polypeptide hormone found in increased concentrations in the plasma of dogs with heart failure. However, problems arise in using ANP as a diagnostic marker for heart failure because of its short half-life in plasma, proteolysis post-collection and the necessity for a radioimmunoassay. The diagnostic utility of a proANP 31-67 ELISA for the detection of heart failure in dogs was evaluated using plasma collected from 31 dogs with clinical and radiographic signs of heart failure and control samples from 40 dogs considered to be free of cardiac disease. Log proANP 31-67 levels were significantly higher in the heart failure group (P < 0.001). In this population of dogs, using a cut-off value of 1,750 fmol/ml, the sensitivity and specificity of the assay were 83.9 per cent and 97.5 per cent, respectively. Using a cut-off of 1,350 fmol/ml, the sensitivity and specificity were 93.5 per cent and 72.5 per cent, respectively. It is concluded that a proANP 31-67 fragment ELISA should prove to be a useful diagnostic aid in naturally occurring canine heart failure.     

Point mugu, california, earthquake of 21 february 1973 and its aftershocks

Seismological investigations show that the Point Mugu earthquake involved north-south crustal shortening deep within the complex fault zone that marks the southern front of the Transverse Ranges province. This earthquake sequence results from the same stress system responsible for the deformation in this province in the Pliocene through Holocene and draws attention to the significant earthquake hazard that the southern frontal fault system poses to the Los Angeles metropolitan area.     

Measurement of dough specific volume in chemically leavened dough systems

Gas production and gas retention properties of doughs are pivotal to the manufacture of bread of good quality, but these properties are rarely measured directly in fermenting dough due to a paucity of suitable instrumentation. A digital image analysis-based method was used to measure the dynamic specific volume (DSV) of various chemically leavened dough systems. Sodium bicarbonate (1.4–4.2 g per 100 g of flour) in combination with equivalent neutralizing amounts of the leavening acidulants glucono-delta-lactone, potassium acid tartrate, adipic acid or sodium acid pyrophosphate consistently increased the specific volume of bread dough so that void fractions in the dough spanned between 5 and 67% at ordinary fermentation temperatures. The relationship between the specific volume of dough at the end of fermentation and the actual gas evolved (measured independently) was essentially linear and was characterized by a slope that provided a good index of the actual gas-trapping properties of dough. Therefore, the use of the DSV technique in conjunction with chemical leaveners offers the possibility of obtaining quantitative, real time information on the gassing capacity of the leavening system and the gas-holding capacity of the dough.     

Assessment of plastic ingestion by pole-caught pelagic predatory fish from O'ahu,Hawai'i

1. Although the frequency of occurrence of plastic ingestion in the large-sized dolphinfish and tunas taken by the Hawai'i longline fishery is very low (frequency of occurrence < 5% of sampled individuals), the ingestion of plastic in smaller-sized specimens caught with pole-and-line gear by commercial and recreational fishers has not been investigated.
2. This study examined ingestion of >0.25 mm marine plastic debris (MPD) by four predatory fish species caught by commercial fishers around the Main Hawaiian Islands, and documented ingestion in three species: 85.7% of albacore tuna (n = 7), 40.0% of skipjack tuna (n = 10) and 12.5% of dolphinfish (n = 8).
3. Yellowfin tuna (n = 10) did not contain any MPD, probably owing to the high proportion of empty stomachs (60%).
4. For skipjack tuna, the frequency of occurrence of MPD ingestion was significantly higher for the smaller-sized specimens caught with pole-and-line (40%), compared with the larger-sized specimens caught with longlines (0%).
5. For dolphinfish, the frequency of occurrence of MPD ingestion was similar for the similar-sized specimens caught with pole-and-line and with longlines.
6. The ingested MPD items were micro–meso plastics, between 1 and 25 mm. While most ingested items were fragments, albacore also ingested line and skipjack also ingested sheets.
7. The predatory fishes ingested light MPD items that float in sea water, but there were species-specific differences in their polymer composition: albacore contained more polypropylene and polyethylene, and skipjack contained more elastomers, characterized by a high percentage of ester plasticizers.
8. Altogether, these results suggest that albacore and skipjack tunas ingest plastic of different types and polymers. Yet more research is needed to understand how differences in vertical distribution, foraging ecology and diet influence the MPD sampled by these predatory fish species.

     

Hydrogen isotopes in Eocene river gravels and paleoelevation of the Sierra Nevada

We determine paleoelevation of the Sierra Nevada, California, by tracking the effect of topography on precipitation, as recorded in hydrogen isotopes of kaolinite exposed in gold-bearing river deposits from the Eocene Yuba River. The data, compared with the modern isotopic composition of precipitation, show that about 40 to 50 million years ago the Sierra Nevada stood tall (>/=2200 meters), a result in conflict with proposed young surface uplift by tectonic and climatic forcing but consistent with the Sierra Nevada representing the edge of a pre-Eocene continental plateau.