Surgical repair of a complete endocardial cushion defect in a dog

Objective: To describe surgical repair of a complete endocardial cushion defect (ECD) in a dog. Study Design: Clinical report. Animal: A 5‐month‐old, 9.2 kg male Shetland sheepdog. Methods: Echocardiographic examination revealed an ostium primum atrial septal defect (ASD), an inlet ventricular septal defect (VSD), mitral regurgitation (MR) and tricuspid regurgitation (TR), and a complete ECD was diagnosed. Surgical correction was performed using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) via right atriotomy. A polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) patch was secured along the margin of the inlet VSD using simple continuous suture, then the cleft in the septal mitral leaflet was sutured. Similarly, the cleft in the septal tricuspid leaflets was sutured. To complete inlet VSD closure, the VSD patch was secured to these sutured leaflets by simple continuous suture. Another PTFE patch was used to close the ostium primum ASD. Result: After surgery, MR, TR, and interventricular shunting were decreased. The dog was alive 6 years and 5 months after the surgery with no evidence of an interventricular shunt, TR, or other clinical signs. Conclusions: Complete ECD in a dog was corrected using a 2‐patch technique under CPB.     

Analysis and comparison of glucocerebroside species from three edible sea cucumbers using liquid chromatography-ion trap-time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Sphingolipids constitute a highly diverse and complex class of molecules and exhibit important physiological functions. Glucocerebrosides are anticipated to play a positive role in human nutrition. In this study, complicated glucocerebrosides from three specimens of edible sea cucumbers, specifically, Acaudina molpadioides, Cucumaria frondosa, and Apostichopus japonicus, were rapidly identified using liquid chromatography-ion trap-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LCMS-IT-TOF), which is a powerful analysis tool. [M + H](+), [M + Na](+), and [M + H - H(2)O](+) in positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode were used for MS/MS analysis to obtain product ion spectra. Various long-chain bases of glucocerebrosides were found in these sea cucumbers. Two of the most common long-chain bases were 2-amino-1,3-dihydroxy-4-heptadecene (d17:1) and 4,8-sphingadienine (d18:2), which were acylated to form saturated and monounsaturated nonhydroxy and monohydroxy fatty acids with 18-25 carbon atoms. The glucocerebroside molecular species were the most complicated in the sea cucumber C. frondosa and were the simplest in the sea cucumber A. molpadioides.     

A Newly Isolated Thermophilic Bacterium,Bacillus Licheniformis HA1 to Accelerate the Organic Matter Decomposition in High Rate Composting

Efficacy of various compost starter cultures was tested in a bench-scale composting system utilizing a ceiling process temperature of 60°C. Variables tested with time were CO₂ and NH₃ evolution, conversion of carbon and the succession of microorganisms in the compost. When an initial compost pH of 7.0 was used, a laboratory produced starter culture (Culture A) was much less effective than a commercial culture (Culture B). Low activity in the experiment with Culture A was due to a low pH(<5.5) that developed within 30 h after inoculation. Inoculation of Culture A with a thermophilic strain (HA1) of Bacillus licheniformis isolated from Culture B prevented the decrease in pH and significantly increased the rate of decomposition. It also enhanced populations of other thermophilic bacterial groups during the process.     

Thyroid hormones in eggs of various freshwater,marine and diadromous teleosts and their changes during egg development

Thyroid hormone concentrations in unfertilized eggs of 26 species of various freshwater, marine and diadromous teleosts were examined, together with changes in their concentrations during egg development in some species. Significant quantities of both thyroxine (T₄) and triiodothyronine (T₃) were found in eggs of all species examined. Mean T₄ and T₃ concentrations in eggs varied from 0.04 (marbled sole) to 15.00 ng/g (chum salmon), and from 0.07 (goldfish) to 9.95 ng/g (Pacific herring), respectively. T₄ concentrations were significantly greater than T₃ concentrations in eggs of most freshwater fishes, whereas T₃ concentrations were greater in seawater fishes. During the course of development, thyroid hormones in eggs decreased markedly before hatching. These findings suggest that thyroid hormones are consistently present in teleost eggs, and thus may play an important role in the egg development.     

Identification of Renieramycin A as an Antileishmanial Substance in a Marine Sponge Neopetrosia sp.

The newly developed assay system using recombinant Leishmania amazonensis expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (La/egfp) has been applied to the screening of Japanese marine sponges for antileishmanial activity. Bioassay-guided fractionation of an active sponge Neopetrosia sp. afforded an active compound which was identified as renieramycin A by spectroscopic analysis. It inhibited La/egfp with an IC₅₀ value of 0.2 μg/mL.     

The occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in imported ready-to-eat foods in Japan

Quantitative analyses of Listeria monocytogenes in imported ready-to-eat (RTE) foods sold at retail stores in Japan were performed. Of the 77 non-cooked meat products, 6 samples (7.8%) tested positive. The levels of contamination of 4 of the samples were below 100 colony-forming units (CFU)/g, which is the microbiological criterion for L. monocytogenes in RTE foods as determined by Codex. However, Listeria cells at levels of 100 and 400 CFU/g were detected in a salami sample and a raw ham sample, respectively. All of the 70 cheese samples and the 3 samples made from raw ham and cheese showed negative test results. These results suggest that imported RTE foods are potential sources of the causative agent of listeriosis.     

Critical Toxicity Level of Arsenic and Elemental Composition of Arsenic-Induced Chlorosis in Hydroponic Sorghum

In this study, NO₂ and SO₂ levels during a specific winter episode in the city of Istanbul were researched with regard to the respective impact of weather conditions. The city under study has the largest population and is one of the most polluted cities of Turkey. Furthermore, Istanbul is vulnerable to trans-boundary transport of air pollutants from Europe, because its location is on the eastern end of the Continent, where westerly winds prevail. However, there has neither been any comprehensive study nor any regulation to fix and solve the air quality problem in the city so far. A framework was prepared to model air quality using MM5 for meteorological modeling and CMAQ for transport and chemistry modeling. This study was supported by the tracer and the trajectory investigations over the area of interest. The model results underestimated the concentration of air pollutants over Istanbul as expected. But, in spite of the coarse emission inventory, the similarity of the time series between the model and observation values during the simulation period is very encouraging for future studies. That is to say, the tracer and the trajectory studies indicated that trans-boundary sources are responsible for the poor air quality of Istanbul under specific weather conditions. It must be pointed out, though, that a high-resolution national emission inventory is needed to get more accurate results.