Combination of serum phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit and hyperintensity of intramedullary T2W on magnetic resonance imaging provides better prognostic value of canine thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of concurrent measurement of serum phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit (pNF-H) concentration and intramedullary T2W hyperintensity in paraplegic to paraplegic dogs. Our hypothesis was that concurrent measurement of these would provide a more accurate prediction of functional outcome in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH). A prospective case-control clinical study was designed using 94 dogs with acute onset of thoracolumbar IVDH. The association of serum pNF-H concentration, T2W hyperintensity on sagittal MRI (T2H/L2), deep pain perception and surgical outcome were evaluated with logistic regression analysis after three months for all 94 surgically treated dogs. Sensitivity to predict non-ambulatory outcome was compared among pNF-H and T2H/L2 and combination of both. Logistic regression analysis indicated that serum pNF-H concentration and T2H/L2 were significantly correlated with surgical outcome (P<0.05); however, deep pain perception was not (P=0.41). The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds ratios of unsuccessful long-term outcome were 2.6 for serum pNF-H concentration, 1.9 for T2H/L2 and 2.3 for deep pain sensation. The sensitivity and specificity to predict non-ambulatory outcome for using serum parameter pNF-H>2.6 ng/ml, using T2H/L2 value of>0.84 and using both serum pNF-H and T2H/L2, were 95% and 75.7%, 65% and 86.5%, and 90.0% and 97.5%, respectively. Therefore, combined measurements of serum pNF-H and T2H/L2 might be useful for predicting long-term outcome in dogs with thoracolumbar IVDH.     

Mitigation of nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from swine wastewater treatment in an aerobic bioreactor packed with carbon fibers

Mitigation of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission from swine wastewater treatment was demonstrated in an aerobic bioreactor packed with carbon fibers (CF reactor). The CF reactor had a demonstrated advantage in mitigating N₂O emission and avoiding NOx (NO₃ + NO₂) accumulation. The N₂O emission factor was 0.0003 g N₂O‐N/gTN‐load in the CF bioreactor compared to 0.03 gN₂O‐N/gTN‐load in an activated sludge reactor (AS reactor). N₂O and CH₄ emissions from the CF reactor were 42 g‐CO₂ eq/m³/day, while those from the AS reactor were 725 g‐CO₂ eq/m³/day. The dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in the CF reactor removed an average of 156 mg/L of the NH₄‐N, and accumulated an average of 14 mg/L of the NO₃‐N. In contrast, the DIN in the AS reactor removed an average 144 mg/L of the NH₄‐N and accumulated an average 183 mg/L of the NO₃‐N. NO₂‐N was almost undetectable in both reactors.     

Oxidative stress inducers potentiate 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-mediated pre-cardiac edema in larval zebrafish

We reported the involvement of oxidative stress and prostaglandins including thromboxane and prostacyclin in pre-cardiac edema (early edema) caused by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). While the involvement of oxidative stress in TCDD-induced toxicity has been frequently reported, the mechanism of its action is still unclear. In the present study, oxidative stress inducers including paraquat, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and rotenone augmented early edema (edema) induced by a low concentration of TCDD (0.1 ppb) at 55 hr post fertilization (hpf), while each of them alone did not cause edema. Edema caused by TCDD plus oxidative stress inducers was almost abolished by antioxidants, an antagonist for thromboxane receptor (ICI-192,605) and an agonist for prostacyclin receptor (beraprost), suggesting that the site of action of these inducers was in the regular signaling pathway after activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor type 2 (AHR2) by TCDD. Oxidative stress inducers also enhanced edema caused by an agonist for the thromboxane receptor (U46619), and the enhancement was also inhibited by antioxidants. Sulforaphane and auranofin, activators of Nrf2 that is a master regulator of anti-oxidative response, did not affect U46619-evoked edema but almost abolished TCDD-induced edema and potentiation by paraquat in both TCDD- and U46619-induced edema. Taken together, the results suggest that oxidative stress augments pre-cardiac edema caused by TCDD via activation of thromboxane receptor-mediated signaling in developing zebrafish. As paraquat and other oxidative stress inducers used also are environmental pollutants, interaction between dioxin-like compounds and exogenous source of oxidative stress should also be considered.     

Insecticidal and neuroblocking potencies of variants of the imidazolidine moiety of imidacloprid-related neonicotinoids and the relationship to partition coefficient and charge density on the pharmacophore

The pharmacophore of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid, nitroiminoimidazolidine, was modified to heterocycles such as thiazolidine, pyrrolidine, dihydroimidazole, dihydrothiazole, and pyridone conjugated to nitroimine (=NNO2) or nitromethylene (=CHNO2). Their 6-chloro-3-pyridylmethyl or 5-chloro-3-thiazolylmethyl derivatives were examined for insecticidal activity against the American cockroach by injection and for neuroblocking activity using the cockroach ganglion. Most of the compounds having the neonicotinoidal pharmacophore exhibited insecticidal activity at the nanomolar level, which was enhanced in the presence of synergists, and high neuroblocking activity at the micromolar level. Quantitative analysis for the compounds showed that the neuroblocking potency is proportional both to the Mulliken charge on the nitro oxygen atom and to the partition coefficient log P value. The equation for the insecticidal versus neuroblocking potencies indicated that both potencies are related proportionally with each other when the other factors are the same.     

Detailed examination of the degradation of phenol derivatives under oxygen delignification conditions

Several phenolic compounds were subjected to oxygen-alkali oxidations under oxygen delignification conditions, and their degradations were examined in detail by applying a novel formula. The formula was established on the basis of the two following considerations. The degradation of the phenolic compounds should be expressed by the sum of two types, each of which is caused by molecular oxygen and by highly reactive active oxygen species (HAOS). The degradation should be described by a mathematical equation to which a rate function, k(t), dependent on reaction time t, is applied instead of a rate constant. By rearrangements, the following formula was obtained: k(t) = A/(t + B) (A, B are constants). This is hyperbola, and the illustration of k(t) visualized the contribution of HAOS to the degradation of the phenolic compounds. HAOS did not contribute so much to the degradation, especially at 70 degrees C, which suggests the low energy supply for the HAOS generation at 70 degrees C. The extrapolation of k(t) to the beginning of the reaction gives its initial value, k(initial), which is the rate constant of the reaction between the phenolic compounds and molecular oxygen. As expected, k(initial) was dependent on the electronic property of their substituents. Quantification of the phenolic compounds degraded by HAOS showed that the contribution of HAOS to the degradation is not great. The maximum contribution was observed in the oxidation of 2,6-dimethylphenol at 85 degrees C. In this case, 5 and 95% of the compound were degraded by HAOS and molecular oxygen, respectively.     

Enantioseparation of isoxanthohumol in beer by hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Chiral resolution of isoxanthohumol (IX) in beer samples was performed by hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography. The optimum running conditions were found to be 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 45 mM hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin and 100 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate with an effective voltage of +20 kV at 20 degrees C using direct detection at 210, 295, and 370 nm. IX was detected in 12 beer samples and the total levels of (+)- and (-)-IX ranged from 0.15 to 1.4 mg/L. But the amount of xanthohumol (XN) was below the detection limit (0.017 mg/L). Each level of (-)-IX was almost the same as that of (+)-IX, suggesting that IX was a racemic mixture in these beer samples. The racemization of IX in beer could be attributed to the production of a racemic mixture from XN during boiling and to the fact that IX enantiomers were easily interconverted.     

Effects of entrance design on catch efficiency of arabesque greenling traps: a field experiment in Matsumae, Hokkaido

ABSTRACT:   A field experiment was conducted in the Matsumae area of Hokkaido, Japan, during June and July 2002, to investigate the effects of different entrance designs on the catch efficiency of fish traps by fishing with commercial traps (entrance inclination angle [α] = 37°; funnel length of entrance [ L _f ] = 22 cm) and experimental traps. The experimental traps were of the same size and similar design as commercial traps, with different entrance inclination angles (trap E1: α = 46°; E2: α = 27°; E3: α = 0°; all L _f  = 22 cm) or funnel lengths (E4: α = 37°, L _f  = 8 cm). In total, 2200 fish during 200 trap hauls were captured. The catch was significantly higher using both traps E2 and the commercial trap than with trap E3 ( P  < 0.05), and the catch of trap E2 was higher than that of the commercial trap. There were no significant differences in mean fish body length or the frequency distributions of body length among trap types (E1, E2, E3 and commercial). The funnel length of the entrance also affected the catch of traps. Trap E4 had significantly higher catches than the commercial trap ( P  = 0.04) when traps were deployed for a 1-day soak time. Fish body length frequency distributions did not differ between trap E4 and the commercial trap. The results showed that catch can be greatly affected by trap entrance designs.     

Influence of dietary fat level and whole-body adiposity on voluntary energy intake by juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) under self-feeding conditions

The influence of dietary fat level and whole‐body adiposity on voluntary energy intake of juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) was examined using self‐feeders. Groups of lean fish [crude fat (CF) = 7%] and fat fish (CF = 11%), pretreated with a commercial diet with or without supplemental pollock oil, were self‐fed one of three fat level diets (CF = 8%, 13.5% and 19%) for 48 days at 17 °C. Final body weight (BW) and total digestible energy (DE) intake (kJ per fish) were positively affected by the initial BW. Relative to the initial BW, however, fat fish consumed less DE than lean fish. Although the effect of dietary fat level was not significant, percentage weight gain and daily DE intake per BW (kJ kg^?1 BW day^?1) of fat fish were significantly lower than those of lean fish (ancova with initial BW as a covariate, P < 0.05). Energy digestibility, feed efficiency and protein retention were improved with the dietary fat level; however, there was no difference resulting from body fat level. The whole‐body fat levels at the end of the experiment increased with the dietary fat level. Between groups self‐fed the same diet, fat levels of the initially fat fish were still higher than those of the lean fish. The results of the present medium‐term study suggest that rainbow trout adjust DE intake from diets with fat levels ranging from 8% to 19%. Although body fat level affects neither energy digestibility nor protein utilization, a high body fat level may reduce DE intake and consequently depress growth.