Accelerated solvent extraction of ochratoxin a from rice samples

In this paper, accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) for the analysis of ochratoxin A (OTA) is applied for the first time. Optimization of the method is given for the extraction of OTA from rice samples. Several parameters such as type of solvent, temperature, pressure, static time, and cell size were investigated thoroughly to find the optimal extraction conditions. The optimum ASE operating conditions were methanol as extraction solvent, 1500 psi, 40 degrees C, 5 min of static time, 50% flush volume, 60 s of purge, 1 cycle, and 11 mL cell size. The total extraction time was approximately 15 min. OTA was determined by liquid chromatography coupled with a fluorescence detector and confirmed by methyl ester derivatization. The analytical performance of the method was monitored with quality control parameters. Finally, the optimized method was used to evaluate 12 rice samples, 1 of which was positive with an OTA content of 4.17 ng/g. The proposed method offers the possibility of a fast and simple process to obtain a quantitative extraction of OTA.     

Validating models of one-way land change: an example case of forest insect disturbance

Landscape Ecology - Validation of models of Land Use and Cover Change often involves comparing maps of simulated and reference change. The interpretation of differences between simulated and...     

Auranofin improves overall survival when combined with standard of care in a pilot study involving dogs with osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is the most common paediatric primary bone malignancy. The major cause of death in osteosarcoma is drug‐resistant pulmonary metastasis. Previous studies have shown that thioredoxin reductase 2 is a driver of metastasis in osteosarcoma and can be inhibited by auranofin (AF). Moreover, studies have shown that AF significantly reduces pulmonary metastases in xenotransplant models. Here, we describe a phase I/II study of AF in canine osteosarcoma, a well‐recognized spontaneous model of human osteosarcoma. We performed a single‐arm multicentre pilot study of AF in combination with standard of care (SOC) (amputation + carboplatin). We recruited 40 dogs to the trial and used a historical SOC‐only control group (n = 26). Dogs >15 kg received 9 mg AF q3d PO and dogs <15 kg received 6 mg q3d. Follow‐up occurred over at least a 3‐year period. Auranofin plus SOC improved overall survival (OS) (P = .036) in all dogs treated. The improved outcome was attributable entirely to improved OS in male dogs (P = .009). At the time of writing, 10 dogs (25%) survive without measurable disease in the treatment group with survival times ranging between 806 and 1525 days. Our study shows that AF improves OS in male dogs when combined with SOC. Our findings have translational relevance for the management of canine and human osteosarcoma. Our data justify a larger multicentre phase 2 trial in dogs and a phase I/II trial in human patients with refractory disease at the time of initial surgery.     

Responses of antioxidant enzymes,lipid peroxidation,and Na<Superscript>+</Superscript>/K<Superscript>+</Superscript>-ATPase in liver of the fish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Goodea atripinnis</Emphasis> exposed to Lake Yuriria water

Lake Yuriria, located in the heavily populated and polluted Mexican Central Plateau, receives domestic sewage, industrial effluents, and municipal wastewaters that are still directly discharged without treatment into the tributaries and the lake. Pollutants in water and sediments include heavy metals, aromatic hydrocarbons, and organochlorine pesticides. Activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), as well as Na⁺/K⁺-adenosine triphosphatase (Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase) activity, and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were evaluated in the livers of the fish Goodea atripinnis after 96 h of exposure to water collected in March and June 2005 from three sites: Y (limnetic zone), L (Lerma tributary), and C (la Cinta tributary). Physical and chemical parameters of the lake water were also analyzed. Increases in CAT activity and LPO levels at all three sites were detected compared with control fish (P < 0.05), while GPx and SOD activities decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activities were similar to the control in fish exposed to limnetic water from both March and June but were higher than control at the two tributary sites in March (P < 0.05); fish exposed to water from the Lerma tributary in June exhibited lower Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase than the control (P < 0.05). During March, CAT and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activities were increasing more than in June in Y and L, respectively, while in June, SOD and GPx were depleted more than March in L and Y and L, respectively. Despite the antioxidant defenses of the fish liver, exposure to all water samples from Lake Yuriria exerted alterations in hepatic LPO levels, antioxidant enzymes, and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activities that could substantially impair the mechanisms of fish defenses against oxidative stress.     

A new natural spiro heterocyclic compound and the cytotoxic activity of the secondary metabolites from Juniperus brevifolia leaves

A new natural spiro compound 3,4-dehydrotheaspirone and the known arctiol [1β,6α-dihydroxy-4(14)-eudesmene] were isolated from Juniperus brevifolia. Arctiol is reported for the first time in the Juniperus genus. Their structures were established by 1D, and 2D NMR and MS spectra. Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of 1 and several secondary metabolites ,,,,,,,,, previously isolated by our group from J. brevifolia were evaluated and some SAR has been established. The 18-hydroxydehydroabietane (4) displayed great antiproliferative activity against cancer cell lines tested, namely HeLa, A-549 and MCF-7. Compound 4 also presented a significant bactericidal effect against Bacillus cereus at different concentrations tested.     

Results of a web-based health survey of retired racing Greyhounds

BACKGROUND: Adoption of retired racing Greyhounds has become increasingly popular during the past decade. To date, research has focused on the physiologic and clinicopathologic peculiarities of Greyhounds but there is little published information on disease prevalence in the breed. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of disease in retired racing Greyhounds. ANIMALS: In this study, 747 Greyhounds were used. METHODS: A standardized survey method was used, and survey responses were collected by an Internet survey. Owners could answer a survey for every Greyhound that they had owned since January 1, 2005. RESULTS: Of the 692 eligible participants, 441 (63.7% response rate) completed surveys for 747 Greyhounds. The mortality rate for Greyhounds within the 2-year period was 15% (113 of 747 died). The most common cause of death reported was cancer (66 dogs, 58%), and the most common type of cancer listed as the cause of death was osteosarcoma (28 dogs, 25%). The most commonly reported groups of diseases or disorders were skeletal (232 dogs, 33%), skin (197 dogs, 28%), digestive (132 dogs, 18%), cancer (94 dogs, 13%), and endocrine (85 dogs, 11.9%). Forty-five percent of Greyhounds diagnosed with cancer and 6% of the overall population had osteosarcoma. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The results of this study can be used by veterinary researchers to continue to investigate the most common diseases in this population. As more retired racing Greyhounds enter the pet population, the results of this study will help educate veterinarians and owners about the most prevalent diseases in the breed.     

Systemic neosporosis in a dog treated for immune‐mediated thrombocytopenia and hemolytic anemia

A 4‐year‐old male Toy Poodle was presented to the Small Animal Veterinary Hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Autonomous University of Mexico (FMVZ, UNAM) because of depression, lethargy, and hemorrhages involving several areas of the skin and around the eyes. Hematology data and a bone marrow analysis suggested hemolytic anemia and immune‐mediated thrombocytopenia. The dog was treated with prednisone, and after one month the hematology variables improved. However, the dog's clinical condition inexplicably worsened and it was euthanized. On necropsy, there were no relevant findings. However, in histology, multifocal lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic meningoencephalitis and necrosis, and a protozoan cyst in the cerebellum were identified. In addition, moderate multifocal lymphoplasmacytic and necrotizing pancreatitis, hepatitis, myocarditis, and diffuse lymphoplasmacytic enteritis were observed. Immunohistochemistry of the cerebellum, liver, pancreas, and intestine with a specific antibody against Neospora caninum confirmed the diagnosis of systemic neosporosis. The systemic neosporosis in this dog was most likely caused by reactivation of latent parasites due to prednisone administration during the one month of treatment. It should be kept in mind that in dogs being treated with immunosuppressants for immune‐mediated conditions, opportunistic parasites, such as Toxoplasma gondii and N caninum, can be reactivated from a latent state, as it probably happened in the present case.