CLINICAL AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FEATURES OF INFLAMMATORY VERSUS NEOPLASTIC MEDIAL RETROPHARYNGEAL LYMPH NODE MASS LESIONS IN DOGS AND CATS

Medial retropharyngeal lymph node (MRLN) mass lesions are a common cause of cranial cervical masses in dogs and cats, and are predominantly due to metastatic neoplasia, primary neoplasia, or inflammatory lymphadenitis. The purpose of this retrospective cross‐sectional study was to test the hypothesis that clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics for dogs and cats with MRLN mass lesions would differ for inflammatory vs. neoplastic etiologies. Dogs and cats with MRLN mass lesions that had undergone MRI and had a confirmed cytological or histopathological diagnosis were recruited from medical record archives. Clinical findings were recorded by one observer and MRI characteristics were recorded by two other observers who were unaware of clinical findings. A total of 31 patients were sampled, with 15 in the inflammatory lymphadenitis group and 16 in the neoplasia group. Patients with inflammatory lymphadenitis were more likely to be younger and present with lethargy (P = 0.001), pyrexia (P = 0.000), and neck pain (P = 0.006). Patients with inflammatory lymphadenitis were also more likely to have a leukocystosis (P = 0.02) and segmental neutrophilia (P = 0.001). Inflammatory masses were more likely to have moderate or marked MRI perinodal contrast enhancement (P = 0.021) and local muscle contrast enhancement (P = 0.03) whereas the neoplastic masses were more likely to have greater MRI width (P = 0.002) and height (P = 0.009). In conclusion, findings indicated that some clinical and MRI characteristics differed for dogs and cats with inflammatory vs. neoplastic medial retropharyngeal lymph node masses. Although histopathological or cytological diagnosis remains necessary for confirmation, these findings may help with the ranking of differential diagnoses of future cases.     

Rapid determination of polyphenols and vitamin C in plant-derived products

Polyphenols, widely spread in our diet by the consumption of plant food products, are commonly determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent that interacts with other different reducing nonphenolic substances and leads to an overestimation of polyphenol content. In this paper we report an optimized Folin-Ciocalteu method to specifically determine the contents of total polyphenols and vitamin C. After the optimal conditions for the colorimetric assay were set, solid-phase extraction (Oasis HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance)) was carried out to eliminate the water-soluble reducing interferences including vitamin C. Colorimetric correction was thus performed by subtracting interfering substances contained in the water washing extract from the raw extract. Moreover, vitamin C present in the water washing extract can be destroyed by heating and thus colorimetrically deduced. This procedure was set up with synthetic solutions and validated on different extracts from fruit products.     

Antifeedant activity of Jatropha gossypifolia and Melia azedarach senescent leaf extracts on Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and their potential use as synergists

BACKGROUND: To reduce rates of synthetic insecticide applications, natural product alternatives and synergists are needed. A study has been made of the toxicity of ethanolic senescent leaf extracts (SLEs) of Jatropha gossypifolia and Melia azedarach on larvae of the noctuid pest Spodoptera frugiperda. Their effects as syngergists and inhibitors of several enzyme activities are also reported. RESULTS: When added to the diet, M. azedarach SLE showed lower toxicity than J. gossypifolia SLE. However, after 2 weeks on the diet, the M. azedarach SLE proved to be lethal to 100% of the larval population. Artificial diets with both SLEs have an antifeedant effect on armyworm larvae. Acute toxicity after topical application in a dipping assay was relatively low for both J. gossypifolia and M. azedarach SLEs (LC₅₀ of 2.6 and 1.4 g L^?1, respectively, after 24 h). However, mixtures of the SLEs of M. azedarach and J. gossypifolia had a strong synergistic effect with cypermethrin. Synergism was higher with the J. gossypifolia SLE, perhaps because it contains several natural products with a methylenedioxyphenyl moiety. Both extracts inhibited P450, general esterase and acetylcholinesterase activities in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: Both J. gossypifolia and M. azedarach SLEs are antifeedants to armyworm larvae when present in the food, and also have a synergistic effect with cypermethrin in topical assays. Although the synergistic effect is less than with piperonyl butoxide, both SLEs have some inhibitor activity against detoxification enzymes and acetylcholinesterase. Thus J. gossypifolia and M. azedarach SLEs may be considered as ecofriendly approaches for the control of S. frugiperda in order to reduce cypermethrin usage. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Physiological role of the cellular prion protein

The prion protein (PrP) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. However, the normal function of the protein remains unclear. The cellular isoform (PrP(C)) is expressed most abundantly in the brain, but has also been detected in other non-neuronal tissues as diverse as lymphoid cells, lung, heart, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, muscle, and mammary glands. Cell biological studies of PrP contribute to our understanding of PrP(C) function. Like other membrane proteins, PrP(C) is post-translationally processed in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi on its way to the cell surface after synthesis. Cell surface PrP(C) constitutively cycles between the plasma membrane and early endosomes via a clathrin-dependent mechanism, a pathway consistent with a suggested role for PrP(C) in cellular trafficking of copper ions. Although PrP(-/-) mice have been reported to have only minor alterations in immune function, PrP(C) is up-regulated in T cell activation and may be expressed at higher levels by specialized classes of lymphocytes. Furthermore, antibody cross-linking of surface PrP(C) modulates T cell activation and leads to rearrangements of lipid raft constituents and increased phosphorylation of signaling proteins. These findings appear to indicate an important but, as yet, ill-defined role in T cell function. Recent work has suggested that PrP(C) is required for self-renewal of haematopoietic stem cells. PrP(C) is highly expressed in the central nervous system, and since this is the major site of prion pathology, most interest has focused on defining the role of PrP(C) in neurones. Although PrP(-/-) mice have a grossly normal neurological phenotype, even when neuronal PrP(C) is knocked out postnatally, they do have subtle abnormalities in synaptic transmission, hippocampal morphology, circadian rhythms, and cognition and seizure threshold. Other postulated neuronal roles for PrP(C) include copper-binding, as an anti- and conversely, pro-apoptotic protein, as a signaling molecule, and in supporting neuronal morphology and adhesion. The prion protein may also function as a metal binding protein such as copper, yielding cellular antioxidant capacity suggesting a role in the oxidative stress homeostasis. Finally, recent observations on the role of PrP(C) in long-term memory open a challenging field.     

Distribution of volatile compounds in the pulp,cloud, and serum of freshly squeezed orange juice

The quantitative distribution of volatile compounds in the pulp, cloud, and serum of a freshly squeezed orange juice (cv. Naveline) was measured. Juice monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were primarily recovered from the pulp (74.0 and 87.2%, respectively) and cloud (7.3 and 14.9%, respectively). Esters and monoterpene alcohols were mainly found in the serum (90.4 and 84.1%, respectively). Long chain aliphatic aldehydes tend to concentrate in the pulp. The relative proportions of individual volatile compounds were similar in the pulp and cloud. Pulp and cloud alcohol insoluble residues exhibited similar compositions; half of them are made of nonwall proteins, and the rest are made of cell wall materials. Pulp and cloud total and neutral lipids had similar fatty acids distributions, although the cloud was much richer in total lipids than the pulp. No relationship was found between the retention of aroma compounds in the pulp or cloud and their AIR and lipid content or composition.