Inherited hyperchylomicro-naemia in the cat: Lipoprotein lipase function and gene structure

Hyperchylomicronaemia was identified in a four-week-old Siamese kitten with lethargy, in-appetence, hindlimb ataxia and profound anaemia. The kitten was euthanased and at necropsy a thrombus was found occluding the caudal aorta. Two littermates later presented with lethargy, inappetence and hypertriglyceri-daemia which resolved after being weaned on to a low fat diet. A similar condition was subsequently diagnosed in a kitten born to the same sire but a different queen. The expression of hyperchylomicronaemia in two related litters was suggestive of an inherited, familial defect in the function of lipoprotein lipase (LPL). The activity of this enzyme was reduced in all three parents, the two recovered cases and two related, but apparently unaffected kittens, compared with a control group of unrelated cats belonging to the breeder. This reduction in activity was not attributable to defective activation of LPL by its serum cofactor apolipoprotein C-II or the presence in plasma of a factor that inhibited LPL. The gene that codes for LPL was examined by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis using a human LPL cDNA probe. The results showed that the cat has a similar, but not identical, LPL gene to man. However, there were no differences in the restriction fragment patterns obtained from affected, unaffected and control animals.     

New concepts in fetal and placental amino acid metabolism.

Fetal amino acid nutrition and metabolism have been studied primarily in pregnant sheep. The umbilical uptake of amino acids changes during gestation, but at both mid- and late gestation the total supply exceeds that required for growth. Weight-specific protein synthetic rate decreases with increasing gestational age, and these changes are proportional to the changes in metabolic rate. The use of multiple tracer methodology coupled with measurement of net tracer fluxes into and out of fetal and placental tissues can be used to delineate amino acid metabolism in considerable detail. Such studies demonstrate that even essential amino acids can be oxidized extensively by the fetus. The oxidation rate of leucine exceeds its rate of accretion in tissue proteins. Glycine metabolism is unique in several ways; there is a large umbilical uptake of glycine without a measurable uterine uptake. In late gestation there is no significant umbilical uptake of serine, although there is a significant uterine uptake, suggesting net uteroplacental utilization. Glycine is oxidized within the fetal liver and used for serum production. The interorgan exchange of amino acids between the fetal liver and placenta is clearly of major importance for serine and glycine metabolism and is likely to be of major importance for most nonessential amino acids.     

Regulation of the bacterial intestinal implantation in infant born by caesarean section.

Studies were undertaken to determine the regulation of the bacterial intestinal implantation in 19 newborns delivered by caesarean section. Correlation was made with the infant feeding mode. The effect of human milk seemed to be the result of B. bifidum proliferation, in contrast to artificial alimentation that seemed to favour C. perfringens implantation. The question was raised by us as to whether this opposition was only related to alimentation. In fact, B. bifidum itself also had an effect as demonstrated by the lower mean counts of C. perfringens in bottle-fed infants carrying the bifido-bacterial flora (P = 0.05). None of the other faecal bacteria investigated in this study led to the same decrease.     

Characterization of phosphate species in urban sewage sludges by high-resolution solid-state 31P NMR

The mineral forms of phosphorus in three urban sewage sludges were characterized using high-resolution solid-state phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) coupled to a sequential extraction. The sludges studied were an anaerobically-digested and heat-treated sludge (Paris-Achères), an activated sludge (Briare) and an anaerobically-digested sludge (Nancy). NMR observations were conducted using both single-pulse and cross-polarization sequences in order to distinguish between ³¹P nuclei far from ¹H nuclei, and ³¹P located within a fraction of a nanometre of ¹H. This approach showed that a complex mixture of P species was present in these sludges. A mixture of hydrogenated octocalcium phosphates and apatites was observed in the three samples. Monetite was present in the anaerobically-digested sludge and brushite in the activated sludge. Dehydrogenated condensed calcium phosphates (compounds with a Ca:P ratio higher than 1.0 such as fluorapatite or tricalcium phosphate) and dehydrogenated pyrophosphates were also probably present in the anaerobically-digested sludge. A poorly-ordered wavellite was observed in the three sludges after the HCl extraction. However, results were inconclusive as to whether this mineral was present in the three sludges, or had been precipitated during the sequential extraction.     

Factors influencing decline in soil pH in Hawaiian Eucalyptus and Albizia plantations

Soil pH declined from 5.9 to 5.0 in 8 years beneath plantations of Eucalyptus saligna (Sm.) in Hawaii. In stands of Albizia falcataria, (L.) Fosberg, the soil pH change was more dramatic, declining from 5.9 to 4.6. We measured several components of soil acidity beneath four mixtures of the two tree species to gain insight on the processes responsible for the decline in soil pH. These components were studied using an empirical method of comparing acid quantity, degree of neutralization (depletion of base cations), and acid strength. The decline in soil pH differed between species as a result of differences in the degree of neutralization of the soil exchange complex; the larger decrease in soil pH under Albizia was produced by greater acidification of the exchange complex. Empirical titration curves suggested that differences in acid strength moderated the divergence in soil pH beneath the species. Had the acids accumulating in the soil under Albizia been as strong as those in the Eucalyptus soil, the difference in soil pH would have been greater. Though the two species had contrasting effects on soil pH, the differences in degree of neutralization, responsible for the pH decline, were small compared with differences in the amount of cations stored in tree biomass. Continued supply of nutrient cations (from weathering or fertilization) will ultimately control both the extent of soil pH decline and the level of productivity sustained by the forest.     

Biopsy of the bovine mammary gland.

A technique is described for biopsy of the bovine udder, employing sedation and local anaesthesia. Tissue samples of approximately 5 g were obtained by electrocautery from two quarters of the udder of a cow laterally recumbent. Care was taken to ensure complete haemostasis which was achieved by electrocoagulation and ligation. Postoperative recovery was rapid, and loss of yield was no greater in biopsied glands than in control glands of the same cow. Yield from all quarters returned to preoperative levels within 48 h.     

Comparative effects of mu and kappa opiate agonists on the cecocolic motility in the pony.

The electrical and mechanical activity of the large intestine and its response to administration of opiate mu and kappa agonists were assessed from electrodes and inductograph coils chronically implanted on the cecocolic segment in six ponies given a diet of hay and concentrates. Before the drugs were given, migrating complexes propagating from the cecum into the colon occurred at the rate of 1.5 to 16/hour. During this propulsive activity, the cecocolic sphincter opened and closed allowing the outflow of cecal contents and preventing the backflow of colic contents. Each pony was used as its own control and was given fentanyl (0.01 and 0.05 mg/kg of body weight, IV) and U50488H (0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg, IV) at weekly intervals. The mu agonist fentanyl elicited a marked phase of inhibition of the propulsive activity and a closure of the cecocolic sphincter that lasted one to two hours depending on the dose. The kappa agonist U50488H induced an inhibition of the short spiking activity, i.e. of the resting muscle tone. It did not disturb the occurrence of migrating complexes nor that of the openings of the cecocolic sphincter. These kappa compounds may be drugs of choice to alleviate visceral pain in colic stases without inducing delay of transit unlike mu compounds.