Safety and antioxidant activity of a pomegranate ellagitannin-enriched polyphenol dietary supplement in overweight individuals with increased waist size

The consumption of pomegranate juice (PJ), a rich source of antioxidant polyphenols, has grown tremendously due to its reported health benefits. Pomegranate extracts, which incorporate the major antioxidants found in pomegranates, namely, ellagitannins, have been developed as botanical dietary supplements to provide an alternative convenient form for consuming the bioactive polyphenols found in PJ. Despite the commercial availability of pomegranate extract dietary supplements, there have been no studies evaluating their safety in human subjects. A pomegranate ellagitannin-enriched polyphenol extract (POMx) was prepared for dietary supplement use and evaluated in two pilot clinical studies. Study 1 was designed for safety assessment in 64 overweight individuals with increased waist size. The subjects consumed either one or two POMx capsules per day providing 710 mg (435 mg of gallic acid equivalents, GAEs) or 1420 mg (870 mg of GAEs) of extracts, respectively, and placebo (0 mg of GAEs). Safety laboratory determinations, including complete blood count (CBC), chemistry, and urinalysis, were made at each of three visits. Study 2 was designed for antioxidant activity assessment in 22 overweight subjects by administration of two POMx capsules per day providing 1000 mg (610 mg of GAEs) of extract versus baseline measurements. Measurement of antioxidant activity as evidenced by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in plasma were measured before and after POMx supplementation. There was evidence of antioxidant activity through a significant reduction in TBARS linked with cardiovascular disease risk. There were no serious adverse events in any subject studied at either site. These studies demonstrate the safety of a pomegranate ellagitannin-enriched polyphenol dietary supplement in humans and provide evidence of antioxidant activity in humans.     

Star Formation in W49A: Gravitational Collapse of the Molecular Cloud Core Toward a Ring of Massive Stars

High-resolution molecular line and continuum radio images from the Hat Creek Radio Observatory and the Very Large Array suggest that the core of the W49A star-forming region is undergoing gravitational collapse. The radio continuum shows a 2-parsec ring of at least ten distinct ultracompact H-II regions, each associated with at least one O star. The ring is a region of large-scale, organized massive star formation. Recombination line velocities and HCO(+) excitation requirements indicate that the ring is rotating around 50,000 solar masses of material. Because the HCO(+) (1-0) line shows red-shifted absorption but blue-shifted emission, the molecular cloud core is believed to be collapsing toward the center of the ring. The HCO(+) radial velocities, as well as H-I, H(2)CO, and magnetic-field measurements, fit a simple model of inside-out gravitational collapse of a once magnetically supported cloud.     

Evaluation of diagnostic tests in the absence of a gold standard using an Anaplasma marginale field data set

The evaluation of newly developed diagnostic tests (tests) commonly involves the comparison of the test outcomes (pos/neg.) of a sample of animals to those of a reference test (gold standard) in order to derive sensitivity and specificity estimates. Often, however, new tests have to be evaluated against an imperfect reference test since a true gold standard test is either too expensive or too costly to apply. This results in bias in the test characteristic estimates. To solve this problem, latent class and Bayesian models can be used to estimate sensitivity and specificity when evaluating a diagnostic test in the absence of a gold standard. They require at least two imperfect reference tests applied to all individuals in the study. In our approach we used a two-test two-population scenario. Both the gold standard and these modelling approaches rely on various assumptions. When violated, biased results will be obtained. The analysis of field data from an Anaplasma marginale outbreak in cattle in Switzerland with four diagnostic procedures (detection of the agent, serology, PCR and hematocrit measurements) was used as a practical example to demonstrate and critically discuss the approaches taken. In this relatively small data set (n = 275) the estimates for the test characteristics obtained by the different methods were quite similar. Overall, the bias in the point estimates depended mainly on the chosen estimation approach. All tests showed a non-negligible correlation mainly in the test sensitivities. This emphasizes the importance of taking into account test dependence even if it seems not biologically plausible at first thought.     

Mandibular and sublingual sialocoeles in the dog: A retrospective evaluation of 41 cases,using the ventral approach for treatment

AIMS: To review results of the ventral approach for mandibular and sublingual sialoadenectomy for the treatment of sialocoeles associated with the mandibular and sublingual salivary glands in the dog, and to determine rates of recurrence and complication following this procedure.

METHODS: Thirty-nine dogs with 41 sialocoeles that underwent surgical intervention were retrospectively evaluated with respect to signalment, aetiology, location of sialocoeles, duration of clinical signs, treatment prior to referral, post-operative use of antibiotics and drains, complications, and recurrence.

RESULTS: The mean age at the time of surgery was 5.1 (SD 3.8) years, and duration of clinical signs 6.6 (SD 10.6) months. Long-term follow-up was available for 31 dogs; the minimum was 8 months and mean 47.7 (SD 25.8) months post-surgery. There was no recurrence of sialocoeles following the ventral approach for mandibular and sublingual sialoadenectomy. Post- operatively, 6/35 (17%) cases developed a seroma at the surgical site. No breed or sex predisposition was determined. The cause of the sialocoele was unknown in 36/41 (88%) cases.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Excellent clinical results were achieved with a low rate of complications using the ventral approach for mandibular and sublingual siaload- enectomy. The ventral approach is recommended to minimise the risk of recurrence of sialocoeles.     

Effectiveness of α-tocopherol and selenium supplements in preventing lupinosis-associated myopathy in sheep

Objective To compare the effectiveness of combined selenium and α-tocopherol acetate treatments in preventing lupinosis-associated myopathy in sheep.
Design Measurement of plasma muscle and liver enzymes, and histopathological examination of muscle and liver in the treatment groups.
Procedure The treatments were: subcutaneous injections of selenomethionine and vitamin E (sc(SeM+E)) , an intraruminal selenium pellet and oral doses of vitamin E and intramuscular injections of selenomethionine combined with either oral doses of vitamin E (imSeM+orE) or intramuscular injections of vitamin E in an oily carrier. Another group received no supplements, while a control group was given selenium pellets on day 0 and fortnightly oral doses of vitamin E from day 0 to 72. To produce lupinosis-associated myopathy, the sheep were fed a diet low in vitamin E and given repeated injections of a crude extract of Diaphorthe toxica. Groups sc(SeM+E) and imSeM+orE were stressed by dosing with protected polyunsaturated fatty acids from day 56 onwards.
Results Lupinosis-associated myopathy was induced in all unsupplemented sheep. In these sheep the storage of Se increased and that of vitamin E decreased. The subcutaneous treatment was highly effective in preventing lupinosis-associated myopathy and also produced the highest vitamin E concentrations in plasma and liver. Supplemental vitamin E was more efficacious than supplemental Se. Concentrations of vitamin E in the livers of sheep given intramuscular vitamin E were higher than expected based on plasma concentrations. Oral doses of vitamin E proved the least effective method of increasing concentrations in liver. Lupinosis did not affect Se concentrations in liver or muscle.
Conclusion The sc(SeM+E) treatment is highly effective in preventing lupinosis-associated myopathy but needs to be further assessed when selenium and vitamin E are both limiting in the diet.     

ULTRASONOGRAPHIC APPEARANCE AND CLINICAL FINDINGS IN 14 DOGS WITH GALLBLADDER MUCOCELE

Fourteen dogs with enlarged gallbladders and immobile stellate or finely striated bile patterns on ultrasound are described. Smaller breeds and older dogs were overrepresented, with 4/14 Cocker Spaniels. Most dogs presented for nonspecific clinical signs such as vomiting, anorexia and lethargy. Abdominal pain, icterus and hyperthermia were the most common findings on physical examination. All dogs except one had serum elevation of total bilirubin and/or alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and gamma glutamyl transferase. All dogs were diagnosed with a gallbladder mucocele upon histologic and/or macroscopic evaluation. Ultrasonographically, mucoceles are characterized by the appearance of the stellate or finely striated bile patterns and differ from biliary sludge by the absence of gravity dependent bile movement. On ultrasound, gallbladder wall thickness and wall appearance were variable and nonspecific. The cystic or common bile duct were normal sized in 5 dogs although all 5 had evidence of biliary obstruction at surgery or necropsy. Loss of gallbladder wall integrity and/or gallbladder rupture were present in 50% of the dogs, all located in the fundus. Gallbladder wall discontinuity on ultrasound indicated rupture whereas neither bile patterns predicted the likelihood of gallbladder rupture. Pericholecystic hyperechoic fat or fluid were suggestive of but not diagnostic for a gallbladder rupture. Cholecystectomy appears to be an appropriate treatment for mucoceles, if not to treat a gallbladder rupture, at least in most dogs to prevent it since gallbladder wall necrosis was identified by histology in 9 of 10 dogs. Mucosal hyperplasia was present in all gallbladders examined histologically. Positive aerobic bacterial culture was obtained from bile in 6 of 9 dogs. Cholecystitis was diagnosed histologically in 5 dogs and 4 dogs had signs of gallbladder infection solely upon bacterial bile culture. Gallbladder infection was not present with all the mucoceles suggesting that biliary stasis and mucosal hyperplasia may be the primary factors involved in mucocele formation. Based on the results of our study, we suggest two alternate courses of action in the presence of a distended gallbladder with an immobile ultrasonographic stellate or finely striated bile pattern: a cholecystectomy when clinical or biochemical signs of hepatobiliary disease are present or a medical treatment (antibiotics and choleretics) and patient monitoring by follow-up ultrasound examinations when the patient does not have clinical or biochemical abnormalities. An aerobic bile culture should be obtained in all patients, by ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirate or at surgery.