Evaluation of the effect of dietary vegetable consumption on reducing risk of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of vegetable consumption and vitamin supplementation on the risk of developing transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers. DESIGN: Case-control study. ANIMALS: 92 adult Scottish Terriers with TCC (cases) and 83 Scottish Terriers with other conditions (controls). PROCEDURE: Owners of dogs with TCC completed a questionnaire regarding their dogs' diet and intake of vitamin supplements in the year prior to diagnosis of TCC; owners of control dogs completed the questionnaire for a comparable time period. The risk (odds ratio [OR]) of developing TCC associated with diet and vitamin supplementation was determined by use of logistic regression. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, weight, neuter status, and coat color, there was an inverse association between consumption of vegetables at least 3 times/wk (OR, 0.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.15 to 0.62) and risk of developing TCC. For individual vegetable types, the risk of developing TCC was inversely associated with consumption of green leafy vegetables (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.97) and yellow-orange vegetables (OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.70). Consumption of cruciferous vegetables was not significantly associated with a similar reduction in risk of developing TCC (OR, 0.22; CI, 0.04 to 1.11). The power of the study to detect a 50% reduction in TCC risk associated with daily vitamin supplementation was considered low (25%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that consumption of certain vegetables may prevent or slow the development of TCC in Scottish Terriers.     

Herbicide exposure and the risk of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether exposure to lawn or garden chemicals was associated with an increased risk of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers. DESIGN: Case-control study. ANIMALS: 83 Scottish Terriers with TCC (cases) and 83 Scottish Terriers with other health-related conditions (controls). PROCEDURE: Owners of study dogs completed a written questionnaire pertaining to exposure to lawn or garden chemicals during the year prior to diagnosis of TCC for case dogs and during a comparable period for control dogs. RESULTS: The risk of TCC was significantly increased among dogs exposed to lawns or gardens treated with both herbicides and insecticides (odds ratio [OR], 7.19) or with herbicides alone (OR, 3.62), but not among dogs exposed to lawns or gardens treated with insecticides alone (OR, 1.62), compared with dogs exposed to untreated lawns. Exposure to lawns or gardens treated with phenoxy herbicides (OR, 4.42) was associated with an increased risk of TCC, compared with exposure to untreated lawns or gardens, but exposure to lawns or gardens treated with nonphenoxy herbicides (OR, 3.49) was not significantly associated with risk of TCC. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that exposure to lawns or gardens treated with herbicides was associated with an increased risk of TCC in Scottish Terriers. Until additional studies are performed to prove or disprove a cause-and-effect relationship, owners of Scottish Terriers should minimize their dogs' access to lawns or gardens treated with phenoxy herbicides.     

Topical flea and tick pesticides and the risk of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether use of topical flea and tick products increases the risk of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers. DESIGN: Case-control study. ANIMALS: 87 adult Scottish Terriers with TCC (cases) and 83 adult Scottish Terriers with other health-related conditions (controls). PROCEDURE: Owners of study dogs were recruited through private veterinary practices and the Scottish Terrier Club of America. History of exposure to flea and tick products 1 year prior to diagnosis of TCC for case dogs and during a comparable period for control dogs was obtained through a questionnaire. Risk of TCC associated with exposure to flea and tick products was determined by means of univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: After adjustment for host factors, Scottish Terriers treated with topical spot-on flea and tick products containing fipronil or imidacloprid did not have an increased risk of TCC, compared with Scottish Terriers that had never been exposed to any flea and tick products. The risk of TCC associated with use of older topical flea and tick products such as shampoos, dips, powders, sprays, and collars could not be evaluated because of the low number of owners in the study population that had used such products. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that use of topical spot-on flea and tick products does not increase the risk of TCC in Scottish Terriers.     

Estimated prevalence of nematode parasitism among pet cats in the United States

OBJECTIVE: To estimate prevalences of roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm infections in pet cats in the United States and identify risk factors for parasitism. DESIGN: Retrospective period prevalence survey. STUDY POPULATION: 356,086 cats examined at 359 private veterinary hospitals during 2003. PROCEDURE: Electronic medical records were searched to identify cats for which fecal flotation tests had been performed and to determine proportions of test results positive for roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. Potential risk factors for roundworm and hookworm infection were identified by means of multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 80,278 tests were performed on fecal samples from 66,819 cats. Calculated prevalences of roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm infection were 2.92%, 0.63%, and 0.031%, respectively. Age, reproductive status, breed, and season were significant risk factors for roundworm infection, with cats < 4 years old; sexually intact cats; mixed-breed cats; and cats examined during the summer, fall, or winter more likely to be infected. Age, reproductive status, and season were significant risk factors for hookworm infection, with cats < 1 year old, sexually intact cats, and cats examined during the summer more likely to be infected. Regional differences in prevalences of roundworm and hookworm infection were found. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that prevalences of nematode infections among pet cats in the United States may be lower than previously suspected on the basis of prevalences reported among cats in humane shelters and those reported in more geographically focused studies.     

Comparison of Various Diagnostic Methods in Characterizing Newcastle Disease Virus Isolates from Desi Chickens

Eleven Newcastle disease viruses (NDV), isolated from apparently healthy and ailing Desi chickens were subjected to both conventional and modern characterization techniques. The virulence and strain differentiating experiments placed 10 isolates in the velogenic group and one in the mesogenic group. In MDBK cells, 9 isolates produced characteristic cytopathogenic effects up to 5 and 2 up to 3 passages. Molecular characterization with a 21-mer oligonucleotide probe placed all the isolates in the velogenic/mesogenic group. The results of this study clearly indicated that the isolates obtained are either velogenic or mesogenic but not lentogenic.     

Functional proteomic analysis of crossbred (Holstein Friesian × Sahiwal) bull spermatozoa

Male infertility is one of the prime concerns of dairy cattle production. The study was designed to find out differentially expressed proteins in categorized crossbred (Holstein Friesian × Sahiwal) bull semen to serve as potential biomarkers for male infertility. Frozen crossbred bull semen with satisfactory phenotypic records were defined as “good” and “poor” based on their fertility rates. A total of 1,547 proteins were detected in bull spermatozoa using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometer (LC‐MS/MS) analysis. Results revealed that 558 (36.1%) and 653 (42.2%) proteins were expressed to good and poor quality bull spermatozoa, respectively. A total of 336 proteins (21.7%) were reported to be unique for both good and poor quality bull semen, and among the common proteins, 224 (66.7%) and 112 (33.3%) were up‐ and downregulated in good and poor quality categorized bull semen, respectively. Gene Ontology analysis of global proteomes identified different signalling pathways, and most of them were related to cellular motility, immune systems as well as cellular metabolisms. The distinctive presence of some of the proteins may provide an insight into the molecular mechanistic role played by these proteins in crossbred bull infertility.     

Origins and genetic legacy of Neolithic farmers and hunter-gatherers in Europe

The farming way of life originated in the Near East some 11,000 years ago and had reached most of the European continent 5000 years later. However, the impact of the agricultural revolution on demography and patterns of genomic variation in Europe remains unknown. We obtained 249 million base pairs of genomic DNA from ~5000-year-old remains of three hunter-gatherers and one farmer excavated in Scandinavia and find that the farmer is genetically most similar to extant southern Europeans, contrasting sharply to the hunter-gatherers, whose distinct genetic signature is most similar to that of extant northern Europeans. Our results suggest that migration from southern Europe catalyzed the spread of agriculture and that admixture in the wake of this expansion eventually shaped the genomic landscape of modern-day Europe.     

Novel mechanism of modulating natural antioxidants in functional foods: involvement of plant growth promoting Rhizobacteria NRRL B-30488

The significance of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) mediated increase in antioxidant potential in vegetables is yet unknown. The plant growth-promoting bacterium Bacillus lentimorbus NRRL B-30488 (B-30488) mediated induction of dietary antioxidant in vegetables ( Trigonella foenum-graecum, Lactuca sativa, Spinacia oleracea, and Daucus carota) and fruit ( Citrus sinensis) after minimal processing (fresh, boiled, and frozen) was tested by estimating the total phenol content, level of antioxidant enzymes, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide scavenging activities along with integral radical scavenging capacity by photochemiluminescence assay and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Minimal processing of vegetables showed that T. foenum-graecum had the highest phenol content in B-30488-treated plants followed by L. sativa, D. carota, and S. oleracea. Thermally treated vegetables T. foenum-graecum (26-114.5 GAE microg mg (-1)) had an exceptionally high total phenolic content, followed by D. carota (25.27-101.32 GAE microg mg (-1)), L. sativa (23.22-101.10 GAE microg mg (-1)), and S. oleracea (21.87-87.57 GAE microg mg (-1)). Among the vegetables and fruit used in this study for enzymatic estimation, induction of antioxidant enzymes, namely, polyphenol oxidase (PPO), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), and superoxidase dismutase (SOD), was observed in edible parts of T. foenum-graecum, L. sativa, S. oleracea, and D. carota, after inoculation with B-30488. The scavenging capacity of the vegetables treated with B-30488 against DPPH and superoxide anion radical activity was found to be significantly high as compared to nontreated control. Mild food processing had no adverse effect on radical scavenging capacity. Photochemiluminescence also ascertains the above findings. The ability of the plant extracts to protect against lipid peroxidation and its ability to prevent oxidation of reduced glutathione (GSH) was measured in rat liver homogenate, and the results suggested that the inoculated plant exhibited better activity in all of the screened plants. Significant increases in shoot length, root length, and dry weight, averaging 164, 132, and 135% in T. foenum-graecum, 174, 141, and 156% in L. sativa, 129, 141, and 59%, in S. oleracea, and 125, 146, and 42% in D. carota, respectively, over untreated controls, were attained in greenhouse trials. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of PGPR-mediated induction of antioxidant enzyme activity (PPO, APX, CAT, and SOD) along with the antioxidant activity of the extracts in both in vitro (DPPH radical scavenging and superoxide scavenging) and ex vivo conditions using the rat liver tissue (percent inhibition of lipid peroxidation and prevention of oxidation of GSH) and phenolic content. The results demonstrate the PGPR-mediated induction of antioxidant level in vegetables and fruit controls oxidative damage even after minimal processing and thus is indicative of its potential as a viable substitute of synthetic antioxidants.     

Multivariate calibration for the determination of total azadirachtin-related limonoids and simple terpenoids in neem extracts using vanillin assay

Two-component and multivariate calibration techniques were developed for the simultaneous quantification of total azadirachtin-related limonoids (AZRL) and simple terpenoids (ST) in neem extracts using vanillin assay. A mathematical modeling method was also developed to aid in the analysis of the spectra and to simplify the calculations. The mathematical models were used in a two-component calibration (using azadirachtin and limonene as standards) for samples containing mainly limonoids and terpenoids (such as neem seed kernel extracts). However, for the extracts from other parts of neem, such as neem leaf, a multivariate calibration was necessary to eliminate the possible interference from phenolics and other components in order to obtain the accurate content of AZRL and ST. It was demonstrated that the accuracy of the vanillin assay in predicting the content of azadirachtin in a model mixture containing limonene (25% w/w) can be improved from 50% overestimation to 95% accuracy using the two-component calibration, while predicting the content of limonene with 98% accuracy. Both calibration techniques were applied to estimate the content of AZRL and ST in different parts of the neem plant. The results of this study indicated that the relative content of limonoids was much higher than that of the terpenoids in all parts of the neem plant studied.