Pharmacokinetics of voriconazole after oral administration of single and multiple doses in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus timneh)

OBJECTIVE: To determine the pharmacokinetics and safety of orally administered voriconazole in African grey parrots. ANIMALS: 20 clinically normal Timneh African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus timneh). PROCEDURES: In single-dose trials, 12 parrots were each administered 6, 12, and 18 mg of voriconazole/kg orally and plasma concentrations of voriconazole were determined via high-pressure liquid chromatography. In a multiple-dose trial, voriconazole (18 mg/kg) was administered orally to 6 birds every 12 hours for 9 days; a control group (2 birds) received tap water. Treatment effects were assessed via observation, clinicopathologic analyses (3 assessments), and measurement of trough plasma voriconazole concentrations (2 assessments). RESULTS: Voriconazole's elimination half-life was short (1.1 to 1.6 hours). Higher doses resulted in disproportional increases in the maximum plasma voriconazole concentration and area under the curve. Trough plasma voriconazole concentrations achieved in the multiple-dose trial were lower than those achieved after administration of single doses. Polyuria (the only adverse treatment effect) developed in treated and control birds but was more severe in the treatment group. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In African grey parrots, voriconazole has dose-dependent pharmacokinetics and may induce its own metabolism. Oral administration of 12 to 18 mg of voriconazole/kg twice daily is a rational starting dose for treatment of African grey parrots infected with Aspergillus or other fungal organisms that have a minimal inhibitory concentration for voriconazole < or = 0.4 microg/mL. Higher doses may be needed to maintain plasma voriconazole concentrations during long-term treatment. Safety and efficacy of various voriconazole treatment regimens in this species require investigation.     

Ingestion,digestion, growth and survival of green mussel Perna viridis pediveliger larvae fed different microalgae

Fisheries Science - Nutrition plays a critical role in the growth and development of green mussel Perna viridis larvae. In this study, three species of tropical microalgae were investigated to...     

Identification of a second Asian soybean rust resistance gene in Hyuuga soybean

ABSTRACT Asian soybean rust (ASR) is an economically significant disease caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi. The soybean genes Rpp3 and Rpp?(Hyuuga) confer resistance to specific isolates of the pathogen. Both genes map to chromosome 6 (Gm06) (linkage group [LG] C2). We recently identified 12 additional soybean accessions that harbor ASR resistance mapping to Gm06, within 5 centimorgans of Rpp3 and Rpp?(Hyuuga). To further characterize genotypes with resistance on Gm06, we used a set of eight P. pachyrhizi isolates collected from geographically diverse areas to inoculate plants and evaluate them for differential phenotypic responses. Three isolates elicited different responses from soybean accessions PI 462312 (Ankur) (Rpp3) and PI 506764 (Hyuuga) (Rpp?[Hyuuga]). In all, 11 of the new accessions yielded responses identical to either PI 462312 or Hyuuga and 1 of the new accessions, PI 417089B (Kuro daizu), differed from all others. Additional screening of Hyuuga-derived recombinant inbred lines indicated that Hyuuga carries two resistance genes, one at the Rpp3 locus on Gm06 and a second, unlinked ASR resistance gene mapping to Gm03 (LG-N) near Rpp5. These findings reveal a natural case of gene pyramiding for ASR resistance in Hyuuga and underscore the importance of utilizing multiple isolates of P. pachyrhizi when screening for ASR resistance.     

Authenticity of PGI "Clementine of Calabria" by multielement fingerprint

Clementine is a citrus fruit that has found a peculiar habitat in specific areas of Calabria, a region located in southern Italy. Due to its peculiar characteristics it was recently awarded with protected geographical indications (PGI) from the European Union. In this work, stepwise linear discriminant analysis (S-LDA), soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA), and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were used to build chemometric models able to protect PGI Clementine from others of different origin. Accordingly, the concentration of 24-26 elements was determined in peel and juice samples, respectively, obtained from Calabrian PGI clementine and from fruits cultivated in Algeria, Tunisia, and Spain. A cross-validation procedure has shown very satisfactory values of prediction ability for both S-LDA (96.6% for juice samples and 100% for peel samples) and SIMCA (100% for both peel and juice samples). PLS-DA models also yielded satisfactory results.     

Monoaminergic substances in the teleost brain: Catecholamine levels in male and female winter flounder,Pseudopleuronectes americanus Walbaum,associated with gonadal recrudescence

High performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-EC) was used to quantitate catecholamine (CA) levels in the winter flounder brain following perchloric acid extraction/alumina purification of CNS tissues. Greater concentrations of norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) were present in the hypothalamus compared with the CA levels in whole brain. A seasonal study of CA brain levels in reproductively active male and female flounder demonstrated that monoamine levels reach their maxima in October in association with the rapid increases in gonadosomatic index. When perchloric acid extracts of the teleost and rat hypothalamus were submitted to direct HPLC-EC analysis, without alumina purification of CA neurotransmitters, similar hypothalamic profiles were obtained indicating the presence of identifiable biogenic amine neurotransmitters substances including NE, DA and serotonin (5-HT).     

Radiographic and Scintigraphic Evidence of Focal Pulmonary Neoplasia in Three Cats With Hyperthyroidism: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Considerations

Three cats were diagnosed as hyperthyroid based on clinical signs, historical findings, laboratory abnormalities, and basal serum thyroxine (T₄) concentrations, and/or nuclear thyroid scans. Additionally, a presumptive diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma with pulmonary metastasis was made in each cat based on radiographic or scintigraphic evaluation. All three cats had solitary pulmonary nodules 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter on survey thoracic radiographs; one cat also had chylous pleural effusion and pulmonary lobar consolidation. Focal pulmonary accumulation of sodium pertechnetate (^99mTcO₄ -) and/or radioiodine (¹³¹I) corresponding to radiographic lesions were seen in all cats. Two cats were treated with single ablative doses (1111 to 1480 MBq) of¹³¹I; the remaining cat was euthanatized.
One of the treated cats died 8 days later; the other cat was euthanatized 22 weeks following treatment. Histopathologic examination of tissue obtained at necropsy confirmed metastatic thyroid carcinoma in one cat and bronchogenic adenocarcinoma in two cats. Our findings indicate that increased radionuclide uptake in focal pulmonary lesions and cytologic evaluation of tissue obtained by fine-needle aspiration are not specific for thyroid tissue. (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 1993; 7:303–308. Copyright © 1993 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)     

Coordinated activation of Hsp70 chaperones

Hsp70s are a ubiquitous family of molecular chaperones involved in many cellular processes. Two Hsp70s, Lhs1p and Kar2p, are required for protein biogenesis in the yeast endoplasmic reticulum. Here, we found that Lhs1p and Kar2p specifically interacted to couple, and coordinately regulate, their respective activities. Lhs1p stimulated Kar2p by providing a specific nucleotide exchange activity, whereas Kar2p reciprocally activated the Lhs1p adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase). The two ATPase activities are coupled, and their coordinated regulation is essential for normal function in vivo.