Melt-processed blends of zein with polyvinylpyrrolidone

Melt-processed blends of zein and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) of varying molecular weights (55K, 360K and 1.3M) were compared based on mechanical and thermal properties. Generally, all samples stored at 50% RH exhibited a slight improvement in tensile strength, with the PVP360K samples showing the greatest improvement. At the higher levels of PVP, samples stored at 70% RH showed a decrease in tensile strength. Elongation was also more significantly impacted at higher humidity, with the higher levels of PVP causing greater elongation increases. Differential scanning calorimetry data for the blends showed single T_g values intermediate between the zein and PVP controls. Kinetic thermogravimetric data suggested a multi-step degradation interaction for the zein/PVP blends. Scanning electron microscope imaging of compression molded samples showed homogeneous surface contours for even the 20% PVP1.3M blend. Melt-processed blends of zein with polyvinylpyrrolidone of various molecular weights appear to be compatible. This work represents the first melt-processed blend of zein with PVP to generate a compatible blend.     

ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: control of preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical factors for urinalysis, cytology, and clinical chemistry in veterinary laboratories

In December 2009, the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards committee published the updated and peer-reviewed ASVCP Quality Assurance Guidelines on the Society's website. These guidelines are intended for use by veterinary diagnostic laboratories and veterinary research laboratories that are not covered by the US Food and Drug Administration Good Laboratory Practice standards (Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Chapter 58). The guidelines have been divided into 3 reports: (1) general analytical factors for veterinary laboratory performance and comparisons; (2) hematology, hemostasis, and crossmatching; and (3) clinical chemistry, cytology, and urinalysis. This particular report is one of 3 reports and documents recommendations for control of preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical factors related to urinalysis, cytology, and clinical chemistry in veterinary laboratories and is adapted from sections 1.1 and 2.2 (clinical chemistry), 1.3 and 2.5 (urinalysis), 1.4 and 2.6 (cytology), and 3 (postanalytical factors important in veterinary clinical pathology) of these guidelines. These guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive; rather, they provide minimal guidelines for quality assurance and quality control for veterinary laboratory testing and a basis for laboratories to assess their current practices, determine areas for improvement, and guide continuing professional development and education efforts.     

ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: control of preanalytical and analytical factors for hematology for mammalian and nonmammalian species, hemostasis, and crossmatching in veterinary laboratories

In December 2009, the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards committee published the updated and peer-reviewed ASVCP Quality Assurance Guidelines on the Society's website. These guidelines are intended for use by veterinary diagnostic laboratories and veterinary research laboratories that are not covered by the US Food and Drug Administration Good Laboratory Practice standards (Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Chapter 58). The guidelines have been divided into 3 reports: (1) general analytical factors for veterinary laboratory performance and comparisons; (2) hematology, hemostasis, and crossmatching; and (3) clinical chemistry, cytology, and urinalysis. This particular report is one of 3 reports and provides recommendations for control of preanalytical and analytical factors related to hematology for mammalian and nonmammalian species, hemostasis testing, and crossmatching and is adapted from sections 1.1 and 2.3 (mammalian hematology), 1.2 and 2.4 (nonmammalian hematology), 1.5 and 2.7 (hemostasis testing), and 1.6 and 2.8 (crossmatching) of the complete guidelines. These guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive; rather, they provide minimal guidelines for quality assurance and quality control for veterinary laboratory testing and a basis for laboratories to assess their current practices, determine areas for improvement, and guide continuing professional development and education efforts.     

Does a pleiotropic gene explain deafness and blue irises in white cats?

The prevalence of deafness is high in cat populations in which the dominant white gene is segregating. The objective of this study was to investigate whether there is a gene that is responsible for deafness as well as for blue eyes and to establish a plausible mode of inheritance. For this purpose, data from an experimental colony with deaf cats were analyzed. The hearing status was determined by acoustically evoked brain stem responses (BAER). Complex segregation analyses were conducted to find out the most probable mode of inheritance using maximum likelihood procedures. The prevalence of deafness and partial hearing in the experimental colony was 67% and 29%, respectively. The results of the bivariate segregation analysis support the hypothesis of a pleiotropic major gene segregating for deafness and blue iris colour. The high heritability coefficients for both traits, 0.55 and 0.75 respectively, indicate that beside the major gene there is an important influence of polygenic effects.     

Serum concentrations of adiponectin and characterization of adiponectin protein complexes in dogs

OBJECTIVE: To assess serum concentrations of adiponectin and characterize adiponectin protein complexes in healthy dogs. ANIMALS: 11 healthy dogs. PROCEDURES: Sera collected from 10 dogs were evaluated via velocity sedimentation and ultracentrifugation, SDS-PAGE, western immunoblotting, and radioimmunoassay. Visceral adipose tissue (approx 90 g) was collected from the falciform ligament of a healthy dog undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy, and adiponectin gene expression was assessed via a real-time PCR procedure. RESULTS: Adiponectin gene expression was detected in visceral adipose tissue. Serum adiponectin concentrations ranged from 0.85 to 1.5 microg/mL (mean concentration, 1.22 microg/mL). In canine serum, adiponectin was present as a multimer, consisting of a low-molecular-weight complex (180 kd); as 3 (180-, 90-, and 60-kd) complexes under denaturing conditions; as 2 (90- and 60-kd) complexes under reducing conditions; and as a dimer, a monomer, and globular head region (60, 30, and 28 kd, respectively) under reducing-denaturing conditions. It is likely that adiponectin also circulates as a high-molecular-weight (360- to 540-kd) complex in canine serum, but resolution of this complex was not possible via SDS-PAGE. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: After exposure to identical experimental conditions, adiponectin protein complexes in canine serum were similar to those detected in human and rodent sera. Circulating adiponectin concentrations in canine serum were slightly lower than concentrations in human serum. Adiponectin gene expression was identified in canine visceral adipose tissue. Results suggest that adiponectin could be used as an early clinical marker for metabolic derangements, including obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus in dogs.     

Single-agent pamidronate for palliative therapy of canine appendicular osteosarcoma bone pain

BACKGROUND: Canine appendicular osteosarcoma (OSA) causes focal bone destruction, leading to chronic pain and reduced quality-of-life scores. Drugs that inhibit pathologic osteolysis might provide additional treatment options for managing cancer-induced bone pain. Aminobisphosphonates induce osteoclast apoptosis, thereby reducing pain associated with malignant osteolysis in human patients with cancer. HYPOTHESIS: Treatment of dogs with pamidronate administered intravenously will alleviate bone pain and reduce pathologic bone turnover associated with appendicular OSA in dogs. ANIMALS: Forty-three dogs with naturally occurring appendicular OSA administered pamidronate intravenously. METHODS: Prospective study. Therapeutic responses in dogs treated with pamidronate administered intravenously and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) were evaluated by using a numerical cumulative pain index score (CPIS), and by quantifying urine N-telopeptide (NTx) excretion and relative primary tumor bone mineral density (rBMD) assessed with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. In addition, variables, including pamidronate dose, skeletal mass, baseline and change for CPIS, urine NTx and rBMD during treatment, and baseline tumor volume and radiographic pattern were compared between dogs clinically responsive and nonresponsive to pamidronate therapy. RESULTS: Twelve of 43 dogs (28%) had pain alleviation for >4 months, lasting a median of 231 days. Changes in CPIS and rBMD during treatment were statistically different between responders and nonresponders (P = .046 and .03, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Substantiated by reductions in CPIS and increases in rBMD, single-agent pamidronate administered intravenously with NSAID therapy relieves pain and diminishes pathologic bone turnover associated with appendicular OSA in a subset of dogs.     

Effects of vertebrate herbivores and shrub characteristics on arthropod assemblages in a northern Arizona forest ecosystem

Large herbivores have potential to affect invertebrate community structure through numerous processes, but little work has been done to evaluate the relative importance of direct and indirect factors. In this study, we measured arthropod community assemblages on Ceanothus fendleri A. Gray (Fendler's ceanothus) plants that were growing inside and outside of 4-m² exclosures. We used univariate analyses and structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate relationships within this herbivore–plant–arthropod system in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) forests of northern Arizona, USA. Results showed that individual arthropod abundance, family diversity, family richness, and functional group richness were significantly greater on plots where C. fendleri plants were protected from large ungulate herbivores (e.g., mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni)) than on unprotected plots in each of the three study years. Results also indicated the following: (1) arthropod abundance was significantly greater on protected plants than unprotected plants; (2) rarefaction curves suggested arthropod family richness was similar between protected and unprotected plants in two of the three years when scaled by number of individuals but the estimated total richness was consistently higher on protected plants; (3) arthropod abundance was directly affected by protection from herbivores, plant stem length, and number of flowers; (4) arthropod family richness was related to the number of individuals collected and affected by stem length. Results from this study illustrate that arthropod communities are directly affected by foraging vertebrate herbivores as well as indirectly affected through complex plant-mediated factors in this model system. Protection of preferred forage plants such as C. fendleri from ungulate herbivores can potentially increase diversity of arthropod assemblages in these forests, help conserve biological diversity, and enhance ecosystem restoration efforts.     

An Overview of Proteinase Inhibitors

Proteinase inhibitors are proteins in the body that regulate the catalytic activity of proteinases. They are important in a large variety of physiologic processes including coagulation, digestion, tumor metastasis and immunity. Proteinase inhibitors are categorized as either nonspecific proteinase inhibitors or class-specific proteinase inhibitors. Nonspecific proteinase inhibitors are comprised soley of the alpha macroglobulins, most notably alpha2-macroglobulin. Class-specific proteinase inhibitors are subcategorized as serine proteinase inhibitors, aspartic proteinase inhibitors, metalloproteinase inhibitors, and cysteine proteinase inhibitors. Each subcategory is made up of numerous inhibitors. As the roles of individual proteinase inhibitors are determined, the therapeutic use of natural and synthetic proteinase inhibitors is also being investigated. The purpose of this article is to review the history and classification of proteinase inhibitors and their relevance to veterinary medicine.