Urolithins Are the Main Urinary Microbial-Derived Phenolic Metabolites Discriminating a Moderate Consumption of Nuts in Free-Living Subjects with Diagnosed Metabolic Syndrome

Walnuts ( Juglans regia L.), hazelnuts ( Corylus avellana L.), and almonds ( Prunus dulcis Mill.) are rich sources of ellagitannins and proanthocyanidins. Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in modulating the bioavailability of these high molecular weight polyphenols. However, to date there are no studies evaluating the capacity to produce nut phenolic metabolites in subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS), a pathology associated with an altered gut bacterial diversity. This study applied a LC-MS targeted approach to analyze the urinary excretion of nut phenolic metabolites in MetS subjects following 12 weeks of nut consumption, compared to sex- and age-matched individuals given a nut-free control diet. Metabolites were targeted in both hydrolyzed and nonhydrolyzed urine by LC-PDA-QqQ-MS/MS analysis, and identification of metabolites lacking available standards was confirmed by LC-ESI-ITD-FT-MS. Ellagitannin-derived urolithins A and B significantly increased after the nut-enriched-diet, urolithins C and D were also detected, and a complex combination of urolithin-conjugated forms was observed in nonhydrolyzed urine, confirming an extensive phase II metabolism after absorption. In contrast, no significant increases in proanthocyanidin microbial metabolites were observed in urine following nut consumption. Because the intestinal microbiota of the subjects in this study could catabolize ellagitannins into a wide range of urolithins, further research is strongly warranted on the in vivo potential of these microbial metabolites in reducing cardiometabolic risk.     

Kinetics of Mercury Bioaccumulation in the Polychaete Hediste diversicolor and in the Bivalve Scrobicularia plana, Through a Dietary Exposure Pathway

Mercury bioaccumulation kinetics of two important macrobenthic species, the polychaete Hediste diversicolor and the bivalve Scrobicularia plana, were evaluated following a dietary pathway (i.e. contaminated algae), through a mesocosm laboratory experiment. Both studied species presented a similar model of Hg bioaccumulation kinetics, a linear pattern of accumulation through time being the mercury accumulation in the organisms proportional to the mercury concentration in the food. Mercury bioaccumulation rates were higher in the polychaete H. diversicolor (reaching approximately 0.15 μg g⁻¹ at the end of the experiment) than in the bivalve S. plana (≈0.07 μg g⁻¹), which could be related to their feeding strategies, ingestion rates and assimilation efficiencies. Moreover, the mercury bioaccumulation revealed to be quite a fast process especially for the polychaete, and despite the fact that this species is not an edible organism, it is an important prey item, which can greatly contribute to the transport of contaminants to higher trophic levels. Therefore, the bioaccumulation of mercury by these important macrobenthic species, especially the bivalves, represents a non-negligible risk for humans.     

The Role of Weather in Meningitis Outbreaks in Navrongo, Ghana: A Generalized Additive Modeling Approach

Bacterial (meningococcal) meningitis is a devastating infectious disease with outbreaks occurring annually during the dry season in locations within the ??Meningitis Belt??, a region in sub-Saharan Africa stretching from Ethiopia to Senegal. Meningococcal meningitis occurs from December to May in the Sahel with large epidemics every 5?C10?years and attack rates of up to 1000 infections per 100,000 people. High temperatures coupled with low humidity may favor the conversion of carriage to disease as the meningococcal bacteria in the nose and throat are better able to cross the mucosal membranes into the blood stream. Similarly, respiratory diseases such as influenza and pneumonia might weaken the immune defenses and add to the mucosa damage. Although the transmission dynamics are poorly understood, outbreaks regularly end with the onset of the rainy season and may begin anew with the following dry season. In this paper, we employ a generalized additive modeling approach to assess the association between number of reported meningitis cases and a set of weather variables (relative humidity, rain, wind, sunshine, maximum and minimum temperature). The association is adjusted for air quality (dust, carbon monoxide), as well as varying degrees of unobserved time-varying confounding processes that co-vary with both the disease incidence and weather. We present the analysis of monthly reported meningitis counts in Navrongo, Ghana, from 1998?C2008.     

Chemical and morphological characterization of Costa Rican papaya (Carica papaya L.) hybrids and lines with particular focus on their genuine carotenoid profiles

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) F1 hybrids and inbred lines grown in Costa Rica were screened for morphological and nutritionally relevant fruit traits. The qualitative composition of carotenoids showed great similarity, being mostly composed of free and esterified β-cryptoxanthins accompanied by β-carotene, lycopene, and biosynthetic precursors. High levels of (all-E)-lycopene and its isomers were distinctive for red-fleshed hybrids, whereas yellow-fleshed fruits were virtually devoid of lycopenes. Because carotenoid levels among the investigated hybrids and lines differed significantly, this study supports the hypothesis of an exploitable genetic variability, and a potential heterotic effect regarding carotenoid expression may be instrumental in papaya-breeding programs. Due to significantly higher levels of provitamin A carotenoids and coinciding high levels of total lycopene, particularly red-fleshed hybrids might represent prospective sources of these compounds. Furthermore, the nutritional value of some genotypes was boosted by substantial amounts of ascorbic acid (up to 73 mg/100 g of fresh weight), which correlated to total soluble solids (R(2) = 0.86).     

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF BRONCHIECTASIS IN 12 DOGS

Bronchiectasis is an irreversible dilatation of the bronchi resulting from chronic airway inflammation. In people, computed tomography (CT) has been described as the noninvasive gold standard for diagnosing bronchiectasis. In dogs, normal CT bronchoarterial ratios have been described as <2.0. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe quantitative and qualitative CT characteristics of bronchiectasis in a cohort of dogs with confirmed disease. Inclusion criteria for the study were thoracic radiography, thoracic CT, and a diagnosis of bronchiectasis based on bronchoscopy and/or histopathology. For each included dog, a single observer measured CT bronchoarterial ratios at 6 lobar locations. Qualitative thoracic radiography and CT characteristics were recorded by consensus opinion of two board‐certified veterinary radiologists. Twelve dogs met inclusion criteria. The mean bronchoarterial ratio from 28 bronchiectatic lung lobes was 2.71 ± 0.80 (range 1.4 to 4.33), and 23/28 measurements were >2.0. Averaged bronchoarterial ratios from bronchiectatic lung lobes were significantly larger (P < 0.01) than averaged ratios from nonbronchiectatic lung lobes. Qualitative CT characteristics of bronchiectasis included lack of peripheral airway tapering (12/12), lobar consolidation (11/12), bronchial wall thickening (7/12), and bronchial lumen occlusion (4/12). Radiographs detected lack of airway tapering in 7/12 dogs. In conclusion, the most common CT characteristics of bronchiectasis were dilatation, a lack of peripheral airway tapering, and lobar consolidation. Lack of peripheral airway tapering was not visible in thoracic radiographs for some dogs. For some affected dogs, bronchoarterial ratios were less than published normal values.     

Improved Ability to Maintain Fitness in Horses During Large Pasture Turnout

The objective was to compare horses' maintenance of fitness during extended periods of no forced exercise with that after stall confinement. Horses were divided into three groups: pasture turnout (P), stalled and exercised (E), or stalled with no exercise (S). Pre- and post-study body fat and bone mineral content were estimated, and horses performed a standardized exercise test (SET). Horses wore global positioning units to estimate distance traveled. The P group traveled a greater distance daily compared with the E and S groups (P < .01). Lateral bone density was greater for the P group after the study (P = .05). Comparing first and second SETs, the P group had lower heart rates at the trot (P < .01) and hand-gallop (P = .028), the E group had lower heart rates at the hand-gallop (P < .01), and the S group had higher 1-minute recovery heart rates (P < .01). Plasma lactate concentrations were higher at the peak of exercise (P < .01) and 10-minute recovery (P = .015) for the S group, whereas the P and E groups had lower rectal temperature at the peak of exercise (P = .029) and 10-minute recovery (P = .031 and P = .041, respectively). These data suggest that the S group lost fitness, whereas the P group remained as fit as the E group. The improvement for the P group compared with the E or S group was greater bone mineral content. Access to pasture appears to help maintain bone strength and exercise fitness ability.     

Effect of treatment with a cationic antiviral compound on acute infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a widespread bovine pathogen capable of causing disease affecting multiple body systems. Previous studies have shown 2-(2-benzimidazolyl)-5-[4-(2-imidazolino)phenyl]furan dihydrochloride (DB772) effectively prevents BVDV infection in cell culture. The aim of this project was to assess the efficacy of DB772 for the prevention of acute BVDV infection. Four calves seronegative to BVDV were treated with DB772 and another 4 calves were treated with diluent only on the same dosing schedule. Each calf was subsequently challenged intranasally with BVDV. Virus was isolated consistently from untreated calves on days 4 to 8, while treated calves remained negative by virus isolation during this period. Azotemia was exhibited by all treated calves on day 4 resulting in the euthanasia of 1 calf on day 10 and the death of another on day 13. Virus was isolated from the 2 remaining treated calves on day 14 or 21. On day 21, both remaining treated calves and all 4 untreated calves had anti-BVDV antibody titers > 1:2048. This pilot study indicates that DB772 temporarily prevented acute disease due to BVDV, but carries a significant concern of renal toxicity.     

Management of bilateral idiopathic renal hematuria in a dog with silver nitrate

Renal hematuria has limited treatment options. This report describes management of bilateral idiopathic renal hematuria in a dog with surgically assisted installation of 0.5% silver nitrate solution. Initial treatment resulted in freedom from clinical signs or recurrent anemia for 10 months; however, recurrence of bleeding following a nephrectomy resulted in euthanasia.