Ultrasonographic quantitative evaluation of acute and chronic renal disease using the renal cortical thickness to aorta ratio in dogs

The renal cortical thickness (RCT) has been correlated with renal function. Previous studies have also reported that the RCT:Abdominal aorta(Ao) ratio is constant in normal dogs with various physical factors. This multi-center, retrospective, analytical study aimed to determine if there are differences between actual RCT and predicted value of RCT considering physical factors in dogs with acute or chronic renal disease. We also aimed to demonstrate whether the RCT and Ao ratio index would be useful for evaluating renal pathology. A total of 54 dogs with acute or chronic renal disease and 30 normal healthy dogs were included in this study. The RCT was measured at the center of the renal pyramid as the shortest distance perpendicular to the renal capsule from the base of the renal medullary pyramid at three points. The diameter of the Ao was measured just caudal to the branch of the left renal artery in the sagittal plane in systole. The RCT:Ao ratio of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients was 0.50 ± 0.11 (mean ± standard deviation). The RCT:Ao ratio in normal dogs was 0.67 ± 0.07. The RCT:Ao ratio in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) was 0.83 ± 0.05. There was a statistically significant difference between normal dogs and dogs with CKD (P < 0.001) and between normal dogs and dogs with AKI (P < 0.001). In conclusion, findings from the current study supported using the RCT:Ao ratio as a non-invasive quantitative method for characterizing kidney pathology in dogs with acute or chronic renal disease.     

Near-infrared spectroscopic determination of degradation in vegetable oils used to fry various foods

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic methods for measuring degradation products, including total polar materials (TPMs) and free fatty acids (FFAs), in soy-based frying oil used for frying various foods have been successfully developed. Calibration models were developed using forward stepwise multiple linear regression (FSMLR) and partial least-squares (PLS) regression techniques and then tested with an independent set of validation samples. The results show that the quality of oil used for frying different foods can be measured with a single model. First-derivative treatments improved results for TPM measurement. In addition, PLS models gave better prediction results than FSMLR models. For PLS models, the best correlations (r) between the NIR-predicted data and the chemical method data for TPMs and FFAs in oils were 0.995 and 0.981, respectively. For FSMLR models, the best r values for TPMs and FFAs in oils were 0.993 and 0.963, respectively.     

RSK1 vs. RSK2 Inhibitory Activity of the Marine β-Carboline Alkaloid Manzamine A: A Biochemical,Cervical Cancer Protein Expression,and Computational Study

Manzamines are complex polycyclic marine-derived β-carboline alkaloids with reported anticancer, immunostimulatory, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antimalarial, neuritogenic, hyperlipidemia, and atherosclerosis suppression bioactivities, putatively associated with inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3, cyclin-dependent kinase 5, SIX1, and vacuolar ATPases. We hypothesized that additional, yet undiscovered molecular targets might be associated with Manzamine A’s (MZA) reported pharmacological properties. We report here, for the first time, that MZA selectively inhibited a 90 kDa ribosomal protein kinase S6 (RSK1) when screened against a panel of 30 protein kinases, while in vitro RSK kinase assays demonstrated a 10-fold selectivity in the potency of MZA against RSK1 versus RSK2. The effect of MZA on inhibiting cellular RSK1 and RSK2 protein expression was validated in SiHa and CaSki human cervical carcinoma cell lines. MZA’s differential binding and selectivity toward the two isoforms was also supported by computational docking experiments. Specifically, the RSK1-MZA (N- and C-termini) complexes appear to have stronger interactions and preferable energetics contrary to the RSK2–MZA ones. In addition, our computational strategy suggests that MZA binds to the N-terminal kinase domain of RSK1 rather than the C-terminal domain. RSK is a vertebrate family of cytosolic serine-threonine kinases that act downstream of the ras-ERK1/2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2) pathway, which phosphorylates substrates shown to regulate several cellular processes, including growth, survival, and proliferation. Consequently, our findings have led us to hypothesize that MZA and the currently known manzamine-type alkaloids isolated from several sponge genera may have novel pharmacological properties with unique molecular targets, and MZA provides a new tool for chemical-biology studies involving RSK1.     

Association between growth habit and persistence in red clover

Summary Three double-cut red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) varieties: Prosper I, Florex, and Tristan each with two different seedlots were space-planted in a field. The total number of plants established for each seedlot was about 900. In the seedling year, plants were classified into five growth types according to rosette development and flower production. In the fall of the third year 14% of the rosette-forming, non-flowering Type 1 plants were alive; 8–11% of the intermediate types survived; and only 2% of the nonrosette-forming, profusely flowering Type 5 plants remained growing. The non-flowering class (Types 1 and 2) persisted better than the flowering class (Types 3, 4, and 5). This difference in persistence was similar for all three varieties regardless of seed source. The two flowering classes, in the production years, had the same proportion of the most vigorous plants. The most vigorous plants of the non-flowering class had the same frequency distribution of seed yield as those of the non-flowering class. In conclusion, the flowering response can be used as a selection criterion for persistent plants; and plants not flowering in the seedling year can attain a forage and seed yield as high as flowering plants in the production years. Screening for non-flowering plants can be carried out at the seedling stage in the greenhouse before seedlings are transplanted to the field.Contribution No. 520, from the Charlottetown Research Station, Agriculture Canada, Prince Edward Island, Canada.     

Morphological characteristics associated with winter survival of five growth types of tetraploid red clover

Summary The aim of this study was to correlate flowering response of tetraploid red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) in the year of seeding with winter survival and other characteristics (vigour, bloom date). In two different years about 2000 plants of two different cultivars (Hungaropoly and Tapiopoly) were established and in the fall were classified into five growth types based on rosette formation and flower production. Non-flowering types were shorter and had few petioles at 6–8 weeks of age, but showed better survival than flowering types. Hungaropoly non-flowering types were more vigorous and bloomed earlier in the second year but Tapiopoly non-flowering types were less vigorous and bloomed later. Although non-flowering in the seeding year was associated with better survival in the second year, there was adequate variation within both types for selection for improved persistence.     

Free and Bound Phenolic Acids and Total Phenolics in Black,Blue, and Yellow Barley and Their Contribution to Free Radical Scavenging Capacity

Barley is considered a healthy food because of its high content of β‐glucan and phenolic antioxidants. In the current study, 28 black, blue, and yellow barleys were investigated in terms of their composition of free and bound phenolic acids and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity. Free phenolics were based on aqueous methanol extraction, whereas bound phenolics were extracted following alkaline hydrolysis. Phenolics were then separated and quantified by liquid chromatography and the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Significant differences were observed between the three barley color groups, and within each color group a wide range of phenolics concentrations existed. Ferulic acid was the predominant phenolic acid in free and bound extracts, followed by p‐coumaric acid in all the barleys investigated. Total phenols content and individual phenolic acids strongly correlated with free radical scavenging capacity of barley. Black and blue barley were found to be related and distinct from yellow barley. The results showed significant variations in phenolics among barleys, with a potential for the development of barley grains with high content of phenolic compounds as antioxidant potential.     

Disruption of duplicated yellow genes in Bactrocera tryoni modifies pigmentation colouration and impacts behaviour

Journal of Pest Science - Irradiated Queensland fruit flies (Bactrocera tryoni) used in Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programmes are marked with fluorescent dyes to distinguish them from wild...     

Method for determining frying oil degradation by near-infrared spectroscopy

A rapid near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic method for measuring degradation products in frying oils, including total polar materials (TPMs) and free fatty acids (FFAs), has been developed. Calibration models were developed using both forward stepwise multiple linear regression (FSMLR) and partial least-squares (PLS) regression techniques and then tested with two independent sets of validation samples. Derivative treatments had limited usefulness, especially in the longer (1100-2500 nm) wavelength region. When using a wavelength region of 700-1100 nm, PLS models gave improved results compared to FSMLR models. The best correlations (r) between the NIR and wet chemical methods for TPM and FFA were 0.983 and 0.943, respectively. In the longer wavelength region (1100-2500 nm), FSMLR models were as good or better than PLS models. The best correlations for TPM and FFA obtained in this region were 0.999 and 0.983, respectively.