Interactive Effects of Vitamin C and E Supplementation on Growth,Fatty Acid Composition,and Lipid Peroxidation of Sea Cucumber,Apostichopus japonicus,Fed with Dietary Oxidized Fish Oil

A feeding trial was conducted to determine the interactive effects of vitamin C (ascorbic acid, AsA) and E (α‐tocopherol, α‐Toc) supplementation with dietary oxidized fish oil (OFO) on the growth performance, whole‐body AsA, and α‐Toc concentrations and fatty acid composition of juvenile sea cucumber. In a 9‐wk feeding trial, juveniles (average weight: 0.6 ± 0.1 g) were cultured in twenty‐four 50‐L tanks (30 juveniles per tank) in triplicate, and fed with eight test diets containing two levels of OFO (8.9 and 156.9 meq/kg) with varying levels of vitamin C (500 and 1000 mg AsA equivalents/kg diet) and E (100 and 200 mg α‐Toc equivalents/kg diet) supplementation, respectively. Body weight gain of sea cucumber was significantly reduced by dietary OFO, while mortality and whole‐body thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances value were increased significantly. Increasing dietary vitamin C and E levels significantly increased whole‐body α‐Toc and AsA concentrations, respectively. A high level of vitamin E combined with OFO led to consumption of AsA. Even with supplementation of a large dose of vitamin C and/or E in diets, growth performance could not be improved, probably due to the high levels of vitamins in the control diets.     

The Effect of Different Dietary Energy Levels on Growth and Survival of Eyestalk Ablated and Intact Juvenile Lobsters Homarus americanus

When fed formulated diets containing 45% protein derived from the rock crab Cancer irroratus , wheat gluten, gelatin, lipids adjusted from 3–14% and carbohydrates adjusted from 5–24%, the average survival of bilaterally eyestalk ablated juvenile lobsters and intact controls were 91% and 99%, respectively over a 90-day experiment. Photopenad (13 light: 11 dark vs 3 light: 21 dark) did not have a significant effect on growth or survival of ablated or intact lobsters. The optimal digestible energy levels and protein/energy ratio for the greatest growth in both ablated and intact lobsters were 3.7 to 3.8 (kcal/g dry) and 0.12 [g protein/(kcal/g)], respectively. The best feed conversion ratios (0.97 and 1.40 diet given/weight gain) for ablated and intact lobsters were obtained with diets containing 3.83 kcal/g and 3.63 kcal/g diet, respectively. The present study also demonstrated that crab protein served as a good protein source for intact and ablated lobsters.     

Comparative study of anti-oncogenic microRNA-145 in canine and human malignant melanoma

MicroRNA-145 (miRNA-145; miR-145) is aberrantly expressed in most of human cancers and plays a significant role in carcinogenesis and cancer progression. In the current study, we focused on how miR-145 plays a role in canine and human malignant melanomas. MiR-145 was significantly downregulated in canine malignant melanoma tissues and canine melanoma cell lines, as well as human melanoma cell lines tested. The ectopic expression of miR-145 showed a significant growth inhibition in both canine and human melanoma cells tested, and the effect was achieved partly by suppressing c-MYC in canine melanoma LMeC and in human melanoma A2058 and Mewo cells. At the same time, a suppressive tendency on cell migration in canine melanoma KMeC cells and significant suppression of cell migration in human melanoma A2058 cells by suppressing FASCIN1 were also found. These findings suggest that miR-145 acts as a tumor suppressor in both canine and human malignant melanomas.     

Hatch timing of two subarctic salmonids in a stream network estimated by otolith increments

Hatch timing in autumn-spawning stream salmonids is poorly understood in the subarctic region because snow cover prevents direct sampling of cryptic early life stages. Otolith micro-increment analysis was used to infer hatch dates of white-spotted charr Salvelinus leucomaenis (Pallas) and masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou (Brevoort) in a mainstem-tributary network in northern Japan. Accuracy and precision were validated by ageing hatchery individuals with known hatch date ranges. In July 2018, 93 wild young-of-the-year white-spotted charr and 81 masu salmon were collected and aged. Masu salmon hatched, on average, 24 days earlier (mean = February 8) than white-spotted charr (March 4), and hatch dates spanned a minimum of 2 months for each species. In masu salmon, hatch dates of individuals collected in the mainstem were nearly 3 weeks earlier than those in a tributary. This study provided knowledge on intra- and inter-specific variation in hatch timing of native salmonids in a subarctic stream network.     

Surgical correction of subvalvular aortic stenosis using cardiopulmonary bypass in a dog

A three-month-old male Golden Retriever had symptoms including exercise intolerance, dyspnea and syncope and was diagnosed with subvalvular aortic stenosis. Cardiac catheterization revealed a left ventricular-aortic systolic pressure gradient of 90 mm Hg. Surgical correction of the condition was achieved using cardiopulmonary bypass. The subvalvular fibrous lesion was resected through an aortotomy. The stenosis was dilated from 8.5 mm to 12.0 mm in diameter. Postoperatively the dog was asymptomatic. Seven months after surgery, the pressure gradient decreased to 44 mm Hg. However, after another three months, the dog died suddenly without any premonitory signs. Postmortem examination revealed that pathologic changes caused by increased left ventricular pressure overload were not severe.     

Urinary albumin and transferrin as early diagnostic markers of chronic kidney disease

Feline renal diseases are increasingly noted in veterinary practice. It is important to diagnose and identify the pathological basis of renal dysfunction accurately at an early stage, but there are only a few reports on this area in clinical veterinary medicine. We investigated the efficacy of measurement of urinary albumin (u-Alb) and urinary transferrin (u-Tf) for early diagnosis using 5-µl urine samples collected noninvasively by catheterization from normal (IRIS stage I) cats and cats with stage I chronic kidney disease (CKD). The u-Alb levels in normal and stage I CKD cats were 6.0 ± 4.5 and 11.2 ± 8.4 mg/dl, respectively, and the u-Tf levels were 0.09 ± 0.42 and 0.52 ± 0.79 mg/dl, respectively. Based on ROC curve analysis, the sensitivity and specificity of u-Alb and u-Tf were higher than those of the currently used biomarker, the plasma creatinine level. The sensitivity of u-Alb was higher than that of u-Tf, whereas the specificity of u-Tf was higher than that of u-Alb. The validity of the threshold albumin level (20 mg/dl) was confirmed by measurements using SDS-PAGE. Since leakage of u-Tf in urine precedes leakage of u-Alb, inclusion of u-Tf in biochemistry tests may be appropriate for IRIS staging as a diagnostic marker of early diagnosis of renal disorder in cats.     

Acquired Fanconi syndrome in a dog exposed to jerky treats in Japan

A 6-year-old spayed female Jack Russell Terrier presented with a 1-month history of lethargy, anorexia, vomiting and weight loss. The dog was fed beef and chicken jerky treats daily in addition to a commercial diet. Laboratory tests revealed azotemia, hypokalemia, hyperchloremia, metabolic acidosis and glucosuria with normoglycemia. Urine amino acid analysis showed significant amino acid loss into the urine. Thus, Fanconi syndrome was diagnosed, and based on the case history and extensive diagnostic testing, excessive consumption of jerky treats was strongly suspected as the cause. Glucosuria resolved 7 days after the withdrawal of jerky treats and fluid therapy. Aminoaciduria was substantially, but not completely, improved 3 months after diagnosis. Mild azotemia remained, suggesting chronic renal disease. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of Fanconi syndrome following the consumption of jerky treats in Japan.