WHOLE‐BODY BIODISTRIBUTION OF 3′‐DEOXY‐3′‐[18F]FLUOROTHYMIDINE (18FLT) IN HEALTHY ADULT CATS

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) utilizing 3′‐deoxy‐3′‐[¹⁸F]fluorothymidine (¹⁸FLT), a proliferation tracer, has been found to be a useful tool for characterizing neoplastic diseases and bone marrow function in humans. As PET and PET/CT imaging become increasingly available in veterinary medicine, knowledge of radiopharmaceutical biodistribution in veterinary species is needed for lesion interpretation in the clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to describe the normal biodistribution of ¹⁸FLT in adult domestic cats. Imaging of six healthy young adult castrated male cats was performed using a commercially available PET/CT scanner consisting of a 64‐slice helical CT scanner with an integrated whole‐body, high‐resolution lutetium oxy‐orthosilicate (LSO) PET scanner. Cats were sedated and injected intravenously with 108.60 ± 2.09 (mean ± SD) MBq of ¹⁸FLT (greater than 99% radiochemical purity by high‐performance liquid chromatography). Imaging was performed in sternal recumbency under general anesthesia. Static images utilizing multiple bed positions were acquired 80.83 ± 7.52 (mean ± SD) minutes post‐injection. Regions of interest were manually drawn over major parenchymal organs and selected areas of bone marrow and increased tracer uptake. Standardized uptake values were calculated. Notable areas of uptake included hematopoietic bone marrow, intestinal tract, and the urinary and hepatobiliary systems. No appreciable uptake was observed within brain, lung, myocardium, spleen, or skeletal muscle. Findings from this study can be used as baseline data for future studies of diseases in cats.     

New geoarchaeological investigations of the valley systems in the Aksum area of northern Ethiopia

Recent geoarchaeological investigations of the valley systems to the north and northeast of Aksum have revealed indications of a relatively recent alluvial sequence, probably within the last millennium. The implication is that both during and prior to the Aksumite Period, there was considerable landscape stability and resilience. This is reflected in the development of soils with vertic-like properties, which instead appear to be more like organic brown earths that gradually begin to aggrade through colluvial and alluvial additions. How much this is the result of sympathetic, long-term landscape management by the expanding population, and how much is related to underlying and longer-term climatic and vegetational trends is open to question at this stage. But in the last four to five centuries, the pace of alluvial aggradation appears to have increased markedly, and has deposited at least half of the sediment captured in the valley systems and lower slopes to the north of Aksum. This no doubt reflects a growing population and arable intensification.     

Impact of the biocontrol agent Trichoderma atroviride SC1 on soil microbial communities of a vineyard in northern Italy

The fungus Trichoderma atroviride SC1 is an experimental biocontrol agent (BCA) that is active against the fungus Armillaria mellea. Following the application of Trichoderma to the surface soil of a vineyard, we used a highly specific real-time PCR, previously validated for the analysis of soil microcosms, to monitor the populations of this fungus at different soil depths over several months. The quantification obtained using this molecular method was highly correlated with laboratory assays of colony-forming units. The native communities of bacteria and fungi in the soil were analyzed using automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA), and transient changes were observed following the application of T. atroviride SC1 conidia. A principal component of variance analysis demonstrated that the introduction of T. atroviride SC1 had an effect on the soil microflora during the first two weeks following inoculation. However, at later dates, environmental conditions had a higher influence on the surveyed communities than the BCA application, as confirmed through the use of the Shannon index of biodiversity. Soil depth had a strong influence on the composition and biodiversity of fungal communities.     

Otoscopic, cytological, and microbiological examination of the equine external ear canal

Otoscopic examination and cytology of the equine ear would be beneficial in diseases such as head trauma, headshaking, otitis externa secondary to otitis media, vestibular disease, aural neoplasia and aural pruritus secondary to parasites. In practice, otic examinations of horses are rarely done due to the perceived difficulty in visualizing the equine external ear canal and tympanic membrane, as well as the need for chemical restraint. In this study, the proximal external ear canal was examined in live horses using a handheld otoscope and in cadaver heads using video otoscopy. Visualization of the proximal ear canal of the sedated horse could be done with a handheld otoscope, but more sedation or general anaesthesia and a video otoscope would be required to adequately visualize the tympanic membrane in the live horse. The proximal ear canals of 18 horses were examined cytologically and cultured aerobically. In three horses, both ears were sampled. No cells or organisms were seen on cytological examination of 11/21 ears. Nine of the 21 ears were sterile when cultured. Ten of the 21 ears had mixed growth with low numbers of organisms (Corynebacterium sp. being most common). Two of the 21 ears had heavy growth of a single organism (Corynebacterium sp. and Staphylococcus intermedius, respectively). Equine cadaver heads were examined in cross-section by computed tomography (CT) imaging and histopathology in order to further understand the anatomy of the equine external ear canal. Equine practitioners should be aware that otic examination is possible and may provide important diagnostic information.     

Effect of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide on u-PA activity and u-PA and u-PAR RNA expression in a bovine mammary epithelial cell line

It is well known that the plasminogen-activating (PA) system plays a key role in the bovine mammary gland during tissue remodelling. However, the modulation of the PA cascade after bacterial infections needs to be elucidated. This study examined the effects of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on cell viability, the modulation of cell-associated u-PA activity, and the regulation of u-PA and u-PA receptor (u-PAR) RNA expression using the BME-UV1 bovine mammary epithelial cell line. LPS did not affect cell viability, but induced an increase in u-PA activity, with the maximum response after 6 h of incubation. Moreover, u-PA and u-PAR mRNA expression were both up-regulated in BME-UV1 cells after 3 h of incubation with LPS. These data indicated that E. coli LPS led to an increase in u-PA activity and RNA expression of u-PA and u-PAR in BME-UV1 cells, thus strengthening the role of the PA system during pathological processes.     

Antioxidant Properties of Fermented Soy during Shelf Life

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Glycine max (soybean) is a fundamental food in human nutrition, largely utilized by the consumers, and in particular, fermented soy is mainly used. However, health...     

Valorisation of Ginger and Turmeric Peels as Source of Natural Antioxidants

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - The antioxidant activity of ginger and turmeric powders derived from freeze-dried rhizomes and peels as well as commercial spices has been evaluated by two...     

Combining isotopic signatures of n(Sr)/n(Sr) and light stable elements (C,N, O,S) with multi-elemental profiling for the authentication of provenance of European cereal samples

The aim of this work (from the FP6 project TRACE) was to develop methods based on the use of geochemical markers for the authentication of the geographical origin of cereal samples in Europe (cf. EC regulations 2081/92 and 1898/06). For the first time, the potential usefulness of combining n(⁸⁷Sr)/n(⁸⁶Sr) and δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O and δ³⁴S isotopic signatures, alone or with key element concentrations ([Na], [K], [Ca], [Cu] and [Rb], progressively identified out of 31 sets of results), was investigated through multiple step multivariate statistics for more than 500 cereal samples collected over 2 years from 17 sampling sites across Europe representing an extensive range of geographical and environmental characteristics.     

The Bright Side of Gelatinous Blooms: Nutraceutical Value and Antioxidant Properties of Three Mediterranean Jellyfish (Scyphozoa)

Jellyfish are recorded with increasing frequency and magnitude in many coastal areas and several species display biological features comparable to the most popular Asiatic edible jellyfish. The biochemical and antioxidant properties of wild gelatinous biomasses, in terms of nutritional and nutraceutical values, are still largely unexplored. In this paper, three of the most abundant and commonly recorded jellyfish species (Aurelia sp.1, Cotylorhiza tuberculata and Rhizostoma pulmo) in the Mediterranean Sea were subject to investigation. A sequential enzymatic hydrolysis of jellyfish proteins was set up by pepsin and collagenase treatments of jellyfish samples after aqueous or hydroalcoholic protein extraction. The content and composition of proteins, amino acids, phenolics, and fatty acids of the three species were recorded and compared. Protein content (mainly represented by collagen) up to 40% of jellyfish dry weight were found in two of the three jellyfish species (C. tuberculata and R. pulmo), whereas the presence of ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was significantly higher in the zooxanthellate jellyfish C. tuberculata only. Remarkable antioxidant ability was also recorded from both proteinaceous and non proteinaceous extracts and the hydrolyzed protein fractions in all the three species. The abundance of collagen, peptides and other bioactive molecules make these Mediterranean gelatinous biomasses a largely untapped source of natural compounds of nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and pharmacological interest.