IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—A LUMINAL LAMINATED DEBRIS BALL IN THE URINARY BLADDER OF A DOG

A 5‐year‐old dog presented with pollakiuria and urinary incontinence. Abdominal radiographs revealed an oval, multilayered structure with soft tissue opacity and gas lucency in the urinary bladder. Ultrasonography showed an oval luminal structure with hyper‐ and hypoechoic layers and internal reverberation artifacts. Following cystotomy, the hemisected plane showed a layered, pale whitish matrix with a gas layer around the core. Histopathological examination showed no evidence of cells, bacteria, or fungi. The core and laminae comprised fibrinous and mineral debris. A final diagnosis of a freely floating, gas‐filled laminated debris ball was made.     

Promising antidiabetic potential of fucoxanthin isolated from the edible brown algae Eisenia bicyclis and Undaria pinnatifida

In the present study, we investigated the antidiabetic potential of fucoxanthin via the inhibition of rat lens aldose reductase (RLAR), human recombinant aldose reductase (HRAR), advanced glycation end-product (AGE) formation, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), and α-glucosidase. Fucoxanthin displayed potent inhibitory activity against AGE formation and HRAR and RLAR activity. In addition, fucoxanthin showed potent inhibitory activity against PTP1B. However, it did not show α-glucosidase inhibitory activity below 200 μM. In addition, our kinetic study revealed that fucoxanthin competitively inhibited RLAR, while it showed mixed-type inhibition against PTP1B. In order to confirm enzyme inhibition, we predicted the 3D structure of PTP1B using Autodock 4.0 to simulate the binding of fucoxanthin. Docking simulation results demonstrated that three residues of PTP1B (Phe30, Phe52, and Gly183) interact with the two hydroxyl groups of fucoxanthin. In addition, the binding energy was negative (?7.66 kcal/mol), indicating that the three hydrogen bonds may stabilize the open form of the enzyme and potentiate tighter binding to the active site of PTP1B, resulting in more effective PTP1B inhibition. The results of the present study therefore clearly demonstrate the promising potential of fucoxanthin as a therapeutic intervention for the management of diabetes as well as diabetes-associated complications, which could be explored further.     

Cytotoxic prenylated flavonoids from Morus alba

A phytochemical fractionation of the methanol extract of the Morus alba leaves led to the isolation of eleven flavonoids (1–11). The structure of the new 3′-geranyl-3-prenyl-2′,4′,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone (1) was elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods. The cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds against human cervical carcinoma HeLa, human breast carcinoma MCF-7, and human hepatocarcinoma Hep3B cells was evaluated. Of note, morusin (9) was the most potent with an IC₅₀ value of 0.64 μM against HeLa cells.     

Pathology in dogs with experimental canine H3N2 influenza virus infection

Avian-lineage H3N2 canine influenza virus (CIV)-associated respiratory disease, which can be fatal, emerged in South Korean dogs in 2007. We show here that dogs experimentally infected with CIV only developed respiratory tract diseases, as no extrapulmonary lesions and virus antigens were detected. This differs from the multiorgan diseases that avian influenza H5N1 induces in small experimental animals. However, the CIV-infected dogs developed a distinctively severe, long-persistent bronchointerstitial pneumonia, which differs from the acute but short-term bronchopneumonia that human (H1N1 and H3N2) influenza cause in rodents and ferrets. Histopathology and in situ TUNEL assays revealed that the neutrophils infiltrating the lesions were undergoing apoptosis, which probably reflects the attempts by the body to maintain appropriate numbers of neutrophils for defense against secondary bacterial infections. Our observations suggest that neutrophils along with the related chemoattractant cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-8, etc.) may play a key role in the pathogenesis of H3N2 CIV in dogs.     

Nutritive quality and palatability of switchgrass hays for sheep: effects of cultivar, nitrogen fertilization, and time of adaptation.

Feeding and palatability trials were conducted with four cultivars (cv) of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), fertilized at three levels of N (0, 75, or 150 kg of N/ha) in 2 yr. Wether sheep had ad libitum access to chopped hays, and intake, apparent digestibility, particle passage rates, and concentrations of blood metabolites were determined. Palatability was measured with mature sheep in cafeteria trials. Nitrogen fertilization did not affect (P > .05) DM digestibility (DMD) or DMI, but there was a year x N interaction (P < .01) for NDF digestibility. Dry matter digestibility values for combined years and N levels were 56.9, 54.4, 56.6, and 57.9% (P < .01) for Pathfinder, New Jersey 50, Kentucky 1625, and Trailblazer cv, respectively; mean DMI values were 60.4, 60.8, 57.7, and 64.0 g/kg BW.75 (year x cv, P < .01). An apparently greater quality of Trailblazer was masked by weed invasion of N-fertilized stands of this cv in yr 2, with changes in hay composition. Lambs adapted to hay diets with time; mean DMI for cv and N levels combined increased (P < .001) from 50.5 to 71.4 g/kg BW.75 between wk 2 and 3 and wk 10 and 11, with no change in DMD. Intakes of NDF increased from 37.6 to 55.6 g/kg BW.75, an increase of 48%. Marker (Yb) measurements indicated little change in particle passage rates with treatment. There were no major differences in blood composition, apart from increases in blood urea N, as a result of N fertilization. Cafeteria trials showed preference by sheep for Trailblazer and KY 1625 compared with NJ 50 and Pathfinder, with a N x cv interaction (P < .01). Trailblazer was preferred to KY 1625 in a two-choice situation (P < .01). Results show relatively small effects of cv and N fertilization on quality of switchgrass and indicate the need for a lengthy period of adaptation by sheep to the feeding of a warm-season grass.     

Effects of exposure to genistein and estradiol on reproductive development in immature male mice weaned from dams adapted to a soy-based commercial diet

Genistein, a soybean-originated isoflavone, is widely consumed by humans for putative beneficial health effects but its estrogenic activity may adversely affect the development of male reproductive system. Twenty one-day-old ICR mice weaned from dams fed with a soybean-based diet throughout gestation and lactation were exposed by gavage to genistein (2.5 mg/kg b.w./day) or 17beta-estradiol (7.5 microg/kg b.w./day) for five weeks. Corn oil was used as a negative control. The animals were fed with a casein-based AIN-76A diet throughout the experimental periods. There were no significant differences in body and organ weights of mice among experimental groups. No significant differences in sperm counts and sperm motile characteristics were found between control and genistein groups. Treatment of 17beta-estradiol caused a significant decrease in prostate weight and epididymal sperm counts compared to the control (p<0.05). The levels of phospholipid hydroxide glutathione peroxidase in the testis and prostate of mice exposed to genistein or 17beta-estradiol were significantly higher than that of the control mice (p<0.05). 17beta-estradiol treatment caused degeneration and apoptosis of germ cells in the testis, depletion and degeneration in the epididymal epithelium, and hyperplasia of mucosal fold region in the prostate of mice. Genistein treatment did not cause any lesion in the testis, epididymis, and prostate. These results suggest that dietary uptake of genistein during juvenile period may not affect male reproductive development and functions.