Adaptation of the biobed composition for chlorpyrifos degradation to Southern Europe conditions

Biobeds developed in Sweden bind and degrade pesticides from point sources. The objective of this work was to adapt the biobed to Italian operating conditions, for example, to identify organic materials as effective as those in the original Swedish composition. The capacity of urban and garden composts alone or mixed with citrus peel or straw to degrade chlorpyrifos and its metabolite TCP was compared to the typical Swedish biomix consisting of straw, peat, and soil. A tendency for higher 14C-chlorpyrifos mineralization and lower TCP levels was observed in the biomixes with garden compost alone or amended with straw. In a second trial, a high correlation of lower TCP with increasing levels of straw in typical Swedish biomixes was observed. Straw stimulates production of lignin-degrading enzymes such as manganese peroxidase (MnP), and further trials with pure MnP showed that this enzyme degrades TCP. Materials with an active lignin-degrading microflora are a prerequisite for effective dissipation of chlorpyrifos and non-accumulation of TCP. Thus, lignocellulosic materials as straw and garden composts should be present in biomixes to be used under Italian conditions.     

Glucoraphasatin and glucoraphenin, a redox pair of glucosinolates of brassicaceae, differently affect metabolizing enzymes in rats

Brassica vegetables are an important dietary source of glucosinolates (GLs), whose breakdown products exhibit anticancer activity. The protective properties of Brassicaceae are believed to be due to the inhibition of Phase-I or induction of Phase-II xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (XMEs), thus enhancing carcinogen clearance. To study whether GLs affect XMEs and the role of their chemical structure, we focused on two alkylthio GLs differing in the oxidation degree of the side chain sulfur. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were supplemented (per oral somministration by gavage) with either glucoraphasatin (4-methylthio-3-butenyl GL; GRH) or glucoraphenin (4-methylsulfinyl-3-butenyl GL; GRE), at 24 or 120 mg/kg body weight in a single or repeated fashion (daily for four consecutive days), and hepatic microsomes were prepared for XME analyses. Both GLs were able to induce XMEs, showing different induction profiles. While the inductive effect was stronger after multiple administration of the higher GRH dosage, the single lower GRE dose was the most effective in boosting cytochrome P-450 (CYP)-associated monooxygenases and the postoxidative metabolism. CYP3A1/2 were the most affected isoforms by GRH treatment, whereas GRE induced mainly CYP1A2 supported oxidase. Glutathione S-transferase increased up to approximately 3.2-fold after a single (lower) GRE dose and UDP-glucuronosyl transferase up to approximately 2-fold after four consecutive (higher) GRH doses. In conclusion, the induction profile of these GLs we found is not in line with the chemopreventive hypothesis. Furthermore, the oxidation degree of the side chain sulfur of GLs seems to exert a crucial role on XME modulation.     

Structure-activity relationship development of dihaloaryl triazole compounds as insecticides and acaricides. 1. Phenyl thiophen-2-yl triazoles

An extended lipophilic system that incorporated some key elements of first-generation 2,6-dihaloaryl actives, such as 1, demonstrated desirable efficacy against chewing insects as well as sap-feeding insects. These four-ring systems, based on 2, were accessed primarily via Suzuki couplings of halothiophene derivatives with appropriately substituted boronic acids. In particular, phenylthiophene systems that incorporated haloxyether groups, such as those in 3, 4, and 5, had the broadest spectrum of activity across chewing and sap-feeding insect pests. Expansion of this structure-activity relationship to include compounds with differing substitution patterns on the thiophene-C-ring and aryl-D-rings was undertaken. The synthesis and insecticidal activity of 3-aryl-5-(thiophen-2-yl)-1-methyl-1H-[1,2,4]triazoles will be described.     

Predicting perchlorate exposure in milk from concentrations in dairy feed

Perchlorate has been detected in U.S. milk samples from many different states. Applying data from a recently reported 9-week experiment in which 16 Holstein dairy cows were administered perchlorate allowed us to derive an equation for the dose-response relationship between perchlorate concentrations in feed/drinking water and its appearance in milk. Examination of background concentrations of perchlorate in the total mixed ration (TMR) fed in addition to the variable dose supplied to treated cows as a ruminal infusate revealed that cows receive significant and variable exposure to perchlorate from the TMR. Weekly examination of the TMR disclosed that a change in ingredients midway through the experiment caused a significant (78%) change in TMR perchlorate concentration. Analyses of the ingredients comprising the TMR revealed that 41.9% of the perchlorate came from corn silage, 22.9% came from alfalfa hay and 11.7% was supplied by sudan grass. Finally, USDA Food and Nutrition Survey data on fluid milk consumption were used to predict potential human exposure from milk that contained concentrations of perchlorate observed in our previous dosing study. The study suggests that reducing perchlorate concentration in dairy feed may reduce perchlorate concentrations in milk as well as the potential to reduce human exposure to perchlorate in milk.     

Educational variations in the consumption of foods containing fat in Finland and the Baltic countries

OBJECTIVE: To examine educational differences among people who consume foods containing fat in Finland and the Baltic countries. DESIGN: Data were collected from cross-sectional postal Finbalt Health Monitor surveys that were carried out in 1998, 2000 and 2002. SETTING: Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania. SUBJECTS: For each survey, nationally representative random samples of adults aged 20-64 years were drawn from population registers (Estonia, n = 3656; Finland, n = 9354, Latvia, n = 6015; Lithuania, n = 5944). RESULTS: Differences were revealed between the countries in the consumption of foods that contain fat. Finnish people consumed butter on bread, high-fat milk, meat and meat products, and vegetable oil for cooking less frequently than people in the Baltic countries. Cheese was most popular in Finland. Educational differences in fat-related food habits were examined by applying logistic regression analysis. A positive association was found between level of education and consumption of vegetable oil used in food preparation. Drinking high-fat milk was associated with low education in all countries. People with higher education tended to consume cheese more often. Educational patterns in the consumption of butter on bread and in the consumption of meat and meat products differed between countries. CONCLUSIONS: The consumption of foods containing fat was related to educational levels in all four countries. The diet of better-educated people was closer to recommendations for the consumption of saturated and unsaturated fats than the diet of people with lower level of education. The educational gradient was more consistent in Finland than in the Baltic countries. These existing educational differences in sources of fat consumed should be taken into account in the development of national cardiovascular disease prevention programmes.     

Fasciola hepatica infections in livestock flock, guanacos and coypus in two wildlife reserves in Argentina

Between autumn and spring 2006, a coprological survey was performed in two wildlife reserves located in the north of Argentine Patagonia to determine the prevalence of Fasciola hepatica and the number of parasite eggs per gram (epg) of feces in wild guanacos (Lama guanicoe), coypus (Myocastor coypus), and locally born and raised goats and sheep. Snails of the Family Lymnaeidae were collected in freshwater habitats, identified taxonomically and analyzed parasitologically.Prevalence of patent infection was 100% in sheep (n = 69) and coypus (n = 9), 84% in goats (n = 20) and 0.5% in guanacos (n = 224). No significant differences in epg were found among animals, but the median epg of coypus (160) and sheep (160) was higher than that of goats (80). For guanacos and goats, a negative binomial model estimating the population egg-count frequency could be fitted, while for coypus and sheep parasite egg-count frequencies trended toward a normal distribution, indicative of a more even, and much less aggregated distribution across sampled hosts. All snails (n = 175) were Lymnaea truncatula and none of them was found infected. This is the first report of fascioliasis in free-ranging guanacos in Argentina. Coypu appears to be a major wildlife reservoir of F. hepatica, which was presumably introduced locally by livestock.     

Strain typing of Mycoplasma cynos isolates from dogs with respiratory disease

The association of Mycoplasma cynos with canine infectious respiratory disease is increasingly being recognised. This study describes the strain typing of 14 M. cynos isolates cultured from trachea and bronchoalveolar lavage samples of six dogs with respiratory disease, from two separate kennels in the United Kingdom. The genetic similarity of the isolates was investigated using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Most of the isolates from four dogs housed at a re-homing kennel were genetically similar and some isolates from different dogs were indistinguishable by both PFGE and RAPD. These isolates were cultured from dogs with non-overlapping stays in the kennel, which may indicate maintenance of some strains within kennels. A small number of isolates showed much greater genetic heterogeneity and were genetically distinct from the main group of M. cynos strains. There was also a high degree of similarity of the M. cynos type strain (isolated from a dog with respiratory disease in Denmark in 1971) to at least one of the United Kingdom isolates using PFGE analysis, which may suggest possible conservation of pathogenic strains of M. cynos.     

Pharmacokinetics of buprenorphine after intravenous administration of clinical doses to dogs

The purpose of this study was to evaluate plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetic parameters of buprenorphine in dogs following intravenous (IV) administration of clinical doses of the opioid. An IV bolus of 0.02 mg/kg buprenorphine was administered to six healthy Beagles and blood samples were collected through a jugular catheter before and at 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 45 min, and 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 h after administration. Plasma buprenorphine concentrations, measured using a commercial radioimmunoassay (RIA), decreased following a three-exponential curve. The two distribution and the elimination half-lives were 2.9 ± 1.8 min, 16.5 ± 3.7 min, and 266.6 ± 82.0 min, respectively; the clearance was 329.6 ± 62.2 mL/min, and the steady state volume of distribution was 83.7 ± 26.5 L.The results demonstrated the feasibility of the RIA assay to analyse buprenorphine in dog plasma samples. Following IV administration buprenorphine showed a three-compartment kinetic profile, as has been described previously in humans, rabbits and cats. The relationship between plasma concentrations and dynamic effects in dogs remains to be established.     

Study of efficacy of miltefosine and allopurinol in dogs with leishmaniosis

Visceral leishmaniosis is a life-threatening disease of medical, social and economic importance in endemic areas. It is an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients, including human immunodeficiency virus-positive subjects. Dogs are the main reservoir of Leishmania infantum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of miltefosine and allopurinol for the control of human leishmaniosis using the dog as a model. The study included 28 sick dogs treated with miltefosine (2 mg/kg/day PO) administered concurrently with allopurinol (10 mg/kg/day, PO) for 30 days, and then with allopurinol alone, at the same dosage, for 1 year. Eight dogs (four of which relapsed) received a second cycle of miltefosine within 6 months of the first cycle. Efficacy was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction assay on whole blood samples and lymph node aspirates, collected at baseline and every 3 months for 12 months. Of the total number of animals (28), two showed renal insufficiency and died after the start of therapy with miltefosine. Two other dogs presented some side effects to treatment, such as nausea, vomiting and reduction in white and red blood cell counts, and these animals were excluded from the follow-up. The results showed that the first cycle of therapy with miltefosine and allopurinol induced a drastic and progressive reduction of L. infantum load in lymph node aspirates but the second cycle did not eliminate the parasite.     

Visualising the premature brain using 17.6 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of a 17.6 Tesla magnetic resonance (MR) microscope to determine external and internal structures and three-dimensional (3D) volume rendering of premature bovine brain tissue. Two bovine embryos (Carnegie-stages 16 and 21) were examined. 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed with a high field MR-scanner at a field strength of 17.6 Tesla. Images with isotropic nominal resolutions up to 39.1 μm were acquired. The MR images corresponded very well with histological slices. 3D virtual models of the embryonic brain were easily produced in a relatively short time and the high field scanner provided highly detailed images of formalin fixed brain tissue. Manual segmentation and automatic volume rendering is a valuable tool for the fast generation of 3D brain models and, to some degree, can replace conventional techniques in comparative embryology.