Pharmacokinetics and toxicity of zonisamide in cats

With the eventual goal of making zonisamide (ZNS), a relatively new antiepileptic drug, available for the treatment of epilepsy in cats, the pharmacokinetics after a single oral administration at 10mg/kg and the toxicity after 9-week daily administration of 20mg/kg/day of ZNS were studied in healthy cats. Pharmacokinetic parameters obtained with a single administration of ZNS at 10mg/day were as follows: Cmax=13.1microg/ml; Tmax=4.0h; T(1/2)=33.0h; areas under the curves (AUCs)=720.3microg/mlh (values represent the medians). The study with daily administrations revealed that the toxicity of ZNS was comparatively low in cats, suggesting that it may be an available drug for cats. However, half of the cats that were administered 20mg/kg/day daily showed adverse reactions such as anorexia, diarrhoea, vomiting, somnolence and locomotor ataxia.     

Feeding activity rhythm in Japanese sea catfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plotosus japonicus</Emphasis>

To examine the feeding activity characteristics of Japanese sea catfish Plotosus japonicus, access to feed box (feeding activity) and the number of food pellets consumed (food intake) were recorded under laboratory conditions. When fed ad libitum under a 12:12 h light–dark (LD) cycle, all fish exhibited feeding activity and consumed food during the dark period. Feeding activity increased in the presence of food, and this increased activity level continued for several days after food removal. During restricted food availability within the light period of the LD cycle, seven of nine fish exhibited food-anticipatory activity (FAA) both before and after the 12:00 food-restricted time. This FAA persisted under constant light conditions (in nine of nine fish). The average circadian free-running period was 24 h. These results suggest that P. japonicus exhibits a nocturnal feeding activity rhythm, which may be synchronized by a food-restricted time.     

Harvest index is a critical factor influencing the grain yield of diverse wheat species under rain-fed conditions in the Mediterranean zone of southeastern Turkey and northern Syria

Environmental and plant factors critical to the grain yields of bread (Triticum aestivum L.), durum (T. durum L.) and emmer (T. dicoccum L.) wheat cultivars were investigated at two Mediterranean rain-fed field sites: Adana in southeastern Turkey (2009 and 2010) and Aleppo in northern Syria (2009). The grain yield (GY) and biological yield (BY) of most cultivars were higher in Adana than in Aleppo, and the lower GY in Aleppo resulted from lower harvest index (HI) and lower BY due to higher temperatures and lower rainfall. The variations in the HI among cultivars were greater in Adana than in Aleppo. The GY was closely related to the HI but not the BY across cultivars at each site, and a higher GY was accompanied by a superior conversion-efficiency of incident radiation during the grain filling period for grain yield [GY/Ra, where Ra is the cumulative radiation for 30 days after heading (D₃₀)] across all observations. The GY/Ra correlated negatively with the average temperature for D₃₀, and higher HI values resulted in higher GY/Ra. In Adana, the time from anthesis to physiological-maturity decreased as the average temperature for D₃₀ increased, resulting in a lower HI. Cultivars exhibiting the early heading trait can effectively escape the negative impacts of terminal high-temperature and water-shortage conditions on the HI. The results suggested that the HI is a critical factor for GY across diverse wheat cultivars under terminal high-temperatures and water-shortages in Mediterranean areas, and the BY is also an important factor under severe water-limitation conditions.     

Characteristics and issues related to regional-scale modeling of nitrogen flows

This paper summarizes the characteristics of regional-scale nitrogen (N) flow models. The regional scale is generally considered to be an area that ranges from more than 10 km² to the size of a continent. Parameterization is the key process in creating a regional-scale model. During parameterization, transfer functions that reflect the controlling factors must be created at the target scale because the influence of different factors will change with the size of the scale. Watersheds are the most useful unit for evaluating overall N discharge; however, regional activity data is most often available for municipal units. Thus, municipal units must be reaggregated into watershed units. A longer time period is desirable to normalize seasonal and annual variations at regional scales. Parameters that influence N flow must match the investigated spatial and temporal scales. Given the need to use a range of parameters that vary in terms of the quality of the data, models exhibit inevitable uncertainties. Quantification of the uncertainties and verification of the estimated results are required. Error propagation, the Monte Carlo simulation method and maximum and minimum values have been used to obtain different threshold values of uncertainty. To verify regional-scale N flow models, the following five approaches have been used or proposed: (1) calibration of the model by detailed monitoring at multiple sites, (2) verification of the most important process of the extrapolation mechanisms, (3) verification of the N budget, paying particular attention to water quality, (4) comparison with the results quantified by different models, (5) comparison with aerial or satellite image analysis. As regional-scale modeling of N flow will become more important in the future, it is important to develop models than can accurately estimate N dynamics at this scale.     

Nitrogen uptake by sago palm (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) in the early growth stages

Previous trials have revealed variable responses of sago palm ( Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) to fertilizer application, particularly nitrogen (N). In the present study, we quantified the fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) of sago palm for the first time using ¹⁵N-labeled fertilizer in pot and field experiments. The pot experiment was conducted in Japan using a 2:1 mixture of sand to Philippine soil. The field experiment was conducted in Leyte in the Philippines. Both experiments consisted of three replicates in each of three treatments: control, ¹⁵N urea at 50 kg N ha⁻¹ and ¹⁵N urea at 100 kg N ha⁻¹. The N uptake of sago palm increased significantly, but inconsistently with increasing N application. The few instances of a significant increase in N uptake did not translate into significant improvements in growth parameters, except for the number of leaflets in the pot experiment. The FUE values for sago seedlings (< 6 months) in the pot experiment treated with 50 and 100 kg N ha⁻¹ were 10.5 and 13.2%, respectively, whereas for the 2-year-old sago palms in the field, the corresponding FUE values were 14.8 and 12.0%. The FUE values were similar at the two levels of N application in both experiments. Sago growth parameters appeared to be insensitive to N application, suggesting that the form of N and the timing of N fertilization are important factors for sago palms. Therefore, the use of N fertilizer in sago production can only be justified after determining and fully understanding the response of sago palm to N application.     

Change in Morphology of Spermatozoa from Dismount Semen during the Breeding Season in Thoroughbred Stallions in Japan

To clarify the physiological changes of sperm morphology in active Thoroughbred stallions during the breeding season, we examined the dismount semen collected from the penile urethra immediately after service. The spermatozoa were analyzed for relationships between the morphology and the stallion’s age or the number of services. Seasonal variation was apparent in the rate of the sperm tail abnormalities, spermatozoa with cytoplasmic droplets, appearance of medusa cells, and sperm head length. Area and width of the sperm head correlated negatively with age (P<0.05). The rate of appearance of medusa cells and the length of the sperm head were positively related to the number of services (P<0.05), and the aspect ratio was negatively related (P<0.01).     

Psycho-educational Horseback Riding to Facilitate Communication Ability of Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders

In this study, we applied a novel psycho-educational horseback riding (PEHR) program to the treatment of four Japanese children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) in order to facilitate the acquisition of verbal and nonverbal communication skills. The behavioral changes in each child were evaluated using a psychological and behavioral scale. The scale for evaluating the effect of Human-Equips-Interaction on Mental activity (HEIM scale) was designed to assess the behavioral improvement of children based on the following 10 items: Human relationships, Imitation, Emotional expression, Sudden physical movement, Fixative behavior, Adaptation to change, Visual response, Fear or nervousness, and Verbal and nonverbal communication. After taking part in the PEHR program for several months, all subjects showed remarkably improved HEIM scores and marked improvements were observed in eye contact with others (instructors, side walkers, and leaders) in the riding area. A statistical difference was found in items 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9. However, no statistical difference was found in items 4, 5, and 10. As the program progressed, the children showed enhanced verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and became more expressive in their emotional and empathetic interaction with their parents. These observations suggest that the normal functioning of pleasurable emotions and empathy may facilitate further improvements in joint attention, imitation and empathy, and may result in successful verbal expression by PDD children. Therefore, horseback riding can play a very important role in the psycho-educational support required for the communication ability of PDD children.     

Identification of a potent immunostimulatory oligodeoxynucleotide from Streptococcus thermophilus lacZ

Immunostimulatory sequences of oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs), such as CpG ODNs, are potent stimulators of innate immunity. Here, we identified a strong immunostimulatory CpG ODN, which we named MsST, from the lac Z gene of Streptococcus (S.) thermophilus ATCC19258, and we evaluated its immune functions. In in vitro studies, MsST had a similar ability as the murine prototype CpG ODN 1555 to induce inflammatory cytokine production and cell proliferation. In mouse splenocytes, MsST increased the number of CD80+CD11c+and CD86+CD11c+ dendritic cells and CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells. We also analyzed the effects of MsST on the expression of regulatory cytokines by real-time quantitative PCR. MsST was more potent at inducing interleukin-10 expression than the ODN control 1612, indicating that MsST can augment the regulatory T cell response via Toll-like receptor 9, which plays an important role in suppressing T helper type 2 responses. These results suggest that S. thermophilus , whose genes include a strong Immunostimulatory sequence-ODN, is a good candidate for a starter culture to develop new physiologically functional foods and feeds.     

Metabolic discrimination of mango juice from various cultivars by band-selective NMR spectroscopy

NMR-based metabolic analysis of foods has been widely applied in food science. In this study, we performed discrimination of five different mango cultivars, Awin, Carabao, Keitt, Kent, and Nam Dok Mai, using metabolic analysis with band-selective excitation NMR spectra. A combination of unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) with low-field region (1)H NMR spectra obtained by band-selective excitation provided a good discriminant model of the five mango cultivars. Using F(2)-selective 2D NMR spectra, we also identified various minor components in the mango juice. Signal assignment of the minor components facilitated the interpretation of the loading plot, and it was found that arginine, histidine, phenylalanine, glutamine, shikimic acid, and trigonelline were important for classification of the five mango cultivars.     

Concordance between Results of Medium-term Liver Carcinogenesis Bioassays and Long-term Findings for Carcinogenic 2-Nitropropane and Non-carcinogenic1-Nitropropane in F344 Rats

This study was conducted to determine the concordance of results for a pair of structural isomers, 2-nitropropane (2-NP) and 1-nitropropane (1-NP), using the rat medium-term liver carcinogenesis bioassay (Ito test) and previously published long-term carcinogenicity tests. Male F344 rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of DEN (200 mg/kg b.w.) to initiate hepatocarcinogenesis. After 2 weeks, they received per os 0, 0.8, 4 or 20 mg/kg/day of 2-NP or 1-NP six times a week and were subjected to two-thirds partial hepatectomy at week 3. Non-initiated groups receiving 0 or 20 mg/kg/day were also included. The animals were sacrificed for quantitative analysis of GST-P-positive foci at week 8. With the highest dose of 2-NP, significantly increased numbers and areas of GST-P-positive foci were demonstrated as compared with the respective control but were not noted with 1-NP. In the non-DEN-initiated groups, many small GST-P-positive foci of less than 0.2 mm in diameter were also induced in the rats treated with 2-NP at 20 mg/kg/day but were lacking with 1-NP. These results strongly support that 2-NP is a complete hepatocarcinogen with a potent initiation activity, whereas 1-NP is not.