Diuretic effects of fenoldopam in healthy cats

Objective: To determine the effect of fenoldopam infusion on urine output, sodium excretion, creatinine clearance, and indirect blood pressure in healthy cats. Design: Prospective study. Setting: Veterinary medical teaching hospital. Animals: Eight purpose‐bred cats, 2–4 years old. Interventions: None. Measurements: Urine output was measured hourly for 12 hours before and after fenoldopam administration. Sodium excretion, modified creatinine clearance, and fractional sodium excretion were measured before and following fenoldopam administration. Urine specific gravity, central venous pressure, and systolic blood pressure were measured every 4 hours during the experiment. Main results: Compared with pre‐infusion values, urine output, sodium excretion, and fractional excretion of sodium increased significantly 6 hours after initiation of fenoldopam infusion. This increase was sustained throughout the observation period. The modified creatinine clearance decreased significantly following 2 hours of fenoldopam infusion, but increased significantly by 6 hours after infusion, the time of peak urine output. Changes in urine specific gravity mirrored changes in fractional sodium excretion, whereas the central venous pressure mirrored changes in modified creatinine clearance. The diuretic effect in cats was prevented when a dopamine receptor blocking agent was administered before fenoldopam infusion. Conclusion: Fenoldopam at a dose of 0.5 μg/kg/min induces diuresis in cats in a delayed manner. This increase appears to be due, in part, to dopamine receptor‐induced natriuresis. Changes in glomerular filtration rate may also occur.     

Age-prevalence of Otarine Herpesvirus-1, a tumor-associated virus, and possibility of its sexual transmission in California sea lions

Otarine Herpesvirus-1 (OtHV-1) is a gammaherpesvirus routinely detected in urogenital tumor tissues of adult sea lions dying during rehabilitation, To investigate the epidemiology of this virus and guide the development of a mathematical model of its role in the multifactorial etiology of cancer in California sea lions, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of an OtHV-1 specific fragment of the DNA polymerase gene was used to look for evidence of OtHV-1 infection in urogenital and pharyngeal swabs and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of sea lions of different ages. Samples were also examined from pregnant females and their late term in utero or aborted fetuses to investigate potential for vertical transmission. Prevalence of infection in 72 adult females was 22%, whereas it was 46% in 52 adult males, and was significantly lower in 120 juvenile animals (6%). OtHV-1 DNA was most often detected in the lower reproductive tract of the adult animals, especially the males, and rarely in the pharynx or urogenital tract of juvenile animals. These data suggest sexual transmission may an important route of transmission. Additional studies are required to confirm this mode of transmission. Additionally, the virus was detected in a single prematurely born pup, suggesting the possibility of perinatal transmission. No indication of a PBMC associated viremia was evident in adults using standard PCR or in juveniles using standard and real time PCR.     

Rapid isolation of red wine polymeric polyphenols by solid-phase extraction

A rapid technique for the isolation of polymeric polyphenols from red wine has been developed and validated. A copolymer reversed-phase SPE cartridge was utilized in conjunction with predominantly organic eluents to provide three phenolic fractions from red wine without the need for sample pretreatment. The first fraction contained the bulk of the monomeric and oligomeric phenolic material, while the second and third fractions contained the polymeric polyphenolic compounds, as determined by HPLC analysis. The two polymeric polyphenolic fractions differed in their solubility and extent of pigmentation, and the differences appeared to be related to wine age. This method contrasted with other available fractionation techniques because the interfering, nonpolymeric material can be removed in a single wash fraction, while the polymeric material is separated into two distinct fractions based on their diverse physicochemical properties. It is anticipated that the rapid access to discrete polymeric fractions afforded by this method will be of benefit in furthering the understanding of red wine polymeric polyphenols.     

Impact of alkalization on the antioxidant and flavanol content of commercial cocoa powders

Cocoa is a food ingredient that is important for the contribution of flavor to foods but is also associated with potential health benefits. The chemistry thought to be responsible for its cardiovascular health benefits is the flavanol (flavan-3-ol) antioxidants. Evidence from the literature indicates that natural cocoas are high in flavanols, but when the cocoa is processed with alkali, also known as Dutch processing or Dutching, the flavanols are substantially reduced. This paper provides a survey of the physical and chemical composition of representative natural cocoas and lightly, medium, and heavily alkalized cocoas. As part of the survey, both brown/black and red/brown alkali-processed cocoas were measured. Natural cocoa powders have an extractable pH of 5.3-5.8. Alkalized cocoa powders were grouped into lightly treated (pH 6.50-7.20), medium-treated (pH 7.21-7.60), and heavily treated (pH 7.61 and higher). The natural, nonalkalized powders had the highest ORAC and total polyphenols and flavanols (including procyanidins). These chemical measurements showed a linear decrease as the extractable pH of the cocoa powder increased. Likewise, the flavanol monomers, oligomers, and polymers all showed a linear decrease with increasing pH of the final cocoa powder. When brown/black cocoa powders were compared to red cocoa powders, similar decreases in flavanols were observed with increased alkalization. The average total flavanol contents were 34.6 +/- 6.8 mg/g for the natural cocoas, 13.8 +/- 7.3 mg/g for the lightly processed cocoas, 7.8 +/- 4.0 mg/g for the medium processed cocoas, and 3.9 +/- 1.8 mg/g for the heavily processed cocoa powders. The observed linear and predictable impact of alkalization on flavanol content is discussed with respect to other reports in the literature as well as what implications it may have on diet and food manufacturing.     

Aquatic food security: insights into challenges and solutions from an analysis of interactions between fisheries,aquaculture, food safety,human health,fish and human welfare,economy and environment

Fisheries and aquaculture production, imports, exports and equitability of distribution determine the supply of aquatic food to people. Aquatic food security is achieved when a food supply is sufficient, safe, sustainable, shockproof and sound: sufficient, to meet needs and preferences of people; safe, to provide nutritional benefit while posing minimal health risks; sustainable, to provide food now and for future generations; shock‐proof, to provide resilience to shocks in production systems and supply chains; and sound, to meet legal and ethical standards for welfare of animals, people and environment. Here, we present an integrated assessment of these elements of the aquatic food system in the United Kingdom, a system linked to dynamic global networks of producers, processors and markets. Our assessment addresses sufficiency of supply from aquaculture, fisheries and trade; safety of supply given biological, chemical and radiation hazards; social, economic and environmental sustainability of production systems and supply chains; system resilience to social, economic and environmental shocks; welfare of fish, people and environment; and the authenticity of food. Conventionally, these aspects of the food system are not assessed collectively, so information supporting our assessment is widely dispersed. Our assessment reveals trade‐offs and challenges in the food system that are easily overlooked in sectoral analyses of fisheries, aquaculture, health, medicine, human and fish welfare, safety and environment. We highlight potential benefits of an integrated, systematic and ongoing process to assess security of the aquatic food system and to predict impacts of social, economic and environmental change on food supply and demand.