Evaluation of intrarenal mesenchymal stem cell injection for treatment of chronic kidney disease in cats: a pilot study

The feasibility of autologous intrarenal mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) was investigated. Six cats (two healthy, four with CKD) received a single unilateral intrarenal injection of autologous bone marrow-derived or adipose tissue-derived MSC (bmMSC or aMSC) via ultrasound guidance. Minimum database and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) via nuclear scintigraphy were determined pre-injection, at 7 days and at 30 days post-injection. Intrarenal injection did not induce immediate or long-term adverse effects. Two cats with CKD that received aMSC experienced modest improvement in GFR and a mild decrease in serum creatinine concentration. Despite the possible benefits of intrarenal MSC injections for CKD cats, the number of sedations and interventions required to implement this approach would likely preclude widespread clinical application. We concluded that MSC could be transferred safely by ultrasound-guided intrarenal injection in cats, but that alternative sources and routes of MSC therapy should be investigated.     

IT—Information Technology and the Human Interface: A Review of the Environmental Effects of Different Livestock Manure Storage Systems, and a Suggested Procedure for Assigning Environmental Ratings

There are concerns over a range of adverse environmental effects resulting from the storage of livestock manures on farms. The objectives of this study were to examine all the likely environmental effects of different storage methods, and to recommend which were the most desirable options.Literature reviews were undertaken to identify the likely environmental consequences of each commonly used storage method, in terms of water pollution risks, odour and ammonia emissions, greenhouse gas emissions and survival of microorganisms during storage. Planning and landscape aspects were considered and the most feasible options for abatement of ammonia emissions were identified. An ‘environmental rating’ for different storage systems was then devised, with the aim of obtaining a balance between water pollution, aerial emissions and other concerns.The environmental rating exercise favoured the more sophisticated and hence most expensive storage methods. No large differences emerged between ratings for slurry systems and solid systems when ease of adding ammonia control measures was excluded. For pigs, slurry systems appear to have a slight advantage, because of the greater ammonia emissions from the solid pig manure. The use of such a rating system could be developed further as more data become available. Whilst the method indicates the relative desirability of systems at a national scale it could be adapted to take account of local considerations or those of individual farm sites.     

Reverse phase liquid chromatographic determination of aspartame in beverages and beverage mixes

A method is described for determining the artificial sweetener aspartame in beverages and beverage mixes by liquid chromatography. Aspartame is separated on a microC18 column, using a mobile phase of acetic acid, water, and isopropyl alcohol at pH 3.0 and UV detection at 254 nm. Beverages are filtered through 0.45 micron filters and injected directly into the chromatograph. Aspartame is eluted in approximately 7 min. Detection of aspartame is confirmed by a UV scan of the trapped peak. Aspartame is quantitated in the presence of other beverage additives such as saccharin, caffeine, sodium benzoate, artificial colors, and artificial flavors. Results are presented for spiked soda beverages, beverages from fruit-flavored mixes, instant tea, reconstituted presweetened drink mixes, and a powdered tabletop sweetener.     

Letters

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Digestible energy requirements for work and maintenance of horses fed conventional and fat-supplemented diets

A control and a 10% fat-supplemented diet were fed to exercising horses maintained in two different body conditions, during both temperate and hot weather, to determine the efficacy of fat as dietary aid to reduced energy requirements for thermal regulation in exercising horses. Horses were worked 7.2 km daily, 5 d/w, and in each season were fed sufficient energy to maintain constant body weight and body fat content at each assigned level of body condition. In both seasons and in both body conditions, digestible energy intake was lower (P<.01) when the horses were fed the fat-supplemented diet than when fed the control diet. Digestible energy intake was partitioned into requirements for work and maintenance. Since work levels were similar, digestible energy requirements for work were similar when horses were fed both experimental diets. However, the digestible energy requirements for maintenance were significantly lower (P<.01) when the horses were fed the fat-supplemented diet. Thus, it appears that feeding fat to exercising horses reduces the thermal load and resulting digestible energy requirements for maintenance in both temperate and hot weather.     

Bromine residues in potato and wheat crops grown in soil fumigated with methyl bromide

The bromine content of potato tubers grown in soil fumigated with methyl bromide at 487 and 975 kg/ha (1 lb and 2 lb/100 ft2) averaged 170 and 280 mg/kg of dry weight. Most of the bromine was in the outer layers of the tubers; peeled tubers has less than 100 mg/kg, which remained after boiling. Potato haulm contained 4000 or 6700 mg/kg bromine respectively for the two rates of application. The bromine content of wheat grain grown after potatoes depended on the rate of application of methyl bromide and the time interval between treatment and wheat crop. Wheat grain harvested 31/2 21/2 and 11/2 years after fumigation with methyl bromide at 975 kg/ha had mean bromine contents of 4.5, 15 and 44 mg/kg. but the amounts in grain from plots having the same treatments varied more than two-fold; wheat grain harvested 11/2 years after fumigation at 487 kg/ha contained 23 mg bromine/kg. Wheat yields were unaffected by fumigation.     

Effects of ergosterol on bone mineralisation in chicks given cholecalciferol or ergocalciferol.

Groups of chicks were given diets containing cholecalciferol or ergocalciferol supplemented with 0, 0-1, 1 or 10 g ergosterol/kg. 2. Ergosterol had no significant effect on growth, on the plasma concentration of calcium or on the content of bone-ash, indicating that it did not impair the absorption of either form of vitamin D. 3. An explanation is given for the apparent disagreement in the published findings on the relative anti-rachitic potencies of ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol in the chick.     

Serum neutralizing antibody titers in dairy cattle administered an inactivated vesicular stomatitis virus vaccine

Two doses of a formalin-killed, cell culture-derived vesicular stomatitis virus (vsv)-New Jersey serotype vaccine were administered intramuscularly, 30 days apart, to all lactating and nonlactating cows in a 350-cow dairy herd. Serum specimens were obtained serially from 96 cows before vaccination and at 30, 52 and 80 days after vaccination and from 24 of these cows 175 days after vaccination. Serum neutralizing antibody titers to vsv-New Jersey serotype were determined from serum-dilution, plaque-reduction tests. Serum neutralizing antibody titers also were determined during the same period for 67 nonvaccinated heifers in the herd. Peak group geometric mean serum neutralizing antibody titers of 1:530.46 +/- 1.14 (group geometric mean titer log10, 2.725 +/- 0.055) developed 21 days after the second vaccination, but decreased to a low value of 1:65.36 +/- 1.38 (group geometric mean titer log10, 1.815 +/- 0.142) by 175 days after vaccination. The nonvaccinated group had no detectable antibody titer to vsv-New Jersey serotype throughout the study. All serum specimens from the vaccinates and controls were negative for heterologous reactivity to vsv-Indiana serotype.