Fucoxanthin: A Marine Carotenoid Exerting Anti-Cancer Effects by Affecting Multiple Mechanisms

Fucoxanthin is a marine carotenoid exhibiting several health benefits. The anti-cancer effect of fucoxanthin and its deacetylated metabolite, fucoxanthinol, is well documented. In view of its potent anti-carcinogenic activity, the need to understand the underlying mechanisms has gained prominence. Towards achieving this goal, several researchers have carried out studies in various cell lines and in vivo and have deciphered that fucoxanthin exerts its anti-proliferative and cancer preventing influence via different molecules and pathways including the Bcl-2 proteins, MAPK, NFκB, Caspases, GADD45, and several other molecules that are involved in either cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, or metastasis. Thus, in addition to decreasing the frequency of occurrence and growth of tumours, fucoxanthin has a cytotoxic effect on cancer cells. Some studies show that this effect is selective, i.e., fucoxanthin has the capability to target cancer cells only, leaving normal physiological cells unaffected/less affected. Hence, fucoxanthin and its metabolites show great promise as chemotherapeutic agents in cancer.     

Open Heart Surgery with Deep Hypothermia and Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Small and Toy Dogs

Objective: To evaluate open heart surgery with deep surface‐induced hypothermia (sHT) and low‐flow cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in small and toy‐breed dogs. Study Design: Case series. Animals: Small breed dogs (n=8) weighing <5.5 kg with naturally occurring cardiac disease. Methods: Deep sHT under isoflurane anesthesia and low‐flow rate CPB with a small‐volume prime circuit were used. Ventricular septal defect was closed directly in 2 dogs and severe mitral regurgitation was corrected with mitral valvuloplasty (MVP) in 5 dogs and mitral valve replacement in 1 dog. Results: All dogs survived surgery; 1 dog died 6 days and 1 died 2 months after MVP. The other 6 dogs lived (mean follow‐up, 32.8 months; range, 12–65 months). Mean body weight at surgery was 3.6 kg (range, 2–5.3 kg). Mean lowest esophageal temperature was 21.4°C (range, 19.8–23.8°C). Mean lowest pump flow volume was 29.2 mL/kg/min (range, 9.4–57.7 mL/kg/min) during aortic cross‐clamping (mean, 53.5 minutes; range, 25–79 minutes). Mean hematocrit before CPB was 38.6% (range, 33–47%) and 20.3% (range, 13–24%) during CPB with a small circuit priming volume of 225–260 mL. Conclusion: Deep sHT with low‐flow rate CPB may be used for open heart surgery in small dogs weighing <5.5 kg. Clinical Relevance: Open heart surgery for selected congenital defects and acquired defects in small and toy‐breed dogs may be successfully performed using deep sHT and CPB.     

Evaluation of yield performance in rice near-isogenic lines with increased spikelet number

Rice yield potential is determined by the balance between sink size and source capacity. To clarify the factors that limit yield in temperate japonica cultivars, we compared the yield performance of Sasanishiki, a temperate japonica cultivar, with those of three near-isogenic lines (NILs) of Sasanishiki with introgression of quantitative trait loci (QTL) derived from a high-yielding indica cultivar, Habataki: qSBN1, which increases the number of secondary rachis branches; qPBN6, which increases the number of primary rachis branches; and a pyramid line that combines these two QTLs. NIL (SBN1), NIL (PBN6), and NIL (SBN1 + PBN6) produced 28–37%, 9–16%, and 62–65% more spikelets per panicle than Sasanishiki, respectively. However, the NILs with increased spikelet number per panicle did not increase grain yield significantly, because compensation is taken place among different yield components. The pyramid line nevertheless had 4–12% higher yield than Sasanishiki due to greater translocation of carbohydrates from stem to panicle. There was no difference in carbohydrate accumulation before heading or in biomass production among Sasanishiki and the three NILs. The results indicate that increasing sink size does not substantially improve yield in Sasanishiki, which lacks sufficient substrate supply to fully satisfy the increased sink demand that results from the spikelet-number QTLs.     

A toxicity bioassay study concerning the effect of un-ionized ammonia on the mucus cells response originating from the gills of zebrafish Danio rerio

Ammonia is one of the most common and pervasive pollutants in the aquatic habitat affecting the health of aquatic animals. It affects the number and morphology of mucus producing cells, resulting in excessive and irregular secretion and alterations in quantity of mucus, which can lead to complications in fish health. A toxicity test on the mucus cells localized on the gills (primary lamellae) and inner operculum epithelial lining of zebrafish Danio rerio at different periods of exposure (24, 48 and 72 h) followed by recovery periods was studied using histopathology, scanning electron microscopy and anterior gradient 2 homologue (agr2) gene expression techniques. Fish samples subjected to low, medium and high external toxic ammonia concentrations (L: 17.21 mg/l, M: 25.81 mg/l and H: 38.91 mg/l NH₃-N) were observed to display a higher mucus layer production and active secretion compared with the control. Gill cellular alterations were more severe at 48 and 72 h. A high expression of agr2 was detected at 48 h (L and M) recovery periods and a (H) exposure and recovery period indicating an increase in quantity in newly proliferated alcian blue stained mucus cells and excessive secretion observed by histopathology. Such expression decreased at 72 h resulting in a decrease in mucus cell density and secretion.     

Exploiting the Nephrotoxic Effects of Venom from the Sea Anemone, Phyllodiscus semoni, to Create a Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Model in the Rat

In the natural world, there are many creatures with venoms that have interesting and varied activities. Although the sea anemone, a member of the phylum Coelenterata, has venom that it uses to capture and immobilise small fishes and shrimp and for protection from predators, most sea anemones are harmless to man. However, a few species are highly toxic; some have venoms containing neurotoxins, recently suggested as potential immune-modulators for therapeutic application in immune diseases. Phyllodiscus semoni is a highly toxic sea anemone; the venom has multiple effects, including lethality, hemolysis and renal injuries. We previously reported that venom extracted from Phyllodiscus semoni induced acute glomerular endothelial injuries in rats resembling hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), accompanied with complement dysregulation in glomeruli and suggested that the model might be useful for analyses of pathology and development of therapeutic approaches in HUS. In this mini-review, we describe in detail the venom-induced acute renal injuries in rat and summarize how the venom of Phyllodiscus semoni could have potential as a tool for analyses of complement activation and therapeutic interventions in HUS.