Fibre analysis and fibre digestibility in pet foods--a comparison of total dietary fibre, neutral and acid detergent fibre and crude fibre.

Six dry dog foods and six dry cat foods with different carbohydrate sources were investigated in digestion trials. Food and faecal samples were analysed for CF, TDF and starch. In dogs, also neutral detergent fibre (aNDFom) and acid detergent fibre (ADFom) were analysed. N-free extract (NfE) was calculated for CF, and similarly for all other fibre analyses. Linear regressions were calculated between fibre intake and faecal fibre excretion. True digestibility was calculated from the regression coefficients [true digestibility in % = (1 - regression coefficient)*100], with the intercept of the equation representing excretion of material of non-food origin. Crude fibre analyses gave the lowest values, and TDF the highest, while ADFom and aNDFom were in between. Variation between diets was lowest in CF and highest in TDF. Total dietary fibre, aNDFom and ADFom in food were positively correlated. Crude fibre in food did not correlate with any other method. The NfE analogue for TDF was closest to the starch content. Methods of fibre analyses in faeces did not agree very well with each other. Crude fibre had the lowest apparent digestibility, followed by ADFom, TDF and aNDFom. For all fibre analyses, there was a significant correlation between fibre intake and faecal fibre excretion. True digestibility was close to zero for CF, with a high uniformity in both species. In dogs, true digestibility of aNDFom was 53%, of ADFom 26% and of TDF 37%; in cats, true digestibility of TDF was 31%. Except for CF, the intercept of the regression equations suggest that faecal excretion of some material of non-food origin is analysed as fibre. A combination of TDF and CF analyses might give good information on the content of total (TDF), unfermentable (CF) and partially fermentable fibre (TDF-CF) in pet foods.

Effects of six carbohydrate sources on dog diet digestibility and post-prandial glucose and insulin response.

The effects of six extruded diets with different starch sources (cassava flour, brewer's rice, corn, sorghum, peas or lentils) on dog total tract apparent digestibility and glycemic and insulinemic response were investigated. The experiment was carried out on thirty-six dogs with six dogs per diet in a completely randomized design. The diets containing brewer's rice and cassava flour presented the greatest digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and gross energy (p < 0.05), followed by corn and sorghum; pea and lentil diets had the lowest. Starch digestibility was greater than 98% in all diets and was greater for brewer's rice and cassava flour than for lentils and peas diets (p < 0.05). Dogs' immediate post-prandial glucose and insulin responses (AUC < or = 30 min) were greater for brewer's rice, corn, and cassava flour diets (p < 0.05), and later meal responses (AUC > or = 30 min) were greater for sorghum, lentil and pea diets (p < 0.05). Variations in diet digestibility and post-prandial response can be explained by differences in chemical composition of each starch source including fibre content and starch granule structure. The nutritional particularities of each starch ingredient can be explored through diet formulations designed to modulate glycemic response. However, more studies are required to support these.

Radiation damping in real time.

We study the nonequilibrium dynamics of a charge interacting with its own radiation, which originates the radiation damping. The real-time equation of motion for the charge and the associated Langevin equation is found in classical limit. The equation of motion for the charge allows one to obtain the frequency-dependent coefficient of friction. In the lowest order we find that although the coefficient of static friction vanishes, there is dynamical dissipation represented by a non-Markovian dissipative kernel.

Four putative subtypes of human parvovirus B19 based on amino acid polymorphism in the C-terminal region of non-structural protein.

The nucleotide sequence of 10 isolates of human parvovirus B19 (B19) were determined and compared throughout 96.3% of the open reading frames (4145 nucleotides from nt. 509-4653). In the 4145 nucleotides, 122 mutation sites were found, of which 24 were accompanied by amino acid displacement. Furthermore, the polymorphism of the amino acids was seen in about 110 bases near the carboxy terminal of the non-structural protein, ranging from nt. 2011 to 2123, where four amino acid mutation points were found to exist. Based on the amino acid polymorphism of these four mutation sites in this area, 10 isolates of the B19 parvovirus could be divided into 4 subtypes (subtypes A, B, C, and D). The frequency of isolation of the subtypes depended on the time and location of collection of the B19 viremic blood specimens.

Screening of blood donors for human parvovirus B19 and characterization of the results.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Human parvovirus B19 (B19 virus) can be transmitted through blood transfusion and plasma-derived products. In a previous report, we utilized the simple hemagglutination method based on the interaction between the B19 virus and P antigen on human erythrocytes in order to screen the blood donors. We called this method receptor-mediated hemagglutination (RHA) [Lancet 1995;346:1237-1238]. In this paper, we report on a large-scale screening of the B19 virus by RHA and discuss the results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Donor sera from September 1995 to March 1997 and seroconversion panels were enrolled. Donor sera were examined by RHA for large-scale screening. The positive sera in the first screening were then further investigated by the RHA inhibition test, countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis (CIE), an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We also evaluated the infectivity and neutralizing activity of various kinds of sera by the erythroid colony forming unit (CFU-e) assay. To examine the detection limits of the B19 virus by RHA, B19-viremic sera were purified by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. RESULTS: Among 257,710 sera specimens, 293 sera (0.11%) gave a positive reaction in the first screening using RHA. Out of these 293 sera specimens, 31 were positive for PCR, of which 28 were also RHA inhibition-positive, and 25 of the 28 CIE-positive. In the CFU-e injury assay, all the RHA inhibition (+) sera showed a decrease in the number of erythroid colonies. The RHA inhibition (-) PCR (+) B19 antibody (+) sera did not affect the erythroid colony formation and protected CFU-e from injury by the B19 virus. By measuring the amount of purified B19 protein and its RHA titer, the detection limit of the B19 virus by RHA was calculated to the 0.37+/-0.03 ng/ml. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the RHA(+) RHA inhibition (+) sera were infectious in vitro. The combination of RHA and the RHA inhibition test is considered to be useful for the large-scale screening of infectious B19 virus in blood donors with high specificity.

Expression of multidrug resistance gene product (P-glycoprotein) in transitional cell carcinomas of the upper urinary tract.

We assessed the expression of P-glycoprotein, the product of the multidrug resistance gene, in 107 specimens from patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract, using an immunohistochemical method with a polyclonal antibody. P-glycoprotein was expressed in 28 of 107 (26%) specimens. While P-glycoprotein expression was not related to the grade or stage of these tumors, the incidence of P-glycoprotein in specimens with tumors which coexisted in renal pelvic and ureter is significantly higher than those with either renal pelvic or ureter tumor alone. In the patients with advanced upper urinary tract tumor who had adjuvant chemotherapy including at least one P-glycoprotein-transported drug (mdr regimen), overall survival of patients with P-glycoprotein-positive tumor was significantly shorter than that of patients with negative tumor. This pilot study demonstrates that P-glycoprotein can be expressed in one fourth of transitional cell carcinomas of the upper urinary tract and that P-glycoprotein expression serves as a prognostic indicator in patients with these tumors who are treated with mdr regimens.

Prophylactic chemotherapy with anthracyclines (adriamycin, epirubicin, and pirarubicin) for primary superficial bladder cancer. The Hokkaido University Bladder Cancer Collaborative Group.

A multicentric randomized trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of intravesical chemoprophylaxis for primary superficial bladder cancer. The 299 eligible patients with primary superficial bladder cancer were randomized into four groups (A, B, C, and D) after pathological confirmation. Intravesical instillation of drugs, which were dissolved in 20 ml physiological saline (PS; group A, 20 mg Adriamycin; group B, 20 mg epirubicin; group C, 20 mg pirarubicin; group D (control), PS alone], was performed once a week for 2 weeks after trasurethral resection and then once every 2 weeks for 14 weeks, once monthly for 8 months, and once every 3 months for 1 year. No significant difference in the patients' characteristics was found among the four groups. The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 31 months (mean, 14 months). The nonrecurrence rates were estimated by the method of Kaplan and Meier. The relative effects of five variables (the tumor status, size, grade, and stage and the treatment) on the efficacy of the chemoprophylaxis regimens were evaluated using a multiple regression model. Although the nonrecurrence rates determined for groups A and B were significantly higher than that found for group D (P < 0.05), no significant difference in the nonrecurrence rate was detected among groups A, B, and C. The multiple regression model indicated that the most important factors in preventing tumor recurrence at 12 or 24 months were the intravesical instillation of an anthracycline and the tumor status (solitary). These results demonstrate that intravesical instillation of the tested anthracyclines is effective for at least 2 years as prophylactic chemotherapy for primary superficial bladder cancer.

Prevention of transmission of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) through transfusion, by donor screening with antibody to the virus. One-year experience.

To prevent the transmission of human T-lymphotropic virus, type 1 (HTLV-1) during blood transfusion, a program was implemented to screen donors for antibodies to the virus, using a newly developed, passive agglutination (PA) method. During the period April 1986 to March 1987, 675 recipients of donor blood in whom the antibody to HTLV-1 was not present before transfusion were followed for at least 50 days after transfusion. One of these 675 seroconverted despite the transfusion of screened blood, but this seroconversion rate (0.15%) represents a marked decrease from the rate of 8.3 percent prevalent before donor screening began. The rate in the Fukuoka area of donors seropositive for anti-HTLV-1 is 5.34 percent, as detected by the PA method and 1.80 percent, as assessed by the indirect immunofluorescence (IF) technique, with PA-positive but IF-negative blood units thus accounting for 3.5 percent (5.34-1.80) of the total blood donated. The seroconversion rate among recipients transfused with blood screened by IF (at Kyushu University Hospital only) from 1981 to 1985 was 0.41 percent, which was not significantly different from the rate of 0.15 percent observed after PA screening. The discrepancy between PA and IF in the rate of seropositivity was due, in part, to the higher sensitivity of PA in detecting anti-HTLV-1. It is proposed that all donor blood in areas where HTLV-1 is endemic be screened by PA before transfusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)