Consistency of elemental and isotope-ratio patterns across multiple scales from individual fish.

Assays of elemental and stable-isotope ratios across growth increments of scales have the potential to provide a non-lethal alternative to otolith chemistry for identifying migration and ontogenetic trophic shifts. A central assumption when employing scales as otolith analogues is that any scale from an individual will provide equivalent information about the chemical history of that fish. This assumption was investigated with multiple scales from wild and captive euryhaline Atlantic tarpon Megalops atlanticus from the north-west Gulf of Mexico. Elemental (Sr:Ca) and isotope-ratio (δ13 C and δ15 N) life-history profiles were compared among multiple scales from each fish. All three chemical proxies showed highly consistent patterns among non-regenerated scales, while patterns in regenerated scales diverged, indicating rapid regrowth of interior scale material at the onset of regeneration. Patterns of Sr:Ca and δ13 C covaried, supporting their use as salinity proxies, while δ15 N patterns were consistent with ontogenetic diet shifts. Water samples taken from aquaria holding captive fish were used to calculate partition coefficients for a suite of elements in M. atlanticus scales for future quantification of migratory movements in the region. Together, these results support the assumption that non-regenerated scales from individual M. atlanticus provide equivalent chemical histories, further validating their use as a viable non-lethal alternative to otoliths.

Fatty-acid biomarkers and tissue-specific turnover: validation from a controlled feeding study in juvenile Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus.

Fatty-acid (FA) profiles of liver and muscle tissue from juvenile Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus were examined over a 15 week diet-switch experiment to establish calibration coefficients (CC) and improve understanding of consumer-diet relationships for field applications. Essential FAs [docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 22:6n-3 and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) , 20:5n-3] decreased and 18:2n-6 increased in tissues of M. undulatus fed diets with increasing proportions of terrestrial v. marine lipid sources. Non-linear models used to estimate the incorporation rate and days to saturation of per cent 18:2n-6 in tissues showed that livers incorporated 18:2n-6 faster than muscle, but the proportions of 18:2n-6 in muscle were higher. CCs were established to determine proportions of FA deposition in tissues relative to diet. Many CCs were consistent amongst diet treatments, despite growth and dietary differences. The CCs can be used to discern FA modification and retention within tissues and as tools for future quantitative estimates of diet histories. Incorporation rates and CCs of 18:2n-6 were applied to a sub-set of field samples of wild M. undulatus to understand habitat use and feeding ecology. Altogether, these results suggest that FAs provide a time-integrated measure of diet in aquatic food webs and are affected by tissue type, growth rate and the influence of mixed diets.

Species differentiation within the Staphylococcus intermedius group using a refined MALDI-TOF MS database.

Among coagulase-positive staphylococci of animal origin, the members of the Staphylococcus intermedius-group (SIG: S. intermedius, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus delphini) are important opportunistic pathogens in different animal hosts and occasionally in humans. However, the unambiguous species diagnosis of SIG is often challenging. Therefore, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) -based SIG-identification with Bruker Microflex LT in combination with Biotyper 3.0 software (Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany) was evaluated using (i) the original database content and (ii) the database after extension with distinct hierarchical clustered reference spectra for 60 SIG. A convenience sample comprising 200 isolates was used to compare both database performances. As a result, 17 isolates initially diagnosed as S. intermedius with the current content of the Bruker database were identified as S. pseudintermedius by applying the in-house reference spectra extended version. Furthermore, a significant improvement (average rise of log score value: 0.24) of the SIG identification score values was achieved, emphasizing that further sequence-based refinement of the Bruker database content allows improvement of MALDI-TOF MS-based identification.

Acceptance of sugar reduction in flavored yogurt.

To investigate what level of sugar reduction is accepted in flavored yogurt, we conducted a hedonic test focusing on the degree of liking of the products and on optimal sweetness and aroma levels. For both flavorings (strawberry and coffee), consumers preferred yogurt containing 10% added sugar. However, yogurt containing 7% added sugar was also acceptable. On the just-about-right scale, yogurt containing 10% sugar was more often described as too sweet compared with yogurt containing 7% sugar. On the other hand, the sweetness and aroma intensity for yogurt containing 5% sugar was judged as too low. A second test was conducted to determine the effect of flavoring concentration on the acceptance of yogurt containing 7% sugar. Yogurts containing the highest concentrations of flavoring (11% strawberry, 0.75% coffee) were less appreciated. Additionally, the largest percentage of consumers perceived these yogurts as "not sweet enough." These results indicate that consumers would accept flavored yogurts with 7% added sugar instead of 10%, but 5% sugar would be too low. Additionally, an increase in flavor concentration is undesirable for yogurt containing 7% added sugar.

[Medial calcific sclerosis under long-term anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists]. / Mediasklerose als Folge der Langzeitantikoagulation mit Vitamin-K-Antagonisten.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin K antagonists not only influence the synthesis of coagulation factors but also the activation of other vitamin K dependent proteins. Among other possible side effects, arterial calcification has been focused on in recent years. HISTORY AND FINDINGS: Four patients under long-term anticoagulation for more than 10 years developed medial calcific sclerosis. In case 1 we identified an unexplained medial calcific sclerosis on x-ray after a trauma by chance. After that we examined the ankle-brachial index of blood pressure in all patients who had received long-term anticoagulation for more than 10 years. Where the index exceeded 1,3 we performed a x-ray-examination of the forefoot. Of the four described patients no one suffered from diabetes mellitus, renal failure or hyperparathyreoidism. Serum calcium was normal in all patients. The severity of the medial calcific sclerosis could not be explained by the initial vascular risk factors. CONCLUSION: In certain patients, even at low vascular risk, a medial calcific sclerosis can appear under long-term anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists. We conclude that vitamin K antagonists inhibit several proteins which protect the vessels from calcification leading to medial calcific sclerosis.

Molecular analysis of human and canine Staphylococcus aureus strains reveals distinct extended-host-spectrum genotypes independent of their methicillin resistance.

Staphylococcus aureus causes a wide range of infectious diseases in humans and various animal species. Although presumptive host-specific factors have been reported, certain genetic lineages seem to lack specific host tropism, infecting a broad range of hosts. Such Extended-Host-Spectrum Genotypes (EHSGs) have been described in canine infections, caused by common regional human methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) lineages. However, information is scarce about the occurrence of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) EHSGs. To gain deeper insight into EHSG MSSA and EHSG MRSA of human and canine origin, a comparative molecular study was carried out, including a convenience sample of 120 current S. aureus (70 MRSA and 50 MSSA) isolates obtained from infected dogs. spa typing revealed 48 different spa types belonging to 16 different multilocus sequence typing clonal complexes (MLST-CCs). Based on these results, we further compared a subset of canine (n = 48) and human (n = 14) strains, including isolates of clonal complexes CC5, CC22, CC8, CC398, CC15, CC45, and CC30 by macrorestriction (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis [PFGE]) and DNA-microarray analysis. None of the methods employed was able to differentiate between clusters of human and canine strains independently of their methicillin resistance. In contrast, DNA-microarray analysis revealed 79% of the 48 canine isolates as carriers of the bacteriophage-encoded human-specific immune evasion cluster (IEC). In conclusion, the high degree of similarity between human and canine S. aureus strains regardless of whether they are MRSA or MSSA envisions the existence of common genetic traits that enable these strains as EHSGs, challenging the concept of resistance-driven spillover of MRSA.

Actigraphic daytime activity is reduced in patients with cognitive impairment and apathy.

OBJECTIVES: Apathy is a neuropsychiatric symptom in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. This study examines correlations between Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) ratings and actigraphic measures of daytime activity. The aim of this study is to determine the value of ambulatory actigraphy in the assessment of locomotor deficits as a correlate of apathy in geriatric patients with cognitive impairment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study a total of 82 participants were recruited, 32 patients with dementia, 21 patients with MCI and 23 elderly controls. Rating scales for apathy (AES) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) were completed. To measure daytime activity a wrist-worn actigraph and an established protocol were used. A single measure of mean daytime activity per participant was calculated for further statistical analysis. RESULTS: In the two groups of patients with MCI and dementia, apathy is associated with reduced daytime activity, independent of diagnosis (no group by apathy interaction). AES scores correlate significantly with daytime activity. Cognitive impairment reduces daytime activity (effect greater in dementia than in MCI). Daytime activity is negatively correlated with memory deficits. CONCLUSION: Ambulatory actigraphy is a promising method to evaluate self-initiated action as a correlate of apathy in patients with cognitive impairment.

Extravasation of intravesical chemotherapy for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

PURPOSE: To report our experience with symptomatic extravasation of intravesical chemotherapy administered within 24 h after transurethral resection (TUR) over the past 10 years. METHODS: We identified all consecutive patients who presented with symptomatic extravasation of intravesical chemotherapy following TUR between 2001 and 2011. We assessed the severity of the postoperative complications using the modified Clavien system. RESULTS: We identified 9 patients (mean age 59, range 40-76 years) with symptomatic extravasation. One patient had grade II, 2 had grade IIIa, and 5 patients had grade IIIb complications according to the Clavien system. Surgery was needed in 6 of 9 patients. One required ICU management (Clavien IV). No patients died in the postoperative course. CONCLUSION: Extravasation can cause severe complications and diagnosis is often protracted. Considering the growing practice of immediate intravesical instillations, the number of patients with symptomatic extravasation is expected to rise. An increased awareness of this possible complication is warranted.

The use of otolith chemistry to characterize diadromous migrations.

Chemical constituents in otoliths have become a valuable tool for fish ecologists seeking to reconstruct migratory patterns and life-history diversity in a wide range of species worldwide. This approach has proved particularly effective with fishes that move across substantial salinity gradients over the course of their life, including many diadromous species. Freshwater endmembers of several elemental and isotope ratios (e.g. Sr:Ca, Ba:Ca and (87)Sr:(86)Sr) are typically identifiably distinct from marine values, and often differ among freshwater tributaries at fine spatial scales. Because these chemical tags are generally incorporated in proportion to their ambient dissolved concentrations, they can be effective proxies for quantifying the presence, duration and frequency of movements between freshwater and marine habitats. The development of high precision probe-based analytical techniques, such as laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and microbeam methods, has allowed researchers to glean increasingly detailed life-history profiles of these proxies across otoliths. Researchers are also combining multiple chemical proxies in an attempt to refine interpretations of habitat residence patterns. A thorough understanding of the spatial and temporal variation in water chemistry as well as environmental and physiological controls on incorporation of specific elements into otoliths is required for confident estimation of lifetime salinity experience. First some assumptions, methodological considerations and data processing options that are particularly relevant to diadromous otolith chemistry studies are discussed. Insights into diadromous migrations obtained from decades of otolith chemistry research, highlighting the increasingly recognized importance of contingent behaviour and partial migration are then discussed. Finally, areas for future research and the need to integrate otolith chemistry studies into comprehensive assessments of the effects of global environmental change are identified.

Interactive effects of food quality, temperature and rearing time on condition of juvenile black bream Acanthopagrus butcheri.

A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the interactive effects of temperature and diet on condition indices of juvenile black bream Acanthopagrus butcheri, reared for time periods ranging from 2 to 42 days. After fish were reared for varying periods, growth, morphometric (Fulton's K) and biochemical [RNA:DNA (R:D) ratios] indices were measured. Fulton's K responded primarily to temperature, with progressive decrease in condition over time for fish reared at high temperatures. In contrast, R:D ratios were primarily affected by diet composition, with the highest values observed for fish reared on fish-based diets as opposed to vegetable-based diets. Significant effects of rearing time were also observed for Fulton's K and R:D ratios, as were some interactive treatment effects. In addition, Fulton's K and R:D ratios were not significantly correlated, perhaps due to the different periods of time integrated by each index or their relative sensitivity to lipid and protein deposition. These results highlight the complex responses of these condition indices to environmental variables and nutritional status.

[Soft oculopression]. / Softokulopression.

BACKGROUND: The method of so-called oculopression is used to reduce the intraocular tension before intraocular operations. For outpatient cataract operations we tested a gentle and, especially for the patient, pleasant alternative which combines an easy and safe treatment with good results for tension reduction. PATIENTS AND METHOD: For a total of 100 patients a routine examination glove was filled with 350 ml of warm tap water and after injection placed for 10 min on the eye scheduled for surgery. RESULTS: With this method, an excellent and self-calibrating reduction of the intraocular pressure could be shown (average intraocular pressure before injection: 18.94 mmHg, after injection: 31.34 mmHg and after soft oculopression: 20.31 mmHg). CONCLUSION: The method of soft oculopression can be recommended because of its excellent self-calibrating tension reducing effect combined with a pleasant and easy application.

Septic polyarthritis caused by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in a dog.

A 14-month-old, male German Shepherd dog was admitted with a six-week history of lameness and swelling of the right hindlimb. Clinical examination revealed polyarthritis, fever, petechiae and ecchymoses of the abdominal skin and prepuce. The haematology and blood chemistry were indicative of sepsis. Mediolateral radiographic views of both of the stifle joints revealed signs of bilateral articular capsule swelling. The radiographical, bacteriological and necropsy findings confirmed a diagnosis of septic polyarthritis due to infection with Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae.

Development of an optimized procedure for the preparation of rat intestinal microsomes: comparison of hepatic and intestinal microsomal cytochrome P450 enzyme activities in two rat strains.

The objective of this study was to characterize cytochrome P450 (CYP) activities in both intestinal and hepatic microsomes from Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats. Specific probes for measuring CYP activities were selected using rat recombinant CYP. The intestinal microsome preparation was optimized getting a more relevant and reproducible abundance of CYPs to measure CYP activities. Testosterone, propranolol, diclofenac, and midazolam were determined as specific substrates of rat CYP2C11, CYP2D2, CYP2C6, and CYP3A, respectively. Ethoxyresorufin and pentoxyresorufin were not specific substrates of CYP1A2 and CYP2B1, respectively. Hepatic and intestinal microsomes expressed active CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2B1, and CYP3A2. Only liver expressed active CYP2C6, CYP2C11, and CYP2D2. Wistar liver expressed more active CYP1A and CYP3A2, but less active CYP2B1 than Wistar intestine. Sprague-Dawley liver expressed more active CYP2B1 and CYP3A2, but less active CYP1A than Sprague-Dawley intestine. In conclusion, CYP activities were qualitatively equivalent but not quantitatively in both strains.

Hot topic: Changes in angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition and concentrations of the tripeptides Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro during ripening of different Swiss cheese varieties.

The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity and the concentration of the 2 ACE-inhibiting tripeptides Val-Pro-Pro (VPP) and Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP) were studied during cheese ripening in 7 Swiss cheese varieties. The semi-hard cheeses Tilsiter, Appenzeller 1/4 fat, Tête de Moine, and Vacherin fribourgeois and the extra-hard and hard cheeses Berner Hobelkäse, Le Gruyère, and Emmentaler were investigated. Three loaves of each variety manufactured in different cheese factories were purchased at the beginning of commercial ripeness and investigated at constant intervals until the end of the usual sale period. Good agreement was found between ACE-inhibitory activity and the total concentration of VPP and IPP at advanced ripening stages. In most of the investigated varieties ACE-inhibitory activity and the concentration of the 2 tripeptides initially increased during the study period. A decline in the concentration of VPP and IPP was obtained toward the end of the investigated period for Tilsiter and Gruyère. The ratio of VPP/IPP decreased during ripening in all varieties with the exception of Emmentaler. However, large variations were observed among the cheese varieties as well as the individual loaves of the same variety. Chemical characterization of the investigated cheeses revealed that qualitative differences in the proteolysis pattern, not quantitative differences in the degree of proteolysis, are responsible for the observed variations in the concentrations of VPP and IPP. The presence of Lactobacillus helveticus in the starter culture was associated with elevated concentrations of VPP and IPP. The results of the present study show that concentrations of VPP and IPP above 100 mg/kg are attainable in semi-hard cheese varieties after ripening periods of about 4 to 7 mo and that stable concentrations of the 2 antihypertensive tripeptides can be expected over several weeks of cheese ripening.

Pharmacokinetic predictions in children by using the physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling.

Nowadays, 50-90% of drugs used in children have never been actually studied in this population. Consequently, either our children are often exposed to the risk of adverse drug events or to lack of efficacy, or they are unable to benefit from a number of therapeutic advances offered to adults, as no clinical study has been properly performed in children. Actually the main methods used to calculate the dose for a child are based on allometric methods taking into account different categories of age, the body weight and/or the body surface area. Unfortunately, these calculation methods consider the children as small adults, which is not the case. Physiologically based pharmacokinetics is one way to integrate the physiological changes occurring in the childhood and to anticipate their impact on the pharmacokinetic processes: absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion/elimination. From different examples, the application of this modelling approach is discussed as a possible and valuable method to minimize the ethical and technical difficulties of conducting research in children.

Occurrence of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibiting tripeptides Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro in different cheese varieties of Swiss origin.

The contents of the 2 antihypertensive peptides Val-Pro-Pro (VPP) and Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP) were determined in 101 samples from 10 different Swiss cheese varieties using HPLC with subsequent triple mass spectrometry. In the category of extra hard and hard cheeses, the Protected Denomination of Origin cheeses Berner Alpkäse and Berner Hobelkäse, L'Etivaz à rebibes, Le Gruyère, Sbrinz, Emmentaler (organic and conventional) and in the category of semihard cheeses, the varieties Tilsiter, Appenzeller 1/4 fat and full fat, Tête de Moine, and Vacherin fribourgeois were screened in the study. The average concentration of the sum of VPP and IPP in the screened cheese varieties varied to a large extent, and substantial variations were obtained for individual samples within the cheese varieties. The lowest average concentration of the 2 tri-petides was found in L'Etivaz à rebibes (n = 3) at 19.1 mg/kg, whereas Appenzeller 1/4 fat (n = 4) contained the greatest concentration at 182.2 mg/kg. In individual samples, the total concentration of VPP and IPP varied between 1.6 and 424.5 mg/kg. With the exception of a 10-yr-old cheese, VPP was always present at greater concentrations than IPP. Milk pretreatment, cultures, scalding conditions, and ripening time were identified as the key factors influencing the concentration of these 2 naturally occurring bioactive peptides in cheese. The results of the present study show that various traditional cheese varieties contain, on average, similar concentrations of the 2 antihypertensive peptides to the recently developed fermented milk products with blood pressure-lowering property. This may serve as a basis for the development of a functional cheese with blood pressure-lowering property.