Applying functional MRI to the spinal cord and brainstem

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the spinal cord (spinal fMRI) has facilitated the noninvasive visualization of neural activity in the spinal cord (SC) and brainstem of both animals and humans. This technique has yet to gain the widespread usage of brain fMRI, due in part to the intrinsic technical challenges spinal fMRI presents and to the narrower scope of applications it fulfills. Nonetheless, methodological progress has been considerable and rapid. To date, spinal fMRI studies have investigated SC function during sensory or motor task paradigms in spinal cord injury (SCI), multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuropathic pain (NP) patient populations, all of which have yielded consistent and sensitive results. The most recent study in our laboratory has successfully used spinal fMRI to examine cervical SC activity in a SCI patient with a metallic fixation device spanning the C₄ to C₆ vertebrae, a critical step in realizing the clinical utility of the technique. The literature reviewed in this article suggests that spinal fMRI is poised for usage in a wide range of patient populations, as multiple groups have observed intriguing, yet consistent, results using standard, readily available MR systems and hardware. The next step is the implementation of this technique in the clinic to supplement standard qualitative behavioral assessments of SCI. Spinal fMRI may offer insight into the subtleties of function in the injured and diseased SC, and support the development of new methods for treatment and monitoring.     

Biodistribution of doxorubicin and nanostructured ferrocarbon carrier particles in organism during magnetically controlled drug delivery

Biodistribution of doxorubicin and ferrocarbon carrier particles in organism during and after magnetically controlled anti-tumor drug delivery and deposition was studied. Animal tests show high concentration of the cytostatic drug in the target zone, while its concentration is three orders of magnitude lower in bloodstream and other organs. A significant depot of the drug remains on the deposited particles days after the procedure. Macrophages actively phagocytose the ferrocarbon (FeC) particles and remain viable long enough to carry them to the lymph nodes.     

Serological proteome analysis of dogs with breast cancer unveils common serum biomarkers with human counterparts

Canine mammary tumor is being touted as a model for investigating the human breast cancer. Breast cancer of the both species has similar biological behavior, histopathologic characteristics, and metastatic pattern. In this study, we used the serological proteome analysis to detect autoantigens that elicit a humoral response in dogs with mammary tumor in order to identify serum biomarkers with potential usefulness as diagnostic markers and to better understand molecular mechanisms underlying canine breast cancer development. Protein extract from a cell line was subject to 2DE followed by Western blotting using sera from 15 dogs with mammary tumor and sera from 15 healthy control dogs. Immunoreactive autoantigens were subsequently identified by the MALDI‐TOF MS. Four autoantigens, including manganese‐superoxide dismutase, triose phosphate isomerase, alpha‐enolase, and phosphoglycerate mutase1, with significantly higher immunoreactivity in the tumor samples than in the normal samples were identified as biomarker candidates. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting revealed higher expression of these biomarkers in the malignant tumors than in the normal or benign tumors. The autoantigens found in this study have been reported to elicit autoantibody response in the human breast cancer, indicating the similarity of breast cancer proteome profile in dogs with that in human beings.     

Lipophilicity of oils and fats estimated by TLC

A representative series of natural toxins belonging to alkaloids and mycotoxins classes was investigated by TLC on classical chemically bonded plates and also on oils‐ and fats‐impregnated plates. Their lipophilicity indices are employed in the characterization and comparison of oils and fats. The retention results allowed an accurate indirect estimation of oils and fats lipophilicity. The investigated fats and oils near classical chemically bonded phases are classified and compared by means of multivariate exploratory techniques, such as cluster analysis, principal component analysis, or fuzzy‐principal component analysis. Additionally, a concrete hierarchy of oils and fats derived from the observed lipophilic character is suggested. Human fat seems to be very similar to animal fats, but also possess RP‐18, RP‐18W, and RP‐8.     

Matrix effects in the determination of β‐receptor agonists in animal‐derived foodstuffs by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry with immunoaffinity solid‐phase extraction

Matrix effects in determination of three β‐receptor agonists including salbutamol (SAL), clenbuterol, and terbutaline in animal‐derived foodstuffs were studied by ultra‐performance LC‐MS/MS with cleanup of immunoaffinity SPE column (IAC). Some animal tissue samples including pig liver, swine muscle, and fish muscle were hydrolyzed by the mixed enzyme solution or HCl solution, and the cleanup efficiencies with SAL IAC, MCX SPE column, and C₁₈‐SCX tandem columns were examined and compared by using spiked experiments. The results showed that the matrix effects in the determination of SAL and terbutaline can be eliminated with SAL IAC cleanup, and the average recoveries of SAL were 77.4～81.5%, 79.0～80.3%, and 85.0～87.2% in pig liver, swine muscle, and fish muscle, respectively. The decision limit (ccα) and detection capability (ccβ) for SAL in pig liver were 0.02 and 0.05 μg/kg, respectively.     

An efficient and reusable heterogeneous catalyst Animal Bone Meal for facile synthesis of benzimidazoles, benzoxazoles, and benzothiazoles

A library of benzimidazoles, benzoxazoles, and benzothiazoles was efficiently synthesized by condensation of o-phenylenediamine, o-aminophenol, and o-aminothiophenol respectively with aromatic aldehydes in the presence of catalytic amounts of Animal Bone Meal (ABM) and Lewis acids doped ABMs. Reactions were conducted under reflux conditions in air. The remarkable features of this new protocol are high conversion, short reaction times, and cleaner reaction profiles, straightforward procedure, and reduction in catalyst toxicity.     

Differentiation of various traditional Chinese medicines derived from animal bile and gallstone: simultaneous determination of bile acids by liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

Animal biles and gallstones are popularly used in traditional Chinese medicines, and bile acids are their major bioactive constituents. Some of these medicines, like cow-bezoar, are very expensive, and may be adulterated or even replaced by less expensive but similar species. Due to poor ultraviolet absorbance and structural similarity of bile acids, effective technology for species differentiation and quality control of bile-based Chinese medicines is still lacking. In this study, a rapid and reliable method was established for the simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of 18 bile acids, including 6 free steroids (cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, deoxycholic acid, lithocholic acid, hyodeoxycholic acid, and ursodeoxycholic acid) and their corresponding glycine conjugates and taurine conjugates, by using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). This method was used to analyze six bile-based Chinese medicines: bear bile, cattle bile, pig bile, snake bile, cow-bezoar, and artificial cow-bezoar. Samples were separated on an Atlantis dC₁₈ column and were eluted with methanol–acetonitrile–water containing ammonium acetate. The mass spectrometer was monitored in the negative electrospray ionization mode. Total ion currents of the samples were compared for species differentiation, and the contents of bile acids were determined by monitoring specific ion pairs in a selected reaction monitoring program. All 18 bile acids showed good linearity (r² > 0.993) in a wide dynamic range of up to 2000-fold, using dehydrocholic acid as the internal standard. Different animal biles could be explicitly distinguished by their major characteristic bile acids: tauroursodeoxycholic acid and taurochenodeoxycholic acid for bear bile, glycocholic acid, cholic acid and taurocholic acid for cattle bile, glycohyodeoxycholic acid and glycochenodeoxycholic acid for pig bile, and taurocholic acid for snake bile. Furthermore, cattle bile, cow-bezoar, and artificial cow-bezoar could be differentiated by the existence of hyodeoxycholic acid and the ratio of cholic acid to deoxycholic acid. This study provided bile acid profiles of bile-based Chinese medicines for the first time, which could be used for their quality control.     

Fractal analysis reveals pernicious stress levels related to boat presence and type in the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus

The stress induced in the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus, by boat presence and type was investigated in a highly urbanized coastal environment, the Port Adelaide River-Barker Inlet Estuary, South Australia. The level of stress experienced by bottlenose dolphins was inferred from the distribution patterns of their dive durations. Dive duration has previously been shown to increase under boat traffic conditions, and is considered as a typical avoidance behavior. Dive durations were opportunistically recorded from land-based stations between January 2008 and October 2010 in the absence of boat traffic, and in the presence of kayaks, inflatable motor boats, powerboats and fishing boats. Subsequent analyses were based on nearly 6000 behavioral observations. No significant differences in dive durations were found between control observations (i.e. absence of boats) and boat interferences, which could erroneously lead to conclude that boat traffic did not induce any stress in T. aduncus. In contrast, the scaling exponents of the cumulative probability distribution of dive durations obtained in the absence of boat traffic and under different conditions of boat interferences show (i) that the presence of boats affected the complexity of dive duration patterns and (ii) that stress levels were a function of boat type. Specifically, the complexity of dive duration patterns (estimated by the scaling exponent ?) did not significantly differ between control behavioral observations and behavioral observations conducted in the presence of kayaks. A significant increased in behavioral stress (i.e. decreasing values of ?) was, however, induced by the presence of fishing boats, motorized inflatable boats and powerboats. This demonstrates that traditional approaches based on the analysis of averaged behavioral metrics may not be sensitive enough to detect changes in the distribution pattern of behavioral sequences, hence underestimate the potential consequences of e.g. chronic exposure to low levels of stress. It is finally emphasized that fractal analyses of behavioral variables, and in particular the analysis of their cumulative probability distribution function, may provide a non-invasive, objective and quantitative framework that can be used to assess the changes in stress response, and subsequently evaluate the welfare status of organisms under various conditions of abiotic and/or biotic stress.     

全蝎不同部位的红外光谱分析与评价

采用傅里叶变换红外光谱及其二阶导数谱对动物药全蝎由表及里8个部位的药材粉末进行了分析与评价.结果表明,全蝎不同部位的红外光谱较为相似,而二阶导数红外光谱中峰位置和峰强度的差异明显.全蝎不同部位的分析结果进一步证明:蛋白质是每个部位的主体成分,但蝎尾的蛋白质与其他部位较为不同;脂肪类物质主要集中于躯干部分;硫酸粘多糖普遍...