Changes in heart rate variability in horses during immersion in warm springwater

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of immersion in warm springwater (38 degrees to 40 degrees C) on autonomic nervous activity in horses. ANIMALS: 10 male Thoroughbreds. PROCEDURE: Electrocardiograms were recorded from horses for 15 minutes during a warm springwater bath after being recorded for 15 minutes during stall rest. Variations in heart rate (HR) were evaluated from the power spectrum in terms of low frequency (LF, 0.01 to 0.07 Hz) power and high frequency (HF, 0.07 to 0.6 Hz) power as indices of autonomic nervous activity. RESULTS: Mean (+/- SE) HR during stall rest and immersion in warm springwater was 31.1 +/- 1.7 and 30.3 +/- 1.0 beat/min, respectively. No significant difference was found between the HR recorded during stall rest and that recorded during immersion in warm springwater. The HF power significantly increased from 1,361 +/- 466 milliseconds2 during stall rest to 2,344 +/- 720 milliseconds2 during immersion in warm springwater. The LF power during stall rest and immersion in warm springwater was 3,847 +/- 663 and 5,120 +/- 1,094 milliseconds2, respectively, and were not significantly different from each other. Similarly, the LF:HF ratio did not change during immersion in warm springwater. The frequency of second-degree atrioventricular block, which was observed in 2 horses, increased during immersion in warm springwater, compared with during stall rest. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Increases in HF power indicates that the parasympathetic nervous activity in horses increases during immersion in warm springwater. Thus, immersion in warm springwater may provide a means of relaxation for horses.     

Changes of hip joint congruity after triple pelvic osteotomy in the dog with hip dysplasia

Changes in hip joint congruity was evaluated in dogs with hip dysplasia before and after triple pelvic osteotomy by computed tomography examination in the standing position. Lateral center edge angle significantly increased, and center distance (CD) significantly decreased after surgery compared to the values before surgery, respectively. There was an inverse proportion between the postoperative period and the change in the ratio of CD. These results suggested that joint laxity was improved with time after surgery, providing evidence of the clinical usefulness of this surgery.     

Timing and extent of hypersensitive response are critical to restrict local and systemic spread of Pepper mild mottle virus in pepper containing the L 3 gene

Amino acid changes in Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) coat protein (CP) that enhance, decrease, or nullify the resistance-inducing activity in Capsicum plants carrying the L ³ gene have been identified. In this study, molecular events underlying the L ³ -gene-mediated resistance were analyzed through the expression of hypersensitive response (HR)-related genes, HSR203J-Cc and HIN1-Cc, and defense-related genes, PR1-Cc and PR4b-Cc, upon infection with PMMoV CP mutants. The expression kinetics of the genes correlated with the degree of restriction of virus distribution in the inoculated leaves. The results suggest that the timing and extent of HR are critical factors to restrict virus spread both locally and systemically in L ³ -gene-mediated resistance.The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/GenBank/EMBL databases under accession numbers AB162220 (HSR203J-Cc), AB162221 (HIN1-Cc), AB162222 (PR1-Cc), and AB162223 (PR4b-Cc)     

Immunolocalization of Pepper mild mottle virus in Capsicum annuum seeds

To clarify the mechanism of seed transmission of Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), the virus was immunolocalized in Capsicum annuum seeds using fluorescence microscopy. Two distinct patterns were observed: In the first, PMMoV was present in the epidermis and parenchyma but not in the endosperm or embryo; in the second, the virus was restricted to the surface of the epidermis and parenchyma. These findings shed light on the fundamental mechanisms of seed transmission of tobamoviruses and may aid in the design of new methods to prevent the spread of seedborne virus diseases.     

Effect of time of the addition of glucose to a medium on the development of 1-cell stage mouse embryos

In the present study, 1‐cell stage mouse embryos were cultured with or without glucose, and their development to the blastocyst stage was compared. Embryos cultured in a glucose‐free medium had a higher percentage of development to the 8‐cell stage, and they had higher developmental speeds compared with those cultured in a glucose‐containing medium. The percentages of embryos that developed to the early blastocyst stage, blastocyst stage and expanded blastocyst stage were much lower than those developed in a glucose‐containing medium. This suggests that the culture of 1‐cell stage embryos in a glucose‐containing medium inhibits development at the 8‐cell stage, and that glucose is necessary for blastocyst formation. Previous reports indicate that, from the 1‐cell stage to the 4‐cell stage, glucose inhibits embryo development. In the present study, exposure of early embryos to a glucose‐free medium improved subsequent embryo development, and there was no difference in the percentage of development to the stages ranging from the 8‐cell stage to the expanded blastocyst stage between embryos cultured in a glucose‐free medium from the 1‐cell stage to the 2‐cell, 4‐cell and 8‐cell stage. This indicates that embryo development is improved when a 1‐cell stage embryo is exposed to a glucose‐free medium before and during the 2‐cell stage, and glucose only has an inhibitory effect on embryo development during conversion from the 1‐cell stage to the 2‐cell stage.     

Characterization of Grapevine Algerian latent virus isolated from nipplefruit (Solanum mammosum) in Japan

Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Potato virus Y (PVY), Tomato bushy stunt virus nipplefruit strain (TBSV-Nf), and an unknown spherical virus were isolated from nipplefruit (Solanum mammosum) cultivated in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The spherical virus was identified as Grapevine Algerian latent virus nipplefruit strain (GALV-Nf) from the genus Tombusvirus, based on its physical properties, serological relationships, and analysis of genomic RNA. The genomic RNA of GALV-Nf is 4731 nucleotides long and encodes five open reading frames as well as those of other tombusviruses. Nipplefruit infected with GALV-Nf had severe stunting, leaf deformation, and clear mosaic symptoms. This is the first report of an isolation of GALV in Japan. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Effects of Dietary Contamination by Zearalenone and Its Metabolites on Serum Anti‐Müllerian Hormone: Impact on the Reproductive Performance of Breeding Cows

We investigated the effects of in vivo exposure to low zearalenone levels on the anti‐Müllerian hormone endocrine levels and the reproductive performance of cattle. Urine and blood samples and reproductive records were collected from two Japanese Black breeding female cattle herds with dietary zearalenone contamination below the threshold levels (<1 ppm) at 30 days after calving. Urinary zearalenone, α‐zearalenol and β‐zearalenol concentrations were measured by chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry, and serum anti‐Müllerian hormone concentrations were determined along with serum biochemical parameters. Urinary concentrations of α‐zearalenol were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in cattle in Herd 1 than in cattle in Herd 2, reflecting the different amounts of zearalenone in the diet of the two herds. Although the number of 5‐mm and 10‐mm follicles of the herds and their fertility after artificial insemination were similar, the serum anti‐Müllerian hormone concentrations in herds 1 and 2 were 438.9 ± 48.6 pg/ml and 618.9 ± 80.0 pg/ml, respectively, with a trend towards a significant difference (p = 0.053), which may indicate differences in the antral follicle populations between herds. Thus, zearalenone intake from dietary feed, even when below the threshold zearalenone contamination level permitted in Japan, may affect the ovarian antral follicle populations, but not the fertility, of post‐partum cows.     

Laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy in standing bulls

Laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy without insufflation was applied in 10 standing bulls aged 3 to 15 months. Nine bulls were preoperatively pointed out intra-abdominal testes by computed tomography. Preoperative fasting for a minimum of 24 hr provided laparoscopic visualization of intra-abdominal area from the kidney to the inguinal region. Surgical procedure was interrupted by intra-abdominal fat and testis size. It took 0.6 to 1.5 hr in 4 animals weighing 98 to 139 kg, 0.8 to 2.8 hr in 4 animals weighing 170 to 187 kg, and 3 and 4 hr in 2 animals weighing 244 and 300 kg to complete the cryptorchidectomy. In conclusion, standing gasless laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy seems to be most suitable for bulls weighing from 100 to 180 kg.     

Estrogen regulates the serum level of phosphorylated prolactin in mice

Phosphorylated prolactin (PPRL) is considered to be the most quantitatively important post-translationally modified form of prolactin (PRL) in rodents. We recently detected two different types of PPRL in the mouse pituitary gland; one was phosphorylated at serine and the other was phosphorylated at serine/threonine. Furthermore, we showed that there are obvious differences in the ratios between PPRLs and non-phosphorylated PRL in the pituitary gland based on age and sex and that estrogen influences PRL phosphorylation at serine in female mice. In the present study, we examined whether estradiol (E2) increases serine PPRL in the male pituitary gland in the same manner as in the female pituitary gland and examined whether PPRL is released into serum. We first determined the relative amounts of intrapituitary PPRLs in male mice under different pharmacological conditions that increased PRL secretion. The results indicated that treatment with E2 increases serine PPRL. We then performed two-dimensional electrophoresis and immunoblotting analysis after immunoprecipitation with anti-mouse PRL antibody using male and female sera under different pharmacological conditions that increased PRL secretion. The results of this experiment indicated that there were PRLs phosphorylated at serine and serine/threonine in the female serum but not in the male serum. The levels of PPRLs in sera were greatly increased with the E2 treatment for both male and female sera. Furthermore, we examined the effect of E2 on PPRL synthesis in cultured male pituitary glands. In this experiment, we observed increased serine PPRL synthesis and stronger immunohistochemical staining of PRL cells with E2 treatment. These findings suggested that serine PPRL synthesis and secretion were influenced by estrogen.