Pyrolysis and combustion toxicity of wood treated with CCA

Summary The study was carried out in order to determine the effects of CCA on the pyrolysis and the combustion toxicity of wood. The results from CCA treated wood are summarized as follows: 1. CCA accelerated the beginning of pyrolysis of wood, increased the activation energies for the weight loss by pyrolysis, and increased the char yields in both air and helium. 2. Almost all the original amounts of cromium and copper were retained in the ash while some of the arsenic evolved into the gas phase, which increased with increasing temperature and air supply. 3. The combustion toxicity of wood samples was affected more by the sample density and CO concentration than CCA. It is concluded that for minimizing gaseous toxicants from arsenic, CCA treated wood must be burned at low temperatures with a reduced air supply.     

湿地松生长规律研究

通过对曾都区湿地松人工林生长现状的调查,选取标准木进行树干解析,分析了湿地松胸径、树高和材积的生长规律。结果表明:该地区湿地松在前18a一直呈现快速生长的趋势,且还没有达到数量成熟龄,具有很强的生长潜力和培育价值。     

Identification and preservation of the parathyroid gland during total thyroidectomy in dogs with bilateral thyroid carcinoma: a report of six cases

Simultaneous removal of bilateral thyroid tumors was performed while preserving the parathyroid gland in six dogs. At least one external parathyroid gland was identified in all dogs. In five cases, the external parathyroid gland and its blood supply were preserved intact. In one dog, the vessels supplying the external parathyroid gland had been invaded by the tumor, and the gland was thus removed and reimplanted into the sternohyoid muscle. That dog required postoperative treatment with oral calcium gluconate and vitamin D₃. Local tumor recurrence was not observed in any of the cases. The mean survival time was 920 days. We found that the external parathyroid gland could be identified and preserved in most dogs undergoing total thyroidectomy.     

Attempt at intracytoplasmic sperm injection of in vitro matured oocytes in common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) captured during the Kushiro Coast Survey

The present study was conducted during the Kushiro Coast Survey in an attempt to produce common minke whale embryos. In Experiment 1, we attempted to determine the appropriate culture duration (30 or 40 h) for in vitro maturation (IVM) of immature oocytes using the Well of the Well method. In Experiment 2, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was applied to matured oocytes from prepubertal and adult common minke whales after IVM culture (40 or 48 h), and then their embryonic development was assessed. In Experiment 1, the maturation rate of oocytes cultured for 40 h (30.4%) was significantly higher than that of oocytes cultured for 30 h (6.8%; P<0.01). In Experiment 2, a total of 35 and 46 immature oocytes derived from adult (n=2) and prepubertal (n=6) minke whales, respectively, were cultured for 40 or 48 h. The maturation rate in the oocytes from the adult whales (34.2%) tended to be higher than that of the oocytes from the prepubertal whales (19.6%), but there was no significant difference. Following ICSI, 3 out of the 10 inseminated and cultured oocytes from the adult whales cleaved (2-, 8-, and 16-cell stages); all of these oocytes had been matured for 40 in culture. However, these oocytes did not develop to further stages. Only one of the 6 oocytes derived from the prepubertal whales, IVM cultured for 40 h and inseminated, developed to the 4-cell stage. The present results indicate that a 40 h IVM culture produces significantly higher rates of in vitro maturation than a 30 h IVM culture for common minke whale oocytes. Following ICSI, some oocytes cleaved to the 16-cell stage, but no further development was observed.     

Follicle size-dependent changes in follicular fluid components and oocyte diameter in Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)

The concentrations of various components of follicular fluid were compared among three groups of follicles (small, <5 mm; medium: 5-10 mm; large, >10 mm) with a control that consisted of the components of umbilical serum using seven pregnant Antarctic minke whales. Follicular oocytes recovered from the follicles were also used for measurement of oocyte diameter after removing the cumulus cells. The mean diameter of the ooplasm in the oocytes from the large follicles (143.2 microm) was significantly greater than those from the small (127.1 microm) and medium (131.7 microm) follicles, although there were no significant differences in diameter of the whole oocyte and thickness of the zona pellucida among the three follicular sizes. The osmolarity of the follicular fluid from the small follicles (363.3 mOsmol) was significantly lower than that of the medium follicles (388.9 mOsmol) and tended to be lower than that of large (381.9 mOsmol) follicles, respectively, both of which were similar to that of the umbilical serum (379.5 mOsmol). There was no significant difference in the concentrations of all components of the follicular fluid between the medium and large follicles. As compared with the values of the umbilical serum, the total-protein, glucose, albumin and chlorine concentrations of the follicular fluid from the medium and large follicles were significantly higher, and the total cholesterol and calcium concentrations were significantly lower. The concentrations of lactic acid (85.3-136.0 mg/dl) of the follicular fluid from the three groups of follicles were significantly lower than that of the umbilical serum (360.0 mg/dl). Among the follicles, the follicular fluid from the small follicles (136.0 mg/dl) contained a significantly higher concentration of lactic acid than that from the large follicles (85.3 mg/dl). The progesterone concentrations were not significantly different among the fluid from the three group of follicles and the umbilical serum: however, the estradiol 17-beta concentrations of the follicular fluid increased with the size of the follicle (14.3 and 34.6 ng/ml for small and large follicles, respectively). These results offer new information concerning whale reproductive physiology, especially for improvement of in vitro oocyte maturation and related technologies in whales.     

Immunological findings in 3 dogs clinically diagnosed with allergic rhinitis

Three dogs clinically diagnosed with allergic rhinitis (AR) were examined for their immunological findings. House dust mites (HDM) such as Dermatophagoides farinae (DF) and D. pteronyssinus (DP) were identified as positive allergens in the 3 dogs with both intradermal skin test and serum antigen-specific IgE test. Lymphocyte blastogenic response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) under stimulation with DF antigen in dogs with AR was higher than that in 4 healthy control dogs. Expression level of IL-4 mRNA in PBMCs obtained from the 3 AR dogs was higher than that in PBMCs obtained from 4 healthy control dogs before and after stimulation with DF antigen. Expression level of IFN-gamma mRNA in PBMCs was not different between the AR and control dogs before and after stimulation with DF antigen. These results suggested that allergic reaction to HDM antigen and T(H)2-type immune response were associated with the development of AR in 3 dogs examined in this study.     

Validation of the sperm quality analyzer and the hypo-osmotic swelling test for frozen-thawed ram and minke whale (Balaenoptera bonarensis) spermatozoa

The object of the present study was to investigate the validation of the sperm quality analyzer (SQA) and the hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) test with standard sperm analysis methods in frozen-thawed ram and minke whale spermatozoa. In rams, highly significant correlations were observed in the percentage of motile spermatozoa (P<0.01) and sperm concentration (P<0.01) between the standard and SQA methods. But, the percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa did not significantly correlate between the standard and SQA methods. The percentages of swollen spermatozoa at 15 minutes by the HOS test were significantly correlated with the motility by the standard (P<0.05) and by the SQA (P<0.05) methods. For minke whale spermatozoa, the SVI (sperm viability index) values by the standard method were significantly (P<0.001) correlated with the sperm motility index (SMI) values by SQA. The percentage of motile spermatozoa was also significantly correlated (P<0.01) with the motility measured by SQA. Using different hypo-osmotic solutions and incubation times, the HOS test with 25, 100 and 150 mOsM did not show significant variations. Motility observed by the standard method and the percentage of swollen spermatozoa were significantly correlated (P<0.05). These results indicate that the SQA and HOS test can be utilized to assess the post-thawing motility of ram and minke whale spermatozoa, and that the SQA and HOS test values are significantly correlated in ram spermatozoa. However, sperm concentration and morphologically normal spermatozoa are not assessed accurately by SQA in minke whales.     

A comparative study of induction of estrus and ovulation by three different intravaginal devices in ewes during the non-breeding season

The aim of the present study was to compare three methods of estrus synchronization in ewes during the non-breeding season. Forty-two ewes were randomly grouped for three treatments with different intravaginal devices for 12 days: Group A) CIDR, Group B) Self-made P sponge, Group C) MAP (medroxyprogesterone acetate) cream sponge. Furthermore, all groups were divided into two treatments with (R) or without ram presence to examine the "ram effect". Blood was collected from all treated ewes, and progesterone (P(4)), estradiol 17-beta (E(2)) and luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations were measured by enzyme-immunoassay. All ewes showed estrus behavior between Day 0 to 3 after device removal, and the mean onset times of their estrus were 23.0, 33.0 and 21.0 h for Groups AR, BR and CR, respectively. On Day 5 as examined by laparoscopy, the ovulation rates (and number of ovulated ewes) were 1.45 (11/11), 1.25 (12/14) and 1.21 (14/14) for Groups A, B and C, respectively. In Group C, the time to LH surge was significantly (P<0.05) later (32.4 h) than those in Groups A (27.0 h) and B (25.5 h). Ram presence did not affect the number of ovulated ewes, ovulation rate or time to LH surge. The ram introduction group had significantly (P<0.05) lower E(2) concentrations during the period from 0 h to 36 h than the groups without ram presence. These results suggest that the self-made P sponge or MAP cream sponge was effective as well as CIDR, and ram introduction was not necessary, for induction of estrus and ovulation during the non-breeding season.     

Survival analysis in dogs with urinary transitional cell carcinoma that underwent whole‐body computed tomography at diagnosis

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate factors associated with survival and to compare characteristics between tumour localizations in dogs with urinary transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) that underwent whole‐body computed tomography (CT) at diagnosis. Dogs with histologically confirmed TCC that received medical therapy between 2010 and 2017 were included; dogs that underwent surgery or radiotherapy for the primary tumour were excluded. According to the CT findings, primary tumour localization (classified into the Bladder, Urethra and Bladder and Urethra groups), prostate involvement, iliosacral lymphadenomegaly, sternal lymphadenomegaly and metastasis to the bone and lung were evaluated for survival analysis. CT at diagnosis revealed iliosacral lymphadenomegaly, sternal lymphadenomegaly, bone metastasis and lung metastasis in 47.7%, 18.5%, 24.6% and 35.4% of the 65 included dogs, respectively. The overall median survival time was 196 days. On multivariable analysis, TCC localization (hazard ratio [HR], 1.90; P = .037), bone metastasis (HR, 2.76; P = .013) and sternal lymphadenomegaly (HR, 3.56; P = .004) were significantly associated with survival. Compared to the Bladder group (n = 16), the Urethra group (n = 26) had higher metastasis rates to the bone (6.3% vs 42.3%; P = .045) and lung (6.3% vs 46.2%; P = .022). The survival time was shorter in the Urethra group than in the Bladder group (121.5 vs 420 days; P < .001), and it was similar only in female dogs (247 vs 420 days; P = .031). These findings suggest that whole‐body CT could be valuable for predicting the prognosis in urinary TCC.