Estimation of concentration of radionuclides in skeletal muscle from blood,based on the data from abandoned animals in Fukushima

The damage caused by the earthquake on 11 March, 2011 resulted in a serious nuclear accident in Japan. Due to the damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), large amounts of radioactive substances were released into the environment. In particular, one of the largest safety concerns is radioactive cesium (¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs). Due to the FNPP nuclear accident, a 20 km area was restricted from human activity, and various types of domestic animals were left in the zone. We collected the organs and tissues from sacrificed animals to obtain scientific data to evaluate the internal deposition of radioactive compounds. At first, we found there is a strong correlation between blood ¹³⁷Cs and organ ¹³⁷Cs with data from 44 cattle, indicating that skeletal muscle is the target organ of deposition of radioactive cesium. Second, we analyzed the relationship between blood ¹³⁷Cs and muscle ¹³⁷Cs within relatively lower radioactive concentration, suggesting that estimation of concentration of ¹³⁷Cs is possible from blood concentration of ¹³⁷Cs. Finally, we developed computer software to estimate the muscle ¹³⁷Cs concentration from blood samples. Our study contributes to the food safety of livestock products.     

Role of sorbitol in manufacturing dried seafood from heated squid meat

SUMMARY: Japanese common squid meat was heat-treated at 80°C for 1 min, cured with 1.0 M sorbitol solution (pH 7.0) at 4°C for 18 h, and dried further at 30°C (60% relative humidity) for 16 h. Osmotic dehydration during the sorbitol curing process and slow moisture vaporization at the initial drying period were observed regardless of the heat denaturation of muscle protein. Simultaneously, lowering the amount of moisture vaporized in the falling rate of the drying period caused a shortening of the total drying time. Furthermore, the shear force of the dried product from heat-treated meat was kept at a lower value by sorbitol curing, although the suppression effect of sorbitol on the hardening of dried meat was lost by protein denaturation. These results are useful for understanding the role of sorbitol in reducing drying time and in eliminating excess hardening of dried squid products.     

Endogenous 5-HT outflow from chicken aorta by 5-HT uptake inhibitors and amphetamine derivatives

Chemoreceptor cells aggregating in clusters in the chicken thoracic aorta contain 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and have voltage-dependent ion channels and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which are characteristics typically associated with neurons. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of 5-HT uptake inhibitors, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine and clomipramine (CLM), and amphetamine derivatives, p-chloroamphetamine (PCA) and methamphetamine (MET), on endogenous 5-HT outflow from the isolated chick thoracic aorta in vitro. 5-HT was measured by using a HPLC system with electrochemical detection. The amphetamine derivatives and 5-HT uptake inhibitors caused concentration-dependent increases in endogenous 5-HT outflow. PCA was about ten times more effective in eliciting 5-HT outflow than MET. The 5-HT uptake inhibitors examined had similar potency for 5-HT outflow. PCA and CLM increased 5-HT outflow in a temperature-dependent manner. The outflow of 5-HT induced by PCA or 5-HT uptake inhibitors was independent of extracellular Ca²⁺ concentration. The 5-HT outflow induced by CLM, but not that by PCA, was dependent on the extracellular NaCl concentration. These results suggest that the 5-HT uptake system of 5-HT-containing chemoreceptor cells in the chicken thoracic aorta has characteristics similar to those of 5-HT-containing neurons in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS).     

Effect of Bacillus subtilis C-3102 supplementation in milk replacer on growth and rumen microbiota in preweaned calves

We aimed to assess the effect of feeding Bacillus subtilis C-3102 on the growth and rumen microbiota in the preweaned calves. Twelve newborn Japanese Black calves were randomly allocated to either the control (n = 6) or the treatment (n = 6) groups in the present study. Calves in the treatment group were offered B. subtilis C-3102 supplemented milk replacer throughout the preweaning period. Rumen fermentation during the first 21 days of life seemed to be slightly suppressed by feeding B. subtilis C-3102. This fermentation shift was probably attributed to the lower abundance of the core members of rumen microbiota until 21 days of age in the calves fed B. subtilis C-3102. However, feeding B. subtilis C-3102 did not influence the abundance of the core members of rumen microbiota at 90 days of age. Distribution of Sharpea spp. and Megasphaera spp., which potentially contribute to low methane production and are regarded as beneficial rumen bacteria, was higher in the rumen of calves fed B. subtilis C-3102 at 90 days of age. These results suggest that B. subtilis C-3102 supplementation in milk replacer could potentially contribute to the improvement of feed efficiency after weaning via the establishment of beneficial rumen bacteria.     

Live vaccine trials against nocardiosis in yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata

In an attempt to develop a vaccine against Nocardia seriolae, related species of live bacteria N. soli, N. fluminea, and N. uniformis were injected into yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata. In addition, fish were challenged with a low virulence strain of N. seriolae to model the concept of use of a live vaccine. The fish injected with live N. soli and N. fluminea cells showed slight resistance against an artificial challenge with N. seriolae. On the other hand, the fish that survived the N. seriolae infection showed complete resistance to the N. seriolae challenge. These results suggest that protective immune responses against N. seriolae are induced in yellowtails.     

Expression of pancreatic enzyme genes during the early larval stage of Japanese eel Anguilla japonica

ABSTRACT: To reveal the ontogeny of pancreatic exocrine function in the early larval stage of eel, cDNAs encoding major pancreatic enzymes, trypsinogen, amylase and lipase were identified from the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica and their expression pattern in larvae was analyzed. The cloned eel trypsinogen precursor consisted of 224 amino acids and showed 82.2% identity to trypsinogen-2 of winter flounder Pleuronectes americanus . The eel amylase precursor consisted of 512 amino acids and showed 77% identity to winter flounder amylase. Eel pancreatic lipase was composed of 470 amino acids and had 58.3% of identity to human pancreatic lipase. In the eel larvae, mRNA expression of trypsinogen and amylase was first detected at 6 days post-hatching (d.p.h.), and the expression level increased between 7 and 8 d.p.h. In contrast, mRNA expression of lipase was first detected at 8 d.p.h. Eel larvae start to feed actively at 8 d.p.h. Thus, it was indicated that eel pancreas starts to synthesize digestive enzymes at 6 d.p.h. and acquires full function by the onset of exogenous feeding at 8 d.p.h.     

Role of prostaglandin in the control of ovulation in the Japaneseeel Anguilla japonica

ABSTRACT:   The in vitro effects of 17,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one(DHP) and prostaglandins (PGE₁, PGE₂, PGF_1α,PGF_2α) on ovulation in the Japanese eel Anguillajaponica were examined. Oocytes with follicle layers at themigratory nucleus stage (approximately 850–900 µmdiameter) were removed using a polyethylene cannula from artificiallymatured fish. At concentrations of 10 and 100 ng/mL,DHP was found to induce both germinal vesicle breakdown and ovulation.The prostaglandins, except for PGE₁, effectively inducedovulation of previously matured oocytes by DHP treatment in vitro .Prostaglandin F_2α was the most effective. Asignificant increase in ovulation rate was observed even at a concentrationof 0.01 µg/mL PGF_2α.Indomethacin blocked the in vitro ovulation induced by DHPand addition of PGF_2α reversed indomethacin-blockedovulation. Actinomycin D and cycloheximide blocked DHP-induced ovulationand PGF_2α reversed the effects of both inhibitors. Theseresults indicate that DHP induces ovulation through endogenous prostaglandinsynthesis in the follicle layers of the Japanese eel.     

Characterization of ammonia-assimilating bacteria in a lagoon for wastewater from a paddock of dairy cattle

We investigated microorganisms that assimilated ammonia in lagoon treatment processes. Ammonia‐assimilating microorganisms were detected by nitrogen‐limited medium that contained ammonia as the sole nitrogen source. Numbers of ammonia‐assimilating aerobes (log CFU/g) were 3.4, 4.8, 5.0, 4.8 and 5.0 (log CFU/mL) on the culture plate incubated at 4°C, 10°C, 15°C, 20°C and 25°C, respectively. Many isolates used ammonia in high rates when they were purely cultivated in nitrogen‐limited medium added to sterilized lagoon extract. Many of them used ammonia even when they were cultivated in media containing viable microbial flora of the lagoon. Among them, enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas sp. were identified by analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA.     

Biosynthesis of estradiol-17β in the ovarian follicles of the red seabream Pagrus major during vitellogenesis

ABSTRACT: The red seabream Pagrus major is a useful experimental fish for studying the endocrine control of oogenesis in teleosts. This study investigated the steroidogenic pathway for estradiol-17β (E2) biosynthesis in the ovarian follicles of red seabream. Intact follicles were isolated during vitellogenesis and incubated in vitro with different radiolabeled steroid precursors. When 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-P), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), or androstenedione (AD) were used as precursors, both testosterone (T) and estrone (E1) were synthesized by follicles, leading to estradiol-17β (E2) production. Serum steroid levels measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that T, E1, and E2 were present in the circulation at levels ranging from 1 ng/mL to 2 ng/mL throughout the day during the spawning season. In vitro conversion of E1 into E2, however, was 15.8-fold greater than T conversion into E2, suggesting that E2 is synthesized mainly via E1 rather than T. The results showed that E2 was synthesized from pregnenolone via 17-hydroxypregnenolone, DHEA, AD, and E1. Thus, the study demonstrated the complete steroidogenic E2 synthesis pathway in the ovarian follicles of red seabream, and revealed that E1 is the major precursor of E2.