Immunohistochemical detection of virus antigen in the nasal planum of rabid dogs

The rabies virus is one of the most neurotropic of all viruses infecting mammals. During the terminal phases of infection, the virus spreads to peripheral tissues, including the skin. The external skin of the nose, called the nasal planum, is a sensory organ where numerous nerve bundles and terminal nerves are distributed. Therefore, the nasal planum is expected to serve as a postmortem diagnostic material. However, the distribution of rabies virus antigens in the nasal planum in rabid animals has not yet been studied. In this study, the nasal planum was obtained from 45 rabid dogs. In all rabid dogs, the viral antigen was detected in the peripheral nerve tissues, Merkel cells, and squamous cells. The viral antigen in the epidermis exhibited three patterns: first, a diffuse positive pattern from the basal layer to the squamous layer; second, a reticular positive pattern along the cell membrane in the squamous layer; and third, a basal layer pattern of the epidermis. In the dermis, viral antigens were detected more often in lamellated corpuscles just beneath the rete pegs. These results suggest that the nasal planum could serve as a useful alternative source for postmortem diagnosis in rabies endemic countries.     

红参加工中皂苷的脱羧降解反应及其产物的研究

从鲜人参中提取分离出天然皂苷,模拟红参加工工艺过程,探讨红参加工中天然皂苷成分转化过程,以揭示出皂苷成分转化机理。方法：将红参粉以甲醇提取,乙醚脱脂,正丁醇萃取;水层通过大孔树脂（Ｄ１０１型）吸附,水洗除去水溶性发质和糖分。再经过硅胶柱层析和阳离子交换树脂柱层析,获得丙二酸单酰基人参皂苷。模拟红参加工工艺过程得转化物,对该转化物进行分离鉴定,诸如化学试验、ＩＲ、ＦＤ－ＭＳ等仪器分析。结果表明：从鲜人参中分离出丙二酸单酰基人参皂苷－Ｒｂ２和－Ｒｂ２等皂苷,通过模拟红参加工试验发现在７５℃烘干过程,丙二酸单酰基人参皂苷－Ｒｂ２转化为乙酰基人参皂苷－Ｒｂ２,即人参皂苷Ｒｓ１。结论：人参皂苷Ｒｓ１是红参加工烘干阶段产生的,对其分解产物的分析有二氧化碳放出,说明该反应是丙二酸单酰基人参皂苷上的丙二元到遇热发生脱羧降解反应     

Caval foramen hernia in a dog: Preoperative diagnosis and surgical treatment

A 13-year-old, 5.6-kg castrated-male Maltese was presented for reverse sneezing. A dome-shaped round mass abutting diaphragm was incidentally found ventral to caudal vena cava, which had the same echogenicity and density as that of the liver during ultrasonography and computed tomography, showing isoattenuation with a contrast study. Vascular distribution was identified throughout the mass. A caval foramen hernia (CFH) was diagnosed tentatively, followed by a herniorrhaphy and splenectomy of the chronically congested spleen. The patient had been doing well for 5-month postoperative but died because of aspiration pneumonia. CFH is an extremely rare condition, requiring surgery due to compression of the vena cava. It should be considered as a differential diagnosis when intrathoracic, mass-like lesions are identified near the diaphragm.     

Herbicidal action of clove oil on cucumber seedlings

The herbicidal action of clove oil on cucumber seedlings was characterized under light and dark conditions. Paraquat showed herbicidal activity only under the light condition, whereas the clove oil displayed herbicidal activity in both the light and the dark condition. Specifically, wilting and water content reduction progressed rapidly under both the light and the dark condition 1 h after the clove oil treatment, whereas the paraquat damage occurred only under the light condition 5 h after treatment. The malondialdehyde concentration increased more with the clove oil treatment than with the paraquat treatment under the light and dark conditions. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was stimulated, but the catalase activity decreased in the clove oil treatment. In contrast, both the SOD and catalase activity decreased in the paraquat treatment. These results suggest that clove oil exerts herbicidal effects through a mechanism that is different from that of paraquat.     

Mesh selectivity of encircling gill net for gizzard shad Konosirus punctatus in the coastal sea of Korea

ABSTRACT:   Fishing experiments were carried out in Yeongil Bay, Korea using an encircling gill net with four different mesh sizes and two different hanging ratios to measure the mesh selectivity for gizzard shad Konosirus punctatus . Twenty-six trials were conducted giving a total catch of 485 gizzard shad. The 'share each length's catch total' (SELECT) analysis with maximum likelihood method was used to fit the different functional models, the normal, lognormal, and bi-normal model, for a selectivity curve to the catch data. In addition, two cases in which the relative fishing intensity was either estimated or fixed were compared. The bi-normal model with the fixed relative fishing intensity was found to fit the data best. For the selectivity curve on the bi-normal model, the relative length (the ratio of fish length to mesh size) with the maximum efficiency was obtained as 3.70. From this, the focal fish lengths in the commercial encircling gill net, with mesh size ranging from 5.0 to 6.0 cm, were inferred to be 18.5–22.2 cm.