Genetic Engineering Approaches to Pig Production*

Modern biotechnology promises a number of new applications in animal breeding and production. Although conventional pig breeding has achieved a high level of efficiency and productivity numerous problems have been encountered with animal health and the loss of meat quality. Selection based on phenotypic performance data of individual animals does not take into account the importance of specific genes and their relevance within a complex regulatory system. In most cases it is therefore difficult to trace back the genetic origins of clinically important disorders. The application of genetic engineering techniques in pig production will facilitate diagnosis, improvement of productivity, and animal health by allowing direct genetic manipulation. Attention must be focussed on the physical and genetic analysis of the procine genome. The isolation and characterisation of genes, DNA-markers, polymorphic DNA-fragments, and their chromosomal assignment will be important prerequisites and tools for the elucidation of genetic disorders. Especially the detection of heterozygous carriers of recessive disorders and their elimination from the breeding stock will increase selection accuracy and decrease the generation intervals. But also the rapid and simple detection of infectious diseases, which is sometimes difficult if not impossible at present, will improve animal health and welfare. Although the production of transgenic animals either by DNA-microinjection into zygotes or the use of embryonal stem cells manipulated in vitro is less straightforward than DNA-based diagnosis it will play an important role in the direct manipulation of the porcine genome and genes. Breeding programmes including the use of transgenic livestock have already been developed. There is no doubt that genetic engineering has reached a degree of practical feasibility, allowing it to play an important role in pig breeding in particular and animal production in general.     

国内雏鸭病毒性肝炎的研究进展

本文就国内雏鸭病毒性肝炎的病原特性、疾病诊断和防制等做一简要综述并提出了该病今后的研究方向。     

D-Dimer Improves the Prognostic Value of Combined Clinical and Laboratory Data in Equine Gastrointestinal Colic

The discriminating ability of 15 parameters alone or in combinations, including results from analysis of plasma endotoxin, the Nycomed plasma D-Dimer test and phospholipase A₂, were analyzed to predict morbidity and mortality in equine gastrointestinal colic. Endotoxaemia was a characteristic feature of the colic horses. The problem of adequately predicting non-survivors among colic horses required several parameters to be included in the logistic model: if the “classical parameters”, (heart rate, respiratory rate, PCV, anion gap) were included in the model, addition of plasma D-dimer, phospholipase A₂, and Cl^- significantly improved the predictive value of the logistic model. Increasing heart rate and D-dimer together with decreasing chloride was a risk factor for nonsurvival. The sensitivity of this three-parameter logistic model to predict nonsurvival was 78% and specificity 77%. The Nycomed D-Dimer test is recommended as a horse-site test to predict disseminated intravascular coagulation and nonsurvival in equine colic.     

73例桥小脑角区巨大肿瘤的诊治分析

目的：总结桥小脑角区巨大肿瘤的诊治经验。方法：对我科73例桥小脑角区巨大肿瘤的发病率、临床和影像学表现、定位与定性诊断、手术治疗及随访期心理治疗等作分析。结果：本组73例桥小脑角巨大肿瘤(均≥4cm)中，属神经鞘瘤50例(68．5％)、脑膜瘤19例(26．0％)与胆脂瘤4例(5．5％)。临床特点：73例均有所神经、小脑损害的症状与体征及颅内高压征。73例中手术全切除者60例、次全切除l3例(其中10例残留肿瘤，结合枷码刀治疗)。全切除组中2例死于肺部感染，次全切除组中3例放弃治疗，余者随访3—5a，无复发。在颅神经损伤所致并发症的56例中，出现心身疾病须心理治疗者40例(71．4％)。结论：临床特点结合影像学检查可作出早期定位与定性诊断．并有助于手术设计。提高疗效的关键是早诊断、早治疗以及娴熟的显微操作技术。手术结合枷码刀以及心理治疗可改善预后、提高生存质量。     

小鹅瘟PCR诊断方法的建立和初步应用

根据发表的鹅细小病毒B株VP3基因序列 ,设计合成了 1对寡聚核苷酸引物。以国内分离的小鹅瘟病毒为摸板 ,筛选了 (PCR)最佳反应条件 ,并进行了敏感性、特异性和初步应用试验。结果表明 ,在 4 0 μL体积中 ,PCR最佳系统组成为 2uTaq酶、0 5mol/LdNTP和 2 0 pmol引物 ;最佳反应参数为 96℃变性 4 0s ,5 4℃退火 1min ,72℃延伸 1min ,30个循环。本方法可检出 2 5× 10 -1 5EID50 小鹅瘟病毒 ,并且仅能从小鹅瘟病毒的鹅胚培养物中扩增出与设计值大小相同的 375bp核苷酸片断 ,对照病毒扩增结果为阴性。通过对 6份临床病料的检查 ,2份呈阳性 ,其中 1份来自有典型小鹅瘟症状的雏鹅 ,1份来自无典型小鹅瘟症状的雏鹅。由此说明 ,本试验所建立的诊断小鹅瘟的PCR方法具有潜在的临床应用价值     

扫描及负染电镜在兔脑炎原虫病诊断中的应用

12只临床表现头颈歪斜、昏睡、震颤、局部或全身轻瘫的可疑为兔脑炎原虫病的獭兔 ,对其肾脏皮髓交界和尿沉渣分别进行了扫描电镜和负染电镜观察 ,看到了大小为 1～ 1 .5× 1 .4～ 2 .5μm,形态呈卵圆形和杆状的兔脑炎原虫。阳性检出率为 1 0 0 %。说明扫描及负染电镜术是诊断兔脑炎原虫病的一种较为可靠的技术。     

Chylous effusions revisited

Varying terms and criteria have been used in the veterinary literature to characterize milky opaque pleural effusions through the years. This article addresses ideas widely repeated in the veterinary and human literature upon which time, experience, diagnostic techniques, experimental data, and improved understanding of pathogenesis have cast doubt. Topics discussed include terminology, pathogenesis of chylous and pseudochylous effusions, criteria for differentiation of chylous from pseudochylous effusions, and clinicopathologic changes associated with drainage of chylous effusions.     

Goat horns: Platforms for viroid transmission to fruit trees?

Mechanical inoculations with contaminating tools and propagation of infected budwood were considered the main causes for the omnipresence of multiple viroid species among citrus and other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fruit trees and grapevines. However, neither means could explain viroid infections of wild trees — scattered on terrains inaccessible to humans — nor the finding of similar viroids among graft-incompatible plants. Northern hybridization of RNA extracts made of scrapings from the surfaces of goat (Capra hircus) horns that were rubbed against etrog (Citrus medica) stems infected with a citrus viroids complex, revealed accumulation of considerable amounts ofCitrus exocortis viroids (CEVd) andHop stunt viroids (HSVd). Experimental transmission of both CEVd and HSVd was obtained by rubbing healthy citrus plants with goat horns that had been rubbed 24 h earlier on infected etrog stems. These results implicate goats as possible vectors of viroids. Transmissionvia goats could have facilitated the long-range spread of viroids among cultivated and wild plants andvice versa and also among graft-incompatible plants.     

类鼻疽的研究进展

本文就类鼻疽(melioidosis)的流行病学,诊断方法,免疫机理,发病机理及治疗方法 进行了综述。为重视该病的研究提出了建议。     

The application of atomic force microscope in clinic diagnosis of erythrocytes

AIM: To investigate the application of atomic force microscope (AFM) in clinic diagnosis. METHODS: Topographic images and some parameters of large range field and microstructures of erythrocytes in the blood of normal subjects, lung cancer and myelodisplastic syndrome (MDS) patients were examined by atomic force microscope. RESULTS: Many clear topographic images of many erythrocytes, single erythrocyte, and microstructure of erythrocyte membrane surface were obtained. Many erythrocytes in lung cancer patients were found to change into echinocytes. One erythrocyte had 10-20 protuberances, most of which, with a mean width of 589. 0 nm and a length of 646. 7 nm, were on the edge of cells. The protuberances on the center of echinocytes are lodged and embedded. The erythrocytes of MDS patients were biconcave in shape. Many apertures with different diameters of tens to hundreds nanometer appeared on the surface of cell membrane. CONCLUSIONS: AFM can be widely applied in clinic pathological inspection, including quantification of cells, obtainment and comparison of many parameters (such as diameter, thickness, volume, surface, surface area/volume ratio), observation of topograph of single cell, and observation and comparison of membrane surface microstructure of cells, and so on.