Adenosine protects Sprague Dawley rats from high‐fat diet and repeated acute restraint stress‐induced intestinal inflammation and altered expression of nutrient transporters

This study investigated the effect of repeated acute restraint stress and high‐fat diet (HFD) on intestinal expression of nutrient transporters, concomitant to intestinal inflammation. The ability of adenosine to reverse any change was examined. Six‐week‐old male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into eight groups: control or non‐stressed (C), rats exposed to restraint stress for 6 h per day for 14 days (S), control rats fed with HFD (CHF) and restraint‐stressed rats fed with HFD (SHF); four additional groups received the same treatments and were also given 50 mg/l adenosine dissolved in drinking water. Fasting blood glucose, plasma insulin, adiponectin and corticosterone were measured. Intestinal expression of SLC5A1, SLC2A2, NPC1L1 and TNF‐α was analysed. Histological evaluation was conducted to observe for morphological and anatomical changes in the intestinal tissues. Results showed that HFD feeding increased glucose and insulin levels, and repeated acute restraint stress raised the corticosterone level by 22%. Exposure to both stress and HFD caused a further increase in corticosterone to 41%, while decreasing plasma adiponectin level. Restraint stress altered intestinal expression of SLC5A1, SLC2A2 and NPC1L1. These changes were enhanced in SHF rats. Adenosine was found to alleviate HFD‐induced increase in glucose and insulin levels, suppress elevation of corticosterone in S rats and improve the altered nutrient transporters expression profiles. It also prevented upregulation of TNF‐α in the intestine of SHF rats. In summary, a combination of stress and HFD exaggerated stress‐ and HFD‐induced pathophysiological changes in the intestine, and biochemical parameters related to obesity. Adenosine attenuated the elevation of corticosterone and altered expression of SLC5A1, NPC1L1 and TNF‐α.     

Cu、Cd、Pb、Zn、As复合污染对灯心草的生理毒性效应

通过盆栽试验,以现行土壤环境质量标准为浓度设置依据并结合实际污染土壤研究了不同处理水平的Cu、Cd、Pb、Zn、As5种重金属复合污染对灯心草生长、叶绿素含量及保护酶系统的影响。实验结果表明:5种重金属复合污染对灯心草地上部生长有一定程度的抑制作用,在土壤环境质量二级标准上限值处灯心草地上部生物量减产9.15%,<10%,但地下部生物量减产趋势不明显。复合重金属污染抑制灯心草的光合作用使叶绿素含量减少、叶绿素a/b值降低。在接近土壤环境质量标准低浓度设计范围内,灯心草3种保护酶有逐渐被激活的趋势,表现出一定的协调性共同抵制重金属的毒害。但在高浓度处理水平下,酶活性遭到抑制。生长在矿毒水和铅锌尾矿污染土壤中的灯心草地上部生物量分别下降28.23%和37.1%,但POD、SOD和CAT3种酶活性均高于对照。通过应用综合生态环境效益法,以灯心草为指示植物可以将土壤环境质量二级标准上限值设定为土壤中5种重金属的临界毒性效应值。     

基于DEMATEL-ISM-MICMAC法中国远洋鱿钓渔业脆弱性指标选择与分析

远洋鱿钓渔业是我国远洋渔业的重要组成,该渔业极易受到环境等因素的影响。为可持续高质量发展我国远洋鱿钓渔业,本文结合脆弱性理论和方法,从气候与环境、物种、社会经济三大方面建立了我国远洋鱿钓渔业社会—生态系统脆弱性指标体系,运用决策试验与评价实验室(DEMATEL)法、解释结构模型(ISM)法以及交叉影响矩阵相乘(MICMAC)法对影响指标及其关联性进行分析。研究表明,鱿鱼渔业资源是最核心的因素,对我国远洋鱿钓渔业脆弱性起决定性作用;科技投入、政策与管理、捕捞强度是最具影响力或驱动力的因素;我国远洋鱿钓渔业脆弱性指标可分五大类,要把重点放在关联因素、调整因子和驱动因素上,其次为依赖因素,自主因素无需过多关注。研究认为,除渔业资源外,脆弱性系统可分为四个层级,长期监控L3和L4层指标,重视L2和L3层的指标,针对性地调整L1层指标,是保持我国远洋鱿钓渔业长期健康发展的有效路径。该研究不仅能识别影响我国远洋鱿钓渔业脆弱性的关键因素,同时可为远洋鱿钓渔业的科学管理提供理论指导,并为脆弱性实证评估奠定基础。     

结合遥感数据对云贵地区蒸散发量及干湿变化特征的研究

利用卫星遥感观测MOD16和全球陆面数据同化系统(GLDAS)的逐月实际蒸散量(MOD16_ETa及GLDAS_ETa)与潜在蒸散发(MOD16_ETp及PM_ETp),探讨了2000-2014年云贵地区蒸散发时空变化规律,并综合利用蒸散发数据与降水数据计算多种干湿指数,分析了云贵地区近15年的干湿变化状况以及蒸散发、降水与地区干湿演变的关系。结果表明:①云贵高原的年均ETa在空间分布上表现为在云南南部最高,贵州东部次之,在云南北部最低的特点;变化趋势上,ETa在云南西南部显著增加,而在云南北部显著减小;②基于不同数据集计算的年均ETp在云贵高原空间分布上差异均较小,但变化趋势均反映出云南中部及北部区域ETp有显著上升趋势;③干湿指数的变化趋势反映贵州地区干湿情况较稳定,云南的中部地区具有较显著的变干趋势,原因是该区域的ETa和降水量在显著下降,而ETp在显著增加。     

铁苋菜提取物对仔猪生长性能、血液生化指标及肠道菌群的影响

目的:本试验旨在研究铁苋菜提取物对仔猪生长性能、血液生化指标及粪样菌群的影响.方法:选取同一批次的25日龄健康的外三元断乳仔猪120头,平均体重为9.60+0.65 kg/头,随机分为4组,每组3个重复,每个重复10头,公母各半;试验组分别为铁苋菜提取物组Ⅰ和组Ⅱ、抗生素组及对照组,铁苋菜提取物组Ⅰ和组Ⅱ在基础日粮中分...     

Time lag between peak concentrations of plasma and salivary cortisol following a stressful procedure in dairy cattle

Background

Measurement of salivary cortisol has been used extensively as a non-invasive alternative to blood sampling to assess adrenal activity in ruminants. However, there is evidence suggesting a considerable delay in the transfer of cortisol from plasma into saliva. Previous studies in cattle have used long sampling intervals making it difficult to characterise the relationship between plasma and salivary cortisol (PLCort and SACort, respectively) concentrations at different time points and determine whether or not such a time lag exist in large ruminants. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterise the relationship between plasma and salivary cortisol and determine if there is a significant time lag between reaching peak cortisol concentrations in plasma and saliva across a 4.25 h time-period, using short sampling intervals of 10–15 min, following social separation in dairy cattle.Five cows were separated from their calves at 4 days after calving, and six calves were separated from a group of four peers at 8 weeks of age. Following separation, the animals were moved to an unfamiliar surrounding where they could not see their calves or pen mates. The animals were catheterised with indwelling jugular catheters 1 day before sampling. Blood and saliva samples were obtained simultaneously before and after separation.

Results

In response to the stressors, PLCort and SACort increased reaching peak concentrations 10 and 20 min after separation, respectively. This suggested a 10 min time lag between peak cortisol concentrations in plasma and saliva, which was further confirmed with a time-series analysis. Considering the 10 min time lag, SACort was strongly correlated with PLCort (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Salivary cortisol correlates well with plasma cortisol and is a good indicator of the time-dependent variations in cortisol concentrations in plasma following acute stress. However, there is a time lag to reach peak cortisol concentrations in saliva compared to those in plasma, which should be considered when saliva samples are used as the only measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to stress in cattle.     

Different stressors elicit different responses in the salivary biomarkers cortisol,haptoglobin, and chromogranin A in pigs

Most commonly, salivary cortisol is used in pig stress assessment, alternative salivary biomarkers are scarcely studied. Here, salivary cortisol and two alternative salivary biomarkers, haptoglobin and chromogranin A were measured in a pig stress study. Treatment pigs (n = 24) were exposed to mixing and feed deprivation, in two trials, and compared to untreated controls (n = 24). Haptoglobin differed for feed deprivation vs control. Other differences were only found within treatment. Treatment pigs had higher salivary cortisol concentrations on the mixing day (P < 0.05). Chromogranin A concentrations were increased on the day of refeeding (P < 0.05). Haptoglobin showed a similar pattern to chromogranin A. Overall correlations between the salivary biomarkers were positive. Cortisol and chromogranin A were moderately correlated (r = 0.49, P < 0.0001), correlations between other markers were weaker. The present results indicate that different types of stressors elicited different physiological stress responses in the pigs, and therefore including various salivary biomarkers in stress evaluation seems useful.     

Exercising the Pregnant Mare from Day 16 to Day 80 of Gestation

Our previous research has demonstrated moderate exercise can be detrimental to early pregnancy in the mare, but little work has examined exercise after pregnancy has been detected. We exercised mares (n = 8) 6 days a week for 45 min from Day 16 until Day 80 of gestation. Color Doppler ultrasonography was used to evaluate embryonic vesicle size, fetal length, and uterine blood flow. Blood was sampled every other day to analyze cortisol and progesterone concentrations. Results indicated that exercising pregnant mares (n = 4) led to greater (P < .01) cortisol concentrations 30 min after the exercise period. No overall treatment effect could be detected in progesterone concentrations; however, following Day 60 of gestation, progesterone concentrations were lower (P < .05) in exercised mares. Additionally, progesterone concentrations peaked earlier in exercised mares at Day 52 of gestation compared to peak levels at Day 68 of gestation for control mares. No significant effects were detected in embryonic vesicle size. Fetal length tended (P = .06) to be longer in the conceptus of exercised mares. Uterine blood flow did not differ between groups but increased as pregnancy progressed (P < .001) in both groups. All mares in this study went on to deliver healthy foals and suffered no difficulties during parturition. These results indicated that moderate exercise was not detrimental to mare pregnancy.     

Stress Reactivity and Coping in Horse Adaptation to Environment

“Coping” or “coping strategy”, defined as the behavioral and physiological efforts of animal to master the situation, is more and more in interest of researchers dealing with applied animal behavior and welfare. Knowledge about “coping styles” may be helpful in understanding individual adaptive capacity to stressful events. At least two types of animal coping strategy (or coping style) can be involved: (1) active copers (proactive) and (2) passive copers (reactive). The individual differences in stress response to threatening situations have been found in horses, and these animals can show specific coping strategies such as other species. This article reviews the set of behavioral, psychoneuroendocrine, and psychoneuroimmune mechanisms involved in animal adaptation to environmental challenges and discusses the relationship between behavioral and physiological factors involved in stress response of the horse. Exploring coping strategies in horses and in any captive animal can be successful when a multidimensional approach including behavioral, neural, hormonal, and hematological measures is considered. Knowledge on stress coping styles can provide valuable information to predict the behavior of individuals during response to specific challenging situations. Moreover, assessing individual differences in adaptation strategies can be useful in horse selection to different exploitation tasks and reproduction.     

镉胁迫下4种宿根花卉的生理生长响应及其抗性差异

以百合科宿根花卉大花萱草、"金娃娃"萱草、"甜心"玉簪、东北玉簪为研究材料,研究其在Cd质量浓度为40mg/kg处理下,随着植物体内镉的积累,不同时期4种花卉生理生长的响应,并根据各项指标的测定结果对4种花卉的抗镉胁迫能力进行综合评定。结果表明,镉胁迫下,植株受害情况不仅受时间主效应的影响,还受时间×树种、时间×树种×质量浓度交互效应的影响。经方差分析和多重对比,并用隶属函数法进行综合评定,得出4种花卉的抗镉胁迫能力强弱顺序依次为"甜心"玉簪、"金娃娃"萱草、大花萱草和东北玉簪。