Development of high-gossypol cotton plants with low-gossypol seeds using trispecies bridge crosses and in vitro culture of seed embryos

The objective of this work is to develop an upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. [2n = 4x =52, 2(AD)h], having a reduced level of gossypol in the seeds for food and feed uses, and a high level of gossypol in the remaining organs to limit pest incidence. Using G. sturtianum Willis (2n = 2x = 26, 2C1) as donor and G. thurberi Torado (2n = 2x = 26, 2D1) or G. raimondii Ulbrich (2n = 2x = 26, 2D5) as bridge species, two trispecies hybrids G. thurberi– G. sturtianum– G. hirsutum and G. hirsutum– G. raimondii– G. sturtianum were synthesized. Both trispecies hybrids were male sterile. Recurrent backcrossing to G. hirsutum as pollinator and selfing of the second backcross (BC) progenies resulted in seeds which were rescued by in vitro culture. In total, 1208 flowers of the trispecies hybrids and their BC progenies yielded 192 seed embryos from which 62 plants were obtained. Cytogenetic analyses indicated a relatively high frequency of chromosome pairing and chiasmata. The gland levels in backcross seeds ranged from glandless seeds to normally glanded seeds. All vegetative parts of those hybrids were glanded, but a wide range of variability for gland density was observed on leaf, stem, bract and calyx. Plants derived from seeds having a reduced level of gossypol constitute very interesting germplasm to develop a cultivated glanded cotton with low-gossypol seeds. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Multivariate models for estimating jackass semen production and quality

The purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of season, age, gonad and accessory sex glands on semen characteristics of jackass and to construct multivariate regression models to predict semen quality. In autumn, spring and summer, semen characteristics of 30 sexually mature donkeys (1,014 ejaculations) were analysed to investigate the effect of seasons on semen quality, and gonad and accessory sex gland parameters of 12 jackasses were measured immediately after ejaculation by ultrasonography to investigate the effect of seasons on reproductive organ size. Semen (598 ejaculates), gonad and accessory sex gland parameters of 40 jackasses aged between 3 and 7 years were analysed in autumn to investigate the effects of age and reproductive organ size on semen quality and to construct multivariate models. To verify the accuracy of the models, semen (476 ejaculates), gonad and accessory sex gland parameters of 20 jackasses were measured from March to June. Results revealed that semen, gonad and accessory sex gland parameters were not affected by season and age. Progressive motility (PM) was positively correlated with long axis of the spermatic cord (LASC) and negatively correlated with percentages of sperm abnormality (PSA). Total sperm count (TSC) was positively correlated with testis circumferences (TC) and cross-sectional area of cauda epididymis (CSACE). TC, CSACE, LASC and PSA were included into multivariate models to predict PM, TSC and functional sperm count (FSC) in 20 jackasses (PM = 72.332 + 0.428 LASC − 0.441 PSA; TSC = −169.929 + 8.728 TC + 0.253 CSACE; FSC = −206.645 + 8.788 TC + 0.258 CSACE). The predicted and observed values corresponded well. In conclusion, the tested models can be used for predicting semen quality of donkey.     

麋鹿肾上腺的组织学观察

取麋鹿肾上腺,常规石蜡切片, HE染色组织学观察。结果表明,肾上腺的组织结构分为被膜、皮质和髓质。被膜由不规则致密结缔组织构成,其内分布有类似未分化细胞。皮质最厚,明显分为3 个带,即球状带、束状带,网状带。其中,束状带最厚,占皮质的绝大部分。髓质位于肾上腺中央部位,细胞排列成索。髓质中央有一大的静脉,称中央静脉。     

Stimulation of Adrenal Chromaffin Cell Proliferation by Hypercalcemia Induced by Intravenous Infusion of Calcium Gluconate in Rats

Increased incidence of adrenal pheochromocytoma is frequently encountered in rat carcinogenicity studies. In some of the studies, the finding is judged to be due to a rat-specific mechanism of carcinogenesis caused by a disturbance of calcium homeostasis. However, direct evidence that the proliferation of chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla is induced solely by hypercalcemia is not available. In this study, calcium gluconate was intravenously infused for 7 days to rat chromaffin cells by a tail cuff method, and cumulative labeling with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was carried out to evaluate the proliferative activity. The serum calcium concentration was dose-dependently increased, and a high calcium concentration was stably sustained from day 2 to 7. In the adrenal medulla, BrdU-positive chromaffin cells increased in the calcium gluconate-treated animals, and the BrdU-labeling index increased in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, an increased BrdU-labeling index of chromaffin cells was shown to correlate with the serum calcium concentration. Our results demonstrate that hypercalcemia directly enhances the proliferative activity of chromaffin cells and that the proliferative activity is correlated with the serum calcium concentration.     

中国水牛肾上腺光镜和电镜观察

对成年的湖南滨湖水牛肾上腺光镜和电镜观察结果表明，肾上腺外面被覆一层较厚的被膜，内分皮质部和髓质部．四周为皮质部，呈深黄色，约占肾上腺７０％，中央为髓质部，呈灰白色，约占肾上腺３０％．Ｈ－Ｅ染色法将皮质部分为３个小区，即球状区，束状区和网状区．球状区薄，细胞染色较深；束状区厚，胞质呈蜂窝状，细胞染色浅；网状区细胞与髓质交界参差不齐，胞核呈退化变性现象，染色较深．髓质部比皮质部染色浅，常分为外区和内区．外区细胞大，呈高柱状，主要由肾上腺素细胞组成；内区细胞较小，呈立方或多边形，由去甲肾上腺素细胞和肾上腺素细胞组成，去甲肾上腺素细胞分散于肾上腺素细胞之间．髓质部还有少数分散的大型交感神经节细胞，且内区比外区多．     

Unilateral malignant melanoma of the adrenal gland with metastatic spread to the thorax in a horse

A 7-year-old grey horse that had a history of inappetence, weight loss, weakness, dyspnoea, coughing and intermittent colic was examined post-mortem. A melanoma, confirmed histologically, was found in the right adrenal gland and had eroded into the posterior vena cava. Thoracic metastases were also identified. The skin, including the legs, trunk and perineum was normal with no evidence of melanomas. This was considered to be a primary, malignant melanoma, a novel finding in the adrenal gland of the horse.     

壁面环形延程槽对转盘雾化影响的研究

本文分析了常用水剂农药在转盘上的流动状态，根据动量定量提出了转盘壁面开设一系列的环形延程槽以改善转盘的雾化效果，设计制作了 经转盘，并利用Marlvern粒子测试系统测量了转盘雾化的雾滴直径，试验结果证明壁面开设环形延程槽能够明显减少雾滴中经，改善转盘雾化效果。     

Acaricide treatment prevents adrenocortical hyperplasia as a long-term stress reaction to psoroptic mange in cattle

In cattle, infestation with Psoroptes ovis mites may cause severe dermatitis (psoroptic mange) which compromises the health and welfare of the animals and may lead to significant economic losses. To investigate yet undocumented effects of psoroptic mange mite infestations and how successful therapy promotes animal health, the present study examined alterations of the skin, lymph nodes and adrenal glands of P. ovis infested Fleckvieh (Simmental) bulls treated with either ivermectin long-acting injection (IVM LAI; IVOMEC^® GOLD, Merial; 3.15% ivermectin w/v) or saline (n = 16 each). Approximately 8 weeks subsequent to experimental infestation with P. ovis, the bulls had developed mange and were administered either IVM LAI or saline once at 1 mL/50 kg body weight by subcutaneous injection. Mite counts were conducted in weekly intervals for determination of efficacy of treatment, and following humane euthanasia of the animals 8 weeks after treatment, skin samples from affected (mangy or previously mangy) and unaffected areas, prescapular lymph nodes and adrenal glands were collected for gross and pathohistological examination. In addition, four age-matching, uninfested Simmental bulls were sampled as controls for comparison.No P. ovis mites were detected on any IVM LAI-treated bull after 28 days following treatment whereas saline-treated bulls maintained infestation throughout the study. At sampling (approximately 16 weeks after experimental infestation and 8 weeks following saline or IVM LAI treatment), saline-treated bulls displayed a severe, exsudative dermatitis with significantly increased skin thickness and inflammatory cell infiltration, significantly enlarged, hyperplastic prescapular lymph nodes, as well as significantly increased adrenal gland weights and volumes as compared to P. ovis-infested, IVM LAI-treated bulls and uninfested controls. Quantitative stereological analysis revealed that the adrenal gland enlargement in P. ovis-infested, saline-treated bulls was due to a selective increase of the volume of the zona fasciculata in the adrenal cortex. Compared to uninfested controls and P. ovis-infested, IVM LAI-treated bulls, the number of epithelial cells in the zona fasciculata was significantly increased in P. ovis-infested, saline-treated bulls, while the zona fasciculata cell volumes did not differ between the three groups of cattle. While the single point determination of serum cortisol concentrations did not reveal significant differences between the three groups of cattle at tissue sampling, the hyperplastic growth of the adrenal cortex in the P. ovis-infested, saline-treated bulls provides morphologic evidence that a chronic stress reaction is one consequence of mange mite infestations that can be prevented by efficacious acaricidal treatment.