Cystic cholangioma in the thoracic cavity of a rat

A female congenic rat produced by repeated backcrossing of Nihon rats, a model for hereditary renal cell carcinoma, to Brown Norway rats was necropsied at 24 months of age. At necropsy, a white mass about 1 centimeter in size was observed in the thoracic cavity, and the mass partly adhered to the esophagus and the diaphragm. Histologically, the mass was clearly circumscribed by connective tissue, and consisted of neoplastic cuboidal epithelial cells that showed cystic tubular proliferation. Some islands of well-differentiated hepatocytes and some vessels were observed in the mass. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were strongly positive for cytokeratin and partly positive for vimentin but were negative for mesothelin and Von Willebrand Factor. The positive rate for Ki-67 was 2.4%. Based on these histological and immunohistochemical evidences, we diagnosed this tumor as a cystic cholangioma that might have arisen from the ectopic hepatic tissue in the thoracic cavity.     

Protective Effect of Stachybotrys microspora Triprenyl Phenol-7on the Deposition of IgA to the Glomerular Mesangium in Nivalenol-induced IgA Nephropathy Using BALB/c Mice

Activators of tissue proteolysis including Stachybotrys microspora triprenyl phenol (SMTP)-7 are a new class of agents that are expected to be effective for amelioration of chronic tissue destructive diseases. The present study was performed to examine whether SMTP-7 is effective for the amelioration or protection of early-stage IgA nephropathy (IgAN) induced by nivalenol (NIV) in female BALB/c mice. In Experiment 1, mice were administered NIV at 24 ppm in diet for 8 weeks, and during the NIV treatment, they were intraperitoneally injected with SMTP-7 (10 mg/kg) three times a week. In Experiment 2, mice were injected similarly with SMTP-7 during the last 4 weeks of a 16-week NIV treatment. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed an inhibitory effect of SMTP-7 on the glomerular deposition of IgA in Experiment 1; however, it was ineffective in Experiment 2. On the other hand, SMTP-7 did not affect the serum concentration of IgA in both experiments. These results suggest that SMTP-7 has a potential to decrease the progression of IgAN induced by NIV through inhibition of local accumulation of IgA in the glomerular mesangium, while it was ineffective for suppression of IgA production. On the other hand, SMTP-7 was found to be ineffective for already deposited IgA, suggesting that SMTP-7 may not be effective for ameliorating advanced IgAN.     

Patterns of root respiration rates and morphological traits in 13 tree species in a tropical forest

The root systems of forest trees are composed of different diameters and heterogeneous physiological traits. However, the pattern of root respiration rates from finer and coarser roots across various tropical species remains unknown. To clarify how respiration is related to the morphological traits of roots, we evaluated specific root respiration and its relationships to mean root diameter (D) of various diameter and root tissue density (RTD; root mass per unit root volume; gcm(-3)) and specific root length (SRL; root length per unit root mass; mg(-1)) of the fine roots among and within 14 trees of 13 species from a primary tropical rainforest in the Pasoh Forest Reserve in Peninsular Malaysia. Coarse root (2-269mm) respiration rates increased with decreasing D, resulting in significant relationships between root respiration and diameter across species. A model based on a radial gradient of respiration rates of coarse roots simulated the exponential decrease in respiration with diameter. The respiration rate of fine roots (<2mm) was much higher and more variable than those of larger diameter roots. For fine roots, the mean respiration rates for each species increased with decreasing D. The respiration rates of fine roots declined markedly with increasing RTD and increased with increasing SRL, which explained a significant portion of the variation in the respiration among the 14 trees from 13 species examined. Our results indicate that coarse root respiration in tree species follows a basic relationship with D across species and that most of the variation in fine root respiration among species is explained by D, RTD and SRL. We found that the relationship between root respiration and morphological traits provides a quantitative basis for separating fine roots from coarse roots and that the pattern holds across different species.     

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of canine Leptospira antibodies using recombinant OmpL1 protein

OmpL1 is a 31-kDa outer membrane protein characterized in 1993 and known to be expressed only in pathogenic Leptospira spp. Recombinant OmpL1 (GST-rOmpL1) was expressed for use as an ELISA antigen for the detection of anti-Leptospira antibodies. In immunoblot analysis, the protein reacted with sera of dogs infected with three different serotypes of Leptospira interrogans, while did not react with sera of dogs both uninfected negative controls and infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, which is closely related to Leptospira spp. Moreover, in ELISA using GST-rOmpL1, the optical density (O.D.) values from the positive controls were very high (1.125 +/- 0.549). In contrast, the O.D. values from clinically healthy dogs and dogs with diseases other than leptospirosis were very low (0.109 +/- 0.046 and 0.089 +/- 0.046, respectively). These data suggest that the detection of anti-Leptospira antibodies by ELISA using the GST-rOmpL1 protein can be applied for diagnosis of canine leptospirosis.     

Artificial insemination with canine spermatozoa frozen in a skim milk/glucose-based extender

Due to the recent outbreak of avian influenza, transportation of frozen canine semen with egg yolk has been sharply restricted. Thus, there is urgent need to develop a novel egg yolk-free extender for freezing canine spermatozoa. In the present study, the effect of using skim milk/glucose (SG)-based extender without egg yolk on the motility and fertilizing capacity of canine spermatozoa frozen-thawed in the presence of glycerol was examined. There was a tendency for the proportion of motile spermatozoa exposed to SG-based extender for 3 h to be higher than that exposed for 1 h, but the difference was not significant. The motility and other viability parameters of canine spermatozoa after thawing were similar to those obtained with an egg yolk-based extender. When spermatozoa frozen with SG-based extender containing glycerol after 3 h exposure were transcervically inseminated into 2 recipient bitches, a total of 6 pups were obtained. These results suggest that a simple extender composed of skim milk, glucose and glycerol is useful for cryopreservation of canine spermatozoa, which may contribute to improved exchange of genetic material and efficient production of companion and working dogs, such as guide dogs for the blind.     

Correction to: Below‑zero storage of fish to suppress loss of freshness

Fisheries Science - As long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.     

The Kidneys of Infant Mice are not Sensitive to the Food Mycotoxin Contaminant Nivalenol

Nivalenol (NIV) is a trichothecene mycotoxin produced by Fusarium fungi that frequently contaminates agricultural commodities. Dietary administration of NIV to adult mice affects the renal glomeruli, but data about NIV toxicity in human infants are limited. To evaluate the effects of NIV on infant kidneys, 3-week-old male ICR-derived glomerulonephritis (ICGN) and ICR mice were administered 0, 4, 8 or 16 ppm NIV in diet for 4 weeks, and their renal status was compared with age-matched or adult ICR mice. In ICGN mice, the number of glomeruli showing mesangial expansion and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA)-positive mesangial cells was higher with 16 ppm NIV compared with controls. No other significant differences were observed in ICGN mice. In infant ICR mice, the IgA serum concentrations were significantly elevated without glomerular morphological changes in the 16 ppm NIV group. There was no difference in NIV sensitivity in the kidneys of infant ICGN and ICR mice. These data suggest that the kidneys in infant mice are not sensitive to nivalenol under the present conditions.     

Preventive effect of sialylglycopeptide-nondigestive polysaccharide conjugates on salmonella infection

We have previously reported that sialylglycopeptide (SGP) and its derivatives isolated from egg yolk had a preventive effect on Salmonella infection in vivo; however, their retention time in the gut was rather short. To improve on this, SGP was conjugated with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or carboxymethyl dextran (CMD). The conjugates inhibited the binding of Salmonella enteritidis and Escherichia coli to Caco-2 cells. Infection experiments with mice revealed that the SGP-CMD conjugate (SGP-CMD) had a strong protective effect against Salmonella infection. A turnover experiment in mice administered with radiolabeled SGP-CMD showed that SGP-CMD was more slowly absorbed into the blood and thus remained longer in the intestinal tract than SGP. SGP-CMD itself did not influence the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta, or nitrite ion (NO(2)(-)) by macrophages, although it suppressed that of TNF-alpha and NO(2)(-) in zymosan-treated macrophages, suggesting no causative effects of inflammation in SGP-CMD. SGP-CMD is potentially useful as a food ingredient with a preventive effect on Salmonella infection.     

Glycopeptide derived from hen egg ovomucin has the ability to bind enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7

Ovomucin glycopeptide (OGP) was prepared by size exclusion chromatography after Pronase digestion of hen egg ovomucin, and the binding of OGP to foodborne pathogens (Bacillus cereus,Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus) was investigaed. Binding assays with biotinylated bacteria as probes in microtiter plates showed that OGP bound to only E. coli O157:H7 among these foodborne pathogens. Periodate treatment markedly reduced the binding ability, indicating that E. coli O157:H7 bound to carbohydrate moieties of OGP. Lectin blot analysis with Maackia amurensis (MAA) and Sambucus nigra (SNA), which are specific for oligosaccharides containing sialic acid, revealed their binding sites in OGP were similar to the E. coli O157:H7 binding sites that were probed with biotinylated E. coli O157:H7 after Western blotting of OGP. Sialydase treatment of OGP abolished its ability to bind E. coli O157:H7, demonstrating that sialic acid played an important role in the binding. These results suggest that OGP has E. coli O157:H7-specific binding sites that consist of sialic acid. On the basis of these properties, OGP has the potential to be an ingredient with a protective effect against E. coli O157:H7 infection and to be a novel probe for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 in the food hygiene field.     

Approachability and contact behavior of commercial dairy calves to humans

Calves (n = 106) on four dairy farms were observed for their approachability to humans. All calves experienced similar rearing conditions: Beginning individual pen, after birth until weaning at about 2 months, where they were housed individually and fed milk and a milk replacement; Late individual pen, after weaning until grouping at about 3.5 months, where they were housed individually and fed hay, silage and concentrate feed; Beginning group pen, after grouping until 5 months, where they were housed in groups of 2–5 animals and fed hay, silage and concentrate feed; later group pen, from 5 to 7 months. The number of calves that contacted an experimenter who stood in front of their pens for 10 min was recorded on 6 separate days over 3 months. Latency to touch and time spent in activities during touching such as sucking, licking, biting and rubbing were also measured. There were no significant differences in the latency to touch and the ratio of touch to non‐touch calves between the rearing conditions and the farms. The time spent touching was significantly affected by the interaction between the rearing condition and the farm (P < 0.01). In detail, the time spent sucking (P < 0.001) and licking (P < 0.01) was different between the rearing condition × farm variables. The proportion of calves that approached and touched the experimenter tended to be higher in the farms in which a stockperson worked longer inside and outside their pens (both ρ = 0.95, P = 0.051). These results were interpreted according to the perspectives of early positive reinforcement with food and the habituation process to humans existing nearby.