Cono- and seminiphagous insects of Abies alba Mill. in the Gorce National Park in Poland during 1996 – 1998

A study was conducted on the insects infesting seeds and cones of Abies alba Mill. in the Gorce National Park, in southern Poland during 1996?–?1998. A total of 856 cones were collected from 66 trees growing at 11 sites located in partially or strictly protected forest reserves. Of this sample, 217 cones with 54,958 seeds were dissected. This study yielded 5,816 specimens of insects, namely: seminiphagous Resseliella piceae Seitn., Megastigmus suspectus Borr. as well as conophagous Earomyia impossibile Morge, Barbara herrichiana Obr. and Dioryctria abietella (Den. et Schiff.). The most abundant species was R. piceae with 4,186 individuals. The index of cone infestation was calculated. It showed great variability between forest reserves and study-years. The numbers of insect individuals, numbers of viable and infertile seeds, and seeds damaged by M. suspectus and R. piceae, in both strict and partial reserves in the consecutive years were compared statistically. The test of significant differences between two frequencies at 0.05 level was used in statistical analysis. In both strict and partial reserves, statistically significant differences were found between studied variables.     

Lignans ofLinum flavum var.compactum

A new dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan 7.6-dihydroxybursehernin, together with six known lignans (pinoresinol, lariciresinol, secoisolariciresinol,-peltatin,-peltatin, 5-methoxypodophyllotoxin) were isolated from the methanol extracts ofLinum flavum var.compactum. The enantiomeric analysis of pinoresinol and lariciresinol isolated from the species, which are upstream lignans in the lignan biosynthetic pathway, indicated that they are not optically pure, which is in accordance with our recent findings on lignans occurring in other plant species.Parts of this report were presented at the 42nd Lignin Symposium, Sapporo, October 1997; and the 43rd Lignin Symposium, Fuchu, October 1998     

Infectivity of porcine circovirus 1 and circovirus 2 in primary porcine hepatocyte and kidney cell cultures

Infectivity of porcine circovirus (PCV) 1 and PCV2 was examined in primary porcine hepatocyte culture by comparing that of PCV in primary kidney cell culture. The virus titer of PCV2-infected hepatocyte cultures was higher than that of the PCV1-infected hepatocyte cultures and the PCV-infected kidney cell cultures. The number of virus-positive cells was most abundant in PCV2-infected hepatocyte cultures as determined by immunohistochemistry and/or in situ hybridization. The results of our data suggest that PCV2 preferably infects cultured hepatocytes as observed in the liver of pigs with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome.     

Measurement for canine IgE using canine recombinant high affinity IgE receptor α chain (FcεRIα)

To detect allergen-specific IgE in dogs with allergic diseases, we developed a recombinant canine high affinity IgE receptor α chain (FcεRIα)-based IgE detection system. Using the recombinant protein of canine FcεRIα expressed by an Escherichia coli expression system, we could detect house dust mite (Dermatophagoides farinae) allergen-specific IgE in sera from dogs naturally and experimentally sensitized to this allergen with ELISA and western blotting. The IgE binding activity of recombinant canine FcεRIα on ELISA was impaired by heat treatment of these sera. The specificity of this recombinant canine FcεRIα-based IgE detection system was confirmed by inhibition assays with canine IgE. The recombinant canine FcεRIα-based IgE detection system established in this study offers an alternative tool to measure allergen-specific IgE in dogs.     

Relationships between the daily growth rate of Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus larvae and environmental factors in Osaka Bay,Seto Inland Sea,Japan

Fisheries Science - Seasonal changes in the growth rate of larval Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus collected by shirasu seine net boats in Osaka Bay in 2008 were estimated using otolith daily...     

Intraocular peripheral nerve sheath tumor in a dog

A tumor within the right globe in a 9-year-old Shetland sheepdog was examined pathologically. The tumor was composed of spindle or oval cells arranged in interwoven bundles with intervening collagenous or mucinous matrices. Immunohistochemically, the tumor bound antibody directed to S-100 protein and vimentin, but not to desmin, actin smooth muscle, or neurofilament. Electron microscopy revealed that the tumor cells had poorly developed cytoplasmic processes, desmosomes between closely contiguous cells, and a discontinuous basement membrane-like material. Based on these findings, the tumor was diagnosed as a peripheral nerve sheath tumor (PNST) histologically. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of intraocular PNST in dogs.     

Variable Effects of Nitrous Oxide at Multiple Levels of the Central Nervous System in Goats

The direct and indirect effects of nitrous oxide (N₂O) on the nociceptive responses of lumbar dorsal horn neurons, and the indirect effects on midbrain reticular formation (MRF) neurons and thalamic neurons were determined in goats anaesthetized with isoflurane. The technique used enabled the differential delivery of N₂O to either the torso or the cerebral circulation, thus allowing assessment of the direct spinal and indirect brain effects of N₂O. Systemic delivery of N₂O appeared to have divergent effects, facilitating (4/11) or depressing (7/11) the responses of dorsal horn neurons. Such divergent effects were also observed when N₂O was differentially delivered to the circulation in the torso (i.e. the spinal cord). Likewise, MRF and thalamic responses to noxious stimulation were variably affected by administration of N₂O to the torso, with some cells facilitated (7/13 MRF neurons, 3/8 thalamic neurons) and others depressed (6/13 MRF neurons, 5/8 thalamic neurons). It appears that N₂O has variable effects on the caprine CNS. The facilitatory action of N₂O might partially explain why it is a relatively weak anaesthetic.     

Passage of equine herpesvirus-1 in suckling mouse brain enhances extraneural virus growth and subsequent hematogenous neuroinvasion

Intracerebral inoculation of field-isolates as well as established strains of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) in suckling mice results in viral replication in neurons and glial cells and induces encephalitis. By intraperitoneal (i.p.) inoculation, no histological lesion was observed in the central nervous system (CNS) in suckling mice with the EHV-1 HH1 strain (HH1), whereas a neuroadapted variant (NHH1) produced by serial passage of HH1 in the mouse brain caused severe encephalomyelitis after i.p. inoculation. The purpose of this study was to determine the route of neuroinvasion after i.p. inoculation of NHH1 and to clarify the effects of the brain passage on viral neuroinvasion. NHH1, but not HH1, targeted splenic and pulmonary macrophages and omental fat cells on days 1 and 2 post-inoculation (p.i.). From days 1 to 3 p.i., cell-associated viremia was occurred in NHH1-infected mice, but not in HH1-infected mice. On day 4 p.i., viral antigen was detected in a few endothelial cells, perivascular glial cells and neurons in the CNS in NHH1-infected mice. The number of viral antigen-positive cells increased markedly after day 5 p.i. In contrast, no viral antigen-positive cell was detected in the CNS in HH1-infected mice, except for a few nerve cells in the thoracic cord on day 4 p.i. These results suggest that NHH1 neuroinvasion is hematogenous and is correlated with enhanced extraneural virus growth.     

Genetic analysis of the rates of conception using a longitudinal threshold model with random regression in dairy crossbreeding within a tropical environment

This study was designed to: (i) estimate genetic parameters and breeding values for conception rates (CR) using the repeatability threshold model (RP‐THM) and random regression threshold models (RR‐THM); and (ii) compare covariance functions for modeling the additive genetic (AG) and permanent environmental (PE) effects in the RR‐THM. The CR was defined as the outcome of an insemination. A data set of 130 592 first‐lactation insemination records of 55 789 Thai dairy cows, calving between 1996 and 2011, was used in the analyses. All models included fixed effects of year × month of insemination, breed × day in milk to insemination class and age at calving. The random effects consisted of herd × year interaction, service sire, PE, AG and residual. Variance components were estimated using a Bayesian method via Gibbs sampling. Heritability estimates of CR ranged from 0.032 to 0.067, 0.037 to 0.165 and 0.045 to 0.218 for RR‐THM with the second, third and fourth‐order of Legendre polynomials, respectively. The heritability estimated from RP‐THM was 0.056. Model comparisons based on goodness of fit, predictive abilities, predicted service results of animal, and pattern of genetic parameter estimates, indicated that the model which fit the desired outcome of insemination was the RR‐THM with two regression coefficients.     

Methionine deficiency leads to hepatic fat accretion via impairment of fatty acid import by carnitine palmitoyltransferase I

1. To clarify the underlying mechanism of hepatic fat accretion due to methionine (Met) deficiency in broiler chickens, the present study investigated the effect of Met deficiency on the hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system, which imports fatty acids into mitochondria.

2. Fifteen-d-old male meat-type chickens were fed on either a control diet (containing 0.52 g/100 g Met) or a Met-deficient diet (containing 0.27 g Met/100 g). After a 10-d feeding period, the birds were killed by decapitation and their livers excised to determine hepatic CPT1 and CPT2 mRNA levels and for the related hepatic fatty acid-supported mitochondrial respiration to be measured.

3. Met deficiency decreased body weight gain and feed efficiency and increased hepatic lipid content compared to the control group. Whereas the hepatic CPT2 mRNA level in the Met-deficient group remained unchanged compared to that of the control group, the CPT1 mRNA level was decreased in the Met-deficient group and CPT1-dependent hepatic mitochondrial respiration was impaired.

4. Our results suggest that the hepatic lipid accretion that occurs in response to Met deficiency might be attributable to the impairment of CPT1-mediated fatty acid import into mitochondria.