Isolation of Streptococcus cuniculi from corneal lesion in laboratory-raised mice

Corneal lesions appearing as white mass beneath intact epithelium, with ocular discharge in one mouse, was observed in a batch of laboratory-raised BALB/c mice (n=9 of 56). The affected mice remained active, well-groomed and had normal appetite. Isolates recovered from swab cultures of the external and internal contents of the eye had partial 16S rRNA gene sequence of 99.1% similarity to Streptococcus cuniculi. No previous report of S. cuniculi infection in laboratory rodents has been presented. The isolate was susceptible to all antibiotics tested. We suggest S. cuniculi is an opportunistic bacteria in laboratory mice but are uncertain of its source. Our findings revealed that S. cuniculi is able to colonize laboratory mice and should be considered when mice present with eye lesion or ocular discharge.     

花枝鼠家庭健康饲养技术

原产欧美的花枝鼠，深受人们喜爱，已成为中国家养鼠的新品种。通过对花枝鼠的识别要点、生活习性及繁殖要点的介绍，从家庭养殖环境选择、饲料的选择与喂养、科学饮水、疾病防控等方面，论述了花枝鼠的家庭健康养殖技术，为家庭健康饲养花枝鼠提供参考。     

Vitrification of mouse two-cell and blastocyst stage embryos in simplified closed system using either a hemi-straw or a hollow fiber device

Two-cell stage and blastocyst stage mouse embryos were equilibrated in a medium containing 7.5% ethylene glycol (EG) and 7.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 8–15 min. Vitrification was performed in a medium containing 0.5 M sucrose and either 15% EG + 15% DMSO, 17.5% EG + 17.5% DMSO, or 20% EG + 20% DMSO for 30 s. They were then placed either on a hemi-straw (HS) or a hollow fiber vitrification (HFV) device and vitrified by cooled air inside a 0.5-ml straw. In two-cell embryos, a 100% survival rate was obtained from all groups except the 20% HS group (P > .05). All vitrified two-cell groups showed similar rates of blastocyst development to that of fresh control group (P > .05), except 17.5% and 20% HFV groups, which were significantly lower than the other groups (P < .05). In the blastocyst embryos, the HFV groups were divided into two subgroups (non-collapsed; HFV-NC and collapsed; HFV-C blastocyst). Re-expansion rate in 15% HFV-NC, 17.5% HFV-NC, and 15% HFV-C groups was reduced (P < .05), whereas the rest were similar to control. In conclusion, we established a simplified, reliable, and closed system for HFV vitrification applying hemi-straw, which does not require skilled practitioners.     

马齿苋水提物对热应激小鼠空肠结构及吸收功能的影响

旨在探讨马齿苋水提物（aqueous extract of Portulaca oleracea L.）对热应激小鼠空肠结构及吸收功能的影响。将40只昆明种小鼠随机分为4组（n=10）：空白对照组（C）、热应激组（HS）、马齿苋水提物组（AEP）、维生素C组（Vc），HS、AEP和Vc组每天于（40±1）℃环境下处理0.5 h，连续热应激6 d后将小鼠转置于室温下给药治疗。给药7 d后眶窦采血，并采集小鼠空肠；测定小鼠血清中D-木糖、葡萄糖含量；HE染色观察空肠组织病理学变化；qRT-PCR法检测空肠黏膜ZO-1、SGLT1及GLUT2 mRNA的相对转录水平。结果显示，与C组比较，HS组小鼠空肠黏膜绒毛高度极显著降低（P<0.01）；血清中D-木糖的含量极显著降低（P<0.01）；空肠黏膜中ZO-1、SGLT1和GLUT2 mRNA的相对转录水平均极显著降低（P<0.01）；与HS组相比，AEP组小鼠空肠绒毛高度极显著提高（P<0.01）；血清中D-木糖及葡萄糖的含量均显著升高（P<0.01或P<0.05）；空肠黏膜中ZO-1、SGLT1和GLUT2 mRNA的相对转录水平均显著升高（P<0.05或P<0.01）。高温处理可导致小鼠空肠黏膜脱落及吸收功能下降，而在给予马齿苋水提物治疗后可通过提高空肠ZO-1 mRNA表达量修复空肠黏膜结构，通过促进空肠黏膜SGLT1和GLUT2 mRNA的转录量改善吸收功能。马齿苋水提物能在一定程度上修复热应激导致小鼠空肠黏膜结构损伤，改善热应激小鼠肠道的吸收能力。     

Effects of DHRS3 in C2C12 Myoblast Differentiation and Mouse Skeletal Muscle Injury

Myoblast differentiation is an essential process during skeletal muscle development. C2 C12 myoblast is a commonly used experimental model to study muscle cell differentiation in vitro. Dehydrogenase/reductase(SDR family) member 3(DHRS3) is a highly conserved member in short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily and has been shown to be involved in the metabolism of retinol. Previous experimental results showed that the expression of DHRS3 increased significantly during the differentiation of myoblasts differentiation. However, the effect of DHRS3 on mouse muscle cell differentiation was unclear. The objective of current study was to determine if DHRS3 affected muscle cell differentiation, and if DHRS3 was involved in muscle regeneration. Protein expression was determined by western blot and immunofluorescence analysis. The activation and inhibition of DHRS3 increased and decreased C2 C12 myoblast differentiation respectively, which indicated that DHRS3 could affect C2 C12 myoblast differentiation. DHRS3 expression was significantly changed during muscle regeneration, with the regeneration of muscle injury, the expression of DHRS3 tended to increase first and then decrease. It suggested that DHRS3 might be involved in muscle regeneration. In summary, this study confirmed the involvement of DHRS3 in C2 C12 myoblast differentiation and mouse skeletal muscle regeneration and provided a theoretical basis for further elucidating the molecular mechanism of muscle development.     

Edwardsiellosis in farmed turbot,Scophthalmus maximus (L.), associated with an unusual variant of Edwardsiella tarda: a clinical,aetiological and histopathological study

During 2005 and 2010, a survey of edwardsiellosis on eight turbot, Scophthalmus maximus (L.), farms was conducted in China. This report presents the detailed results of the study on this disease. Diseased turbot displayed two distinct types of gross signs: black discoloration of the dorsal skin on the posterior portion of the body; and red cutaneous foci on the ventral side. Internally, the most pronounced clinical signs in all fish examined were enlarged kidneys. The causal agent of the disease was finally proved to be one species of bacterium that was identified as Edwardsiella tarda by physiological and biochemical tests, API 32E and 16S ribosomal RNA sequence analysis. It is noteworthy that unlike the commonly described E. tarda strains, the isolates in this study were non‐motile strains without flagella. A histopathological study revealed that E. tarda infection was systemic in turbot and that kidney showed the most significant pathological changes, including acute focal necrosis, an influx of macrophages and formation of granuloma. The most common histopathological characteristics of this disease are the proliferation of macrophage in various organs and formation of granuloma. In addition, this article also gave background information on the disease and presented the results of virulence tests with the E. tarda strain identified in this study.     

Characterization of an intravenous lipopolysaccharide inflammation model in calves with respect to the acute-phase response

Our objective was to develop a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inflammation model in calves to evaluate the acute-phase response with respect to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and acute-phase proteins, fever development and sickness behaviour. Fourteen 4-week-old male Holstein Friesian calves were included and randomly assigned to a negative control group (n = 3) and an LPS-challenged group (n = 11). The latter received an intravenous bolus injection of 0.5 μg of LPS/kg body weight. Blood collection and clinical scoring were performed at 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, 18, 24, 28, 32, 48, 54 and 72 h post LPS administration (p.a.). In the LPS group, the following clinical signs were observed successively: tachypnoea (on average 18 min p.a.), decubitus (29 min p.a.), general depression (1.75 h p.a.), fever (5 h p.a.) and tachycardia (5 h p.a.). Subsequent to the recovery from respiratory distress, general depression was prominent, which deteriorated when fever increased. One animal did not survive LPS administration, whereas the other animals recovered on average within 6.1 h p.a. Moreover, the challenge significantly increased plasma concentrations of tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin 6, serum amyloid A and haptoglobin, with peaking levels at 1, 3.5, 24 and 18 h p.a., respectively. The present LPS model was practical and reproducible, caused obvious clinical signs related to endotoxemia and a marked change in the studied inflammatory mediators, making it a suitable model to study the immunomodulatory properties of drugs in future research.     

甘草多糖对鼠伤寒沙门菌诱导的巨噬细胞氧化-抗氧化平衡紊乱的调解

为了探讨甘草多糖对鼠伤寒沙门菌诱发巨噬细胞氧化-抗氧化平衡紊乱的调节作用。将0、1、20和100 mg/L甘草多糖4个质量浓度组与小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞共孵育,同时每组按1∶1加入鼠伤寒沙门菌SL1344;利用ELISA试剂盒检测各组丙二醛(malondialdehyde,MDA),活性氧(reactive oxygen species,ROS),一氧化氮(nitricoxide,NO),诱导型一氧化氮合酶(inducible nitric oxide synthase,iNOS),谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(glutathione peroxidase,GSHPX),超氧化物歧化酶(superoxide dismutase,SOD)和总抗氧化能力(total antioxidant capacity,T-AOC)变化情况;利用荧光显微镜和荧光酶标仪观察甘草多糖对鼠伤寒沙门菌引起巨噬细胞产生ROS的影响;利用乳酸脱氢酶(lactate dehydrogenase,LDH)细胞毒性试剂盒检测巨噬细胞上清LDH水平。结果表明,鼠伤寒沙门菌可诱导小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞发生氧化损伤,导致NO(4.65±1.07)μmol/L、iNOS(15.46±0.92)U/mL、MDA(3.46±0.39)nmol/L和ROS(3.69±0.31)U/mL氧化水平以及LDH水平显著升高,而GSH-PX(15.58±1.35)nmol/L、SOD(13.32±0.92)NU/mL和T-AOC(8.36±0.60)U/mL抗氧化水平显著降低。荧光显微镜和荧光酶标仪检测显示,鼠伤寒沙门菌感染小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞ROS水平显著升高。甘草多糖呈剂量依赖明显降低细胞氧化水平和增强抗氧化水平。甘草多糖作为重要的免疫调节剂,能够调节鼠伤寒沙门菌引起的巨噬细胞氧化损伤,维持细胞氧化-抗氧化平衡。     

Protective effect of butylated hydroxylanisole against hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in primary cultured mouse hepatocytes

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is a synthetic phenolic compound consisting of a mixture of two isomeric organic compounds: 2-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole and 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole. We examined the effect of BHA against hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced apoptosis in primary cultured mouse hepatocytes. Cell viability was significantly decreased by H₂O₂ in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, H₂O₂ treatment increased Bax, decreased Bcl-2, and promoted PARP-1 cleavage in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment with BHA before exposure to H₂O₂ significantly attenuated the H₂O₂-induced decrease of cell viability. H₂O₂ exposure resulted in an increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation that was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with BHA or N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC, an ROS scavenger). H₂O₂-induced decrease of cell viability was also attenuated by pretreatment with BHA and NAC. Furthermore, H₂O₂-induced increase of Bax, decrease of Bcl-2, and PARP-1 cleavage was also inhibited by BHA. Taken together, results of this investigation demonstrated that BHA protects primary cultured mouse hepatocytes against H₂O₂-induced apoptosis by inhibiting ROS generation.