Assessment of rabbit spleen size using ultrasonography

Assessment of spleen size using the ultrasonography has become a standard practice in human. However, the assessment is not established method in experimental animals. To establish the index to assess the spleen size using ultrasonography, we measured the cross-section image of rabbit spleen during endotoxin shock. The image of the cross-section was appeared as triangle, and the height of the triangular image was defined as the spleen index. This spleen index showed strong correlation with the spleen weight. In conclusion, this method is suitable for observation of changes in rabbit spleen size and may reduce the number of rabbit in the longitudinal studies.     

Characterization of ethylene biosynthesis and its regulation during fruit ripening in kiwifruit,Actinidia chinensis ‘Sanuki Gold’

Ethylene biosynthesis in kiwifruit, Actinidia chinensis ‘Sanuki Gold’ was characterized using propylene, an ethylene analog, and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), an inhibitor of ethylene perception. In fruit harvested between a young stage (66 days after pollination) (DAP) and an early commercial harvesting stage (143 DAP), 2 days of exposure to propylene were sufficient to initiate ethylene biosynthesis while in fruit harvested at commercial harvesting stage (154 DAP), 4 days of propylene treatment were required. This observation suggests that response of ethylene biosynthesis to propylene treatment in kiwifruit declined with fruit maturity. Propylene treatment resulted in up-regulated expression of AC-ACO1, AC-ACO2, AC-SAM1 and AC-SAM2, prior to the induction of AC-ACS1 and ethylene production, confirming that AC-ACS1 is the rate limiting step in ethylene biosynthesis in kiwifruit. Treatment of fruit with more than 5 μL L^?1 of 1-MCP after the induction of ethylene production subsequently suppressed ethylene production and expression of ethylene biosynthesis genes. Treatment of fruit with 1-MCP at harvest followed with propylene treatment delayed the induction of ethylene production and AC-ACS1 expression for 5 days. These observations suggest that in ripening kiwifruit, ethylene biosynthesis is regulated by positive feedback mechanism and that 1-MCP treatment at harvest effectively delays ethylene production by 5 days.     

Oligodendroglial vacuolar degeneration in the bilateral motor cortices and astrocytosis in epileptic beagle dogs

We performed a pathologic examination of the brains of three dogs in an epileptic beagle colony. Histologically, all the cases had diffuse astrocytosis in the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia as well as the hippocampus, whereas they showed acute nerve cell change in the hippocampus and some other areas of the cerebrum. One of these animals showed laminar myelin pallor associated with the presence of many vacuoles in the IV to VI layers of the bilateral motor cortices. Most of the vacuoles contained fine granules stained with luxol-fast-blue stain. Ultrastructural examination revealed that some oligodendrocytes and perineuronal satellite oligodendrocytes in the bilateral cerebral motor cortices of the two affected dogs had many vacuoles surrounded by myelin-like lamellar structures. These findings suggest a possibility that astrocytosis in the cerebrum and vacuolar degeneration of oligodendrocytes in the cerebral motor cortex may be, at least in part, related to the occurrence or development of seizures.     

Caffeine in fertilization medium is not essential for bovine IVF by fully capacitated spermatozoa

The purpose of this study was to examine: 1) whether caffeine in the fertilization medium under mineral oil is essential for bovine in vitro fertilization by fully capacitated spermatozoa, 2) the minimum concentration of caffeine that shows an adverse effect on the motility of preincubated spermatozoa. Cumulus-oocyte complexes with heterogeneous-appearing ooplasm were matured in in vitro culture for 24 h and used for insemination. The fertilization rates of the preincubated spermatozoa introduced into the fertilization medium containing 0 mM or 5 mM caffeine were examined. The fertilization rate of the spermatozoa introduced into the medium without caffeine (final concentration of caffeine at fertilization was 0.27-0.35 mM) was significantly higher than that in the medium with 5 mM caffeine (82.4% vs 55.2%, P<0.05). When the final concentration of caffeine at fertilization was reduced ten-fold (0.02-0.03 mM), the fertilization rate was not significantly improved (86.0%). The motility of the preincubated spermatozoa introduced into the fertilization medium containing 0-5 mM caffeine was examined. The sperm motility in the fertilization medium without caffeine was significantly higher than that in the fertilization medium with more than 2 mM caffeine. These results indicate that caffeine in the fertilization medium is not essential for bovine in vitro fertilization by fully capacitated spermatozoa, and that more than 2 mM caffeine has an adverse effect on preincubated (capacitated) sperm motility.     

Seasonal changes in serum vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene concentrations in Japanese Black breeding cattle in Hyogo prefecture

The influence of the season on serum vitamin A, E and beta-carotene concentrations was studied in Japanese Black breeding cattle. Blood samples were collected from 13 cows once a month for a year to determine the serum vitamin concentrations. Mean serum concentrations (+/- SE) of retinol, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene were 21.3 +/- 0.5 microg/dl (range 9.9 to 44.9), 215.9 +/- 8.0 microg/dl (range 59.7 to 551.6) and 67.3 +/- 5.1 microg/dl (range 10.6 to 425.2), respectively. All these concentrations were lower than the recommended levels. Serum retinol and alpha-tocopherol concentrations in summer were lower than those in winter. These results suggest that the vitamin A, E and beta-carotene status of Japanese Black breeding cows is inadequate, and feeding high quality forages or dietary vitamin supplementation during summer should be recommended.     

Decrease in malate dehydrogenase activities in peripheral leucocytes of type 1 diabetic dogs

The activities of the enzymes involved in the malate-aspartate shuttle were measured in peripheral leucocytes of dogs with type 1 diabetes mellitus. In the diabetic dogs, fasting plasma glucose concentrations were twofold greater than control levels despite insulin injections and the activities of malate dehydrogenase (MDH), which plays a crucial role in the malate-aspartate shuttle, were decreased remarkably. The cytosolic ratio of MDH/lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity (M/L ratio) in leucocytes of the diabetic dogs was significantly lower than that of normal control dogs. The decrease of the M/L ratio appeared to reflect depression of energy metabolism in leucocytes of the diabetic dogs. The M/L ratio may be a useful parameter to evaluate metabolic conditions in diabetic dogs.     

Age-related changes in bone mineral density, cross-sectional area and strength at different skeletal sites in male rats

Age-related changes in bone mineral density (BMD), cross-sectional area and strength strain index (SSI) of the long bones in the limbs and first lumbar vertebra of male Wistar rats were measured by a peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) method. One hundred and ten rats aged 2-30 months were used. The results indicate that the total (cortical + trabecular), cortical and trabecular BMD values of the metaphysis and cortical BMD values of the diaphysis in the long bones varied for each bone and differed from those of the first lumbar vertebra. The total BMD of long bones showed high values at 6-21 months and then decreased, but these did not always coincide with cortical and trabecular BMD. The values of SSI in the long bones varied. The values of total and cortical BMD and SSI of lumbar vertebra increased for 6-12 months and then decreased, but the trabecular BMD increased after 12 months. The total area in both the long bones and the first lumbar vertebra increased with the decrease in cortical area and the increase in the trabecular area with increasing age. It was concluded that age-related changes in bones, similar to those observed in humans, could be observed in some bones and parameters, although the age in rats when the so-called peak bone mass appears in the whole skeleton could not be clearly determined.     

Serum activities of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase and bone specific alkaline phosphatase as indices of bone metabolism in the cow

The correlation between the serum hydroxyproline concentration and serum activity levels of TRAP and BALP was examined in 41 cows. The correlated coefficient (r) was 0.6391 for TRAP and 0.3147 for BALP, respectively. Judging from the significant correlation to the serum hydroxyproline concentration, serum TRAP activity is an index for bone metabolism in cows. Serum TRAP activity was therefore measured in 205 healthy cows (2-9 years old) in order to observe the changes in bone resorption with aging and milk production. TRAP levels differed slightly between group A (< or =4 yrs) and B (5 yrs< or =) at the same stage of lactation. The activity levels rose slightly at the height of lactation stage and during the dry stage.     

Durability evaluation of particleboards by accelerated aging tests

Summary Specimens of four commercially produced particleboards were exposed to various accelerated aging treatments: 1) 6-cycle ASTM D-1037 exposure, 2) 6-cycle WCAMA exposure, 3) BS 5669 test, 4) cyclic soak-dry test, and 5) cyclic boil-dry test. Thickness swelling (TS) and internal bond strength (IB) were measured after each step of each cycle. Phenol and phenol (face)/isocyanate (core)bonded boards are more durable than urea and melamine urea bonded boards. The effect of treatment 1) is most severe on TS and IB retention, followed in order by treatments 2), 5), 4) and 3). When the value of springback reached about 35%, IB became equal to zero.