Pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in a cow

In a 5-year-old Holstein cow, a neoplasm composed of a large intramuscular mass and multiple metastases in the lungs and lymph nodes was diagnosed as a pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma. This neoplasm was characterized by marked variation in tumor cell size and giant cells with single bizarre nuclei. Although the presence of cross striations and myoglobin could be confirmed, expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA) was also recognized in a few cells. Neoplastic cells showing intense staining for desmin, vimentin and proliferating cell nuclear antigen irrespective of their size differed from those in an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma that exhibited a wide spectrum of differentiation, reminiscent of normal skeletal myogenesis. The cellular pleomorphism and SMA expression seemed to be characteristic of deviation from normal muscle cells or satellite cells in adult muscle.     

Changes in the predicted function of the rumen bacterial community of Japanese Black beef cattle during the fattening stages according to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses

We investigated changes in the predicted functions of the rumen bacterial community in Japanese Black beef cattle during fattening. Nine cattle were fed a high-concentrate diet during the early, middle, and late fattening stages consecutively (10–14, 15–22, and 23–30 months of age, respectively). The rumen fluid and solid samples collected at each stage were subjected to sequencing analyses. The sequencing results were clustered and classified into operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Representative sequences and a raw counting table for each OTU were submitted to the Piphillin website. The predicted functions were revealed by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database as the ratio of the total sequence. In the early stage, “Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites” was significantly higher in the fluid fraction than in the solid fraction. “Two-component system” in the middle stage was significantly lower and “Purine metabolism” in the late stage was significantly higher in the fluid fraction than those in the solid fraction. The fluid fraction was significantly correlated with acetic acid, propionic acid, and bacterial metabolism, such as “Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites” and “Sugar metabolism.” Moreover, the solid fraction was correlated with “Purine metabolism” and “Biosynthesis of secondary metabolism”. These results suggest that the rumen bacterial community in Japanese Black beef cattle adapts to changes in rumen conditions by altering their functions in response to a long-term high-grain diet.     

Nephrocalcinosis formation by soy isoflavones in male rats

Isoflavones (IFs), found in the form of both aglycones and glucosides in soybean foods, induce weak estrogenic activities. Although IFs have a number of health benefits, it was previously reported that IFs cause nephrocalcinosis (NC) in the kidney of male Fischer 344 (F344) rats. The present study aims to elucidate the safety of IFs by focusing on IF-induced NC formation in rats. Fermented soybean extract (FSE) containing 420 mg/g isoflavone aglycones was orally administered to male F344 and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats for 28 days. FSE induced NC formation in the kidney of F344 rats, but not in SD rats. However, absorption of IFs did not differ between F344 and SD rats. NC formation and its severity of FSE were histologically compared with those of soybean extract (SE) containing 518 mg/g isoflavone glucosides in F344 rats. There were no differences in the number of NC formations and the extent of calcium deposit between FSE and SE groups. To examine the dose effect of FSE on NC formation, doses of 20, 140, or 1000 mg/kg FSE were administered to F344 rats for 90 days. NC formation was observed in the 140 and 1000 mg/kg groups. These results indicated that a high dose of oral administration of IFs induced NC formation depending on the strain of rat.     

Retrospective study of porcine circovirus 2 infection in Japan: seven cases in 1989

Retrospectively, we demonstrated that seven pigs necropsied in 1989 had characteristic porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2) lymphoid tissue lesions of severe lymphoid depletion, syncytial giant cell formation, and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in macrophages. Immunohistochemically, PCV-2 antigen was detected in these tissues and the distribution of positive staining corresponded to the distribution of inclusion bodies. Electron microscopy demonstrated viral particles compatible with porcine PCV-2. Therefore, the disease occurred in Japan as early as 1989.     

Microorganisms in tile forest soils with different vegetation

Characteristic microfloras have been found to exist corresponding to the soil types. In cultivated soil, corynebacteria have been shown to be one of the dominant groups, and In grassland soil has been characterized by pseudomonads (1–3). In contrast, pine forest soil has been shown to contain Bacillus as a dominant genus (4).     

Dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure caused by a mutation in phospholamban

Molecular etiologies of heart failure, an emerging cardiovascular epidemic affecting 4.7 million Americans and costing 17.8 billion health-care dollars annually, remain poorly understood. Here we report that an inherited human dilated cardiomyopathy with refractory congestive heart failure is caused by a dominant Arg --> Cys missense mutation at residue 9 (R9C) in phospholamban (PLN), a transmembrane phosphoprotein that inhibits the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+-adenosine triphosphatase (SERCA2a) pump. Transgenic PLN(R9C) mice recapitulated human heart failure with premature death. Cellular and biochemical studies revealed that, unlike wild-type PLN, PLN(R9C) did not directly inhibit SERCA2a. Rather, PLN(R9C) trapped protein kinase A (PKA), which blocked PKA-mediated phosphorylation of wild-type PLN and in turn delayed decay of calcium transients in myocytes. These results indicate that myocellular calcium dysregulation can initiate human heart failure-a finding that may lead to therapeutic opportunities.