Influence of acute exposure to a low dose of systemic insecticide fipronil on locomotor activity and emotional behavior in adult male mice

Fipronil (FPN) is a systemic insecticide that antagonizes the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA_A) receptors in insects. Recently, adverse effects of FPN on mammals have been reported, but most of those were caused by high doses of FPN and additives in the products. We investigated the effects of low-dose pure FPN on the emotional behavior of mice. Nine-week-old male mice conducted behavioral tests 24 hr after FPN administration by gavage at doses of 0.05 or 5 mg/kg based on the no-observed-effect level (NOEL), showed a significant increase in locomotor activity and dose-dependent responses on the time they spent in the central zone in the open field test. Pure FPN below the NOEL dose may affect the emotional behavior of mice.     

Treatment of cow-waste slurry by a microbial fuel cell and the properties of the treated slurry as a liquid manure

Resource recycling and the proper treatment of animal waste to reduce its environmental impact are currently important issues for the livestock industry. A microbial fuel cell (MFC), a new type of bioreactor, is expected to play roles in both waste‐water purification and energy recovery. However, the generation of electricity from cow waste has not yet been examined. In this study, using an MFC, we examined the possibility of generating electricity from dairy‐cow waste slurry, and analyzed the properties of the treated slurry as liquid manure for resource recycling. The MFC treatment of the slurry generated electricity in a dose‐dependent manner, and the maximum power output by the MFC from a 1 g of chemical oxygen demand/L slurry was 0.34 mW/m². After the MFC treatment, 84% of the biological oxygen demand in the slurry was removed and three essential fertilizer elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) were retained at 84, 70, and 91% levels, respectively. The amount of ammonia nitrogen in the slurry, as an element of fast‐release fertilizer, was increased by 1.9‐fold. Although the treated slurry displayed properties that made it preferable as liquid manure, further studies to improve the electrical power output by the MFC are required for practical use.     

Calcium ions are involved in egress of Babesia bovis merozoites from bovine erythrocytes

Bovine babesiosis is a livestock disease known to cause economic losses in endemic areas. The apicomplexan parasite Babesia bovis is able to invade and destroy the host’s erythrocytes leading to the serious pathologies of the disease, such as anemia and hemoglobinuria. Understanding the egress mechanisms of this parasite is therefore a key step to develop new therapeutic strategies. In this study, the possible involvement of Ca²⁺ in the egress of B. bovis merozoites from infected erythrocytes was investigated. Egress was artificially induced in vitro using calcium ionophore A23187 and thapsigargin to increase Ca²⁺ concentration in the cytosol of the parasite cells. The increased intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration following these treatments was confirmed using live cell Ca²⁺ imaging with confocal laser scanning microscopy. Based on our findings, we suggest a Ca²⁺ signalling pathway in the egress of B. bovis merozoites.     

Optimal dietary taurine level for growth of juvenile Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

The requirement for taurine in juvenile Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus was determined by feeding diets containing various levels of taurine and cystine. Test diets supplemented with 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% of taurine or with 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% of L -cystine were prepared. The basal diet contained 55% protein from white fish meal. These diets were fed to juvenile Japanese flounder with an initial mean bodyweight of 0.9 g (total length (TL) 48 mm) for 5 weeks. Approximately 1.4% taurine content in the diet was required for optimum growth of juvenile flounder. A positive linear relationship was noted between the content of taurine accumulated in the muscle, liver and brain and the level of taurine in the diet. However, there was no increased taurine content in tissues of fish fed the cystine-supplemented diet. In contrast, the fish fed control and cystine-supplemented diets showed higher contents of cystathionine in the tissues. The concentration of cystathionine in tissues rapidly decreased with an increase of taurine in the diet. It was also observed that for each of the dietary groups, a trace amount of taurine was excreted. These results suggest that the taurine content in the diet affects the sulfur amino acid metabolism of juvenile Japanese flounder, and indicate that juvenile flounder are unable to biosynthesize taurine from cystine.     

Evaluation of shrimp polyculture system in Thailand based on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios

ABSTRACT: To quantify the contribution by cocultured animals to waste assimilation in an intensive shrimp farm in Thailand, the food web structures of the macrobenthos in a reservoir pond, a shrimp culture pond and water treatment ponds were examined using the stable C and N isotope ratio technique. Seawater for aquaculture was drawn from a creek, and stored in a reservoir pond, used for farming the banana prawn Fenneropenaeus merguiensis in culture ponds, and then recycled through treatment ponds where the green mussel Perna viridis was cultured to remove organic wastes discharged from the farming. The clam worm Nereididae sp. and the mud creeper Cerithideopsilla cingulata in the culture pond had δ ¹³C values of −21.0‰ and −18.4‰, respectively, suggesting that shrimp feed (mean δ ¹³C = −20.7‰) was the main food source for these species. The δ ¹³C analysis also suggested that sediments (−23.7‰) in the reservoir pond and particulate organic matter (POM) (−24.0‰) and/or sediments (−25.0‰) in the treatment pond supplied carbon for most macrobenthic animals. However, green mussels in the treatment pond had a mean δ ¹³C value of −20.5‰, suggesting that shrimp feed was the main food source for this species.     

Effect of dietary supplementation with taurine, β-alanine andGABA on the growth of juvenile and fingerling Japanese flounder Paralichthysolivaceus

ABSTRACT:   Three diets supplemented with taurine, β-alanine andGABA and a control diet were fed to juvenile and fingerling Japaneseflounder to investigate the effects of the diets on growth and metabolicchanges of free amino acids in whole body and tissues. In experimentI, three diets supplemented with 1% each of taurine, β-alanineand GABA and a control diet were fed to juvenile Japanese flounderwith an initial mean body weight of 0.4 g for 4 weeks at20°C. In experiment II, the taurine-supplemented diet anda control diet were fed to fingerling Japanese flounder with an initialmean body weight of 15 g for 4 weeks at 20°C.Only supplementation of taurine in the diet of juvenile flounderimproved their growth performance in experiment I, but fingerlinggrowth performance of experiment II was not significantly relatedto taurine supplementation in the experimental diet. These resultssuggest that there is a greater requirement for taurine for thegrowth of juvenile Japanese flounder than fingerling Japanese flounder.     

Permuted tRNA genes expressed via a circular RNA intermediate in Cyanidioschyzon merolae

A computational analysis of the nuclear genome of a red alga, Cyanidioschyzon merolae, identified 11 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes in which the 3' half of the tRNA lies upstream of the 5' half in the genome. We verified that these genes are expressed and produce mature tRNAs that are aminoacylated. Analysis of tRNA-processing intermediates for these genes indicates an unusual processing pathway in which the termini of the tRNA precursor are ligated, resulting in formation of a characteristic circular RNA intermediate that is then processed at the acceptor stem to generate the correct termini.