Bronchoalveolar lavage in horses: effect of exercise and repeated sampling on cytology

SUMMARY Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed at weekly intervals in 10 Thoroughbred horses in race training (group 1) and in 4 rested horses (group 2) for 10 weeks. Lavages were continued on a weekly basis in 4 group 1 horses for an additional 9 weeks (group 3). Cytological analysis of samples included leukocyte counts, erythrocyte counts, differential leukocyte counts, and haemosiderophage score. The mean leukocyte concentration was significantly lower in group 1(92.1 ± 4.6 cells/μL) when compared with group 2 (133.5 ± 8.2 cells/μL), P = 0.037. The differential leukocyte data were not significantly different between groups. There was a large amount of variability in the percent-age of macrophages and lymphocytes in the differential counts over time with no obvious trends. The proportion of neutrophils demonstrated a tendency to decrease over time for both groups 1 and 2. Erythrocyte counts and haemosiderin scores were significantly higher in the exercising group than the rested horses. Neither exercise nor the technique itself evoked an inflammatory response in the BAL fluid.     

评估调质时间和温度对猪颗粒饲料淀粉糊化度和维生素沉积的影响

本论文研究了饲料加工的两个关键参数(调质温度和时间)对育肥猪颗粒饲料淀粉糊化度和维生素沉积的影响。日粮配方为含30%干酒糟及其可溶物的玉米-豆粕型基础日粮。整个试验中配方保持不变。本试验采用2×3双因子设计,调质温度分别为77℃和88℃,调质时间分别15秒、30秒和60秒。此外,本试验还设置一个对照组,对照组饲料不采用调质制粒工艺,而是采用粉料饲喂。因此,本试验共有7个处理组。采集调质后制粒前(热干粉)、制粒后冷却前(热制粒)、以及制粒冷却后(冷制粒)的样品,并分析这三种样品的总淀粉率、淀粉糊化     

Changes in the fish species composition of all Austrian lakes >50 ha during the last 150 years

Abstract  The fish communities of all Austrian natural lakes ( n  = 43) larger than 50 ha in surface area were assessed and the historical fish communities in c . 1850 were reconstructed. During the last 150 years, the fish communities of Austrian lakes have altered: in 49% of lakes at least one indigenous fish species, usually sensitive or small-bodied taxa, is now missing. Conversely, in all but one of the 43 lakes the number of fish species has increased. In particular, certain fish species of interest to angling and commercial fisheries now occur in more lakes. Generalised linear models were used to identify variables that would explain the loss of fish species using categories of lake use (ranking score). The category human population density around the lakes seemed to be one of the main causes for the loss of fish species.     

工业型城乡交错区土壤重金属含量及其空间分异的特征-以无锡典型城乡交错区为例

Phosphorus （P） is necessary for growth and nitrogen fixation, and thus its deficiency is a major factor limiting legume production in most agricultural soils. The effect of phosphorus supply on nodule development and its role in soybeans （Glycine max L.） was studied in a nutrient solution. Plants were inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum and grown for 35 days in a glasshouse at a day and night temperature of 25℃ and 15℃, respectively. Although increasing P supply increased the concentrations of P and N in the shoots and roots, the external P supply did not significantly affect the P concentration in the nodules, and the N fixed per unit nodule biomass decreased with increasing P supply. The nitrogen content in the shoots correlated well with the P content （r=0.92＊＊）. At an inoculation level of 10^2 cells mL^-1, the P supply did not affect the number of nodules; however, at inoculation levels of 10^3.5 and 10^5 cells mL^-1, increasing P supply increased both the number and size of nodules. Irrespective of the inoculation level, increasing P supply increased the nodule biomass relative to the biomass of the host plant. It is suggested that the P deficiency specifically inhibited the nodule development and thereby the total N2 fixation.     

Self-Assembled Smectic Phases in Rod-Coil Block Copolymers

Rod-coil block copolymers are self-assembling polymers that combine the physics of orientational ordering of rodlike polymers and the microphase separation of coil-coil block copolymers. Several new solid-state morphologies were observed in a series of anionically synthesized model poly(hexyl isocyanate-b-styrene) rod-coil diblock copolymers examined by transmission electron microscopy and selected-area electron diffraction. The rod-coils formed smectic C-like and O-like morphologies with domain sizes ranging from tens of nanometers to almost 1 micrometer. Both structural and orientational changes were found for increasing rod volume fractions. In addition, some morphologies exhibited spontaneous long-range orientational order over many tens of micrometers.     

Ameliorative Effects of Melatonin against Hydrogen Peroxide‐Induced Oxidative Stress on Boar Sperm Characteristics and Subsequent In Vitro Embryo Development

Melatonin, the major secretory product of the pineal gland, scavenges a variety of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in vivo and in vitro, indicating that melatonin is a potent function as an antioxidant. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of melatonin in the presence or absence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) on sperm characteristics (motility, viability, survival rate, membrane integrity, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and mitochondria activity) and also to examine the developmental rates to the blastocysts stage of porcine oocytes fertilized in vitro with semen treated with or without melatonin (100 nm ) in the presence or absence of H₂O₂ (250 μm ). The sperm were treated with melatonin in the presence or absence of H₂O₂ for 3, 6, 9 and 12 h at 37°C and then analysed for the sperm characteristics. The porcine embryos were produced by in vitro maturation and in vitro fertilization (IVM/IVF) using semen treated with or without melatonin (100 nm ) in the presence or absence of H₂O₂ (250 μm ) for 6 h. The semen characteristics, including motility, viability, survival rate, membrane integrity and mitochondria activity, were higher in the groups that were treated with melatonin in comparison to other groups, irrespective of incubation periods. Malondialdehyde levels in control, melatonin and melatonin + H₂O₂ groups were lower than H₂O₂ only group. A positive correlation was shown among motility, viability, survival rate and membrane integrity, but a negative correlation was observed between LPO and the other evaluation methods. The developmental rates to blastocysts of IVM/IVF porcine oocytes fertilized by semen treated with melatonin were significantly increased compared with any other groups, with the cell number of blastocysts shown to have a similar trend to the developmental rates. These results demonstrate that melatonin can improve the semen characteristics during in vitro storage and support the developmental ability of IVM/IVF embryos in pigs.     

Antioxidative Effects of Astaxanthin against Nitric Oxide‐Induced Oxidative Stress on Cell Viability and Gene Expression in Bovine Oviduct Epithelial Cell and the Developmental Competence of Bovine IVM/IVF Embryos

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the fundamental mechanism of bovine oviduct epithelial cell (BOEC) co‐culture on developmental capacity of bovine in vitro oocyte maturation/in vitro fertilization (IVM/IVF) embryos. We examined the effects of astaxanthin against nitric oxide‐induced oxidative stress on cell viability by MTT assay, lipid peroxidation (LPO) by using thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reaction for malondialdehyde (MDA) and the expression of antioxidant genes (CuZnSOD, MnSOD and Catalase) or apoptosis genes (Bcl‐2, Caspase‐3 and Bax) by RT‐PCR in BOEC. We also evaluated the developmental rates of bovine IVM/IVF embryos co‐cultured with BOEC pre‐treated with astaxanthin (500 μm ) in the presence or absence of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 1000 μm ) for 24 h. Cell viability in BOEC treated with SNP (50–2000 μm ) lowered, while astaxanthin addition (50–500 μm ) increased it in a dose‐dependent manner. Cell viability in astaxanthin plus SNP (1000 μm ) gradually recovered according to the increase in astaxanthin additions (100–500 mm ). The LPO in astaxanthin group (50–500 μM) gradually decreased in a dose dependent manner and among SNP or astaxanthin plus SNP group, SNP alone and astaxanthin (50 μM) plus SNP shown a significant increase than other groups (p < 0.05). Expression of apoptosis or antioxidant genes was detected by RT‐PCR. Bcl‐2 and antioxidant genes were detected in astaxanthin or astaxanthin plus SNP group, and Caspase‐3 and Bax genes were only found in SNP group. When bovine IVM/IVF embryos were cultured for 6–7 days under co‐culture system such as BOEC treated with astaxanthin in the presence or absence of SNP, the developmental ability to blastocysts in 500 μm astaxanthin group was the highest of all groups. These results suggest that astaxanthin has a antioxidative effect on cell viability and LPO of BOEC, and development of bovine IVM/IVF embryos due to the induction of antioxidant genes and suppression of apoptosis genes.