Acoustic evaluation of the vertical distribution of dwarf ayu Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis in Lake Biwa

SUMMARY: The vertical distribution of dwarf ayu Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis in the pelagic waters of Lake Biwa was evaluated from June to September in 1995–97 from eight acoustic surveys using a quantitative echosounder. In each survey, echoes from a depth range of 3 m to the sea bottom were collected at a station every 2.7 s for 24 h together with measurements of vertical profiles of water temperature and chlorophyll-a. The ayu's echoes were identified using an underwater video camera. The ayu were observed near the maximum chlorophyll-a depth and above the thermocline. Their density was highest at depths of 4–11 m with 2–4 individuals/m ³ and was almost zero below 20 m. Echo signs were recorded as having a frequent duration of more than 1 h at night, whereas were of a shorter duration in the day. The fish stay in the epilimnion during the day without any clear vertical migration, but are distributed more uniformly at night. The advantages of remaining in the epilimnion are discussed in terms of food availability and predator avoidance.     

Effect of Treadmill Exercise and Hydrogen-rich Water Intake on Serum Oxidative and Anti-oxidative Metabolites in Serum of Thoroughbred Horses

The present study aimed to clarify changes of oxidative stress and antioxidative functions in treadmill-exercised Thoroughbred horses (n=5, 3 to 7 years old), using recently developed techniques for measurement of serum d-ROMs for oxidative stress, and BAP for antioxidative markers. Also, the effect of nasogastric administration of hydrogen-rich water (HW) or placebo water preceding the treadmill exercise on these parameters was examined. Each horse was subjected to a maximum level of treadmill exercise in which the horses were exhausted at an average speed of 13.2 ± 0.84 m/sec. Blood samples were taken 4 times, immediately before the intake of HW or placebo water at 30 min preceding the treadmill exercise, immediately before the exercise (pre-exercise), immediately after the exercise (post-exercise) and at 30 min following the exercise. In all horses, both d-ROMs and BAP values significantly increased at post-exercise. The increase in d-ROMs tended to be lower in the HW trial, as compared to the placebo trial at pre-exercise. The increase in BAP was considerable at approximately 150% of the pre-exercise values in both the HW and placebo treatment trials. The BAP/d-ROMs ratio was significantly elevated at post-exercise in both treatment trials, while a significant elevation was also observed at pre-exercise in the HW trial. BAP, d-ROM, and the BAP/d-ROM ratio tended to decline at 30 min after the exercise, except BAP and BAP/d-ROMs in the placebo trial. These results demonstrate that the marked elevation of oxidative stress and anitioxidative functions occurred simultaneously in the intensively exercised horses, and suggest a possibility that HW has some antioxidative efficacy.     

Molecular cloning, chromosomal location, and biological activity of porcine interleukin-21

A pig interleukin-21 (IL-21) cDNA was successfully cloned and sequenced from porcine peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) stimulated with 10 microg/ml concanavalin A (ConA), 10 microg/ml phytohemagglutinin P (PHA), 50 ng/ml phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), and 0.5 microg/ml anti-porcine CD3 antibody for 48 hr. The open reading frame of the porcine IL-21 cDNA is 459 base pairs in length and encodes 152 amino acids. The predicted amino acid sequence of the porcine IL-21 shows 86.2%, 77.7%, and 58.4% identity to the bovine, human, and murine IL-21, respectively. The porcine IL-21 gene was mapped to porcine chromosome 8 (8q22-->q23) by means of fluorescence in situ hybridization and radiation hybrid mapping, where the porcine IL-2 gene had been mapped nearby. The recombinant porcine mature IL-21 expressed by E. coli induced dose-dependent proliferation and IFN-gamma production from a human NK cell line, NK0. The porcine IL-21 identified in this study will be helpful for the enhancement of innate immune responses of pigs.     

Extensive Screening for Edible Herbal Extracts with Potent Scavenging Activity against Superoxide Anions

To search for edible herbal extracts with potent antioxidant activity, we conducted a large scale screening based on the superoxide scavenging activity. That is, scavenging activity against superoxide anions were extensively screened from ethanol extracts of approximately 1,000 kinds of herbs by applying an electron spin resonance (ESR)-spin trapping method. Among them we chose four edible herbal extracts with prominently potent ability to reduce the signal intensity of 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO)-OOH, a spin adduct formed by DMPO and superoxide anion. They are the extracts from Punica granatum (Peel), Syzygium aromaticum (Bud), Mangifera indica (Kernel), and Phyllanthus emblica (Fruit), and are allowed to be used as foodstuffs according to the Japanese legal regulation. The ESR-spin trapping method coupled with steady state kinetic analysis showed that all of the four extracts directly scavenge superoxide anions, and that the superoxide scavenging potential of any of the extracts was comparable to that of L-ascorbic acid. Furthermore, polyphenol determination indicates that the activity is at least in part attributable to polyphenols. These results with such large scale screening might give useful information when choosing a potent antioxidant as a foodstuff.     

Infection of a chimeric simian and human immunodeficiency virus with CCR5-specific HIV-1 envelope to Rhesus macaques

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects lymphocytes and macrophages via CD4 and chemokine receptors. In this study, the infectivity of a chimeric simian and human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) having a CCR5-specific HIV-1 envelope gene was examined. A SHIV strain termed SHIV-JRFL could enter cells via CD4 with a chemokine receptor CCR5, not CXCR4, and the viral replication was suppressed by recombinant human RANTES, one of beta-chemokines. The intravenous inoculation of SHIV-JRFL into two rhesus macaques resulted in a systemic infection, though it was rather weak. During the early infection, the production of RANTES from Con A-stimulated PBMCs of the infected monkeys increased. These results suggested that beta-chemokine has the potential to limit the infectivity of an R5-type SHIV.     

Synthesis and insecticidal activity of benzoheterocyclic analogues of N'-benzoyl-N-(tert-butyl)benzohydrazide: Part 3. Modification of N-tert-butylhydrazine moiety

Nineteen analogues were synthesized by modifying the tert-butylhydrazine moieties of N'-tert-butyl-N'-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-5-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxine-6-carbohydrazide and N'-tert-butyl-N'-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-5-methylchromane-6-carbohydrazide (chromafenozide), and the synthesized analogues were evaluated for their insecticidal activity against Spodoptera litura F. While all of the synthesized analogues had insecticidal activity inferior to those of the lead compounds, several of the analogues nonetheless showed high insecticidal activity. Chromafenozide has shown very high selectivity toward lepidopteran species.     

Structure of the rotor of the V-Type Na+-ATPase from Enterococcus hirae

The membrane rotor ring from the vacuolar-type (V-type) sodium ion-pumping adenosine triphosphatase (Na+-ATPase) from Enterococcus hirae consists of 10 NtpK subunits, which are homologs of the 16-kilodalton and 8-kilodalton proteolipids found in other V-ATPases and in F1Fo- or F-ATPases, respectively. Each NtpK subunit has four transmembrane alpha helices, with a sodium ion bound between helices 2 and 4 at a site buried deeply in the membrane that includes the essential residue glutamate-139. This site is probably connected to the membrane surface by two half-channels in subunit NtpI, against which the ring rotates. Symmetry mismatch between the rotor and catalytic domains appears to be an intrinsic feature of both V- and F-ATPases.     

Inflammation of the cardiac coronary artery in ICR mice

Inflammation of the cardiac coronary artery in ICR mice is occasionally observed in toxicity studies; however, this has not been well explored histologically. Herein, we investigated the detailed histology of the associated lesions in 6–8-week-old ICR mice. Coronary artery inflammation in the right ventricular wall was observed in 10 of 142 mice (7.0%). Histopathological examination revealed hypertrophy of the vascular smooth muscle cells and perivascular infiltration of macrophages in mild cases. In moderate to marked cases, single-cell necrosis of vascular smooth muscle cells, hemorrhage of the tunica media, and fibrinoid necrosis of the vessel wall were observed, in addition to the changes seen in mild cases. Electron microscopic examination of moderate cases revealed a discontinuous internal elastic lamina suggestive of rupture, and vascular smooth muscle cells beneath the elastic lamina showed degeneration and necrosis. These findings suggest that the lesions developed as a rupture of the internal elastic lamina and necrosis of vascular smooth muscle cells, while leaked plasma components caused vascular and perivascular inflammation. In ICR mice, dystrophic calcinosis (DCC) is known to occur rarely in the right ventricle. DCC is defined as focal calcification in necrotic myocardial fibers, the pathogenesis of which is considered to involve ectopic calcification. Since calcification was not observed in any part of the heart, including the inflammation region, the pathophysiology of cardiac arterial inflammation seen in our ICR mice was considered to differ from that of DCC.     

Successful treatment of two dogs with allergic dermatitis by anti-allergic peptides (MS-antigen)

The effects of non-specific immunotherapy with anti-allergic peptides extracted from the urine of human allergic patients (MS-antigen), in two dogs with allergic dermatitis (AD) have been described. Clinically, severe pruritus accompanied by secondary bacterial pyoderma did not respond to conventional therapy with systemic antibiotics. The first clinical change appeared as a significant reduction in pruritus within 3 months, around the time of the 15th injection in both cases. The clinical condition was stabilized after 5 months, allowing the gradual withdrawal of concurrent therapies and an increase of injection intervals. The correlation between the results of intradermal skin tests before and after treatment and the improvement of clinical signs was not obvious.     

Induction of superovulation by immunoneutralization of endogenous inhibin in immature rats

The effects of passive immunoneutralization of endogenous inhibin on ovulation rate in immature rats were investigated. Efficiency of superovulation on production of fertilized oocytes was compared between the inhibin antiserum (inhibin-AS) and equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) protocols. Immature female Wistar strain rats were superovulated with a single injection of 100-200 microl inhibin-AS, with and without an injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). A total of 77.8% of the 26-30-day-old rats treated with a single injection of 100-200 microl inhibin-AS ovulated 72 h after treatment, while rats given normal goat serum (NGS; 200 microl) did not ovulate. At 28 days of age, all of the inhibin-AS treated rats ovulated when additional hCG treatment was given, whereas the number of ovulated oocytes was not affected. The number of ovulated oocytes in the inhibin-AS-hCG treated groups was significantly higher than that of the NGS-hCG treated group. In addition, plasma concentrations of FSH in the inhibin-AS-hCG treated group significantly increased compared with the NGS treated group. While the percentage of mated rats in the 200 microl inhibin-AS-hCG treated group was significantly lower than that of the 15 IU eCG-hCG treated group, the fertilization rate was comparable between the two groups. The number of fertilized oocytes in the 200 microl inhibin-AS-hCG treated group was significantly higher in comparison with the 15 IU eCG-hCG treated group. These results suggest that immunoneutralization of endogenous inhibin could be a reliable method for induction of superovulation to collect a large number of normally fertilized oocytes in immature rats.