Peripartal Endocrinology in the Mare and Foetus

The endocrine profiles in the periparturient mares are dominated by increasing concentrations of progestagens and decreasing oestrogens. These hormones are produced by precursors from the foetus, metabolized by the placenta and act primarily on the maternal uterus. The circulating concentrations of hormones in maternal plasma, generally, represent a small proportion of those metabolized by the foetus and utero-placental tissues. There is clear evidence that the foetal hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis initiates the process of foetal maturation and the hormonal cascade which culminates in parturition at term. The endocrine changes associated with abnormal pregnancy and abortion in late pregnancy are less well understood, as are the hormonal treatments needed to avert these problems. Further work is needed to establish the biological role of the various hormones present in pregnant mares and, in particular, those hormones which control myometrial quiescence.     

苹果脱水素基因生物信息学识别与表达分析

本研究使用Perl语言在‘金冠’苹果基因组中识别脱水素基因(MD-DHN)序列,并对MD-DHN系统发生关系、保守序列、氨基酸一级结构以及疏水性等进行了生物信息学分析,并利用低温处理下‘金红’、‘金冠’苹果转录组测序数据,分析了MD-DHN表达差异。在‘金冠’苹果基因组中,共识别17个MD-DHN,根据系统发生关系可以归类为I、Ⅱ、Ⅲ3个亚族,I类亚族的成员最多,Ⅲ类亚族最少,均包含Y、S、K序列区,但I类亚族K区一致性不高。17个MD-DHN蛋白都具有高亲水性,但是不同蛋白序列之间亲水性存在差异。17个MD-DHN中,有11个MD-DHN响应苹果冷胁迫和冰冻胁迫,其中10个脱水素基因(MDDHN1～MD-DHN5, MD-DHN8～MD-DHN10, MD-DHN13和MD-DHN15)在冰冻胁迫下,在更耐寒‘金红’苹果中高表达。本研究为进一步探讨MD-DHN基因功能提供了依据。     

鸡传染性法氏囊病活疫苗免疫效果评估

本试验选用A、B、C、D 4种商品化鸡传染性法氏囊病活疫苗免疫SPF鸡,进行攻毒试验以评估不同疫苗的免疫效果。10日龄SPF鸡分组后分别用A、B、C、D 4种商品化法氏囊病活疫苗按1羽份/只剂量接种免疫,21日龄时用1000 LD₅₀剂量的法氏囊超强毒株(GD0104)进行攻毒,各组疫苗的保护率分别为100%、85%、100%、100%;35日龄时用1000 LD₅₀剂量的法氏囊超强毒株(GD0104)进行攻毒,各组疫苗的保护率分别为100%、75%、95%、100%。免疫后抗体检测显示,抗体滴度水平D＞A＞C＞B,抗体转阳速度A＞D＞C＞B,免疫应激作用A、D＞B、C。综合考虑疫苗免疫攻毒后各项指标的变化,A、D疫苗免疫效果优于其他两种活疫苗,可以有效地为SPF鸡提供保护作用。     

奶牛隐性酮病的研究概况

本文将黑龙江省规模化奶牛场隐性酮病的多年研究进行小结,根据奶牛隐性酮病的发病特点,并结合国内外的文献,概述了黑龙江省奶牛隐性酮病的发生情况、病因学、临床病理学特征和检测及防治方面的研究状况,提出一些问题,旨在为今后的研究提供新的思路和方向,从而创造良好的经济价值.     

The Effects of Freshwater Clam (Corbicula fluminea) Extract on Serum Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-α) in Prediabetic Patients in Taiwan

Freshwater clam extract (FCE) is a functional food that regulates the immune system and has been demonstrated in numerous studies to display desirable anti–tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) responses. In addition, excess TNF-α production is positively associated with type 2 diabetes. However, few longitudinal clinical studies evaluating the efficiency and toxicity of FCE are available. This article reports that patients with prediabetes who received FCE had a desirable outcome of a reduction in serum TNF-α for a long period. This was a double-blind, randomized, parallel clinical trial conducted using FCE intervention and placebo groups, and 36 patients with prediabetes were enrolled. Two grams of FCE or placebo was consumed daily for 180 consecutive days. The serum of the participants was collected at four time points (0M: before the intervention; 3M: after 3 months of intervention; 6M: after 6 months of intervention; 12M: 6 months after cessation of intervention at 6M). A serum TNF-α concentration higher than 4.05 pg/mL was defined as a cut-off value. FCE reduced serum TNF-α in all participants at 6M and 12M. Moreover, FCE significantly suppressed serum TNF-α concentrations at 6M and 12M and inhibited TNF-α release with time series in subjects with elevated TNF-α values. FCE intervention effectively reduced serum TNF-α and persistently sustained the effects for half a year in patients with prediabetes. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GS-MS) analysis revealed that the major components of FCE were phytosterols and fatty acids, which exerted anti-inflammatory and anti-TNF-α abilities. Hence, FCE has the potential to be developed as a natural treatment for prediabetic patients in Taiwan.     

Effect of Beclin 1 RNA interference on Vit K3 injured SMMC-7721 cells

AIM: To observe the effect of Beclin 1 silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) technique to the injury of SMMC-7721 hepatoma cells by vitamin K3 (Vit K3).METHODS: The recombinant plasmid Psilencer 3.1-siRNA-Beclin 1 was transfected into SMMC-7721 hepatoma cells by eukaryotic cell transfection technique. Plasmid vector and cell culture medium were used as negative and control, respectively. The cells were collected 48 h later to extract cell RNA and total protein and to detect Beclin 1 gene expression by RT-PCR and Western blotting. 40 μmol/L Vit K3 was used to treate the Beclin 1-siRNA cells, Hoechst33342 staining was used for the determination of the percentage of cell apoptosis.RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the synthetic siRNA of Beclin 1 significantly decreased the levels of Beclin 1 mRNA and protein expressions. Beclin 1 mRNA was up-regulated in 40 μmol/L Vit K3 treated SMMC-7721 hepatoma cells, the percentage of apoptosis cells increased (P﹤0.01). In beclin 1-siRNA cells, Beclin 1 mRNA was down-regulated obviously, the percentage of apoptosis cells increased significantly compared with the 40 μmol/L Vit K3 group (P﹤0.01).CONCLUSION: The transfection of SMMC-7721 hepatoma cells by Psilencer3.1-siRNA-Beclin 1 effectively inhibits the expressions of Beclin 1 mRNA and protein, inhibits the activation of Beclin 1 dependent autophagic signaling pathway, and aggravates the apoptosis induced by Vit K3.     

Anti-stress effects of Glycine tomentella Hayata in tilapia: inhibiting COX-2 expression and enhancing EPA synthesis in erythrocyte membrane and fish growth

The objective of this study was to elucidate the in vivo effects of the ethanol extract of wooly Glycine tomentella Hayata (GTE) root on tilapia to elucidate whether GTE has antistress activity. Tilapia as an animal model were fed with or without GTE, then injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or ammonium chloride (NH(4)Cl). The tilapia were exposed to 100 mg/L of aqueous NH(4)Cl, and/or acute cold stress. Growth parameters of the tilapia were measured during the feeding trials. Tilapia injected with GTE (20 μg/g of fish), NH(4)Cl (100 μg/g of fish) and/or LPS (1 μg/g of fish) were then sampled 2 h poststimulation. GTE significantly inhibited cyclooxygenase-2 expression and hemoglobin (Hb) dimer formation (36 kDa). GTE also improved growth and blood viscosity and upregulated eicosapentaenoic acid content of erythrocytes. The in vivo results indicated that GTE (20 μg/g of fish) can be applied as a stress-tolerance enhancing agent for the aquaculture industry.     

奶牛体外成熟卵母细胞与X分离冻精体外受精及其胚胎发育

比较了X分离冻精和未分离冻精与牛卵母细胞进行体外受精后,受精卵的卵裂率和胚胎发育率。X分离冻精组受精卵的卵裂率（51.4%）和囊胚发育率（19.7%）显著低于未分离冻精组（67.9%,29.9%,P〈0.05）;微量上浮非离心法处理X分离冻精和未分离冻精后,其受精卵的卵裂率（50.7%,65.5%）高于上浮离心法处理组（48.3%,63.8%）,但两种处理方法之间无统计学差异（P〉0.05）;同一种精子采用微量上浮非离心法或上浮离心法处理后,其卵裂胚的桑葚胚发育率和囊胚发育率无统计学差异（P〉0.05）;X分离冻精的受精卵与颗粒细胞和睾丸支持细胞共培养后,其卵裂率（50.0%,51.4%）与非共培养组（50.3%）无显著差异（P〉0.05）;两个共培养组的桑葚胚发育率（53.3%,54.6%）和囊胚发育率（21.1%,21.5%）均高于对照组（52.2%,20.4%）,但无统计学差异（P〉0.05）。