Enhancement of the insulin antagonistic effect of porcine somatotropin in swine using a monoclonal antibody

A monoclonal antibody (mAb), PS-7.6, to porcine somatotropin (pST) significantly enhanced the growth responses to pST injections in hypophysectomized (hypox) rats but could not be tested in pigs because of the large quantity of antibody required for a growth trial. Because pST inhibits the hypoglycemic effects of insulin, an insulin tolerance test procedure was established to measure pST activity in jugular-catheterized pigs. Doses of 0, 30, 100, and 300 μg/kg per day of pST were split and administered subcutaneously (sc) in equal portions twice daily for 2 d. After a 17-hr fast, plasma samples were obtained at 10-min intervals for 30 min before an intravenous injection of insulin (0.08 IU/kg) and then for an additional 50 min. Because pST increased fasting plasma glucose concentrations, preinsulin glucose values were used as a covariate to adjust the postinsulin concentrations. pST caused a dose-dependent increase in resistance to the insulin injection in these pigs. The areas under the curves (AUC) for plasma glucose were 22.l, 29.0, 39.0, and 47.2 mg/dl per min for the 0, 30, 100, and 300 μg/kg pST doses, respectively. Because different doses of pST could be detected, the PS-7.6 enhancement of pST treatment was evaluated. In the first experiment, five pigs/group each received sc injections of either vehicle, pST (75 μg/kg; 3.0 mg/d), pST (75 μg/kg) + PS-7.6 at 3.75 mg/kg, or pST (75 μg/kg) + PS-7.6 at 15 mg/kg for 2 d before the insulin test. The pST and PS-7.6 were combined and incubated for at least 1 hr at room temperature before being injected. The injection of pST alone did not significantly change insulin tolerance activity (23.1 vs. 21.1, AUC, but insulin resistance was enhanced when this dose of pST also included PS-7.6 (27.4 and 29.5, AUC, respectively; P < 0.05). In a second experiment, the effects of PS-7.6 and PS-4.2, a mAb that did not potentiate the pST-stimulated growth of hypox rats, were compared. The five pigs/treatment received either vehicle, pST (75 μg/kg), pST (75 μg/kg) + PS-7.6 (3.75 mg/kg), or pST (75 μg/kg) + PS-4.2 (3.75 mg/kg) for 2 d. The administration of pST increased the resistance to insulin (26.7 vs. 18.8, AUC; P < 0.01), which was markedly potentiated by PS-7.6 (54.3, AUC, P < 0.001) but not affected by PS-4.2 (27.6 AUC. The injection of PS-7.6 at 7.5 mg/kg without exogenous pST did not alter the sensitivity to insulin. These results indicate that PS-7.6, but not PS-4.2, enhanced the insulin antagonistic activity of pST in swine, suggesting that an enhancement of pST-stimulated growth would also occur in PS-7.6-treated pigs.     

The significance of small vs large intestinal digestion of cereal grain and oilseed protein in the equine

Mature ponies fitted with permanent ileal cannulas were used in two 3×3 Latin square experiments to quantify prececal, postileal and total tract digestion of N. In trial 1, corn, oats and sorghum were each fed with coastal Bermuda grass hay in 75:25 ratios. Apparent prececal digestibilities were similar (P>.05) and averaged 46.6%. By-difference procedures were employed to calculate digestibility of the cereal grain N only and apparent prececal N digestibility averaged 57.1%. In trial 2, a basal corn and hay diet was supplemented with cottonseed meal and soybean meal. Apparent total tract N digestibilities were similar (P>.05) across treatments, and prececal digestibility averaged 45.6%. By-difference calculations were used to determine digestibility of SBM and CSM N alone. Apparent prececal digestibility of SBM was 52.5% and was lower (P<.05) than 81.2% for CSM. It is possible that inadequate or excessive heat treatment of SBM affected enzymatic digestion. True digestibility of total rations fed in trial 2 was estimated by linear regression of nitrogen digested on nitrogen intake or N presented to the large intestine. True N digestibility of diets containing SBM and CSM was 54.7% and 69.4%, respectively.     

Continuous Spectrophotometric Assay and Properties of Ascorbic Acid Oxidising Factors in Wheat

A continuous spectrophotometric assay was developed to measure ascorbic acid oxidation in crude Na₂SO₄ extracts of flour. The rate of ascorbic acid oxidation in flour extracts measured using this method was similar to the rate in flour-water suspensions and 2–4 fold less than the rate in dough measured using an indophenol-xylene extraction method. Flour extracts appeared to contain two ascorbic acid oxidising factors; one with optimal activity at pH 6·3 and 30 °C and the other with optimal activity at pH 10 and 40 °C. The pH 6·3 factor had properties similar to those of ascorbate oxidase (EC 1·10·3·3) in its pH and temperature stability, strong inhibition by NaN₃, KCN and diethyldithiocarbamate, inactivation by proteases, and greater stereospecificity towards -ascorbic acid than -isoascorbic acid. The pH 6·3 factor was most concentrated in the pollard milling fraction of wheat and was lowest in flour. The pH 10 factor had several properties indicating non-enzymic oxidation of ascorbic acid; it was not inactivated by proteases, it was inhibited poorly or not at all by the above ascorbate oxidase inhibitors, and it had low specificity for stereoisomers of ascorbic acid.     

两个氮素利用率不同的水稻品种根系形态及生理特性的差异

The variation in nitrogen (N) uptake by rice has been widely studied but differences in rice root morphology that may contribute to this variation are not completely understood. Field and greenhouse experiments were carried out to study N accumulation, root dry weights, total root lengths, root surface areas, and root bleeding rates of two rice cultivars, Elio with low N-use efficiency and Nanguang with high N-use efficiency. Low (1 mmol N L^-1) and high (5 mmol N L^-1) N applications were established in the greenhouse experiment, and the N rates were 0, 120, and 240 kg ha^-1 in the field experiments at Jiangning and Jiangpu farms, Nanjing, China. The results showed that the N accumulation, root dry weight, total root length, and root surface area increased with an increase in N application. At the heading stage, N accumulation in the shoots and roots of Nanguang was greater than that of Elio in the field experiments and that of Elio at 5 mmol N L^-1 in the greenhouse experiment. After the heading stage, N accumulation was higher for Nanguang at both 1 and 5 mmol N L^-1 in the greenhouse experiment. The total root length and root surface area were significantly different between the two cultivars. Over the range of the fertilizer application rates, the root lengths of Nanguang at Jiangning Farm were 49%-61% greater at booting and 26%-39% greater at heading than those of Elio, and at Jiangpu Farm they were 22%-42% and 26%-38% greater, respectively. Nanguang had a greater root bleeding rate than Elio. It was concluded that the N-use efficiency of the two rice cultivars studied depended to a great extent on the root morphological parameters and root physiological characteristics at different growth stages.     

Effect of feeding intensity and milking system on nutritionally relevant milk components in dairy farming systems in the North East of England

There is increasing concern that the intensification of dairy production reduces the concentrations of nutritionally desirable compounds in milk. This study therefore compared important quality parameters (protein and fatty acid profiles; α-tocopherol and carotenoid concentrations) in milk from four dairy systems with contrasting production intensities (in terms of feeding regimens and milking systems). The concentrations of several nutritionally desirable compounds (β-lactoglobulin, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-3/omega-6 ratio, conjugated linoleic acid c9t11, and/or carotenoids) decreased with increasing feeding intensity (organic outdoor ≥ conventional outdoor ≥ conventional indoors). Milking system intensification (use of robotic milking parlors) had a more limited effect on milk composition, but increased mastitis incidence. Multivariate analyses indicated that differences in milk quality were mainly linked to contrasting feeding regimens and that milking system and breed choice also contributed to differences in milk composition between production systems.     

Computed tomography of testicular torsion in a juvenile dog with unilateral cryptorchidism

A 14-week-old male unilaterally cryptorchid Clumber spaniel was presented for acute lethargy. Physical examination revealed abdominal pain, and a single testis was palpated in the scrotum. Abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) revealed a poorly vascularized, ovoid structure immediately caudal to the left kidney with scant regional peritoneal effusion. Left intra-abdominal testicular torsion was confirmed at surgery, and routine cryptorchidectomy was performed. The patient recovered uneventfully from anesthesia and surgery.Key clinical message:The most common CT characteristics of testicular torsion were present in this case and correlated well with sonographic findings to allow for rapid, accurate diagnosis and surgical planning of unilateral, non-neoplastic, intra-abdominal cryptorchid testicular torsion in a juvenile dog. Contrast enhanced CT facilitated accurate localization of the undescended testis and evaluation of testicular perfusion and may be a useful alternative to ultrasound for diagnosing testicular torsion, especially in indeterminate cases.     

Effects of Magnesium Compound with Fertilizer on Daylily （Hemerocallis citrina Baroni） Growth and Soil Nutrients

Effects of two kinds of magnesium compound with fertilizer on Daylily （Hemerocallis citrina Baroni） growth, yield, and soil nutrients in red soil were studied. The results indicated that significant effects of magnesium applied to soils were observed in increasing Daylily （Hemerocallis citrina Baroni） yield, improving its growth, and strengthening its antivirus property as well as increasing the amount of exchangeable Mg, N, P, and K in red soil. In particular, the effects of magnesium compound fertilizer Ⅱ （MCF2） with higher Mg content were better than that of the others, which increased Daylily （Hemerocallis citrina Baroni） yield by 57.4, 32.8, and 14.5% compared to that of control treatment （CK）, chemical fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium treatment （CF）, and magnesium compound fertilizer Ⅰ treatment （MCF1） with lower Mg content. It increased soil Alkali N, available P, exchangeable K, and exchangeable Mg by 94.9, 46.5, 31.1, and 35.3%, respectively, compared with that of CK treatment. Therefore, the application of magnesium compound with fertilizer is an optimum method for improving red soil quality.     

Frequent mutation of BAP1 in metastasizing uveal melanomas

Metastasis is a defining feature of malignant tumors and is the most common cause of cancer-related death, yet the genetics of metastasis are poorly understood. We used exome capture coupled with massively parallel sequencing to search for metastasis-related mutations in highly metastatic uveal melanomas of the eye. Inactivating somatic mutations were identified in the gene encoding BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) on chromosome 3p21.1 in 26 of 31 (84%) metastasizing tumors, including 15 mutations causing premature protein termination and 5 affecting its ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase domain. One tumor harbored a frameshift mutation that was germline in origin, thus representing a susceptibility allele. These findings implicate loss of BAP1 in uveal melanoma metastasis and suggest that the BAP1 pathway may be a valuable therapeutic target.     

Hyperspectral species mapping for automatic weed control in tomato under thermal environmental stress

This work studied the impacts of variations in environmental temperature on hyperspectral imaging features in the visible and near infrared regions for robust species identification for weed mapping in tomato production. Six major Californian processing tomato cultivars, black nightshade (Solanum nigrum L.) and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) were grown under a variety of diurnal temperature ranges simulating conditions common in the Californian springtime planting period and one additional treatment simulating greenhouse growing conditions. The principal change in canopy reflectance with varying temperature occurred in the 480-670 and 720-810 nm regions. The overall classification rate ranged from 62.5% to 91.6% when classifiers trained under single temperatures were applied to plants grown at different temperatures. Eliminating the 480-670 nm region from the classifier’s feature set mitigated the temperature effect by stabilizing the total crop vs. weed classification rate at 86.4% over the temperature ranges. A site-specific recalibration method was also successful in alleviating the bias created by calibrating the models on the extreme temperatures and increased the classification accuracy to 90.3%. A global calibration method, incorporating all four temperature conditions in the classifier feature space, provided the best average total classification accuracy of 92.2% out of the methods studied, and was fairly robust to the varying diurnal temperature conditions.     

Pliocene-Pleistocene Boundary in Deep-Sea Sediments: Extinctions and evolutionary changes in microfossils clearly define the abrupt onset of the Pleistocene

For a hundred years students of the Pleistocene have looked for evidence of the climatic change which initiated the Pleistocene epoch. Glacial deposits on the continents have been of little help because of their discontinuity and because of the destructive effect of later glaciations. Hence, Pleistocene geologists have turned to the uplifted Pliocene-Pleistocene marine sediments of the Mediterranean region. In the absence of evidence of a single, clearly defined climatic change in this sedimentary section, they have agreed to define the beginning of the Pleistocene by the first appearance of Anomalina baltica, a species of benthic Foraminifera tolerant of cool water. This definition leaves much to be desired: It rests on a single benthic species whose areal distribution must have been partly determined by local conditions on the sea floor; it is useless outside of the Mediterranean region; and there is no convincing evidence that the first appearance of Anomalina baltica in the Mediterranean coincided with the onset of the first glaciation.