Effect of in vitro xenoestrogens on steroidogenesis in mature female fish, Chasmichthys dolichognathus

In this study, fully vitellogenic oocytes of the longchin goby (Chasmichthys dolichognathus) were exposed to in vitro xenoestrogens such as diethylstilbestrol (DES), bisphenol A (BPA) and nonylphenol (NP) at concentrations of 100 ng/ml in the presence of [³H]17α-hydroxyprogesterone as precursor. The major metabolites produced in vitro are progestogens [17α-hydroxy,20α-dihydroprogesterone (17α20αOHP) and 17α-hydroxy,20β-dihydroprogesterone (17α20βOHP)], androgens [androstenedione (A4) and testosterone (T)] and estrogens [estrone (E1) and estradiol-17β (E2)]. Comparative activities of these chemicals in oocyte steroid biosynthesis showed as follows: NP treatment resulted in clear stimulation of estrogen production, while the opposite occurred in DES treated incubation. Treatment with DES resulted in a higher synthesis of 17α20αOHP. BPA treatment increased the androgen, while estrogen synthesis was slightly inhibited. These results suggest that NP exhibited clearly estrogenic activity on the three chemicals.     

丝兰属植物提取物降低鸡舍氨气浓度的研究

通过在21日龄的肉用仔鸡饲料中添加丝兰属植物提取物(其有效成分为丝兰皂角苷),研究丝兰属植物提取物对降低鸡舍中氨气浓度和提高肉仔鸡生产性能的效果。28d试验表明,试验组鸡舍内氨气平均浓度为4.75mg/L,对照组鸡舍内氨气平均浓度为13.80mg/L,试验组比对照组鸡舍内氨气平均浓度降低了9.05mg/L,经t检验,两鸡舍内氨气平均浓度差异显著(P<0.05),并且试验组比对照组饲料报酬提高了8.92%。     

植物乳杆菌的益生特性及其在乳制品中的应用

植物乳杆菌（Lactobacillusplanrarum）能通过胃并定植于肠道,发挥调节肠道菌群、免疫调节、降低血清胆固醇、降血压和抗氧化等益生作用。此外,由于植物乳杆菌的益生特性,国内学者申请了诸多关于植物乳杆菌菌株专利。同时,近年来有关植物乳杆菌分子多样性的研究也充分开展。另外,植物乳杆菌还被广泛应用于乳制品生产,包括功能性酸乳、发酵豆乳、干酪、功能性乳酸菌饮料等乳制品中。     

生物菌菇饲料对幼兔生产性能及血常规指标的影响

为研究生物菌菇饲料对幼兔生产性能的影响,选择健康、日龄相近的新西兰断奶幼兔144只,随机分为4个处理,对照组、试验1、试验2、试验3组日粮中分别含0%、8%、11%和14%的生物菌菇饲料替代麦麸,试验期30天。结果表明本试验条件下,生物菌菇饲料在断奶幼兔日粮中的用量过大对其血常规指标和存活率有一定的影响,建议添加量以不超过8%为宜。     

对山东某猪场一起仔猪腹泻的流行病学调查

本文针对发生腹泻疫情的某猪场开展了实验室检测和流行病学调查,实验室检测表明该疫情的病原为猪流行性腹泻病毒。流行病学调查显示,此次腹泻疫情于2013年11月份开始暴发,2014年3月份结束,发病猪的种类具有明显的次序,育肥猪首先发生,其次是母猪,新生仔猪最后发病;发病率和死亡率与猪的种类、日龄密切相关,育肥猪和母猪发病后仅出现腹泻症状而不死亡,仔猪发病后腹泻症状明显而且死亡率随着年龄的增长急剧下降,3日龄以下仔猪死亡率可达100%,1周龄仔猪死亡率降至72.73%,12日龄仔猪死亡率仅有10%。对猪场风险因素分析表明,饲料车辆直接进入猪场、卖猪车辆与饲养人员接触、粪便通道没有封闭、饲养人员流动等是影响此次腹泻疫情的高风险因素,通过降低高风险因素很好地控制了疫病。     

Comparison of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase and melatonin receptor type 1B immunoreactivity between young adult and aged canine spinal cord

Melatonin affects diverse physiological functions through its receptor and plays an important role in the central nervous system. In the present study, we compared immunoreactivity patterns of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT), an enzyme essential for melatonin synthesis, and melatonin receptor type 1B (MT2) in the spinal cord of young adult (2~3 years) and aged (10~12 years) beagle dogs using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. AANAT-specific immunoreactivity was observed in the nuclei of spinal neurons, and was significantly increased in aged dog spinal neurons compared to young adult spinal neurons. MT2-specific immunoreactivity was found in the cytoplasm of spinal neurons, and was predominantly increased in the margin of the neuron cytoplasm in aged spinal cord compared to that in the young adult dogs. These increased levels of AANAT and MT2 immunoreactivity in aged spinal cord might be a feature of normal aging and associated with a feedback mechanism that compensates for decreased production of melatonin during aging.     

Development of a multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay to detect shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in cattle

A multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification (mLAMP) assay was developed for simultaneous detection of the stx1 and stx2 genes and applied for detection of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in cattle farm samples. Two target genes were distinguished based on T_m values of 85.03 ± 0.54℃ for stx1 and 87.47 ± 0.35℃ for stx2. The mLAMP assay was specific (100% inclusivity and exclusivity), sensitive (with a detection limit as low as 10 fg/µL), and quantifiable (R² = 0.9313). The efficacy and sensitivity were measured to evaluate applicability of the mLAMP assay to cattle farm samples. A total of 12 (12/253; 4.7%) and 17 (17/253; 6.7%) STEC O157, and 11 (11/236; 4.7%) non-O157 STEC strains were isolated from cattle farm samples by conventional selective culture, immunomagnetic separation, and PCR-based culture methods, respectively. The coinciding multiplex PCR and mLAMP results for the types of shiga toxin revealed the value of the mLAMP assay in terms of accuracy and rapidity for characterizing shiga toxin genes. Furthermore, the high detection rate of specific genes from enrichment broth samples indicates the potential utility of this assay as a screening method for detecting STEC in cattle farm samples.