Assessment of feline abdominal adipose tissue using computed tomography

Obesity is a common nutritional disorder in cats and it increases the risk factors for various diseases. The aim of this study is to suggest a method for the evaluation of feline obesity using computed tomography. The attenuation range from -156 to -106 was determined as the range of feline abdominal adipose tissue. With this range, total (TAT), visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) adipose tissues were measured. The best correlation between the adipose tissue in cross-sectional image and entire abdomen volume was obtained at the L3 and L5 levels. The mean VAT/SAT ratio was 1.18±0.32, which was much higher than in humans. The cats with an overweight body condition had a significantly lower VAT/SAT ratio than cats with an ideal body condition. This technique may contribute to both the clinical diagnosis and the experimental study of feline obesity.     

Dyeing properties of novel azo disperse dyes derived from phthalimide and color fastness on poly(lactic acid) fiber

The coloration of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) fiber with 18 carbocyclic monoazo disperse dyes bearing a hydrolyzable phthalimide ring fused to the aromatic ring of their diazo components has been investigated. The phthalimidyl nitrogen atom was substituted with either a n-butyl, sec-butyl, or isopropyl group, while the adjoining phenyl ring bore a substitution pattern typical of commercial colorants. There was a broad correlation between percentage dye exhaustion onto PLA and that onto polyester (PET) fiber, although significant differences in certain instances were apparent with no clear trends regarding dye structure. Attempts to explain the observed percentage exhaustion values by mapping them to calculated partition coefficient or solubility parameter values were unsuccessful. Wash fastness was relatively good compared to that of some conventional disperse dyes applied to PLA. As was found to be the case with PET, the wash fastness of dyes on PLA tended to be highest when their diazo ring was substituted with electron acceptors.     

Morphometric Studies on the Testis of Korean Ring-necked Pheasant (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phasianus colchicus karpowi</Emphasis>) during the Breeding and Non-breeding Seasons

The purpose of this study was to obtain detailed quantitative information on all cell types in the testis interstitium of Korean ring-necked pheasants and to combine these data with changes in the steroidogenic function of the testis during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. For animals collected during the breeding season, their testis weights, sperm production, serum testosterone levels and leuteinizing hormone (LH)-stimulated testosterone secretion were significantly (p < 0.01) increased compared to the non-breeding season. Testes of the pheasants during the non-breeding season displayed a 98% reduction in testis volume that was associated with a decrease in the absolute volume of seminiferous tubules (98% reduction), tubular lumen (100%), interstitium (90%), blood vessels (84%), lymphatic spaces (97%), Leydig cells (79%), mesenchymal cells (51%) and myoid cells (61%) compared to the breeding season. The numbers of Leydig cells, mesenchymal cells and myoid cells per testis in the breeding season were much higher than in the non-breeding season. Although the mean volume of a Leydig cell was 74% lower in the non-breeding season, the mean volumes of myoid and mesenchymal cells remained unchanged. These results demonstrate that there are striking differences in the testicular structure of the Korean ring-necked pheasant during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Every structural parameter of the Leydig cell was positively correlated with both testosterone serum levels and LH-stimulated testosterone secretion. The correlation of changes in hormonal status with the morphometric alterations of Leydig cells suggests that the Korean-ring necked pheasant may be used as a model to study structure-function relationships in the avian testis.     

Direct imaging of reconstructed atoms on TiO2 (110) surfaces

Determining the atomic structures of oxide surfaces is critical for understanding their physical and chemical properties but also challenging because the breaking of atomic bonds in the formation of the surface termination can involve complex reconstructions. We used advanced transmission electron microscopy to directly observe the atomic structure of reduced titania (TiO2) (110) surfaces from directions parallel to the surface. In our direct atomic-resolution images, reconstructed titanium atoms at the top surface layer are clearly imaged and are found to occupy the interstitial sites of the TiO2 structure. Combining observations from two orthogonal directions, the three-dimensional positioning of the Ti interstitials is identified at atomic dimensions and allows a resolution of two previous models that differ in their oxygen stoichiometries.     

Postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome of pigs in Korea: prevalence, microscopic lesions and coexisting microorganisms

A retrospective study was performed on natural cases of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), recorded from January 1999 to December 2000, to determine the prevalence, microscopic lesions, and other coexisting pathogens associated with PMWS. PMWS is diagnosed based on three criteria: the presence of clinical signs (retardation of growth), characteristic microscopic lesions (granulomatous inflammation and inclusion body), and the presence of porcine circovirus (PCV)-2 within these lesions. One hundred and thirty three (8.1%) of the 1634 pigs submitted from 1243 pig farms were diagnosed for PMWS. The affected pigs were from 25 to 120 days old, the majority (78 cases, 58.6%) being 60 to 80 days old. PMWS occurred each month during the two-year study period, but the incidence peaked in May (38 cases, 28.6%), followed by April (18 cases, 13.5%) and June (13 cases, 9.8%). The most consistent and characteristic lesions were multifocal, granulomatous inflammation in lymph nodes, liver and spleen, characterized by infiltration of epithelioid macrophages and multinucleated giant cells. The majority of cases (113 cases, 85.0%) was dual infection with other pathogens. The combination of PCV-2 and Hemophilus parasuis (43 cases, 32.3%) was shown to be the most prevalent followed by PCV-2 and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (39 cases, 29.3%). The consistent presence of PCV-2, but lower prevalence of other viral and bacterial pathogens in all pigs examined with PMWS, has led to the speculation that PCV-2 is the etiological agent causing PMWS.     

Current status of genetic transformation technology developed in cucumber(Cucumis sativus L.)

Genetic transformation is an important technique for functional genomics study and genetic improvement of plants. Until now, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation methods using cotyledon as explants has been the major approach for cucumber, and its frequency has been up to 23%. For example, significantly enhancement of the transformation efficiency of this plant species was achieved from the cotyledon explants of the cultivar Poinsett 76 infected by Agrobacterium strains EHA105 with efficient positive selection system in lots of experiments. This review is to summarize some key factors influencing cucumber regeneration and genetic transformation, including target genes, selection systems and the ways of transgene introduction, and then to put forward some strategies for the increasing of cucumber transformation efficiency. In the future, it is high possible for cucumber to be potential bioreactor to produce vaccine and biomaterials for human beings.     

Bovine herpes virus expressing envelope protein (E2) of bovine viral diarrhea virus as a vaccine candidate.

The gene encoding the envelope protein (E2) of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) was expressed under the thymidine kinase (TK) promoter of Korean bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) isolate. Thymidine kinase negative (TK-) BHV-1 recombinants expressing E2 of BVDV were constructed and the expression of E2 was identified by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Compared to wild type BHV-1, the recombinant BHV-1 had a delayed cytopathogenic effect in cells. The immunogenicity of the recombinant BHV-1 was examined in guinea pigs and cattle. Although an increase in body temperature was detected for a few days, the inoculated cattle returned to normal temperature with the development of neutralizing antibodies to BVDV.     

Effect of combined indole acetic acid and mepiquat chloride on endogenous gibberellins and tuber growth in Chinese yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb.)

The combined effect of indole-3-acetic acid and mepiquat chloride on the endogenous gibberellins of aerial and underground tubers as well as tuber yield was studied on Chinese yam plant. Two plant hormones were combined in the following concentrations: IAA 50, 100, 200, and 300 ppm, plus MC 600 ppm. Combined plant hormones were foliar-sprayed once in early July. Exogenously applied IAA combining mepiquat chloride increased fresh weight of the aerial and underground tubers affecting the increase of endogenous gibberellins. The results suggest that IAA is likely to be one of the active plant hormones responsible for aerial tuber growth and enlargement, stimulating the promotion of endogenous gibberellin when combined with mepiquat chloride.     

No synergistic effects by the dietary supplementation of ascorbic acid, α-tocopheryl acetate and selenium on the growth performance and challenge test of Edwardsiella tarda in fingerling Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus L.

To investigate the potential synergistic effects of dietary ascorbic acid (AA), α‐tocopheryl acetate (TA) and selenium (Se) supplementation above minimum requirement levels on the growth performance and disease challenge of fingerling Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus L., five experimental diets were formulated: control (150 mg AA, 100 mg TA and 0.2 mg Se per kg diet), excessive ascorbic acid (eAA) (2000 mg AA, 100 mg TA and 0.2 mg Se per kg diet), excessive α‐tocopheryl acetate (eTA) (150 mg AA, 240 mg TA and 0.2 mg Se per kg diet), excessive selenium (eSe) (150 mg AA, 100 mg TA and 0.5 mg Se per kg diet) and excessive all (eALL) (2000 mg AA, 240 mg TA and 0.5 mg Se per kg diet). Experimental fish averaging 2.9 were randomly distributed in each aquarium as a group of 40 fish with total weight 116±2.9 g (mean±SD). Each diet was fed on a dry‐matter basis to fish in three randomly selected aquaria at a rate of 4–8% of total body weight daily. After 10 weeks of the feeding trial, fish fed eAA, eTA and eALL diets had significantly higher weight gain, feed efficiency ratio, protein efficiency ratio and specific growth rate than fish fed eSe and control diets (P<0.05). There was no significant difference among fish fed five experimental diets in cumulative mortalities when fish were challenged with Edwardsiella tarda at the end of the experimental period. These results indicate that sufficient supplementation of dietary AA or TA had positive effects on growth performance, but there was no synergistic effect of excessive dietary AA, TA and Se supplementation on growth performance and disease resistance to E. tarda in fingerling Nile tilapia.