Usefulness of combined electrophysiological examinations for detection of neural dysfunction in cats with lumbar hematomyelia

We conducted combined electrophysiological examinations including F-wave, motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), spinal cord-evoked potential (SCEP), and needle electromyography (EMG) in two cats involved in traffic accidents that consequently developed hind limb paralysis caused by lumbar hematomyelia. F-wave could no longer be elicited within 3 days after the accident, and the MNCV and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude decreased in a time-dependent manner, with CMAP no longer being evoked after 7 or 8 days. EMG showed abnormalities such as fibrillation and positive sharp waves after 6 to 8 days. These results suggest that such combined electrophysiological examinations may provide objective, quantitative data for motor nerve dysfunction in cats with lumbar hematomyelia.     

Effect of α-casein on DNA adsorption by Andosols and by soil components

Andosols and the soil components (allophanes, humic acids, and goethite) had been autoclaved to destroy the nuclease activity of soil microflora. DNA adsorption by allophanes and Andosols was decreased by increasing the amount of α-casein added to the allophanes and to soils up to casein concentration of 5 mg ml^?1. DNA adsorption by humic acids was significantly increased by increasing the amount of α-casein up to 1.0 mg ml^?1, whereas the addition of 20 mg α-casein ml^?1 completely blocked DNA adsorption. These results can explain why the addition of excess skim milk is operationally needed for effective DNA extraction from Andosols. The amount of DNA adsorbed by Andosols treated with dephosphorylated α-casein was significantly higher than that of not treated Andosols (p?相似文献   

Renal Tubular Cyst Formation in Newborn Rats Treated with p-Cumylphenol

In this study, we investigated the sequential changes in the development of renal tubular cysts in newborn rats treated with p-cumylphenol (PCP). Fifteen animals per sex were treated orally with 300 mg/kg/day of PCP for up to 18 days from postnatal day (PND) 4 and were sacrificed on PNDs 8, 12, 19 and 22 and after a 7 day recovery period. On PNDs 8 and 12, slight dilatation of the collecting ducts was frequently observed in the medulla and slight papillary necrosis was also noted in some cases. These dilated collecting ducts were lined with slightly hyperplastic epithelial cells. On PNDs 19 and 22, multiple large cystic changes arising from the collecting ducts in the outer medulla were seen. These cystically dilated ducts were also lined with hyperplastic epithelial cells. During the dosing period, the labeling index of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in the collecting duct epithelium was higher in the PCP-treated group than in the control group at all time points. After a 7 day recovery period, the cystic change still remained, although the cell density was decreased and the epithelial cells became flattened. On the other hand, basophilic tubules with peritubular lymphoid cell infiltration were multifocally observed in the cortex. In conclusion, PCP induced multiple renal cysts that developed in the collecting ducts of the outer medulla in neonatal rats, and it is suggested that epithelial cell proliferation may play some roles in the induction of cystic lesions.     

Quantitation of volatiles and nonvolatile acids in an extract from coffee beverages: correlation with antioxidant activity

The antioxidant activities of a commercial brewed coffee were investigated by measuring malonaldehyde (MA) formation from oxidized cod liver oil using a gas chromatographic method (MA-GC assay) and a thiobarbituric acid method (TBA assay). The highest antioxidant activity obtained by the MA-GC assay was from regular whole brewed coffee (97.8%) at a level of 20%, and the highest antioxidant activity obtained by the TBA assay was from decaffeinated whole brewed coffee (96.6%) at a level of 5%. Among 31 chemicals identified in a dichloromethane extract, guaiacol, ethylguaiacol, and vinylguaiacol exhibited antioxidant activities, which were comparable to that of alpha-tocopherol. Among nine chlorogenic acids (three caffeoylquinic acids, three feruloylquinic acids, and three dicaffeoylquinic acids) identified, 5-caffeoylquinic acid contained the greatest amount both in regular (883.5 microg/mL) and in decaffeinated (1032.6 microg/mL) coffees; it exhibited 24.5% activity by the MA-GC assay and 45.3% activity by the TBA assay at a level of 10 microg/mL. Caffeic and ferulic acids showed moderate antioxidant activities in both assays.     

Heavy metal accumulations in a semi-enclosed hypereutrophic system: Lake Teganuma,Japan

Heavy metal concentrations and other physical and chemical properties were studied so as to assess the heavy metal accumulation process in the sediments of a hypereutrophic lake, Lake Teganuma, Japan. The accumulations were most evident near the inflow inlets of two main inflow rivers in Kaminuma (the west part of Lake Teganuma) with the significant Zn accumulation. Except for Fe, the vertical distributions of heavy metals showed the highest concentrations in the surface 10 cm and decreased gradually with the sediment depth. The high concentrations in the upper layer was caused by an increase in the non-residual fractions. The large influx of heavy metal to Lake Teganuma seems to be due to the domestic effluents via the two rivers in last decades.     

Background Data for General Toxicology Parameters in RccHan:WIST Rats at 8, 10, 19 and 32 Weeks of Age

Recently, RccHan(TM):WIST (Wistar Hannover) rats were introduced to toxicity studies in Japan. The present study was performed to obtain control data for general toxicological parameters as an aid for interpretation of results in toxicity studies using this strain of rats. Four test groups comprising of 25 male and 25 female RccHan(TM):WIST rats were housed for 2, 4, 13 or 26 weeks from 6 weeks of age and observed and examined for clinical observation, body weight, food consumption, urinalysis, hematology, blood chemistry, organ weight, necropsy and/or histopathology. Ophthalmological examination was not conducted in this study, and the data in this report were obtained from an ongoing 104-week background study in RccHan(TM):WIST rats. These data were compared with the historical control data of CD(SD) (Sprague-Dawley) and/or F344 (Fischer) rats. The body weights of RccHan(TM):WIST rats were lower than those of CD(SD) rats and higher than those of F344 rats. The ophthalmological examination revealed a greater incidence of focal corneal opacity. Histopathology revealed focal mineralization of the cornea and Berlin blue-positive pigmentation in the epididymal interstitium as well as hepatocytes. Other than the above, some minor differences were found in urinalysis, hematology, blood chemistry and organ weights as compared with CD(SD) rats.     

Natural occurrence of neoplastic lesions in young sprague-dawley rats

It is important for the assessment of toxicological effects of chemicals to know what kinds of neoplasms naturally occur in the early life of experimental animals. In the present study, we demonstrated spontaneous neoplasms in Sprague-Dawley rats used in 4-, 13- and 26-week toxicity studies conducted at Bozo Research Center in the last decade. The tumors, which were first observed in 19-week-old animals, included anterior adenoma of the pituitary, follicular cell adenocarcinoma and C cell adenoma of the thyroids, nephroblastoma of the kidneys, basal cell tumor of the skin and malignant lymphoma. Thereafter, hemangiosarcoma of the tongue, adenocarcinoma of the submandibular glands, histiocytic sarcoma of the spleen, oligodendroglioma of the brain and adenocarcinoma and fibroadenoma of the mammary glands were detected in 32-week-old animals. The incidences of mammary adenocarcinoma and pituitary anterior adenoma were higher than those of other tumors. The present results showed that the same tumors as reported in aged rats could also develop in younger rats.     

Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) analysis of intergeneric hybrids in Colchicaceae

Some intergeneric hybrids produced by the crosses among several colchicaceous ornamentals, Gloriosa superba ??Lutea?? (2n = 2x = 22), G. ??Marron Gold?? (2n = 4x = 44), G. ??Verschild?? (2n = 7x = 77), Littonia modesta Hook. (2n = 2x = 22), and Sandersonia aurantiaca Hook. (2n = 2x = 24), were subjected to genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) analysis in order to clarify their genome constitutions. Chromosome preparation was made from root tip cells of L. modesta × G. superba ??Lutea??, L. modesta × S. aurantiaca, S. aurantiaca × G. superba ??Lutea??, L. modesta × G. ??Marron Gold??, S. aurantiaca × G. ??Marron Gold?? and G. ??Verschild?? × S. aurantiaca. Total DNA of one parent was labeled with digoxigenin or biotin and used as probe, and chromosomes were counterstained with 4??-6-diamidono-2-phenylindole (DAPI). For all the nine intergeneric hybrids, chromosomes from each parent could be clearly distinguished by GISH analysis. Thus GISH analysis is a powerful tool for identifying the genome constitution of intergeneric hybrids in colchicaceous ornamentals. The results obtained by GISH analysis study may be important for further progress in breeding of colchicaceous ornamentals.     

A survey of Blastocystis sp. in livestock,pets, and zoo animals in Japan

The prevalence of Blastocystis sp. was examined in fecal samples collected from cattle, pigs, dogs, and a variety of zoo animals (primates, carnivores, herbivores, pheasants, and ducks) by direct observation of fresh fecal suspensions or cultured materials, using light microscopy. The cattle and pigs were randomly sampled from 11 and 12 commercial farms, respectively, located in the western region of Japan. The dog material used in this study was obtained from pets housed in an animal shelter in the city of Osaka. Zoo animals were chosen based on housing conditions that minimized the possibility of intra-zoo transmission of the organism. The prevalence rate among the groups varied greatly. A high prevalence of infection was observed in the farm animal group, ranging from 95% (58/61) in pigs to 71% (39/55) in cattle, whereas the dog fecal samples were completely free of the organism. Prevalence of the organism in the zoo animal were 85% (29/34) in primates, 80% (8/10) in pheasants, 56% (9/16) in ducks, and 0% (0/58) in various carnivores and herbivores. Among the zoo animals infected with Blastocystis, eight species of primates, eight species of pheasants, and four species of ducks were confirmed as new hosts. Since Blastocystis organisms isolated from various animals were morphologically indistinguishable from Blastocystis hominis by light microscopy, further genomic studies are required for analysis of the zoonotic potential or etiological significance of these isolates.     

A seasonal behavior of surface soil moisture condition in a reclaimed tropical peatland

Soil moisture condition is essential to regulate the release of soil carbon from a drained peatland since aerobic microbial activities can be encouraged through oxygen supply associated with dewatering the soil layer while they may be discouraged under too dry conditions. Aiming to characterize the soil moisture condition in a reclaimed tropical peatland, we monitored the volumetric water content at 5?cm depth (θ _5?cm), groundwater level (GWL) and rainfall for 20 months from March 2010 to November 2011 in an oil palm field in Nakhon-Si-Thammarat, Thailand. We also measured the soil water retention curve and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (k) for a series of matric potential (h) to simulate the moisture condition monitored in the field by using the Buckingham-Darcy's flux law. During the dry season in 2010, the θ _5?cm consistently stayed lower than 0.35?m³?m^–3 with the GWL lower than a depth of 30?cm. In the transition from the dry season to the rainy season in 2010, the GWL rose to the land surface with peaks and dips across the time for about one month with the θ _5?cm increasing toward saturation. During the rainy season where the GWL stayed near or above the land surface, the θ _5?cm remained the field-saturated value of 0.58?m³?m^–3 on average, less than the laboratory-saturated value of 0.63?m³?m^–3, suggesting the development of a significant amount of entrapped air-phase. Hysteretic behavior in the measured θ _5?cm–GWL relation also supported that the top soil layer refuses to absorb water in wetting processes. The simulated θ _5?cm based on the measured k(h) and soil water retention curves demonstrated that the ease with which the top soil dries during a dry season was due mainly to the low k(h) value in the dried condition, while the slope of the θ(h) curve was so moderate that the soil layer could retain moisture for maintaining liquid water supply to the surface from the dropped GWL. Sensitivity analyses while varying the magnitude of both k(h) and evaporation rate (E) suggested that the k(h) function was more deterministic than the value of E in making the land surface easily dried. As the GWL stayed lower than 30?cm in depth for a total of 187 days out of the year monitored, while surface-ponding conditions took place for 120 days of the year, it was concluded that either the extremely dried condition or the saturated-moisture condition had dominantly occurred in the study site through a year and, thus, there may only be a limited time when soil organic matter near the land surface is in favorable moisture conditions for aerobic decomposition.