Pyrolysis and combustion toxicity of wood treated with CCA

Summary The study was carried out in order to determine the effects of CCA on the pyrolysis and the combustion toxicity of wood. The results from CCA treated wood are summarized as follows: 1. CCA accelerated the beginning of pyrolysis of wood, increased the activation energies for the weight loss by pyrolysis, and increased the char yields in both air and helium. 2. Almost all the original amounts of cromium and copper were retained in the ash while some of the arsenic evolved into the gas phase, which increased with increasing temperature and air supply. 3. The combustion toxicity of wood samples was affected more by the sample density and CO concentration than CCA. It is concluded that for minimizing gaseous toxicants from arsenic, CCA treated wood must be burned at low temperatures with a reduced air supply.     

The high prevalence of hepatitis E virus infection in wild boars in Ibaraki Prefecture,Japan

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is known as a causative agent of zoonosis and food poisoning. Pigs and some species of wild animals, including wild boar, are known to be a reservoir of HEV. In this study, we investigated the situation regarding HEV infection in wild boars in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Serum, liver and feces samples from 68 animals were collected, and the presence or absence of HEV genomic RNA and HEV antibodies were analyzed. The viral genome was detected in samples from 7 (10.3%) animals, with all HEVs classified as genotype 3, subtype 3b. HEV antibodies were detected in samples from 28 (41%) animals. This report demonstrates for the first time the high prevalence of HEV infection in wild boars in Ibaraki Prefecture.     

Radial variations of wood properties in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Casuarina equisetifolia</Emphasis> growing in Bangladesh

Radial variations of wood properties (basic density, fiber length, vessel element length, and compression strength) in plantation-grown Casuarina equisetifolia in Bangladesh were investigated for effective utilization of the wood. Samples disks at breast height were randomly collected from trees in a 10-year-old plantation in Cox’s Bazar Forest Division, Bangladesh. The basic density showed a near-constant value up to 30 mm from the pith and then rapidly increased up to 60 mm from the pith. The fiber length and vessel element length gradually increased from the pith to bark. When radial variation of wood properties was determined according to relative distance from the pith, similar radial patterns were observed among the sample trees, indicating that the wood properties in C. equisetifolia may be related to the growth rate. The compression strength parallel to the grain (CS) increased from the pith to bark. A significant positive correlation was found between the air-dried density and the CS. The results obtained indicated that wood around the pith has a relatively low density, and wood outside the pith area has a relatively high density, suggesting that it could be used as structural lumber. Part of this report was presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of Japan Wood Research Society, Tsukuba, March 2008     

Properties of extracts from defatted rice bran by its subcritical water treatment

Defatted rice bran was extracted with water and subcritical water at 50-250 degrees C for 5 min. The highest extract yield was achieved at 200 degrees C, at which the maximum amounts of protein and carbohydrate were also obtained. The total phenolic and furfural contents, radical scavenging activity, and antioxidative activity for the autoxidation of linoleic acid increased with increasing treatment temperature. The bran extracts exhibited emulsifying activity except for the extract prepared at 250 degrees C, which was concomitant with the disappearance of its high-molecular-mass substances. The extract prepared at 200 degrees C also had the highest emulsion-stabilizing activity.     

Difructose anhydride III promotes absorption of the soluble flavonoid alphaG-rutin in rats

A highly soluble quercetin glycoside, alphaG-rutin, is a glucose adduct of insoluble rutin. We examined the effects of difructose anhydride III (DFAIII; di-D-fructofuranosyl 1,2':2,3'-dianhydride) on intestinal absorption of alphaG-rutin by rat experiments. alphaG-rutin, rutin, quercetin, and the quercetin conjugate appeared in the portal blood after an intubation of alphaG-rutin (100 micromol), DFAIII effected higher portal concentrations of alphaG-rutin in portal cannulated rats. In ligated jejunal and ileal loops of rats, alphaG-rutin, rutin, quercetin, and the quercetin conjugate appeared in the intestinal mesenteric blood at both 30 and 60 min in both loops; the concentration of alphaG-rutin was 1.5-3 times higher when absorbed in the presence DFAIII. In the isolated mucosae of the jejunum and ileum, mucosal-to-serosal passage of alphaG-rutin increased with the addition of 100 micromol of DFAIII. These results indicate that alphaG-rutin is absorbed as the intact form and that DFAIII stimulates its absorption in the small intestine.     

Imatinib mesylate treatment in a dog with gastrointestinal stromal tumors with a c-kit mutation

A 13-year-old spayed mixed-breed dog was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) after histopathological examination of an abdominal mass. Five months after surgical resection of the tumor, we detected the recurrence of GIST with multiple disseminated abdominal lesions. A sequence analysis of cDNA obtained from a biopsy of the recurrent tumors revealed a mutation within exon 9 of the c-kit gene (1523A>T, Asn⁵⁰⁸Ile), which has been shown to cause ligand-independent phosphorylation of the KIT protein in GISTs and canine mast cell tumors (MCTs). Upon detection of the recurrent tumors, we initiated treatment with imatinib mesylate (10 mg/kg, q 24 hr). After 2 months, the dog achieved complete remission. Our findings indicate that canine GIST, and possibly MCT, may be responsive to molecular-targeted therapy.     

Extracellular cyclophilin A possesses chemotaxic activity in cattle

Cyclophilin A (CyPA) was originally discovered in bovine thymocytes as a cytosolic binding protein of the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine A. Recent studies have revealed that in mice and humans, CyPA is secreted from cells in injured or infected tissues and plays a role in recruiting inflammatory cells in those tissues. Here we found that in cattle abundant level of extracellular CyPA was observed in tissues with inflammation. To aid in investigating the role of extracellular CyPA in cattle, we generated recombinant bovine CyPA (rbCyPA) and tested its biological activity as an inflammatory mediator. When bovine peripheral blood cells were treated with rbCyPA in vitro, we observed that rbCyPA reacts with the membranous surface of granulocytes, monocytes and lymphocytes. Chemotaxis analysis showed that the granulocytes migrate toward rbCyPA and the migration is inhibited by pre-treatment with an anti-bovine CyPA antibody. These results indicate that, as for mice and humans, extracellular CyPA possesses chemotactic activity to recruit inflammatory cells (e.g., granulocytes) in cattle, and could thus be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammation.     

Genetic analysis of twinning rate and milk yield using a threshold‐linear model in Japanese Holsteins

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters and breeding values for the twinning rate of the first three parities (T1, T2 and T3) and 305‐day milk yield in first lactation (MY), using a four‐trait threshold‐linear animal model in Japanese Holsteins. Data contained 1 323 946 cows calving between 1990 and 2007. Twinning was treated as a binary character: ‘single’ or ‘twin or more’. Reported T1, T2 and T3 were 0.70%, 2.87%, and 3.73%, respectively. Individual 305‐day milk yield was computed using a multiple trait prediction for cows with at least eight test‐day records. (Co)variance components were estimated via Gibbs sampling for randomly sampled subsets. Posterior means of heritabilities for T1, T2 and T3 were 0.11, 0.16 and 0.14, respectively. Genetic correlations between parities were 0.92 or greater. Genetic correlations of MY with twinning rate were not ‘significant’ (i.e. their 95% highest probability density intervals contained zeros). Multiple births at different parities were considered as the same genetic trait. The average evaluations of T1 (T2) for sires born before 1991 was 0.48% (2.25%) compared with a mean of 0.76% (3.37%) for sires born after 1992. A recent increase in the reported twinning rate reflects the positive genetic trend for sires in Japanese Holsteins.