Effects of fosinopril,captopril and valsartan on the expressionof tissue factor in human monocytes

AIM: To investigate the effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), fosinopril, captopril and angiotensin II AT₁ antagonists, valsartan on tissue factor (TF) expression on monocytes induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). METHODS: Mononuclear leukocytes from normal delivered female umbilical veins were incubated with bacterial LPS in presence or absence of different ACE inhibitors .At the end of incubation, the cells were disrupted by 3 freeze-thaw cycles. TF procoagulant activity was assessed by a one-stage clotting assay. RT-PCR was used to check TF mRNA expression, and GAPDH mRNA was used for parallel assay. RESULTS and CONCLUSION: The results showed that increased expression of TF mRNA induced by LPS was inhibited by fosinopril, captopril and valsartan, respectively, and the procoagualant activity of monocytes was also reduced.     

Cloning and characterization of a bovine genomic fragment homologous to epidermal growth factor genes

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a potent mitogen for a variety of cell types. The 53-amino acid mature EGF protein is encoded by sequences in exons 20 and 21 of a gene spanning over 110 kb. In this study, we report the cloning and characterization of 7.5 kb of bovine genomic sequence homologous to exon 19 through 21 from EGF genes from other mammalian species. The cloned gene fragment had an unusual sequence composition in the form of an in-frame TGA codon in the coding sequence. The sequence was expressed at low levels in kidney tissue and the corresponding cDNA contained the TGA codon. The level of similarity between the bovine exonic sequence and the human, porcine, murine, feline, and canine corresponding sequences varied from 64% to 73%; however, when only sequences encoding the mature EGF protein were compared, the level of similarity between the bovine sequence and the sequence from these species was 59% to 66%. The sequence similarity of the deduced mature protein was lower (34% to 39%) than the sequence similarity of the deduced propeptide. Although the cloned sequences could originate from a bovine EGF pseudogene, the possibility exists that they originate from the functional EGF gene. An as yet unidentified mechanism to by-pass the stop codon would allow the synthesis of a functional EGF protein. Alternatively, the cloned sequence could originate from an EGF-like gene.     

Determination of plasma lysosomal enzyme activity and its relationship to severity of injury following blunt vehicular trauma in dogs

Objective: To determine plasma β‐d ‐glucuronidase (βG) activity in the first 4 hours following injury in dogs struck by a motor vehicle, and to evaluate whether the degree of enzyme activity is correlated with the severity of injury. Design: A prospective clinical study. Setting: Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Animals: Thirteen client‐owned dogs that were presented to the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania between June and August 1999 for blunt vehicular trauma. Ten healthy student and staff‐owned dogs served as controls. Interventions: None. Measurements: Plasma was analyzed for βG enzyme activity at the time of presentation (n=13), and 1 and 4 hours (n=7) following presentation to the Emergency Service for blunt vehicular trauma. The results were compared with enzyme activity from healthy controls evaluated serially over 4 hours. Fluorometric analysis using 96‐well microtiter plates was used to perform the enzyme assays. The relationships between presentation (n=13) and 4 hours (n=7) of enzyme activity and 3 indices of metabolic and physical disturbance (serum pH, serum lactate and Animal Trauma Triage (ATT) score) at the time of presentation were also investigated. Main results: Of the 13 dogs, 7 fulfilled the inclusion criteria for comparison of enzyme activity of the trauma over time. A statistically significant difference in βG activity was found in the trauma group (mean 75.6±10.4 U) at 4 hours following presentation compared with controls (mean 48.0±6.4 U). This difference was suggested by 1 hour following presentation (trauma group, mean 70.4±10.9 U; control group, mean 49.8±5.5 U), although it did not reach statistical significance. Thirteen dogs fulfilled the inclusion criteria for comparison of only presentation enzyme activity with trauma severity score, serum lactate, and serum pH. No statistically significant relationship was found between the βd ‐glucuronidase activity and the presenting ATT score, serum lactate concentration, or serum pH at either presentation or 4 hours, although the power of these analyses was low. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the activity of βG, a lysosomal enzyme, increases significantly in the systemic circulation in dogs 4 hours following blunt trauma. Additional research to include more severely injured dogs, a larger number of dogs, and to follow the course of injury for a longer period of time would be beneficial to further characterize βG activity following blunt trauma.     

Association of hyponatremia and hyperglycemia with outcome in dogs with congestive heart failure

Objective: To evaluate plasma sodium and glucose concentrations in dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF) prior to treatment and evaluate the differences between survivors and non‐survivors. Design: Retrospective study. Animals: Fifty‐nine dogs with CHF prior to receiving cardiac medication. Interventions: None. Measurements and main results: The mean plasma sodium concentration in dogs with CHF was below the reference range (144–156 mmol/L) and significantly lower (P=0.009) in non‐survivors (141±6 mmol/L) compared with survivors (147±4 mmol/L). The mean plasma glucose concentration was above the reference range (76–117 mg/dL) and significantly higher (P=0.004) in non‐survivors (128±52 mg/dL) compared with survivors (100±13 mg/dL). Forty‐four percent of non‐survivors had concurrent low plasma sodium and high plasma glucose concentrations, whereas no survivors had both abnormalities (P<0.0001). Conclusions: Lower plasma sodium and higher plasma glucose are associated with a worse outcome in dogs with CHF.     

A computer program for calculation of doses and prices of injectable medications based on body weight or body surface area

A computer program (CalcAnesth) was developed with Visual Basic for the purpose of calculating the doses and prices of injectable medications on the basis of body weight or body surface area. The drug names, concentrations, and prices are loaded from a drug database. This database is a simple text file, that the user can easily create or modify. The animal names and body weights can be loaded from a similar database. After typing the dose and the units into the user interface, the results will be automatically displayed. The program is able to open and save anesthetic protocols, and export or print the results. This CalcAnesth program can be useful in clinical veterinary anesthesiology and research. The rationale for dosing on the basis of body surface area is also discussed in this article.     

微卫星DNA在动物亲子鉴定中的应用及研究进展

本文概述了微卫星DNA进行亲子鉴定的基本原理与方法,将其用于亲子鉴定的优点以及研究进展,最后对未来的应用进行了展望。     

微白黄链霉菌对红豆草壳二孢的拮抗效果评价

红豆草壳二孢叶斑黑茎病(Ascochyta onobrychidis)是红豆草(Onobrychis viciaefolia)最重要的病害之一,在分离此病菌的同时得到一种对此病菌具有较强抑制作用的微生物,为评价此拮抗菌的开发利用前景,本研究采用形态学、分子生物学和生物化学方法鉴定了其分类地位,并测定了其对红豆草壳二孢的抑菌效果。通过构建系统发育树并结合其形态特征和生理生化特性,将该拮抗菌鉴定为微白黄链霉菌(Streptomyces albidoflavu),在高氏一号培养基上菌落为黄白色,可产生黄白色水溶性色素,孢子丝钩状,顶端螺旋形;在平板对峙试验中该菌的菌落对红豆草壳二孢菌落的相对抑制率达74.33%,同时该菌发酵液对红豆草壳二孢菌丝生长和孢子萌发的抑制率分别为80.95%和93.87%。该菌具有生物防治红豆草壳二孢的开发和利用价值。     

美国动物卫生保护制度框架浅析

基于对美国《动物卫生保护法》的研究,本文概述了其立法宗旨,动物疫病预防、突发疫情应急处置、国内流行病控制消灭等制度框架,以及生产经营者主体责任、调运监管制度、动物卫生实验室体系、兽医认证计划、监督执法制度、经费预算方式等保障措施,以期为完善我国立法体系提供借鉴。     

6种人兽共患病病原核酸液相芯片检测体系的建立

本研究通过设计、合成特异性引物和探针并对其进行修饰,将探针和特定荧光编码微球共价交联后,利用Luminex检测仪读取荧光信号,从而建立了针对布鲁氏菌、沙门氏菌、弓形虫,狂犬病病毒、巴氏通体、弯曲杆菌等6种病原的液相芯片检测方法。数据显示,本研究建立的液相芯片检测体系具有良好的特异性,检测灵敏度达50拷贝数,能同时检测6种重要人兽共患病病原,对于这6种人兽共患病的快速筛查和控制提供了技术支撑。     

欧盟国家非洲猪瘟流行情况及对我国防控工作的启示

非洲猪瘟(ASF)1957年首次扩散到欧洲,2014年再次从高加索地区传入,并迅速在波罗的海周边国家蔓延,至2018年4月已扩散至欧盟8个成员国,且逐渐呈现地方性流行态势。本文重点介绍了欧洲国家的ASF扩散史,综述了病毒在欧盟国家扩散的主要途径,梳理了欧盟的ASF防控法规和措施,并对我国ASF防控提出了建议,以期为ASF防控提供帮助。