Effect of feeding wood kraft pulp on the growth performance,feed digestibility,blood components,and rumen fermentation in Japanese Black fattening steers

This study aimed to examine the effects of feeding kraft pulp (KP) on the growth performance, feed digestibility, and rumen fermentation of Japanese Black fattening steers. Ten Japanese Black fattening steers (aged 26 months) were randomly divided into control and KP groups. The control group (n = 5) was fed concentrate feed without KP, and the KP group (n = 5) was fed concentrate feed containing 10% KP. Both the groups were provided rice straw as roughage. The experiment was conducted over a period of 12 weeks. There was no significant difference in dry matter intake, daily body weight gain, and nutrient digestibility between both groups. No difference was observed in the ruminal concentrations of volatile fatty acids among the groups. At weeks 8 and 12 after the onset of the experiment, the acetate‐to‐propionate ratio in the ruminal fluid of the KP group was significantly higher than that of the control group. The average daily pH of ruminal fluid and activity of ruminal lipopolysaccharide did not differ between the groups. Our results suggested that the growth performance and feed digestibility in the Japanese Black fattening steers were not influenced by replacing concentrate feed with KP.     

Advanced maternal age induces fetal growth restriction through decreased placental inflammatory cytokine expression and immune cell accumulation in mice

Advanced maternal age is a risk factor for female infertility, and placental dysfunction is considered one of the causes of pregnancy complications. We investigated the effects of advanced maternal aging on pregnancy outcomes and placental senescence. Female pregnant mice were separated into three groups: young (3 months old), middle (8–9 months old), and aged (11–13 months old). Although the body weights of young and middle dams gradually increased during pregnancy, the body weight of aged dams only increased slightly. The placental weight and resorption rate were significantly higher, and live fetal weights were reduced in a maternal age-dependent manner. Although mRNA expression of senescence regulatory factors (p16 and p21) increased in the spleen of aged dams, mRNA expression of p16 did not change and that of p21 was reduced in the placenta of aged dams. Using a cytokine array of proteins extracted from placental tissues, the expression of various types of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors was decreased in aged dams compared with young and middle dams. The aged maternal placenta showed reduced immune cell accumulation compared with the young placenta. Our present results suggest that models using pregnant mice older than 8 months are more suitable for verifying older human pregnancies. These findings suggest that general cellular senescence programs may not be included in the placenta and that placental functions, including SASP production and immune cell accumulation, gradually decrease in a maternal age-dependent manner, resulting in a higher rate of pregnancy complications.     

Daily incremental lines in sika deer (Cervus nippon) dentine

This work was designed to observe the dentine incremental lines of the sika deer (Cervus nippon) fawns and to investigate their periodicity using the chronological labeling method with fluorochromes. The incremental lines were observed in decalcified specimens stained by Bodian's silver technique, and the fluorescence-labeled lines were observed in undecalcified and ground specimens. In the silver stained specimens, there were two types of lines, deeply stained thick lines and faintly stained minute regular incremental lines. The intervals and staining intensities of the deeply stained thick lines were very similar to those of the fluorescence-labeled lines in the ground specimens obtained from the same tooth, and hence, it appeared that the both lines were identical. The number of minute incremental lines between the deeply stained thick lines was the same as that of days between the time when each fluorescent labeling injection was made. Therefore, it seemed that each minute incremental line was formed each day. The possibility of age estimation in days using diurnal dentine increments was discussed.     

Effects of a high-protein diet versus dietary supplementation with ammonium chloride on struvite crystal formation in urine of clinically normal cats

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a high-protein diet versus dietary supplementation with ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) on struvite crystal formation in the urine of clinically normal cats by measuring the urine concentration of hydrochloric acid (HCl)-insoluble sediment, urine pH, struvite activity product (SAP), number of struvite crystals in urine, and urine volume. ANIMALS: 23 healthy adult cats. PROCEDURE: Urine was fractionated by centrifugation with subsequent extraction of the sediment with 1 N HCl (study 1). Diets containing either 29% crude protein or 55% crude protein were fed to cats in a crossover trial of 3 weeks/period (study 2). Diets supplemented with either sodium chloride (NaCl) or NH4Cl were fed, by use of a 3 x 3 Latin-square design with 3 wk/period (study 3). In studies 2 and 3, urine samples were collected for the last 7 days of each period. RESULTS: The HCl-insoluble sediment contained Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (THP; study 1). The high-protein diet (study 2) and dietary supplementation with NH4Cl (study 3) resulted in a decrease in urine pH, SAP, and the number of struvite crystals in urine. However, the high-protein diet decreased urine concentrations of HCl-insoluble sediment containing THP (study 2), in contrast to the NH4Cl supplementation that increased urine volume without a significant effect on the urine concentration of the HCl-insoluble sediment (study 3). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our results indicate that compared with dietary supplementation with NH4Cl, the high-protein diet is preferable as a urine acidifier for the prevention of struvite crystal formation in clinically normal cats.     

Adenosine and ATP affect LPS-induced cytokine production in canine macrophage cell line DH82 cells

Macrophages are essential for controlling the majority of infections, and are mediators of natural immunity. During infection, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulates macrophages to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines. Adenosine and ATP released into the extracellular space by immunological stimuli have been shown to regulate various immune functions. More recently, it has been shown adenosine and ATP have a critical role on the physiological negative feedback mechanism for limitation and termination of tissue-specific and systemic inflammatory responses. It was useful and meaningful to gain information about interaction between LPS, which generates the inflammation, and adenosine and ATP, which terminate the inflammation. We evaluate effects of adenosine and ATP on the production of cytokines related to inflammation in canine macrophage cell line DH82 cells. Adenosine and ATP respectively increased the production of IL-10 without affecting the production of IL-6, TNF-α and IL-12 in DH82 cells. In addition, adenosine and ATP prevented the production of LPS-induced IL-6, TNF-α and IL-12 in DH82 cells. In contrast, adenosine and ATP potentiated LPS-induced IL-10 production in DH82 cells. Moreover, adenosine, but not ATP inhibited LPS-induced expression of TLR4 in DH82 cells. These results suggest that conditions related to increased adenosine and/or ATP may play an important role in the inflammatory reactions.     

Exon skipping of exonuclease 1 in MRL/MpJ mice is caused by a nucleotide substitution of the branchpoint sequence in intron eight

In MRL/MpJ mice, there is a genetic mutation of exonuclease 1 (Exo1), in which the exon 9 is sometimes deleted. In the present study, to check the generation of the spliced exons, exon 8-intron 8-exon 9 (pCX/Ex/EIE/B and pCX/Ex/EIE/M) plasmids were temporally transfected in vitro into BALB 3T3 cells, and RT-PCR using appropriate primer pair was carried out 1 day after transfection. In these constructions, pCX/Ex/EIE/B was derived from genomic sequence of C57BL/6 mice, and pCX/Ex/EIE/M was from MRL/MpJ. A spliced band was detected in pCX/Ex/EIE/B, but was present little or very weakly in pCX/Ex/EIE/M. Next, the same spliced band was demonstrated in the pCX/Ex/EIE/M(T) plasmid, in which the branchpoint sequence (BPS) of pCX/Ex/EIE/M including the exon 9 was changed into that of pCX/Ex/EIE/B. The splicing did not occur in the dell1/B mutant, in which 1960 nucleotides of the intron 8 were deleted, whereas it was detected in the del2/B plasmid deleted 1036 nucleotides in its middle region. These results suggest that the nucleotide T to A mutation of the BPS in the intron 8 is at least a sufficient for generation of splice variants (tr-1 and tr-2 Exo1).     

甜菜碱日粮对热应激条件下肉鸭生长性能、血液指标及盲肠脂肪酸含量的影响

文章旨在评估甜菜碱对热应激条件下肉鸭血液指标、电解质、气体分压和盲肠短链脂肪酸含量的影响。试验选择平均体重为48.6g当天孵化的肉鸭400只,随机分为4组,每组5个重复,每个重复20只。试验日粮处理分为对照组和3个处理组,对照组饲喂基础日粮(自由采食),处理1组为热应激条件下添加1500mg/kg甜菜碱,处理2组为热应激条件下5点~10点以及17点~20点饲喂含1500mg/kg甜菜碱日粮,处理3组为热应激条件下17点~10点饲喂含1500mg/kg甜菜碱日粮,试验共进行42d。结果显示:饲喂甜菜碱日粮的肉鸭较对照组体重显著提高(P<0.05)。对照组肉鸭血液红细胞总数、红细胞压积、血红蛋白、红细胞平均体积、红细胞分布宽度、血小板计数、血小板压积、血小板平均体积均低于甜菜碱组(P<0.05)。不同饲喂时间的甜菜碱组肉鸭电解质浓度均高于对照组(P<0.05)。对照组肉鸭血液二氧化碳分压、氧气分压、细胞外液碱浓度、碳酸氢盐和总二氧化碳浓度均低于甜菜碱组(P<0.05)。与对照组相比,甜菜碱组肉鸭盲肠中总短链脂肪酸、乙酸、丙酸的浓度较高(P<0.05),而丁酸、异丁酸、戊酸和异戊酸含量较低(P<0.05)。因此,与自由采食相比,在上午和下午限制饲喂甜菜碱日粮或17~10点饲喂甜菜碱日粮显著提高了热应激条件下肉鸭的生长性能和生物学参数。     

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva-like condition in a cat

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP)-like condition was diagnosed in a Japanese domestic cat with stiffness, marked atrophy of the muscles, and limited mobility of all joints in both the pelvic limbs. Etretinate, a retinoid, was used for medical management; however, no improvement in the clinical signs was observed. Inheritance of the disorder has not yet been demonstrated. Furthermore, the clinical signs and histopathological findings of feline FOP-like condition in the present case differed from those of the previously reported cases.