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.     

Temperature dependences of the dynamic viscoelastic properties of wood and acetylated wood swollen by water or organic liquids

In this study, to summarize the changes of thermal-softening behaviors of wood and acetylated wood due to differences in the kinds of swelling liquids, the following measurements were conducted. Untreated and acetylated wood samples were swollen by various liquids and the temperature dependences of the dynamic viscoelastic properties were measured after the heating and cooling histories were unified among the samples. The results obtained are as follows. Untreated samples swollen by high-polarity liquid had lower peak temperature of tanδ, however acetylated samples had higher peak temperature of tanδ than those of untreated wood. On the other hand, untreated wood samples swollen by low-polarity liquid had higher peak temperature of tanδ, however acetylated samples had lower peak temperature of tanδ than those of untreated wood. The amount of swelling is determined by interaction between wood and liquid due to proton-accepting power and molar volumes of liquid and so on, therefore the peak temperature of tanδ and degree of reduction in dynamic elastic modulus (E´) with increasing temperature were corresponded to the amount of swelling.     

Effects of density and anatomical feature on mechanical properties of various wood species in lateral tension

This study is focused on what factor mainly affects the mechanical properties of each wood species in the lateral direction. At first, the influence of the density which is closely related to mechanical properties in the longitudinal direction was also researched in the lateral direction. Thus, the elastic modulus, strength, and failure strain in the lateral tension were measured using thin cross-sectional samples of softwoods and hardwoods, having wide varieties in the density and anatomical features. The results obtained are as follows. The linear relationship between the density and the elastic modulus which has been verified in the longitudinal direction was not observed in the lateral tension for the samples with the annual ring inclination of 90°, which samples were influenced by ray arranged parallel to the tensile direction. However, samples with the annual ring inclination of 45° showed the high correlation between the density and the elastic modulus due to the shearing deformation of the cell shape. On the other hand, the proportional relationship between the elastic modulus and strength which has been verified in the longitudinal direction was not observed in the lateral tension except for the samples with the annual ring inclination of 90°. From the results obtained, it was revealed that the mechanical properties of wood in the lateral direction were significantly affected not only by the density but also by the structural features such as deformation of cell shapes, arrangement of ray or vessels, and the degree of the transition from the earlywood to the latewood.     

Pilot evaluation of the efficacy of shampoo treatment with ultrapure soft water for canine pruritus

Ultrapure soft water (UPSW) is water in which calcium and magnesium ions have been replaced with sodium ions using a cation‐exchange resin. We recently demonstrated that washing with soap and UPSW reduced the clinical severity of dermatitis and improved the skin barrier function in NC/NgaTnd mice, a murine model for human atopic dermatitis. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of shampoo treatment with UPSW for dogs with pruritus. Eleven dogs with pruritus were randomly assigned to two groups depending on whether they received weekly shampoo treatment with UPSW or tap water for 4 weeks. After a washout period, the treatment protocol was switched such that each dog received both treatments. The pre‐treatment and post‐treatment values of the following were compared: pruritus scores assessed by the owners; dermatitis scores recorded by an investigator; and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Shampoo treatment with UPSW significantly decreased pruritus and dermatitis scores in the dogs, whereas shampoo treatment with tap water did not. In addition, shampoo treatment with UPSW, but not with tap water, significantly reduced TEWL in the dogs. Adverse events due to the treatment were not observed in the dogs. Furthermore, we found that topical application of UPSW for barrier‐disrupted skin caused by tape stripping in healthy dogs decreased TEWL more rapidly than topical application of tap water. Our findings suggest that shampoo treatment with UPSW promotes skin barrier recovery and thus could be considered as a possible therapeutic option in the management of pruritus and dermatitis in dogs.     

Seasonality of factors controlling N mineralization rates among slope positions and aspects in cool-temperate deciduous natural forests and larch plantations

This study aimed to evaluate the spatial patterns of soil nitrogen (N) transformations in relation to slope aspect and position, and to investigate the main factors controlling N transformation patterns during both the growing and dormant seasons in cool-temperate deciduous natural forests and larch plantations in eastern Hokkaido, northern Japan. Net rates of N mineralization (NR_minN) and of nitrification (NR_nit) in surface soils on north-facing and lower slopes were higher than those on south-facing and upper slopes, whereas the net rate of ammonium-N production (NR_amm) on south-facing and upper slopes was higher than that on north-facing slopes in both the natural forests and larch plantations. Both NR_minN and NR_nit were higher in the growing than in the dormant season, whereas NR_amm was higher in the dormant season. The soil C/N ratio, water content, soil pH and frequency of freeze–thaw cycles were important variables affecting N transformation patterns in any season. In relation to seasonality, the solar radiation index, daily temperature range and earthworm biomass were important controlling factors only during the growing season, and watershed area and soil N concentration only during the dormant season, suggesting that biological control accompanied with wet–dry events were important factors affecting N transformations during the growing season, but that run-off water and chemical controls were important determinants of spatial variation in N transformations during the dormant season.     

酵母培养物对泌乳期水牛生长性能、泌乳性能、养分消化及血液代谢指标的影响

文章旨在探讨饲料添加酵母培养物对泌乳早期至中期初产和经产水牛泌乳性能、养分消化及血液代谢指标的影响。试验选择平均体重为(520.4±10.5)kg的水牛24头,随机分为2组,每组12头,每个重复1头。对照组饲喂全混合日粮,处理组在对照组日粮基础上添加12 g/kg酵母培养物,试验从分娩后15~180 d开始,记录采食量、体重和产奶量,并收集乳样本和血液样本进行分析。收集泌乳期早期45~47 d、泌乳期中期90~92 d的粪便,测定干物质、有机物、粗蛋白质、粗纤维表观消化率,计算能量校正乳、饲料转化率、能量和氮利用效率。结果显示,酵母培养物组水牛较对照组提高了干物质和粗蛋白质的采食量(P <0.05)。与对照组相比,处理组泌乳中期干物质和有机物表观消化率显著提高(P <0.05)。初产组水牛日粮添加酵母培养物较对照组显著提高了泌乳中期水牛粗纤维表观消化率(P <0.05)。添加酵母培养物后,总血脂水平显著降低(P <0.05),此外,酵母培养物处理组显著提高了初产水牛的产奶量、能量校正乳、脂肪和蛋白质产量(P <0.05)。结论:酵母培养物对水牛的影响与胎次有关,酵母培养物可以提高经产水牛干物质摄入量和粗纤维消化率,但对体重无显著影响,从而使能量校正乳产量更高,脂肪动员更少。日粮添加酵母培养物可以增加水牛泌乳早期的产奶量,并一直延续到泌乳中期,最终提高饲料转化率、能量和氮的利用效率。     

Systemic treatment of sterile panniculitis with tacrolimus and prednisolone in dogs

This report deals with three additional canine cases of sterile panniculitis treated by oral administration of tacrolimus and prednisolone. The oral tacrolimus treatment was proved to be an affordable medical protocol for canine sterile panniculitis with good efficacy and without adverse effects.     

Development of DNA markers that discriminate between white- and blue-flowers in Japanese gentian plants

We developed molecular markers for discrimination of white and blue flower color in Japanese gentian plants. White-flowered gentians can be classified into two types, based on genetic and physiological features. One type includes four allelic variations (gtmyb3-1, gtmyb3-2, gtmyb3-3, and gtmyb3-4) of an anthocyanin biosynthetic regulator gene (GtMYB3), distinguished by three PCR-based molecular markers. The other type contains a newly identified inactive allele (ans1) of the anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) gene with a premature stop codon generated from a 4-bp deletion in the second exon. The ans1 allele was distinguished from the active ANS allele by a cleaved amplified polymorphism sequence (CAPS) marker. The genotypes of 12 white-flowered gentian cultivars/lines could be identified and classified as either ans1 or gtmyb3 using these four molecular markers. No white-flowered gentians contained ans1 and gtmyb3 alleles simultaneously. The mutated ANS gene co-segregated with white flower color in an F₂ population, demonstrating that the CAPS marker is useful to discriminate between white and blue flowers in gentian. Markers to discriminate flower color in Japanese gentian will be useful for early selection of progeny and for breeding management.