Comparison of excretory urographic contrast effects of dimeric and monomeric non-ionic iodinated contrast media in dogs

In excretory urography, the osmolarity of contrast media has rarely been treated as important in veterinary medicine. In this study, the contrast effect of two contrast media (monomeric iohexol and dimeric iodixanol) in the renal cortex and aorta were compared using computed tomography (CT). Five beagle dogs were used and the study employed a cross-over method for each contrast media. The results showed that there was no difference between the media in the aorta, but iodixanol showed higher CT value and a longer contrast effect than iohexol in the renal cortex, in spite of having the same iodine dosage. It is believed that iodixanol, with its low osmolarity, is diluted less by osmotic diuresis than monomeric iohexol. It is important to consider the osmolarity of the contrast media when evaluating the contrast effect, and it is essential to use the same contrast media for each examination, or the renal excretory speed will be under/overestimated.     

Induction of chemoresistance in a cultured canine cell line by retroviral transduction of the canine multidrug resistance 1 gene

OBJECTIVE: To induce chemoresistance in a normal canine cell line through the transduction of the canine multidrug resistance 1 gene (mdr1). SAMPLE POPULATION: Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cell line. PROCEDURES: The full-length canine mdr1 cDNA clone isolated in our laboratory was inserted into a Moloney murine leukemia virus-based vector to construct the retroviral vector, pLNC-cMDR1. After retroviral transduction of pLNC-cMDR1 into MDCK cells, the expression and function of the P-glycoprotein, a product of mdr1, were assessed by immunoblotting, measurement of rhodamine123 (Rh123) retention, and drug sensitivity assays. RESULTS: P-glycoprotein was strongly expressed in cells transduced with pLNC-cMDR1. This P-glycoprotein was fully functional, as demonstrated by the decreased Rh123 retention and the increased resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Measured as 50% inhibitory concentrations, resistance increased 59 times to vincristine and 25 times to doxorubicin in MDCK cells after transduction of pLNC-cMDR1. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Transduction of canine mdr1 is an effective method for inducing chemoresistance in normal canine cells. This system may be applicable to the induction of drug resistance in hematopoietic cells.     

The g.841G>C SNP of FASN gene is associated with fatty acid composition in beef cattle

The objective of the current study is to evaluate the association between fatty acid composition and fatty acid synthase gene polymorphisms as responsible mutations. For this purpose, we selected seven previously reported single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FASN gene, including one within promoter region (g.841G>C) and six non‐synonymous SNPs (g.8805C>T, g.13126C>T, g.15532A>C, g.16024A>G, g.16039C>T, g.17924A>G), and genotyped them in Japanese Black cattle. Genotyping results revealed that g.8805 C>T and g.17924 A>G were monomorphic loci. Genome‐wide association analysis including the other five SNPs revealed that only g.841G>C showed significant associations with the percentages of C14:0, C14:1, C16:1 and C18:1 at 5% genome‐wide significance level. In order to further evaluate the effect, we genotyped g.841G>C using additional three populations, including two Japanese Black populations and a Holstein cattle population. g.16024A>G was also genotyped and included in the analysis because it has been reported to be associated with fatty acid composition in Japanese Black cattle. In the result of analysis of variance, g.841G>C showed stronger effects on fatty acid percentage than those of g.16024A>G in all populations. These results suggested that g.841G>C would be a responsible mutation for fatty acid composition and contribute to production of high‐grade beef as a selection marker in beef cattle.     

Finding of a highly efficient ZFN pair for Aqpep gene functioning in murine zygotes

The generation efficiencies of mutation-induced mice when using engineered zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) have been generally 10 to 20% of obtained pups in previous studies. The discovery of high-affinity DNA-binding modules can contribute to the generation of various kinds of novel artificial chromatin-targeting tools, such as zinc-finger acetyltransferases, zinc-finger histone kinases and so on, as well as improvement of reported zinc-finger recombinases and zinc-finger methyltransferases. Here, we report a novel ZFN pair that has a highly efficient mutation-induction ability in murine zygotes. The ZFN pair induced mutations in all obtained mice in the target locus, exon 17 of aminopeptidase Q gene, and almost all of the pups had biallelic mutations. This high efficiency was also shown in the plasmid DNA transfected in a cultured human cell line. The induced mutations were inherited normally in the next generation. The zinc-finger modules of this ZFN pair are expected to contribute to the development of novel ZF-attached chromatin-targeting tools.     

Proposal of new return flow analysis by replacement-in-order method for paddy irrigation water

Return flow and repeated use of irrigation water for paddies is the most important issue in the Asian monsoon region, because sometimes this water is applied in greater quantity than that of evapotranspiration plus percolation. A new return flow analysis, the “replacement-in-order method”, which introduces a unique numbering system for very complicated irrigation and drainage networks, is proposed for the main canal with the dual purposes of irrigation and drainage. The method is applied to the Shichika irrigation district in the ordinal (season) irrigation period, resulting in a return flow ratio of 45 % for the entire area. Of this amount, 25 % is available for irrigation again. The remaining 20 % is unavailable, because the return flow discharged directly into a canal lacking a diversion weir in the drainage system, or into the Japan Sea. The return flow ratio is very different at the main canal location, from no return flow to 88 %. With the aid of the above method, theoretical analysis of return flow for paddy irrigation water can be done. This includes the deterministic return flow ratio inside and outside the irrigation area, plus precise information of return flow ratios at various main canal locations and routes of irrigation and drainage water.     

Bacterial community structures in rhizosphere microsites of ryegrass (Lolium perenne var. Nui) as revealed by pyrosequencing

Management of soils to facilitate plant beneficial microbial interactions requires basic knowledge of the species composition and microbial community structures in the plant rhizosphere. Here, we examined composition of bacterial communities associated with rhizosphere microsites located at the root tips and mature root zones of Lolium perenne when grown in Chilean ash-derived volcanic soils (Andisols: Freire and Piedras Negras soil series). Community structures were analyzed by pyrosequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes followed by in silico analysis for phylogenetic assignments (MOTHUR and Visualization tool for Taxonomic Compositions of Microbial Community (VITCOMIC)). Analysis of the community structure revealed significant differences in community structures in relation to the soil series, which differed particularly in the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria and Firmicutes. However, no significant differences were observed with respect to root microsite location in the same Andisol series. Predominant taxa included members of the Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria. Analysis by VITCOMIC showed that dominant bacterial groups comprised only 5 to 10 % of the total bacterial community and the remaining majority of bacteria included low-abundant taxa (Fusobacteria, Thermotogae, Lentisphaerae, Tenericutes, Deferribacteres Spirochaetes, Planctomycetes, Thermotogae, and Deinococcus-Thermus), most of which have not been previously reported or associated with the plant rhizosphere according to GenBank database. The results indicate that most of bacteria in the Chilean Andisols have not been described to the rhizosphere plants and their functional traits are still largely unknown.     

Fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides from brown seaweeds inhibit proliferation of melanoma cells and induce apoptosis by activation of caspase-3 in vitro

Fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs) extracted from seaweeds, especially brown macro-algae, are known to possess essential bioactive properties, notably growth inhibitory effects on tumor cells. In this work, we conducted a series of in vitro studies to examine the influence of FCSPs products from Sargassumhenslowianum C. Agardh (FSAR) and Fucus vesiculosus (FVES), respectively, on proliferation of melanoma B16 cells and to investigate the underlying apoptosis promoting mechanisms. Cell viability analysis showed that both FCSPs products, i.e., FSAR and FVES, decreased the proliferation of the melanoma cells in a dose-response fashion, with FSAR being more potent at lower dosages, and FVES being relatively more anti-proliferative than FSAR at higher dosages. Flow cytometric analysis by Annexin V staining of the melanoma cells exposed to the FCSPs products confirmed that both FSAR and FVES induced apoptosis. The FCSPs-induced apoptosis was evidenced by loss of plasma membrane asymmetry and translocation of the cell membrane phospholipids and was accompanied by the activation of caspase-3. The FCSPs bioactivity is proposed to be attributable to distinct structural features of the FCSPs, particularly the presence of sulfated galactofucans (notably in S.henslowianum) and sulfated fucans (notably in F. vesiculosus). This study thus indicates that unfractionated FCSPs may exert bioactive effects on skin cancer cells via induction of apoptosis through cascades of reactions that involve activation of caspase-3.     

Diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis in Xinjiang province of China by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using recombinant antigens

The prevalence of equine piroplasmosis in Xinjiang province, China, was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). A total of 70 serum samples were taken from horses pastured on three farms in western Xinjiang, and examined for diagnosis of equine Babesia equi (B. equi) infection and B. caballi infection by ELISAs using recombinant equi merozoite antigen 1 (EMA-1) and recombinant P48 antigen, respectively. Of the 70 samples, 28 (40.0%) and 17 (24.3%) samples were positive for B. equi infection and B. caballi infection, respectively. In addition, 11 (15.7%) samples were positive for both B. equi and B. caballi infections. These results indicate that equine piroplasmosis is widespread and therefore a cause for serious concern in western Xinjiang. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing a survey on equine piroplasmosis in Xinjiang province, China.     

Functions of indigenous animals in paddy fields: an in situ experiment on their effects on water quality,phytoplankton, weeds,soil structure,and rice growth

Paddy and Water Environment - Paddy fields are used for growing semiaquatic rice and are also important habitats for a diversity of aquatic animals, which may be beneficial for rice production....     

Irrigation practice and water usage characteristics in sand dune upland fields in the Hokuriku Region, with much rainfall in Japan: case studies on watermelon and Japanese radish

We investigated the use of irrigation water for a successive planting of watermelon followed by Japanese radish in a sand dune area in the Hokuriku Region. The main results were as follows: (1) Upland field tested in the study used a large volume of irrigation water in spite of its location in the Hokuriku Region where rainfall was plentiful. Notwithstanding this, frequent irrigation was considered necessary. (2) Watermelon was cultivated as a Spring–Summer crop with a mean cultivation period of 102 days, during which it was irrigated for 59 days at 1.7-day average intervals with an irrigation volume of 7.1 mm/watering and a total irrigation volume of 428 mm over its entire growing season. The amount of rainfall during the period was 604 mm during 42 days of rainfall. Soil moisture levels in the upland field were kept at relatively high values ranging between pF1.3 and pF1.5 at 15-cm depth with frequent irrigation during no-rainfall period. (3) Japanese radish was cultivated as a Summer–Autumn crop with a mean cultivation period of 71 days during which it was irrigated for 39 days at 1.9-day average intervals with an irrigation volume of 9.4 mm/watering and a total irrigation volume of 358 mm over its entire growing season. The amount of rainfall during the period was 376 mm during 29 days of rainfall. Frequent irrigations were used to maintain the soil moisture levels in the upland field within the range of pF1.4–pF1.6 at 15 cm depth. (4) During the irrigation period, the amount of water used for irrigation was 5.9 mm/day in watermelon and 6.1 mm/day in Japanese radish which are greater than evapotranspiration (ET). In addition, during pre-irrigation, the preparation of the seeding bed can be carried out at the right time which contributes to producing high-quality Japanese radish in adequate quantity. In addition, pre-irrigation for preparation of bed for watermelon transplanting is very important for better time management and high-quality production. For this purpose, the irrigation facilities need to be functioning very well.