Protective effects of bio-active ceramic water on alcohol-induced hepatic injury in pigs

Among many detrimental injuries, alcohol is implicated in hepatitis, fatty liver, hepatic fibrosis, and cirrhosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of bio-active ceramic water on alcohol-induced hepatic injury in pigs. Twelve male Landrace pigs were divided into 3 groups. Groups 1, 2, and 3 were fed with bio-active ceramic water + normal liquid diet, bio-active ceramic water + liquid diet containing 15% ethanol, and tap water + liquid diet containing 15% ethanol for 12 weeks, respectively. For serological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical analysis, all pigs were sacrificed at week 12. In group 3, serum ALT and AST levels increased, and mild fatty change and moderate necrosis were detected in the liver. Collagen fibers, myofibroblasts, and CYP2E1 were also increased or activated in group 3. In group 2, there were mild hepatic injuries compared to group 3. However, injuries and activations were not observed in the liver in group 1. We suggest that the bio-active ceramic water used in the present study had protective capability against ethanol-induced hepatic injury and that having no toxic effect on the pig liver. The bio-active ceramic water might be useful as a therapeutic drinking water in patients suffering from alcoholic liver diseases.     

Evaluation of regional climate scenario data for impact assessment of climate change on rice productivity in Korea

Spatial evaluation of the uncertainty associated with climate data would allow reliable interpretation of simulation results for regional crop yield using gridded climate data as input to a crop growth model. The objective of this study was to examine the spatial uncertainty of regional climate model data through determining optimal seeding date with the ORYZA2000 model for assessment of climate change impact on rice productivity in Korea. The optimal seeding date was determined at each grid point using regional climate model outputs under the RCP 8.5 scenarios. In major rice production areas such as inland plain regions, where temperatures of regional climate data were relatively accurate, the optimal seeding date determined using those gridded data were reasonable. However, areas with complex terrains including areas near bodies of water, e.g. coastal areas, riverbasins, lakes, and mountainous areas, had a relatively large uncertainty of the optimal seeding date determined using the regional climate data. These results indicated that the uncertainty of regional climate data at a high spatial resolution of 12.5 km should be taken into account in the regional impact assessment based on crop growth simulations in Korea. In addition, further studies would be merited to assess the impact of climate change on rice yield at an ultra-high spatial resolution of 1 km in Korea. Crop yields were projected to decrease after the 2020s when crop yield simulations from inland plain areas were considered, which suggested that adaptation strategies should be established and implemented in the near future.     

Protein digestibility of porcine colostrum by neonatal pigs

Colostrum plays an important role in neonatal growth and development. However, little is known about the digestion of macronutrients in colostrum of any species. This study was conducted with the neonatal piglet model to determine the digestibility of proteins in porcine colostrum. Twelve, 1-d-old, male piglets were selected from 3 litters (4 pigs/litter) and housed individually in metabolism crates with heating lamps to maintain a temperature of 35 °C. Colostrum (13 L) was collected from 400 sows (30 to 40 mL/sow) within 12 h postpartum after injection of oxytocin. All piglets were fed colostrum containing 0.25% (DM basis) chromium oxide as an external marker based on the following feeding program: 6 meals/d for an entire 3-d period; with 40 mL/meal for d 1 (240 mL/d), 55 mL/meal for d 2 (330 mL/d), and 70 mL/meal for d 3 (420 mL/d). Colostrum was hand-fed using baby milk bottles. Entire fecal samples with the chromium green color were collected each day after colostrum feeding. Fecal collection was terminated before the fading of the green color. Fecal samples were weighed (10.3 ± 1.0 g/pig), stored in − 20 °C, freeze-dried, and thoroughly ground for chemical analysis. Blood samples were collected at 0900 h of d 3 to obtain plasma samples for amino acid and immunoglobulin (Ig) G analysis. Digestibilities of crude protein and DM in colostrum, defined as the percentage of ingested colostral crude proteins and DM that disappeared in the gut, averaged 96.9 ± 0.4% and 98.3 ± 0.2%, respectively. Digestibility of total amino acids (protein-bound plus free amino acids) in the colostrum was 98.3 ± 0.1%, with the values being 98.5 ± 0.3, 98.2 ± 0.4, and 98.3 ± 0.3%, respectively, for Lys, Thr, and Arg. Plasma and colostral IgG content were 3.4 ± 0.3 and 3.8 ± 0.7 g/L, respectively. In conclusion, protein-bound and free amino acids in porcine colostrum were highly digestible and available to neonatal pigs.     

Age-related changes in metabolic properties of equine skeletal muscle associated with muscle plasticity

The purpose of the present study was to determine the age-related changes in myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition and muscle oxidative and glycolytic capacity in 18 horses ranging in age from two to 30 years. Muscle samples were collected by excisional biopsy of the semimebranosus muscle. MHC expression and the key enzymatic activities were measured. There was no significant correlation between horse age and the proportions of type-IIA and type-IIX MHC isoforms. The percentage of type-I MHC isoforms decreased with advancing age. Muscle citrate synthase activity decreased, whereas lactate dehydrogenase activity increased with increasing age. Muscle 3-OH acyl CoA dehydrogenase activity did not change with ageing. The results suggest that, similar to humans, the oxidative capacity of equine skeletal muscle decreases with age. The age-related changes in muscle metabolic properties appear to be consistent with an age-related transition in MHC isoforms of equine skeletal muscle that shifts toward more glycolytic isoforms with age.     

Noncanonical TGFβ signaling contributes to aortic aneurysm progression in Marfan syndrome mice

Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling drives aneurysm progression in multiple disorders, including Marfan syndrome (MFS), and therapies that inhibit this signaling cascade are in clinical trials. TGFβ can stimulate multiple intracellular signaling pathways, but it is unclear which of these pathways drives aortic disease and, when inhibited, which result in disease amelioration. Here we show that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1 and 2 and Smad2 are activated in a mouse model of MFS, and both are inhibited by therapies directed against TGFβ. Whereas selective inhibition of ERK1/2 activation ameliorated aortic growth, Smad4 deficiency exacerbated aortic disease and caused premature death in MFS mice. Smad4-deficient MFS mice uniquely showed activation of Jun N-terminal kinase-1 (JNK1), and a JNK antagonist ameliorated aortic growth in MFS mice that lacked or retained full Smad4 expression. Thus, noncanonical (Smad-independent) TGFβ signaling is a prominent driver of aortic disease in MFS mice, and inhibition of the ERK1/2 or JNK1 pathways is a potential therapeutic strategy for the disease.     

Acute interstitial pneumonia in feedlot cattle: effects of feeding feather meal or vitamin E.

We evaluated the effects of feeding 1.5% cysteine-rich feather meal or 550 IU of vitamin E for 40 d before slaughter on the rates of death and emergency slaughter due to acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) in commercial feedlots. Blood and lung tissue were collected at slaughter from 83 animals clinically diagnosed with AIP, 40 asymptomatic penmates, and 40 heifers receiving either feather meal (20) or vitamin E (20); the left lung was subsampled for histologic examination. Blood and lung tissue were analyzed for thiol adducts of 3-methyleneindolenine (3ME) and reduced glutathione. Supplementation with feather meal or vitamin E had no effect on the rates of death and emergency slaughter attributable to AIP and did not influence the levels of 3ME or reduced glutathione in blood or lung tissue. Although supplementation with greater amounts of feather meal or vitamin E may have been necessary to significantly affect factors related to feedlot AIP, increased supplementation would be uneconomical for commercial feedlots, given the relatively low incidence of AIP.     

Development of a Multi-Resolution Emission Inventory and Its Impact on Sulfur Distribution for Northeast Asia

Emissions in East Asia for 1993 by administrative units and source types are estimated to support regional emission assessments and transport modeling studies. Total emission of SO_x, NO_x, soil NO_x, N₂O, and NH₃ are 24 150, 12 610, 1963, 908, and 8263 kton yr^-1, respectively.China's emission contribution is the highest for every species.The area sources are the most significant source type for SO_x and NO_x, but the fraction due to mobile source is highest for NO_x. Major LPSs are located from the middle to the east part of China, south and middle-west part of South Korea, and the east part of Japan. The area sources of SO_x show a pattern similar to population density, whereas NH₃ shows a strong landuse dependency. Detail emissions analysis reveals higher SO_x emission `cores' within each province. The estimated emissions are used to estimate sulfur deposition in the regions. The seasonal average sulfur distribution amounts are estimated from the ATMOS2 chemical transport model. The results showed anti-correlation with temperature for sulfur (SO₂ + SO₄ ^-2) concentrations and a positive correlation with rainfall for deposition.     

Skeletal unit construction of rat mandible based on the masticatory muscle anatomy and double microcomputed tomography

This study aimed to divide the mandible into skeletal units based on three‐dimensional (3D) muscular anatomy with microcomputed tomography (micro‐CT) of Sprague–Dawley rat. Five normal rats were micro‐CT scanned at 12 weeks of age before and after contrast enhancements for the masticatory muscles. Three‐dimensional reconstruction of the mandible was performed from the initial micro‐CT images, followed by segmentation of the masticatory muscles using the second enhanced micro‐CT data. Bone and muscle models were superimposed based on the teeth and bony structures to evaluate muscular orientation and attachment. The mandible was divided into skeletal units using the bony structures and muscle attachments. The mandibular foramen and mental foramen were adopted as the reference points based on their anatomical and developmental significance. The skeletal units consisted of the condylar, coronoid, angular, body and symphyseal units. Further evaluation of these units in relation to development, growth, and other biology and medicine will be helpful in elucidating their biological identities.     

Optimum feeding rates in juvenile olive flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus,at the optimum rearing temperature

Two feeding trials were carried out to determine the optimum feeding rates in juvenile olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, at the optimum rearing temperature. Fish averaging 5.0 ± 0.11 g (mean ± SD) in experiment 1 and 20.2 ± 0.54 g (mean ± SD) in experiment 2 were fed a commercial diet at the feeding rates of 0%, 3.0%, 4.0%, 4.25%, 4.5% and 4.75% body weight (BW) day^?1 and satiation (5.52% BW day^?1) in experiment 1 and 0%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 3.0% and 3.5% BW day^?1 and satiation (4.12% BW day^?1) in experiment 2 at 20 ± 1 °C. Both feeding trials lasted for 2 weeks. Results from experiment 1 indicated that weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) of fish fed to satiation were significantly higher than those of fish fed at other feeding rates while feed efficiency (FE) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) of fish fed at 4.25% BW day^?1 were significantly higher than those of fish fed to satiation and fish fed at 3.0% BW day^?1 (P < 0.05). In experiment 2 WG, SGR and PER leveled out after the feeding rate of 3.5% BW day^?1 whereas FE reached a plateau at 3.0% BW day^?1. anova of FE indicated that the optimum feeding rates in 5.0 and 20 g juvenile olive flounder could be 4.25% and 3.0% BW day^?1, respectively. Broken line analysis of WG suggested the optimum feeding rates of 5.17% and 3.47% BW day^?1 in 5.0 and 20 g fish, respectively. Therefore, these results indicated that the optimum feeding rates could be >4.25 but <5.17% BW day^?1 for 5.0 g, and it could be >3.0 but <3.47% BW day^?1 for 20 g size of juvenile olive flounder at the optimum rearing temperature.