Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor arising from the spinal canal in a cat

A 10-year-old female mongrel cat with back pain was brought to the Nihon University Animal Medical Center. Palpation demonstrated a mass in the back region. Radiography revealed partial destruction of the processus spinosus and the arch of the T8 and T9 vertebrae. On magnetic resonance imaging, the mass was found to have compressed the spinal cord and extended to the outside of the spinal canal. We performed extirpation of the mass, and confirmed that it arose from the spinal canal. Histopathologically, the mass was a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor.     

Adsorption behavior of aluminum compounds on pulp fibers at wet-end

Various aluminum compounds were added to pulp suspensions, and the adsorption behavior of their aluminum components on pulp fibers was studied. Aluminum contents in the handsheets were determined using an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer attached to a scanning electron microscope and an X-ray fluorescence analyzer. Although aluminum contents in the handsheets increased with increasing additions of the aluminum compounds, the detailed adsorption patterns varied among the aluminum compounds used. Their chemical structures and the pH values of the pulp suspensions greatly influence the adsorption behavior. When fines are present in the pulp suspensions, the aluminum components are predominantly adsorbed on the fines, probably due to their larger surface areas or the higher carboxyl contents compared to those of coarse fibers. Not only aluminum flocs but also far smaller components such as various aluminum cations seemed to be adsorbed on pulp fibers. Most aluminum flocs, which are formed in pulp suspensions by reacting with OH and entrapped in a fiber matrix by filtration effects, are removable by repeated mechanical agitation of the pulp suspensions.     

Performance of Oreochromis niloticus in recirculating aquaculture systems at different levels of daily protein intake

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs) are an efficient method for developing sustainable aquaculture and the development of a feed strategy for RASs could be a key factor for the success of culturing Oreochromis niloticus. The daily protein intake (DPI) mathematical function related to body weight (BW) was designed (DPI = ?3.818 ln (BW) + 30.158) named DPI 1.0 = 100%. Three feeding rates were established, DPI 1.4, 1.2 and 1.0, and were implemented in an RAS production cycle (100 fish/m³) for 34 weeks. The final growth measurements were 908.0 ± 57.9 g (DPI 1.4), 887.0 ± 113.5 g (DPI 1.2) and 702.2 ± 38.1 g (DPI 1.0) (p < .05), with feed conversion rates (FCRs) of 2.3, 1.9 and 1.9, respectively; the survival was ≥ 98.3% (p > .05) for all treatments. DPI levels conditioned the growth of the fish and the proportion of lipid: protein in the bodies of O. niloticus but not in the fillets. The mathematical function DPI 1.2 = 120% (DPI = ?4.582 ln (BW) + 36.19) used in the RAS at the 40% protein level improved fish growth, the protein efficiency ratio and FCRs. The DPI values were estimated for 49 different cases and feeding strategies showed lower values than most of the different DPI mathematical functions used and cited in this work. Therefore, DPI metric is a good tool that provides the specific requirements of protein for O. niloticus growth, which can enable farmers to ration feed and improve energy use (kWh / fish) and facilitate the integration of RAS with horticulture.     

Improving rearing performance in sea‐cage culture of Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis juveniles (Temminck and Schlegel) using small sea cages

High levels of mortality occur in large net‐cage culture of Pacific bluefin tuna (PBF) Thunnus orientalis due to poor growth on commencement of sea‐cage culture obstructing the mass production of fingerlings. Therefore, we carried out this study to develop a countermeasure by using small sea cages (square with 13‐m sides). PBF juveniles were directly transferred to a 30‐m‐diameter cage (control) and compared them to fish transferred to small sea cages for 12 days before being merged into another 30‐m‐diameter cage. The survival rate, growth performance and potential factors increasing mortality were examined. The results of our study showed that survival rate in small sea cages was approximately 20% higher than that of the control. Poor growth also occurred in the small sea cages; however, its frequency and daily mortality rate were half those in the control. In addition, growth performance such as specific growth rate and weight gain of PBF juveniles in small sea cages significantly increased compared to the control. These results suggest that using small sea cages could be an effective countermeasure for poor growth, which may mitigate the high‐mortality conditions of current sea‐cage culture systems for PBF.     

Congenital syringohydromyelia in a crossbred (Holstein-Friesian × Japanese Black) beef calf

A 5-day-old male crossbred beef calf presented with a well-coordinated bilateral hopping gait of the hind limbs. Postmortem CT showed a poorly defined oval-shaped region at the L3–L4 spinal segments, which had high signal intensity on T2 weighted postmortem MRI images. On pathological examination, we identified a large cystic cavity filled with a large amount of cerebrospinal fluid on the cut surface of the spinal region. Histopathological examination revealed that the spinal cord parenchyma was compressed by the cystic structure, and the cystic cavity was lined with a thin layer of discrete ependymal cells, indicating syringohydromyelia. This is the first reported case of a Holstein-Friesian × Japanese Black crossbred calf with solitary syringohydromyelia. Our findings suggest that myelodysplasia with cystic cavities can be suspected by CT, without the need for MRI.     

Nanostructural assembly of cellulose,hemicellulose, and lignin in the middle layer of secondary wall of ginkgo tracheid

Physical, chemical, and biological properties of wood depend largely on the properties of cellulose, noncellulosic polysaccharides, and lignin, and their assembly mode in the cell wall. Information on the assembly mode in the main part of the ginkgo tracheid wall (middle layer of secondary wall, S2) was drawn from the combined results obtained by physical and chemical analyses of the mechanically isolated S2 and by observation under scanning electron microscopy. A schematic model was tentatively proposed as a basic assembly mode of cell wall polymers in the softwood tracheid as follows: a bundle of cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) consisting of about 430 cellulose chains is surrounded by bead-like tubular hemicellulose-lignin modules (HLM), which keep the CMF bundles equidistant from each other. The length of one tubular module along the CMF bundle is about 16 ± 2 nm, and the thickness at its side is about 3–4 nm. In S2, hemicelluloses are distributed in a longitudinal direction along the CMF bundle and in tangential and radial directions perpendicular to the CMF bundle so that they are aligned in the lamellae of tangential and radial directions with regard to the cell wall. One HLM contains about 7000 C₆-C₃ units of lignin, and 4000 hexose and 2000 pentose units of hemicellulose.     

Effect of shelter acclimation on the post-release movement and putative predation mortality of hatchery-reared black-spot tuskfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Choerodon schoenleinii</Emphasis>, determined by acoustic telemetry

In this study, the effect of shelter acclimation on the post-release movement and putative predation mortality of hatchery-reared black-spot tuskfish Choerodon schoenleinii was examined using acoustic telemetry. We acclimated four 1-year-old fish to shelters in cages before release and compared their movements with six nonacclimated fish. Since it was not possible to compare the behavioral pattern between the former and the latter fish due to the short periods the latter fish were available to be monitored, we also compared their movements with those of large nonacclimated fish that were less likely to be preyed upon. Sixty-seven percent of the nonacclimated fish showed atypical movements before the signals ceased to be detected, a pattern that suggested a predation event had occurred, whereas none of the acclimated and large nonacclimated fish showed the atypical movements. In addition, the probability of detection cessation was about 13 times lower in the acclimated than nonacclimated fish. The signal detection patterns suggest that the acclimated fish utilized night-time shelters from the first night after release, while the large nonacclimated fish started to utilize shelters several days after release. Therefore, it is likely that the shelter acclimation enhanced the shelter utilization by tuskfish, possibly decreasing post-release predation mortality.     

Genetic alterations of KIT during clonal expansion and subsequent acquisition of resistance to toceranib in a canine mast cell tumor cell line

One of the potential mechanisms underlying acquired resistance to toceranib in canine mast cell tumor (MCT) is the emergence of a secondary mutation in the KIT gene. Here, genetic alterations of KIT during clonal expansion and subsequent acquisition of resistance to toceranib were investigated in the toceranib‐susceptible canine MCT cell line VI‐MC, which carries a KIT‐activating mutation resulting in a predicted p.(Asn508Ile) amino acid change in the receptor tyrosine kinase protein KIT. Two sublines were cloned from VI‐MC and toceranib‐resistant sublines then were established by continuous exposure to toceranib. The mutation status of KIT in parental VI‐MC and its sublines was investigated using next‐generation sequencing (NGS). Additionally, effects of secondary mutations on toceranib sensitivity in p.(Asn508Ile)‐mutant KIT were examined. KIT secondary mutations, including those encoding p.(Asn679Lys)‐, p.(Asp819Val)‐, and p.(Asp819Gly)‐mutant KIT, that confer toceranib insensitivity to p.(Asn508Ile)‐mutant KIT emerged only in toceranib‐resistant VI‐MCs. These mutations were not detected by NGS in the parental VI‐MC line or in the toceranib‐naive cloned VI‐MCs, although the parental line and sublines exhibited genetic heterogeneity in KIT that may have been caused by genetic evolution during clonal expansion. VI‐MC clones with these secondary mutations in KIT appear to have arisen from subclones during treatment with toceranib rather than being pre‐existing. However, further study using a higher resolution technique will be needed to confirm the developmental mechanism of KIT secondary mutation in canine MCT cells with acquired resistance to toceranib.     

Generation of mouse induced pluripotent stem cells without viral vectors

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have been generated from mouse and human somatic cells by introducing Oct3/4 and Sox2 with either Klf4 and c-Myc or Nanog and Lin28 using retroviruses or lentiviruses. Patient-specific iPS cells could be useful in drug discovery and regenerative medicine. However, viral integration into the host genome increases the risk of tumorigenicity. Here, we report the generation of mouse iPS cells without viral vectors. Repeated transfection of two expression plasmids, one containing the complementary DNAs (cDNAs) of Oct3/4, Sox2, and Klf4 and the other containing the c-Myc cDNA, into mouse embryonic fibroblasts resulted in iPS cells without evidence of plasmid integration, which produced teratomas when transplanted into mice and contributed to adult chimeras. The production of virus-free iPS cells, albeit from embryonic fibroblasts, addresses a critical safety concern for potential use of iPS cells in regenerative medicine.