Mitigating the anti-nutritional effect of polyphenols on in vitro digestibility and fermentation characteristics of browse species in north western Ethiopia

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Browse species are important sources of forage for livestock in Ethiopia, especially during the dry season, when the quality and quantity of green herbage is...     

Analysis of bacterial communities in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nannochloropsis</Emphasis> sp. cultures used for larval fish production

ABSTRACT:   Phytoplankton used in fish hatcheries is mass-cultured in the open air and usually contains large numbers of bacteria. In commercial fish production, the phytoplankton cultures are usually added into the larval rearing tanks; however, the numbers and types of bacteria introduced into the rearing tanks simultaneously are unknown. In this study, the bacterial community structures in Nannochloropsis sp. cultures were analyzed by using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). A direct viable count (DVC)-FISH analysis was also performed as DVC is useful for the detection of actively growing cells. Total numbers of bacteria in Nannochloropsis sp. cultures ranged from 7.72 × 10⁵−2.39 × 10⁶ cells/mL. High proportions of the total bacteria (31.6–53.6%) in the Nannochloropsis sp. cultures showed growth potential. DVC-FISH analysis revealed that α-proteobacteria and the Cytophaga – Flavobacterium cluster were abundant in the bacterial community of actively growing cells. Thus, the high growth potentials of the distinct bacterial communities in Nannochloropsis sp. culture must influence the bacterial communities in larval rearing tanks.     

A Reovirus Causes Hypovirulence of Rosellinia necatrix

ABSTRACT White root rot, caused by Rosellinia necatrix, is a serious soilborne disease of fruit trees and other woody plants. R. necatrix isolate W370 contains 12 segments of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that is believed to represent a possible member of the family Reoviridae. W370 was weakly virulent and its hyphal-tip strains became dsRNA free and strongly virulent. The 12 segments of W370dsRNA were transmitted to hygromycin B-resistant strain RT37-1, derived from a dsRNA-free strain of W370 in all or none fashion through hyphal contact with W370. The W370dsRNA-transmitted strains were less virulent than their parent strain RT37-1 on apple seedlings, with mortality ranging between 0 to 16.7% in apple seedlings that were inoculated with the W370dsRNA-containing strains and 50 to 100% for seedlings inoculated with the dsRNA-free strains. Some W370dsRNA-containing strains killed greater than 16.7% of seedlings, but these were found to have lost the dsRNA in planta. These results indicate that W370dsRNA is a hypovirulence factor in R. necatrix. In addition, a strain lost one segment (S8) of W370dsRNA during subculture, and the S8-deficient mutant strain also exhibits hypovirulence in R. necatrix.     

Molecular cloning of the canine c-Met/HGF receptor and its expression in normal and regenerated liver

The c-Met proto-oncogene is the receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which is a member of the tyrosine kinase family. Activation of the HGF/c-Met signal pathway leads to cell proliferation, motility, regeneration, and morphogenesis. In this study, the complete nucleotide sequence of complementary DNA (cDNA) of canine c-Met was cloned, and its distribution was determined in tissues. The canine c-Met cDNA clone had an open reading frame of 4419 bp that encoded a putative polypeptide of 1383 amino acids. The c-Met mRNA was expressed in a variety of canine tissues including peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), bone marrow, liver, kidney, lung, stomach, uterus, testis, thymus, lymph node, small intestine, colon, adrenal gland, thyroid gland, heart, muscle, skin, pancreas, ovary, prostate, spleen, fat, cerebrum, and cerebellum. In addition, the c-Met mRNA expression in normal and regenerated liver was examined. The levels of the mRNA increased 2-fold in regenerated liver compared to that found in normal liver, indicating that c-Met is involved in various functions including remodeling of canine hepatocytes.     

Relationship between milk production and plasma concentrations of oxidative stress markers during hot season in primiparous cows

Oxidative stress markers, ascorbic acid, and sulfhydryl (SH) residue concentration in primiparous cows' plasma and their relationship to milking performance during hot seasons were investigated. The rectal temperature of cows correlated negatively with SH residue (r = −0.38, n  = 38, P  < 0.05) and ascorbic acid (r = −0.34, P  < 0.05) concentrations in the cows' plasma. The group with a higher concentration of ascorbic acid over the mean value produced significantly more milk ( P  < 0.05) than did the group with a lower ascorbic acid concentration. Although the cows' milk production showed a positive correlation with ascorbic acid concentration in plasma (r = 0.47, P  < 0.05), the relation of SH residue concentration to milk yield was not constant. The plasma SH residue concentration during the hot season correlated positively with milk protein % (r = 0.38, P  < 0.05), lactose % (r = 0.35, P  < 0.05), and solid-non-fat (SNF) % (r = 0.47, P  < 0.05), respectively, but not with fat %. On the other hand, ascorbic acid concentration in plasma showed negative correlations with milk fat % (r = −0.34, P  < 0.05) and protein % (r = −0.49, P  < 0.05), but correlated positively with lactose % (r = 0.52, P  < 0.05). The produced amount (g/day) of milk protein (r = 0.42, P  < 0.05), lactose (r = 0.61, P  < 0.05), and SNF (r = 0.56, P  < 0.05) showed positive correlations with ascorbic acid concentration in plasma.     

Localization of CO2 source by a hexapod robot equipped with an anemoscope and a gas sensor

A hexapod robot was developed to explore an agricultural field and gather agronomical information such as soil nutrients and plant growth. In addition, a sensor device for the robot to track a gas source was developed. The sensor device consisted of a CO₂ gas sensor and an anemoscope. The gas sensor detected the concentration of CO₂ in the surroundings, and the anemoscope indicated the upwind direction from the robot. An indoor test was conducted during which the hexapod robot tracked windward direction using the sensor device. According to the results, the hexapod robot with the sensor device successfully localized a CO₂ source that was in the upwind direction. The robot paused on the spot under windless conditions, and walked windward as soon as the wind started blowing again.     

Olfactory neuroblastoma in a horse

An 11-year-old thoroughbred gelding was euthanatized because of right nasal cavity tumor. The tumor consisted of round to oval cells with a scanty cytoplasm and hyperchromatic nuclei. Homer-Wright rosettes and pseudorosettes, as well as microcysts were seen. Neoplastic cells were immunoreactive to vimentin, S-100 protein, and neuron-specific enolase, glial fibrillary acidic protein and microtube-associated protein in varying degrees, indicating neurogenic nature. Based on these findings, this tumor was diagnosed as an olfactory neuroblastoma. Since this type is an uncommon tumor showing histological variety, the nature is discussed.     

Synovial sarcoma of the tendon and tendon sheath in a dog

A 19.5-year-old male mongrel dog developed a progressive lameness and swelling around the right carpus. A tumor (6 x 3 x 3 cm) was found in the caudal of distal antebrachium of the right forelimb, including tendons of the superficial digital flexor muscle and deep digital flexor muscle. No joint destruction was observed. The tumor consisted of round and spindle cells arranged in a compact sheet. There were occasional slit-like spaces or lumina, and areas rich in collagen fibers giving an appearance of tendon tissues. Neoplastic cells gave a positive immunoreaction to vimentin, but negative reactions to antibodies against S-100 protein, cytokeratin and myoglobin. Based on these findings, this tumor was diagnosed as a synovial sarcoma generating from the tendon and tendon sheath, which is very uncommon in dogs.     

Extraction of lycopene from tomato skin with supercritical carbon dioxide: effect of operating conditions and solubility analysis

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) extraction of lycopene from waste tomato skins was investigated. The experiments were carried out at pressures and temperatures ranging from 20 to 50 MPa and 313 to 373 K, respectively, without any modifiers. The flow rate of CO2 was maintained at 2.5 mL/min for 330 min extraction time. Solvent flow rate effect was examined for CO2 flow rates from 1.5 to 4.5 mL/min. The extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and UV-visible spectroscopy. The results showed that with optimized operating conditions, the maximum yield of lycopene (1.18 mg of lycopene/g of sample) was obtained at 40 MPa, 373 K, and 2.5 mL of CO2/min. Chromatographic analysis indicated that lycopene was extracted from tomato skin with negligible degradation at the optimum conditions and the amount extracted represented more than 94% of the total carotenoid content of the sample. The solubility of lycopene was modeled by use of the Chrastil equation.     

Gene and haplotype polymorphisms of the Prion gene (PRNP) in Japanese Brown, Japanese native and Holstein cattle

Polymorphisms in the prion protein gene ( PRNP ) are known to be associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in human, sheep and goats. There is tentative association between PRNP promoter polymorphism and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) susceptibility in cattle. In this study, we genotyped for six bovine PRNP polymorphic sites including a 23-bp indel in the promoter, a 12-bp indel in the intron 1, two nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), octapeptide repeats in the coding region and a 14-bp indel in the 3'-untranslated region in 178 animals representing Japanese Brown, Kuchinoshima feral, Mishima, Japanese Shorthorn and Holstein. In 64 Japanese Brown cattle, three indel sites were polymorphic. All of the six sites were monomorphic in Kuchinoshima. The 23-bp and 12-bp indel sites were polymorphic in Mishima cattle. The 23-bp and 14-bp indel sites were polymorphic in Japanese Shorthorn cattle. Both SNP sites were monomorphic in all cattle examined in this study. At the 23-bp indel site, the genotype frequencies of Japanese Brown and Holstein breeds were similar to that of BSE affected cattle. We estimated 12 different haplotypes from these genotypic data. A '23-12-K6S14+' haplotype was the major haplotype in all populations, whose frequencies ranged from 0.50 to 1.00.