The effect of porcine somatotropin supplementation in pigs on the lipid profile of subcutaneous and intermuscular adipose tissue and longissimus muscle.

The effect of porcine somatotropin (pST) on the lipid profiles of adipose tissue and muscle was investigated. Sixteen crossbred barrows were injected daily with either 3 mg of pST or a placebo. After slaughter, total lipid and fatty acid composition of raw subcutaneous (SC) adipose and intermuscular (IM) adipose tissue and longissimus muscle were determined. The SC adipose tissue from pST-treated pigs had a 7.5% decrease in total lipid content; specific fatty acids 16:0, 18:0, and 18:1(n-9)c decreased most. The IM fat from pST-treated pigs had lower levels of 16:0 and 20:0. There was no effect of pST treatment on the lipid profile of the longissimus muscle. The data suggest that pST treatment produces small but significant changes in the saturated fatty acid content of adipose tissue in pigs.     

Antitumor effect of adriamycin entrapped in liposomes conjugated with anti-bovine tumor antigen monoclonal antibody in leukemic cows

Monoclonal antibody c143 against tumor-associated antigen (TAA) expressed on bovine leukemia cells was conjugated to liposomes containing adriamycin (ADM), and therapeutic effects of conjugates were examined in leukemic or preleukemic cows to prevent the progression of the disease. Five cows with TAA-positive in their peripheral blood lymphocytes were divided into two groups. Each group of cows received 4 injections of ADM alone (0.4 mg/kg) or c143-conjugated liposomes containing the same dose of ADM (L-AMD-c143) through the jugular vein at about 4 day intervals. In three animals treated with L-ADM-c143, the TAA-positive cells gradually decreased with treatment and finally two animals became TAA-negative during a 6 week period and a 14 week period after treatment, respectively. In the control, two animals treated with ADM alone showed only a slight decrease of TAA-positive cells.     

Plasma digoxin concentration in dogs with mitral regurgitation.

Fifteen and eight mature beagles, without (normal group) and with experimental mitral regurgitation (MR group), respectively, were given 0.02 mg/kg/day digoxin powder for 10 days orally. The optimum time for sample collection after administration of digoxin was observed to be 8-18 hr and 10-22 hr in the normal and MR groups, respectively. In both groups, a stable concentration was reached after 3-5 days of treatment. No differences in plasma level were observed between sexes. The optimum concentration of digoxin was attained at an earlier stage than has been previously reported for both dogs and humans.     

Seasonal changes in serum total thyroxine, free thyroxine, and canine thyroid-stimulating hormone in clinically healthy beagles in Hokkaido.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate seasonal influences on thyroid hormone levels of healthy outdoor dogs in Hokkaido. We surveyed serum basal total thyroxine (tT4), free thyroxine (fT4), and canine thyroid-stimulating hormone (cTSH) levels, and tT4 levels after administration of TSH for a year. Basal tT4 levels decreased in January, and increased in August and September. fT4 levels increased in January and November. No significant seasonal variation was found in cTSH. tT4 levels after administration of TSH in August and November increased. These results suggested that the thyroid gland may have been activated in November. We should take seasonal variation into consideration when thyroid function is tested.     

Survey of tick infestation and tick-borne ehrlichial infection of dogs in Ishigaki Island, Japan.

Twelve (54.5%) of 22 free-roaming dogs in Ishigaki Island had tick infestation identified as Rhipicephalus sanguineus. There were 121 ticks recovered and consisted of 28 females, 58 males, 22 nymphs and 3 larvae. Infection of dogs possibly with canine ehrlichial pathogens was examined by both indirect immunofluorescence assay and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Two dogs of the 13 examined were sero-positive for the human granulocytic ehrlichia agent, and one of two dogs was PCR positive for Ehrlichia platys. This dog had platelet numbers slightly lower than normal value, however, no morulae were found within platelet on peripheral blood smear stained with Giemsa.     

Direct and Residual Contributions of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation by Legumes to the Yield and Nitrogen Uptake of Maize (Zea mays L.) in the Nigerian Savannah

Field experiments were conducted to determine the direct and residual contributions of legumes to the yield and nitrogen (N) uptake of maize during the wet seasons of 1994 and 1995 at the University Farm, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria, located in the Northern Guinea savannah of Nigeria. Nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram contributed to the yield and N uptake of maize either intercropped with the legumes or grown after legumes as a sole crop. Direct transfer of N from the nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram to the intercropped maize was 24.9–28.1, 23.8–29.2, 19.7–22.1 and 18.4–18.6 kg N ha^–1, respectively. However, the transfer of residual N from these legumes to the succeeding maize crop was 18.4–20.0, 19.5–29.9, 12.0–13.7 and 9.3–10.3 kg N ha^–1, respectively. Four years of continuous lablab cropping resulted in yields and N uptake of the succeeding maize crop grown without fertilizer N that were comparable to the yields and N uptake of the succeeding maize crop supplied with 40–45 kg N ha^–1 and grown after 4 years of continuous sorghum cropping. It may therefore be concluded that nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram may be either intercropped or grown in rotation with cereals in order to economize the use of fertilizer N for maize production in the Nigerian savannah.     

Doxorubicin affects the cardiac muscarinic system in the rat.

During the study on the mechanism of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, we observed that a long incubation (4 hr) with doxorubicin reduced the maximal negative inotropic effects of a muscarinic receptor agonist, carbachol. The mechanism responsible for this doxorubicin-induced reduction of the efficacy of carbachol was examined in isolated guinea pig hearts. In isolated left atrial muscle preparations, 1 hr incubation with 100 microM doxorubicin caused a parallel right-ward shift of the concentration-response curves for carbachol, but a longer (4 hr) incubation with this agent (30, 100 or 200 microM), caused a significant reduction of the magnitude of the negative inotropic effect of carbachol in addition to the concentration-dependent parallel right-ward shift. The 4-hr incubation with these concentrations of doxorubicin also reduced the maximal negative inotropic effect of an adenosine A1 receptor agonist, R-phenylisopropyl adenosine (R-PIA), without affecting the potency of this agonist. Doxorubicin (1 to 100 microM) reduced [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) binding in a concentration dependent manner, but failed to alter [3HIR-PIA binding. The decrease in the magnitude of the maximal negative inotropic effect by doxorubicin was caused by changes in the muscarinic system at steps common to the transduction of muscarinic and adenosine A1 receptor mechanisms.     

Acupuncture for general veterinary practice.

Since the International Society of Veterinary Acupuncture (IVAS) was founded in 1974, acupuncture (AP) has received greater acceptance by veterinary professionals throughout the world. This article introduces some important animal diseases that respond well to AP therapy. These include resuscitation of small animals, treatment of anoestrous gilts and sows, bovine reproductive disease, canine vertebral problems and equine backpain, etc. Conventional medicine considers these to be difficult cases to treat. Veterinarians have become more aware of the benefits of AP especially for those diseases, thanks to the efforts of experienced practitioners and scientists, and the many published reports on veterinary AP that have introduced some good indications for AP therapy in veterinary practice. Possible mechanisms behind the effectiveness of AP are discussed. This article aims to introduce veterinarians to good indications for AP to initiate their interest in the practice of AP. Although this is a rapidly expanding field, a long march must begin with one step. We wish this article to be the shoes for such a march. For more information on veterinary AP, contact IVAS , P.O. Box 1478, Longmont, CO.. 80502, USA (http://www.ivas.org), or your national veterinary acupuncture society (http://www.komvet.at/ ivadkom/vapsocs.htm).     

海拔梯度对台江方竹发笋节律的影响研究

通过原产地对合江方竹不同海拔梯度发笋节律的观察和研究，得出其开始发笋期、停止发笋期及发笋数都随着海拔梯度的变化有显著或极显著的差异，海拔越高，发笋越早，停止发笋期也越早，平均发笋量3300株／667m^2。其发笋期可以划分为开始期、高峰期和停止期阶段。在海拔l200In以L开始发笋期出现在9月中旬，停止生长期出现在10月上旬；1000m以一卜开始发笋期、停止生长期分别出现在9月下旬和10月底以后；随着海拔高度平均每降低100m，开始发笋期推迟2—3d，停止发笋期随着海拔高度平均每降低100m推迟3—4d。数学模型（以9月13日为第一天），发笋开始期为K=31．333-0．02383H海拔，停止发笋期为T=64．867-0．03217H海拔；合江方竹在不同海拔梯度的发笋性状可以划分成900m以下和900m以上两类，其中900m以下具有“笋期晚发笋多（晚多）”特性；900m以上具有“笋期早发笋少（早少）”特性。     

银川地区羊肝中阿苯达唑(丙硫苯咪唑)残留情况的调查

阿苯达唑又称丙硫苯咪唑或丙硫咪唑，有时又称抗蠕敏，是目前国内常用的驱虫效果好、范围广、毒性较低的兽用驱虫药。随着家庭舍饲养羊规模的不断扩大，饲养者为了减少因寄生虫导致的死亡并增加育肥效果，常把阿苯达唑作为育肥前预防驱虫或寄生虫病治疗的首选药，出现了滥用或超剂量使用的现