Acaricidal activity of extracts of neem (Azadirachta indica) oil against the larvae of the rabbit mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi in vitro

The acaricidal activity of the petroleum ether extract, the chloroform extract and the acetic ether extract of neem (Azadirachta indica) oil against Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi larvae was tested in vitro. A complementary log-log (CLL) model was used to analyze the data of the toxicity tests. The results showed that at all test time points, the petroleum ether extract demonstrated the highest activity against the larvae of S. scabiei var. cuniculi, while the activities of the chloroform extract and the acetic ether extract were similar. The activities of both the petroleum ether extract and the chloroform extract against the larvae showed the relation of time and concentration dependent. The median lethal concentration (LC(50)) of the petroleum ether extract (1.3muL/mL) was about three times that of the chloroform extract (4.1muL/mL) at 24h post-treatment. At the concentrations of 500.0muL/mL, the median lethal time (LT(50)) of the petroleum ether extract and the chloroform extract was 8.4 and 9.6h, respectively.     

Inductive expression of the NOD1 signalling pathway in chickens infected with Salmonella pullorum

1. The aim of this study was to describe the role of Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 1 (NOD1) receptor signalling in chicken.

2. Tissue-specific expression analysis of NOD1, receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase 2 (RIPK2), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase 11 (MAPK11 or p38) by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed their wide distribution in various organs and tissues.

3. Salmonella pullorum infection activated NOD1 receptor signalling in vivo and in vitro, resulting in significant induction of downstream signalling molecules RIPK2, NF-κB/p65, MAPK11/p38 and the effector molecules IL-1b and IL-8.

4. Activation of NOD1 by its agonist bacterial γ-D-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid (iE-DAP) in HD11 cells induced the adapter molecular RIPK2 and activated the NF-κB/p65 and MAPK11/p38 pathways, resulting in an increase in IL-8 but not IL-1β. Additionally, inhibition of NOD1 using NOD1-shRNA resulted in downregulation of RIPK2, MAPK11 and IL-8, while NF-κB/p65 and IL-1β were unaltered.

5. These results highlight the important role of NOD1 receptors in eliciting the innate immune response following pathogenic invasion in chicken.     

酵母培养物对安徽白山羊和波尔山羊生长发育的影响

以安徽白山羊和波尔山羊为试验动物,探讨酵母培养物对其生长发育的影响。结果表明,体重方面,在A组、B组和C组内,试验组比对照组的总增重分别多33.79%、11.76%和18.00%,且A组中试验组总增重和平均日增重极显著高于对照组(P<0.01);体尺方面,A组中试验组体斜长增长显著高于对照组(P<0.05),C组中试验组尻宽增长显著高于对照组(P<0.05),A组中试验组体高增长极显著高于对照组(P<0.01);经济效益方面,A组、B组和C组内的试验组比对照组平均每只羊分别多获利15.87、4.14和8.05元。     

Chemical composition and microstructure of uroliths and urinary sediment crystals associated with the feeding of high-level cottonseed meal diet to water buffalo calves

The chemical composition and microstructure of seven uroliths and four urinary sediment samples associated with the feeding of high-level cottonseed meal diet to buffalo calves were examined by chemical qualitative analyses, scanning electron microscopy ( ), X-ray diffraction, and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry ( ). Struvite was a major component of kidney stones and of some bladder stones. The kidney stone sample appeared cracked under low power under , aggregated into tiny balls under high power, and as a bladelike structure under even higher power. The bladder stone samples appeared finely granular or granular with various forms of prismatic crystals. The urinary sediments were prismatic crystals, with granules. The newly found prismatic crystals, which were rich in potassium and similar to struvite in crystal structure, were identified as potassium magnesium phosphate (KMgPO₄ · 6H₂O) in some bladder stones and urinary sediments. However, crystals which contained Mg and P only, which had been used for struvite identification, were not found by examination in urinary sediments from fresh urine samples of buffalo calves fed the high-level cottonseed meal diet.     

Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of PPARγ expression in porcine uteroplacenta for regulating of placental angiogenesis through VEGF-mediated signalling

Non-infectious prenatal mortality severely affects the porcine industry, with pathological placentation as a likely key reason. Previous studies have demonstrated that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) deficiency causes defects in the uteroplacental vasculature and induces embryonic losses in mice. However, its role in porcine placental angiogenesis remains unclear. In the present study, PPARγ expression was investigated in porcine uteroplacental tissues at gestational day (GD) 25, GD40 and GD70 via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Moreover, the roles of PPARγ in porcine placental angiogenesis were investigated using a cell model of porcine umbilical vein endothelial cells (PUVECs) to conduct proliferation, migration and tube formation assays in vitro and a mouse xenograft model to assess capillary formation in vivo. The results showed that PPARγ was mainly located in the glandular epithelium, trophoblast, amniotic chorion epithelium and vascular endothelium, as indicated by the higher expression levels at GD25 and GD40 than at GD70 in endometrium and by higher expression levels at GD40 and GD70 than at GD25 in placenta. Moreover, PPARγ expression was significantly downregulated in placenta with dead foetus. In PUVECs, knocking out PPARγ significantly inhibited proliferation, migration and tube formation in vitro and inhibited capillary formation in mouse xenografts in vivo by blocking S-phase, promoting apoptosis and downregulating the angiogenic factors of VEGF and its receptors. Overall, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of PPARγ expression in porcine uteroplacental tissue suggests its vital role in endometrial remodelling and placental angiogenesis, and PPARγ regulates placental angiogenesis through VEGF-mediated signalling.     

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of valnemulin in broiler chickens

Wang, R., Yuan, L.G., He, L.M., Zhu, L.X., Luo, X.Y., Zhang, C.Y., Yu, J.J., Fang, B.H., Liu, Y.H. Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of valnemulin in broiler chickens. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 34 , 247–251. The objective of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of valnemulin in broiler chickens after intravenous (i.v.), intramuscular (i.m.) and oral administrations of 10 mg/kg body weight (bw). Plasma samples were analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MS/MS). Pharmacokinetic characterization was performed by non‐compartmental analysis using WinNonlin program. After intravenous administration, distribution was wide with the volume of distribution based on terminal phase(V_z) of 4.27 ± 0.99 L /kg. Mean valnemulin t_1/2β(h), Cl_β(L /h /kg), V_ss (L /kg) and AUC_(0–∞)(μg·h /mL) values were 2.85, 0.99, 2.72 and 10.34, respectively. After intramuscular administration, valnemulin was rapidly absorbed with a C_max of 2.2 μg/mL achieved at 0.43 h (t_max), and the absolute bioavailability (F) was 88.81%; and for the oral route the same parameters were 0.66 ± 0.15 μg/mL, 1.54 ± 0.27 h and 74.42%. A multiple‐peak phenomenon was present after oral administration. The plasma profile of valnemulin exhibited a secondary peak during 2–6 h and a tertiary peak at 32 h. The favorable PK behavior, such as the wide distribution, slow elimination and acceptable bioavailability indicated that it is likely to be effective in chickens.     

Association of polymorphisms for nuclear receptor coactivator 1 gene with egg production traits in the maternal line of Shaobo hens

1. The objectives of the study were to find polymorphic sites and elucidate the association between SNPs in the nuclear receptor coactivator 1 (NCOA1) gene and reproductive traits. 2. SNPs were detected by PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing. Four SNPs were detected, including T10155007A, T10125838C, G10118492A and G10109315T. Three polymorphisms were associated with total egg production at the age of 300 d and the G10109315T polymorphism was associated with age at first egg. 3. In conclusion, the NCOA1 gene can be used as a molecular marker for reproductive traits in hens.     

中国荷斯坦牛乳蛋白分子遗传多态性和产奶性状相关性的研究

从北京两个主要牛场共采得１８７头中国荷斯坦奶牛的血样,提取基因组ＤＮＡ,通过ＰＣＲ－ＲＦＬＰ方法对Ｋａｐｐａ酪蛋白、Ｂｅｔａ乳球蛋白（βｌｇ）和Ａｌｐｈａ乳白蛋白（α－ｌａ）进行了基因型的鉴定,并结合产奶性状进行统计分析,结果表明,牛群中上述３种乳蛋白基因的基因频率分别为Ｋ－ｃｎＡ７９％,Ｋ－ｃａＢ２１％,β－ｌｇＡ４３％,β－ｌｇＢ５７％,α－ｌｇＢ１００％,Ｋ－ＣＮ和β－ｌｇ基因位眯对产奶量没     

鹦鹉热衣原体荧光环介导等温扩增（LAMP）检测方法的建立

鹦鹉热衣原体(Chlamydia psittaci)是一种人兽共患病原体,能引起自然疫源性衣原体病,目前广泛分布于世界各地。本研究应用环介导等温扩增技术(LAMP),针对鹦鹉热衣原体23S RNA基因序列设计引物,并进行筛选以及敏感性和特异性试验,建立了鹦鹉热衣原体恒温荧光扩增方法。该方法在63℃恒温条件下1 h内即可显示结果,操作简单、快速,特异性强,灵敏度可达100拷贝/μL,且与流产衣原体、动物布鲁氏菌、牛结核分枝杆菌、沙门氏菌、大肠杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌无交叉反应;用国产仪器可直接通过检测荧光信号判读结果,既增强了准确性,也避免了开盖污染产生假阳性;应用建立的LAMP方法对实验室保存的临床DNA样品进行检测,发现检测结果与QPCR相同。该方法的建立弥补了传统检测技术的不足,为实现鹦鹉热衣原体的现场快速诊断提供了技术支持。