转型中的亚洲林业(续二)

在过去的20年里,亚洲林业经历了引人注目的转型,包括从计划经济到市场经济的转变,从天然林供给木材到人工林供给木材的转变,木材替代品与非木质林产品的增加,地方分权与当地群众的参与,生态时代的发展与生态系统管理。在促进亚洲可持续森林资源管理中,市场工具、社区参与和环境服务都得到了应用。亚洲林业的转型表现出多样化,其森林、社会与环境之间的联系是丰富多彩的。     

A suspected case of Lyme borreliosis in a hunting dog in Korea

A two-year-old male Pointer had been presented with anorexia, cachexia, and weight loss of 10-day duration. Upon physical examination, fever, lethargy, superficial lymph node enlargement, and tick infestation were noted. The only abnormality in CBC and serum chemistry analyses was mild hyperglobulinemia. Spleen was enlarged by radiography, and the lymph nodes showed neutrophilic lymphadenitis by cytological examination. A polymerase chain reaction test for babesiosis and commercial ELISA tests for Ehrlichia canis, heartworm, and Lyme disease was negative except for Lyme disease, which was verified by both an IFA-IgG test and a quantitative C₆ assay. Doxycycline was administered for 2 weeks and the recovery was uneventful. Post-treatment C₆ titer decreased to within normal limits.     

Histological differences in full-thickness vs. lamellar corneal pig-to-rabbit xenotransplantation

To evaluate the differences in graft survival and histopathological characteristics between full-thickness and lamellar orthotopic corneal xenotransplantation in a pig-to-rabbit model, we orthotopically transplanted a full-thickness or the anterior half of a pig's cornea onto the OD of 16 rabbits. As a result, the median survival were 16.83 and 29.07 days for the full-thickness and lamellar xenografts, respectively ( P  = 0.0005). Histologically, the full-thickness corneal xenografts had massive infiltration by eosinophils, whereas the lamellar xenografts showed predominantly mononuclear infiltrates ( P  < 0.05). Given these preliminary findings, lamellar corneal xenografts in rabbits survived longer than the full-thickness xenografts and each type of graft demonstrated different rejection mechanisms.     

Use of laparoscopy for diagnosing experimentally induced acute pancreatitis in dogs

Diagnosis of acute pancreatitis in dogs remains a significant challenge despite the development of advanced diagnostic methodologies. Visual inspection and pancreas biopsy using laparoscopy are generally considered to be procedures free of complications when conducted on healthy animals. However, the usefulness of laparoscopy for diagnosing acute pancreatitis has not been assessed. In the present study, the efficacy of laparoscopy for diagnosing acute pancreatitis in dogs was evaluated in animals with experimentally induced acute pancreatitis. Gross appearance of the pancreatic area was examined by laparoscopy to survey for the presence of edema, adhesions, effusion, pseudocysts, hemorrhage, and fat necrosis. Laparoscopic biopsy was performed and the histopathologic results were compared to those of pancreatic samples obtained during necropsy. The correlation between laparoscopy and histopathologic findings of the pancreas was evaluated. The presence of adhesions, effusion, and hemorrhage in the pancreatic area observed by laparoscopy significantly correlated with the histopathologic results (p < 0.05). There was no significant relationship between the histopathologic and laparoscopic biopsy findings. Results of this study suggested that laparoscopic evaluation of gross lesions has clinical significance although the laparoscopic biopsy technique has some limitations. This method combined with additional diagnostic tools can be effective for diagnosing acute pancreatitis in dogs.     

Cloning, expression and bioassay of canine CTLA4Ig

Blockade of the B7:CD28 costimulatory pathway has been shown to inhibit humoral immunity, graft rejection, graft versus host disease and ameliorate autoimmune diseases. A soluble chimeric fusion protein, CTLA4Ig, binds to B7 with greater affinity than CD28 and blocks the binding of CD28 to B7. We describe the cloning and expression of canine CTLA4Ig, a recombinant chimeric fusion protein composed of the extracellular domain of canine CTLA-4 and the CH2-CH3 domains of canine immunoglobulin alpha constant region (IGHA) genes, linked via an immunologically inert flexible peptide. The recombinant CTLA4Ig protein of approximately 45kDa molecular weight was expressed mainly as insoluble inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. The protein was solubilized in denaturing buffer and purified using nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) affinity column chromatography followed by refolding. The yield was about 6mg of recombinant CTLA4Ig per liter of culture. The purified protein was biologically active in one-way mixed lymphocyte reactions, demonstrating immunosuppressive activities in a dose-dependent manner. The findings suggest that recombinant canine CTLA4Ig protein could be valuable in assessing the function of CTLA-4 in the canine immune system and may be effective in autoimmune disease therapy.     

Comparison of vancomycin-resistant enterococci isolates from human, poultry and pigs in Korea

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen. Since 1989, a rapid increase in the incidence of enterococcal bacteremia and endocarditis by VRE has been reported. The use of avoparcin in animal husbandry is reportedly associated with the appearance of VRE. In this study, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was established to detect and differentiate resistant types of enterococci, which specifically amplify the four van genes that encode vancomycin resistance elements. Using this method, we investigated the incidence rates and types of VRE from two types of farms: those that had used avoparcin and those that had not used avoparcin. A total of 1091 animal fecal samples were collected from 70 pig farms and 32 poultry farms. A total of 425 enterococci were isolated from the fecal samples. Among the 425 isolates, six showed a pattern of high-level vancomycin resistance (Minimal Inhibitory Concentration, MIC: 64-256 microg/ml). Out of six high-level VRE, three were isolated from poultry farms that had used avoparcin and three were not. The six high-level VRE harbored the vanA gene. Sixty-seven of 425 isolates that showed a pattern of low-level vancomycin resistance (MIC: 4-8 microg/ml) were associated with the presence of vanC-1 or vanC-2/3 gene. We also performed a repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) method to compare the genetic relatedness between the high-level VRE of six animal isolates and 31 human isolates. None of the animal isolates had a similar rep-PCR pattern as the human isolates but similarities between human VRE isolates were observed.     

Reproduction of fowl typhoid by respiratory challenge with Salmonella Gallinarum

Fowl typhoid is a disease of adult chickens and is caused by Salmonella Gallinarum infection via the alimentary tract. The experimental reproduction of fowl typhoid per os (PO) requires artificial conditions to minimize the effect of gastric acid, and several Salmonella serovars have been known to be transmitted via the respiratory route. Therefore, we have hypothesized the existence of a respiratory route for Salmonella Gallinarum infection and have attempted to reproduce fowl typhoid via intratracheal challenge. In accordance with our hypothesis, the intratracheal challenges of Salmonella Gallinarum reproduced exactly same lesions as fowl typhoid and induced higher mortality and morbidity than those of the PO challenge. Therefore, this study represents the first reproduction of fowl typhoid via respiratory route, and our findings may be useful for understanding the transmission of Salmonella Gallinarum in the field.     

Astaxanthin Reduces Stemness Markers in BT20 and T47D Breast Cancer Stem Cells by Inhibiting Expression of Pontin and Mutant p53

Astaxanthin (AST) is a product made from marine organisms that has been used as an anti-cancer supplement. It reduces pontin expression and induces apoptosis in SKBR3, a breast cancer cell line. Using Western blotting and qRT-PCR analyses, this study revealed that in the T47D and BT20 breast cancer cell lines, AST inhibits expression of pontin and mutp53, as well as the Oct4 and Nanog cancer stem cell (CSC) stemness genes. In addition, we explored the mechanism by which AST eradicates breast cancer cells using pontin siRNAs. Pontin knockdown by pontin siRNA reduced proliferation, Oct4 and Nanog expression, colony and spheroid formation, and migration and invasion abilities in breast cancer cells. In addition, reductions in Oct4, Nanog, and mutp53 expression following rottlerin treatment confirmed the role of pontin in these cells. Therefore, pontin may play a central role in the regulation of CSC properties and in cell proliferation following AST treatment. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that AST can repress CSC stemness genes in breast cancer cells, which implies that AST therapy could be used to improve the efficacy of other anti-cancer therapies against breast cancer cells.     

Substitution effect of Undaria pinnatifida with citrus (Citrus unshiu,Marcovitch) peel by‐product in feed on the growth,body composition and air exposure stressor of juvenile abalone (Haliotis discus,Reeve 1846)

Substitution effect of Undaria pinnatifida with citrus peel by‐product (CPB) on growth, body composition and air exposure stressor of abalone was determined. A total of 1,080 abalone were distributed into 18 net cages. Five formulated diets were prepared in triplicate. The CPB0 diet contained 200 g/kg U. pinnatifida. The 250, 500, 750 and 1,000 g/kg U. pinnatifida were substituted with the equal amount of CPB, referred to as the CPB250, CPB500, CPB750 and CPB1000 diets, respectively. Finally, dry U. pinnatifida was prepared. Abalone were fed for 16 weeks and then subjected to air exposure stressor for 24 hr. The cumulative mortality of abalone was monitored for the following 4 days after 24‐hr air exposure. Survival, weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR) of abalone fed all formulated diets were greater than those of abalone fed the U. pinnatifida. The greatest weight gain and SGR were achieved in abalone fed the CPB500 diet. The chemical composition of the soft body of abalone was not affected by the experimental diets. Higher cumulative mortality was observed in abalone fed the CPB0 and dry U. pinnatifida at 16 hr after 24‐hr air exposure compared to abalone fed all other diets. In conclusion, U. pinnatifida could be completely substituted with CPB in abalone feed.     

Mediastinal lymphoma in a young Turkish Angora cat

An 8-month old intact male Turkish Angora cat was referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), Seoul National University, for an evaluation of anorexia and severe dyspnea. The thoracic radiographs revealed significant pleural effusion. A cytology evaluation of the pleural fluid strongly suggested a lymphoma containing variable sized lymphocytes with frequent mitotic figures and prominent nucleoli. The feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus tests were negative. The cat was euthanized at his owner''s request and a necropsy was performed. A mass was detected on the mediastinum and lung lobes. A histopathology evaluation confirmed the mass to be a lymphoma. Immunohistochemistry revealed the mass to be CD3 positive. In conclusion, the cat was diagnosed as a T-cell mediastinal lymphoma.