Histopathological changes in the pancreas due to decreased pancreatic blood flow in a canine tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy model

In dogs, pancreatic acinar cell injury is thought to be caused by decreased pancreatic blood flow due to heart failure. In previous our report, it demonstrated that decreased heart function causes a significant decrease in pancreatic blood flow in heart failure dog model caused by rapid ventricular pacing (RVP). However, the types of histopathological changes remain unclear. We aimed to verify the types of histopathological changes occurring in the pancreatic tissue due to decreased heart function. After RVP for 4 weeks, atrophy of pancreatic acinar cells, characterized by a decrease in zymogen granules, was observed in all areas of the pancreas. In conclusion, the result of this study suggests that attention should be paid to ischemia/hypoperfusion injury in the pancreas.     

Gene transfer for Japanese flounder fertilized eggs by particle gun bombardment

ABSTRACT:   Fish transgenesis has progressed considerably. However, the technique of gene transfer for most marine aquaculture species has not been established. A method to introduce foreign genes into fertilized eggs of Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus by particle gun bombardment was developed by the authors. A recombinant plasmid which contains the Japanese flounder keratin gene promoter linked to the green fluorescence protein (GFP) gene was introduced into fertilized eggs by particle gun bombardments twice at 250 psi. In each experimental group, 25 000–35 000 eggs were treated. However, the survival rate was 12.8% which is lower than that of the control groups (56.8%). Of 2606–5205 the embryos survived for 24 h, 43–61 GFP positive embryos were obtained in one experiment, giving a final gene transfer efficiency of 1.4%. All GFP-positive embryos developed and hatched normally. GFP expression was observed in epithelial tissue throughout the developmental stages. At 3 months after gene transfer, foreign DNA was detected by genome polymerase chain reaction analysis in 37 of 69 fry (53.6%). These results suggest that the particle gun method is an effective method to use with fertilized Japanese flounder eggs.     

Effects of application of lime nitrogen and dicyandiamide on nitrous oxide emissions from green tea fields

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the mitigating effects of lime nitrogen (calcium cyanamide) and dicyandiamide (DCD) application on nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from fields of green tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze]. The study was conducted in experimental tea fields in which the fertilizer application rate was 544 kg nitrogen (N) ha^?1 yr^?1 for 2 years. The mean cumulative N₂O flux from the soil between the canopies of tea plants for 2 years was 7.1 ± 0.9 kg N ha^?1 yr^?1 in control plots. The cumulative N₂O flux in the plots supplemented with lime nitrogen was 3.5 ± 0.1 kgN ha^?1, approximately 51% lower than that in control plots. This reduction was due to the inhibition of nitrification by DCD, which was produced from the lime nitrogen. In addition, the increase in soil pH by lime in the lime nitrogen may also be another reason for the decreased N₂O emissions from soil in LN plots. Meanwhile, the cumulative N₂O flux in DCD plots was not significantly different from that in control plots. The seasonal variability in N₂O emissions in DCD plots differed from that in control plots and application of DCD sometimes increased N₂O emissions from tea field soil. The nitrification inhibition effect of lime nitrogen and DCD helped to delay nitrification of ammonium-nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), leading to high NH₄⁺-N concentrations and a high ratio of NH₄⁺-N /nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃^–-N) in the soil. The inhibitors delayed the formation of NO₃^–-N in soil. N uptake by tea plants was almost the same among all three treatments.     

Starvation–refeeding causes cellular stress responses in the gut and liver of Masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou masou

Fisheries Science - Gene expression profiles during the transition from fasting to refeeding were investigated in the gut and liver of Masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou masou. Fish were starved for...     

Gut bacterial community profile in Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei following 5‐aminolevulinic acid supplementation

Changes in the diet have been previously reported to alter the gut bacterial profile in several organisms, including shrimp. These shifts in microbial structure either promote beneficial effects to the host or cause diseases. Supplementation of 5‐aminolevulinic acid (5‐ALA), the precursor of tetrapyrroles, has been previously reported to enhance shrimp's immune response. To know whether 5‐ALA has effects on the gut bacterial structure in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), we investigated the bacterial communities in the intestine and stomach of L. vannamei using high‐throughput Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene libraries. One week of 5‐ALA supplementation altered the bacterial community structure (beta diversity) in both tissues, as shown by the results of multi‐dimensional scaling (MDS) plots and analysis of similarities (ANOSIM). DESeq2 analysis revealed enrichment of differentially abundant taxa in the 5‐ALA group (e.g. Enhydrobacter and Oceaniovalibus) and control group (e.g. Tenacibaculum and Mycobacterium). Metagenomic predictions suggested that the control group had more KEGG pathways associated with ‘metabolism’ than the 5‐ALA group. This study suggests that 5‐ALA supplementation potentially promotes the formation of a beneficial bacterial community structure in shrimp. This is the first report on the effect of 5‐ALA supplementation on the bacterial community profile in any organism.     

Identification of enzyme genes in the liver of the Bleeker’s squid Loligo bleekeri by expressed sequence tag analysis

Expressed sequence tag (EST) analyses were performed with the aim of identifying enzyme genes in the liver of the Bleeker’s squid Loligo bleekeri. Of the 768 ESTs identified and sequenced, 669 were grouped into 324 clusters. Of these clusters, 123 comprising 245 ESTs were found to be homologous to genes reported to date. Among these, 43 clusters were annotated as enzymes according to the Enzyme Commission (EC) numbering system. Two EC groups, oxidoreductases and hydrolases, possessed a large number of ESTs. A cluster homologous to the glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme in the oxidoreductase group, contained 16 ESTs, which accounted for 2.4% of the total ESTs sequenced. There are three serine proteases, three cathepsins, two triacylgricerol lipases, and two chitinases among the clusters homologous to the enzymes in the hydrolase group. Since the squid liver functions in the digestive process, these enzymes would be involved in food digestion. Our data provide information on the various types of enzymes expressed in the squid liver and may provide a useful basis for further characterization of these enzymes.