Bone- and non-bone-derived growth factors and effects on bone healing.

In the future, it may be possible to manipulate the fracture site with exogenous growth factors to allow successful union of the bone ends without additional surgery. The complex interaction of growth factors, the timing of their appearance and disappearance at the wound site, and the concentrations necessary to achieve specific effects must be studied more thoroughly. For growth factors to find widespread clinical use, there must be evidence that healing is enhanced. It may be difficult to enhance the healing of fresh fractures in normal animals, and it may also be difficult to demonstrate the healing of nonunion fractures. Because of the great variability in fractures of clinical patients, studies designed to determine the effect of growth factors on bone healing must be carefully designed with appropriate attention given to randomizing patients based on the risk of delayed healing and other patient characteristics.     

Maturity and reproduction of goneplacid crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carcinoplax vestita</Emphasis> (Decapoda,Brachyura) in Tokyo Bay

ABSTRACT:     Sexual maturity, morphological sexual dimorphism, and reproduction of the goneplacid crab Carcinoplax vestita were investigated in Tokyo Bay, Japan, from November 2002 to October 2003. The puberty molt in males was evidenced by changes in the relative size of the chelipeds and merus of the walking legs, and was estimated to occur at a size range of 13.20–18.85 mm carapace length. Post-pubertal females were identified by the relative size of the abdomen and puberty was estimated to occur at a size range of 12.81–15.46 mm carapace length. Sexual dimorphism in C. vestita was observed in all features that showed secondary sexual characteristics. Monthly changes of gonad index in males, and of seminal receptacle index and occurrence of sperm plugs in females were synchronized, and indicated that mating was intense in spring. Ovaries began developing in March. Ovigerous females were found in all months except December, but were clearly more abundant between August and October. Fecundity ranged from 7800 to 57 000 mature oocytes per female per batch and was highly correlated with body size. The results suggest that some females may spawn more than one batch per year.     

First isolation of Tenacibaculum maritimum from wedge sole, Dicologoglossa cuneata (Moreau)

The first isolation of Tenacibaculum maritimum from wedge sole, Dicologoglossa cuneata, is reported. The pathogen was recovered from ulcers of cultured fish, from three different outbreaks. The six isolates obtained were biochemically and serologically characterized and diagnosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction using specific primers and partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The isolates constituted a homogeneous phenotypic group; however, they belong to two of the different serotypes described within this species. A virulence evaluation of the isolates using Wedge sole fry was also performed.     

Effects of processing on physical characteristics of diets with distinct levels of carbohydrates and lipids: the outcomes on the growth of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus)

The use efficiency and feed conversion of extruded and pelletized diets were compared. Eight isoproteic diets (220 g kg⁻¹ digestible protein) were assayed for 90 days in a 2 × 2 × 2 multifactorial design with two carbohydrate levels (400 and 500 g kg⁻¹), two lipids levels (40 and 80 g kg⁻¹) and two diet processing (pelletization and extrusion) with three repetitions. The growth of Piaractus mesopotamicus fed with these diets and the quality control indices of diets were gauged. The density of extruded diets was lower as carbohydrate level was 400 g kg⁻¹ and lipid 40 g kg⁻¹. The interaction carbohydrate and diet processing presented higher leaching value for low carbohydrate level in extruded diet. Fish fed with extruded diets presented the best feed conversion and protein efficiency ratio. When high levels of carbohydrate and lipid are combined, the weight gain is impaired. The interaction between diet processing diet and lipid levels resulted in the best fish performance when pelletized diets with 40 g kg⁻¹ lipid or extruded diets with 80 g kg⁻¹ lipid were considered. The protein efficiency ratio increased with the increment of carbohydrates in the pelletized diets. The fish show low tolerance to lipids and a preference for carbohydrate when the lipid productive values are taken into account.     

The use of fyke nets as a quantitative capture technique for freshwater eels (Anguilla spp.) in rivers

Abstract  Fyke netting is a convenient and effective technique for capturing freshwater eels, and catch-per-unit-effort is usually assumed to be an index of eel abundance. The present study investigated the potential of depletion fishing using baited fyke nets to obtain population estimates of longfin eels Anguilla dieffenbachii Gray, in a river in the South Island of New Zealand. The probability of capture (capture efficiency) of a single night's fishing increased with increasing size of eel, and ranged from 0.2 to 0.9 for eels <400 mm, to 0.7–0.9 for eels ≥500 mm. The capture efficiency of baited vs unbaited nets was assessed in a small stream that was electric fished after netting trials were completed. Baited nets proved to be an effective method of assessing abundance of longfin eels (>400 mm) but not shortfins ( A. australis Richardson); capture efficiency of the population of longfins (the sum of fyke caught and electric fished eels) was 0.4 for a single night's fyke netting, increasing to 0.8 over four nights. Comparable efficiencies for shortfins were <0.1 and 0.3 respectively. Unbaited nets were markedly less efficient for both species.     

Characterization of serum and mucosal antibody responses and relative per cent survival in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), following immunization and challenge with Flavobacterium psychrophilum

Serum and mucosal antibody responses of juvenile rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, were characterized by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) following immunization with various preparations of formalin‐killed Flavobacterium psychrophilum cells. The protective nature of these preparations was then determined by immunizing rainbow trout fry and challenging with the bacterium. Juvenile rainbow trout immunized intraperitoneally (i.p.) with formalin‐killed F. psychrophilum emulsified with Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA), and i.p. with formalin‐killed F. psychrophilum either with or without culture supernatant generated significant serum antibody responses by 6 and 9 weeks, respectively. Significant mucosal antibody responses were detected by 9 weeks only in fish immunized i.p. with killed F. psychrophilum/FCA. Following immunization and bacterial challenge of rainbow trout fry, protective immunity was conferred in F. psychrophilum/FCA and saline/FCA groups with relative per cent survival values of up to 83 and 51, respectively. Significant protection was not observed in treatment groups immunized by immersion or i.p. without adjuvant at the challenge doses tested. Results suggest that stimulation of non‐specific immune factors enhances the ability of fish to mount a protective immune response, but specific antibody appears necessary to provide near complete protection. In this study, an ELISA was developed to monitor anti‐F. psychrophilum antibody production in trout. The relationship of such responses to protective immunity suggests that future vaccination strategies against coldwater disease may require stimulation of both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune response.     

Effect of culture system on the nutrition and growth performance of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone) fed different diets

Two 8-week feeding trials were conducted with juvenile Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone) to compare the growth and performance of animals fed a series of experimental and commercial pelleted shrimp and fish feeds and dietary feeding regimes within an indoor running-water culture system and an outdoor zero-water-exchange culture system. The best overall shrimp growth performance was observed for animals fed the experimental shrimp diet and all-day feeding regime under outdoor zero-water-exchange culture conditions. Final body weight and average weekly growth rate under these conditions were 2.8 and 3.4 times greater, respectively, than animals of similar size fed with the same diet under indoor running-water culture conditions. Although direct comparison between indoor and outdoor culture systems is difficult because of the lower indoor water temperatures, and consequently lower mean daily feed intake of animals, it is believed that the higher growth and feed performance of animals reared under outdoor `green-water' culture conditions was primarily due to their ability to obtain additional nutrients from food organisms endogenously produced within the zero-water-exchange culture system. The most promising features of zero-water-exchange culture systems are that they offer increased biosecurity, reduced feed costs and water use for the farmer, and by doing so provide a potential avenue of moving the shrimp culture industry along a path of greater sustainability and environmental compatibility.     

Apparent digestibility of protein, energy, and amino acids in some selected feed ingredients for pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus

The apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of amino acids (AA), protein, and energy in six feed ingredients (Brazilian fish meal, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, alcoholic yeast, corn, and wheat bran) we evaluated for pacu juveniles. In general, all ingredients showed high digestibility values for all AA, and differences among ADCs of individual amino acid were detected ( P  < 0.01). Corn gluten, soybean, and fish meals had the highest ADCs of AA. The ADCs of protein in fish meal, yeast, and corn gluten meal should not be used as AA digestibility indicators, because those showed differences up to 6.7% between the ADCs of protein and AA. All ingredients had lower ADCs of energy than corn gluten meal ( P  < 0.01). Lysine was the first limiting amino acid in fish meal, corn gluten meal, wheat bran, and corn, and the second limiting amino acid in soybean meal, as methionine was the first limiting amino acid in soybean meal and yeast. However, the soybean meal was the best quality protein source, as it had the highest digestible essential amino acid index. This demonstrated that digestible amino acid values can be used to formulate practical diets for pacu, preventing potential deficiencies or excess that might cause environmental and economic losses.