Multiple amino acid substitutions are involved in the adaptation of H9N2 avian influenza virus to mice

To explore adaptation of avian influenza virus to mice we previously performed serial lung-to-lung passages of the influenza A/Chicken/Jiangsu/7/2002 (H9N2) strain, resulting in the isolation of a variant influenza strain lethal for mice. We now report that virulence correlates with improved growth characteristics on mammalian cells and extended tissue tropism in vivo. Sequencing of the complete genomes of the wild-type and mouse-adapted viruses revealed 25 amino acid substitutions. Some were found to reiterate known substitutions in human and swine H9N2 influenza isolates. Functions affected include nuclear localization signals and sites of protein and RNA interaction, while others are known determinants of pathogenicity and host specificity such as the viral polymerase PB2 E627K substitution. These observations suggest that enhanced growth characteristics and modified cell tropism may contribute to increased virulence in mice. We conclude that multiple amino acid substitutions are likely to be involved in the adaptation of H9N2 avian influenza virus to mice.     

根据个体间蛋白质多位点基因型的比较分析中国黄牛的遗传关系

现行群体间遗传距离的度量方法都以等位基因频率的计算为依据，这些方法的缺点之一是在位点不多，多态笥不高时要求群体有较大的取样个体数目，另外，这些方法所建造的树素图不能反映群体是由混血引起还是由长期进化引起这一问题，针对这些问题，本文提出了以个体间蛋白质多位点基因型比较为基础的群体间遗传距离和群体内基因杂合度的度量方法，以十个主要中国黄牛群体的遗传关系分析为例，比较圆满的解决了上面几个问题。     

贵州天然豆科牧草——窄叶野豌豆的引种与驯化

对采自贵州省册亨县、三都县的窄叶野豌豆野生种进行了引种驯化。结果表明：其产草量中等，鲜草３７．５～４５ｔ／ｈｍ２，草质优良；生育期短，早熟；种子产量高，收纯净种子５００～６００ｋｇ／ｈｍ２。适合在我国南方中亚热带地区同水稻、玉米轮作，也可作为农田填闲作物栽培     

沼液浸种对黑麦草种子发芽的影响

为了研究沼液浸种对黑麦草种子发芽的影响,设置4个浓度沼液分别浸泡黑麦草种子,分析种子各项发芽指标的变化。结果表明:各处理均能正常发芽,黑麦草种子的发芽率和发芽势等4项发芽指标均随着浸种沼液浓度的增加呈现先上升后下降的趋势,以75%沼液浓度浸种效果最优,但沼液浸种对发芽率和发芽势的影响要高于苗高和根长。综合分析认为利用沼液浸泡黑麦草种子是提高其生产性能的有力措施,适宜在生产中推广利用。     

辽宁省肉牛、肉羊规模养殖场运行情况调查研究

为全面掌握辽宁省肉牛、肉羊规模养殖场（小区）运行情况,笔者对全省肉牛、肉羊规模场（小区）运行情况进行了调查,并对调查数据进行了分析研究,提出了相关对策建议。     

Pharmacokinetics of liposomal encapsulated buprenorphine suspension following subcutaneous administration to cats

We investigated the effects of liposome encapsulation at prolonging the systemic exposure of buprenorphine following subcutaneous administration in cats. Seven healthy male cats were dosed intravenously with 0.02 mg/kg buprenorphine solution (STD‐BUP), followed 14 days later by a subcutaneous injection of 0.2 mg/kg buprenorphine as a liposomal suspension (SUS‐BUP) containing drug molecules both in liposomes and the suspending vehicle. Buprenorphine time plasma concentration data for both dosing routes were analyzed simultaneously with four compartmental models. Goodness of fit was assessed both graphically and with the Akaike information criterion. The time‐course of intravenous STD‐BUP was biphasic, with a 4.39 h average terminal half‐life. The subcutaneous SUS‐BUP produced plasma buprenorphine concentrations above 0.5 μg/L for more than 96 h, with three distinct peaks in the first 15 h. The model with best fit comprised a central and a peripheral compartment, plus three subcutaneous absorption compartments: one of dissolved drug molecules that were absorbed through a first‐order process, and two of liposome‐encapsulated drug molecules that were transferred to the solution compartment through separate zero‐order processes. Liposomes effectively prolonged the systemic exposure of buprenorphine in cats.     

Sexual performance of rams as determined by maturation and sexual experience

The purpose of this study was to compare the sexual performance of rams that differed in age (maturation) and sexual experience. Twenty-four ram lambs (8 mo of age) and 21 rams (20 mo of age) were individually exposed to four females in hormonally induced estrus for 30 min on five occasions, 7 d apart. Half (12) the ram lambs and nine of the yearlings were sexually naive at the start of testing (had been denied access to females since weaning); the remaining males were sexually experienced. The sexual performance of the virgin rams was poorer during the initial exposure to females than in subsequent tests, whereas the sexual behavior of the sexually experienced males did not change over the days of testing. Sexually naive ram lambs and rams exhibited an improvement in sexual performance between Tests 1 and 2; during Test 3 to 5 the sexual performance (ejaculations per test) of sexually naive and experienced rams was similar. The only effects of age (maturation) on sexual performance during the last three test days were a higher frequency of mounts without ejaculation plus mount attempts (P less than .03) and a greater number of mount interactions per ejaculation (P less than .02) by ram lambs. In conclusion, one or two relatively brief exposures to estrous females can bring the sexual performance of virgin rams up to levels comparable to that of experienced males. Also, ram lambs in good condition exhibit acceptable levels of sexual performance.     

Topography of ganglion cells in the retina of the horse

Topography of ganglion cells in the retina of the horse (Thoroughbred) was analyzed in the wholemount retina stained with cresyl violet, and a total number of ganglion cells were estimated. Sizes of ganglion cells were also measured and size spectra were analysed. The main results showed that: (1) a common point in 4 wholemount retinae, based on cell densities and retinal locations, was that a retina could be divided into 5 regions, namely visual streak, nasal, temporal, dorsal and ventral region to the visual streak. A maximum cell density of 4,000 cells/mm2 was found in the visual streak. And a total number of ganglion cells was estimated in a range of 398 x 10(3) - 469 x 10(3), with a mean of 441 x 10(3) +/- 31 x 10(3) (n=4). (2) cell sizes were measured as the mean lengths of the major and minor axes of the somas, and were in a range of 5-53.8 microm. The lowest mean diameter was 14.0 microm (+/- 3.7) in the visual streak and the highest was 25.9 microm (+/- 7.6) in the ventral region. Cell size spectra were unimodal and positively skewed. It is expected that these analyses will provide an anatomical and physiological background for further study of the visual system in the horse.