Effect of inhaled endotoxin on cardiopulmonary function and E-selectin expression in pigs

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of controlled exposure to inhaled lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on the pulmonary inflammatory response of anesthetized pigs. ANIMALS: Forty-seven 8- to 12-week-old domestic pigs. PROCEDURE: Pigs were anesthetized with pentobarbital, instrumented for measurement of cardiopulmonary function, and randomly assigned to receive saline (0.9% NaCI) solution or 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0 microg of LPS/kg/h for 2 or 6 hours via nebulization through the endotracheal tube. Cardiopulmonary variables were measured, ex vivo neutrophil superoxide production determined, and postmortem assessment for pulmonary neutrophil influx and modulation of adhesion molecule (E-selectin) expression was done. RESULTS: Mild changes in cardiopulmonary function were observed in response to inhaled LPS in the 2-and 6-hour groups. In pigs inhaling LPS (0.5 or 1.0 microg/kg/h) for 6 hours, there was significant pulmonary neutrophil influx observed postmortem. An increase in expression of E-selectin on pulmonary endothelial cells after 6 hours of LPS inhalation (0.5 microg/kg/h) was also observed. In contrast, there was no significant influx of neutrophils or expression of E-selectin in lungs from pigs inhaling LPS for 2 hours. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: inhalation of LPS resulted in localized pulmonary inflammation characterized by neutrophil influx and increased expression of the endothelial cell adhesion molecule, E-selectin. It may be possible to relate our experimental findings to the clinical consequences of airborne LPS exposure in swine confinement facilities.     

Surveillance for porcine proliferative enteropathy in Alberta by using routine diagnostic laboratory data

Data from the Food Safety Division, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development were analyzed to determine the frequency of diagnosis of porcine proliferative enteropathy (PPE) relative to the diagnosis of other porcine enteric infections between 1993 and 1997. Next to colibacillosis, PPE was the most commonly diagnosed enteric disease among those reported.     

Postoperative pulmonary complications in dogs undergoing laparotomy: frequency, characterization and disease-related risk factors

Objective: To determine the frequency of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in dogs following laparotomy, characterize the nature of PPCs, and identify disease‐related risk factors for PPCs in dogs. Design: Retrospective clinical study. Setting: University‐affiliated small animal teaching hospital. Animals: One hundred and sixty‐two dogs without preoperative pulmonary pathology that underwent laparotomy surgery. Interventions: None. Measurements and main results: Cases were evaluated for factors including patient signalment, preexisting disease, primary and ancillary surgical procedure(s), development of postoperative pulmonary disease, characteristics of perioperative hospitalization and therapy, and survival. Twenty‐two percent of dogs in the study developed PPCs. PPCs included respiratory arrest (n=4), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (n=3), pneumonia (n=8), hypoventilation (n=13), and transient hypoxemia (n=8). Dogs that developed PPCs had a significantly longer duration of oxygen therapy, longer duration of stay in intensive care unit (ICU), and decreased survival. Dogs with perioperative vomiting or regurgitation were more likely to develop PPCs. Animals that underwent exploratory laparotomy for biliary or septic peritonitis were also more likely to develop PPCs. Conclusions: PPCs occur in dogs following laparotomy and contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality of these surgical patients. In this patient population, animals with vomiting, regurgitation, or peritonitis may be at a higher risk of developing PPCs. Animals with the identified risk factors should be monitored carefully postoperatively for development of pulmonary complications.     

Fluid therapy for the traumatized patient

Objective: To review the rationale behind and experiences with traditional and newly evolving concepts of fluid therapy in the traumatized patient, and to review conventional and novel fluid preparations for use in trauma resuscitation. Data sources: Human and veterinary clinical and research studies. Human data synthesis: Current treatment guidelines recommend aggressive fluid resuscitation with lactated ringers solution (LRS) or saline as optimum management of hemorrhagic shock in trauma, regardless of whether bleeding is controlled or not. The rationale behind this strategy is to restore intravascular volume as rapidly as possible to ensure adequate vital organ perfusion. Recently, this strategy has been challenged, especially in patients with uncontrolled hemorrhage, as neither laboratory evidence nor clinical trials support this practice. Current research indicates that vigorous fluid infusion may exacerbate bleeding and cause severe hemodilution, both impairing resuscitation outcome. As a result, a new line of thinking is emerging that balances the risks and benefits of intravenous volume infusion by offering the clinician alternative treatment strategies and emphasizes continuous endpoint‐oriented monitoring. ‘Hypotensive’ or ‘hypovolemic’ resuscitation techniques as well as initial volume replacement with fluids other than LRS or saline (e.g., hypertonic saline [HTS], HTS with dextran 70 [HTS‐D]) have been introduced in human medical practice as additional options for treatment of victims of trauma under certain circumstances. Clinical studies evaluating the use of hemoglobin‐based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) in the trauma setting are underway and may soon lead to an expansion of the fluid arsenal available to the clinician for treatment of trauma patients. Veterinary data synthesis: Based on available animal data, neither strict guidelines nor a clear fluid preference for resuscitation of traumatic shock have been defined. Although systematic clinical trials are missing, combinations of crystalloid and colloid (natural or artificial) appear to be as effective for resuscitation as crystalloid alone. Judicious use of an HBOC (e.g., Oxyglobin^®) as a substitute for blood/red blood cells may be recommended in situations where whole blood or pRBCs are not or not yet available. Conclusions: The search for optimal methods of fluid resuscitation in trauma is ongoing. At this point the best solution is a differentiated approach to fluid therapy, one that tailors type and volume of resuscitation solution(s) used to the type and severity of injury in an individual patient and uses monitoring of perfusion and oxygenation parameters to guide resuscitation. Crystalloid fluids are effective for resuscitation but may need to be combined with or replaced by colloidal fluids in certain clinical situations.     

Dissection of a major QTL for seed colour and fibre content in Brassica napus reveals colocalization with candidate genes for phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and flavonoid deposition

A major quantitative trait locus (QTL) influencing seed fibre and colour in Brassica napus was dissected by marker saturation in a doubled haploid (DH) population from the black‐seeded oilseed rape line ‘Express 617’ crossed with a yellow‐seeded B. napus line, ‘1012–98’. The marker at the peak of a sub‐QTL with a strong effect on both seed colour and acid detergent lignin content lay only 4 kb away from a Brassica (H+)‐ATPase gene orthologous to the transparent testa gene AHA10. Near the peak of a second sub‐QTL, we mapped a copy of the key phenylpropanoid biosynthesis gene cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase, while another key phenylpropanoid biosynthesis gene, cinnamoyl co‐a reductase 1, was found nearby. In a cross between ‘Express 617’ and another dark‐seeded parent, ‘V8’, Bna.CCR1 was localized in silico near the peak of a corresponding seed fibre QTL, whereas in this case Bna.CAD2/CAD3 lay nearby. Re‐sequencing of the two phenylpropanoid genes via next‐generation amplicon sequencing revealed intragenic rearrangements and functionally relevant allelic variation in the three parents.     

甘蓝型油菜籽粒含油量、蛋白质、纤维素及半纤维素含量QTL分析

以甘蓝型黄籽油菜GH06和甘蓝型黑籽油菜P174为亲本,通过单粒法连续自交8代构建重组自交系群体,应用SSR标记绘制31个连锁群(LGs)的遗传连锁图谱,图谱总长1437.1 cM,相邻标记间的平均距离为3.89 cM。对4个不同环境下RIL8群体中每个株系籽粒含油量、蛋白质、纤维素和半纤维素含量进行了近红外分析,性状相关性表明含油量与其他3个性状均表现负相关,蛋白质含量与纤维素和半纤维素分别表现负相关和正相关。结合构建的遗传图谱采用复合区间作图法分析4个性状QTL,共检测到26个QTL,分布在N2、N3、N8、N9、N11、N13、N16和N17连锁群上,其中8个含油量QTL可解释表型变异的4.96%~21.83%;6个蛋白含量QTL,可解释表型变异的3.12%~14.28%;4个纤维素含量QTL,可解释表型变异的4.60%~17.29%;8个半纤维素含量QTL,可解释表型变异率的6.66%~16.68%。在N8上,发现有含油量QTL与半纤维素含量QTL重叠的区段。在N9上,发现有纤维素含量QTL与半纤维素含量QTL重叠的区段,上述2个区段重叠QTL加性效应方向相反。本研究认为油菜种子含油量、蛋白质、纤维素和半纤维素属于典型的数量性状,受环境影响较大,与这些QTL紧密相关的分子标记可为下一步分子标记辅助育种提供一定技术支撑。     

Metabolomic Characterization of a cf. Neolyngbya Cyanobacterium from the South China Sea Reveals Wenchangamide A,a Lipopeptide with In Vitro Apoptotic Potential in Colon Cancer Cells

Metabolomics can be used to study complex mixtures of natural products, or secondary metabolites, for many different purposes. One productive application of metabolomics that has emerged in recent years is the guiding direction for isolating molecules with structural novelty through analysis of untargeted LC-MS/MS data. The metabolomics-driven investigation and bioassay-guided fractionation of a biomass assemblage from the South China Sea dominated by a marine filamentous cyanobacteria, cf. Neolyngbya sp., has led to the discovery of a natural product in this study, wenchangamide A (1). Wenchangamide A was found to concentration-dependently cause fast-onset apoptosis in HCT116 human colon cancer cells in vitro (24 h IC₅₀ = 38 μM). Untargeted metabolomics, by way of MS/MS molecular networking, was used further to generate a structural proposal for a new natural product analogue of 1, here coined wenchangamide B, which was present in the organic extract and bioactive sub-fractions of the biomass examined. The wenchangamides are of interest for anticancer drug discovery, and the characterization of these molecules will facilitate the future discovery of related natural products and development of synthetic analogues.     

Assessing Agricultural Sustainable Development Based on the DPSIR Approach： Case Study in Jiangsu, China

According to the contemporary ecosystem approach, the linkages of human actions with their environment have to be assessed in an integrative manner. The Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model is applied to identify and describe processes and interactions in human-environmental systems. An example application from a research project dealing with the development of sustainable management strategies for the agriculture in Jiangsu, China, illustrates the potentials and limitations of its sustainable development. The concept and indicators of ecological integrity are used to assess the indicators in the dimensions of DPSIR between 2003 and 2006. The main drivers included population growth which caused increasing demand for food, growing environmental demands, and rapidly decreasing of land and other natural resources. The main environmental problem was water pollution. The results show that in the dimension of driver, total grain output and agricultural land productivity both increased. Labor intensive agriculture has been promoted to increase agricultural land productivity. In the dimension of pressure, on the positive side, infrastructure got greatly improved, the input level such as total power of machinery, and level of fertilizer use increased, and level of pesticides use decreased, but on the negative side, cultivated land per capita and irrigation rate decreased, natural resources keep decreased. Environmental pollution indicators such as industrial wastewater discharge and acid rain rate increased in Jiangsu Province. In the aspect of state, ecosystem state was improved, plant coverage index increased, biological abundance index increased, fertilizer productivity increased, eco-environmental quality index increased, but land degradation index also increased. In the aspect of impact, output level increased, output efficiency enhanced, farmer’s social economic benefit improved. In the aspect of response, social support was greatly improved, input for environmental governance increased. To assess the effects of environmental governance, Jiangsu government was successful to increase compliance rate of sulfur dioxide emissions, but not so efficient in compliance rate of industrial wastewater discharge.