Optimization of in vitro embryo production and zygote vitrification for the indigenous Vietnamese Ban pig: The effects of different in vitro oocyte maturation systems

The Vietnamese Ban pig is a precious genetic resource that needs to be preserved. In vitro embryo production from in vitro matured (IVM) oocytes is an important tool for the utilization of cryopreserved porcine sperm. The aim of this study was to compare two media for the IVM of Ban pig oocytes. Immature oocytes were subjected to IVM either in a non‐defined (TCM‐199 + pig follicular fluid) or in a defined base medium (POM + epidermal growth factor). At the end of IVM, the oocytes were in vitro fertilized (IVF) with frozen Ban sperm. Ten hours after IVF, the oocytes were either subjected to orcein staining to check fertilization and maturation status or cultured in vitro for 7 days. There was no difference between the two IVM media in terms of percentages of oocyte maturation and blastocyst production. However, the percentage of male pronuclear formation after IVF and the total cell numbers in blastocysts were higher with the defined system. Zygotes obtained by the two IVM systems survived vitrification at similar rates. In conclusion, the two IVM systems were both effective for the production of Ban pig embryos; however, better embryo quality was achieved with the defined one.     

Impact of luxuriant aquatic plants on thermal convection in a closed water body

The attenuation of heat flux at the water surface with aquatic plants was examined by hydraulic experiments to consider the influence of aquatic plants on the magnitude of thermal disturbance in the closed water body. First of all, the experiment measuring temperatures on surface of leaf revealed the thermal conductivity of the leaf which is peculiar physicality of each aquatic plant. Then, the hydraulic experiment examined attenuation of the underwater illuminance and the heat flux in the covered part which depending on the kind and the luxuriant density of the aquatic plants. As the result, it is clarified that the attenuation rate of the illuminance is large in the plant with a thick leaf, and that the heat flux at the water surface and the developmental velocity of the mixed layer decreased when the luxuriant density of the aquatic plants increased.     

Effects of application for international quality assurance certifications on the farm’s profit: evidence from Vietnamese shrimp

Aquaculture International - Food incidents have led to the increase in demand for food products certified by an international quality assurance certification of consumers all over the world. Shrimp...     

Influence of green lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) in alleviating signs of arthritis in dogs

This study evaluated the efficacy of green lipped mussel (GLM), added to a complete dry diet, for alleviating clinical signs of arthritis in dogs. A double-blind longitudinal study design was used with 31 mixed-breed dogs exhibiting varying degrees of arthritis. Each dog was evaluated by a veterinarian and joints were individually scored for degree of pain, swelling, crepitus, and reduction in range of movement. Summation of all scores for an individual dog comprised its total arthritis score. At baseline, dogs were randomly allocated to control and test groups. Both groups were fed the same base dry diet, to which 0.3% GLM powder was added for dogs in the test group. The change in total arthritis score by the end of 6 weeks showed there was significant improvement (P <.05) in the test group versus the control group. Significant improvements were also observed in joint pain and swelling scores in the test group. Changes in joint crepitus and range of joint movement were not significantly different between the test and control groups. These findings provide strong evidence that GLM incorporated into a complete dry diet can help alleviate arthritis symptoms in dogs.     

Where art thou louse? A snapshot of attachment location preferences in salmon lice on Atlantic salmon hosts in sea cages

Problematic sea lice infestations on farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) have motivated extensive research and development into new methods to prevent, monitor and control sea lice. Most of these technologies require detailed information on the behaviour, spatial distribution and demography of lice on host fish. This study investigated how salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infestation density varies across the host's surface under sea cage farming conditions. Lice abundance, demography and attachment location were tracked over time, with repeated sampling of 300 individually tagged salmon across three replicate experimental sea cages. The data reveal clear differences in attachment locations according to sex and stage, but with an overall preference for the dorsal surface among mobile stages—dorsal head for adult females and dorsal-posterior section for males and pre-adults. Total lice abundance was highly variable between repeated measures of individual fish, consistent with frequent host-switching or mortality. Total lice numbers also declined between sampling dates, likely due to handling, with lost mobile lice being almost exclusively adult males. As the distribution of sea lice on hosts is likely determined by numerous factors, future image-based automated detection systems should be validated in settings that reflect the complex host–parasite interactions that occur in open farming systems.     

Concentrations of trace elements in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Meretrix</Emphasis> spp. (Mollusca: Bivalva) along the coasts of Vietnam

The dominant coastal bivalve in Vietnam, hard clams Meretrix spp., collected from the South Key Economic Zone (SKEZ), the Mekong River Delta, and the Central Coastal Zone (CCZ) were analyzed for 21 trace elements. Comparison of the results from the three regions indicated that levels of most of the trace elements, especially As, Mo, Sn, and Pb, were highest in the samples collected from the CCZ, whereas most of the trace elements were found to be present at relatively low levels in samples from the SKEZ. The high concentrations of these trace elements in the CCZ, a sparsely populated region with less human activity than the other two regions, were believed to have originated from industrial waste produced in a shipyard. Although the trace element concentrations in the bivalves were within safe levels for human-consumption criteria reported by the United State Food and Drug Administration and the European Commission, estimation of cancer risk based on As concentration indicates that the hard clams from the CCZ pose a high risk to consumers. Thus, the industrial waste produced in the less densely populated region might increase the health risk to consumers via the contamination of bivalves commonly used as food.     

Evaluation of the Pathogenicity and Immune Response of Nervous Necrosis Virus Isolated in Vietnam

Eight strains of nervous necrosis virus （NNV） isolated in Vietnam were used to detect the pathogenicity and immune response in sea bass （SB）. All strains induced cytopathic effect in SB cell line, complete destruction of monolayer of cells appeared after seven days post infection （dpi）. Virus titer was different for each strain, TCIDso ranged from 102.7 to 1069, and LDs0 from 1015 to 1075. Five NNV strains named QN 02, QN 05, QN 07, ND 11 and KH 05 had higher virulence than the other three, the first causing 100% mortality in experimental fish 3-5 dpi. NNV KH 05 had the highest antigenic similarity, and it was inactivated completely by 0.2% formalin, 0.002 mol/L binary ethylenimine （BEI） and 0.1% beta-propiolactone. The neutralization antibody titer obtained in fish of groups immunized by BEI 0.002 M and beta-propiolactone 0.1% inactivated virus was four to eight times higher than that of the group treated with the formalin inactivated virus. The antibody titer in fish immunized with beta-propiolactone inactivated virus was more persistent. The efficacy of vaccines developed from beta-propiolactone inactivated virus and aluminium hydroxide （AH） or aluminum phosphate （AP） was observed by intramuscularly immunizing Epinephelusfuscoguttatus size 1.5 cm. Neutralizing antibodies appeared in vaccinated fish on 10th day post-immunization （dpi） at a dilution of 1：16; 1：32 and highest levels were reached on 30-45 dpi, at dilutions of 1：256 and 1：512, after treatment with AH and AP vaccine, respectively. The relative percent of survival （RPS） of vaccine at 30 dpi was highest with challenge doses 0.2-1 × 10^6.8 TCIDs0, the RPS varied from 80%-83.3% in both groups of AH and AP immunization. This result provides the basis for developing a vaccine against NNA disease.     

不同产地川党参土壤养分主成分分析和聚类分析

收集并测定了川党参主产地的27份土壤样品的16个养分指标,统计分析表明,土壤养分分布有偏斜。应用主成分分析法,可将16个养分指标简化为6个主成分,6个主成分所提供的信息量占全部信息量的85．30％。在主成分分析的基础上,对27份土壤样品进行聚类分析,若以hum10作为分类标准,可将其划分为4类,第一类17个,第二类5个,第三类4个,第四类1个,63．0％的土壤样品可归为一类;若以hum15作为分类标准,可将其划分为3类,第一类22个,第二类4个,第三类1个,81．5％的土壤样品可归为一类。     

Development of large and small blastomeres from 2‐cell embryos produced in vitro in pigs

In the present study, we examined the development to blastocysts of large and small blastomeres from unevenly cleaved 2‐cell embryos (uneven 2‐cell embryos) in pigs. Proportion of blastocysts derived from large blastomeres (52.8 ± 6.4%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared with small ones (32.1 ± 4.6%). However, there were no differences in total cell number, inner cell mass (ICM) cell number and ICM/total cells ratio between them. Of 53 sister blastomere pairs in the same embryos examined there were 12 pairs (22.6%) in which both blastomeres developed to blastocysts, 16 pairs (30.2%) in which only large blastomeres developed to blastocysts, and five pairs (9.4%) in which only small blastomeres developed to blastocysts. Relative total amount of active mitochondria in small blastomeres were lower (P < 0.05) than that of large blastomeres and blastomeres from evenly cleaved 2‐cell embryos. However, there was no difference in relative density of active mitochondria in these three types of blastomeres. In conclusion, blastocysts derived from small and large blastomeres in uneven 2‐cell embryos had comparable quality in terms of cell number, ICM number, ICM/total cell ratio and distribution of active mitochondria. The results suggest that these blastomeres may contribute multiple offspring production in pigs.     

Chemical structure of terrestrial humus materials formed from different vegetation characterized by solid-state 13C NMR with CP-MAS techniques

Eleven samples of terrestrial humus from different vegetational backgrounds were examined with solid-state ¹³C NMR using cross-polarization and magic-angle spinning (CP-MAS). In addition, all the samples were run with a dipolar dephasing pulse sequence for non-quarternary carbon suppression (NQS). The humus samples all appeared to contain small amounts of aromatic substances and larger amounts of aliphatic compounds. Most of the samples contained considerable amounts of hydroxyl groups and acetals, which originate mainly from carbohydrates. No correlations were found between vegetational background and chemical structure.