Tumor promoters inhibit morphological differentiation in cultured mouse neuroblastoma cells

When added to mouse neuroblastoma cultures, the potent tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) inhibits spontaneous neurite formation as well as that induced in response to serum deprivation, prostaglandin E1, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine, and papaverine. Other tumor-promoting macrocyclic plant diterpenes also inhibit neurite formation, whereas nonpromoting diterpenes do not. Inhibition by TPA was reversible and was unrelated to toxicity.     

Central nervous system lesions caused by canine distemper virus in 4 vaccinated dogs

We examined the cerebellum and cerebrum of 4 vaccinated dogs, 3–60-mo-old, that displayed clinical signs of canine distemper virus (CDV) infection, and died 7–40 d after developing neurologic signs. The main histologic lesions were demyelination, gliosis, meningitis, perivascular lymphocytic cuffing, and inclusion bodies. These lesions were similar in all 4 cases regardless of the time since vaccination, except that meningoencephalitis and gliosis were subacute in 3 dogs and chronic in 1 dog. However, these differences did not appear to be related to their vaccination status. Immunohistologically, a CDV-positive immunoreaction was seen mainly in astrocytes, neurons and their axons, lymphocytes around and in the blood vessels of the pia mater and choroid plexus, ependymal cells of each ventricle, and the cells of the choroid plexus. The histologic and immunohistologic changes were similar in the cerebellum and cerebrum. The genetic characterization of the virus strains in 2 of these naturally occurring canine distemper cases confirmed that they were South American wild-type strains (Kiki and Uy251) belonging to the EU1/SA1 lineage. These strains are not included in the commercial CDV vaccines available in Uruguay.     

Seasonal Surface Drainage of Sloping Farmland: A Review of Its Hydrogeomorphic Impacts

The combination of runoff‐generating areas (saturated soils) and overland flow concentration in features such as drainage ditches makes sloping farmland vulnerable to soil erosion. The establishment of drainage ditches aims at draining the excess of water from the farmland, particularly in areas where soils are saturated in the rainy season. The hydrogeomorphic impacts on the farmland itself and on downstream areas need however also to be studied. Off site, downstream problems comprise higher peak discharges, leading to gully initiation, an increase in sediment load, and flooding problems. On‐site problems such as the development of the drainage ditches into (ephemeral) gullies are less documented, although they may be important, as illustrated in the Lake Tana Basin (Ethiopia). The similarities and interactions between ephemeral gully channels and drainage ditches have to be considered to better understand all effects of drainage. Drainage ditches are a potential source of conflict between farmers with different interests and power, as well as between upstream and downstream users. A case study on drainage ditches on sloping farmlands in the Lake Tana Basin showed that nine out of ten catchments had drainage densities by ditches ranging from 53 to 510 m ha⁻¹. Drainage ditches were constructed with an average top width of 27 (±9) cm. A significant correlation was found between stone bund density (physical conservation structures) and ditch drainage density (R = −0·72), in line with the Ethiopian government's ban on drainage ditches in farmlands where stone bunds have been constructed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Abscisic acid related compounds and lignans in prunes (Prunus domestica L.) and their oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC)

Four new abscisic acid related compounds (1-4), together with (+)-abscisic acid (5), (+)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl abscisate (6), (6S,9R)-roseoside (7), and two lignan glucosides ((+)-pinoresinol mono-beta-D-glucopyranoside (8) and 3-(beta-D-glucopyranosyloxymethyl)-2- (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-5-(3-hydroxypropyl)-7-methoxy-(2R,3S)-dihydrobenzofuran (9)) were isolated from the antioxidative ethanol extract of prunes (Prunus domestica L.). The structures of 1-4 were elucidated on the basis of NMR and MS spectrometric data to be rel-5-(3S,8S-dihydroxy-1R,5S-dimethyl-7-oxa-6-oxobicyclo[3,2,1]oct-8-yl)-3-methyl-2Z,4E-pentadienoic acid (1), rel-5-(3S,8S-dihydroxy-1R,5S-dimethyl-7-oxa-6-oxobicyclo[3,2,1]oct-8-yl)-3-methyl-2Z,4E-pentadienoic acid 3'-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside (2), rel-5-(1R,5S-dimethyl-3R,4R,8S-trihydroxy-7-oxa-6-oxobicyclo[3,2,1]oct-8-yl)-3-methyl-2Z,4E-pentadienoic acid (3), and rel-5-(1R,5S-dimethyl-3R,4R,8S-trihydroxy-7-oxabicyclo[3,2,1]- oct-8-yl)-3-methyl-2Z,4E-pentadienoic acid (4). The antioxidant activities of these isolated compounds were evaluated on the basis of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). The ORAC values of abscisic acid related compounds (1-7) were very low. Two lignans (8 and 9) were more effective antioxidants whose ORAC values were 1.09 and 2.33 micromol of Trolox equiv/micromol, respectively.     

Intramammary antibiotics with complementary acupuncture decreases milk serum N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase concentrations in dairy cattle with subclinical mastitis

The objective of this research is to determine whether intramammary antibiotics with complementary acupuncture can reduce bovine mammary inflammation due to subclinical mastitis. Lactating cows were selected based on milk with a somatic cell count (SCC) greater than 500,000 cells/ml. Pre- and post-treatment milk samples were collected to determine SCC, aerobic bacterial content, milk ion conductivity, total protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase) concentrations. Milk serum was prepared from milk samples by double centrifugation. Concentrations of LDH and NAGase were determined using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Cows being treated with intramammary antibiotics were separated by random assignment to the acupuncture group (n = 10) and a no-acupuncture (control) group (n = 9). Both the acupuncture and control group were restrained for 30 min in a head catch 12 hr apart for a total of four times. For front quarters affected by subclinical mastitis, the acupuncture points used were spleen (SP) 12, SP 17, SP 18, SP 21, stomach (ST) 18 and conception vessel (CV) 12. For rear quarters affected by subclinical mastitis, the acupuncture points used were bladder (BL) 30, BL 30-1, BL 49, kidney (KI) 10, conception vessel (CV) 2 and CV 3. All parameters were compared using a Student t test. Significance was defined as p < .05. Compared to control cows, complementary acupuncture treatment reduced NAGase enzymatic activity in quarters of cows with subclinical mastitis. The reduction in NAGase suggests that complementary acupuncture treatment may be associated with healing of the damaged mammary epithelial cells, which are the primary source of NAGase activity in milk serum.     

The phenotypic characteristics and relational database for Vietnamese native pig populations

Although there are a number of Vietnamese native pig (VnP) populations, some are on the verge of extinction, and therefore adequate management and conservation are necessary. In this study, we conducted a field survey of VnP populations and analyzed interrelationships among their characteristics. We also established a relational database for management of field data on these populations. For data collection, we conducted interviews with farmers and visual inspection of 32 VnP populations in 22 provinces of Vietnam, as well as taking photographs of individual animals. Data on the characteristics of VnP populations were subjected to multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). For establishment of the database, normalization and table partitioning were performed to eliminate redundancy and ensure consistency of the collected data items. Passport data, characteristics data, and image data were collected from a total of 1,918 VnPs and entered as a normalized table. Upon MCA, most of the populations were not separated from each other, but the Mong Cai, O Lam, and Chu Prong populations were separated from the other populations. Thus, we have constructed a relational database from comprehensive information on the characteristics of VnP populations.     

Improving the detection of rare native fish species in environmental DNA metabarcoding surveys

1. The presence of threatened or endangered species often strongly influences management and conservation decisions. Within the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), Australia, the presence of threatened native fish affects the management and allocation of water resources. In New South Wales, these decisions are currently based on traditional fisheries data and a predictive MaxEnt model. However, it is important to verify the model's predictive power given the implication it may have, but this requires methods with a high detection sensitivity for rare species.
2. Although the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring, in particular eDNA metabarcoding, achieves a higher detection sensitivity compared with traditional methods, earlier surveys in the MDB have shown that the highly abundant and invasive common carp (Cyprinus carpio) can reduce detection probabilities for rare species. Consequently, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) blocking primer designed to block the amplification of carp eDNA could increase the detection probabilities for rare native species while simultaneously reducing the required sampling effort and survey costs. Although PCR blocking primers are often used in ancient DNA and dietary studies, no aquatic eDNA metabarcoding study to date has evaluated the potential benefits of using PCR blocking primers.
3. A laboratory and field-based pilot study was used to address this knowledge gap and assess the impact of a blocking primer, targeting cyprinid fishes (including carp), on the detection probabilities of native species and the minimum sampling effort required.
4. Results showed that the inclusion of the blocking primer increased the detection probabilities for native species by 10–20% and reduced the minimum required sampling effort by 25–50%. These findings provide important insights into possible methods for optimizing eDNA metabarcoding surveys for the detection of rare aquatic species.

     

Clinico-pathological findings in peripartum dairy cows fed anion salts lowering the dietary cation-anion difference: involvement of serum inorganic phosphorus, chloride and plasma estrogen concentrations in milk fever

In our previous study, it was demonstrated that the administration of anion salts, which slightly lower the dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD), in the prepartum period is safe and effective for preventing milk fever in multiparous cows. In the present study, several clinico-pathological constituents in serum and urine, which might be related to milk fever, were analyzed using stored samples from the previous study to identify clinico-pathological parameters for easily evaluating the efficacy of lowering DCAD and to further investigate the mechanism by which lowering DCAD prevents milk fever. Among the parameters analyzed in the present study, inorganic phosphorus (iP) was involved in milk fever because the serum concentration and urinary excretion of iP were significantly higher in the group of primiparous cows (heifer group), which did not develop hypocalcemia, than those in other groups of multiparous cows. Serum chloride concentrations in the heifer group and the group of multiparous cows fed anion salts (anion group) tended to remain higher than those in other control groups of multiparous cows suggesting that serum chloride concentration may be utilized for evaluating the status of metabolic acidosis and the efficacy of lowerng DCAD in dairy cows fed anion salts. In addition, plasma estradiol-17beta concentration in the heifer group tended to be lower at parturition compared with that in other multiparous groups suggesting that estrogen known as a potent inhibitor of bone resorption may be involved in developing milk fever.