Hair cortisol concentration in pre‐ and postpartum dairy cows,and its association with body condition,hock health,and reproductive status

The objective of this study was to investigate the profiles of hair cortisol concentrations as an index of chronic stress in dairy cows in association with their health, nutrition, and reproductive parameters. For 25 Holstein dairy cows, hair was collected from the tail switch ?19.2 ± 11.4, 44.8 ± 11.9, 103.0 ± 9.9, and 168.0 ± 9.7 days postpartum (L0, L1, L2, and L3, respectively). Body condition scores were negatively correlated with hair cortisol concentrations (r = ?0.255), and hock health scores were positively correlated with hair cortisol concentrations (r = 0.236, p < 0.05). Hair cortisol concentrations during the postpartum period showed different patterns according to the time of first artificial insemination (AI) and fertility. Cows that were submitted to first AI by 86 days postpartum showed a peak hair cortisol concentration at L1, whereas cows with delayed first AI had a peak at L2. The hair cortisol concentrations of subfertile (≥168 days) cows were significantly higher at L1 and L2 compared with L0, whereas hair cortisol concentrations of fertile cows (<168 days) were not different among the sampling times. These results indicate that cows with health problems appear to experience greater chronic stress, which may impair their reproductive function.     

Formation and chemical structures of acid-soluble lignin II: reaction of aromatic nuclei model compounds with xylan in the presence of a counterpart for condensation,and behavior of lignin model compounds with guaiacyl and syringyl nuclei in 72% sulfuric acid

To elucidate the formation and chemical structures of water-soluble material in acid-soluble lignin (ASL), lignin aromatic nuclei model compounds of creosol (I) and 5-methoxycreosol (II) were reacted with xylose or xylan in the presence of apocynol as a counterpart for condensation in 72% sulfuric acid (SA). The reaction of I gave mainly condensation product. However, the condensation reaction of II with apocynol was suppressed because of steric hindrance from the methoxyl group, and II yielded a C-xyloside after refluxing in 3% SA together with condensation products. To obtain information on CHCl₃-soluble material in ASL, model compounds of arylglycerol--aryl ethers with guaiacyl (VIII) and syringyl (X) nuclei were treated by the Klason procedure. VIII gave only insoluble polymerized product, while X gave insoluble polymerized product and CHCl₃-soluble low molecular weight products, which were dissolved in 3% SA. These results prove earlier views that water-soluble material in ASL consists of condensation products formed from syringyl lignin and monosaccharide units in hemicellulose. In addition, the CHCl₃-soluble material in ASL appears to be composed of low molecular weight degradation products from SA treatment of Klason lignin with the syringyl nucleus.Part of this report was presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Tokyo, April 2001 and at the 47th Lignin Symposium, Fukuoka, October 2002, and was reviewed in Mokuzai Gakkaishi (2002) 48:55–62     

MRI examination of the masticatory muscles in the gray wolf (Canis lupus), with special reference to the M. temporalis.

We examined the head of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) using MRI methods. Although the arising surface of the M. temporalis was not so enlarged in the frontal bone, the small frontal bone did not disturb the M. temporalis from occupying the lateral space of the frontal area in the gray wolf as in the domesticated dog. In the gray wolf, it is suggested that the M. temporalis may not be well-developed in terms of size of arising area, but in the thickness of running bundles. We suggest that the dog has changed the three-dimensional plan of the M. temporalis during the domestication and that the M. temporalis has developed a large arising surface in the frontal bone and lost the thickness of belly in the frontal area in accordance with the enlargement of the frontal bone and the increase in brain size.     

Comparison of the effectiveness of high and low LET radiations for the proportion of survivals with liver tumors at every age in (C57BL/6N x C3H/HeN) F1 mice

To investigate the late effects of neutrons at the energy below 1 MeV on the liver carcinogenesis as a function of age, one-week old mice were exposed to 1.0 Gy monoenergetic neutrons (0.317, 0.525 and 1.026 MeV) or 137Cs gamma rays. Survival and carcinogenesis were examined by 18 months of age. Following radiation, tumor incidences in liver, Harderian gland, lung, ovary and pituitary gland were compared. The proportion of the lifespan with liver tumors exposed to neutrons to that exposed to gamma rays was calculated as a function of age. Survival rates among the three groups exposed to neutrons of different energies were not significantly different from one another but shorter than those treated with gamma rays for both sexes. With regard to liver tumor incidence evaluated at 18 months of age, the effectiveness of neutrons to gamma rays was 2.54 for females, and 2.08 for males by the factor. Levels of estrogen in the serum were similar between mice bearing liver tumors and those devoid of tumors. In conclusion, all three energies of neutrons induced similar effectiveness with respect to liver carcinogenicity. Proportions of the lifespan with liver tumors of neutron-exposed to gamma-exposed were shorter in females than males along with ages over 12 months. To obtain this factor at every age contributed for the evaluation of the biological effectiveness of radiations with the parameter of tumor incidence and latency simultaneously.     

Cloning,expression, and tissue distribution of bovine interleukin-21

Bovine interleukin-21 (IL-21) cDNA was cloned and sequenced from bovine peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) stimulated with 10 microg/ml concanavalin A (ConA), 10 microg/ml phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and 50 ng/ml phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for 48 h. The open reading frame of the bovine IL-21 cDNA is 459 bp in length and encodes 152 amino acids. The predicted amino acid sequence is 78.2 and 58.5% homologous to the human and murine IL-21 amino acid sequences, respectively. Recombinant bovine IL-21 was expressed by a baculovirus expression system. The bovine IL-21 was processed to the mature form in insect cells and secreted to the supernatant confirmed by N-terminal amino acid sequencing. The recombinant bovine mature IL-21 induced the proliferation of human IL-2-dependent cells, ILT-MAT. The mRNA expression for bovine IL-21 was observed in the spleen, but not in the brain, heart, lung, liver, and kidney. The bovine IL-21 identified in this study may provide new methods for the enhancement of innate immunity in cows.     

Pearling Quality of Canadian Barley Varieties and their Potential Use as Rice Extenders*

Barley can be used as an extender of rice to increase the nutritive value of the end-product. Specific quality barley is required if the processed barley is to resemble cooked white rice in colour and shape. The barley must pearl and split without the production of broken kernels or fines and yet produce desired end use quality. Barley endosperm texture and colour are key to determining these processing characteristics. Testing of Canadian barley types indicated the waxy type was most appropriate for pearling and processing as rice extender. It had a firm endosperm texture that was not steely and yet processed into a white product with few broken grains. Covered barley was of better quality than hull-less, as the former generally had fewer steely kernels as well as firmer endosperm texture. Differences observed between two- and six-rowed type were related to grain size and could be overcome by proper adjustments to processing conditions. Growing conditions affected kernel size and barley protein contents but to a lesser extent than barley type. L* brightness values, Particle Size Index and kernel size were found to be important predictors of barley quality for pearling and as rice extender.     

Multivariate analysis in skull osteometry of the common tree shrew from both sides of the Isthmus of Kra in Southern Thailand

The Isthmus of Kra in Southern Thailand consists of a lowland of about 70 km in length. It has been suggested that the Isthmus may sink beneath the sea surface according to the change of level of the sea, and may function as a zoogeographical barrier in land mammals in this region. So, the geographical variation was osteometrically examined in skull of the common tree shrew (Tupaia glis) from the both sides of Isthmus of Kra. The osteometrical examination demonstrated that the skull is larger in southern population than in northern one. In the charts of the principal component analysis, however, the morphological separation between two populations can not be obviously seen in female. While, the results of the discriminant analysis indicated the morphological separation between the two populations. These findings suggest that the zoogeographical barrier of Isthmus of Kra may have influence on the osteometrical variation in the common tree shrew, when the Isthmus was covered with sea.     

Large-scale production of porcine mature interleukin-18 (IL-18) in silkworms using a hybrid baculovirus expression system

In this report, a hybrid baculovirus expression system, which means a hybrid virus of the Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus and the Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus, was used for the large-scale production of porcine mature interleukin-18 (IL-18) in silkworms. Two recombinant hybrid baculoviruses containing cDNA of the porcine precursor IL-18 and the porcine caspase-1 were constructed and were used to infect silkworm larvae. After the co-infection of the two viruses, porcine mature IL-18 was efficiently produced in the haemolymph. The concentration of IL-18 in the haemolymph was 80-100 microg/ml, as determined by porcine IL-18 specific ELISA. This yield was twenty-times more than that of the insect cell expression system described previously. The porcine mature IL-18 produced by the silkworms strongly induced interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production from porcine PBMC. An insect factory system for the large-scale production of useful cytokines for livestock animals will be available in the near future.     

Effects of feeding calves genetically modified corn bt11: a clinico-biochemical study

Genetically modified corn Bt11 is insect-resistant and expresses Cry1Ab toxin, an insecticidal protein, in kernels. Although Bt11 corn is considered safe based on animal performance, there are no reports available on the clinico-biochemical effects of feeding it to cattle. In this study, we evaluated the effects of feeding Bt11 to calves, using blood and ruminal clinico-biochemical parameters. Our three-month-long feeding experiment demonstrated that calves (n=6), fed with a ration containing 43.3% of Bt11 corn kernels as dry matter, did not develop any discernible clinical, hematological, biochemical, or ruminal abnormalities as compared with control calves (n=6) fed non-Bt11 corn. The results suggest that the transgenic Bt11 has no negative clinico-biochemical effects on calves.     

Characteristics of microfibrillated cellulosic fibers and paper sheets from Korean white pine

Microfibrillated cellulosic fibrous product was successfully obtained from Korean white pine (Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et Zucc.) by using two alternative pretreatments (steam and ozone treatments) followed by disk milling (DM). The steam and ozone treatments were effective in extracting some of the hemicelluloses and degrading lignin, respectively, with both types of treatment resulting in the improvement of mechanical fibrillation as a result of loosening of the cell wall structure. The obtained products showed nanoscopic fibrous morphology even though hemicelluloses and lignin components remained. The specific surface area and filtration time were increased using the DM treatment after both treatments, and the values increased further with longer periods of DM. The paper sheets of the fibrillated products after both the alternative treatments had higher tensile properties at the same DM time scale than the sheets of the products obtained without treatment. Tensile strength was further increased by increasing sheet density showing the highest tensile strength and modulus of 125 MPa and 20 GPa, respectively.