High water temperature tolerance in photosynthetic activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera japonica</Emphasis> Ascherson &; Graebner seedlings from Ago Bay,Mie Prefecture,central Japan

Photosynthetic activity of Zostera japonica seedlings was measured using a gas volumeter at 0 and 6 days in culture under eight light (0–800 μmol photons/m²/s) and ten water temperature conditions (5–35°C). Seedlings from Ago Bay, Mie Prefecture were cultured in incubators accurately controlled at each test temperature for 1 week. After 1 week, maximum gross photosynthesis (P _maxg) appeared at 29°C and most seedlings cultured at 30–35°C bleached and withered. At the same time, the light compensation point (I _c) increased only at 30°C during the culture period. As a result, the upper critical water temperature for survival was 29°C in Z. japonica seedlings, which agrees well with that for the southern boundary of Z. japonica around Japanese coast. It is necessary to monitor this species around this boundary as a bio-indicator for seawater warming.     

Burkholderia gladioli associated with symptoms of bacterial grain rot and leaf-sheath browning of rice plants

Rice plants with bacterial leaf-sheath browning and grain rot were observed in Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan during the autumn seasons of 1995 and 1996. Burkholderia spp. were consistently isolated from the infected leaf sheaths and grains. These isolates were pathogenic and induced symptoms of seedling rot, grain rot, and leaf-sheath browning in rice plants, as well as in some orchidaceous plants (cymbidium, dendrobium, and oncidium leaves), gladiolus leaves, and onion bulbs. On the basis of morphological, physiological and pathological tests, and species-specific polymerase chain reaction, the isolates were identified as belonging to either Burkholderia glumae or Burkholderia gladioli. B. gladioli, as well as B. glumae, attacked rice plants after artificial inoculation and reproduced the symptoms similar to those after natural infections. We confirmed that rice is an additional natural host of B. gladioli. It is clarified that bacterial grain rot of rice is caused not only by B. glumae but also by B. gladioli.     

Central administration of neuropeptide B, but not prolactin-releasing peptide, stimulates cortisol secretion in sheep

Two neuropeptides, neuropeptide B (NPB) and prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP), have been suggested to play important roles in control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in rodents. The aim of the present study was to clarify the central actions of NPB or PrRP in sheep. Ovariectomized ewes were surgically implanted with a cannula directed to the lateral ventricle. They received intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of 400 mul of artificial cerebrospinal fluid, NPB (0.05, 0.5 or 5 nmol), PrRP (0.5, 5 or 50 nmol) or corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH, 0.5 or 5 nmol) through the cannula, and blood samples were taken 30 and 0 min prior to and 15, 30, 60 and 90 min after the injection. Cortisol concentrations in plasma were determined by enzyme immunoassay. Administration of 0.5 nmol NPB resulted in a significant increase in the cortisol concentration compared with the vehicle control, whereas the cortisol concentration after lower or higher doses of NPB did not differ from the control value. Thus, an icv injection of NPB produced a bell-shaped dose-response of cortisol concentration. Administration of PrRP had no significant effect on the cortisol concentrations at any dose examined. Icv injection of CRH dose-dependently increased plasma cortisol concentrations. These results demonstrate that central NPB stimulates cortisol secretion, suggesting that this neuropeptide plays some roles in control of the HPA axis in sheep. On the other hand, unlike its role in rodents, PrRP is unlikely to be involved in control of the HPA axis in this species.     

Lineage specific detection of the scaly form of the pen shell <Emphasis Type="Italic">Atrina</Emphasis> spp. by a loop-mediated isothermal amplification method

Taxonomy of the pen shell (genus Atrina) in East Asia has been confused because of the plasticity of the shell morphology and lack of unified morphological characteristics. We analyzed the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequence of the pen shell sampled from Ariake Bay and Seto Inland Sea, western Japan. All individuals were identified as the scaly form based on external morphology; however, their COI sequences were comprised of two distinct lineages. The sequence divergence between the two was 8.3%, indicating the high possibility that they are different species. The scaly form of the pen shell in Japan is one of the target species for resource enhancement, therefore COI lineage identification of broodstock individuals is critically important to avoid producing hybrid seed. We developed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification method that enables specific detection of the two lineages. This method can contribute to reducing the cost and time required for genotyping broodstock individuals prior to seed production.     

Seasonal characteristics of surface water quality in the wastewater catchment system of an urbanizing basin

Vientiane, Lao PDR, has been subject to extensive and ongoing urbanization plans, including development of natural marshes and residentialization of paddy fields into suburban areas, despite natural marshes playing a vital role in treating wastewater from urban areas. Therefore, it is important to understand the current situation regarding the nutrient balance in these natural wastewater treatment systems to predict future conditions and design appropriate measures against water quality deterioration. However, limited data are available in Vientiane on the hydrological characteristics of water and nutrient runoff that flow into marshes through drainage canals. In this study, we conducted a periodic survey of drainage canals and Mak Hiao River in the wastewater catchment system surrounding Vientiane during the rainy and dry seasons. We monitored the discharge of surface water at 21 observation sites and analyzed water quality of nitrogen, phosphorus, and total organic carbon. These observations revealed that the concentrations of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus were significantly higher at sites in urban areas, followed by sites in the main river basin and those in agricultural areas. Dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations varied with runoff discharge, especially in urban and river basin sites, with lower concentrations in the rainy season and higher concentrations in the dry season. On the other hand, we found no significant differences between the rainy and dry seasons in nutrient concentrations in the agricultural basin. Finally, we proposed measures to counteract the deterioration of water quality during dry seasons and simulated the impact of these measures.     

Effect of ensiling process of total mixed ration on fermentation profile,nutrient loss and in situ ruminal degradation characteristics of diet

This experiment aimed to determine the changes in chemical composition, fermentation profile, in situ disappearance characteristics, and nutrient losses of ensiled total mixed ration (TMR) containing steam‐flaked corn or brown rice (BR) during storage. TMRs for dairy cows, containing either steam‐flaked corn or BR at 31.9% with 15.2% rye silage, 40.5% alfalfa silage, 5.0% beet pulp and 7.0% soybean meal, were prepared (dry matter (DM) basis). Each TMR was placed in a plastic drum silo, stored at 23°C in an air‐conditioned room and sampled 0, 7, 14, 30, 90 and 210 days after preparation. In both grain sources, the fermentation products increased, while DM and starch storage losses increased and starch content greatly decreased during storage. The rapidly degradable fraction and effective ruminal degradability of DM, crude protein and starch increased during storage. These changes of dietary characteristics were large during 30 days of storage, but small after 90 days of storage. Replacing corn with BR led to increased fermentation products, starch loss and effective ruminal degradability of the ensiled TMR. These results indicate that the ensiling process of TMR changes the dietary characteristics and replacing corn with BR in TMR had a large impact on these dietary characteristics.     

IgE reactivity to vaccine components in dogs that developed immediate-type allergic reactions after vaccination

Allergic reactions after vaccination are considered as an important practical problem in dogs; however, their immunological mechanism has not been well understood. The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between IgE reactivity to the vaccines and immediate-type allergic reactions after vaccination in dogs. Sera from 10 dogs that developed immediate-type allergic reactions such as circulatory collapse, cyanosis, dyspnea, facial edema, and vomiting within 1h after vaccination with non-rabies monovalent or combined vaccines and sera from 50 dogs that did not develop allergic reactions after vaccination were collected. Serum IgE reactivity to the injected vaccines was measured by fluorometric ELISA using a mouse monoclonal anti-dog IgE antibody. Then, IgE reactivity to fetal calf serum (FCS) and stabilizer proteins (gelatin, casein, and peptone) included in the vaccines was measured in sera that had high levels of IgE to the vaccines. Levels of serum specific IgE to the vaccines in dogs with immediate-type allergic reactions (59-4173 fluorescence units [FU], mean +/- S.D.: 992.5 +/- 1181.9 FU) were significantly higher than those in control dogs (38-192 FU, 92.4 +/- 43.3 FU) (P < 0.001). Of the eight dogs that developed immediate-type allergic reactions and had high levels of serum specific IgE to the vaccines, seven had specific IgE directed to FCS. The IgE reactivity to the vaccines in sera from these dogs was almost completely inhibited by FCS. The other one dog had serum IgE directed to gelatin and casein included in the vaccine as stabilizers. The results obtained in this study suggest that immediate-type allergic reactions after vaccination in dogs were induced by type I hypersensitivity mediated by IgE directed to vaccine components. In addition, FCS, gelatin, and casein included in vaccines could be the causative allergens that induced immediate-type allergic reactions after vaccination in dogs.     

Mast cell tumor in the nasal cavity of a dog

An 11-year-old male Shetland sheepdog displayed epistaxis and nasal discharge from the left nasal foramen. Cytological examination of a smear sample obtained by rhinotomy revealed neoplastic mast cells in the nasal cavity, a definitive diagnostic sign of mast cell tumor. The case was treated by surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Eighteen days after the last treatment, marked enlargement of the mandibular lymph nodes and facial edema developed, and the dog was euthanized at the owner's request. At necropsy, metastatic proliferation of mast cells was confirmed in the lymph nodes and liver, but no neoplastic mast cells were observed in the nasal cavity.     

Utility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in differential diagnosis of adrenal tumors in dogs

This prospective case study aimed to clarify the clinical significance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for the differential diagnosis of canine adrenal tumors. Forty-three client-owned dogs with adrenal tumors were included. All dogs underwent CEUS, which was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. The peak signal intensity (PI), time to peak signal intensity (TPI), mean transit time (MTT), upslope, and downslope were calculated for each time-intensity curve. The histopathological diagnosis of each resected mass was compared with the CEUS findings and parameters. Enhancement distribution, vascularity, tortuous nourishing vessels, enhancement pattern, and late-phase enhancement did not differ significantly between adrenal cortical adenoma (CA), adenocarcinoma (CAC), and pheochromocytoma (PHEO) in qualitative assessment. In PHEO, the TPI was significantly more rapid compared with that in CA (P=0.0287) and CAC (P=0.0404). The MTT in PHEO was significantly shorter than that in CA (P=0.0016) and CAC (P=0.0003). Upslope in PHEO was larger than that in CAC (P=0.0406). Downslope in PHEO was significantly larger than that in CA (P=0.0048) and CAC (P=0.0018). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that the area under the MTT curve yielded 0.91 for distinguishing PHEO from adrenocortical tumors in dogs; an MTT cut-off value less than 6,225 msec yielded a sensitivity of 69%, specificity of 94%, and likelihood ratio of 12.46. CEUS appears to be clinically applicable for the differential diagnosis between cortical and medullary origins of primary adrenal tumors in dogs.