The characterization of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses isolated from wild birds in northern Vietnam from 2006 to 2009

Due to concerns that wild birds could possibly spread H5N1 viruses, surveillance was conducted to monitor the types of avian influenza viruses circulating among the wild birds migrating to or inhabiting in northern Vietnam from 2006 to 2009. An H5N2 virus isolated from a Eurasian woodcock had a close phylogenetic relationship to H5 viruses recently isolated in South Korea and Japan, suggesting that H5N2 has been shared between Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. An H9N2 virus isolated from a Chinese Hwamei was closely related to two H9N2 viruses that were isolated from humans in Hong Kong in 2009, suggesting that an H9N2 strain relevant to the human isolates had been transmitted to and maintained among the wild bird population in Vietnam and South China. The results support the idea that wild bird species play a significant role in the spread and maintenance of avian influenza and that this also occurs in Vietnam.     

The presence of heat-labile factors interfering with binding analysis of fibrinogen with ferritin in horse plasma

Background

Horse fibrinogen has been identified as a plasma specific ferritin-binding protein. There are two ways in the binding of ferritin-binding protein with ferritin: one is direct binding and the other is indirect binding which is heme-mediated. The aim of this study was to analyze the binding between horse fibrinogen and ferritin.

Findings

Although fibrinogen in horse plasma did not show the binding to ferritin coated on the plate wells, after following heat-treatment (60°C, 30 min) of horse plasma, plasma fibrinogen as well as purified horse fibrinogen bound to plates coated with horse spleen ferritin, but not with its apoferritin which lost heme as well as iron after the treatment of reducing reagent. Binding of purified or plasma fibrinogen to ferritin was inhibited by hemin and Sn-protoporphyrin IX (Sn-PPIX), but not by PPIX or Zn-PPIX.

Conclusions

Heat-treatment of horse plasma enabled plasma fibrinogen to bind to plate well coated with holo-ferritin. From the binding analysis of fibrinogen and ferritin, it is suggested that horse fibrinogen recognized iron or tin in complexed with the heme- or the hemin-ring, and also suggest that some fibrinogens circulate in the form of a complex with ferritin and/or heat-labile factors which inhibit the binding of fibrinogen with ferritin.     

Micro‐elevations in paddy fields affect the efficacy of mechanical weeding: Evaluation of weeding machines to control Monochoria vaginalis in herbicide‐free farming

Differences in local topography (micro‐elevation) within a paddy field that constitute a source of variability in agronomical indicators have not been considered thoroughly as a block factor in weed studies. This study investigated and evaluated the performance of weeding machines (weeders) in two herbicide‐free paddy fields that contained micro‐elevations. The plant density of Monochoria vaginalis, a typical and harmful paddy weed unless controlled with herbicides, was used as the indicator of the efficacy of the weeders. Among the three weeders that were tested, one suppressed M. vaginalis dramatically at low elevations and the others were less sensitive to micro‐elevation. For comparison across the fields, micro‐elevations at weed sampling locations were converted to the initial depth of water by using the records of hydrographs that had been set in each field. The relationship between the initial depth of water and the plant density of M. vaginalis was very clear with the use of the elevation‐sensitive weeder. Moreover, this relationship was valid, even with the less‐sensitive weeders. The finding that the greater the depth of water, the less the plant density was significant, even for M. vaginalis, a difficult aquatic paddy weed that was controlled with any of the weeders tested. Thus, micro‐elevation within a paddy field needs to be treated as a crucial block factor in weed‐sampling studies. A coarse survey of the level of a field and the installation of a hydrograph are recommended for a clear analysis of the background of weed control practices.     

Stress relaxation of wood during the elevating and lowering processes of temperature and the set after relaxation

Stress relaxation of water-saturated wood was examined at various temperatures and during the processes of elevation and lowering of temperature. The difference between relaxation at a lower temperature and that at a higher temperature was almost same as the increase in relaxation during temperature elevation. Similar results were obtained regardless of the elevating speed of the temperature and regardless of preheating the samples. On the other hand, relaxation behavior during temperature lowering was quite different from that during temperature elevation. The relaxation moduli during the process of lowering the temperature scarcely changed, although those at various constant temperatures decreased with increases in temperature. Marked sets occurred after relaxation measurements under temperature lowering, whereas only slight sets occurred during the process of elevating the temperature or at a constant temperature of 80°C. Furthermore, it was found that the sets that occurred during the process of temperature reduction were almost recovered when the samples were heated again in water. The mechanism of the relaxation behaviors observed in the present study under nonequilibrium temperature is discussed in relation to the occurrence of set after relaxation measurements.Part of this report was presented at the 48th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Shizuoka, April 1998     

Artoindonesianin L, a new prenylated flavone with cytotoxic activity from Artocarpus rotunda

A new prenylated flavone, named artoindonesianin L (1), was isolated from Artocarpus rotunda (Hout) Panzer (Moraceae). Its structure was elucidated as on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Along with this new compound, four known phenolic compounds were also isolated from this plant and identified as artonins M (2) and E (3), cycloartobiloxanthone (4) and artonin O (5). All these compounds showed significant cytotoxicity against murine P388 leukemia cells.     

The crown shape of an evergreen oak,Quercus glauca, in a hardwood community

The spatial pattern of the crown spread ofQuercus glauca in a hardwood community was investigated in order to consider the effect of the patterns on its survival in a secondary hardwood community. The shape of a crown was defined by the spatial spread of the leaves (PCM crown), and by the spread of their branches (elliptic cylinder crown). The stem volume growth rate of a tree was strongly correlated with the corresponding total leaf area, which was then significantly correlated with the defined crown volume. This indicated that the stem volume growth depended on the crown volume as well as the total leaf area. An increase in leaf area was largely attained by the spatial volume of the crown, not by an increase in the leaf area density. The leaves inside the crown began to spread horizontally relative to the crown size as the total leaf area and tree size increased. On the other hand, for the crowns representing the branch spread, the crown shape (crown width/depth ratio) did not differ by internal leaf area and tree size. Such a spatial pattern was likely to be adaptive for a species that dominates at a mid-stage of secondary sere.     

The PFA-AMeX method achieves a good balance between the morphology of tissues and the quality of RNA content in DNA microarray analysis with laser-capture microdissection samples

Recently, large-scale gene expression profiling is often performed using RNA extracted from unfixed frozen or formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples. However, both types of samples have drawbacks in terms of the morphological preservation and RNA quality. In the present study, we investigated 30 human prostate tissues using the PFA-AMeX method (fixation using paraformaldehyde (PFA) followed by embedding in paraffin by AMeX) with a DNA microarray combined with laser-capture microdissection. Morphologically, in contrast to the case of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, loss of basal cells in prostate adenocarcinomas was as obvious in PFA-AMeX samples as in FFPE samples. As for quality, the loss of rRNA peaks 18S and 28S on the capillary electropherograms from both FFPE and PFA-AMeX samples showed that the RNA was degraded equally during processing. However, qRT-PCR with 3’ and 5’ primer sets designed against human beta-actin revealed that, although RNA degradation occurred in both methods, it occurred more mildly in the PFA-AMeX samples. In conclusion, the PFA-AMeX method is good with respect to morphology and RNA quality, which makes it a promising tool for DNA microarrays combined with laser-capture microdissection, and if the appropriate RNA quality criteria are used, the capture of credible GeneChip data is well over 80% efficient, at least in human prostate specimens.     

Measurement of feline lipase activity using a dry-chemistry assay with a triolein substrate and comparison with pancreas-specific lipase (Spec fPLTM)

Pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (Spec fPL) is currently considered to be the most accurate blood test for the diagnosis of feline pancreatitis. In this study, we measured lipase activity in cats using a newer catalytic lipase assay of dry-chemistry system (FDC-v-LIP) to determine the reference range and compared the results with those for Spec fPL. Based on the results of healthy cats, the reference range of FDC-v-LIP was determined to be less than 30 U/l. FDC-v-lip did not show a strong correlation with Spec fPL in cats with various diseases, which resulted in the low sensitivity and positive predictive value. However, the relatively high (>90%) specificity and negative predictive value indicated that FDC-v-LIP could be a useful patient-side screening test for the exclusion of feline pancreatitis.     

Strengthening Water Users’ Organization targeting for Participatory Irrigation Management in Egypt

In Egypt, a shortage in irrigation water is a serious issue, because increases in water demands and water conflicts have become social problems. The Egyptian government attempts to solve these problems by strengthening Water Users’ Organizations (WUOs), especially the Branch Canal Water Users’ Association (BCWUA), where the Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) policy was introduced. Targeting this policy, we tried strengthening the BCWUA by providing a four-step training program: problem analysis, capacity development, action plan creation and action plan incorporation for problem solutions. As a series of activities, strengthening of BCWUA was succeeded with elimination of excess water intake and reduces the number of water conflicts. For introducing PIM, transparency in operation, discloser of information and failures in canal facilities have become the main obstacles. Joint repair work by the government and WUOs can effectively overcome the failures.