Percutaneous transcatheter coil embolization of a ventricular septal defect in a dog

A 4-month-old male French Bulldog weighing 5.0 kg (11 lb) was referred for a heart murmur. A grade 3/6 systolic murmur was detected at the left heart base and a grade 4/6 systolic murmur was detected at the right heart base. By use of color-flow Doppler ultrasonography and cardiac catheterization, a diagnosis of supracristal ventricular septal defect (VSD) with accompanying aortic regurgitation was made. Percutaneous transcatheter coil embolization was used to close the VSD. Because residual shunt was detected via echocardiography after coil implantation, the residual shunt was followed periodically via echocardiography to detect spontaneous closure of the VSD. Volume overload in the left ventricle was detected in the dog 131 days after admission. Additional coils were placed 137 days after admission. Hemolysis resulting in hemoglobinuria was detected, but this complication was mild. In the dog of this report, results of coil occlusion for correction of VSD were promising. Thus, coil occlusion should be considered as an alternative treatment for VSD in dogs.     

Structural determination of the oligosaccharides in the milk of a giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridatyla)

There appears to be strong evidence supporting four major clades of placental mammals: (i) Afrotheria; (ii) Xenarthea; (iii) Euarchontoglires; and (iv) Laurasiathera. This is the first study in which the carbohydrates have been analyzed in the milks of Xenarthea. Our aim was to clarify whether the saccharides of giant anteater milk resemble those of other eutherian species, especially of the Asian elephant, which is one of the Afrotherea. We found that lactose is a dominant saccharide in this milk, as it is in that of most eutherians, and that the milk contains smaller amounts of oligosaccharides, whose structures were determined as Gal(α1‐3)Gal(β1‐4)Glc (isoglobotriose), Neu5Ac(α2‐6)Gal(β1‐4)Glc (6'‐N‐acetylneuraminyllactose), Neu5Gc(α2‐6)Gal(β1‐4)Glc (6'‐N‐glycolylneuraminyllactose), Neu5Ac(α2‐6)Gal(β1‐4)GlcNAc(β1‐3)Gal(β1‐4)Glc (LST c) and Neu5Gc(α2‐6)Gal(β1‐4)GlcNAc(β1‐3)Gal(β1‐4)Glc. This pattern of milk carbohydrates is rather close to that of the milks of other eutherian species. It is notable that the milk contained oligosaccharides with Neu5Gc residues but no oligosaccharides containing α(2‐3) linked Neu5Ac residues such as Neu5Ac(α2‐3)Gal(β1‐4)Glc.     

Effects of high potassium chloride supplementation on growth rate and renal function in mice

Fifty‐four mice were assigned to a control diet group or a KCl diet group to clarify the effects of KCl supplementation on growth rate, water intake and renal function in mice, and 5% of KCl was supplemented in KCl diets for 1–4 weeks. Bodyweights of KCl supplemented mice were significantly lower than those of control mice, and bodyweights of control and KCl supplemented mice at 28 days after treatment were 45.5 and 41.2 g, respectively. Feed intake was not affected by KCl supplementation, but water intake of KCl supplemented mice was significantly higher than that of control mice. Bone weights of KCl supplemented mice at 2 weeks after treatment were significantly lower than those of control mice. Serum urea nitrogen concentration at 4 weeks and serum K and Cl concentrations at 2 weeks were significantly lower in KCl supplemented mice. Histological alteration using hematoxylin–eosin and Sirius red staining was not found in the kidney of each mouse at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after treatment. These results suggest that high KCl supplementation decreases the rate of bodyweight gain and increases water intake in mice.     

Coumestrol decreases intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity in post-delivery mice but does not affect vitamin D receptor and calcium channels in post-delivery and neonatal mice

In this study, we investigated the effects of administration of coumestrol during pregnancy on calcium (Ca) metabolism in post-delivery maternal and neonatal mice. From 6.5 to 16.5 days post coitus (dpc), pregnant females were administered daily doses of coumestrol (200 microg/kg body weight/day). One day after parturition, blood samples and the kidneys, liver, jejunum and duodenum were obtained from each of maternal mouse, and blood samples and the kidneys and liver were obtained from neonatal mice. Coumestrol did not have any significant effect on the Ca and inorganic phosphorus concentrations in the sera of the maternal and neonatal mice. No notable effects of coumestrol were observed in relation to Vitamin D receptor expression in the maternal and neonatal mice by immunohistochemical analysis. Coumestrol did not affect the Vitamin D receptor and epithelial calcium channel and 2 mRNA levels in any of the organs investigated. Enzyme histochemical analysis showed that coumestrol decreased intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity in the maternal jejunum and duodenum. In the duodenum, coumestrol decreased expression of intestinal alkaline phosphatase, c-fos and vascular endothelial growth factor at the mRNA level. However, we did not observe any significant effects of coumestrol on the expression of these genes. In conclusion, coumestrol decreased intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity in the small intestines of maternal mice at the level used in the present study, and the mechanisms underlying this effect are different for the jejunum and duodenum.     

Normal DNA methylation status in sperm from a somatic cell cloned bull and their fertilized embryos

Epigenetic reprogramming confers totipotency even during somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), which has been used to clone various animal species. However, as even apparently healthy cloned animals sometimes have aberrant epigenetic status, the harmful effects of these defects could be passed onto their offspring. This is one of the biggest obstacles for the application of cloned animals for livestock production. Here, we investigated the DNA methylation status of four developmentally regulated genes (PEG3, XIST, OCT4, and NANOG) in sperms from a cloned and a non‐cloned bull, and blastocysts obtained by in vitro fertilization using those sperms and SCNT. We found no differences in the methylation status of the above genes between cloned and non‐cloned bull sperms. Moreover, the methylation status was also similar in blastocysts obtained with cloned and non‐cloned bull sperms. In contrast, the methylation status was compromised in the SCNT blastocysts. These results indicate that sperm from cloned bulls would be adequately reprogrammed during spermatogenesis and, thus, could be used to produce epigenetically normal embryos. This study highlights the normality of cloned bull offspring and supports the application of cloned cattle for calf production.     

Integrating archaeobotany,paleogenetics and historical linguistics may cast more light onto crop domestication: the case of pea (Pisum sativum)

This short communication intends to discuss various models and ideas about the very beginnings of plant domestication in the Old World with a specific emphasis on pea (Pisum sativum L.) as one of the most significant crops in the human civilization. It presents a selection of some recent achievements and challenges in studying the earliest days of this important grain legume species by balanced contributions from archaeobotany, paleogenetics and historical linguistics. It will hopefully stimulate a fruitful interdisciplinary discussion and provide a basis for new experimental approaches.     

Cardiac remodeling and angiotensin II-forming enzyme activity of the left ventricle in hamsters with chronic pressure overload induced by ascending aortic stenosis

Cardiac remodeling and angiotensin II-forming enzyme activity of the left ventricle on chronic pressure overload were studied in male Syrian hamsters, whose chymase activity is similar to that of dogs. Pressure overload was achieved by banding at the ascending aorta (aortic stenosis). Echocardiography, histological analysis, and analysis of cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme and chymase-like activities were performed. At 10 weeks after banding, concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricle was evident. At 20 weeks after banding, the ventricular weight-to-body ratio, cardiac fibrosis, and cardiac chymase-like activity were significantly increased, while cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme activity was significantly decreased. This suggests that cardiac chymase, compared with cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme, was activated against the chronic pressure overload and was responsible for the cardiac remodeling through the formation of angiotensin II. Considering the utility of the rodents, the interspecies similarity of the Ang II-forming pathway, and the effect of chymase in the hamsters, the present model is considered useful for studies evaluating the effect of Ang II and chymase in the canine heart with chronic pressure overload.