Long‐term outcome in dogs undergoing mitral valve repair with suture annuloplasty and chordae tendinae replacement

Mitral valve repair under cardiopulmonary bypass was performed in three dogs with clinical signs associated with mitral regurgitation that were not controlled by medication. Mitral valve repair comprised circumferential annuloplasty and chordal replacement with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene. One dog died 2 years after surgery because of severe mitral regurgitation resulting from partial circumferential suture detachment. The others survived for over 5 years, but mild mitral valve stenosis persisted in one. The replaced chordae did not rupture in any dog. Mitral valve repair appears to be an effective treatment for mitral regurgitation in dogs. Chordal replacement with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene is a feasible technique, demonstrating long‐term durability in dogs. However, mitral annuloplasty techniques need improvement.     

Pathological changes of renal tubular dysplasia in Japanese black cattle

Pathological studies were conducted on 91 Japanese Black cattle with a hereditary disease which induced growth retardation, long hooves and renal failure. In calves one to two months old, no gross abnormalities were observed in the kidneys, but microscopical examinations revealed immature epithelia which were arranged irregularly and not attached to the basement membranes in some proximal tubules. In animals three to 36 months old, the kidneys had shrunk perceptibly and had grey-white radial streaks; microscopically they showed severe interstitial fibrosis with round-cell infiltration in the outer zone of the medulla and cortex, and reductions in the numbers of glomeruli and tubules. In the fibrotic areas there were immature epithelia with an irregular arrangement, and the basement membrane of the tubules was thickened. It was concluded that renal tubular dysplasia was the primary lesion of the disease, and that interstitial fibrosis and reductions in the numbers of nephrons were secondary lesions.     

Increase in muscle endurance in mice by dietary Yamabushitake mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) possibly via activation of PPARδ

Skeletal muscle fiber is largely classified into two types: type 1 (slow‐twitch) and type 2 (fast‐twitch) fibers. Meat quality and composition of fiber types are thought to be closely related. Previous research showed that overexpression of constitutively active peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR)δ, a nuclear receptor present in skeletal muscle, increased type 1 fibers in mice. In this study, we found that hexane extracts of Yamabushitake mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) showed PPARδ agonistic activity in vitro. Eight‐week‐old C57BL/6J mice were fed a diet supplemented with 5% (w/w) freeze‐dried Yamabushitake mushroom for 24 hr. After the treatment period, the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were excised. The Yamabushitake‐supplemented diet up‐regulated the PPARδ target genes Pdk4 and Ucp3 in mouse skeletal muscles in vivo. Furthermore, feeding the Yamabushitake‐supplemented diet to mice for 8 weeks resulted in a significant increase in muscle endurance. These results indicate that Yamabushitake mushroom contains PPARδ agonistic ligands and that dietary intake of Yamabushitake mushroom could activate PPARδ in skeletal muscle of mice. Unexpectedly, we observed no significant alterations in composition of muscle fiber types between the mice fed control and Yamabushitake‐supplemented diets.     

Development of green onion and cabbage certified reference materials for quantification of organophosphorus and pyrethroid pesticides

Green onion and cabbage certified reference materials for the analysis of pesticide residues were issued by the National Metrology Institute of Japan, part of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. Green onion and cabbage samples were grown so as to contain several kinds of organophosphorus and pyrethroid pesticides, and those were collected from a field in the Kochi Prefecture in Japan. The certification was carried out by using multiple analytical methods to ensure the reliability of analytical results; the values of target pesticides (diazinon, fenitrothion, cypermethrin, etofenprox, and permethrin for green onion and chlorpyrifos, fenitrothion, and permethrin for cabbage) were obtained by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Certified values of target pesticides were 0.96-13.9 and 2.41-6.9 mg/kg for green onion and cabbage, respectively. These are the first green onion and cabbage powder certified reference materials in which organophosphorus and pyrethroid pesticides are determined.     

Effect of light irradiation on dynamics of vitamin A compounds in rotifers and Artemia

ABSTRACT:   The dynamics of vitamin A (VA) compounds in live food during enrichment were examined under different light conditions. Rotifers Brachionus plicatilis and Artemia nauplii ( Artemia ) were enriched with or without 10 mg VA palmitate (VAp) in 1 L of culture medium for 24 h under either bright (2000 lx), or dark (<1 lx) conditions. VAp, retinol (ROH), retinal (RAL) and retinoic acid (RA) contents were analyzed at 0 h (before enrichment) and at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h after the onset of enrichment. Retinoid content in rotifers enriched in darkness was always higher than that enriched under light. VAp content showed two peaks at 3 and 18 h in rotifers enriched in darkness, but it showed one peak at 3 h in rotifers enriched under light. ROH and RA contents increased over the 24-h period in rotifers enriched in darkness, whereas they decreased 12 h onward in rotifers enriched under light. In Artemia , VAp and ROH contents were always higher than when enriched under the bright condition, but their dynamics showed a similar pattern in Artemia enriched under dark and bright conditions.     

IgG antibody subclass response against equine herpesvirus type 4 in horses

In this study, IgG subclass responses against equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a type-specific region of EHV-4 glycoprotein G (gG). ELISA using sera collected from horses experimentally infected with EHV-4 revealed that IgGa and IgGb antibodies were detected at high level, but IgGc and IgG(T) antibody responses were detected at low level or were undetectable. The IgGa antibody response reached its peak on day 10 post-infection, and then dropped. The IgGb antibody response reached its maximum level on day 12 post-infection, and then the level was sustained during at least 28 days after infection. Forty healthy racehorses that had already been infected with EHV-4 possessed antibody against EHV-4. Although IgGa antibodies specific for EHV-4 were not detected in any horses, IgGb antibodies were detected and the levels correlated with total IgG antibodies against EHV-4 gG. The results suggest that EHV-4-specific IgGa and IgGb antibodies are induced in EHV-4-infected horses, and that IgGb antibody, but not IgGa, is long lasting.     

Urinary transforming growth factor-beta1 in feline chronic renal failure

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), an inflammatory cytokine, plays a role in tissue fibrosis, such as glomerular sclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis of the kidneys. In the present study, the urinary TGF-beta1 level of cats diagnosed with chronic renal failure (CRF) was measured to investigate its relationship to the pathogenesis of feline CRF. Urinary TGF-beta1 levels (TGF-beta1/creatinine ratio) were significantly increased compared with healthy controls, whereas serum levels of TGF-beta1 were not. These results indicate that TGF-beta1 is expressed in the kidneys of CRF cats, and that it was reflected in the urinary TGF-beta1 level. Therefore, TGF-beta1 may play a role in feline CRF, and urinary TGF-beta1 could be used as a clinical marker for renal fibrosis.     

Effects of wood kraft pulp feeding on feed digestibility and rumen fermentation of Japanese Black steer in the middle fattening stage

We investigated the effects of wood kraft pulp (KP) feeding on feed digestibility and rumen fermentation of Japanese Black (JB) steer in the middle fattening stage. The feeding experiment was carried out a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design using six JB steers (16.2 ± 0.8 months of age). Steers were fed rice straw and three concentrated feeds: commercial formula feed (control), formula feed containing 7.5% KP on a dry matter (DM) basis (7.5% KP), and formula feed containing 15% KP on a DM basis (15% KP). Feed digestibility and rumen fermentation parameters were recorded for 3 days during the measurement period, after an adaptation phase of 11 days. There was no significant difference in DM intake per day among diets. A slightly higher digestibility of neutral detergent fiber was observed in steers fed 15% KP, compared with those fed other diets (P = 0.059). The butyric acid ratio in rumen fluid was higher in steers fed KP diets than in steers fed control (P = 0.083). The average ruminal pH was unaffected by KP diets. This study suggests that replacing 15% of concentrated feed with KP has little effect on feed digestibility and rumen fermentation in JB fattening steer.     

An improved dry ash procedure for the detection of titanium dioxide in cattle feces

We improved the dry ash procedure for detecting titanium dioxide (TiO₂) in cattle feces containing chromium dioxide (Cr₂O₃). First, the effect of amount of sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄) on the recovery of TiO₂ from cattle feces that contained Cr₂O₃ was evaluated. Average recovery of TiO₂ at the 2.5 g Na₂SO₄ level was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than that at 0.75 g Na₂SO₄. Second, the effect of Cr₂O₃ concentration on the recovery of TiO₂ of cattle feces by using two levels of Na₂SO₄ addition was examined. The recovery of TiO₂ decreased with the increase in the amount of Cr₂O₃ at the 0.75 g Na₂SO₄ level but was consistently high at 2.5 g Na₂SO₄. Third, the recovery of Cr₂O₃ from cattle feces was checked. The recoveries of TiO₂ and Cr₂O₃ were high enough at the 2.5 g Na₂SO₄ level. Fourth, the improved dry ash procedure (5 mL of concentrated H₂SO₄ and 2.5 g of Na₂SO₄ were used for sample digestion) was compared to the wet ash procedure. Average recovery of TiO₂ by the improved dry ash procedure was significantly higher (P = 0.0077) than that by the wet ash procedure. Thus, the improved dry ash procedure can be used for TiO₂ analysis in cattle feces containing Cr₂O₃.