In Vivo Embryo Recovery Rate by Laparoscopic Technique from Rabbit Does Selected for Growth Rate

Rabbit does from R line selected for growth rate present a low reproductive performance and this study aimed to evaluate both the recovery efficacy and viability of recovered embryos after vitrification and the reproductive performance of donor does subjected to in vivo recovery. Does were divided into three groups: 28 does without in vivo recovery (control), 25 does in which in vivo recovery was started in the nulliparous state (group 1) and 30 does with at least one litter before in vivo recovery (group 2). Does were superovulated with a single subcutaneous injection of 50 IU of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) per female, and were then artificially inseminated 60 h later and immediately administered an intravenous dose of 75 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) per female. Does from group 1 and 2 were recovered in vivo 76-80 h post-insemination by repeated laparoscopies at one to four times and permitted one or two parturitions between recoveries [in vivo (IV) recovery]. At the end of the experiment, about 16 does of all groups were recovered post-mortem (PM recovery). All normal embryos were vitrified, devitrified and then cultivated in vitro to evaluate the viability after thawing. A significant increase in the ovulation rate was found in does recovered PM than in those recovered IV in the nulliparous state. However, no significant differences were observed in the recovery rate, the donor rate, the number of normal embryos recovered with at least one normal embryo per doe and the viability after thawing between the PM and IV groups. A significant decrease in the fertility rate, total born, live born and weaned kids was found for does from group 1 in comparison with does from group 2. Results support the use of repeated laparoscopy to increase the number of recovered embryos per donor doe especially in such R line does, if they are permitted to produce at least one litter before the beginning of in vivo recovery.     

Antioxidative Effects of Astaxanthin against Nitric Oxide‐Induced Oxidative Stress on Cell Viability and Gene Expression in Bovine Oviduct Epithelial Cell and the Developmental Competence of Bovine IVM/IVF Embryos

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the fundamental mechanism of bovine oviduct epithelial cell (BOEC) co‐culture on developmental capacity of bovine in vitro oocyte maturation/in vitro fertilization (IVM/IVF) embryos. We examined the effects of astaxanthin against nitric oxide‐induced oxidative stress on cell viability by MTT assay, lipid peroxidation (LPO) by using thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reaction for malondialdehyde (MDA) and the expression of antioxidant genes (CuZnSOD, MnSOD and Catalase) or apoptosis genes (Bcl‐2, Caspase‐3 and Bax) by RT‐PCR in BOEC. We also evaluated the developmental rates of bovine IVM/IVF embryos co‐cultured with BOEC pre‐treated with astaxanthin (500 μm ) in the presence or absence of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 1000 μm ) for 24 h. Cell viability in BOEC treated with SNP (50–2000 μm ) lowered, while astaxanthin addition (50–500 μm ) increased it in a dose‐dependent manner. Cell viability in astaxanthin plus SNP (1000 μm ) gradually recovered according to the increase in astaxanthin additions (100–500 mm ). The LPO in astaxanthin group (50–500 μM) gradually decreased in a dose dependent manner and among SNP or astaxanthin plus SNP group, SNP alone and astaxanthin (50 μM) plus SNP shown a significant increase than other groups (p < 0.05). Expression of apoptosis or antioxidant genes was detected by RT‐PCR. Bcl‐2 and antioxidant genes were detected in astaxanthin or astaxanthin plus SNP group, and Caspase‐3 and Bax genes were only found in SNP group. When bovine IVM/IVF embryos were cultured for 6–7 days under co‐culture system such as BOEC treated with astaxanthin in the presence or absence of SNP, the developmental ability to blastocysts in 500 μm astaxanthin group was the highest of all groups. These results suggest that astaxanthin has a antioxidative effect on cell viability and LPO of BOEC, and development of bovine IVM/IVF embryos due to the induction of antioxidant genes and suppression of apoptosis genes.     

Modification of SWAT auto-calibration for accurate flow estimation at all flow regimes

To secure accuracy in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) simulation for various hydrology and water quality studies, calibration and validation should be performed. When calibrating and validating the SWAT model with measured data, the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) is widely used, and is also used as a goal function of auto-calibration in the current SWAT model (SWAT ver. 2009). However, the NSE value has been known to be influenced by high values within a given dataset, at the cost of the accuracy in estimated lower flow values. Furthermore, the NSE is unable to consider direct runoff and baseflow separately. In this study, the existing SWAT auto-calibration was modified with direct runoff separation and flow clustering calibration, and current and modified SWAT auto-calibration were applied to the Soyanggang-dam watershed in South Korea. As a result, the NSE values for total streamflow, high flow, and low flow groups in direct runoff, and baseflow estimated through modified SWAT auto-calibration were 0.84, 0.34, 0.09, and 0.90, respectively. The NSE values of current SWAT auto-calibration were 0.83, 0.47, ?0.14, and 0.90, respectively. As shown in this study, the modified SWAT auto-calibration shows better calibration results than current SWAT auto-calibration. With these capabilities, the SWAT-estimated flow matched the measured flow data well for the entire flow regime. The modified SWAT auto-calibration module developed in this study will provide a very efficient tool for the accurate simulation of hydrology, sediment transport, and water quality with no additional input datasets.     

64-Channel multi-detector row CT angiographic evaluation of the micropigs for potential living donor lung transplantation

Micropigs are the most likely source animals for xenotransplantation. However, an appropriate method for evaluating the lung of micropigs had not been established. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of 64-channel multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) to measure the diameter of the pulmonary arteries and the lung volume in micropigs. The mean diameters of the trachea, and left and right bronchi were 1.6 ± 0.17, 1.18 ± 0.14, and 1.1 ± 0.11 cm, respectively. The mean diameters of the main, right, and left pulmonary arteries were 1.38 ± 0.09, 1.07 ± 0.26, and 0.98 ± 0.13 cm and the diameters of right, left, and common inferior pulmonary veins were 0.97 ± 0.20, 0.76 ± 0.20, and 1.99 ± 0.26 cm, respectively. The mean lung volume was 820.3 ± 77.11 mL. The data presented in this study suggest that the MDCT may be a noninvasive, rapid, and accurate investigational method for pulmonary anatomy in living lung donors.     

Epidemiological survey for Brucella in wildlife and stray dogs, a cat and rodents captured on farms

Brucella infections in wildlife originate either from contact with infected livestock or from a natural sustainable reservoir in wildlife populations. As South Korea has set a goal of brucellosis eradication by 2013, it is necessary to determine the prevalence of Brucella in wildlife and wild rodents. This information will play an important role in the control of brucellosis. Because of the absence of prominent clinical signs, direct and indirect laboratory tests are essential for diagnosing brucellosis. In this study, tissue and blood samples were taken from wild animals, abandoned dogs, a cat and wild rodents, and they were tested for Brucella or Brucella-specific antibodies by isolation, PCR and serology. Results showed that 18.6% (33/177) of blood samples were positive by PCR, and 5.7% (11/194) were positive by C-ELISA. However, none of these samples yielded culturable bacteria. Of the tissue samples, 9.7% (8/82) were positive by PCR. Brucella was isolated from only one tissue culture from a Chinese water deer carcass. This Brucella species was identified as Brucella abortus biovar 1 by biotyping, 16S rRNA PCR and the Bruce-ladder PCR assay. In this study, we reported the prevalence of Brucella in wildlife, dogs, a cat and rodents by using serological and molecular methods, and we report the first isolation of B. abortus in wild Chinese water deer in South Korea.