Profiling of plasma metabolites in canine oral melanoma using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Malignant melanoma is one of the most common and aggressive tumors in the oral cavity of dog. The tumor has a poor prognosis, and methods for diagnosis and prediction of prognosis after treatment are required. Here, we examined metabolite profiling using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for development of a discriminant model for evaluation of prognosis. Metabolite profiles were evaluated in healthy and melanoma plasma samples using orthogonal projection to latent structure using discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Cases that were predicted to be healthy using the OPLS discriminant model had no advanced lesions after radiation therapy. These results indicate that metabolite profiling may be useful in diagnosis and prediction of prognosis of canine malignant melanoma.     

Fecal progestagen and estrone during pregnancy in a giraffe: a case report

The present study was carried out to measure fecal progestagen and estrone concentrations during pregnancy in a giraffe and examine the possibility of utilizing this assay system for pregnancy diagnosis. Fecal samples were collected from a giraffe during her third and fourth parities and mixed with methanol to prepare a fecal solution. Diluted fecal solution was used for direct enzyme immunoassay for progestagen and estrone. The newborn calf from the third parity was viable, although that from the fourth parity died 5 days after calving. In the third parity, the giraffe's progestagen and estrone concentrations increased transiently from days 30 to 120 of pregnancy. Then, they decreased and remained low until day 330. This was followed by a drastic rise in both concentrations as parturition approached. Parturition caused a reduction in the progestagen and estrone concentrations of the feces. In the fourth parity, the progestagen concentration increased gradually after mating until day 320. This was followed by a reduction in the concentration until parturition. However, the estrone concentration fluctuated, and the duration and extent of the prepartum rise in concentration were shorter and lower than those of the third parity. The hormone dynamics of the third parity suggest the possibility of early pregnancy diagnosis by measuring progestagen or estrone between days 30 and 120 after mating.     

Effects of tall alleles SD1-in and SD1-ja to the dwarfing allele sd1-d originating from ‘Dee-geo-woo-gen’ on yield and related traits on the genetic background of indica IR36 in rice

sd1-d originating from ‘Dee-geo-woo-gen’ has been utilized to develop short-culmed indica varieties adaptable to higher fertilizer-application. Its tall alleles SD1-in and SD1-ja are harbored in indica and japonica subspecies, respectively. The sd1-d of indica IR36 was substituted with SD1-in or SD1-ja by recurrent backcrossing with IR36, and two tall isogenic lines (“5867-36” and “Koshi-36”) were developed. IR36, 5867-36 and Koshi-36 were grown in a paddy field in three years, and yield and related traits were measured, the effects of SD1-in and SD1-ja on yielding ability and related characteristics were examined on the genetic background of IR 36. SD1-in decreased panicle number per m² but increased spikelet number per panicle, ripened-grain percentage and 1000-grain weight, compared with sd1-d, resulting in the increase of yield. The increase of 1000-grain weight by SD1-in, caused by the increases of length, width and thickness of grain, was due to the increases of the length and width of lemma. SD1-ja did not significantly affect yield, mainly because the decrease of panicle number per m² was compensated by the enlarged 1000-grain weight owing to the increase of lemma length. Serious lodging was observed in long-culmed 5867-36, suggesting that sd1-d is indispensable for indica breeding programs.     

Steric structure–activity relationships of the rice blasticide,S-2900 (diclocymet)

The four diastereomers of 2-cyano-N-[1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]-3,3-dimethyl-butyramide were prepared by a direct HPLC separation with chiral columns. The [(S)acid, (R)amine]-isomer (was the most antifungal among the diastereomers tested. Because of the lability of the clinical group in the acid moiety, the (RS)-(R)-isomer is being developed as a rice blasticide. (S-2900, proposed common name diclocymet).     

Stereochemistry and active conformation of a novel insecticide,acetamiprid

Acetamiprid, (NI-25; (E)-N¹-[(6-chloro-3-pyridyl)methyl]-N²-cyano-N¹-methylacetamidine), is a novel neonicotinoid insecticide having an N-cyanoacetamidine structure as its characteristic feature. The [¹H] and [¹³C]-NMR spectra indicated the existence of two different structures in acetamiprid at room temperature in solution. The measurement of CH-NOE and C–C coupling constants proved the E-configuration at the cyanoimino group in both existing structures. The [¹³C] chemical shifts of N-CH₃ and the long range C–H coupling in the formamidine analogue of acetamiprid suggested that there exist two conformers generated by the rotation of C–C single bond in the amidine moiety. Dynamic NMR spectra of acetamiprid and the computer simulation of the two-site exchange demonstrated that the two conformers change slowly to each other at room temperature. The conformational analysis by semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations using MNDO-PM3 method predicted four conformers as energy-minimum structures, among which two E-conformers were more stable than Z-conformers. One of the E-conformers in which two methyl groups are in cis configuration was superimposable onto the structure of imidacloprid, which is a known neonicotinoid insecticide having more rigid structure. This E-conformer was assumed as the active conformation of acetamiprid on the basis of the molecular similarity in terms of steric and electrostatic properties. © 1997 SCI     

Food-entrainable circadian oscillator in goldfish: multiple daily feeding times and food-anticipatory activity

The existence of a food-entrainable circadian oscillator (FEO) was examined in goldfish Carassius auratus. Single goldfish were exposed to light–dark (LD) 12:12 (lights on 06:00–18:00 h) and fed at 12:00 h (phase I). The photoperiod regime was shifted to constant light (LL) (phase II). The fish were then fed at 06:00 or at 18:00 h (phase III), and all fish were fasted (phase IV). In both groups, three out of eight fish exhibited food-anticipatory activity (FAA) in phases II and III, the free-running period (τ) of locomotor activity was approximately 24.0 h, and circadian rhythms of locomotor activity started to free-run from the previous FAA in phase IV, indicating the existence of an FEO. Next, single goldfish were exposed to LD 12:12 and were fed twice daily at 12:00 and 00:00 h (phase I). The photoperiod regime was shifted to LL (phase II), and the fish were fasted (phase III). In phase II, FAA was observed in three out of six fish for both feeding times. In phase III, a circadian rhythm of locomotor activity was observed in five fish, and circadian rhythms started to free-run from the previous feeding time (either 12:00 or 00:00 h) in three fish. These results suggest that individual goldfish can remember two daily feeding times.     

Effect of dairy manure type and supplemental synthetic fertilizer on methane and nitrous oxide emissions from a grassland in Nasu,Japan

Abstract

It is well known that some fungal species are remarkably tolerant of high copper concentration, although copper is toxic to most fungi (Garraway and Evans 1984). Bedford (1936) and Jurkowska (1952) reported that Penicillium and Aspergillus species can grow in liquid media saturated or nearly saturated with copper sulfate. Okamoto and Fuwa (1974) isolated Penicillium ochro-chloron from the laboratory air, and found that the fungus was able to grow in a medium saturated with copper sulfate.     

Availability of environmental and dietary calcium in tiger puffer

Tiger puffer, Takifugu rubripes, juveniles were fed with four semi-purified experimental diets containing 0.2% Ca from Ca-lactate (diet 1), no supplemental Ca (diet 2) and 0.2% and 2.5% Ca from tricalcium phosphate, TCP (diets 3 and 4), respectively. After a 10 week rearing period, growth and feed utilization were significantly lower in the fish group fed on diet 2 than in the fish group fed on diet 1. Fish groups fed on diets 3 and 4 also showed poor growth performances compared with group 1. It appears that Ca intake from seawater is not sufficient for the normal growth of tiger puffer. Furthermore, Ca in dietary TCP appeared to be unavailable to this species. Dietary TCP strongly inhibited the bone mineralization of Zn and Mn. The findings indicate that easily digestible Ca supplementation is indispensable in a diet of tiger puffer for normal growth, feed utilization and bone mineralization. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

Effects of spawning temperature on the reproductive characteristics of walleye pollock Gadus chalcogrammus

Fisheries Science - Reproductive characteristics under different water temperature regimes were examined in hatchery-reared walleye pollock Gadus chalcogrammus. The fish had been cultured for...     

Interaction of orexin/hypocretin-like immunoreactive neurons with melanin-concentrating hormone and α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone neurons in brain of a pleuronectiform fish, barfin flounder

Immunohistochemical localization of orexin/hypocretin in the brain of a pleuronectiform fish, the barfin flounder Verasper moseri was examined as the first step in unraveling the possible function of the hormone in the brain. Orexin-A-like immunoreactive (ir) cell bodies were found to be located in the nucleus posterioris periventricularis (NPPv) of the hypothalamus, and orexin-A-like-ir fibers were detected not only in the hypothalamus but also extensively throughout the brain. The orexin-A-like-ir cell bodies did not project their fibers to the pituitary gland. Since melaninconcentrating hormone (MCH) and α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) are suggested to regulate food intake in addition to orexin/hypocretin in the teleost fish, it was examined whether neural connections exist between orexin neurons and the MCH and α-MSH neurons in the barfin flounder brain by using double-staining immunohistochemistry. Some orexin-A-like-ir fibers were in close contact with the MCH-ir and α-MSH-ir cell bodies in the hypothalamus. Moreover, a few MCH-ir and α-MSH-ir fibers were in close contact with the orexin-A-like-ir cell bodies in the hypothalamus. These results suggest that reciprocal connections exist between the orexin and MCH neurons and between the orexin and α-MSH neurons in the brain of the barfin flounder.