The interfacial strength in sputtering-hydroxyapatite-coating implants with arc-deposited surface

Titanium columns (Ti-6A1-4V) were treated with arc-deposition to roughen the surface enough to anchor the bone, and then coated with hydroxyapatite (HA) at a thickness of 5 micro m by the sputtering technique. Columns were implanted into dog femurs, and fixation of columns to bone due to bone-ingrowth was assessed histologically and with the push-out test. The HA-coated columns were inserted in the shafts of the right femurs of 2 dogs. As a control, columns that were only arc-deposited (non-coated columns) were inserted into the left femurs. The interfacial strength was higher for the HA-coated columns than for the non-coated columns. Coating a rough surface with an HA layer using a sputtering technique reinforces interfacial strength between bone and implants.     

Clinical comparison of xylazine and medetomidine for premedication of horses

OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesic and cardiopulmonary effects of medetomidine and xylazine when used for premedication of horses undergoing general anesthesia. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. ANIMALS: 40 horses. PROCEDURE: Twenty horses were premedicated with medetomidine (10 microg/kg [4.5 microg/lb], i.m.) and the other 20 were premedicated with xylazine (2 mg/kg [0.9 mg/kg], i.m.). Horses were then anesthetized with a combination of guaifenesin and ketamine; anesthesia was maintained with halothane. Additional doses of medetomidine or xylazine were given if horses were not sufficiently sedated at the time of anesthetic induction. After induction of anesthesia, sodium pentothal was administered as necessary to prevent limb movements. Hypotension was treated with dobutamine; hypoventilation and hypoxemia were treated with intermittent positive-pressure ventilation. The quality of anesthetic induction, maintenance, and recovery and the quality of the transition to inhalation anesthesia were scored. RESULTS: Scores for the quality of the transition to inhalation anesthesia were significantly higher for horses premedicated with medetomidine than for horses premedicated with xylazine. However, other scores, recovery times, and numbers of attempts needed to achieve sternal recumbency and to stand were not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that medetomidine is suitable for premedication of horses undergoing general anesthesia. Analgesic and cardiopulmonary effects of medetomidine were similar to those of xylazine, except that the transition to inhalation anesthesia was smoother when horses were premedicated with medetomidine, rather than xylazine.     

Examination of the rat eye at the early stage of development with osmium tetroxide staining

This communication describes the benefit of osmium tetroxide (OsO4) staining on the examination of the eye during the early stage of organogenesis of rat embryos. The embryos were obtained by laparotomy on embryonic day 12 (ED 12) and were stained with OsO4 for examination of the ocular tissues with a binocular stereo-microscope, light microscope and scanning electron microscope. At the binocular stereo-microscopic level, the invaginated lens placode, lens pit and optic cup were clearly distinguished. The osmium-stained lens placode and the optic cup were light brown and dark brown in color, respectively. Light microscopic examination revealed that OsO4 postfixation could provide superior paraffin-embedded embryonic sections. Scanning electron microscopic examination revealed the lens pit as a round opening between the lateral nasal prominence and maxillary prominence. Thus, a rapid technique by which the ocular tissues of rat embryos can be examined under a binocular stereo-microscope was developed. This OsO4 staining method will provide a useful tool for research on organogenesis and ocular development.     

Coincidental detection of genomes of porcine parvoviruses and porcine circovirus type 2 infecting pigs in Japan

The infection status of 15 viruses in 120 pigs aged about 6 months was investigated based on tonsil specimens collected from a slaughterhouse. Only 5 species of porcine parvoviruses and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) were detected at high frequencies; 67% for porcine parvovirus (PPV) (PPV-Kr or -NADL2 as the new abbreviation), 58% for PPV2 (CnP-PARV4), 39% for PPV3 (P-PARV4), 33% for PPV4 (PPV4), 55% for PBo-likeV (PBoV7) and 80% for PCV2. A phylogenetic analysis of PPV3 suggested that Japanese PPV3s showed a slight variation, and possibly, there were farms harboring homogeneous or heterogeneous PPV3s. Statistical analyses indicated that the detection of PCV2 was significantly coincidental with each detection of PPV, PPV2 and PPV3, and PPV and PPV4 were also coincidentally detected. The concurrent infection with PCV2 and porcine parvoviruses in the subclinically infected pigs may resemble the infection status of pigs with the clinical manifestations of porcine circovirus associated disease which occurs in 3–5 months old pigs and is thought to be primarily caused by the PCV2 infection.     

Determination of Anthocyanins and Antioxidants in ‘Titanbicus’ Edible Flowers In Vitro and In Vivo

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Titanbicus (TB), a hybrid of Hibiscus moscheutos × H. coccineus (Medic.) Walt., has potential to be used as an edible flower. In this study, proximate...     

First capture of post-spawning female of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica at the southern West Mariana Ridge

Two adult male freshwater eels, Anguilla japonica, were captured in June 2008 in the West Mariana Ridge (13°N, 142°E) in the North Pacific, but collections of females have yet to be reported. In September 2008, we successfully caught two adult female A. japonica, 55.5 and 66.2 cm in total length, in the adjacent but northern area (14°N, 143°E). Six newly hatched eel larvae (pre-leptocephali) were also collected by subsequent plankton sampling conducted near the female catch area. Female adults appeared to be in the post-spawning state, probably a considerable time after spawning, since a small number of remarkably regressed oocytes (50–250 μm in diameter) were observed in the ovaries. Capture of post-spawning female eels and newly hatched larvae near the Suruga Seamount (14°N) together with the previous collection of mature males in the southern area (13°N) corroborates that the area along the West Mariana Ridge is the spawning area of this species, but suggests that the eel spawning may occur over a wider area than previously expected.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities associated with some pioneer plants in the lahar area of Mt. Pinatubo,Philippines

An extensive area has been buried due to the repeated occurrence of mud flows (lahars) derived from volcanic deposits during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. Most of the area was covered with sparse vegetation consisting of only a few gramineous pioneer plants such as Saccharum spontaneum (site SV). However dense vegetation consisting of wild leguminous plants such as Calpogonium mucunoides showed a patch distribution (site DV). In 1999, we investigated the community composition of AMF at these two sites. S. spontaneum at both sites was slightly colonized with AMF while the leguminous plants were highly colonized. Spores of AMF were collected from the rhizosphere of these plants. Eight spore morphotypes were identified; one each for Acaulospora and Entrophospora colombiana, two for Glomus, one for Paraglomus, and three for Scutellospora. Part of the 18S rRNA gene of AMF colonizing the plant roots was amplified with AMF-specific primers, NS31 and AM1, cloned and sequenced. Fifty-three AMF clones were phylogenetically classified into 8 phylotypes as follows: one each for Acaulospora and E. colombiana, five for Glomus, and one for Scutellospora. Both molecular and morphological examinations showed that the diversity of AMF was comparable to that in other temperate ecosystems with abundant vegetation and did not differ significantly between sites SV and DV, regardless of the vegetation cover. Furthermore, S. spontaneum supported diverse AMF species in spite of its scant growth at site SV. E. colombiana was mostly associated with C. mucunoides. Significance of AMF for the primary plant succession in the lahar area was analyzed.     

Immunobiotic lactic acid bacteria beneficially regulate immune response triggered by poly(I:C) in porcine intestinal epithelial cells

ABSTRACT: This study analyzed the functional expression of TLR3 in various gastrointestinal tissues from adult swine and shows that TLR3 is expressed preferentially in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC), CD172a+CD11R1high and CD4+ cells from ileal Peyer's patches. We characterized the inflammatory immune response triggered by TLR3 activation in a clonal porcine intestinal epitheliocyte cell line (PIE cells) and in PIE-immune cell co-cultures, and demonstrated that these systems are valuable tools to study in vitro the immune response triggered by TLR3 on IEC and the interaction between IEC and immune cells. In addition, we selected an immunobiotic lactic acid bacteria strain, Lactobacillus casei MEP221106, able to beneficially regulate the anti-viral immune response triggered by poly(I:C) stimulation in PIE cells. Moreover, we deepened our understanding of the possible mechanisms of immunobiotic action by demonstrating that L. casei MEP221106 modulates the interaction between IEC and immune cells during the generation of a TLR3-mediated immune response.     

Forestomach developmental failure in an 11-month-old Japanese Black steer with severely retarded growth and chronic ruminal tympany

This study reports findings from the pathological examination of the forestomach of an 11-month-old Japanese Black steer with severely retarded growth (41% of expected weight) and chronic ruminal tympany. The ruminal papillae were weakly formed (0.3–0.5 cm long) and unevenly distributed. The cellulae and cristae reticuli were underdeveloped; the cristae were 0.4–0.7 cm in height and milky white. The keratinized layer in the stratified squamous epithelium was thickened. Ruminal pH was 5.25, and ruminal volatile fatty acid concentration was 11.7 mM. The steer’s severely retarded growth was considered to be caused by malnutrition due to developmental and functional failure of the forestomach.     

New canine parvovirus 2a infection in an imported Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) in Japan

Post-import from the Republic of Indonesia to Japan in 2017, two juvenile, captive bred Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus) exhibited gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, and hematemesis, and died. One of them was examined postmortem. Microscopically, the small intestinal mucosa was necrotic with crypts lined by regenerating large epithelial cells. A gastric cardiac mucosal ulcerative lesion containing fungal yeasts and pseudohyphae morphologically indicated Candida spp. The lymph nodes exhibited marked lymphoid depletion. Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) was isolated from an oral swab, and virus protein 2 (VP2) gene sequencing revealed new CPV-2a. To our knowledge, this is the first new CPV-2a infection report in Asian small-clawed otters. This infection should be considered in gastrointestinal symptom-related cases in this species.