Surgical repair of a complete endocardial cushion defect in a dog

Objective: To describe surgical repair of a complete endocardial cushion defect (ECD) in a dog. Study Design: Clinical report. Animal: A 5‐month‐old, 9.2 kg male Shetland sheepdog. Methods: Echocardiographic examination revealed an ostium primum atrial septal defect (ASD), an inlet ventricular septal defect (VSD), mitral regurgitation (MR) and tricuspid regurgitation (TR), and a complete ECD was diagnosed. Surgical correction was performed using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) via right atriotomy. A polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) patch was secured along the margin of the inlet VSD using simple continuous suture, then the cleft in the septal mitral leaflet was sutured. Similarly, the cleft in the septal tricuspid leaflets was sutured. To complete inlet VSD closure, the VSD patch was secured to these sutured leaflets by simple continuous suture. Another PTFE patch was used to close the ostium primum ASD. Result: After surgery, MR, TR, and interventricular shunting were decreased. The dog was alive 6 years and 5 months after the surgery with no evidence of an interventricular shunt, TR, or other clinical signs. Conclusions: Complete ECD in a dog was corrected using a 2‐patch technique under CPB.     

Sex distinction of asparagus by loop-mediated isothermal amplification and observation of seedling phenotypes

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a dioecious plant. In general, male and female plants are used for open-field culture and intensive cultivation, respectively. Farmers distinguish between the sexes by observing the form of the flower organs. However, because flowering begins 2?C3 years after planting, the sexes cannot be differentiated at transplantation by using this method, and planting of an all-male population is not possible. In this study, the usefulness of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a simple method of gene amplification, for sex distinction at the DNA level was determined. In addition, the phenotypic differences in seeds and seedlings of male and female plants were investigated for application as a method of early sex distinction. By using the LAMP method, the sex could be correctly identified in 100% of the seedlings, suggesting that this method is effective for sex distinction at the gene level. Principal component analysis was conducted with 11 selected parameters after investigating the seeds and seedlings of both male and female plants. The results revealed that male plants tend to have many stalks or cladophylls and female plants tend to have large plant forms, suggesting that the sexes can be distinguished by the external appearance of the seedlings before planting. LAMP and observation of the seedling phenotypes could be useful methods of sex distinction for increasing the efficiency of asparagus breeding.     

Production and characterization of interspecific hybrids between Asparagus kiusianus Makino and A. officinalis L.

Interspecific hybridization is a useful technique to introduce characteristics from wild species into crops. Garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis, 2n = 2x = 20) is an economically important vegetable that is native to the Mediterranean region but widely cultivated in many countries. The genus Asparagus is comprised of over 100 species. Asparagus kiusianus (2n = 2x = 20) is a wild asparagus species endemic to Japan. This species occurs on the coast and is likely to be a salt-resistant species. Although the geographic distribution of these two species is not close, molecular phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that these two species are closely related. In this study, a reciprocal cross between A. officinalis and A. kiusianus was carried out by hand pollination, and progeny were obtained from both crossings. These progeny exhibited a morphologically intermediate phenotype in terms of flower shape, and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis confirmed that these were indeed interspecific hybrids. The interspecific hybrids were fertile, and backcross progeny with garden asparagus was also generated. These interspecific hybrids are expected to supply novel traits to garden asparagus.     

Purification and characterization of polyphenols from chestnut astringent skin

Polyphenolic compounds from chestnut astringent skin (CAS) were purified by dialysis, using Diaion HP-20 and Sephadex LH-20 columns. During purification, specific α-amylase inhibitory activities were increased about 3.4-fold, and the 50% inhibition value was 5.71 μg/mL in the Sephadex LH-20 fraction (SE-fraction). The SE-fraction contained about 67% of the total polyphenols, 57.3% of the flavanol-type tannins, and 51.3% of the procyanidins. Strong antioxidant activity was observed in the SE-fraction. Oral administration of the SE-fraction in rats fed corn starch significantly suppressed an increase in blood glucose levels. The SE-fraction contained gallic acid and ellagic acid. The MALDI-TOF spectrum showed a peak series exhibiting a mass increment of 288 Da, reflecting the variation in the number of catechin/epicatechin units. Our results suggest CAS contains polyphenols with strong α-amylase inhibitory activity. The data also suggest CAS polyphenols might be oligomeric proanthocyanidins with gallic acid and ellagic acid.     

Evaluation of the effect of dietary lycopene, the main carotenoid in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), on the in vivo renal reducing ability by a radiofrequency electron paramagnetic resonance method

Although it has been reported that dietary lycopene, the main carotenoid in tomato, improved drug-induced nephropathy, there are no reports on the effect of orally administered lycopene on the in vivo renal reducing (i.e., antioxidant) ability. The radiofrequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) method is a unique technique by which the in vivo reducing ability of an experimental animal can be studied. In this study, the in vivo changes in the renal reducing ability of rats orally administered lycopene were investigated using a 700 MHz EPR spectrometer equipped with a surface-coil-type resonator. Rats were fed either a control diet or a diet containing lycopene. After 2 weeks, in vivo EPR measurements were conducted. The renal reducing ability of lycopene-treated rats was significantly greater than that of the control. This is the first verification of in vivo antioxidant enhancement via dietary lycopene administration.     

A distinct signaling pathway used by the IgG-containing B cell antigen receptor

The immunoglobulin G (IgG)-containing B lymphocyte antigen receptor (IgG-BCR) transmits a signal distinct from that of IgM-BCR or IgD-BCR, although all three use the same signal-transducing component, Igalpha/Igbeta. Here we demonstrate that the inhibitory coreceptor CD22 down-modulates signaling through IgM-BCR and IgD-BCR, but not that through IgG-BCR, because of the IgG cytoplasmic tail, which prevents CD22 phosphorylation. These results suggest that the cytoplasmic tail of IgG specifically enhances IgG-BCR signaling by preventing CD22-mediated signal inhibition. Enhanced signaling through IgG-BCR may be involved in efficient IgG production, which is crucial for immunity to pathogens.     

Inhibition of growth of Bradyrhizobium japonicum bacteroid by spermidine and spermine in yeast extract

Abstract

Bacteroids are defined as the symbiotic forms of Rhizobium or Bradyrhizobium cells in the root nodules of their legume host. The differentiation to bacteroids involves various physiological changes and may be associated with some genetical changes. Single-colony isolates from a nodule formed by a Bradyrhizobium strain often differed in their effectiveness and intrinsic antibiotic resistance (Weaver and Wright 1987; Ozawa unpublished data). Detailed analysis of the changes in the gene structure requires the isolation of individual bacteroids from a nodule. However it has been reported that the viability of bacteroids in culture is very low and only a small fraction of a bacteroid population could produce colonies on yeast extract-mannitol (YEM) agar (Sutton et al. 1977). Bergersen (1974) concluded that the reversion of bacteroids to the vegetative, growing form is very rare.     

UTS2R gene polymorphisms are associated with fatty acid composition in Japanese beef cattle

Fatty acid composition of beef adipose tissue is one of its important traits because a high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acid is related to favorable beef flavor and tenderness. In this study, we searched polymorphisms in full length coding DNA sequence of urotensin 2 recepter and investigated the effects on fatty acid composition (C14:0, C14:1, C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, monounsaturated fatty acid, saturated fatty acid). Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were identified by sequence comparison among eight animals, including five Japanese Black and three Holstein cattle. One of these SNP (c.866C>T) was predicted to cause amino acid substitutions (P289L) and the other seven synonymous SNP, including c.267C>T, were presumed to be in linkage disequilibrium. Therefore we selected two SNP (c.267C>T and c.866C>T) for further analysis. We investigated associations between these genotypes and fatty acid composition in three Japanese Black populations (n = 560, 245 and 287) and a Holstein population (n = 202). Tukey‐Kramer's honestly significant difference test revealed that CC genotype in c.267C>T indicated lower C14:0 and higher C18:1 than the other genotypes in Japanese Black cattle and CC genotype in c.866C>T showed lower C16:1 than CT genotype in Holstein cattle (P < 0.05). These results suggested that these genotypes would contribute to production of high‐grade meat as selection markers in beef cattle.     

Relationship Between Fertility at Foal Heat and Blood Biochemistry Parameters Monitored During the Peripartum Period in Thoroughbred Mares

This study aimed to examine fertility at foal heat and its relevance to body condition score (BCS) and blood nutritional metabolites in Thoroughbred mares. Thoroughbred mares foaled from 2006 to 2009 were included and classified into two groups: group C (conception; n = 34), which included mares that conceived during foal heat (within 3 weeks after foaling), and group NC (nonconception; n = 39), which included mares that did not conceive despite mating during their foal heat. BCS and blood samples were obtained 1 month before the expected foaling date and 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after foaling. Total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), total cholesterol (T-Cho), triglyceride (TG), nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA), calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphate (iP), and magnesium (Mg) levels were measured using an automatic clinical chemistry analyzer. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student t-test were used to examine the differences between the two groups. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in any of the above-mentioned parameters at 1 month before the expected foaling date (Student t-test). Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in serum levels of TP, Alb, AST, GGT, T-Cho, NEFA, Ca, and Mg and BCS at postpartum periods (repeated measures ANOVA). Serum TG, BUN, and iP levels remained lower in group NC than in group C after foaling (P < .05, repeated measures ANOVA). Although the mechanism by which these nutritional factors affect a decline in reproductive performance remains unclear, our results suggest that blood biochemical tests can detect potential imbalances in nutrition and metabolism, even if there is no difference in BCS.