Endocrinological characterization of an ovarian sex cord–stromal tumor with a Sertoli cell pattern in a Japanese Black cow

A Japanese Black cow was evaluated for prolonged post‐partum anestrus and enlargement of the right ovary. Transrectal ultrasonography revealed that the right ovary was markedly enlarged and had a solid appearance, while the left ovary was small and inactive. The presumptive diagnosis was directed towards granulosa‐theca cell tumour (GTCT) which was supported by markedly elevated plasma anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH; 332.0 ng/ml), oestradiol (E₂; 103.3 pg/ml) and immunoreactive inhibin (ir‐INH; 2.1 ng/ml) in comparison with the diagnostic cut‐off points for bovine GTCTs. Since the cow had been infertile and had swelling of the udder, slaughter was chosen. Histopathological examination revealed that the tumour was an ovarian sex cord–stromal tumour (SCST) with a Sertoli cell pattern. These findings suggest that plasma AMH, ir‐INH and E₂ could be possible biomarkers for bovine ovarian SCST with a Sertoli cell pattern, whereas this case could not be distinguished from GTCTs based on endocrinological profile.     

Characterization of anti‐Müllerian hormone in a case of bovine male pseudohermaphroditism

The current report aimed to characterize plasma anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH) in bovine male pseudohermaphroditism. The blood AMH concentration in a Japanese Black male pseudohermaphrodite calf was compared with pre‐ and post‐pubertal male and female calves and castrated calves. The concentration in the case was higher than in post‐pubertal males, castrated males, and pre‐ and post‐pubertal female calves (p < .05), but similar to that in pre‐pubertal male calves. After extraction of the testes, the concentration in the case dropped to a certain extent. The extracted testes expressed AMH, as detected by immunohistochemistry. This study is the first to show the characterization of AMH in a male pseudohermaphrodite calf. AMH levels in peripheral blood might be useful to diagnose male pseudohermaphroditism in cattle.     

Association of interservice interval with conception rate in Japanese Black cattle

This study aimed to clarify the association of interservice interval (ISI) with conception rate (CR) and to evaluate factors affecting ISI in Japanese Black cattle. Data used in this study covered 32,639 artificial insemination (AI) records on 972 farms. The mean ± SEM of ISI and CR was 57.0 ± 0.3 days and 44.6 ± 0.3%, respectively. The relative frequency of ISI differed significantly between parity groups (p < .05). For parity 0, the proportion of ISI at an 18‐ to 24‐day interval was 43.6%, whereas the proportions in the other parity groups ranged from 27.2% to 29.1%. The CR was associated significantly with ISI, parity and AI number (p < .05), but not with season. Cows reinseminated at an 18‐ to 24‐day interval had the highest CR (46.8%; p < .05). Cows reinseminated at a 39‐ to 45‐day interval had a similar CR to those reinseminated at 25‐ 38‐day and 46‐ to 59‐day intervals. Cows reinseminated at 11–17, 60–66 and 67 days or longer intervals had the lowest CR (p < .05). Thus, cows returning to oestrus in a normal cycle tended to have a higher probability of conceiving compared with those that returned to oestrus after a normal cycle for any degree of parity and at any number of AI.     

Seasonal variations in water relations in current-year leaves of evergreen trees with delayed greening

We investigated seasonal patterns of water relations in current-year leaves of three evergreen broad-leaved trees (Ilex pedunculosa Miq., Ligustrum japonicum Thunb., and Eurya japonica Thunb.) with delayed greening in a warm-temperate forest in Japan. We used the pressure-volume method to: (1) assess the extent to which seasonal variation in leaf water relations is attributable to leaf development processes in delayed greening leaves versus seasonal variation in environmental variables; and (2) investigate variation in leaf water relations during the transition from the sapling to the adult tree stage. Leaf mass per unit leaf area was generally lowest just after completion of leaf expansion in May (late spring), and increased gradually throughout the year. Osmotic potential at full turgor (Psi(o) (ft)) and leaf water potential at the turgor loss point (Psi(w) (tlp)) were highest in May, and lowest in midwinter in all species. In response to decreasing air temperature, Psi(o) (ft) dropped at the rate of 0.037 MPa degrees C(-1). Dry-mass-based water content of leaves and the symplastic water fraction of total leaf water content gradually decreased throughout the year in all species. These results indicate that reductions in the symplastic water fraction during leaf development contributed to the passive concentration of solutes in cells and the resulting drop in winter Psi(o) (ft). The ratio of solutes to water volume increased in winter in current-year leaves of L. japonicum and E. japonica, indicating that osmotic adjustment (active accumulation of solutes) also contributed to the drop in winter in Psi(o) (ft). Bulk modulus of elasticity in cell walls fluctuated seasonally, but no general trend was found across species. Over the growing season, Psi(o) (ft) and Psi(w) (tlp) were lower in adult trees than in saplings especially in the case of I. pedunculosa, suggesting that adult-tree leaves are more drought and cold tolerant than sapling leaves. The ontogenetic increase in the stress resistance of I. pedunculosa may be related to its characteristic life form because I. pedunculosa grows taller than the other species studied.     

Postnatal developmental changes in immunohistochemical localization of alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA) and vimentin in bovine testes

The present study demonstrates the postnatal developmental changes in immunohistochemical localization of alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA) and vimentin in the bovine testis. In the peritubular myoid cells of seminiferous tubules and the sub-epithelial and stromal cells of straight tubules and the rete testis, alpha-SMA starts appearing at around 4 months of age. Peritubular alpha-SMA attains the continuous mature pattern at around 5 months of age whereas sub-epithelial and stromal alpha-SMA increases with advancing age. Vimentin is localized in the perinuclear zone of Sertoli cells, peritubular and vascular wall cells, a few interstitial cells, and in the basal part of the epithelia of straight and rete tubules. Developmental changes are only evident in the Sertoli cell vimentin, which is basal and weak at birth and increases moderately until 4 months of age. From around 5 to 8 months of age when the Sertoli cells are under morphological transformation, vimentin intensity is considerably increased and the characteristic vimentin extensions connect the Sertoli nuclei to the basal membrane. These extensions get shorter at around 9 month of age as the Sertoli nuclei are positioned basally. The mature Sertoli cell perinuclear vimentin is strong and stable without infranuclear extension. In conclusion, the age of appearance of alpha-SMA coincides with the onset of postnatal division of spermatogonia, and vimentin may play a key role in stabilizing Sertoli cell nuclei during their transformation in bovine.     

Immunohistolocalization of carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes (CA-I, -II and -III ) in canine epididymis

The immunolocalization of the efferent duct and the epididymis in canine was firstly examined using an the immunohistochemical method with the canine carbonic anhydrase (CA) -I, CA-II and CA-III antisera. The efferent duct was immunonegative for all present canine CA antisera. However, some slender shaped epithelial cells in the head and body segments of the epididymal duct were intensely reacted to the CA-II antiserum. These results suggested that the CA-II might be controlled in the luminal environment in the head and body segments of the canine epididymis by the proton and bicarbonate balance for the maintenance of the spermatozoal stability and movement.     

Black tea polyphenols, theaflavins, prevent cellular DNA damage by inhibiting oxidative stress and suppressing cytochrome P450 1A1 in cell cultures.

Tea polyphenols have been demonstrated as chemopreventive agents in a number of experimental models. However, less is known about the mechanism of chemoprevention by black tea compared with that of green tea. Some beneficial properties of theaflavins, the black tea polyphenols, were investigated in the present study. Theaflavins showed inhibitory effects on H(2)O(2)- and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBuOOH)-induced cytotoxicity (evaluated by tetrazolium bromide reduction), cellular oxidative stress (detected by oxidation of 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescin), and DNA damage (measured by amount of 8-OHdG and comet assay) in rat normal liver epithelium cell RL-34 cell lines. In addition, theaflavins also exhibited suppression of cytochrome P450 1A1 induced by omeprazole in the human hepatoma HepG2 cell line. Furthermore, when HepG2 cells were pretreated with omeprazole to induce CYP1A1, then exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), DNA damage was observed using the comet assay. However, theaflavins could inhibit this DNA damage. These results indicated that theaflavins could prevent cellular DNA damage by inhibiting oxidative stress and suppressing cytochrome P450 1A1 in cell cultures.     

Inhibitory activity of corn-derived bisamide compounds against alpha-glucosidase

Bioassay guided fractionation from corn gluten meal, a byproduct of a starch manufacturing plant, gave N-p-coumaroyl-N'-feruloylputrescine (1) and N,N'-diferuloylputrescine (2) as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. Some structure-activity relationships were studied by comparing the inhibitory activity by preparing some related compounds, and it was revealed that the hydroxyl group was important for the inhibitory activity of bisamide alkaloids, but not the redox potential.     

Population changes of early successional forest species after shifting cultivation in Northwestern Vietnam

The population changes of early successional forest species, Wendlandia paniculata, Schima wallichii, Camellia tsaii, and Lithocarpus ducampii, were described and analyzed in a chronosequence of 1–30 year-old secondary forests representing regrowth after shifting cultivation in northwestern Vietnam, utilizing 51 temporary plots for stem census. Another five temporary plots were used for stem census in surrounding old-growth forest for comparison. In the first year after land abandonment, seedling stem density (H < 2 m) was 65,800/ha, increasing to 161,200/ha by third year, then sharply decreasing to 2,500/ha in 21–30 year-old forests. The sapling stratum (H ≥ 2 m and DBH < 5 cm) started to be recruited in the fifth year, increasing to reach a peak density of 4,530 stems/ha at year ten, then decreased to 580 stems/ha at year 21–30. The tree stratum (DBH ≥ 5 cm) achieved the maximum density of 600 stems/ha at year ten. Meanwhile, the density of all strata in the old-growth forest was 2,980 stems/ha. Sprouts played an important role, accounting for 34% at the first year then increased gradually to 73% at year 21–30. Total basal area attained a peak at 5.43 m²/ha at year ten; it was 4.9 m²/ha in the old-growth forest. These four species played an important role in providing ecological services for recruitment of other species during the first 10 years of fallow stand development, which increased to 35 species in 21–30 year-old secondary forest.     

Genetic evaluation of heat tolerance in Holstein cows in Japan

We used test‐day records and daily records from provincial weather stations in Japan to evaluate heat tolerance (HT) in Holstein cows according to a random regression test‐day model. Data were a total of 1,641,952 test‐day records for heritability estimates and 17,245,694 test‐day records for genetic evaluation of HT by using milk yield and somatic cell score (SCS) in Holstein cows that had calved for the first time in 2000 through 2015. Temperature–humidity index (THI) values were estimated by using average daily temperature and average daily relative humidity records from 60 provincial Japanese weather stations. The model contained herd–test‐day, with lactation curves on days in milk within month–age group as a fixed effect. General additive genetic effect and HT of additive genetic effect were included as random effects. The threshold value of THI was set to 60. For milk yield, estimated mean heritabilities were lower during heat stress (THI = 78; 0.20 and 0.28) than when below the heat stress threshold (THI ≤ 60; 0.26 and 0.31). For SCS, heritability estimates (range 0.08–0.10) were similar under all heat stress conditions. Genetic trends of HT indicated that EBVs of HT are changing in an undesirable direction.