Concentration of cephalothin in body fluids and tissue samples of Thoroughbred horses

Cephalothin (CET) concentrations in body fluids (plasma, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, peritoneal fluid, and aqueous humor) and tissue samples (bone, lung, jejunum, hoof, and subcutaneous tissue) were investigated to consider the treatment of infectious diseases in horses. CET 22 mg/kg body weight was intravenously administered to 12 horses. Samples were collected from four different horses at 1, 3, and 5 hr after administration. The CET concentration in body fluids other than aqueous humor was maintained above the MIC₉₀ values of Streptococcus zooepidemicus and Staphylococcus aureus until 5 hr, but it was not maintained above that of S. aureus in bone. CET (22 mg/kg twice a day) is effective for septic arthritis, pleuritis, and peritonitis caused by gram-positive bacteria but ineffective for osteomyelitis.     

Combined ataxia telangiectasia mutated and DNA-dependent protein kinase inhibition radiosensitizes Madin–Darby canine kidney cells

Uncovering radiation toxicity is critical for the adaptation and expansion of advanced radiation therapies and for the development of novel cancer radiotherapy. In the near future, advanced radiotherapies, including heavy ion beam treatment, are expected to be applied in the treatment of dogs, but further basic research on the effects of radiation using canine normal and cancer cells is necessary to actually apply these techniques and achieve high therapeutic efficacy. The radiation sensitivity is varied by the activities of DNA damage response (DDR) and DNA repair. The development of radiosensitizers that target DDR- and DNA repair-kinases, like ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), is progressing and is expected to be introduced into canine radiotherapy. However, there are no cytotoxicity reports on using the combination of radiation and these sensitizers as treatment in canine cells. In this study, we examined the cytotoxic effects of X-rays and/or radiosensitizers on the Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell line. Our results show that X-rays suppress MDCK cell colony formation and proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, our observations imply that the combination treatment with ATM inhibitor KU-55933 and DNA-PK inhibitor NU7441 significantly increased X-ray cytotoxicity in MDCK cells compared with the drugs alone. Furthermore, our findings further suggest that MDCK cells might be useful in clarifying the cytotoxicity in canine epithelial cells due to radiation and/or radiosensitizers, such as molecule-targeted drugs.     

Leaf spot of barnyardgrass caused by Exserohilum oryzicola in Japan and the fungal influence on rice,barley, bread wheat,durum wheat,and soybean

Journal of General Plant Pathology - Brown lesions were found on leaves of the weed barnyardgrass in paddy fields in Hiroshima Prefecture in western Japan in June 2017. A fungus, isolated...     

Expression of canine Kdap in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic epidermis

Keratinocyte differentiation-associated protein, Kdap, is a recently identified small secretory protein that may act as a soluble regulator for the cornification and/or desquamation of keratinocytes. To clarify the role of Kdap in the terminal differentiation of keratinocytes, detailed in situ localisation of Kdap was studied using canine skin with normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic epidermis. In normal canine trunk skin, Kdap was expressed by granular keratinocytes, with polarity to the apical side of the cells, suggesting that canine Kdap is present in lamellar granules, as in humans. Expression of Kdap was widespread in the spinous layers in hyperplastic epidermis, but was undetectable in squamous cell carcinomas. These findings suggest that Kdap is closely related to the delay of terminal differentiation and/or release of cells in hyperplastic epidermis.     

Effects of central administration of glucagon on feed intake and endocrine responses in sheep

This study was conducted to investigate effects of glucagon intracerebroventricularly administered on feed intake and endocrine changes in sheep. Four male sheep (48–55 kg BW) were used. The animals were acclimatized to be fed alfalfa hay cubes at 12.00 hour. Human glucagon (40 and 80 µg/0.5 mL) was injected into the lateral ventricle at 12.00 hour. Blood samples were taken every 10 min from 30 min before to 180 min after the glucagon injection. Soon after the injection, the animals were given alfalfa hay cubes, and the amounts of the feed eaten within 2 h were measured. Feed intakes were significantly (P < 0.05) suppressed by 80 µg of glucagon. Plasma glucose levels in control animals were gradually decreased after the feeding, whilst those in glucagon‐treated animals were temporarily elevated just after the feeding and then kept higher than control levels. Plasma insulin was abruptly elevated after the feeding and was maintained at higher levels than before the feeding in all treatments. Plasma NEFA concentrations were decreased after the feeding in all treatments. A tendency of increase in plasma cortisol levels occurred in glucagon‐injected animals. The present study provides the first evidence that glucagon directly acts on the brain, then inhibiting feeding behavior and inducing endocrine responses in ruminants.     

Inhibition of Crandell-Rees Feline Kidney cell proliferation by X-ray-induced senescence

Radioresistance and radiotoxicity have been reported following cancer treatments in felines. Optimizing radiation doses to induce cytotoxic effects to only cancer cells and not normal cells is critical in achieving effective radiation therapy; however, the mechanisms of radiation resistance, radiotoxicity, and DNA damage response (DDR) in feline cells have not yet been elucidated. A DNA double-strand break (DSB) is the most toxic type of DNA damage induced by X-rays and heavy ion beams used in treating cancers. Crandell-Rees Feline Kidney (CRFK) cells is one of the most widely used cat cells in life science research. Here, we report that DSB-triggered senescence induced by X-rays is important in inhibiting the proliferation of CRFK cells. We demonstrated through cell proliferation assay that X-rays at doses 2 Gy and 10 Gy are toxic to CRFK cells that irradiating CRFK cells inhibits their proliferation. In X-irradiated CRFK cells, a dose-dependent increase in DSB-triggered senescence was detected according to morphological changes and using senescence-associated β galactosidase staining assay. Moreover, our data indicated that in CRFK cells, the major DDR pathway, which involves the phosphorylation of H2AX at Ser139, was normally activated by ATM kinases. Our findings are useful in the understanding of X-rays-induced cellular senescence and in elucidating biological effects of radiation, e.g., toxicity, in feline cells. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the CRFK cell line is an excellent matrix for elucidating radioresistance and radiotoxicity in cat cells.     

Analyses of hemorrhagic diathesis in high-iron diet-fed rats

Iron overload has been well recognized to cause oxidant-mediated cellular/tissue injury; however, little is known about the effects of iron overload on the blood coagulation system. We encountered an unexpected bleeding tendency in rats fed a high-iron diet in a set of studies using iron-modified diets. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of hemorrhagic diathesis induced by dietary iron overload in rats. Six-week-old F344/DuCrlCrlj male rats were fed a standard (containing 0.02% iron) or a high-iron diet (containing 1% iron) for 6 weeks and were then sampled for hematological, blood biochemical, coagulation, and pathological examinations. Serum and liver iron levels increased in rats fed the high-iron diet (Fe group) and serum transferrin was almost saturated with iron. However, serum transaminase levels did not increase. Moreover, plasma prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time were significantly prolonged, regardless of the presence of hemorrhage. The activity of clotting factors II and VII (vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors) decreased significantly, whereas that of factor VIII was unaltered. Blood platelet levels were not influenced by dietary iron overload, suggesting that the bleeding tendency in iron-overloaded rats is caused by secondary hemostasis impairment. In addition, hemorrhage was observed in multiple organs in rats fed diets containing more than 0.8% iron. Our results suggest that iron overload can increase the susceptibility of coagulation abnormalities caused by latent vitamin K insufficiency.     

Comparison of invertebrate abundance in a seagrass bed and adjacent coral and sand areas at Amitori Bay,Iriomote Island,Japan

ABSTRACT:   To examine whether or not reef-associated seagrass beds harbor abundant food resources for resident and visiting fishes, the invertebrate density and biomass in a seagrass bed were compared with those in adjacent coral and sand areas at Amitori Bay, Iriomote Island, Japan, in June 2002. The vegetation within the bed was dominated by Enhalus acoroides , the coral area comprising primarily Acropora spp. Epifaunal density was greater on the seagrass than on the corals, whereas biomass was greater on the latter. Tanaids, chironomid larvae, errant polychaetes, and gammaridean amphipods were dominant taxa on the seagrass; larger crustaceans, such as crabs and shrimps, being abundant on the corals. The density of infauna was greatest in the seagrass bed, followed by the coral and sand areas, whereas biomass was greatest in the coral area, followed by the seagrass bed and sand area. Each of the three habitats was dominated by harpacticoid copepods and errant polychaetes, although the density of each taxonomic group differed among the habitats. Important food items of seagrass bed fishes, such as harpacticoid copepods, gammaridean amphipods, errant polychaetes, and tanaids, were abundant in the seagrass bed, the density of each being greater than in the other two habitats.