Testicular shape,scrotal skin thickness and testicular artery blood flow changes in bulls of different ages

The aim of this study was to compare the biometric testicular characteristics, skin thickness and haemodynamics of the testicular artery of 12- and 24-month-old bulls using Doppler ultrasonography, the study was conducted using 48 indicus-taurus animals. The scrotal circumference (SC) and biometry characteristics of the bulls were measured to calculate the testicular volume. Doppler ultrasonography was used to obtain the haemodynamic values of the testicular artery. The skin thickness and volume were lower (p<.01) in the younger bulls (12 months:4.68 ± 0.68 mm; 168.76 ± 47.96 cm³) versus 24 months (5.05 ± 0.89; 499.73 ± 129.24 cm³) animals (p<.01). During diastole, mean velocity was lower in the 12 months (7.98 ± 3.83) than in the 24 months (11.37 ± 4.15) animals (p <.05). The 12-month-old animals had higher pulsatility and resistivity indices (0.49 ± 0.02; 0.51 ± 0.20) compared to the 24-month-old animals (0.32 ± 0.16; 0.40 ± 0.15) (p < .05). The final testicular end velocity was lower in animals with long/moderate-shaped (L/M) (7.31 ± 2.91) than in those moderate/oval-shaped (M/O) (11.48 ± 3.88) testicles (p < .05). Animals with L/M testes presented higher pulsatility values and resistivity indices (0.51 ± 0.05; 0.55 ± 0.04) compared to animals with M/O shape (0.29 ± 0.20; 0.36 ± 0.15). We showed that the blood flow of the supra testicular artery between the two evaluated ages differed, and that 24-month-old bulls presented better thermoregulation capacity. Animals with a long/moderate testicular format presented a greater vascular resistance, which was imposed on the blood flow due to the anatomical differences in the testicular artery, resulting in lower velocity, and indicating better heat dissipation in this format.     

Transgenic rice plants expressing human CYP1A1 remediate the triazine herbicides atrazine and simazine

The human cytochrome P450 CYP1A1 gene was introduced into rice plants (Oryza sativa cv. Nipponbare). One-month-old CYP1A1 plants grown in soil clearly showed a healthy growth and tolerance to 8.8 microM atrazine and 50 microM simazine, but nontransgenic plants were completely killed by the herbicides. Although transgenic and nontransgenic plants metabolized the two herbicides into the same sets of compounds, CYP1A1 plants metabolized atrazine and simazine more rapidly than did control plants. In small-scale experiments, residual amounts of atrazine and simazine in the culture medium of CYP1A1 plants were 43.4 and 12.3% of those in control medium; those of nontransgenic Nipponbare were 68.3 and 57.2%, respectively. When cultivated in soil with 2.95 microM atrazine and 3.15 microM simazine for 25 days, CYP1A1 plants eliminated 1.3 times more atrazine and 1.4 times more simazine from the soil than did control plants. Thus, CYP1A1 rice plants make it possible to remove atrazine and simazine more rapidly from the culture medium and soil than can nontransgenic Nipponbare.     

Phytoremediation of metolachlor by transgenic rice plants expressing human CYP2B6

We introduced the human cytochrome P450 gene CYP2B6 into rice plants (Oryza sativa L. cv. Nipponbare), and the CYP2B6-expressing rice plants became more tolerant to various herbicides than nontransgenic Nipponbare rice plants. In particular, CYP2B6 rice plants grown in soil showed tolerance to the chloroacetanilide herbicides alachlor and metolachlor. We evaluated the degradation of metolachlor by CYP2B6 rice plants to confirm the metabolic activity of the introduced CYP2B6. Although both CYP2B6 and nontransgenic Nipponbare rice plants could decrease the amount of metolachlor in plant tissue and culture medium, CYP2B6 rice plants could remove much greater amounts. In a greenhouse, the ability of CYP2B6 rice plants to remove metolachlor was confirmed in large-scale experiments, in which these plants appeared able to decrease residual quantities of metolachlor in water and soil.     

Variation in the host preferences and responses of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ascia monuste orseis</Emphasis> Godart (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) to cultivars of collard greens <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica oleracea</Emphasis> (L.) var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">acephala</Emphasis>

This work evaluated the preference of Ascia monuste orseis among 29 cultivars of collard greens through free- and no-choice assays using female adults (attractiveness and oviposition) and third-instar larvae (feeding preference), in both laboratory and greenhouse conditions. In free-choice tests with female adults, the L, V, Y, H, A, and Z cultivars produced oviposition non-preference in butterflies. Cultivars R, P, C, and D produced feeding non-preference in third-instar larvae of A. monuste orseis in free- and no-choice tests. Our findings may be useful for genetic improvement focusing on the development of B. oleracea var. acephala cultivars resistant to A. monuste orseis.     

The hypocholesterolemic activity of transgenic rice seed accumulating lactostatin, a bioactive peptide derived from bovine milk β-lactoglobulin

Lactostatin is a novel pentapeptide (IIAEK) derived from bovine milk β-lactoglobulin with greater hypocholesterolemic activity than β-sitosterol, the drug commonly used to treat hypercholesterolemia. We developed transgenic rice expressing lactostatin as a fusion protein with seed storage protein (SSP) glutelins under the control of three different endosperm-specific promoters. Lactostatin accumulated in transgenic rice seed at approximately 1.6 mg/g seeds (dry seeds) without any apparent influence on seed traits such as endogenous SSP expression levels or alterations in the intracellular structures of endosperm cells. Short-term (three day) oral administration of the glutelin fraction containing lactostatin (namely three times of 300 mg/kg body weight/day) extracted from transgenic rice seeds resulted in hypocholesterolemic activity in rats; namely, the serum low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level was significantly reduced accompanied by a significant increase in beneficial serum high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.     

Therapeutic effect of anti-TNF-α antibody and levofloxacin (LVFX) in a mouse model of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 infection

The ability of an anti-TNF-α antibody to confer protection against enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157 was investigated in germfree IQI mice. The use of an antibiotic levofloxacin (LVFX) alone or with the antibody was also studied. Protection included an increase in survival rate. Treatment with the anti-TNF-α antibody inhibited the histological signs associated with EHEC infection but did not prevent the colonization of EHEC or production of Shiga toxin (Stx). No clinical signs were observed and EHEC was completely eliminated in the mouse model receiving both anti-TNF-α antibody and LVFX. Anti-TNF-α antibody suppressed inflammatory cytokine response in the mouse kidney and brain by EHEC infection.     

Effect of heparin on a haemagglutinin of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Heparin inhibited haemagglutination by porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and by Aujesky's disease virus, but failed to inhibit haemagglutination by parainfluenza virus type 3. The minimal inhibitory concentration of heparin required to inhibit 8 HA U of PRRSV haemagglutinin ranged from 0·1 to 1 U ml⁻¹. Mouse erythrocytes failed to combine with the haemagglutination inhibitory factor of heparin. However, mouse erythrocytes treated with heparinase had greatly reduced agglutinability by PRRSV. The formation of a haemagglutinin-heparin complex could be observed by sedimenting heparin with the haemagglutinin. All these findings suggest that a heparin-like molecule on the surface of mouse erythrocytes serves as the virus-cell receptor.     

Suppression of bovine neutrophil function by sera from cortisol-treated calves.

The effect of sera from calves stressed due to cortisol administration was investigated on cytochrome c (CytC) reduction, chemotaxis and random migration under agarose of bovine neutrophils. CytC reduction was significantly suppressed by the sera, whereas the other two function indicators were unaffected. The serum suppressive factor(s) of CytC reduction remained unidentified following analysis using ultrafiltration and sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Is It Possible to Use 90Sr and 137Cs As Tracers for the Aeolian Dust Transport?

A noble approach for the estimation of the deposition of the Asian dust over Japan by using atmospheric anthropogenic radioactivity, ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs, is proposed. Those radioactivities once deposited globally onto the ground by the past nuclear test, etc. are resuspended along with the surface soil particles in the air by the storm and deposited again on the ground. The difference in ¹³⁷Cs/⁹⁰Sr activity ratios in the surface soil between dry and wet climatic conditions gives a clue to know about the source of the dust. It was found that the average activity ratio in the deposited material (average: 2.1, n=82) at MRI, Tsukuba in the 1990s is not close to that of the surface soil taken in neighborhood (median: 6.8, n=8), which had been considered as the primary source. While, it is close to that of the soil samples taken in the arid area in the Asian continent (median: 2.0, n=4), which is the one of the source regions of the aeolian dust. Thus we can reasonably assume that deposited dust in Tsukuba is brought not only from the neighboring fields, etc. but also from the arid area in the continent. Using a simple two-component model it was estimated that the Asian dust may transport about 90% of ⁹⁰Sr and 70% of ¹³⁷Cs depositions observed in Tsukuba in the 1990s. Also, Asian dust may transport about 2/3 of the dust deposited in Tsukuba.