Intake of Heated Leaf Extract of Coriandrum sativum Contributes to Resistance to Oxidative Stress via Decreases in Heavy Metal Concentrations in the Kidney

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Coriandrum sativum (coriander) is an annual herb of the Apiaceae family and has been used as a traditional remedy. Here we examined whether heated leaf extract of...     

Establishment of a multiplex RT-PCR assay for the rapid detection of fish cytokines

To monitor the expression of cytokine genes in Japanese pufferfish, a novel platform for quantitative multiplexed analysis was developed. This custom-designed multiplex RT-PCR assay was used to analyze the expression profiles of 19 cytokine genes, including pro-inflammatory (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A/F3, IL-18, TNF-α, TNF-N), anti-inflammatory (IL-4/13A, IL-4/13B, IL-10), T-cell proliferation/differentiation (IL-2, IL-15, IL-21, TGF-β1), B-cell activation/differentiation (IL-7, IL-6, IL-4/13A, IL-4/13B), NK cell stimulation (IL-12p35 and IL-12p40), induction of anti-viral activity (I-IFN-1 and IFN-γ), and monocyte/macrophage progenitor cell proliferation (M-CSF1b) cytokines in head kidney cells under immune stimulatory conditions. The expression profiles were dissimilar in the unstimulated control and immune-stimulated cells. Moreover, increased expression profile was observed due to different stimulations for IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p35, IL-12p40, IL-21, TNF-α, TNF-N, I-IFN-1 and IFN-γ genes. These results suggest that cytokine genes could be used as biomarkers to know the immune status of fish. The constructed multiplex RT-PCR assay will enhance understanding on immune regulation by cytokines in fish.     

Milk production,nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance in lactating cows fed total mixed ration silages containing steam‐flaked brown rice as substitute for steam‐flaked corn,and wet food by‐products

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of substituting brown rice grain for corn grain in total mixed ration (TMR) silage containing food by‐products on the milk production, whole‐tract nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance in dairy cows. Six multiparous Holstein cows were used in a crossover design with two dietary treatments: a diet containing 30.9% steam‐flaked corn (corn TMR) or 30.9% steam‐flaked brown rice (rice TMR) with wet soybean curd residue and wet soy sauce cake. Dietary treatment did not affect the dry matter intake, milk yield and compositions in dairy cows. The dry matter and starch digestibility were higher, and the neutral detergent fiber digestibility was lower for rice TMR than for corn TMR. The urinary nitrogen (N) excretion as a proportion of the N intake was lower for rice TMR than for corn TMR with no dietary effect on N secretion in milk and fecal N excretion. These results indicated that the replacement of corn with brown rice in TMR silage relatively reduced urinary N loss without adverse effects on feed intake and milk production, when food by‐products such as soybean curd residue were included in the TMR silage as dietary crude protein sources.     

Effects of epidural morphine on gastrointestinal transit in unmedicated horses

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of epidural morphine on gastrointestinal (GI) motility in horses.Study designRandomly ordered crossover design.AnimalsSix healthy adult horses weighing 585 ± 48 kg (mean ± SD).MethodsHorses were randomly assigned to receive either 0.2 mg kg^?1 morphine or an equal volume (0.04 mL kg^?1) of saline epidurally (the first inter coccygeal space) with 2 weeks between treatments. The horses were stabled, fed a standardized diet and allowed water ad libitum throughout the duration of the study. Radiopaque spheres were administered by stomach tube. Xylazine 0.2 mg kg^?1 intravenously was administered prior to epidural injection. Heart rate, respiratory rate, GI sounds score and behavior score were recorded before drug administration and after epidural injection at 4, 8, 12, 18, 24 hours and every 12 hours thereafter for 6 days. Feces were weighed, radiographed and the number of spheres counted. Data were analyzed using a mixed effect model.ResultsAt no time did horses exhibit signs of colic or show significant differences between treatments regarding heart rate, respiratory rate, GI sounds score, behavior score, or cumulative number of spheres. The concentration of spheres per kg of feces was significantly lower (p < 0.05) for the morphine group at 18 and 24 hours. Using the centroid of the curves (spheres kg^?1 plotted versus time) the average transit time after saline epidural was 38 hours and after morphine it was 43 hours. The weight of feces hour^?1 was significantly lower (p < 0.05) at only 4 and 8 hours after morphine.Conclusions and clinical relevanceEpidural morphine, at a dose of 0.2 mg kg^?1, temporarily reduced GI motility but did not cause ileus or colic in this small group of healthy unfasted horses. Care should be taken when extrapolating these data to situations in which other factors may also affect GI motility.     

Immunological characteristics and response to lipopolysaccharide of mouse lines selectively bred with natural and acquired immunities

Genetic improvement of resistance to infectious diseases is a challenging goal in animal breeding. Infection resistance involves multiple immunological characteristics, including natural and acquired immunity. In the present study, we developed an experimental model based on genetic selection, to improve immunological phenotypes. We selectively established three mouse lines based on phagocytic activity, antibody production and the combination of these two phenotypes. We analyzed the immunological characteristics of these lines using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is one of the main components of Gram‐negative bacteria. An intense immunological reaction was induced in each of the three mouse lines. Severe loss of body weight and liver damage were observed, and a high level of cytokine messenger RNA was detected in the liver tissue. The mouse line established using a combination of the two selection standards showed unique characteristics relative to the mouse lines selected on the basis of a single phenotype. Our results indicate that genetic selection and breeding is effective, even for immunological phenotypes with a relatively low heritability. Thus, it may be possible to improve resistance to infectious diseases by means of genetic selection.     

Effects of thymol on B16-F10 melanoma cells

Aromatic monoterpene, thymol, shows several beneficial activities, such as an antioxidative effect. However, the mechanism of its toxicity remains to be fully defined. In preliminary studies, thymol was characterized as a melanin formation inhibitor in an enzymatic system; however, thymol showed moderate cytotoxicity but not an antimelanogenic effect on B16-F10 melanoma cells. Thymol exhibited cytotoxicity, with an IC(50) value of 400 μM (60.09 μg/mL). This moderate toxic effect was suppressed with the addition of vitamin C and vitamin D, and 20 and 40% of cell viability was increased, respectively. Subsequently, the treatment of L-cysteine on thymol-treated melanoma cells reversed the toxic effect of thymol. Moreover, a significant oxidative stress condition was observed when B16 melanoma cells were cultured with thymol. In conclusion, the antioxidant actions of thymol generate a stable phenoxy radical intermediate, which generates reactive oxygen species and quinone oxide derivatives. Thus, it is proposed that the primary mechanism of thymol toxicity at high doses is due to the formation of antioxidant-related radicals.     

Effect of bromochloromethane and fumarate on phylogenetic diversity of the formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase gene in bovine rumen

Effect of the methane inhibitor, bromochloromethane (BCM) and dietary substrate, fumarate, on microbial community structure of acetogen bacteria in the bovine rumen was investigated through analysis of the formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase gene (fhs). The fhs sequences obtained from BCM‐untreated, BCM‐treated, fumarate‐untreated and fumarate‐treated bovine rumen were categorized into homoacetogens and nonhomoacetogenic bacteria by homoacetogen similarity scores. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that most of the fhs sequences categorized into homoacetogens were divided into nine clusters, which were in close agreement with a result shown in a self‐organizing map. The diversity of the fhs sequences from the BCM‐treated rumen was significantly different from those from BCM‐non‐treated rumen. Principal component analysis also showed that addition of BCM to the rumen altered the population structure of acetogenic bacteria significantly but the effect of fumarate was comparatively minor. These results indicate that BCM affects diversity of actogens in the bovine rumen, and changes in acetogenic community structure in response to methane inhibitors may be caused by different mechanisms.     

Hyperbaric air therapy in dogs for clinical veterinary medicine: a basic study

Hyperbaric air therapy (HBA) is a treatment in which an animal is exposed to air pressurized to about 1.3 atmosphere absolute (ATA). Although HBA has already been administered to humans in medical applications, it has not been reported in clinical veterinary medicine. Therefore, we aimed to determine a safe protocol for dogs. To elucidate oxygen dynamics during HBA, we measured partial pressure of arterial oxygen, oxygen saturation of tissue, and partial pressure of transcutaneous oxygen in dogs. HBA could be performed safely with a protocol of pressurizing speed up to 0.1 ATA/min, maximum chamber pressure of up to 1.3 ATA, and pressure duration of around 45 min per treatment. Under these conditions, tissue was adequately oxygenated during and after treatment.     

Structural characterization of the trisaccharide chain from the skin mucus glycoprotein of the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri

Skin mucus glycoprotein (RGP) was extracted from the skin mucus of rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri. Alkaline borohydride treatment of RGP yielded a major oligosaccharide alditol NeuAcα2 to6GalNAc-ol and several minor oligosaccharide alditols. A trisaccharide alditol (OS-I) was purified by Sephadex G-25 gel filtration and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The amount of OS-I was estimated to be 7% in RGP from the amount of GalNAc-ol. Structural determination of the OS-I was examined. Structure of OS-I was identified to be NeuAcα2 to6 (GalNAcα1 to3) GalNAc-ol by α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase digestion, methylation analysis, and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Morphological and behavioral indicators of reproductive premolt females of the helmet crab Telmessus cheiragonus

Fisheries Science - Evaluation of the molting stage of crustaceans is essential for studying their mating behavior because of molt-dependent changes in their behavior. For example, in species in...