Quantitative CT assessment of bone mineral density in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism

Canine hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) is one of the most common causes of general osteopenia. In this study, quantitative computed tomography (QCT) was used to compare the bone mineral densities (BMD) between 39 normal dogs and 8 dogs with HAC (6 pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism [PDH]; pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism, 2 adrenal hyperadrenocorticism [ADH]; adrenal dependent hyperadrenocorticism) diagnosed through hormonal assay. A computed tomogaraphy scan of the 12th thoracic to 7th lumbar vertebra was performed and the region of interest was drawn in each trabecular and cortical bone. Mean Hounsfield unit values were converted to equivalent BMD with bone-density phantom by linear regression analysis. The converted mean trabecular BMDs were significantly lower than those of normal dogs. ADH dogs showed significantly lower BMDs at cortical bone than normal dogs. Mean trabecular BMDs of dogs with PDH using QCT were significantly lower than those of normal dogs, and both mean trabecular and cortical BMDs in dogs with ADH were significantly lower than those of normal dogs. Taken together, these findings indicate that QCT is useful to assess BMD in dogs with HAC.     

Serum adipokine concentrations in dogs with diabetes mellitus: a pilot study

This study was conducted to determine whether serum adipokine concentrations differed between healthy dogs and dogs with diabetes mellitus (DM). To accomplish this, 19 dogs with newly diagnosed DM were compared to 20 otherwise healthy dogs. The serum concentrations of visfatin, leptin, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and TNF-α were significantly higher in diabetic dogs than in healthy dogs, whereas the serum adiponectin concentrations were lower in diabetic dogs. However, there were no significant differences in the IL-10 and resistin levels between groups. The serum leptin concentrations in diabetic dogs with and without concurrent disorders differed significantly. Treatment with insulin induced a significant decrease in IL-6 in diabetic dogs without concurrent disorders. These results show that the clinical diabetic state of dogs could modulate the circulating visfatin and adiponectin concentrations directly, while upregulation of leptin was probably a result of concurrent disorders rather than an effect of persistent hyperglycemia as a result of DM.     

Physical, chemical, and serological characterization of avian rotaviruses

Physical, chemical, and serological characterization of rotavirus isolates from turkeys was done. Cesium chloride (CsCl)-gradient isopycnic centrifugation of infected cell cultures revealed the presence of rotavirus particles of three different densities. They were double-shelled, single-shelled, and core particles. The double-shelled particles had a buoyant density (in CsCl) of 1.34 g/cml3, and that of single-shelled particles in CsCl was 1.36 g/cm3. The buoyant density of core particles in CsCl was greater than 1.40 g/cm3. These rotavirus isolates were not inactivated by chloroform and were relatively stable at pH 3.0. Their replication was not affected by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine. Avian rotaviruses were not completely inactivated by heat treatment of 56 C for 8 hr. All six avian rotavirus isolates examined were antigenically related to each other. However, there was no antigenic relationship between mammalian rotaviruses and the avian rotavirus isolates examined.     

食源性单核细胞增生李斯特菌lmoF2365_0037基因克隆及序列分析

为了对食源性单核细胞增生李斯特菌LM5567的lmoF23650037基因进行克隆和序列分析。试验利用PCR方法对lmoF23650037基因进行扩增,连接pMD19-T载体进行克隆,筛选阳性菌株进行测序比对分析。结果显示:扩增获得的lmoF23650037基因序列长为548 bp,克隆得到lmoF23650037基因的阳性转化子;生物信息学分析表明:lmoF23650037蛋白属于跨膜蛋白,无信号肽序列;二级结构中无规则卷曲和延伸链比例较大,分别是46.31%和32.89%;序列比对结果表明,LM5567株lmoF23650037基因核苷酸序列与02-6680株(4b,奶酪,加拿大)、10-0811株(1/2b,螃蟹,加拿大)、10-0809株(4b,粪便,加拿大)、81-0558株(4b,脑脊髓液、加拿大)、02-1103株、02-1792(4b,奶酪,加拿大)、81-0861株(4b,卷心菜,加拿大)相似性均为100%;LM5567 lmoF23650037基因编码的氨基酸序列与上述菌株相似性均为93.3%。本试验成功克隆了lmoF23650037基因,为进一步探究lmoF23650037基因的功能奠定了基础。     

Dimethylnitrosamine-induced liver fibrosis and recovery in NOD/SCID mice

There is a need for a new liver fibrosis model of immunodeficient mice to study the effects of cell therapy on liver disease because there are not many animal models available to study the effects of cell therapy. In this study, we induced liver fibrosis using dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in NOD/SCID mice to create an animal model for liver disease. DMN (5 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected intraperitoneally for three consecutive days per week for 6 or 8 weeks, and the mice were sacrificed at weeks 0, 4 and 8 after the last DMN injection. The 6-week DMN-treated group gradually recovered from serum biochemical changes, histopathological toxic effects and lesions in the liver at weeks 4 and 8 after the last DMN injection. However, the progression of liver fibrosis and toxic levels were maintained in the 8-week DMN-treated group at week 4 after the last DMN injection. The increases in iron and extracellular matrix (collagen) in the DMN-treated group were confirmed by Prussian blue (PB) and Masson's trichrome (MT) staining, respectively. Additionally, activation of hepatic stellate cells was observed by alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) immunostaining and western blot. In conclusion, treatment of NOD/SCID mice with 5 mg/kg of DMN for 8 weeks can be used to induce an appropriate animal model of disease for liver fibrosis. This model may be useful for evaluation of the efficacy and safety of cell therapies such as human mesenchymal stem cell therapy.     

兔粪堆肥技术初步研究

试验旨在研究兔粪堆肥过程中的参数变化,为规模化兔场兔粪堆肥处理提供技术储备。以兔粪和稻草为原料进行室内堆肥,设置兔粪-稻草组、兔粪-稻草翻堆组和兔粪组,在为期55d的堆肥过程中,测定了各堆体温度、水分、酸碱度(pH)、总有机碳(TOC)、总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)、总钾(TK)、大肠杆菌和种子发芽指数(GI)随时间的变化。结果表明:在堆肥过程中,各组高温期温度均能维持5 d以上,能达到了粪便无害化卫生标准的要求,兔粪-稻草翻堆组高温阶段持续时间最长;各组有机质相对含量总体呈上升趋势,堆肥结束时,有机质均稳定在35%以上;TP和TK总体呈上升趋势;高温期时大肠杆菌数均为0,但随着温度的降低,又出现了少量的大肠杆菌;种子发芽指数总体呈上升趋势,堆肥37d后均能达到腐熟标准。由此可见,生产中对兔粪进行处理,既可以单独利用兔粪进行堆肥,也可以采用兔粪和稻草按7.4∶1的比例进行混合堆肥。     

谈多样化军事任务下军犬繁育工作系统化建设——赴欧洲引进种犬的认识

<正>2009年11月12日至12月8日,由总参军务部牵头组成种犬采购团,赴德国、英国等国家为全军引进了一批优良种犬,成功实现了我军种犬第五次换代,作为经历这次种犬引进全过程的参与者,笔者结合这次经历     

Effect of hay type on cecal and fecal microbiome and fermentation parameters in horses

The effect of hay type on the microbiome of the equine gastrointestinal tract is relatively unexplored. Our objective was to characterize the cecal and fecal microbiome of mature horses consuming alfalfa or Smooth Bromegrass (brome) hay. Six cecally cannulated horses were used in a split-plot design run as a crossover in two periods. The whole plot treatment was ad libitum access to brome or alfalfa hay fed over two 21-d acclimation periods with subplots of sampling location (cecum and rectum) and sampling hour. Each acclimation period was followed by a 24-h collection period where cecal and fecal samples were collected every 3 h for analysis of pH and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Fecal and cecal samples were pooled and sent to a commercial lab (MR DNA, Shallowater, TX) for the amplification of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and sequenced using Illumina HiSeq. The main effects of hay on VFA, pH, and taxonomic abundances were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4 with fixed effects of hay, hour, location, period, and all possible interactions and random effect of horse. Alpha and beta diversities were analyzed using the R Dame package. Horses fed alfalfa had greater fecal than cecal pH (P ≤ 0.05), whereas horses fed brome had greater cecal than fecal pH (P ≤ 0.05). Regardless of hay type, total VFA concentrations were greater (P ≤ 0.05) in the cecum than in feces, and alfalfa resulted in greater (P ≤ 0.05) VFA concentrations than brome in both sampling locations. Alpha diversity was greater (P ≤ 0.05) in fecal compared with cecal samples. Microbial community structure within each sampling location and hay type differed from one another (P ≤ 0.05). Bacteroidetes were greater (P ≤ 0.05) in the cecum compared with the rectum, regardless of hay type. Firmicutes and Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes were greater (P ≤ 0.05) in the feces compared with cecal samples of alfalfa-fed horses. In all, fermentation parameters and bacterial abundances were impacted by hay type and sampling location in the hindgut.     

Characteristics of 18F-FDG and 18F-FDOPA PET in an 8-year-old neutered male Yorkshire Terrier dog with glioma: long-term chemotherapy using hydroxyurea plus imatinib with prednisolone and immunoreactivity for PDGFR-β and LAT1

An 8-year-old neutered male Yorkshire Terrier dog presented with head pressing, vestibular ataxia, neck tenderness, and no oculocephalic reflex. A demarcated lesion in the pons was identified on MRI. The patient was tentatively diagnosed with a glioma and was treated with hydroxyurea plus imatinib and prednisolone. After 30 days of therapeutic treatment, the patient showed a clear improvement in neurological signs, which lasted for 1117 days. On day 569 after the initiation of treatment, ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) was performed with no significant findings on visual analysis. The average and maximal standardized uptake values (SUVs) were 1.92 and 2.29, respectively. The tumor-to-normal-tissue (T/N) ratio was 0.97. The first evidence of clinical deterioration was noticed on day 1147. On day 1155, 3,4-dihydroxy-6-[¹⁸F]-fluoro-l-phenylalanine (¹⁸F-FDOPA)-PET was performed. High uptake of ¹⁸F-FDOPA was observed in the intracranial lesion. The mean and maximal SUVs of the tumor were 1.59 and 2.29, respectively. The T/N ratio was 2.22. The patient was euthanized on day 1155 and histopathologic evaluations confirmed glioma (astrocytoma). This case shows that chemotherapy with hydroxyurea plus imatinib may be considered in the treatment of canine glioma. Furthermore, this is the first case describing the application of ¹⁸F-FDG and ¹⁸F-FDOPA in a dog with glioma.     

不同蛋白质水平日粮对肥育猪肠道氨基酸转运载体CAT1 mRNA表达量的影响

本试验旨在研究不同蛋白质水平日粮对肥育猪肠道氨基酸转运载体CAT1 mRNA表达量的影响.选取36头杜×长×大二三元杂交阉公猪,平均体重(55.6±7.0)kg,随机分为3个处理,分别饲喂13%(低蛋白质组)、16%(对照组)和19%(高蛋白质组)的蛋白质水平日粮,每个处理12个重复(单栏饲养).于饲喂后第45天,每组随机屠宰5头,分离肠道(十二指肠、空肠和回肠),运用Real-Time PCR技术,以β-actin为内参基因,研究CAT1 mRNA相对于β-actin的表达量.结果表明,在饲喂高蛋白质日粮时,与对照组相比,氨基酸转运载体CAT1 mRNA相对于内参β-actin mRNA的表达量,在肥育猪十二指肠、空肠和回肠中分别提高了58.4%、23.2%和24.5%,但差异不显著(P>0.05);而饲喂低蛋白质日粮时,CAT1 mRNA相对表达量在肥育猪十二指肠和空肠中则分别提高93.1%和122.6%,差异显著(P<0.05),而在回肠中降低了14.3%,差异不显著(P>0.05).高蛋白质水平日粮对肥育猪肠道CAT1 mRNA相对表达最的影响不大,而低蛋白质水平日粮对肥育猪肠道CAT1 mRNA相对表达量的影响较大,尤其是对空肠CAT1 mRNA的相对表达量.