Survey on vertical infection of bovine viral diarrhea virus from fetal bovine sera in the field

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) isolation and antibody survey were performed using 2,758 fetal bovine sera (FBS) collected from slaughterhouses in New Zealand, Australia and the Dominican Republic, and then sent to Japan to manufacture commercial serum for cell culture use. FBS in the Dominican Republic were pooled for each several individuals, and those collected in other countries were separated according to each individual and subjected to the tests. BVDV was isolated from 25 (0.91%) FBS, and the BVDV antibody was detected in 44 (1.60%) FBS. The survey on 139 sets of paired sera of a dam and her fetus revealed that neither the BVDV antibody nor BVDV was detected in all FBS from BVDV antibody-positive dams.     

Distribution of radioactive cesium and stable cesium in cattle kept on a highly contaminated area of Fukushima nuclear accident

Radioactivity inspection of slaughtered cattle is generally conducted using a portion of the neck muscle; however, there is limited information about the distribution of radioactive cesium in cattle. In this study, therefore, we measured not only radioactive cesium but also stable cesium in various tissues of 19 cattle that had been kept in the area highly contaminated by the Fukushima nuclear accident. Skeletal muscles showed approximately 1.5‐3.0 times higher concentration of radioactive cesium than internal organs. Radioactive cesium concentration in the tenderloin and top round was about 1.2 times as high as that in the neck muscle. The kidney showed the highest concentration of radioactive cesium among internal organs, whereas the liver was lowest. Radioactive cesium concentration in the blood was about 8% of that in the neck muscle. Characteristics of stable cesium distribution were almost the same as those of radioactive cesium. Correlation coefficient between radioactive cesium and stable cesium in tissues of individual cattle was 0.981 ± 0.012. When a suspicious level near 100 Bq/kg is detected in the neck of slaughtered cattle, re‐inspection should be conducted using a different region of muscle, for example top round, to prevent marketing of beef that violates the Food Sanitation Act.     

Effects of clay on fat necrosis and carcass characteristics in Japanese Black steers

Twenty 10‐month‐old Japanese Black steers were used to evaluate the effects of clay on fat necrosis and carcass characteristics. Ten steers (Clay group) were fed the clay (50 g/day) during 10–30 months of age. The other 10 steers (Control group) were not fed it. There was no significant difference in body weight or average daily gain between the two groups (P > 0.05). The occurrence of fat necrotic mass in the Clay group (30%) was lower (P < 0.05) than that in the Control group (90%) at slaughter. The size of necrotic masses in the Clay group was smaller (P < 0.05) than that in the Control group. There was no significant difference in the marbling score, beef color, Longissimus muscle area or subcutaneous fat thickness between the two groups. These results suggest that the clay prevented the occurrence of fat necrosis and did not affect the carcass characteristics in Japanese Black steers.     

转型中的亚洲林业

在过去的20年里,亚洲林业经历了引人注目的转型,包括从计划经济到市场经济的转变,从天然林供给木材到人工林供给木材的转变,木材替代品与非木质林产品的增加,地方分权与当地群众的参与,生态时代的发展与生态系统管理。在促进亚洲可持续森林资源管理中,市场工具、社区参与和环境服务都得到了应用。亚洲林业的转型表现出多样化,其森林、社会与环境之间的联系是丰富多彩的。     

Characterization of tea cultivated at four different altitudes using 1H NMR analysis coupled with multivariate statistics

The taste of black tea differs according to the different areas in which the tea is grown, even for the same species of tea. A combination of (1)H NMR spectroscopy and partial least-squares discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) was used to assess the quality differences of tea leaves from four cultivation areas with different elevations, RAN > 1800 m, UDA = 1200 m, MEDA = 600 m, and YATA < 300 m, in Sri Lanka. As a result of a statistical analysis, PLS-DA showed a separation between high- and low-quality black teas derived from the four different tea cultivation areas. RAN from the highest elevation showed characteristic trends in the levels of theaflavin and theaflavin 3,3'-digallate that were found only in RAN, and the levels of theanine and caffeine were higher, and the levels of thearubigins, especially thearubigin 3,3'-digallate, were lower in RAN than in UDA, MEDA, and YATA. The structures of these components were determined by 1D and 2D NMR analyses. These results demonstrate that this method can be used to evaluate black tea quality according to the chemical composition or metabolites, which are characteristic of the tea leaves cultivated in four regions with different elevations in Sri Lanka.     

Screening for proteinuria in cats using a conventional dipstick test after removal of cauxin from urine with a Lens culinaris agglutinin lectin tip

Proteinuria is an important indicator of urinary tract disease and urine dipsticks are simple and sensitive tools to screen for this marker. However, the use of dipsticks to screen for proteinuria may not be appropriate in cats, since cauxin, a 70 kDa glycoprotein, is secreted by the kidneys in clinically normal animals of this species. To circumvent this problem, a Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA) lectin tip was developed to remove cauxin from feline urine, followed by conventional urine dipstick testing for proteinuria. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) with Coomassie brilliant blue R-250 staining indicated that >90% cauxin in the urine of 13 clinically normal cats was trapped by the LCA lectin tip, so that the dipstick protein ‘score’ changed from ‘positive’ (?30 mg/dL) for untreated urine to ‘negative’ (?10 mg/dL) for lectin tip-treated urine. In contrast, SDS–PAGE indicated that lectin tip-treated samples from 20 animals with renal disease contained high concentrations of albumin and low-molecular weight proteins; dipstick testing of lectin tip-treated urine resulted in a consistently positive protein score. The accuracy of the dipstick method for detecting cats with abnormal proteinuria is enhanced if dipsticks are used with urine samples that have first been passed through the LCA lectin tip.     

Patterns of aquaporin expression in the canine eye

Aquaporins (AQPs) function as water channels in many types of cells involved in fluid transport. More than 10 isoforms have been identified, and these are differentially expressed in many types of mammalian cells in the body. Six AQPs (AQP0, AQP1, AQP3, AQP4, AQP5, and AQP9) have been identified in the eyes of humans and/or rodents. The unique permeability characteristics and distribution of AQPs indicate their diverse roles in the regulation of water homeostasis in the eye. The aim of this study was to investigate the localisation of AQPs in normal canine eyes, with AQP0 protein expressed in the crystalline lens and retina. Although AQP1 mRNA was detected in various areas of the canine eye, its protein expression was limited to the cornea, iris and ciliary body. AQP4 was identified in the iris, retina and optic nerve. AQP3 and AQP5 were found in the cornea and conjunctiva, and their expression was particularly high in the limbus. AQP3 and AQP5 were present in the nictitating membrane indicating that they play a role in water transport within the membrane. The observations suggested that several subtypes of the AQP family are involved in the regulation of water homeostasis in the canine eye.     

Utility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in differential diagnosis of adrenal tumors in dogs

This prospective case study aimed to clarify the clinical significance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for the differential diagnosis of canine adrenal tumors. Forty-three client-owned dogs with adrenal tumors were included. All dogs underwent CEUS, which was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. The peak signal intensity (PI), time to peak signal intensity (TPI), mean transit time (MTT), upslope, and downslope were calculated for each time-intensity curve. The histopathological diagnosis of each resected mass was compared with the CEUS findings and parameters. Enhancement distribution, vascularity, tortuous nourishing vessels, enhancement pattern, and late-phase enhancement did not differ significantly between adrenal cortical adenoma (CA), adenocarcinoma (CAC), and pheochromocytoma (PHEO) in qualitative assessment. In PHEO, the TPI was significantly more rapid compared with that in CA (P=0.0287) and CAC (P=0.0404). The MTT in PHEO was significantly shorter than that in CA (P=0.0016) and CAC (P=0.0003). Upslope in PHEO was larger than that in CAC (P=0.0406). Downslope in PHEO was significantly larger than that in CA (P=0.0048) and CAC (P=0.0018). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that the area under the MTT curve yielded 0.91 for distinguishing PHEO from adrenocortical tumors in dogs; an MTT cut-off value less than 6,225 msec yielded a sensitivity of 69%, specificity of 94%, and likelihood ratio of 12.46. CEUS appears to be clinically applicable for the differential diagnosis between cortical and medullary origins of primary adrenal tumors in dogs.     

Screening of chemical attractants for second-stage juveniles of Meloidogyne species on agar plates

The attractiveness of 60 aromatic compounds, mainly carboxylic acids, alcohols, aldehydes, and phenols, to second-stage juveniles (J2) of four Meloidogyne species (M. hapla, M. incognita, M. javanica, and M. marylandi) was evaluated based on the relative density of J2 attracted to a test compound on an agar plate in an 8.5-cm Petri dish. Three types of nematode responses were observed in the single-compound assays: attraction, in which J2 were attracted to test compounds; concentration-dependent attraction, in which J2 were attracted to the zone located 1–2 cm from test compounds; and no response. None of the test compounds effectively attracted M. incognita or repelled J2 of any species. Thirty-five compounds attracted J2 of at least one of the other three nematode species. Highly effective attractants were trans-cinnamic acid, salicylic acid, 4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxyacetophenone, o-vanillin, carvacrol, 3-methoxybenzyl alcohol, 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde, trans-p-methoxycinnamaldehyde, 4-methoxy-3-methylbenzaldehyde, 2-methoxy-4-propenylphenol, and thymol. Salicylic acid dissolved in the agar reduced the attraction of M. marylandi J2 to salicylic acid and to o-vanillin. Two- and three-compound assays revealed differences in attractiveness to M. marylandi J2 between or among structural isomers of the attractants. o-Vanillin and salicylic acid were much more attractive to M. marylandi than vanillin and the two isomers of salicylic acid, respectively. It is not clear whether nematodes utilize the attractants found in the study for locating hosts in nature, but the attractants may have potential for use in nematode control.