Type 2 heat-labile enterotoxin (LT-II)-producing Escherichia coli isolated from ostriches with diarrhea

The culture supernatant of Escherichia coli, isolated from ostriches with diarrhea in Brazil, caused elongation in Vero cell, rounding in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and a cytoplasmic vacuolation in ostrich embryo fibroblasts (OEF), but it was not cytotoxic for chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF). These effects were not neutralized by antiserum to cholera toxin. Polymerase chain reaction assays showed that the ostrich E. coli contained the gene encoding (eltII-A), but not those for type 1 heat-labile enterotoxin (eltA), heat-stable enterotoxins (estA, estB), verocytotoxins (stx-I, stx-II), or cytotoxic necrotizing factors (cnf 1, cnf 2). All isolates belonged to serotype O15:H8. The enteropathogenic relevance of LT-II in ostrich diarrhea remains undetermined.     

Estrogen inhibits interleukin-18 mRNA expression in the mouse uterus

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a proinflammatory cytokine expressed in female reproductive organs in humans, rats and mice. The physiological roles of uterine IL-18 and the regulatory mechanisms of IL-18 gene expression are unclear. The present study aimed to clarify the effects of estradiol-17beta (E2) and progesterone (P4) on IL-18 mRNA expression in the mouse uterus. Distribution and expression levels of IL-18 mRNA were studied using an RNase protection assay. Expression of IL-18 mRNA was observed in all organs studied, including testes, ovaries and uteri. The uterine IL-18 mRNA level of estrous mice was higher than that of diestrous mice. E2 treatment (1, 5, 25 or 250 ng/mouse) decreased uterine IL-18 mRNA levels in ovariectomized mice dose-dependently. E2 treatment acutely decreased IL-18 mRNA levels 3 h after injection, but these levels returned to the initial level after 48 h. P4 treatment (1 mg/mouse) decreased uterine IL-18 mRNA levels after 12 h, but levels returned to the initial level after 48 h. Both uterine IL-18 and IL-18Ralpha mRNAs were detected in cultured endometrial epithelial and stromal cells. These results suggest that uterine IL-18 expression is reduced by sex steroid hormones and that IL-18 acts on endometrial cells in a paracrine or autocrine manner.     

Systemic mastocytoma associated with lymposarcoma in an aged cat

Systemic mastocytoma was diagnosed in a 16 year old cat. Prednisone therapy was initiated but discontinued after 11 months because of development of a duodenal ulcer. Twenty months after the initial diagnosis the cat developed dyspnea, due to enlarged pharyngeal lymph nodes. Euthanasia was performed; systemic mastocytoma and lymphosarcoma were found at necropsy.     

Antiproliferative effects of the readily extractable fractions prepared from various citrus juices on several cancer cell lines.

To eliminate the masking effect by flavonoid glycosides, which comprise approximately 70% of conventionally prepared sample, the readily extractable fraction from Citrus juice, which was prepared by adsorbing on HP-20 resin and eluting with ethanol and acetone from the resin, was subjected to antiproliferative tests against several cancer cell lines. Screening of 34 Citrus juices indicated that King (Citrus nobilis) strongly inhibited proliferation of all cancer cell lines examined. Sweet lime and Kabuchi inhibited three of the four cancer cell lines. In contrast, these samples were substantially less cytotoxic toward normal human cell lines.     

Accumulation of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin by the swimming crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Charybdis japonica</Emphasis> in Kure Bay,Hiroshima Prefecture

The accumulation of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin in the crab Charybdis japonica was investigated in Kure Bay, when a bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis, in the same water, showed toxicity caused by PSP toxin. In 2005, 17 specimens of the crab had PSP toxin over 4 MU/g in the hepatopancreas, and the highest toxicity was at 37.4 MU/g. Since the regulation limit of PSP for crab hepatopancreas was set in 2004, this is the first observation of regulatory level of PSP toxin in C. japonica. Unlike in the hepatopancreas of the crab, the hazardous level of the toxin was not detected in the muscle of the cephalothorax and the appendage. The toxin accumulation in the crab was also investigated by feeding toxic mussels to the crab. The crab retained the toxin mainly in the hepatopancreas, and the ratio of retention in the crab was from 12.9 to 24.6%. The toxin profiles, shown in the feeding experiments, suggest that the transformation of PSP toxin occurs in the crab because dcGTX2 and dcGTX3 was detected in all crab specimens despite the lack of these analogs in the mussels used as feed.     

Induced Ovarian Maturation of Penaeus vannamei by Implantation of Lobster Ganglion

Induction of ovarian maturation in Penaeus vannamei , by implantation of ganglion prepared from female lobster, Homarus americanus , with developing ovaries was investigated under tank culture conditions. Four of six females with thoracic ganglion implants were maturing while only two of thirteen females of the control groups with abdominal ganglion or no implant matured. Two ripe stage V were found 18 days after implantation of lobster's thoracic ganglion. This indicates that ovarian maturation of P. vannumei in tanks can be induced and accelerated by implantation of thoracic ganglion prepared from maturing females of another species. Ovarian maturation may be induced by a gonad-stimulating hormone, secreted by the thoracic ganglion of maturing females. This gonnd-stimdating hormone is not species specific in activity in the shrimp and lobster.     

Expression profiles of interferon gamma genes in response to immunostimulants and alloantigen in ginbuna crucian carp Carassius auratus langsdorfii

Interferon gamma (IFNγ), a Th1-derived cytokine is one of the key molecules inducing cell-mediated immune responses in mammals. The expression of 2 distinct IFNγ (ifng1 and ifng2) and IFNγrel (ifngrel) genes was examined in kidney leukocytes from clonal ginbuna crucian carp Carassius auratus langsdorfii. The expression of IFNγ and IFNγrel genes was induced in kidney leukocytes by stimulation with lipopolysaccharide or phytohemagglutinin in a dose-dependent manner. The expression levels of IFNγ and IFNγrel genes in kidney leukocytes from allo-sensitized fish cocultured with allogeneic cells were higher than those from fish cocultured with isogeneic cells. The highest expression of ifng1 was observed at day 1, whereas that of ifng2 and ifngrel was detected at day 2 after cocultivation with allogeneic cells. However, the expression pattern of ifng2 and ifngrel in kidney leukocytes from allo-sensitized fish by scale-grafting was similar to those from non-sensitized fish. These results indicate that ifng1 is a major isoform of IFNγ related to antigen-specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI), and will be a useful marker to evaluate induction of CMI in ginbuna crucian carp. In addition, IFNγ would be a crucial type-II interferon compared to IFNγrel, relevant to cell-mediated immunity in fish as in mammals.     

Fatigue of structural plywood under cyclic shear through thickness II: a new method for fatigue life prediction

For plywood specimens under shear through the thickness, a fatigue life prediction method based on strain energy has been newly developed with the fatigue process and failure criterion applicable to various loading conditions. Once the fatigue process and failure criterion of the plywood specimen were determined by the fatigue data measured under a loading condition other than the square loading waveform, the fatigue life of a specimen under various loading conditions could be predicted easily and accurately by the first cycle loading test. The relationship between stress level and the predicted fatigue life was also similar to that between stress level and the experimentally determined fatigue life. The fatigue life prediction method proposed may be widely applicable to the prediction of the fatigue life of solid wood and wood composites.