Identification and preservation of the parathyroid gland during total thyroidectomy in dogs with bilateral thyroid carcinoma: a report of six cases

Simultaneous removal of bilateral thyroid tumors was performed while preserving the parathyroid gland in six dogs. At least one external parathyroid gland was identified in all dogs. In five cases, the external parathyroid gland and its blood supply were preserved intact. In one dog, the vessels supplying the external parathyroid gland had been invaded by the tumor, and the gland was thus removed and reimplanted into the sternohyoid muscle. That dog required postoperative treatment with oral calcium gluconate and vitamin D₃. Local tumor recurrence was not observed in any of the cases. The mean survival time was 920 days. We found that the external parathyroid gland could be identified and preserved in most dogs undergoing total thyroidectomy.     

Expression and regulation of Foxa2 in the rat uterus during early pregnancy

The forkhead box a (Foxa) protein family has been found to play important roles in mammals. Recently, the expression of Foxa2 was reported in the mouse uterus, and it was reported to be involved in regulation of implantation. However, the regulation of Foxa2 expression in the uterus is still poorly understood. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the expressional profiles of Foxa2 in the rat uterus during the estrus cycle and pregnancy. Furthermore, the effect of steroid hormones and Hedgehog protein on the expression of Foxa2 was analyzed in vivo and in vitro. In this study, the level of expression of Foxa2 was low in the rat uterus during the different stages of the estrus cycle. However, the expression increased transiently during early pregnancy at 3.5 days post coitus (dpc) and decreased at 5.5 dpc. In ovariectomized rats, P4 treatment had no effect on the expression of Foxa2 compared with the expression in control animals. Moreover, the expression of Foxa2 in cultured epithelial cells was not increased by P4 treatment in vitro. However, Foxa2 expression was significantly decreased in the rat uterus after 24 h of E2 treatment. Treatment of cells with a recombinant Hedgehog protein significantly increased the expression of Foxa2. These results suggest that the expression of Foxa2 may transiently increase just before the implantation and it may be regulated by E2 and Hedgehog protein.     

Production of stem cell factor in canine mast cell tumors

Mast cell tumor (MCT) is the most common cutaneous tumor in dogs. We recently revealed that production of stem cell factor (SCF) contributes to the proliferation of neoplastic mast cells in an autocrine/paracrine manner. The aim of the present study was to determine the contribution of the mechanism in clinical MCTs. In consequence, high SCF expression (>10 times compared to HRMC cells) was observed in 5 of 7 MCT samples used in the study regardless of KIT mutation, which was confirmed in immunohistochemical analysis. In addition, production of SCF was observed in Ki-67-positive cells in the MCT xenograft. These results indicate the broad contribution of SCF autocrine/paracrine mechanism on clinical MCTs, providing the rationale for the clinical use of KIT inhibitors regardless of KIT mutation.     

Dark adaptation time in canine electroretinography using a contact lens electrode with a built-in light source

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dark adaptation time in canine electroretinography (ERG) using a contact lens electrode with a built-in LED. Twelve eyes of six normal laboratory beagle dogs were used and exposed to steady room light at 500 lux for 30 min for light adaption. ERG was recorded at different time points during dark adaptation in sedated and light-adapted beagles. The stimulus intensity was 0.0096 cd/m²/sec. The b-wave amplitude increased significantly until 25 min of dark adaptation, whereas no significant changes in amplitudes were observed after 30 min. Dark adaptation for more than 25 min would be necessary for accurate ERG in canine ERG using a contact lens electrode with a built-in LED.     

Identification of genomic regions associated with low phosphorus tolerance in japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.) by QTL-Seq

ABSTRACT

Phosphorus (P) is a major nutrient supporting rice productivity. Improving low-P tolerance of rice is expected to reduce dependence on P fertilizer, thereby reducing rice production costs and environmental impacts. This report describes the mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with P deficiency tolerance in japonica rice. An F5 population derived from a cross of the low-P tolerant cultivar Akamai (Yamagata) and the sensitive cultivar Koshihikari was evaluated for shoot growth under low-P conditions. Then single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiles of the low-P tolerant and sensitive bulks were compared on a genome-wide scale by QTL-Seq, a rapid QTL mapping method using next-generation sequencing technology. Results show a major QTL associated with low-P tolerance located on the long arm of chromosome 12. It has been named QTL for low-P tolerance 1 or qLPT1. SNPs were detected in 45 genes of qLPT1 region and the 5 genes were harboring synonymous SNPs, although none of them had been reported as involved in low-P tolerance. This result implies that the novel gene responsible for low-P tolerance exists in qLPT1. This study will contribute to the elucidation of mechanisms underlying low-P tolerance of Akamai and will facilitate the breeding of rice with low-P tolerance.     

Antigen-specific enhancements of CD80 mRNA expression in experimentally sensitized dogs with Japanese cedar pollen

CD80, CD86, CD28 and Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) are well-known co-stimulatory molecules that form the major co-stimulatory pathway essential for full activation of T cells. To investigate their role in pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases, 12 dogs were sensitized experimentally to Japanese cedar pollen antigen (CPAg) as models of allergic diseases in dogs. After sensitization, lymphocyte stimulation test (LST) was carried out to evaluate reactivity to CPAg, and semi-quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis of CPAg-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to evaluate the expression of co-stimulatory molecules. As a result, CPAg-specific enhancements of CD80 expression were detected in all sensitized dogs. Furthermore, two different kinetics of its enhancements according to the blastgenic responses to CPAg were also observed. Expression of CD28, CTLA-4 and CD86 were suppressed following CPAg-stimulation. The result of the present study indicated the potential role of the CD28-CD80 co-stimulation pathway in pathogenesis of allergic diseases in dogs.     

Cardiovascular effects of total intravenous anesthesia using ketamine-medetomidine-propofol (KMP-TIVA) in horses undergoing surgery

Cardiovascular effects of total intravenous anesthesia using ketamine-medetomidine-propofol drug combination (KMP-TIVA) were determined in 5 Thoroughbred horses undergoing surgery. The horses were anesthetized with intravenous administration (IV) of ketamine (2.5 mg/kg) and midazolam (0.04 mg/kg) following premedication with medetomidne (5 µg/kg, IV) and artificially ventilated. Surgical anesthesia was maintained by controlling propofol infusion rate (initially 0.20 mg/kg/min following an IV loading dose of 0.5 mg/kg) and constant rate infusions of ketamine (1 mg/kg/hr) and medetomidine (1.25 µg/kg/hr). The horses were anesthetized for 175 ± 14 min (range from 160 to 197 min). Propofol infusion rates ranged from 0.13 to 0.17 mg/kg/min, and plasma concentration (Cpl) of propofol ranged from 11.4 to 13.3 µg/ml during surgery. Cardiovascular measurements during surgery remained within clinically acceptable ranges in the horses (heart rate: 33 to 37 beats/min, mean arterial blood pressure: 111 to 119 mmHg, cardiac index: 48 to 53 ml/kg/min, stroke volume: 650 to 800 ml/beat and systemic vascular resistance: 311 to 398 dynes/sec/cm⁵). The propofol Cpl declined rapidly after the cessation of propofol infusion and was significantly lower at 10 min (4.5 ± 1.5 µg/ml), extubation (4.0 ± 1.2 µg/ml) and standing (2.4 ± 0.9 µg/ml) compared with the Cpl at the end of propofol administration (11.4 ± 2.7 µg/ml). All the horses recovered uneventfully and stood at 74 ± 28 min after the cessation of anesthesia. KMP-TIVA provided satisfactory quality and control of anesthesia with minimum cardiovascular depression in horses undergoing surgery.     

The Colletotrichum higginsianum secreted effector protein ChEC91 induces plant cell death

ChEC91, a novel cell death-inducing effector protein from the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum higginsianum, causal agent of crucifer anthracnose disease, is described. Both transient expression of ChEC91 and infiltration of purified recombinant protein induced necrotic lesions in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. The recombinant protein also induced electrolyte leakage and callose deposition in Arabidopsis thaliana leaf tissue and the expression of defence marker genes. Moreover, fungal mutants constitutively over-expressing ChEC91 in C. higginsianum were impaired in appressorial penetration on Brassica rapa cotyledons. These results suggest that inappropriate expression of ChEC91 might negatively affect the early stage of C. higginsianum infection by inducing plant defence responses. Protein domain deletion analysis showed that the C-terminal region of ChEC91 was necessary, but not sufficient, for activity in N. benthamiana. Homologous effector proteins cloned from C. gloeosporioides, Fusarium graminearum, and Pyricularia oryzae differed in their cell death-inducing activity, which appeared related to sequence variations in the C-terminal region of these proteins. Moreover, this region contained amino acid residues that were well conserved within Colletotrichum species. These results suggest that the amino acid residues in the C-terminal region may be important for inducing cell death in plants.