Impact of defoliation on yield of group IV soybeans in Mississippi

Field experiments were conducted during 2009 and 2010 to evaluate the effects of defoliation on maturity group IV soybeans, Glycine max (L.) Merr., grown in Mississippi. During each year, two locations were planted with maturity group IV soybeans that were subjected to various levels of defoliation during R3, R5, and R6 growth stages. Soybeans were subjected to various levels of defoliation within the upper 50% of the plant canopy, lower 50% of the plant canopy, and whole-plant canopy. There was greater yield loss from defoliation occurring in the upper plant canopy compared with the lower plant canopy during R3 and R5 stages, but no difference between canopy regions during R6 stage. Yield loss from whole plant defoliation was greater than upper or lower canopy defoliation. Results confirmed that soybeans during R3 and R5 stages are more susceptible to yield loss than during R6. However, yield losses were not significantly different between R 3 and R5 until defoliation exceeded 63%. Dynamic economic injury levels were determined for each growth stage based on yield loss equations, value of the crop, and cost of control and can be used as a basis for developing action thresholds in high-yielding soybean production environments.     

风柜斗草提取物通过调控脂质代谢改善小鼠肝脂质沉积症

旨在探究风柜斗草提取物(Sarcopyramis napalensis Wall extract,SNE)对蛋氨酸胆碱缺乏(MCD)饮食诱导的肝脏脂质沉积的作用与机制。本研究将60只雄性C57BL/6小鼠随机分为6组,每组10只,设置MCS组(MCD饲料的对照饲料组)、MCS+风柜斗草提取物组(400 mg·(kg·bw)^-1)、MCD组、MCD+风柜斗草提取物低、中、高剂量组(100、200、400 mg·(kg·bw)^-1),造模及药物干预6周。进行肝组织切片HE染色、天狼猩红染色,检测血清碱性磷酸酶(AKP)、谷草转氨酶(AST)、谷丙转氨酶(ALT),肝组织谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-Px)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活力水平及丙二醛(MDA)含量以评估肝脂质沉积、肝纤维化以及肝抗氧化情况。使用Western blot技术检测腺苷酸激活蛋白激酶(AMPK)蛋白的激活情况,使用qRT-PCR技术检测固醇调节元件结合蛋白-1C (SREBP-1c)、肝型脂肪酸结合蛋白(L-FABP)、脂肪酸转运蛋白-3(FATP-3)、脂肪酸转运蛋白-4(FATP-4)、细胞间黏附分子-l (ICAM-1)、血管细胞黏附分子-l (VCAM-1)、基质金属蛋白酶-2(MMP-2)、组织金属蛋白酶抑制剂-2(TIMP-2) mRNA表达水平,同时采用LC-MS/MS技术进行肝组织非靶向脂质组学分析。结果表明,给予200、400 mg·(kg·bw)^-1剂量的风柜斗草提取物时均可显著改善MCD饲料饲喂的小鼠肝脂肪变性,减少炎症簇以及肝纤维化程度。给予风柜斗草提取物100、200、400 mg·(kg·bw)^-1时均可显著降低MCD饲料饲喂的小鼠血清中ALT和AKP的活力以及肝组织中MDA的含量,显著提高小鼠肝中GSH-Px的活力。Western blot及qRT-PCR检测结果显示,风柜斗草提取物显著激活MCD饲料饲喂的小鼠肝组织AMPK;显著抑制MCD饲料饲喂的小鼠肝组织SREBP-1c、L-FABP、FATP-3、FATP-4、ICAM-1、VCAM-1、MMP-2、TIMP-2的mRNA表达水平。肝脂质组学检测结果显示,风柜斗草提取物显著降低MCD饲料饲喂的小鼠肝中甘油三酯(TG)、磷脂酰甘油(PG)以及神经酰胺(Cer)的相对含量;显著提高鞘磷脂(SM)以及辅酶Q9相对含量。结果提示,风柜斗草提取物可通过AMPK/SREBP-1c途径抑制TG合成,以及通过抑制FATP与L-FABP表达来减少肝对脂肪酸的摄取,从而改善MCD饲料饲喂的小鼠肝脂肪变性;通过提高MCD饲料饲喂的小鼠肝组织中SM和辅酶Q9相对含量以及降低Cer相对含量,改善肝细胞氧化应激损伤情况,进而改善MCD饮食诱导的小鼠肝炎症和纤维化,最终达到改善肝脂质沉积症的作用。     

Synthesis of Glycyrrhetinic Acid-Modified Chitosan 5-Fluorouracil Nanoparticles and Its Inhibition of Liver Cancer Characteristics in Vitro and in Vivo

Nanoparticle drug delivery (NDDS) is a novel system in which the drugs are delivered to the site of action by small particles in the nanometer range. Natural or synthetic polymers are used as vectors in NDDS, as they provide targeted, sustained release and biodegradability. Here, we used the chitosan and hepatoma cell-specific binding molecule, glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), to synthesize glycyrrhetinic acid-modified chitosan (GA-CTS). The synthetic product was confirmed by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR). By combining GA-CTS and 5-FU (5-fluorouracil), we obtained a GA-CTS/5-FU nanoparticle, with a particle size of 217.2 nm, a drug loading of 1.56% and a polydispersity index of 0.003. The GA-CTS/5-FU nanoparticle provided a sustained release system comprising three distinct phases of quick, steady and slow release. We demonstrated that the nanoparticle accumulated in the liver. In vitro data indicated that it had a dose- and time-dependent anti-cancer effect. The effective drug exposure time against hepatic cancer cells was increased in comparison with that observed with 5-FU. Additionally, GA-CTS/5-FU significantly inhibited the growth of drug-resistant hepatoma, which may compensate for the drug-resistance of 5-FU. In vivo studies on an orthotropic liver cancer mouse model demonstrated that GA-CTS/5-FU significantly inhibited tumor growth, resulting in increased survival time.     

Detection of calprotectin and its correlation to the accumulation of neutrophils within equine large colon during ischaemia and reperfusion

REASON FOR PERFORMING STUDY: The cytosolic protein complex, calprotectin, is abundant in neutrophils and could be used to improve the ability to localise and assess neutrophil infiltration in the equine intestine during ischaemia and reperfusion (I/R), but further study is required. OBJECTIVES: To assess the number of calprotectin-containing cells by immunohistochemistry in correlation with direct counting and scoring of neutrophils in the equine colon during I/R. METHODS: One and 2 h ischaemia of the left dorsal colon were induced, followed by 30 min reperfusion under general anaesthesia or by 18 h reperfusion after anaesthetic recovery. Biopsies were processed for light microscopy and stained with H/E for detection of neutrophils. To identify calprotectin-containing cells, immunohistochemistry was performed on formalin-fixed tissues with the murine MAC 387 antibody and a biotin-free peroxidase staining procedure. The number of neutrophils within submucosal venules and the colonic mucosa were calculated and compared with the number of calprotectin-positive cells. RESULTS: The number of calprotectin-positive cells within submucosal venules and within the colonic mucosa correlated significantly with the accumulation of neutrophils within the corresponding tissue segments. Within the submucosal venules, both calprotectin-positive cells and H/E-stained neutrophils increased with duration of ischaemia and peaked after 30 min of reperfusion. After 18 h reperfusion the number of these cells declined within the vessels. After 2 h ischaemia, neutrophils started to migrate into the mucosa towards the epithelium, with a significant increase over time during reperfusion, and peak infiltration after 18 h reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Neutrophil infiltration into the colon after I/R is a time-dependent process, involving migration through the submucosa towards the epithelium.     

Acute pulmonary edema in a dog with severe pulmonary valve stenosis: A rare complication after balloon valvuloplasty

Pulmonic stenosis is a frequent congenital heart disease in dogs, and the treatment of choice is balloon valvuloplasty which is usually safe and successful. The authors describe for the first time a severe complication after balloon valvuloplasty in a five-month-old dog. After effective treatment, with a considerable drop in right ventricular pressures, the dog developed hypoxemia and dyspnea due to pulmonary edema. The dog underwent intensive care and symptoms improved after a few hours of oxygen therapy, continuous positive airway pressure, and furosemide. Although this event is rare, it could have a large impact on patient survival and should be considered in the treatment of severe pulmonary valve stenosis in the future.     

Random-effects linear model application to herd-level assessment of bovine hepatic trace mineral concentrations

To evaluate the utility of random-effects linear modeling for herd-level evaluation of trace mineral status, we performed a retrospective analysis of the results for trace mineral testing of bovine liver samples submitted to the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory between 2011 and 2017. Our aim was to examine random-effects models for their potential utility in improving interpretation with minimal sample numbers. The database consisted of 1,658 animals distributed among 121 herds. Minerals were assayed by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectroscopy, and included cobalt, copper, iron, molybdenum, manganese, selenium, and zinc. Intraclass correlation coefficients for each mineral were significantly different (p < 0.001) from zero and ranged from 0.38 for manganese to 0.82 for selenium, indicating that the strength of herd effects, which are presumably related to diet, vary greatly by mineral. Analysis of the distribution and standard errors of best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) values suggested that testing 5–10 animals per herd could place herds within 10 percentile units across the population of herds with 70–95% confidence, the confidence level varying among minerals. Herd means were generally similar to BLUPs, suggesting that means could be reasonably compared to BLUPs with respect to the distributions reported here. However, caution in interpreting means relative to BLUPs should be exercised when animal numbers are small, the standard errors of the means are large, and/or the values are near the extremes of the distribution.