Pathological characteristics of thyroid glands from Japanese Black Cattle living in the restricted area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

To study the effect of ionizing radiation on thyroid glands, 66 Japanese Black cattle residing in the restricted area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2013–2017 were pathologically examined. There were no clinical symptoms of thyroid disease in these cattle. Three cases of goiter and seven of atrophy were found in two among the four farms examined. Cases of goiter exhibited normal morphological structure without mass or nodule formation in thyroid glands. Cellular atypia or capsular invasion of the follicular epithelium was absent. The estimated integrated dose of external radiation in goiter cases ranged from maximum 797 mSv to minimum 24 mSv. All lobules in the seven atrophic thyroid glands were affected, but pathological findings, such as inflammatory cell infiltration or stromal fibrosis, were not observed. The estimated integrated dose of external radiation in atrophic thyroids ranged from maximum 589 mSv to minimum 8 mSv. Immunohistochemical analysis of anti‐nitroguanosine and the TUNEL method in goiter and atrophic thyroid glands did not reveal any positive findings. The present study indicates that there was no significant relationship between a radiation effect and pathological findings in any thyroid glands.     

Nitric oxide impacts bovine sperm capacitation in a cGMP‐dependent and cGMP‐independent manner

We aimed to elucidate whether NO acts in in vitro sperm capacitation in bovine via cGMP/PKG1 pathway. For this, cryopreserved bovine sperm were capacitated in vitro with 20 µg/ml heparin (Control) plus treatments: 1 mM L‐arginine (L‐arg, NO precursor), 50 µM Rp‐8‐Bromo‐β‐phenyl‐1,N²‐ethenoguanosine‐3′,5′‐cyclic monophosphorothioate (Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS, selective inhibitor of the binding site for cGMP in PKG1), 1 mM 2‐Phenyl‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl 3‐oxide (PTIO, NO scavenger), and the combinations of L‐arg + RP‐8‐Br‐cGMPS and L‐arg + PTIO. Sperm motility and vigour were determined by phase‐contrast microscopy, capacitation status by chlortetracycline staining, and the intracellular concentration of cGMP was measured by ELISA. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and means compared with SNK test at 5% probability. Motility and vigour were lower in sperm treated with PTIO when compared to Control and other treatments (p < .05). The L‐arg treatment showed the highest percentage of capacitated sperm when compared to the Control and other treatments (Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS, L‐arg + Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS and PTIO) (69.8 ± 3.4%, 51.2 ± 3.0, 51.1 ± 2.1, 51.2 ± 3.0 and 45.5 ± 2.7, respectively) (p < .05). The capacitation ratio (%) was lower in treatments with Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS, L‐arg + Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS and PTIO, respectively (p < .05). Lastly, cGMP concentration (pmol/ml) was lower in PTIO and L‐arg + PTIO (1.3 ± 0.3 and 1.6 ± 0.4) and was higher in Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS and L‐arg + Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS (3.7 ± 0.4 and 4.0 ± 0.5) treatments. We showed that during in vitro capacitation of cattle: (a) NO influences sperm motility and vigour; (b) NO is associated with cGMP synthesis through two independent pathways and (c) the cGMP/PKG1 pathway has a partial role in sperm capacitation and does not involve the L‐arg/NO.     

The T allele at the g.1471620G>T in the EDG1 gene associated with high marbling in Japanese Black cattle is at a low frequency in breeds not selected for marbling

Our previous study detected a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), g.1471620G > T , in the 5' flanking region of the endothelial differentiation sphingolipid G-protein-coupled receptor 1 ( EDG1 ) gene, which has been considered as a positional functional candidate for the gene responsible for marbling, and showed association of the g.1471620G > T SNP with marbling in Japanese Black beef cattle. In the present study, we investigated the allele frequency distribution of the g.1471620G > T SNP among the 5 cattle breeds, Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Short Horn, Holstein, and Brown Swiss breeds. The T allele at the g.1471620G > T SNP associated with high marbling was found at high frequency in Japanese Black breed that has been subjected to a strong selection for high marbling, while the allele was absent or at very low frequencies in the other breeds that have not been strongly selected for high marbling. Based on this finding, we hypothesized that the pressure of the strong selection for high marbling in Japanese Black breed has increased the frequency of the T allele at the g.1471620G > T SNP in the EDG1 .     

Hepatic encephalomyelopathy in a calf with congenital portosystemic shunt (CPSS)

A 4-month-old female Holstein Friesian calf was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Berne, Switzerland for evaluation of ataxia, weakness, apathy and stunted growth. Clinical examination revealed generalized ataxia, propioceptive deficits, decreased menace response and sensibility. Postmortem examination did not reveal macroscopic changes of major organs. Histologically, the brain and the spinal cord lesions were characterized by polymicrocavitation, preferentially affecting the white matter fibers at the junction of grey and white matter and by the presence of Alzheimer type II cells. The liver revealed lesions consistent with a congenital portosystemic shunt, characterized by increased numbers of arteriolar profiles and hypoplasia to absence of portal veins. The pathological investigations along with the animal history and clinical signs indicated a hepatic encephalomyelopathy due to a congenital portosystemic shunt.     

中药复方对低温条件下锦江黄牛生产性能及血清抗氧化指标的影响

本试验选择5月龄,150 kg左右的锦江黄牛15头,分为低温对照组、中药添加剂1组和中药添加剂2组三个组别,每组5头,研究中药复方添加剂对冬季饲养锦江黄牛的抗冷应激作用。试验为期30 d。结果表明:与低温对照组相比,中药1组日增重明显升高,料重比显著下降,血清MDA含量下降59.26%(P<0.01);中药2组日增重和料重比与低温对照组差异不显著(P>0.05),血清MDA含量下降了81.48%(P<0.01);两个中药添加组肉牛的血清SOD活性与低温对照组均无显著差异(P>0.05)。以上结果表明,饲粮中添加中药复方1后可有效缓解冬季饲养的锦江黄牛冷应激反应,提高其血清抗氧化能力,改善生产性能,且其效果优于中药复方2。     

新疆褐牛细管冻精改良当地蒙古牛效果分析

用新疆褐牛细管冻精为父本,以新疆博尔塔拉州本地蒙古牛为母本进行杂交,即采用人工授精的方法获得杂交F1。褐蒙F1,初生重公犊比蒙古牛提高28．26％,母犊提高27．23％,断奶重公犊提高92．04％,母犊提高92．16％。同龄褐蒙F1屠宰率、净肉率比本地蒙古牛提高6．6％和8％。平均每头褐蒙F1牛可增肉70．3kg,按每千克牛肉25元计算,增效1758元。细管冻精配种可降低成本130元。     

秦川牛及其利秦杂种牛IGFBP3基因PCR—SSCP多态性研究

以IGFBP3基因作为侯选基因,对秦川牛及其利秦杂种牛群体共计114头个体IGFBP3位点进行多样性分析。结果发现,秦川牛(Q)及其利秦牛(LQ)群体IGFBP3基因座的等位基因A/B频率分别为:0.6667/0.3333和0.6829/0.3171;从位点间杂合度(He)来看,LQ>QQ;位点间有效等位基因数(Ne):QQ>LQ位点间Shannon信息熵SQQ>LQ位点间多态信息含量PICQQ>LQ     

娟姗牛与西杂牛杂交后代生长发育观测

[目的]旨在繁育适于牦牛杂交改良的乳肉兼用父本.[方法]在海拔相对较低的半农半牧区,用娟姗牛与西杂牛杂交,观察杂交后代的生长发育和配种情况.[结果]娟姗牛与西杂牛的杂交后代在甘南州高海拔地区具有较好的适应性,表现出明显的杂交优势,能与甘南牦牛自然交配.     

微生物发酵饲料对肉牛免疫机能的影响

试验旨在研究微生物发酵饲料对肉牛免疫机能的影响。选择90头月龄相近、体型结构相似、体重(373.4~425.3) kg的健康西杂牛,采用随机区组试验设计,将90头牛分为3组,每组5个重复,每个重复6头牛。对照组饲喂基础精料日粮,试验Ⅰ、Ⅱ组分别用25%和40%微生物发酵饲料替代基础精料,各组每头牛每天饲喂相同重量的精料(4 kg)和玉米秸秆颗粒(2.7 kg),酒糟自由采食,拴系饲喂,自由饮水;预试期10 d,正试期48 d。结果显示,与对照组相比,2个试验组中血清总蛋白、白蛋白、免疫球蛋白A、G、M浓度显著(P＜0.05)或极显著(P＜0.01)提高,谷草转氨酶、谷丙转氨酶活性及丙二醛浓度均显著(P＜0.05)或极显著(P＜0.01)下降;且总抗氧化能力和总超氧化物歧化酶的活性极显著增强(P＜0.01)。提示,利用微生物发酵饲料能提高肉牛免疫力。