Laminar inflammatory gene expression in the carbohydrate overload model of equine laminitis

Reasons for performing study: There is a need to assess the laminar inflammatory response in a laminitis model that more closely resembles clinical cases of sepsis‐related laminitis than the black walnut extract (BWE) model. Objectives: To determine if a similar pattern of laminar inflammation, characterised by proinflammatory cytokine expression, occurs in the CHO model of laminitis as has been previously reported for the BWE model. Methods: Sixteen horses administered 17.6 g of starch (85% corn starch/15% wood flour)/kg bwt via nasogastric (NG) tube were anaesthetised either after developing a temperature >38.9°C (DEV group, n = 8) or at onset of Obel grade 1 lameness (OG1 group, n = 8). Control horses (CON group, n = 8) were anaesthetised 24 h after NG administration of 6 l of deionised water. Laminar tissue was collected from horses while under anaesthesia, followed by humane euthanasia. Real time‐quantitative PCR was used to assess laminar mRNA concentrations of genes involved in inflammatory signalling. Results: Increased mRNA concentrations (P<0.05) for IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐12p35, COX‐2, E‐selectin and ICAM‐1 were present in laminae from horses with OG1 lameness but not at the DEV time, when compared to the CON horses. No differences between the groups were found for IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐10, TNF‐α, IFN‐γ or COX‐1 at either the DEV or OG1 time points. Conclusions: There was a notable difference in the temporal pattern of inflammatory events between the BWE and CHO models, with the majority of laminar inflammatory events appearing to occur at or near the onset of lameness in the CHO model, whereas many of these events peak earlier in the developmental stages in the BWE model. This suggests that, in addition to circulating inflammatory molecules, there may be a local phenomenon in the CHO model resulting in the simultaneous onset of multiple laminar events including endothelial activation, leucocyte emigration and proinflammatory cytokine expression. Potential relevance: The similar (although somewhat delayed) inflammatory response in the CHO model of laminitis indicates that inflammatory signalling is a consistent entity in the pathophysiology of laminitis.     

Immunostimulatory effects of natural human interferon-alpha (huIFN-α) on carps Cyprinus carpio L.

Human interferon-α (huIFN-α) is an important immunomodulatory substance used in the treatment and prevention of numerous infectious and immune-related diseases in animals. However, the immunostimulatory effects of huIFN-α in fish remain to be investigated. In the current study, the immune responses of the carp species Cyprinus carpio L. to treatment with huIFN-α were analyzed via measurement of superoxide anion production, phagocytic activity and the expression of cytokine genes including interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin 10. Low doses of huIFN-α were administered orally once a day for 3 days, and sampling was carried out at 1, 3 and 5 days post-treatment. Our results indicate that a low dose of huIFN-α significantly increased phagocytic activity and superoxide anion production in the carp kidney. The huIFN-α-treated fish also displayed a significant upregulation in cytokine gene expression. The current study demonstrates the stimulatory effects of huIFN-α on the carp immune system and highlights the immunomodulatory role of huIFN-α in fish.     

LFA—3和IL—2对机体免疫增强作用

以绵羊红细胞膜提取的ＬＦＡ－３和猪外周血单个核细胞所产生的ＩＬ－２，同时或分别与新城疫Ⅳ系疫苗胸肌注射２２日龄雏鸡，测定鸡体ＨＩ抗体效阶及Ｅｔｇ花环形成率的变化，结果表明，ＬＦＡ－３组抗体效价与对照组差异极显著，ＩＬ－２也可显著提高ＩＶ系苗免疫后ＨＩ抗体效价，且两者的作用具有剂量依赖性。     

利用反向遗传技术拯救H9N2重组病毒

为研制高效特异的H9N2亚型AI疫苗,选取我国具有代表性的毒株A/chicken/Shanghai/10/01(H9N2)(简称SH10),以12质粒系统为基础,利用反向遗传操作技术构建了1株表面基因由SH10提供、内部基因由12质粒系统提供的重组病毒SH/PR8,为新型疫苗的研制提供了新的毒株。     

Stable carbon isotopes accurately predict diet selection by sheep fed mixtures of C3 annual pastures and saltbush or C4 perennial grasses

The stable carbon isotope technique has been widely used to infer the dietary ecology of a range of animal species; however calibration of the technique with animals fed known diets is essential for accurate back-calculation of dietary preferences. The aim of this study was to identify suitable samples and back-calculation methods to predict short-term (2 to 3 week) dietary selection by sheep among plants with C₃ and C₄ photosynthetic pathways. Variation in integration time of dietary carbon into plasma and faeces; diet-tissue discrimination of carbon isotopes (fractionation) and the importance of accounting for the digestible or indigestible components of the diet was investigated. The results indicate that faecal and rumen samples provided the most accurate prediction of short term dietary changes in sheep selecting between C₃ and C₄ plants. The most accurate back-calculation method for these samples used δ¹³C of the C₃ and C₄ plants and accounted for both diet-tissue discrimination and differences in the indigestibility between the C₃ and C₄ forage. For faecal samples, the organic matter content of the diet originating from C₄ plants could be predicted with a mean error as low as 2.7%. Wool and plasma samples were not conducive to predicting proportion of C4 forage in the diet within 18 days after a change in diet; however plasma could be used to discriminate between animals fed 100% C₃ and C₄ diets after 3 days. The δ¹³C technique provides a valuable tool for researchers when designing pastures for dual environmental and production purposes. An understanding of what sheep select allows for development of appropriate grazing management strategies to optimise productivity and/or persistence of target species.     

Multiple amino acid substitutions are involved in the adaptation of H9N2 avian influenza virus to mice

To explore adaptation of avian influenza virus to mice we previously performed serial lung-to-lung passages of the influenza A/Chicken/Jiangsu/7/2002 (H9N2) strain, resulting in the isolation of a variant influenza strain lethal for mice. We now report that virulence correlates with improved growth characteristics on mammalian cells and extended tissue tropism in vivo. Sequencing of the complete genomes of the wild-type and mouse-adapted viruses revealed 25 amino acid substitutions. Some were found to reiterate known substitutions in human and swine H9N2 influenza isolates. Functions affected include nuclear localization signals and sites of protein and RNA interaction, while others are known determinants of pathogenicity and host specificity such as the viral polymerase PB2 E627K substitution. These observations suggest that enhanced growth characteristics and modified cell tropism may contribute to increased virulence in mice. We conclude that multiple amino acid substitutions are likely to be involved in the adaptation of H9N2 avian influenza virus to mice.     

血红素氧合酶-2基因真核表达载体的构建

为构建血红素氧合酶-2（HO-2）真核表达载体pEF1α-HO-2-AcGFP,并观察其在小鼠脑血管内皮细胞中的表达情况。试验利用PCR技术从C57BL/6小鼠海马组织中扩增出HO-2基因cDNA序列,用双酶切法将此序列克隆到真核表达载体pEF1α-IRES-AcGFP上,构建HO-2的真核表达载体pEF1α-HO-2-AcGFP,重组载体经EcoRI和BamHI双酶切和测序鉴定。电穿孔法转染小鼠脑血管内皮细胞,48h后,实时定量PCR、Western blot检测HO-2在小鼠脑血管内皮细胞中mRNA和蛋白质水平的表达情况。结果表明,pEF1α-HO-2-AcGFP载体构建正确;重组载体转染小鼠脑血管内皮细胞后HO-2在mRNA水平表达量较空载体转染极显著增高（P〈0.01）,在蛋白水平表达量较空载体转染显著增高（P〈0.05）。表明HO-2基因的真核表达载体pEF1α-HO-2-AcGFP构建成功,为进一步研究其机制和功能奠定了基础。     

Is the metabolic syndrome a useful clinical concept in dogs? A review of the evidence

The metabolic syndrome is a set of risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and stroke in human beings. The term has recently been applied to dogs that exhibit components of the human metabolic syndrome, specifically visceral obesity, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, hypertension and fasting hyperglycaemia. Obese dogs, like obese humans, are known to develop resistance to the glucose-lowering effects of insulin, and develop increased circulating concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure. Unlike humans, however, obese dogs do not develop fasting hyperglycaemia or atherogenic hyperlipidaemia. Importantly, there is no evidence that dogs develop type 2 diabetes. Atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and stroke are rare and not known to be associated with obesity in dogs. On the basis of current knowledge, the use of the term ‘metabolic syndrome’ in dogs does not appear to have merit.     

重庆市山羊博尔纳病病毒P24基因的检测

为了解重庆市山羊博尔纳病隐性带毒情况，分析博尔纳病病毒（BDV）的种系来源。采用巢式逆转录酶PCR结合荧光定量PCR（FQ—nRT—PCR）技术对重庆市60只山羊外周血单核细胞（PBMCs）及脑组织中的BDVP24基因片段进行了检测，将阳性产物测序，并与国外BDV毒株进行了比较。结果，山羊外周血检测阳性率为8．3％（5／60），脑组织检测阳性率为10％（6／60）。该BDVP24片段核苷酸序列与马源BDVH1766株同源性最高，达96．519／6，与标准株Strain V和He／80同源性为95．35％，并且编码的氨基酸序列也相同。表明，重庆市山羊中存在动物源性博尔纳病隐性带毒，该BDVP24核苷酸序列与Strain V和He／80株具有高度同源性。