Ergovaline does not alter the severity of ryegrass staggers induced by lolitrem B

AIM: To investigate a possible interaction between lolitrem B and ergovaline by comparing the incidence and severity of ryegrass staggers in sheep grazing ryegrass (Lolium perenne) containing lolitrem B or ryegrass containing both lolitrem B and ergovaline.

METHODS: Ninety lambs, aged approximately 6 months, were grazed on plots of perennial ryegrass infected with either AR98 endophyte (containing lolitrem B), standard endophyte (containing lolitrem B and ergovaline) or no endophyte, for up to 42 days from 2 February 2010. Ten lambs were grazed on three replicate plots per cultivar. Herbage samples were collected for alkaloid analysis and lambs were scored for ryegrass staggers (scores from 0–5) weekly during the study. Any animal which was scored ≥4 was removed from the study.

RESULTS: Concentrations of lolitrem B did not differ between AR98 and standard endophyte-infected pastures during the study period (p=0.26), and ergovaline was present only in standard endophyte pastures. Ryegrass staggers was observed in sheep grazing both the AR98 and standard endophyte plots, with median scores increasing in the third week of the study. Prior to the end of the 42-day grazing period, 22 and 17 animals were removed from the standard endophyte and AR98 plots, respectively, because their staggers scores were ≥4. The cumulative probability of lambs having scores ≥4 did not differ between animals grazing the two pasture types (p=0.41).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There was no evidence for ergovaline increasing the severity of ryegrass staggers induced by lolitrem B. In situations where the severity of ryegrass staggers appears to be greater than that predicted on the basis of concentrations of lolitrem B, the presence of other tremorgenic alkaloids should be investigated.     

Comparative Study of the Adsorption Selectivity of Cr(VI) onto Cationic Hydrogels with Different Functional Groups

Two types of hydrogels with different functional groups, trimethylamine on quaternary ammonium and dimethylethoxyamine on quaternary ammonium, were synthesized. Type 1 and type 2 hydrogels were characterized with Fourier transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and zeta potential analysis. The anion selectivity of these two hydrogels was investigated. The surface charges of the type 2 hydrogel were lower than those of type 1, probably because of the presence of the hydroxyl group in the ethoxy group. The Cr(VI) removal capacity of type 2 hydrogel was, therefore, less than that of type 1 hydrogel, although their adsorption rates were similar. The anion selectivity of the hydrogels was found to have a similar order: Cr(VI) > sulphate > bromide > As(V). Under the co-presence of Cr(VI) and sulphate conditions, type 2 hydrogel shows a higher selectivity towards Cr(VI). The higher hydrophobicity was caused by the presence of the ethoxy group on the quaternary ammonium in type 2 hydrogel and thus increased in selectivity towards monovalent ions (i.e. HCrO₄⁻). In addition, the hydrogels have a high reusability. Compared with type 1 hydrogel, type 2 hydrogel has an advantage for applications in Cr(VI) removal and recovery processes.     

EDTA Extraction of Heavy Metals from Different Soil Fractions and Synthetic Soils

A laboratory-prepared contaminated soil was partitioned into four fractions, namely carbonate, Fe/Mn oxides, organic matter and clay mineral, according to the form in which the heavy metal bound with soil constituents. Individual contaminated soil fractions and synthetic soils were prepared for the study of soil extraction using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The effect of contact time and EDTA concentration were evaluated for both individual soil fractions and synthetic soils. The extraction reached equilibrium rapidly, after about 30 min. A 0.01 M EDTA solution was less effective than a 0.05 M or a 0.10 M EDTA. EDTA was proved to be effective for metal removal from the four individual soil fractions and synthetic soils. In general, approximately 90% of metals were removed from synthetic soils by 0.10 M EDTA. EDTA extraction of Pb from a contaminated carbonate fraction was thought to be affected by the formation of lead carbonates. A simple equation based on the sum of the released heavy metal from the individual components is used to check if there are interactions among the different soil components when mixed. The estimated values agreed well with the experimentally measured results only for the 0.10 M EDTA system.     

High-throughput screening reveals small molecule modulators inhibitory to Acidovorax citrulli

Acidovorax citrulli is a seed-transmitted gram-negative bacterium that can cause substantial economic yield loss in watermelon and melon production worldwide. Four small-molecule libraries containing 4,952 compounds were selected for high-throughput screening against A. citrulli wild-type strain Xu3-14 by evaluation of growth inhibition. One hundred and twenty-seven molecules (2.5% hit rate) were identified as bactericidal or bacteriostatic against A. citrulli at 100 μM. Secondary screens indicated that 27 candidate compounds were more effective against A. citrulli Group II strains than Group I strains (classified using repetitive element PCR). Several compounds were inhibitory to other pathogenic bacteria, including Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis and Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, but did not affect the growth of plant beneficial bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis. More than half of the compounds did not inhibit germination of Arabidopsis or watermelon seeds. The effect of small molecules on A. citrulli seed-to-seedling transmission was evaluated by applying each compound to inoculated watermelon seeds and assessing seedling infection. Nine compounds were chosen for further investigation based on their reduction of percentage seedling infection and compiling scores on their specificity, sensitivity, and phytotoxicity obtained in the secondary screens. The five best compounds were selected (thiamphenicol, nadifloxacin, pipemidic acid, ciclopirox, and zinc pyrithione) for greenhouse tests and were found to effectively reduce the seed-to-seedling transmission of A. citrulli in both artificially and naturally infested seeds. These top five compounds provide a basis for future development of an A. citrulli-specific bactericide.     

福建省役畜A—B导联心电图的分析

采用 A-B(Apex-Base)导联,对健康的成年晋江马32例、福安水牛和闽南黄牛各41例进行了心电图描记。结果表明:役牛的心率低于奶牛;QRS 波群在Ⅲ和 aVF 导程主要呈 rS型;T 波在Ⅲ和 aNF 导程,除福安水牛外,主要呈负正双向波型;各波的时限和电压的测定值,与其他学者报道的资料比较,基本一致。因此,本试验结果可作为上述3种役畜 A-B 导联正常心电图的参考值。     

Direct actions of serotonin on gonadotropin-II and growth hormone release from goldfish pituitary cells: interactions with gonadotropin-releasing hormone and dopamine and further evaluation of serotonin receptor specificity

In this study, the direct actions of serotonin (5HT) on gonadotropin (GTH)-II and growth hormone (GH) release in the goldfish were tested at the pituitary cell level. 5HT (10 nM - 10 µM) stimulated GTH-II but inhibited GH release from perifused goldfish pituitary cells in a dose-dependent manner. The minimal effective dose of 5HT tested to suppress basal GH secretion (10 nM) was 10-fold lower than that to stimulate GTH-II release (100 nM). The GTH-II releasing effect of 5HT was abolished by repeated 5HT treatment (10 µM) whereas the corresponding inhibition on GH release was unaffected. These results suggest that 5HT receptors on goldfish gonadotrophs and somatotrophs exhibit intrinsic differences in terms of sensitivity to stimulation and resistance to desensitization. Salmon GTH-releasing hormone (sGnRH, 100 nM) stimulated GTH-II and GH release from goldfish pituitary cells. The GTH-II releasing action of sGnRH was unaffected by simultaneous treatment of 5HT (1 µM). However, the corresponding GH response to sGnRH (100 nM) was inhibited. In the goldfish, dopamine is known to stimulate GH release through activation of pituitary D1 receptors. In the present study, the GH-releasing action of dopamine (1 µM) and the D1 agonist SKF38393 (1 µM) was significantly reduced by 5HT (1 µM). To examine the receptor specificity of 5HT action, the effects of 5HT1 and 5HT2 analogs on GTH-II and GH release were tested in goldfish pituitary cells. The 5HT1 agonist 8OH DPAT (0.1 and 1µM) and 5HT2 agonist methyl 5HT (0.1 1µM) mimicked the GTH-II releasing effect of 5HT. The 5HT1 agonist 8OH DPAT (0.1 and 1µM) also stimulated GH release but the 5HT2 agonist methyl 5HT (0.1 and 1µM) was inhibitory to basal GH secretion. In addition, 5HT (1µM) -stimulated GTH-II release was abolished by the 5HT1 antagonist methiothepin (10µM) and 5HT2 antagonist mianserin (10µM). Similarly, the inhibitory action of 5HT (1µM) on basal GH release was blocked by the 5HT2 antagonist mianserin (10µM). The 5HT1 antagonist methiothepin (10µM) was not effective in this regard. These results, taken together, indicate that 5HT exerts its regulatory actions on GTH-II and GH release in the goldfish directly at the pituitary cell level, probably through interactions with other regulators including sGnRH and dopamine. The GTH-II releasing action of 5HT is mediated through 5HT2 and possibly 5HT1 receptors. The inhibition of 5HT on basal GH release is mediated through 5HT2 receptors only. Apparently, 5HT1 receptors are not involved in this inhibitory action. In this study, a paradoxical stimulatory component of 5HT on GH release by activating 5HT1 receptors is also implicated.     

Constitutive nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activities in big-head carp (Aristichthys nobilis)

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of nitric oxide (NO), an important biological messenger from L-arginine. There are considerable evidence showing the expression of NOS in mammalian tissues. Information on distribution of NOS activities in various organs and tissues of fish is rare. Non-functional NOS activities were documented in fish semi-quantitatively either by an indirect nicotine-adenine-dinucleotide-phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) activity histochemical staining method or by an immunohistochemical method using a cross-reacting antibody to brain NOS. Report on the functional levels of NOS activities in fish is lacking. This report represent the first attempt to document the functional NOS levels in various fish organs and tissues. Constitutive NOS (cNOS) activities in various organs of big-head carp (Aristichthys nobilis) was measured by a chemiluminescence method with a detection limit as low as 10 mol of NO produced. It was found that constitutive NOS activity was highest in the brain, followed by the intestine, stomach, retina, olfactory lobe, swim bladder, skeletal muscle, heart, kidney, ovary and liver. NOS activity could not be detected in the gill filaments. Omission of NADPH in the reaction mixture caused a 57–100% decrease in cNOS activities. However, omission of arginine in the mixture only caused a 56–87% drop in cNOS activities. When compared with cNOS activities documented from other species, a similar pattern of cNOS activities in the various organs and tissues of big-head carp could be seen.     

Non‐spherical pearl layers in the Polynesian ‘black‐lipped’ Pinctada margaritifera: The non‐nacreous deposits compared to microstructure of the shell growing edge

Cultivated pearls frequently exhibit morphological irregularities making obvious that mineral deposition was irregularly distributed onto nucleus surface. Taking advantage of experimental cultivations with short durations (from 10 days to few months), these irregular deposits predating occurrence of the nacre were investigated in Polynesian pearls by biochemical characterizations and a series of physical methods. Diversity in the resulting data suggests that various in‐depth alterations of the biomineralization mechanism may have occurred during the grafting process, leading to diversity in the biochemical pathways to nacreous deposition. This allows a precise discussion of current views about pearl formation. The “reversed shell theory” is formally disproved through point to point comparison with development of the shell growing edge. Similarity of pearl formation with “regeneration” or “shell repair” is also discussed, emphasizing the differences between these concepts.     

Genetic analysis of virulence factors of Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica A1

Sixteen 3-week-old calves were intratracheally inoculated with Mycoplasma bovis. Follow-up consisted of regular bronchoalveolar lavages (BALs) and clinical examinations. Animals were slaughtered from 4 to 21 days after inoculation. Counts were made of the mycoplasmas and other bacteria systematically isolated from the BAL liquids and lung lobes after slaughter. On the 6th day, spectinomycin 20mg/kg was given intramuscularly in three repeated doses at 24h intervals to six randomly chosen calves. All animals had developed a persistent M. bovis infection with a maximum BAL count on the 6th day (start of treatment). Co-occuring Pasteurella multocida infection was found in most animals with a maximum rate on the 14th day. The extent of lung surface lesions varied widely (0-64%) but was greater in the later slaughtered calves. Average counts of M. bovis and P. multocida in the BAL liquids were lower in treated calves than in untreated ones but the difference was not statistically significant. However, M. bovis and P. multocida counts in the lungs of the treated group were significantly lower than in the untreated group (p=0.003 and 0.009, respectively).