铬在增强畜禽抗应激与免疫机能中的作用

铬是动物所必需的一种微量元素，在动物体内碳水化合物，蛋白质，脂肪的代谢起重要作用。近年来研究发现铬的抗应激和提高免疫机能上有特殊的作用。本文就这一热点问题进行综述。     

抗抑郁治疗对不稳定型心绞痛伴抑郁患者近期预后的影响

目的 :观察抗抑郁治疗对不稳定型心绞痛伴抑郁患者近期预后的影响。方法 :将 68例不稳定型心绞痛伴抑郁的患者随机分为抗抑郁治疗组和对照组各 34例 ,治疗组在常规药物治疗基础上予心理治疗及加服抗抑郁药氟西汀 (百忧解 ) 2 0 mg/d,顿服 ,疗程为 1 2周。结果 :治疗组与对照组比较 ,心肌缺血明显改善 (P<0 .0 1 ) ,心绞痛复发率及发生急性心肌梗死比例低 (P<0 .0 5)。结论 :抗抑郁治疗能明显改善不稳定型心绞痛伴抑郁患者的近期预后。     

Oral vaccination of brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) with BCG: immune responses,persistence of BCG in lymphoid organs and excretion in faeces

AIMS: To determine immune responses, and the localisation and persistence of Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) and other organs in possums vaccinated orally with lipid-formulated BCG vaccine. To determine the duration of excretion and longevity of survival of BCG in the faeces of vaccinated animals.

METHODS: Possums (n=28) were vaccinated with lipid-formulated BCG (1 x 10 ⁸ colony forming units (cfu) of formulated BCG) by the oral route. Control possums (n=17) were fed oral bait pellets containing formulation medium only. Possums were sacrificed at 3 days and at 1, 3, 6 and 8 weeks after vaccination or ingestion of bait. Proliferation responses to bovine purified protein derivative (PPD) were measured in lymphocytes from blood and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) and samples of lung, spleen, liver, MLN and Peyer's patches (PP) were cultured for the presence of BCG. The number of BCG organisms excreted in faeces and the duration of excretion were determined in eight vaccinated possums and eight control possums over a 3-week period. In a separate experiment, a further six possums were vaccinated with oral BCG vaccine (5–10 x 10 ⁸ cfu BCG/possum) and their faeces collected over 48–72 h, for culture of BCG. The longevity of survival of BCG in these faeces was determined by storing faecal samples (n=12) under three different conditions: in an incubator (22.5°C), and conditions which simulated the forest floor and open pasture. A proportion (1–2 g) of these faecal samples was collected after storage for 1, 3, 5, 8 or 20 weeks, and cultured for BCG.

RESULTS: Possums vaccinated orally with BCG vaccine showed strong proliferation responses to bovine PPD in peripheral blood lymphocytes at 6–8 weeks post-vaccination (p.v.). Positive lymphocyte proliferation assay (LPA) responses to bovine PPD were first evident in MLN at 3 weeks p.v. BCG was cultured from MLN and PP in a proportion of animals at 3–8 weeks p.v. BCG was not cultured from sections of spleen, lung or liver at any time p.v. BCG was recovered in low to moderate numbers from the faeces of vaccinated possums for up to 7 days, and maximal numbers were cultured in faeces collected 48–72 h p.v. After storage for 1 week, BCG was cultured from all faecal samples placed in the incubator and from a proportion of faeces exposed to conditions similar to those on the forest floor and pasture. With the exception of one faecal sample stored under forest floor conditions which was culture-positive for BCG at 3 and 5 weeks, BCG was not cultured from any other faecal sample stored for more than 1 week.

CONCLUSIONS: Ingestion of oral BCG vaccine by possums was associated with the development of strong cell-mediated immunity in both blood and MLN. Following oral vaccination with BCG, the organisms were localised and persisted in GALT but did not spread to the spleen, liver or lungs. BCG was shed in low to moderate numbers in the faeces for up to 7 days p.v. The viability of BCG excreted in faeces decreased rapidly, particularly when faeces were exposed to an open pasture environment. Oral vaccination of possums with formulated BCG is unlikely to result in undue contamination of the environment with BCG.     

Oral vaccination of brushtail possums with BCG: Investigation into factors that may influence vaccine efficacy and determination of duration of protection

AIMS: To determine factors that may influence the efficacy of an oral pelleted vaccine containing Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) to induce protection of brushtail possums against tuberculosis. To determine the duration of protective immunity following oral administration of BCG.

METHODS: In Study 1, a group of possums (n=7) was immunised by feeding 10 pellets containing dead Pasteur BCG, followed 15 weeks later with a single pellet of live Pasteur BCG. At that time, four other groups of possums (n=7 per group) were given a single pellet of live Pasteur BCG orally, a single pellet of live Danish BCG orally, 10 pellets of live Pasteur BCG orally, or a subcutaneous injection of live Pasteur BCG. For the oral pelleted vaccines, BCG was formulated into a lipid matrix, and each pellet contained approximately 10⁷ colony forming units (cfu) of BCG, while the vaccine injected subcutaneously contained 10⁶ cfu of BCG. A sixth, non-vaccinated, group (n=7) served as a control. All possums were challenged by the aerosol route with a low dose of virulent M. bovis 7 weeks after vaccination, and killed 7–8 weeks after challenge. Protection against challenge with M. bovis was assessed from pathological and bacteriological findings.

In Study 2, lipid-formulated live Danish BCG was administered orally to three groups of possums (10–11 per group), and these possums were challenged with virulent M. bovis 8, 29 or 54 weeks later. The possums were killed 7 weeks after challenge, to assess protection in comparison to a non-vaccinated group.

RESULTS: The results from Study 1 showed that vaccine efficacy was not adversely affected by feeding dead BCG prior to live BCG. Feeding 10 vaccine pellets induced a level of protection similar to feeding a single pellet. Protection was similar when feeding possums a single pellet containing the Pasteur or Danish strains of BCG. All vaccinated groups had significantly reduced pathological changes or bacterial counts when compared to the non-vaccinated group. In Study 2, oral administration of Danish BCG induced protection against challenge with M. bovis, which persisted for at least 54 weeks after vaccination. Some protection was observed in possums challenged 54 weeks after vaccination, but this protection was significantly less than that observed in groups vaccinated 29 or 8 weeks prior to challenge. There was a strong relationship between the proportion of animals producing positive lymphocyte proliferation responses to M. bovis antigens and protection against challenge with M. bovis.

CONCLUSIONS: Factors considered potentially capable of interfering with vaccination, including feeding dead BCG to possums prior to feeding live BCG, feeding multiple doses of BCG at one time, and changing strains of BCG, were shown not to interfere with the acquisition of protective immune responses in possums. Protection against tuberculosis was undiminished up to 29 weeks after vaccination with BCG administered orally. It is concluded that vaccination of possums by feeding pellets containing BCG is a robust and efficient approach to enhance the resistance of these animals to tuberculosis.     

Meta-analysis of the effects of management factors on Miscanthus × giganteus growth and biomass production

Biomass crops in the U.S. have the potential to reduce the dependence on foreign energy supply, to lower net greenhouse emissions, and to diversify agroecosystems. Miscanthus × giganteus has been extensively researched in Europe but the response to key agronomic management factors has not been summarized. In this study we have collected most of the relevant and up to date European literature on the response of dry biomass production to planting density and nitrogen (N) fertilizer and we provide quantitative estimates of the effect of these practices. The data were analyzed through non-linear mixed models which take into account the hierarchical structure of the data due to variability among countries, locations and years. M. × giganteus responded to N fertilizer only after the third growing season and planting density only had a significant effect on the second growing season. The similarity among growth curves, when dry biomass production was analyzed as function of thermal time, shows the stability of the cropping system against other environmental factors.     

Effects of rapamycin-treated HSP60-pulsed dendritic cells on th e progression of the atherosclerotic plaque in mice

AIM:To evaluate whether tolerogenic dendri tic cells (DC) loaded with heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) inhibit the progression of aortic atherosclerotic plaque in hypercholesterolemic apolipoprotein E (Apo- E) -null mice.METHODS:Bone marrow derived DC of the mice were loaded with HSP 60 and co-cultured with rapamycin to generate tolerogenic DC.The tolerogenic DC ,DC loaded only HSP60 and PBS were injected into the ApoE-null mice at 8 weeks of age for three times at a one-week interval.8 weeks after the last injection,aorta were harvested for HE staining and anti-CD4+T cell immunostaining.Resp onses of pleenic cells to HSP60 were also evaluated.RESULTS:Compared with DC,DCHSP60 expressed higher levels of CD86,and stimulated T lymphocytes to proliferation significantly,while the tolerogenic DC expressed lower levels of CD86,and inhibited T lymphocytes to p roliferation.After immunization with different injection,the numbers of CD4+ T cells in plaque were increased significantly in DCHSP60 group vs in PBS g roup (P<0.01).On the other hand,they were reduced significantly in rap-DC HSP60 group vs in PBS group (P<0.01).Plaque areas in the tolerog enic DC group were smaller than that in the PBS group (P<0.01).Stimulated by HSP60,pleenic cells in tolerogenic DC group secreted more IL-10,while in DC HSP60 group more IFN-γ secretion was observed.CONCLUSION:HSP60 specific tolerogenic DC immunization attenuate d the progression of plaque,indicating a new immune therapy for atherosclerosis.     

Alternative oxidase reduces the sensitivity of Mycosphaerella graminicola to QOI fungicides

Forty-six (1.5%) of nearly 3000 isolates of Mycosphaerella graminicola assayed in vitro were resistant to the QOI fungicide azoxystrobin, but on sub-culturing only ten remained resistant. Cross-resistance extended to other QOIs, but varied between different isolates. In planta the resistant isolates were not well controlled, especially at lower azoxystrobin dose rates. Propyl gallate, an inhibitor of alternative oxidase, potentiated the activity of azoxystrobin in vitro so that resistance was no longer observed. The growth of resistant strains in the presence of azoxystrobin led to alternative oxidase activation. This increased flexibility in respiration allows resistant strains to survive in the presence of a QOI fungicide. Under these conditions, selection for target-site mutations can occur. Using QOIs preventatively reduces the risk of resistance since the alternative oxidase cannot by itself generate all the energy needed for germination and early infection.     

Effects of Ethanol on Synthesis of Prostaglandin F2α in Bovine Females

Ethanol stimulates the production of prostaglandins in many species. The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of ethanol on the production of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) and luteolysis in bovine females. In the first experiment, Holstein cows at day 17 of the oestrous cycle were treated with 100% ethanol (0.05 ml/kg of body weight, IV; n = 5), saline (0.05 ml/kg of body weight, IV; n = 4) or synthetic prostaglandin (150 μg of D‐cloprostenol/cow, IM; n = 4). The plasma concentrations of 13, 14‐dihydro‐15‐keto PGF2α (PGFM; the main metabolite of PGF2α measured in the peripheral blood) were assessed by radioimmunoassay (RIA). There was an acute release of PGFM in response to ethanol comparing to other treatments (p ≤ 0.05). However, only cows treated with PGF2α underwent luteolysis. In the second experiment, endometrial explants of cross‐bred beef cows (n = 4) slaughtered at day 17 of the oestrous cycle were cultured for 4 h. During the last 3 h, the explants were cultured with medium supplemented with 0, 0.1, 1, 10 or 100 μl of 100% ethanol/ml. Medium samples were collected at hours 1 and 4 and concentrations of PGF2α were measured by RIA. Ethanol did not induce PGF2α production by the endometrium. In conclusion, ethanol does not cause luteolysis in cows because it stimulates production of PGF2α in extra‐endometrial tissues.     

Protein requirements of preschool children consuming rice-milk,rice-toasted mung bean,and rice diets

Rice-milk and rice-toasted mung bean diets, and a high-protein rice (IR58 milled rice) were evaluated as part of a study on the protein requirements of toddlers consuming rice-based diets following the multilevel N balance method. Milk or mung bean contributed 1/3 of dietary N. At a daily energy intake of 418 kJ/kg body weight, weight losses were observed for all diets. The safe level of protein intakes obtained allowing 10 mg N/kg body weight/day for miscellaneous integumental losses and 15 mg N/kg body weight/day for growth was 1.11 g/kg body weight/day for the rice-milk diet and 1.34 g for the rice-mung bean diet. Preliminary data on four children indicate a safe level of protein intake of 1.44 g/kg/day for the IR58 milled rice. The protein quality of the high-protein rice as determined by the very short term N balance index on three children was 79–80% relative to milk.     

Wasp gene expression supports an evolutionary link between maternal behavior and eusociality

The presence of workers that forgo reproduction and care for their siblings is a defining feature of eusociality and a major challenge for evolutionary theory. It has been proposed that worker behavior evolved from maternal care behavior. We explored this idea by studying gene expression in the primitively eusocial wasp Polistes metricus. Because little genomic information existed for this species, we used 454 sequencing to generate 391,157 brain complementary DNA reads, resulting in robust hits to 3017 genes from the honey bee genome, from which we identified and assayed orthologs of 32 honey bee behaviorally related genes. Wasp brain gene expression in workers was more similar to that in foundresses, which show maternal care, than to that in queens and gynes, which do not. Insulin-related genes were among the differentially regulated genes, suggesting that the evolution of eusociality involved major nutritional and reproductive pathways.