The effects of maxillary nerve block,ethmoidal nerve block and their combination on cardiopulmonary responses to nasal stimulation in anesthetized Beagle dogs

ObjectiveTo describe an approach for ethmoidal nerve block (E_BLOCK) and to compare the effects of a maxillary nerve block (M_BLOCK), E_BLOCK and their combination (M-E_BLOCK) on heart rate (HR), systolic (SAP), mean (MAP), diastolic (DAP) arterial pressures and respiratory rate (f_R) during nasal stimulation in dogs.Study designProspective, blinded, randomized, crossover placebo-controlled study.AnimalsBeagle dogs (five cadavers, nine live dogs), with a median (interquartile range) weight of 10.5 (10.3–11.0) kg.MethodsThe accuracy of iohexol injections (each 1 mL) at the maxillary and ethmoidal foramina in cadavers was evaluated using computed tomography. Then, anesthetized dogs were administered four bilateral treatments separated by 1 week, saline or 2% lidocaine 1 mL per injection: injections of saline at the maxillary and ethmoidal foramina (Control), injections of lidocaine at the maxillary foramina and saline at the ethmoidal foramina (M_BLOCK), injections of saline at the maxillary foramina and lidocaine at the ethmoidal foramina (E_BLOCK) and injections of lidocaine at all foramina (M-E_BLOCK). The ventral nasal meatus was bilaterally stimulated using cotton swabs, and HR, SAP, MAP, DAP and f_R were continuously recorded. Values for each variable were compared before and after stimulation using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Changes in variables among treatments were analyzed using Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests (p ≤ 0.05).ResultsComputed tomography revealed iohexol distribution around the openings of the target foramina in all cadavers. In living dogs, HR, SAP, MAP, DAP and f_R significantly increased after stimulation within each treatment (p < 0.03). Physiologic responses were significantly attenuated, but not absent, in the M-E_BLOCK [HR (p = 0.019), SAP, MAP, DAP and f_R (all p ≤ 0.001)] compared with those in the Control.Conclusions and clinical relevanceConcurrent injections of lidocaine at the maxillary and ethmoidal foramina attenuated HR, arterial pressure and f_R responses to nasal stimulation in Beagle dogs.     

A morphological analysis of the skull size and shape of Kerivoulinae (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Vietnam

Southeast Asia is a region of high biodiversity, containing species of plants and animals that are yet to be discovered. In this region, bats of the subfamily Kerivoulinae are widespread and diverse with six species recorded in Vietnam. However, the taxonomy of the Kerivoulinae in Asia is complicated. In our study, we used diagnostic characters and multivariate analysis to determine morphological differences between the genera Kerivoula and Phoniscus. We showed that the two genera are distinguishable by the size of second upper incisors, the shape of skull, nasal sinus, canines, second upper and lower premolars. In addition, the two genera can be osteometrically separated by measurements of the braincase height, interorbital width and shape of anterior palatal emargination. Our data clearly revealed the morphological variations in the skull shape of Kerivoula hardwickii in Vietnam. This suggests a possible separation into three morphotypes, representing cryptic species supported by statistical differences with wide variation in skull shape, size and teeth. These results demonstrated Kerivoula hardwickii can be separated three subspecies, and the result will serve as the basis for the future assessment and classification of this group in Southeast Asia.     

Dominant sources of dietary carbon and nitrogen for shrimp reared in extensive rice-shrimp ponds

Stable isotope analysis was used to determine the sources of dietary nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) for shrimp during the rearing phase in extensive rice‐shrimp ponds in My Xuyen and Gia Rai districts, Vietnam. Farm‐made feed was added as a food source in shrimp ponds in My Xuyen district, and based on stable isotope analyses, was generally a poor dietary source. The commercial formulated feed used in Gia Rai also appeared to contribute little directly to the nutritional needs of the shrimp. In contrast, the natural biota in all ponds appeared to contribute substantially. In particular, biota from beam trawls and benthic organic matter were the most likely sources of nutrition in My Xuyen ponds, while benthic organic matter was the main source in Gia Rai ponds. δ¹⁵N ratios in the natural biota in My Xuyen farms decreased over the growing season, suggesting increased N fixation in the case of the benthic organic matter reaching values as low as 1‰. This suggests N‐limitation in the ponds and that natural biota become increasingly dependent on N fixed by algae and/or other microorganisms. There is the potential to promote the growth of the plankton and hence, the other natural biota, by the judicious addition of fertilizer.     

Nitrous Oxide and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Vietnamese Soil Amended with Different Compost Types at High Temperature

This study aims to determine the effects of compost additions and high temperature on N₂O and CO₂ emissions from a Vietnamese agricultural soil. Soil samples amended with two compost types (commercial compost, SH and chicken compost, CC) at three rates of 1%, 2% and 4% w/w were aerobically incubated at 25°C, 30°C and 35°C for 28 days in the laboratory. N₂O and CO₂ emissions were determined on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28. Our results showed that N₂O and CO₂ emissions were significantly affected by temperature, compost additions, and their interactions. Greater N₂O and CO₂ emissions were seen in CC treatments than SH treatments. Higher application rates of CC led to greater N₂O and CO₂ emissions. In SH treatments, higher temperature lowered N₂O emissions but did not affect CO₂ emissions. N₂O and CO₂ emissions were enhanced with CC addition while they showed different responses to increasing temperature.     

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the CrDAT gene and selection of transgenic periwinkle lines with a high vincristine accumulation

Catharanthus roseus contains vincristine and vinblastine, which are outstanding drugs for cancer. In the biosynthetic pathways of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) in C. roseus, deacetylvindoline 4-O-acetyltransferase (DAT) is a key enzyme that catalyses the last reaction of vindoline biosynthesis to form vinblastine and vincristine. In this study, the CrDAT transgene was transferred into the periwinkle by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and generated transgenic periwinkle lines with an increase in vincristine accumulation. The C. roseus DAT gene was introduced into C. roseus plants and it was confirmed that CrDAT was successfully transferred into the genome of periwinkle plants and efficiently translated to synthesise recombinant DAT protein. Four transgenic periwinkle lines in T1 generation, T1-1, T1-3, T1-6, and T1-7, expressed recombinant DAT protein with the total protein content in the range of 2.86 μg.mg^?1 to 5.12 μg.mg^?1. Moreover, the vincristine contents of four transgenic lines increased by 1.63?2.48-fold compared to non-transgenic plants, ranging from 6.91 µg.g^?1 (fresh weight) to 10.53 µg.g^?1 (fresh weight). The T1-1 line had the highest vincristine content. Hence, the overexpression of the recombinant DAT protein can improve the vincristine accumulation of transgenic C. roseus plants.

Abbreviation: CrDAT - Catharanthus roseus Deacetylvindoline-4-O-Acetyl Transferase; D4H - Deacetoxyvindoline 4-hydroxylase; ELISA - Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Monoterpene indole alkaloid; T0, T1 - Generations of transgenic plants; TIAs - Terpenoid indole alkaloids; WT- The wild-type tobacco plants (non transgenic plant); 35S - Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter     

Growth performance,carcass quality characteristics and colonic microbiota profiles in finishing pigs fed diets with different inclusion levels of rice distillers’ by‐product

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of diets containing rice distillers’ by‐product (RDP) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and gut microbiota of fattening pigs. Twenty‐four crossbred finishing pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire), 56.9 ± 3.1 kg initial body weight, were randomly allocated to three groups. For 56 days, pigs were fed one of three diets including RDP0 (control), RDP15 (15% RDP in DM), and RDP30 (30% RDP in DM). With RDP level in diet, average daily gain and backfat thickness linearly increased (p < 0.05), and drip loss tended to increase (p ≤ 0.08). In addition, 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon profiling showed that RDP was associated with modulation of colonic microbiota composition, especially at family and genus levels. Relative abundance of Porphyromonadaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae families in colonic digesta increased with inclusion of RDP, while that of Enterobacteriaceae decreased. The proportion of genera unclassified Erysipelotrichaceae, and Butyrivibrio increased as inclusion of RDP. These results indicate that up to 30% inclusion in diet of finishing pigs, RDP can modulate colonic microbiota composition, and induces an improvement of animal growth and fat deposition.     

Detection and molecular characterization of porcine type 3 orthoreoviruses circulating in South Korea

Orthoreoviruses infect virtually all mammalian species, causing systemic infections including mild gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses. However, little is known about the prevalence or genetic diversity of porcine orthoreoviruses in South Korea. We examined 237 diarrheic fecal samples collected from 78 pig farms around the country. RT-PCR utilizing primers specific for the L1 gene of mammalian orthoreoviruses showed that 45 (19.0%) samples were positive. The 10 strains isolated from orthoreovirus-positive samples formed typical perinuclear cytoplasmic inclusion bodies and had an atypical hemagglutination pattern; these are characteristics of type 3 orthoreovirus. Phylogenetic analysis of the S1 gene in these 10 Korean and other strains showed that type 3 orthoreoviruses could be divided into four lineages; the 10 Korean strains were included in porcine lineage IV, along with T3/porcine/Sichuan/2006. Sequence analysis showed that strains in lineage IV had nucleotide identities of 97.0-98.1% and deduced amino acid identities of 96.4-98.2%. Sequence analysis of the σ1 protein, a viral attachment protein, revealed that the amino acid sequences associated with neurotropism (amino acids 198-204, 249I, 350D, and 419E) were highly conserved among the Korean strains, confirming that neural tropism was present. In conclusion, our findings suggest that porcine orthoreovirus infections are endemic in pig farms in South Korea and that the 10 novel Korean porcine orthoreoviruses belong to porcine lineage IV of type 3 orthoreovirus. In addition, sequence analysis of S1 genes encoding the σ1 protein showed that the 9 of 10 Korean porcine orthoreoviruses exhibited neural tropism.     

Placotylene A,an Inhibitor of the Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand-Induced Osteoclast Differentiation,from a Korean Sponge Placospongia sp.

A new inhibitor, placotylene A (1), of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation, and a regioisomer of placotylene A, placotylene B (2), were isolated from a Korean marine sponge Placospongia sp. The chemical structures of placotylenes A and B were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR, along with MS spectral analysis and revealed as an iodinated polyacetylene class of natural products. Placotylene A (1) displayed inhibitory activity against RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation at 10 μM while placotylene B (2) did not show any significant activity up to 100 μM, respectively.     

Observations on growth, sexual maturity and spawning performance of pond-reared Penaeus merguiensis

This 12‐month preliminary study investigated the development of sexual characters, primary sexual maturity, ovarian maturity and spawning performance of pond‐reared Penaeus merguiensis in relation to culture conditions in south‐east Queensland, Australia. Post‐larvae of P. merguiensis were produced and cultured in two 60‐m³ tanks during the first 14 weeks. Before winter, they were harvested and stocked in three different overwintering facilities: a 200‐m² covered pond, two 60‐m³ outdoor tanks and a 15‐m³ indoor, recirculated tank at a stocking density of 10 individuals m^?2. The development of sexual characters was found to be similar to that reported previously in wild P. merguiensis. Males matured at younger ages and smaller sizes than females. Overall, the average size at primary sexual maturity of pond‐reared P. merguiensis was 23.1 mm carapace length for males (possessed spermatophores) and 29.3 mm for females (being impregnated). Water temperature and the availability of natural food strongly influenced prawn growth, maturity rate and their subsequent spawning performance. Growth, maturity rate and spawning performance of prawns in the covered pond were significantly higher than in the other overwintering facilities. Prawns started mating at 6–7 months, reached full ovarian maturation and spawned as early as about 8 (peaked at 9–11) months from hatching, producing high fecundity and viable larvae. There was a strong relationship (P < 0.001) between prawn size and fecundity. The results of this study suggest a potential for using pond‐reared broodstock P. merguiensis for hatchery production and for domestication or selective breeding programmes.     

Spatial distribution pattern of attack of the oak borer,Platypus quercivorus (Murayama) (Coleoptera: Platypodidae), and scolytid ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) on fresh logs

The spatial distribution patterns of the attack on fresh logs ofPasania edulis was studied for the oak borer,Platypus quercivorus (Murayama), and two species of Scolytid ambrosia beetles,Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) andXyleborus attenuatus Blanford, in 1994 and 1995. On the logs where onlyP. quercivorus attacked, the entry holes were distributed uniformly when attack intensity was low. However, the distribution pattern became more aggregated with the increase in attack intensity. On logs where bothP. quercivorus and the two Scolytid species attacked, there was a negative association between the spatial distribution of the entry holes ofP. quercivorus and that of scolytids. Simultaneous attack of two scolytids also increased the degree of aggregation of the entry holes ofP. quercivorus. The entry holes of scolytids were distributed in groups irrespective of the attack intensity of scolytids andP. quercivorus. These results suggest an asymmetrical interspecific relationship betweenP. quercivorus and scolytids. Concentration of the entry holes ofP. quercivorus in a small area may cause a considerable decline in the reproductive success in the galleries constructed there.