The effect of topical minoxidil treatment on hair follicular growth of neonatal hairless descendants of Mexican hairless dogs

The effect of daily topical minoxidil treatment on hair growth was investigated in eight neonatal hairless pups. After 21 days of minoxidil treatment, hair growth occurred in the minoxidil-treated areas of each neonatal hairless pup. The numbers of hairs in the treated areas increased as compared with that in the areas treated with vehicle only. Histological findings revealed that the skin treated with minoxidil contained many hair follicles derived from epidermal ingrowths (hair germs) projecting into the dermis. These hair follicles showed various stages of neofolliculogenesis. After 31 days of treatment, terminal hair growth was observed. In the minoxidil-untreated areas, epidermal ingrowths remained undifferentiated. These results revealed that hairless dogs developed hair growth reactions following minoxidil-treatment when such treatment is applied in the early neonatal period. Neonatal hairless pups are a useful model for evaluating the effectiveness of hair growth stimulators.     

Carrier state in human acatalasemia

The heterozygous carrier state of a rare hereditary disease, acatalasemia, has been defined biochemically. Affected homozygotes have no blood catalase activity, whereas heterozygotes show activities intermediate between this inactivity and the activity of normal controls, without overlap. Pedigrees show a high frequency of consanguineous marriages.     

Estimating Crop Coefficient in Intermittent Irrigation Paddy Fields Using Excel Solver

The current study proposes a novel method using Excel Solver to estimate,from limited data,crop coefficient(Kc) in paddy fields under intermittent irrigation(II).The proposed method was examined in a field experiment conducted at Karang Sari Village,Bekasi,West Java,Indonesia during the first rice season of 2007/2008(December 2007 to April 2008) in the rainy season.As the control,continuous flooding irrigation(CF) was applied to the conventional rice cultivation fields.Based on the observed water storage,Excel Solver was used to estimate crop evapotranspiration.Estimated crop evapotranspiration was used to compute Kc value,then the average Kc values at each growth stage were compared with that for the CF treatment.The estimation method was evaluated by comparing estimated crop evapotranspiration and the crop evapotranspiration derived by the well established FAO procedure.Excel Solver estimated crop evapotranspiration accurately with R2 values higher than 0.81.Accordingly,more than 81% of the FAO crop evapotranspiration was described by the proposed method.Thus,Kc value could be well determined from those estimated crop evapotranspiration.Under the II treatment,the average Kc values were 0.70,1.06,1.24 and 1.22 for the initial,crop development,reproductive and late stages,respectively.These values were lower than those under the CF treatment for initial and crop development stages because of a minimal soil evaporation and intense dryness during these stages.However,average Kc values under the II treatment were higher than those under the CF treatment at the reproductive and late stages,indicating that the II treatment promoted more plant activity particularly for dry biomass production as indicated by a greater number of tillers per hill.     

Analysis of 46-kDa protein in the perivitelline membrane of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

The extracellular matrix surrounding the oocyte before ovulation is called the perivitelline membrane (PL) in avian species. The PL is constructed with two major glycoproteins, ZPC and ZP1, which are synthesized in the ovarian granulosa cells and the liver, respectively. Although the properties of the major components in the PL have been examined, knowledge about the nature of its minor constituents is lacking. In this study we focused on PL protein, which migrates at 46‐kDa in the gel of SDS‐PAGE. N‐terminal sequence analysis demonstrated that the 46‐kDa protein is the C‐terminal fragment of ZP1. Analysis of lysylendopeptidase digests or cyanogens bromide‐degraded fragments of ZP1 confirmed this postulate. Western blot analysis using antiserum against 46‐kDa protein indicated the absence of 46‐kDa protein in the serum. Moreover, small immunoreactive bands, thought to be cleaved fragments of ZP1, were detected in the PL lysate by western blot analysis using antiserum against the N‐terminal peptide of ZP1. These results indicated that the N‐terminal proteolytic processing of ZP1 might take place after the arrival of ZP1 at the ovary, and the resulting product, 46‐kDa protein, is incorporated into the PL.     

Population Statistics and Biological Traits of Endangered Kiso Horse

The objective of this study was to clarify the current status of endangered Kiso horse, population statistics and biological traits, in order to take a step for the conservation by scientific approach. We surveyed 125 Kiso horses (86.2% of the whole breed), analyzed the construction of the population, and calculated the coefficient of inbreeding and effective population size. Moreover, we confirmed coat color variations and the traditional traits of the Kiso horse, and measured their height at the withers and chest circumference to clarify their physical characteristics. The population pyramid of the horses was stationary or contractive, suggesting a reduction of the population in the near future. The effective population size of the horse (47.9) suggested that the diversity was much less than their census size, and the high coefficient of inbreeding, 0.11 ± 0.07 on average, suggested that the horses were surely inbred. The horses had only 4 coat colors; bay, dark bay, buckskin dun, and chestnut, and 116 horses (92.8%) were bayish color, suggesting the fixation in their coat color. Moreover, the majority of them had dorsal stripe (83 horses; 66.4%), and the average heights at withers(131.9 ± 4.4 cm) and chest circumference (167.1 ± 10.1 cm) were not significantly different between males and females.     

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy coincided with the cardiac fibrosis in the inner muscle layer of the left ventricular wall in a boxer dog

A 7-year-old female boxer dog died suddenly without any clinical signs. It was suspected that the dog had arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) due to ventricular premature complexes and ventricular tachycardia at 3 years of age. The final diagnosis of ARVC was confirmed by histological characteristics, such as loss of cardiocytes and fibrofatty replacement, occurring in the right and left ventricular walls. In the cardiocytes, non-lipid vacuoles were observed. Cardiac fibrosis and intimal thickening of the small arteries occurred without fatty replacement in the inner muscle layer including the papillary muscles of the left ventricular wall. This paper describes the pathomorphological details of an ARVC case with coincidental cardiac fibrosis in the inner muscle layer of the left ventricular wall.     

Vascular smooth muscle lipofuscinosis occurring predominantly in veins of a cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis)

A 6-year-old male cynomolgus monkey showed chronic wasting. No gross abnormalities were observed in necropsy except for changes secondary to wasting. Microscopic examination revealed pigment granules deposition in systemic smooth muscles. They were observed as brown or basophilic in hematoxylin and eosin stain, and were positive for periodic acid-Schiff, Schmorl and Ziehl-Neelsen. Ultrastructurally, they consisted of residual bodies surrounded with varying amounts of solitary ribosomes. Thus, these granules were considered as lipofuscin. Unlike brown bowel syndrome in humans, the pigment granules were distributed systemically not only in the digestive tract but also in the blood vessels predominantly in the veins. To our knowledge, this is the first report on vascular smooth muscle lipofuscinosis occurring predominantly in the veins of primates.     

Season- and Age-related Reproductive Changes Based on Fecal Androgen Concentrations in Male Koalas,Phascolarctos cinereus

The purposes of the present study were to clarify age- and season- related androgen patterns, and to compare the reproductive physiology between Japanese captive koala populations and Australian populations. To measure fecal androgens, feces were collected from male koalas (4.2 to 13.8 years of age) kept in Japanese zoos. Fecal androgens were extracted with methanol from the lyophilized samples and determined by enzyme immunoassay using 4-androstene-3,17-dione antibody. Fecal androgen concentration in male koalas increased after sexual maturation and remained relatively high until old age. In the survey with the Japanese zoo studbook of koalas, copulation (conception) month showed a pyramid shape with a peak in March to June (60.7%) in koalas born and reared in Japanese zoos and from July to April with the highest concentration in September to January (69.7%) in Australian institutes. Japanese zoo koala populations have a characteristic physiological cycle adapted to Japan''s seasonal changes. The suitable month of year for copulation or conception in Japan is diametrically opposed to that in Australia. Mean fecal androgen concentrations by month in the males born and reared in Japan indicated annual changes with the highest concentration in May and the lowest value in November. Fecal androgen analysis may be a noninvasive alternative tool to monitor circulating testosterone and may be helpful in understanding reproductive activity and physiology in male koalas.     

The high prevalence of hepatitis E virus infection in wild boars in Ibaraki Prefecture,Japan

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is known as a causative agent of zoonosis and food poisoning. Pigs and some species of wild animals, including wild boar, are known to be a reservoir of HEV. In this study, we investigated the situation regarding HEV infection in wild boars in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Serum, liver and feces samples from 68 animals were collected, and the presence or absence of HEV genomic RNA and HEV antibodies were analyzed. The viral genome was detected in samples from 7 (10.3%) animals, with all HEVs classified as genotype 3, subtype 3b. HEV antibodies were detected in samples from 28 (41%) animals. This report demonstrates for the first time the high prevalence of HEV infection in wild boars in Ibaraki Prefecture.