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.     

Prior infection with antigenically heterologous low pathogenic avian influenza viruses interferes with the lethality of the H5 highly pathogenic strain in domestic ducks

Low and highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs and HPAIVs, respectively) have been co-circulating in poultry populations in Asian, Middle Eastern, and African countries. In our avian-flu surveillance in Vietnamese domestic ducks, viral genes of LPAIV and HPAIV have been frequently detected in the same individual. To assess the influence of LPAIV on the pathogenicity of H5 HPAIV in domestic ducks, an experimental co-infection study was performed. One-week-old domestic ducks were inoculated intranasally and orally with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (control) or 10⁶ EID₅₀ of LPAIVs (A/duck/Vietnam/LBM678/2014 (H6N6) or A/Muscovy duck/Vietnam/LBM694/2014 (H9N2)). Seven days later, these ducks were inoculated with HPAIV (A/Muscovy duck/Vietnam/LBM808/2015 (H5N6)) in the same manner. The respective survival rates were 100% and 50% in ducks pre-infected with LBM694 or LBM678 strains and both higher than the survival of the control group (25%). The virus titers in oral/cloacal swabs of each LPAIV pre-inoculation group were significantly lower at 3–5 days post-HPAIV inoculation. Notably, almost no virus was detected in swabs from surviving individuals of the LBM678 pre-inoculation group. Antigenic cross-reactivity among the viruses was not observed in the neutralization test. These results suggest that pre-infection with LPAIV attenuates the pathogenicity of HPAIV in domestic ducks, which might be explained by innate and/or cell-mediated immunity induced by the initial infection with LPAIV.     

Should only females of giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii be selected in genetic improvement programmes?

Sexual dimorphism is widely observed in almost all farmed aquatic animal species but giant freshwater pawn (GFP) is unique, with males characterized by three main morphotypes (blue claw, orange claw and small males) and females by different reproduction status (ovary, berried egg and already‐spawned females). There has been reported evidence that the effect of male morphotype may have masked genetic variation in growth‐related traits, as a result the heritability for male body weight was lower than that estimated in female. A pending question has arisen whether selection should be made in female only. To answer this question, we used an 8‐year data set from a long‐term selection programme (2008–2015) for high growth in this species comprising 106,756 individuals that were offspring of 515 sires and 810 dams. The body weight data of female and male GFP or of each morphotype was treated as a separate trait and a multi‐trait approach was used to estimate genetic correlations for homologous traits between sexes and between morphotypes. Our analysis showed that there were little differences in the heritability estimates between female and male. In female, mature ovary individual displayed higher heritability than berried egg and already‐spawned females. For male, the heritability for blue claw, orange claw and small males were 0.11, 0.06 and 0.00 respectively. Between‐sex genetic correlation was moderate (0.55 ± 0.11) for body weight, suggesting that the trait expressions in female and male may be genetically different. In female, the genetic correlations for body weight among three female types were close to one (0.91–0.94). In contrast, the genetic correlations for body weight between male morphotypes especially between blue claw or orange claw and small males were low (0.15–0.25). Furthermore, we estimated genetic gain as the difference in least square means (LSM) or estimated breeding values (EBV) between the selection line and control group. The genetic gain in body weight was smaller in females than in males. It is concluded that there is no need to run separate breeding programme for female and male GFP. A combined selection using both female and male data can achieve selection response for body weight as demonstrated in the present study.     

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     

甜瓜属野生种Cucumis hystrix Chakr.胞质葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶基因的克隆与启动子结构分析

根据植物葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶(G6PDH,EC1.1.1.49)氨基酸保守区域,设计简并引物,采用RT-PCR技术克隆得到甜瓜属野生种Cucumis hystrix Chakr.(2n=24)G6PDH基因cDNA片段;随后基于该序列设计特异引物,PCR方法筛选野生种BAC文库,获得2个BAC阳性单克隆。测序后获得了G6PDH基因全序列及其上游启动子序列,GenBank登录号:JQ771576。序列分析显示:G6PDH基因全长约6.5 kb,由15个外显子和14个内含子组成;内含子序列均符合5’-gt-ag-3’结构。外显子拼接后获得了G6PDH基因的开放阅读框(ORF)序列,序列全长1 551 bp,编码516个氨基酸,与黄瓜基因组网站公布的G6PDH基因核苷酸序列和氨基酸序列同源性分别为98.71%和99.03%。野生种G6PDH氨基酸序列N端缺少转运肽序列,确定为野生种胞质G6PDH。氨基酸序列与烟草、马铃薯、荷兰芹、猕猴桃、拟南芥、大豆、小麦、玉米、葡萄、杨树等植物胞质G6PDH同源性高达77%以上。系统发育树分析发现,甜瓜属胞质G6PDH与茄科植物最先聚类,植物胞质G6PDH在分子进化水平上与物种进化相符。启动子结构分析表明:序列含有启动子基本元件TATA-box、CAAT-box,还含有丰富的光响应元件,与环境胁迫响应相关的不同顺式作用元件,促进高水平转录的5UTR Py-rich stretch元件和提高表达的CAT-box元件等。     

Use of urea-molasses-multinutrient block and urea-treated rice straw for improving dairy cattle productivity in Vietnam

After conducting a preliminary survey, a feeding trial was carried out to determine the effect of urea-molasses-multinutrient block (UMMB) and urea-treated rice straw (UTRS) as a feed supplement on the productivity of dairy cows. Sixty Holstein-Friesian crossbred cows on 11 smallholder farms were divided equally into control, UMMB and UTRS supplementation groups. Milk yield and feed intake were recorded daily. Milk fat content, body weight and body condition score (BSC) of each cow were determined at two week intervals. Milk samples for progesterone analysis were collected once a week commencing one month after parturition. Data were recorded for date of onset of ovarian activity, estrus, insemination, and conception rate. Milk production increased by 10.3-11.9% and milk fat content increased by 3-5%, therefore, profit for farmers increased by US $0.55-0.73 per cow per day (exchange rate US $1 = VN $11,000). The intervals from calving to onset of ovarian activity (91-94 days), to estrus (110-114 days), to conception (121-122 days) and the calving interval (13.4-13.6 months) in the trial groups were significantly shorter than those in the control group (112, 135, 152 days and 14.4 months, respectively.     

Quantification of digesta flow into the caeca

1. A caecal intubation technique was developed to determine the amount of digesta that enters the caeca of fed and feed-deprived chickens. 2. Dry matter intakes per day for control and caecostomised chickens were not significantly different. 3. For fed and feed-deprived roosters, water intake was significantly increased by caecostomy in control birds and was significantly increased by feeding. 4. Amount of caecal dry matter excretion was significantly increased by feeding, but no difference in caecal water excretion was observed. 5. The ratio of caecal excretion (caecal/total excretion) of dry matter and water tended to decrease in response to feeding. 6. It is concluded that dry matter entry into the caeca represents 18% or 25% of the total dry matter excretion in fed or feed-deprived birds, respectively. Corresponding values for water entry are 17 and 26%. Therefore, the caeca play an important role in water balance.     

Risk factors for L. monocytogenes contamination of dairy products in Switzerland, 1990-1999

Our purpose was to identify the main hazards associated with the spread of Listeria monocytogenes in dairy products in Switzerland and to determine the changes in predominant serotypes of the isolates, using databases on dairy-processing and environments from the Swiss Dairy Research Station during the years 1990-1999. Overall, of 76,271 samples collected, 3722 (4.9%) were positive for the presence of L. monocytogenes. Cheese-ripening facilities had the highest proportion of positive samples (7.6%), followed by small-scale local dairies (4.4%). By sample type, the highest proportion of positive samples (9.5%) was observed in water samples used for cheese-washing, followed by cheese-surface swabs (5.0%). During the 10-year period, no positive samples were obtained from cream, ice cream, milk powder, yogurt, or fresh cheese. Of 3722 L. monocytogenes isolates, 1328 (35.7%) were serologically typeable. Serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b accounted for 92.7% of the 1328 isolates. Until 1995, the most-prevalent serotype was 1/2b (annual proportional prevalence 39.3-72.2%)--whereas since 1996, 1/2a was the most prevalent (34.7-54.7%). During 1996-1999, serotype 1/2a increased by 88%, compared to the average of 1990-1995. In the final random-effect multivariable logistic model, the strongest predictor of a positive culture was samples from cheese-ripening plant (OR=1.54; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.08) and the second-strongest predictor was samples collected by someone who was employed by the plant (OR=1.48; 1.29, 1.71). Hard and semi-hard cheeses were more likely to be associated with serotype 1/2b and soft cheeses with serotype 1/2a.