Effect of presence of rumen protozoa on degradation of cell wall constituents in gastrointestinal tract of cattle

The cell wall constituents of feces from three faunated and three defaunated (without ruminal ciliate protozoa) cattle fed on a Sudangrass hay and concentrate mixture (8:5) were analyzed. There was little difference in digestibility of dry matter between the faunated and defaunated cattle. Analysis of the fecal sugar residues revealed that the digestibilities of arabinose and galactose, derived from pectic and hemicellulosic substances located within the compound middle lamella, were higher in the defaunated cattle than the faunated cattle (P < 0.05), whereas the digestibilities of glucose and xylose, derived mainly from cellulose and xylan, were unchanged by the removal of protozoa. The digestibility of lignin was not different between the faunated and defaunated cattle, but those of mannose and p‐coumaric acid were lower in the defaunated than in the faunated animals (P < 0.05). The ratio of primary cell wall to secondary cell wall in fecal plant materials was lower for the defaunated than for the faunated cattle. The results in this study suggested that the defaunation enhanced the microbial degradation of the thin cell walls, but depressed the degradation of developed cell walls.     

Drilling to gabbro in intact ocean crust

Sampling an intact sequence of oceanic crust through lavas, dikes, and gabbros is necessary to advance the understanding of the formation and evolution of crust formed at mid-ocean ridges, but it has been an elusive goal of scientific ocean drilling for decades. Recent drilling in the eastern Pacific Ocean in Hole 1256D reached gabbro within seismic layer 2, 1157 meters into crust formed at a superfast spreading rate. The gabbros are the crystallized melt lenses that formed beneath a mid-ocean ridge. The depth at which gabbro was reached confirms predictions extrapolated from seismic experiments at modern mid-ocean ridges: Melt lenses occur at shallower depths at faster spreading rates. The gabbros intrude metamorphosed sheeted dikes and have compositions similar to the overlying lavas, precluding formation of the cumulate lower oceanic crust from melt lenses so far penetrated by Hole 1256D.     

Methodology for the study of the hypothalamic-pituitary hormone secretion in cattle

Studies on the neuroregulatory mechanisms on the secretion of anterior pituitary (AP) hormones in domestic animals are important because nearly all complex physiological and metabolic processes are regulated by the AP hormones. To examine them, this article considers in vivo approaches such as the techniques of intrahypothalamic injection, intracerebroventricular injection, push-pull perfusion, and microdialysis, which have been employed in our own research group for the study in cattle. Also, in vitro approaches such as bovine AP cell culture and the AP explants superfusion system are described. This article clarifies the potential of neuroendocrine study techniques in cattle.     

A physically based FVM watershed model fully coupling surface and subsurface water flows

A sophisticated modeling approach for simulating-coupled surface and subsurface flows in a watershed is presented. The watershed model developed is a spatially distributed physically based model of composite dimension, consisting of 3-D variably saturated groundwater flow submodel, 2-D overland flow submodel and 1-D river flow submodel. The 3-D subsurface flow is represented by the complete Richards equation, while the 2-D and 1-D surface flows by the diffusive approximations of their complete dynamic equations. For piecewise integration of these equations, the finite volume method (FVM) is employed assuming unknown variables such as the water depth and the pressure head to be volume-averaged state ones. Problem plane geometry is meshed with the unstructured cells of triangular shape which conforms to external as well as internal irregular boundaries such as those between 1-D and 2-D flows. A cell size controlling scheme, referred to as quasi-adaptive meshing scheme, is introduced to keep the local discretization errors caused by topographic elevation gradient even over the entire-meshed geometry. Performance of the model is tested through its practical application to a rugged intermountain watershed. Tuning the values of the three key parameters ensures successful calibration of the model. Once the model is so calibrated, it could reproduce satisfactory runoff response to any rainfall event. Expansion and shrinkage of the contributing area importantly affecting the direct runoff, caused by the vicissitude of rainfall during its total duration, are well reproduced, like what the commonly accepted runoff theory argues. It is thus concluded that the model developed could serve as a powerful watershed simulator usable for investigating and assessing the hydrological aspect of a watershed.     

A possible role of central serotonin in L‐tryptophan‐induced GH secretion in cattle

To clarify the role of serotonin (5‐HT) in the regulatory mechanism of L‐tryptophan (TRP)‐induced growth hormone (GH) secretion in cattle, changes in 5‐HT concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the third ventricle (3V) and GH in plasma before and after the peripheral infusion of TRP were determined simultaneously. The direct effect of TRP on GH release from the dispersed anterior pituitary cells was also assessed. A chronic cannula was placed in 3V by stereotaxic surgery, then CSF and blood were withdrawn under physiological conditions. TRP (38.5 mg/kg BW) was infused through an intravenous catheter from 12.00 to 14.00 hours and CSF and blood sampling were performed from 11.00 to 18.00 hours at 1‐h intervals. The concentration of 5‐HT in CSF was determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. GH, melatonin (MEL), and cortisol (CORT) concentrations were measured by radio‐immunoassay and enzyme‐immunoassay. Concentrations of 5‐HT were increased by TRP infusion. The TRP infusion significantly increased GH release. On the other hand, TRP did not stimulate GH release from the bovine pituitary cells. MEL and CORT concentrations were not altered by TRP infusion. These results suggest that TRP induced GH release via the activation of serotonergic neurons in cattle.     

High developmental rates of mouse oocytes cryopreserved by an optimized vitrification protocol: the effects of cryoprotectants, calcium and cumulus cells

Unfertilized oocytes are one of the most desired germ cell stages for cryopreservation because these cryopreserved oocytes can be used for assisted reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. However, in general, the fertility and developmental ability of cryopreserved oocytes are still low. The aim of the present study was to improve vitrification of mouse oocytes. First, the effects of calcium and cryoprotectants, dimethyl sulfoxide and ethylene glycol (EG), in vitrification medium on survival and developmental ability of vitrified oocytes were evaluated. Oocytes were vitrified by a minimal volume cooling procedure using different cryoprotectants. Most of the vitrified oocytes were morphologically normal after warming, but their fertility and development were low independently of calcium and cryoprotectants. Second, the effect of cumulus cells on ability of oocytes to be fertilized and develop in vitro was examined. The fertility and developmental ability of denuded oocytes (DOs) after IVF were reduced compared with cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) both in fresh and cryopreserved groups. Vitrified COCs showed significantly (P<0.05) higher fertility and ability to develop to the 2-cell and blastocyst stages than those of vitrified DOs with cumulus cells and vitrified DOs alone. The vitrified COCs developed to term at a high success rate equivalent to the rate obtained with IVF using fresh COCs. Taken together, the current results clearly demonstrate that, in the presence of surrounding cumulus cells, matured mouse oocytes vitrified using calcium-free media and EG retain their developmental competence. These findings will contribute to improve oocyte vitrification in not only experimental animals but also clinical application for human infertility.     

Cell wall degradation of tropical and temperate forage grasses measured by nylon bag and in vitro digestion techniques

Four tropical and four temperate grasses were subjected to nylon bag fiber degradation study with fistulated Holstein cattle as well as in vitro digestion with broad spectrum cellulase, and the degradability of cell wall carbohydrate and lignin for the respective forage grasses were determined. The degradability of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber for the same plant materials appeared to be similar, but that of acid detergent lignin was constantly lower. As for the plant materials used in the present study, Italian ryegrass, orchardgrass and guineagrass showed high degradability of fibers in nylon bag incubation, while setaria, cogongrass and wheat showed smaller degradability. In both nylon bag incubation and in vitro digestion experiments, the forage samples showing relatively lower degradability exhibited notably lower disappearance of xylose than that of glucose or arabinose. It was also observed that dry matter degradability correlated negatively with the initial content of esterified and/or etherified p‐coumaric acid. These results were assumed to be caused by the difference in resistance towards rumen microbial degradation due to the concentration of lignin‐carbohydrate complex.     

The secretory pattern and source of immunoreactive prolactin in pregnant African (Loxodonta africana) and Asian (Elephas maximus) elephants

The objective of the present study was to define the secretion of prolactin (PRL) in pregnant African and Asian elephants. Levels of immunoreactive (ir-) PRL in serum and placental homogenates were measured by a heterologous radioimmunoassay (RIA) based on an ovine and human RIA system, and the localization of ir-PRL in the placenta was detected by immunohistochemistry using anti-human PRL. Circulating ir-PRL clearly showed a biphasic pattern during pregnancy in African and Asian elephants. Serum levels of ir-PRL started to increase from the 4 - 6th month of gestation and reached the first peak level around the 11-14th month. A second peak of circulating ir-PRL levels was observed around the 18-20th month of gestation followed by an abrupt decline after parturition. In contrast, in a case of abortion of an African elephant, the second peak of ir-PRL was not observed, and the levels remained low for about four months until parturition. The weight of the fetus delivered at the 17th month of gestation was 23.5 kg, which was quite small compared with normal fetuses in previous reports. Ir-PRL was detected in placental homogenates, and immunolocalization was observed in trophoblasts in both the African and Asian elephants, indicating that the placenta is the source of ir-PRL during pregnancy in elephants. The present results clearly demonstrated that circulating ir-PRL shows a biphasic pattern during normal pregnancy and that the placenta appears to be an important source of circulating ir-PRL during pregnancy in both African and Asian elephants.     

The effect of lighting conditions on the rhythmicity of growth hormone secretion in Holstein steers

Growth hormone (GH) secretion regularity and the effects of lighting condition and GH‐releasing hormone (GHRH) on GH release were determined in steers. First, steers were kept under 12:12 L : D conditions (light: 06.00–18.00 hours). The animals were then subjected to a 1‐h advancement in lighting on/off conditions (05.00 and 17.00 hours, respectively). Blood was sampled for 24 h at 1‐h interval on the seventh day of each condition. Second, GHRH was injected intravenously (IV) at 12.00 and 00.00 hours under 12:12 L : D and blood was sampled at 15‐min interval for 4‐h (1 h before and 3 h after the injection). Plasma GH concentrations were measured by a radioimmunoassay. Periodicity of GH secretory profile was calculated by power spectrum analysis using the maximum entropy method. Plasma GH concentrations showed a characteristic pattern consisting of four distinct peaks. Mean periodicity of GH secretory profile was 5.7 h, and it was not altered by any change in lighting conditions. IV injection of GHRH increased GH secretion during the day and night. The increase in GH secretory volume after GHRH injection during the night was equal to that during the day. The present results suggest that GH secreted from the anterior pituitary have regularity in steers.