Inhibitory effects of selected Thai medicinal plants on Na+,K+-ATPase

Extracts of ten Thai indigenous medicinal plants having ethnomedical application in the treatment of dysuria were tested for their Na(+),K(+)-ATPase inhibitory activity. The hexane extracts of Cyperus rotundus and Orthosiphon aristatus showed high potent inhibitory activity on crude enzyme Na(+),K(+)-ATPase from rat brain.     

Residues of aflatoxins in the liver,muscle and eggs of domestic fowls

The residue of aflatoxins in the liver, muscle and eggs of laying ducks, hens and quails and in broiler chickens was examined by conducting 7-day feeding experiments with a diet containing 3 ppm Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Birds were sacrificed on the 8th or 11th day of AFB1 feeding. AFB1 and its metabolites in the tissues and eggs were determined by HPLC. The tissue levels of AFB1 and its metabolites were higher in quail than in the other birds. The levels of AFB1 and its metabolites, including acid-hydrolyzable metabolites, were more than 10-fold higher in the liver than in the muscle in all the species. The ratio of AFB1 in the feed to the residual level in the liver was 383 in quail, but was > or = 5769 in the other birds. The corresponding ratios in the egg yolk and albumen of AFB1 were 4615 and 3846, respectively, in chicken hens, and these values were higher than those in the other birds.     

Effects of ammonium hydroxide treatment on the in vitro dry matter digestibility and gas production of wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse medium and konara oak rotted by edible basidiomycetes

Wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse medium and konara oak logs used to cultivate edible basidiomycetes were treated with ammonium hydroxide to investigate the relationship between the degree of rotting and the effect of ammonium hydroxide treatment on digestibility. Wheat straw was sampled before inoculation and on days 67 and 97 after inoculation with Pleurotus salmoneostramineus. Similarly, bagasse media were sampled before inoculation and on days 47 and 96 after inoculation with Pleurotus abalonus. Konara oak logs were sampled before inoculation and at 2 and 4 years after inoculation with Lentinula edodes. Aliquots of the samples were treated with ammonium hydroxide (NH₄‐N, 3% dry matter) at 45°C for 10 days. Ammonium hydroxide treatment increased the in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and gas production (IVGP) of all the samples, except the konara oak samples collected before inoculation. The degree of increased digestibility was largest for the samples collected after short cultivation periods, followed by those collected after long cultivation periods and those collected before inoculation. However, the IVDMD and IVGP values after short cultivation periods were lower than those after long cultivation periods. Ammonium hydroxide treatment is effective at improving the digestibility of white‐rotted materials, although the effect is lessened as rotting proceeds.     

Alpinia galanga oil—A new natural source of fish anaesthetic

This study explores the anaesthetic activity of Alpinia galanga oil (AGO) in fish. Cyprinus carpio (koi carp) was used as a fish model. It was found that the induction time to stage 3 anaesthesia and the recovery time of the fish after exposure to AGO were exponentially and polynomially correlated to AGO concentrations. The viability of normal blood cells of koi carp anaesthetized with 500 mg/L AGO was found to be higher than 90% for normal red blood cells and white blood cells and 89% for peripheral blood nuclear cells indicating nontoxicity of AGO to the fish. A concentration of 300 mg/L of AGO was the most suitable for anaesthetizing koi carp due to the safety and effectiveness aspects as being ideally fitted to anaesthetic criteria. This concentration gave the induction time of 205.55 ± 5.07 s and the recovery time of 202.50 ± 9.30 s. Determination of stress biomarker such as blood cortisol and glucose as well as gene expression showed that the blood cortisol level of the fish anaesthetized with AGO was similar to normal levels. Moreover, blood glucose level was significantly less increased than those anaesthetized with tricaine methanesulfonate. Gene expressions of the fish cortisol receptor, cytochrome oxidase subunit1, heat shock protein 70 and Na⁺/K⁺‐ATPaseα₃ were significantly reduced after exposure to AGO indicating the advantages of AGO on fish stress reduction. Thus, AGO is a promising natural source for an alternative fish anaesthetics.     

Surveys of rodent‐borne disease in Thailand with a focus on scrub typhus assessment

The epidemiology of many rodent‐borne diseases in South‐East Asia remains ill‐defined. Scrub typhus and lep‐tospirosis are common and medically significant, while other zoonotic diseases, such as spotted fever group Rickettsiae have been identified, but their overall medical significance is unknown. Rodent surveillance was conducted from June 2002 to July 2004 in 18 provinces from Thailand. Traps were set up for one to three nights. Blood and serum samples and animal tissue samples (liver, spleen, kidney and urinary bladder) were collected. Chiggermites, ticks and fleas were removed from captured rodents. A total of 4536 wild‐caught rodents from 27 species were captured over two years of animal trapping. Rattus rattus was the dominant species, followed by Rattus exulans and Bandicota indica. Almost 43 000 ectoparasites were removed from the captured animals. Approximately 98% of the ectoparasites were chigger‐mites, of which 46% belonged to the genus Leptotrombidium (scrub typhus vector). Other genera included Schoengastia and Blankaartia. Tick and flea specimens together comprised less than 1% of the sample. Among the five species of ticks collected, Haemaphysalis bandicota was the predominant species caught, followed by Ixodes granulatus other Haemaphysalis spp., Rhipicephalus spp. and Dermacentor spp. Only two species of fleas were collected and Xenopsylla cheopis (rat flea) was the predominant species. Using both commercial diagnostic kits and in‐house molecular assays, animal tissue samples were examined and screened for zoonotic diseases. Seven zoonotic diseases were detected: scrub typhus, leptospirosis, murine typhus, tick typhus, bartonella, babesiosis and trypanosomiasis. Most samples were positive for scrub typhus. Other zoonotic diseases still under investigation include borrelosis, ehrlichiosis, the plague, and other rickettsial diseases. Using geographic information systems, global positioning systems and remote sensing technology, epidemiological and environmental data were combined to assess the relative risk in different biotopes within highly endemic areas of scrub typhus in Thailand.     

Growth performance of Lowline Angus x Thai native crossbred beef under tropical condition

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Thai native cattle (Bos indicus) have high fertility rates and strong mothering abilities; however, their slight size, slow growth rate and low meat quality...     

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction used for bovine embryo sex determination

Widely used bovine sexing primers were compared in terms of suitability in determining the sex of bovine embryos. Under optimized multiplex PCR conditions, the ConBV/ConEY couple primers did not show accurate results when combined together in multiplex PCR, but worked well when the couple primers were used separately. The S4BF/S4BR primers showed accurate results; however, some unexpected bands were detected. When the BY/BSP couple primers were used to determine one-cell, two-cell, four-cell and eight-cell stage embryos of known sexed SCNT-derived embryos, the results showed 100% accuracy. The BY/BSP couple primers were also able to identify the sex of one-cell and two-cell IVF-derived embryos.