Isolation of new pregnancy-associated glycoproteins from water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) placenta by Vicia villosa affinity chromatography

The present study describes the isolation and characterization of new pregnancy-associated glycoprotein molecules (PAG) from midpregnancy and late-pregnancy placentas in the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). After extraction, the homogenates are subjected to acid and ammonium sulfate precipitations followed by DEAE chromatography. Subsequently, the water buffalo PAG (wbPAG) from these solutions are enriched by Vicia villosa agarose (VVA) affinity chromatography. As determined by western blotting with anti-PAG sera, the apparent molecular masses of the immunoreactive bands from the VVA peaks range from 59.5 to 75.8 kDa and from 57.8 to 73.3 kDa in the midpregnancy and late-pregnancy placentas, respectively. Amino-terminal microsequencing of the immunoreactive proteins has allowed the identification of three distinct wbPAG sequences, which have been deposited in the SwissProt database: RGSXLTIHPLRNIRDFFYVG (acc. no. P85048), RGSXLTILPLRNIID (acc. no. P85049), and RGSXLTHLPLRNI (acc. no. P85050). Their comparison to previously identified proteins has shown that two of them are new because they have not been described before. Our results confirm the suitability of VVA chromatography for the enrichment of the multiple PAG molecules expressed in buffalo placenta.     

同工酶与动物发生遗传学

本文对同工酶与动物发生遗传学各自的形成、发展以及二者的结合等问题作了概括的阐述。     

高龄大熊猫多器官衰竭的病理学观察

本文观察了1只38岁高龄的大熊猫多器官衰竭的病理学变化。病理剖检显示，该熊猫主要表现为实质器官充血、水肿和出血性变化；组织病理学检查发现，全身实质器官（除心、肺、脑外）均发生明显萎缩，胃、肠、肝、胰、肾等发生水肿变性或出血；此外，还观察到心肌纤维坏死后的瘢痕形成。结果表明，老龄大熊猫的多器官衰竭的病理学变化与其他动物相似；高龄大熊猫也易患心血管系统疾病，且具有较经的组织修复能力。     

牛胚胎移植研究进展

人工授精技术可极大地提高公畜的利用效率，而胚胎移植技术则是充分挖掘优良母畜的繁殖潜力的有效途径。该技术的应用可从很大程度上提高母畜的繁殖率，从而在短时间内迅速扩大优良种群，加速畜群改良和纯种繁育进程，也是迅速提高我国牛群整体水平的重要而有效的手段，本文就牛胚胎移植的研究现状、关键技术以及影响胚胎移植的因素作以探讨。     

增产菌对复种燕麦产草量影响的试验

采用拌种、喷洒和拌种+喷洒3种方法,对临夏县北塬灌区麦后复种燕麦草增产效果进行了初步研究。结果 表明,增产菌对麦后复种燕麦的增产效果极显著(p<0.01),最佳拌种量300 g/hm2,最佳喷洒量300 g/hm2,最佳处 理组合为300 g/hm2拌种+300 g/hm2喷洒。     

A longitudinal study to identify constraints to dairy cattle health and production in rural smallholder communities in Northern Vietnam

The objective of the study was to investigate constraints to dairy cattle health and production in rural smallholder communities in northern Vietnam, one of the target areas of the Vietnam government's dairy development programme. A total of 99 dairy farms (11 per commune) were recruited from 9 of 32 communes in Ba Vi District, using random two-stage cluster sampling. After the initial questionnaire interviews were conducted, farms were visited at three monthly intervals over a period of 1 year. Information on several health and production parameters relating to the study cattle was collected. Using multiple indicator modelling, it was found that Fasciola infestation, farmers who had been involved in dairying for longer (not indicative of better management skills), larger herd size, and cattle being kept in a shed were linked to reduced reproductive performances.     

An inter-laboratory comparison of multi-enzyme and multiple substrate-induced respiration assays to assess method consistency in soil monitoring

The use of indicators in soil monitoring schemes to detect changes in soil quality is receiving increased attention, particularly the application of soil biological methods. However, to date, the ability to compare information from different laboratories applying soil microbiological techniques in broad-scale monitoring has rarely been taken into account. This study aimed to assess the consistency and repeatability of two techniques that are being evaluated for use as microbiological indicators of soil quality: multi-enzyme activity assay and multiple substrate-induced respiration (MSIR). Data were tested for intrinsic (within-assay plate) variation, inter-laboratory repeatability (geometric mean regression and correlation coefficient) and land-use discrimination (principal components analysis). Intrinsic variation was large for both assays suggesting that high replicate numbers are required. Inter-laboratory repeatability showed diverging patterns for the enzyme assay and MSIR. Discrimination of soils was significant for both techniques with relatively consistent patterns; however, combined laboratory discrimination analyses for each technique showed inconsistent correspondence between the laboratories. These issues could be addressed through the adoption of reliable analytical standards for biological methods along with adequate replication. However, until the former is addressed, dispersed analyses are not currently advisable for monitoring schemes.     

The immunopathology of sepsis: pathogen recognition, systemic inflammation, the compensatory anti-inflammatory response, and regulatory T cells

Sepsis, the systemic inflammatory response to infection, represents the major cause of death in critically ill veterinary patients. Whereas important advances in our understanding of the pathophysiology of this syndrome have been made, much remains to be elucidated. There is general agreement on the key interaction between pathogen-associated molecular patterns and cells of the innate immune system, and the amplification of the host response generated by pro-inflammatory cytokines. More recently, the concept of immunoparalysis in sepsis has also been advanced, together with an increasing recognition of the interplay between regulatory T cells and the innate immune response. However, the heterogeneous nature of this syndrome and the difficulty of modeling it in vitro or in vivo has both frustrated the advancement of new therapies and emphasized the continuing importance of patient-based clinical research in this area of human and veterinary medicine.     

Cow-level evaluation of a kinetics ELISA with multiple cutoff values to detect fecal shedding of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in New York State dairy cows

In control programs for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map), the infection status of the cows in a herd is often obtained by testing (a sample of) the herd with an ELISA that may lack some sensitivity and specificity but that is fast and inexpensive. In New York State (NYS), an unabsorbed kinetics ELISA (KELA) has been used extensively for Map control. The objective of this study was to determine the relative sensitivity and specificity of the KELA for detection of fecal shedding of Map for the NYS dairy cow population, taking into account possible confounders such as different antigen batches and Map prevalence in a herd.

The data for the study consisted of all serum samples from NYS dairy cows with concurrent fecal culture results submitted to the NY Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory (NYAHDL) between 1991 and 1996 (n = 10,562). The data represented cows with different levels of fecal shedding from herds with different within-herd Map prevalence, including herds that were whole herd fecal culture negative on repeated testing.

The cutoff values were based on the predictive value for fecal shedding obtained with a multiple logistic regression model that included variables for the three antigen batches and the Map prevalence in the herd. The KELA could not distinguish between non-shedders and low shedders (≤30 total colony forming units (TCFU)) and thus the predictive value of the KELA to detect moderate to heavy fecal shedders (>30 TCFU) was modeled. The three cutoff values of 65, 135 and 170 were based on low (<0.2), moderate (<0.80) and high (>0.95) probabilities for moderate to heavy fecal shedding. The sensitivity and specificity values relative to culture were 67% and 95.2%, 31% and 99.7%, and 11% and 99.9% for the three cutoff values, respectively. Cutoff values for the KELA decreased for herds with increasing within-herd Map prevalence. For the best positive predictive value of a KELA for moderate to heavy fecal shedding, the cutoff values should be determined based on the apparent within-herd prevalence in a herd.     

Using synergists to detect multiple insecticide resistance in field populations of rice stem borer

The rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker), an important insect pest of rice in China, has developed resistances to several classes of insecticides in field. In order to investigate multiple resistance mechanisms, synergistic tests were conducted with the Ruian (RA) population and Lianyungang (LYG) population, two representative populations to different insecticides. Results showed that diethyl maleate (DEM), S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate (DEF) and piperonyl butoxide (PBO), had no significant synergistic or inhibitory effect on the high level of resistance to monosultap (313.4-fold) and moderate level to chlorpyrifos (36.9-fold) in Ruian field population from the year 2011 (RA11). DEF significantly synergized the activity of triazophos in RA11 population (536.8-fold), with synergism ratio of 1.92. DEF and PBO significantly suppressed 43.3% and 40.4% of resistance to fipronil in RA11 population (48.4-fold), respectively, with the synergistic ratios of 1.76 and 1.69. When pretreated with PBO, the activity of deltamethrin against RA11 population were significantly synergized, with synergism ratio of 9.57, and with reducing resistance levels from 152.5- to 15.9-fold. The results of this study indicated that resistance to several classes of insecticide among the field populations of C. suppressalis might be provided by the combination of the multiple resistance mechanisms. Metabolic resistance mechanism might be the major reason for the evolution for resistance to deltamethrin and fipronil, while resistance to monosultap, triazophos and chlorpyrifos is not associated with metabolic resistance.