ULTRASONOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF DIFFUSE HEPATOCELLULAR DISORDERS IN DAIRY CATTLE

Ultrasonography of the liver was performed in 200 Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle using a 3.5 MHz transducer with a linear array electronic scanner. Liver samples were taken, processed and examined microscopically and the fat occupying rate was calculated. The hepatic ultrasonograms were evaluated according to the presence of bright pattern, dark pattern, deep attenuation, vascular blurring and blurring of edges. Of the 200 animals, 96 had a normal liver, 63 had hydropic degeneration of the liver, 37 had fatty infiltration of the liver, 3 had liver dystrophy and I had hepatic amyloidosis, diagnosed through histopathological examination. Amyloidosis was characterized by bright pattern and blurring of edges. Liver dystrophy had higher percentages of bright pattern and blurring of edges than normal liver. Hydropic degeneration had higher percentages of dark pattern and blurring of edges than normal liver. Fatty infiltration had higher percentages of bright pattern, deep attenuation, vascular blurring and blurring of edges than normal liver. The present results suggest that different ultrasonographic patterns can be observed in various diffuse hepatocellular disorders in dairy cattle     

肌肉苹果酸酶活性与猪肉品质关系的研究

[目的]探讨肌肉苹果酸酶活性与猪肌肉品质的关系,为提高猪肌肉品质提供理论依据。[方法]选取3个不同品种的猪（鄂西黑猪、长野鄂杂交猪和长大二元杂交猪）,比较了肌肉苹果酸酶活性以及肉质性状之间的差异。[结果]结果表明,鄂西黑猪的肌肉苹果酸酶活性和肌内脂肪显著高于长野鄂（三元）杂交猪和长大二元杂交猪（P〈0.05）;长大二元杂交猪的肌肉pH2值、滴水损失和剪切力显著高于鄂西黑猪（P〈0.05）。[结论]猪肌肉苹果酸酶活性对猪肉品质存在一定的影响。其中,肌肉苹果酸酶活性与肌内脂肪含量呈显著正相关,与肉色呈正相关,而与滴水损失和剪切力呈显著负相关。     

Genotype evaluation,muscle histopathology and ultrastructure in a Duchenne muscular dystrophy animal model

AIM: To evaluate the genotype , muscle histopathology and ultrastructure in dko mice. METHODS: Dystrophin/Utrophin-deficient double knockouts (dko) mice were obtained from university of Oxford, UK. Genotype of filial generation of heterozygote was evaluated by PCR-SSP. HE staining and fluorescent immunohistochemistry by SABC-Cy3 were used to detect striated muscle of dko mouse, and the muscle ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscope(TEM). RESULTS: In 112 filial generation mice, there were 28 mdx (25.0%), 26 dko (23.2%) and 58 heterozygote (51.8%), which coincided with the law of Mendelian inheritance. HE staining showed that the myocytes were not very uniform, there were phenomenon of round outline, centrally nucleated fibers, widening interspace, inflammatory cell infiltration and connective tissue proliferation in dko mice. There were no any immunofluorescent expression of dystrophin and utrophin in sarcolemma in dko mice. TEM showed sarcolemma breakage, separation and edema, and loose myofibril texture, inflammatory cell infiltration and connective tissue proliferation in dko mice. CONCLUSION: PCR-SSP is a very quick and accurate way for genotype evaluation of filial generation. The pathophysiology of dko mouse was very similar to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and dko mouse is an ideal animal model for study of DMD clinical therapy.     

不同饲养方式对肉鸡肌纤维组织学特性及肌肉嫩度影响的研究

[目的]研究了不同饲养方式对河田鸡肌纤维组织学特性及肌肉嫩度的影响,为肉鸡品质调控提供理论依据。[方法]研究户外散养、室内平养、室内笼养3种饲养方式对不同日龄河田鸡腿肌和胸肌肌纤维组织学特性的影响及其与肌肉嫩度的关系。[结果]结果表明,户外散养鸡的胸肌和腿肌肌纤维直径和肌肉剪切力显著大于笼养鸡（P〈0．05）,而肌纤维密度显著低于笼养鸡（P〈0．05）。随着日龄的增加,肌纤维的直径和肌肉剪切力显著增加,而肌纤维密度显著下降。公鸡的肌纤维直径和剪切力大于母鸡。相关性分析表明,胸肌肌肉剪切力与肌纤维直径呈显著正相关（P〈0．05）,而与肌纤维密度呈负相关（P〈0．05）;腿肌肌肉剪切力与肌纤维直径和密度关系不显著（P〉0．05）。[结论]饲养方式对肉鸡肌纤维的组织学特性有显著影响,户外散养促进肉鸡肌纤维发育,相应增加了肌肉剪切力。     

Muscle reorganisation through local injection of stem cells in the diaphragm of mdx mice

Background

The diaphragm is the major respiratory muscle affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and is responsible for causing 80% of deaths. The use of mechanical forces that act on the body or intermittent pressure on the airways improves the quality of life of patients but does not prevent the progression of respiratory failure. Thus, diseases that require tissue repair, such as DMD, represent a group of pathologies that have great potential for cell therapy. The application of stem cells directly into the diaphragm instead of systemic application can reduce cell migration to other affected areas and increase the chances of muscle reorganisation. The mdx mouse is a suitable animal model for this research because its diaphragmatic phenotype is similar to human DMD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the potential cell implantation in the diaphragm muscle after the xenotransplantation of stem cells.

Methods

A total of 9 mice, including 3 control BALB/Cmice, 3 5-month-old mdx mice without stem cell injections and 3 mdx mice injected with stem cells, were used. The animals injected with stem cells underwent laparoscopy so that stem cells from GFP-labelled rabbit olfactory epithelium could be locally injected into the diaphragm muscle. After 8 days, all animals were euthanised, and the diaphragm muscle was dissected and subjected to histological and immunohistochemical analyses.

Results

Both the fresh diaphragm tissue and immunohistochemical analyses showed immunopositive GFP labelling of some of the cells and immunonegativity of myoblast bundles. In the histological analysis, we observed a reduction in the inflammatory infiltrate as well as the presence of a few peripheral nuclei and myoblast bundles.

Conclusion

We were able to implant stem cells into the diaphragm via local injection, which promoted moderate muscle reorganisation. The presence of myoblast bundles cannot be attributed to stem cell incorporation because there was no immunopositive labelling in this structure. It is believed that the formation of the bundles may have been stimulated by cellular signalling mechanisms that have not yet been elucidated.     

Effect of the intensity and phenophase of defoliation and water stress on the rate of photosynthesis and the recovery of carbohydrate reserves in acacia karroo hayne

Abstract

A field study was conducted with Acacia karroo plants to determine changes in relative photosynthetic rates, the extent of carbohydrate reserve depletion and the rate reserves take to recover, following defoliation by goats at different intensities and phenophases, at a “wet” and a “dry” site.

The rate of photosynthesis of fully expanded leaves increased markedly following defoliation. Light defoliation increased photosynthetic rate the most. Total non‐structural carbohydrate levels dropped significantly after defoliation. The magnitude of decrease was directly related to the intensity of defoliation.

Following the heavy defoliations, recovery of carbohydrate levels was much faster than after the light defoliations. Rates of recovery were also faster following defoliation in the second half of the growing season, than in the first half. However, the plants that had been heavily defoliated in the second half of the growing season had not fully recovered carbohydrate levels before leaf fall in late autumn.

Moisture stress had very little effect on carbohydrate levels in comparison with the defoliation treatments.     

基于精气胎传理论辨治遗传性神经肌肉病——中医脑病理论与临床实证研究（十）

遗传性神经肌肉病属于胎传疾病,命名为胎传脑病及胎传肌病。通过介绍假肥大型肌营养不良、肾上腺脑白质营养不良、肝豆状核变性、遗传性脑血管病4个医案,阐释了整合各种治法,坚持动态辨证施方,滋其化源,治肾脾为本,并祛除内生诸邪,以减轻或解除部分临床症状,才能提高生存质量。     

Nutritional muscular dystrophy in a four-day-old Connemara foal

This report describes a four-day-old, full-term Connemara colt, presented for the evaluation of a progressive inability to rise unassisted. A diagnosis of nutritional muscular dystrophy was made based on muscular weakness, elevated muscle enzymes and low vitamin E, selenium and glutathione peroxidase activity. The foal was treated with intramuscular vitamin E-selenium and made a full recovery.