Low-dose recombinant canine interferon-γ for treatment of canine atopic dermatitis: An open randomized comparative trial of two doses     

Kuniyoshi Yasukawa  Shiori Saito  Takuya Kubo  Yuya Shibasaki  Kayo Yamaoka  Hisae Hachimura  Tomoko Kuyama  Akiteru Amimoto  Tsuyoshi Kumata  Yuko Kitahara  Masahiko Takenaka  Hitoshi Matsumura  Takehiro Uno  Tomiya Uchino  Kazutaka Takehara  Kouji Nishida  Michiyo Kadoya  Masafumi Sato  Kaoru Kato  Kanako Matsumoto  Satoshi Saito  Tetsuya Shimoda 《Veterinary dermatology》2010,21(1):42-49

The purpose of this study was to investigate the minimum effective dose of recombinant canine interferon-γ (rCaIFN-γ) for the treatment of dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD). Thirty-four dogs with AD from 17 animal hospitals in Japan were administered half or one-fifth of the approved rCaIFN-γ dose of 10 000 units/kg, three times a week for 4 weeks, followed by once weekly for an additional 4 weeks. Pruritus, excoriation, erythema and alopecia were evaluated and scored by the investigators on weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12. The efficacy rate (number of excellent cases + number of good cases/total number of cases) at week 8 in the 2000 units/kg group was 36.4% for pruritus, 36.4% for excoriation, 45.5% for erythema and 36.4% for alopecia. In contrast, in the 5000 units/kg group, the efficacy rate was 64.3% for pruritus, 57.1% for excoriation, 78.6% for erythema and 78.6% for alopecia. The efficacy rate of the 5000 units/kg group was high for all signs evaluated and comparable to that of the 10 000 units/kg group reported in a previous study. The results of this study showed that 2000 units/kg of rCaIFN-γ is less effective than 5000 units/kg to treat dogs with AD, and the efficacy of the 5000 units/kg dose is comparable to that of 10 000 units/kg at week 8.  相似文献   

Characterization of the D/C mosaic neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum associated with bovine botulism in Japan     

Keiji Nakamura  Tomoko Kohda  Kaoru Umeda  Hideyuki Yamamoto  Masafumi Mukamoto  Shunji Kozaki 《Veterinary microbiology》2010,140(1-2):147-154

Clostridium botulinum types C and D are related to avian and mammalian botulism. Bovine botulism occurred at various farms from 2004 to 2007 in Japan. Since culture supernatants of isolates from cases of bovine botulism were neutralized completely and partially with type D and C antitoxins, respectively, we attempted to confirm the nucleotide sequences of the neurotoxin gene in isolates. The neurotoxin gene comprised two-thirds of the type D neurotoxin gene and one-third of the type C neurotoxin gene, indicating that the neurotoxin of bovine isolates is a mosaic of type D and C neurotoxins, D/C mosaic neurotoxin. We prepared four sets of primers to differentiate the genes of the mosaic and authentic forms with PCR. The results showed that all bovine botulism-related isolates possess the gene for the D/C mosaic form. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis demonstrated that isolates from bovine botulism which had occurred between 2004 and 2007 were genetically homologous, except for the isolate from one area. We further examined the biological and antigenic properties of the D/C mosaic neurotoxin, which was found to exhibit the highest lethal activity in mice compared with other types of neurotoxins. In the D/C mosaic neurotoxin, three epitopes recognized by monoclonal antibodies that specifically react to and neutralize the toxin were located in the carboxyl-terminal domain of the heavy chain. These results indicate that D/C mosaic neurotoxin is a pathogenic agent causing bovine botulism and has unique characteristics different from other type C and D neurotoxins.  相似文献   

Involvement of sex steroids,luteinizing hormone and thyroid hormones in upstream and downstream swimming behavior of land-locked sockeye salmon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus nerka</Emphasis>     

Arimune Munakata  Masafumi Amano  Kazumasa Ikuta  Shoji Kitamura  Katsumi Aida 《Fisheries Science》2012,78(1):81-90

The involvement of testosterone (T), estradiol-17β (E₂), 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), 17,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnene-3-one (DHP), luteinizing hormone (LH), thyroxine (T₄), and triiodothyronine (T₃) in the regulation of downstream and upstream movement (swimming behavior) was investigated in land-locked sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka, using an artificial raceway. During the downstream migratory period, T implant resulted in high plasma T levels and inhibited the occurrence of downstream swimming behavior (negative rheotaxis) in yearling (1+) immature smolts. In terms of upstream behavior, 2-year-old (2+) males exhibited high plasma T and 11-KT levels, while 2+ females had elevated T and DHP levels. In 1+ immature fish, a T implant induced upstream swimming behavior (positive rheotaxis). In experiments 1 and 3, the plasma T₄ and T₃ levels of non-migrants tended to be higher than those of migrants. In contrast, no marked changes in plasma and pituitary LH were found in both downstream and upstream migrants. These results suggest that sex steroids, such as T, play significant roles in the regulation of downstream and upstream swimming behaviors in land-locked sockeye salmon.  相似文献   

Seasonal potential fishing ground prediction of neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) in the western and central North Pacific          下载免费PDF全文

Irene D. Alabia  Sei‐Ichi Saitoh  Robinson Mugo  Hiromichi Igarashi  Yoichi Ishikawa  Norihisa Usui  Masafumi Kamachi  Toshiyuki Awaji  Masaki Seito 《Fisheries Oceanography》2015,24(2):190-203

We explored the seasonal potential fishing grounds of neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) in the western and central North Pacific using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) models fitted with squid fishery data as response and environmental factors from remotely sensed [sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), eddy kinetic energy (EKE), wind stress curl (WSC) and numerical model‐derived sea surface salinity (SSS)] covariates. The potential squid fishing grounds from January–February (winter) and June–July (summer) 2001–2004 were simulated separately and covered the near‐coast (winter) and offshore (summer) forage areas off the Kuroshio–Oyashio transition and subarctic frontal zones. The oceanographic conditions differed between regions and were regulated by the inherent seasonal variability and prevailing basin dynamics. The seasonal and spatial extents of potential squid fishing grounds were largely explained by SST (7–17°C in the winter and 11–18°C in the summer) and SSS (33.8–34.8 in the winter and 33.7–34.3 in the summer). These ocean properties are water mass tracers and define the boundaries of the North Pacific hydrographic provinces. Mesoscale variability in the upper ocean inferred from SSH and EKE were also influential to squid potential fishing grounds and are presumably linked to the augmented primary productivity from nutrient enhancement and entrainment of passive plankton. WSC, however, has the least model contribution to squid potential fishing habitat relative to the other environmental factors examined. Findings of this work underpin the importance of SST and SSS as robust predictors of the seasonal squid potential fishing grounds in the western and central North Pacific and highlight MaxEnt's potential for operational fishery application.  相似文献   

Gossypol inhibits LH‐induced steroidogenesis in bovine theca cells          下载免费PDF全文

Thet Su. Myat  Masafumi Tetsuka 《Animal Science Journal》2017,88(1):63-71

Gossypol, a polyphenolic aldehyde found in cottonseed, has been shown to perturb steroidogenesis in granulosa and luteal cells of rats, pigs and cattle. However, little is known about the direct effect of gossypol on theca cell functions in any species. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of gossypol on the steroidogenesis and the expression of genes involved in it in cultured bovine theca cells. Theca cells were isolated from healthy preovulatory follicles and were cultured in the presence of luteinizing hormone (LH) for up to 7 days. During the culture period, main steroid products of the theca cells shifted from androstenedione (A4) at day 1 to progesterone (P4) from day 2 onward. At days 1 and 7, theca cells were treated with gossypol (0‐25 μg/mL) for 24 h. Gossypol inhibited LH‐stimulated theca cell A4 and P4 production in a dose‐dependent manner at both occasions. The viability of theca cells was not affected by gossypol at any doses used. Gossypol down‐regulated expressions of steroidogenic enzymes CYP11A1, HSD3B1 and CYP17A1, but not that of LHR. These results indicate that gossypol inhibits thecal steroidogenesis through down‐regulating gene expressions of steroidogenic enzymes but without affecting cell viability in cattle.  相似文献   

Disease resistance induced by nonantagonistic endophytic Streptomyces spp. on tissue-cultured seedlings of rhododendron     

Masafumi Shimizu  Akane Meguro  Sachiko Hasegawa  Tomio Nishimura  Hitoshi Kunoh 《Journal of General Plant Pathology》2006,72(6):351-354

Of 82 strains of endophytic actinomycetes isolated from rhododendron plants, 12 were not antagonistic against Pestalotiopsis sydowiana, which is the causal agent of Pestalotia disease. Of these 12, MBR-37 and MBR-38 (identified as Streptomyces spp.) grew on IMA-2 medium. Tissue-cultured seedlings of rhododendron treated with these nonantagonistic strains showed less wilting and/or smaller lesions to P. sydowiana, although the degree of resistance was a little lower than that conferred by antagonistic Streptomyces galbus strain R-5. These seedlings accumulated the anthocyanin(s), suggesting that resistance induced by these strains could depend on activated defense responses associated with the phenylpropanoid pathway rather than with antibiosis.  相似文献   

Production of transgenic cloned pigs expressing the far-red fluorescent protein monomeric Plum     

Masahito WATANABE  Mirina KOBAYASHI  Masaki NAGAYA  Hitomi MATSUNARI  Kazuaki NAKANO  Miki MAEHARA  Gota HAYASHIDA  Shuko TAKAYANAGI  Rieko SAKAI  Kazuhiro UMEYAMA  Nobuyuki WATANABE  Masafumi ONODERA  Hiroshi NAGASHIMA 《The Journal of reproduction and development》2015,61(3):169-177

Monomeric Plum (Plum), a far-red fluorescent protein with photostability and photopermeability, is potentially suitable for in vivo imaging and detection of fluorescence in body tissues. The aim of this study was to generate transgenic cloned pigs exhibiting systemic expression of Plum using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology. Nuclear donor cells for SCNT were obtained by introducing a Plum-expression vector driven by a combination of the cytomegalovirus early enhancer and chicken beta-actin promoter into porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFFs). The cleavage and blastocyst formation rates of reconstructed SCNT embryos were 81.0% (34/42) and 78.6% (33/42), respectively. At 36–37 days of gestation, three fetuses systemically expressing Plum were obtained from one recipient to which 103 SCNT embryos were transferred (3/103, 2.9%). For generation of offspring expressing Plum, rejuvenated PFFs were established from one cloned fetus and used as nuclear donor cells. Four cloned offspring and one stillborn cloned offspring were produced from one recipient to which 117 SCNT embryos were transferred (5/117, 4.3%). All offspring exhibited high levels of Plum fluorescence in blood cells, such as lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes. In addition, the skin, heart, kidney, pancreas, liver and spleen also exhibited Plum expression. These observations demonstrated that transfer of the Plum gene did not interfere with the development of porcine SCNT embryos and resulted in the successful generation of transgenic cloned pigs that systemically expressed Plum. This is the first report of the generation and characterization of transgenic cloned pigs expressing the far-red fluorescent protein Plum.  相似文献   

Relationship between Clostridium septicum alpha-toxin activity and binding to erythrocyte membranes   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Hang'ombe MB  Kohda T  Mukamoto M  Kozaki S 《The Journal of veterinary medical science / the Japanese Society of Veterinary Science》2005,67(1):69-74

The activity of Clostridium septicum alpha-toxin was determined in erythrocytes of various animals, with sensitivities observed in the order of mouse, rat, canine, equine, rabbit, chicken, bovine, swine and ovine. Temperature and protease treatment affected the sensitivity of erythrocytes to alpha-toxin. Proteinase K treatment decreased the sensitivity of murine, canine, equine and bovine erythrocytes, but ovine erythrocytes did not change the sensitivity to alpha-toxin activity. On the other hand, the activity of alpha-toxin on swine erythrocytes increased after treatment with proteinase K, trypsin, chymotrypsin or lysyl endopeptidase. Toxin overlay assay showed that alpha-toxin bound to erythrocyte membrane proteins with a molecular mass of 30 to 45-kDa in mouse, equine, bovine, swine and chicken, whereas in rat erythrocyte membranes the toxin reacted with 100-kDa protein. The treatment of murine and swine erythrocyte membranes with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C resulted in liberation of the toxin-binding protein from the individual membranes in a native state. These results show that alpha-toxin associates with specific erythrocyte membrane proteins in any animal species, and are subsets of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins in various animal species. These results may reflect distinct characteristics of the hemolytic activity of alpha-toxin in response to various erythrocytes.  相似文献   

Relationship between ovarian weight and follicular population in heifers     

Murasawa M  Takahashi T  Nishimoto H  Yamamoto S  Hamano S  Tetsuka M 《The Journal of reproduction and development》2005,51(5):689-693

The size of the ovary varies substantially among cattle. This variation may influence the potential of the ovary to produce follicles. In the present study, we examined whether a relationship exists between the weight of the ovary and the number of antral follicles >or=1 mm. Paired ovaries were obtained from Holstein x Japanese Black F1 heifers. Follicles were classified into three size categories (small: 1.0-<5.0 mm, medium: 5.0-<8.5 mm and large: >or=8.5 mm), and the number of follicles in each category was recorded. Large variations in the weight of ovaries and the number of follicles were observed among animals. Significant positive correlations (r>or=0.4, P<0.001) were found between the weight of intact ovaries and the number of follicles in all three categories for the ovary contralateral to CL (OCC) and in the small follicles for the ovary ipsilateral to CL (OIC). Significant positive correlations (r>0.4, P<0.0001) were also observed between the weight of ovaries devoid of CL and follicles and the number of small and medium follicles in both OIC and OCC, indicating that the correlation is not due to the increase in ovarian weight associated with the increase in follicular number. Paired ovaries contained a similar number of small and medium follicles, and significant positive correlations were observed between them (r>0.6, P<0.0001). There were significant positive correlations between the weight of OCC and the number of small and medium follicles in paired ovaries (r>0.4, P<0.0001). These results suggest that 1) the weight of an ovary reflects the potential of the ovary to produce antral follicles, and 2) a rough estimation of follicular population might be possible by using the weight of the ovary contralateral to CL in heifers.  相似文献   

A promising strain of endophytic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces</Emphasis> sp. for biological control of cucumber anthracnose   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Masafumi Shimizu  Sachiko Yazawa  Yusuke Ushijima 《Journal of General Plant Pathology》2009,75(1):27-36

In a survey for effective biocontrol agents of Colletotrichum orbiculare, causal agent of cucumber anthracnose, 43 (MBCu series) and 135 (MBPu series) endophytic actinomycete strains were recovered from surface-sterilized organs of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) plants, respectively. The strains were cultured with C. orbiculare on IMA-2 agar medium to determine their in vitro antagonistic ability. Eleven strains that strongly inhibited hyphal growth of the pathogen were selected as potent antagonists. Detached cotyledons of cucumber were soaked in a spore suspension of an antagonistic strain 1 day before challenge-inoculation with the pathogen, and six of these antagonists (MBCu-32, 36, 42, 45, and 56, and MBPu-75) significantly reduced the number and size of the lesions on the cotyledons compared to the untreated control. In the same way, these six strains inhibited lesion development on attached leaves of 3-week-old cucumber seedlings. Strain MBCu-56, the most suppressive of the strains, was selected for further tests. Its suppressiveness increased as concentrations increased; pretreatment of leaves with the strain at 10⁷, 10⁸ and 10⁹ cfu/ml suppressed disease by 72, 79 and 93%, respectively. These results strongly indicated that MBCu-56 has strong potential for controlling cucumber anthracnose. Based on the taxonomic characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence, MBCu-56 was identified as Streptomyces sp. With scanning electron microscopy, the substrate mycelia of the strain were seen to colonize the surface of leaves above the cuticle. Some hyphae also penetrated and grew underneath the cuticle.  相似文献