北京地区春玉米螟害产量损失估计方法及防治指标的商榷

根据1962—1964年北京地区12块春播玉米地心叶期卵和卵虫(第一代)成活率資料,并参考国内对螟害与玉米产量損失关系的研究成果,提出了春玉米上因玉米螟为害而造成的产量損夫估計方法和药剂防治的参考指标。心叶期卵的平均成活率及其标准誤为57.4±2.9％,卵块的脫落是死亡的主要原因。幼虫期的平均成活率及其标准誤为5.64±0.89％。这两个平均成活率的变異系数都比较小,相关分析表明,百株着卵量与成长幼虫数是相关的。故可职利用卵和幼虫的平均成活率由着卵密度来估計成长幼虫密度。心叶期卵和幼虫的合計平均成活率及其标准誤为3.4±0.51％。在95％可靠性时的置信区間为3.4±1.173％,卵块的平均粒数为31.7粒。若职单株平均一虫所造成的产量損失率为5％計,可用丁式来估計产量損失: 产量損失％=[(心叶期百株累計卵块数×31.7)×(0.034±0.012)]×0.05 在經济核算士,作者初步認为职損失率1.5％作为防治标准比較合适。以此推算,欲达到这一損失率,心叶期百株累計卵块应为28块(用平均成活率計算)至21块(用成活率上界計算)。一般可定为24块。根据心叶期百株累計卵块数与累計着卵株百分率或百株高峯卵块数之間存在的相关,百株累計24块卵,相当于累計着卵株率28％,或百株高峯卵块6块。在实践上就可以用它們作为心叶期的防治指标。     

Peripartal Endocrinology in the Mare and Foetus

The endocrine profiles in the periparturient mares are dominated by increasing concentrations of progestagens and decreasing oestrogens. These hormones are produced by precursors from the foetus, metabolized by the placenta and act primarily on the maternal uterus. The circulating concentrations of hormones in maternal plasma, generally, represent a small proportion of those metabolized by the foetus and utero-placental tissues. There is clear evidence that the foetal hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis initiates the process of foetal maturation and the hormonal cascade which culminates in parturition at term. The endocrine changes associated with abnormal pregnancy and abortion in late pregnancy are less well understood, as are the hormonal treatments needed to avert these problems. Further work is needed to establish the biological role of the various hormones present in pregnant mares and, in particular, those hormones which control myometrial quiescence.     

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Barodon on Growth Performance,Innate Immunity and Disease Resistance of Juvenile Olive Flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus,Against Streptococcus iniae

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of Barodon, an anionic alkali mineral complex, on growth, feed utilization, humoral innate immunity and disease resistance of olive flounder. A basal experimental diet was used as a control and supplemented with 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, or 0.5% Barodon. Triplicate groups of fish (26.4 ± 0.2 g) were fed one of the diets to apparent satiation twice daily for 10 wk. The growth performance was enhanced (P < 0.05) linearly and quadratically in fish fed diets containing Barodon compared with that in fish fed the control. Feed utilization was significantly improved by Barodon supplementation. Serum lysozyme and antiprotease activities were increased quadratically in Barodon fed groups. Also, significantly higher superoxide dismutase activity was found in Barodon‐fed fish. Dietary supplementation of 0.1–0.3% Barodon resulted in significant enhancement of fish disease resistance against Streptococcus iniae. The findings in this study indicate that dietary supplementation of Barodon can enhance growth, feed utilization, innate immunity, and disease resistance of olive flounder and that the optimum level seems to be 0.1% in diets.     

Detection of Ureaplasma diversum in the upper airways of Australian feedlot cattle

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) exerts a major impact on the beef cattle industry nationally and worldwide, with a range of aetiological factors impacting its pathogenesis. Previous research has focussed on an increasing number of bacteria and viruses that have been shown to play a role in eliciting disease. Recently, additional agents have been emerging as potential contributors to BRD, including the opportunistic pathogen Ureaplasma diversum. To determine if U. diversum was present in Australian feedlot cattle and if that presence was linked to BRD, nasal swabs were collected from a cohort of 34 hospital pen animals and compared to 216 apparently healthy animals sampled contemporaneously at feedlot induction and again after 14 days on feed at an Australian feedlot. All samples were subjected to a de novo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting U. diversum in combination with other BRD agents. U. diversum was detected at a low prevalence in cattle at induction (Day 0: 6.9%, Day 14: 9.7%), but in a significantly greater proportion of cattle sampled from the hospital pen (58.8%). When considering the presence of other BRD-associated agents, co-detection of U. diversum and Mycoplasma bovis was most common in hospital pen animals receiving treatment for BRD. These findings suggest that U. diversum may be an opportunistic pathogen involved in the aetiology of BRD in Australian feedlot cattle, in combination with other agents, with further studies are warranted to identify if a causal relationship exists.     

Effects of dietary supplementation of nucleotides from late gestation to lactation on the performance and oxidative stress status of sows and their offspring

Increased metabolic burdens in breeding sows, which are induced by elevated systemic oxidative stress, could increase the need for nucleotides to repair lymphocyte DNA damage; however, de novo synthesis of nucleotides may be insufficient to cover this increased need. This study investigated the effects of dietary nucleotides on milk composition, oxidative stress status, and the reproductive and lactational performance of sows. Forty multiparous sows were assigned to 2 dietary treatments (Control group, and 1 g/kg Nucleotides group) based on a randomized complete block design using their BW at 85 d of gestation as a block. Sows from 2 groups were fed a restricted diet during gestation and ad libitum during lactation. The experiment lasted from 85 d of gestation to 21 d of lactation. The reproductive performance of sows and the growth performance of suckling piglets were measured. Oxidative stress parameters and milk components were also analysed. Data were analyzed using contrasts in the MIXED procedure of SAS. Sows in the Nucleotides group consumed more feed during the first week (P < 0.01) and from 1 to 21 d (P < 0.05) of lactation than those in Control group. Correspondingly, the litter weight gain of piglets showed a tendency to increase from cross-fostering to 9 d (P = 0.09) and from cross-fostering to 20 d (P = 0.10) in the Nucleotides group relative to the Control group. Additionally, the Nucleotides group was higher (P < 0.01) than the Control group in the concentrations of uridine 5''monophosphate, guanosine 5''monophosphate, inosine 5''monophosphate, adenosine 5''monophosphate and total nucleotides in milk. Furthermore, the Nucleotides group was higher (P < 0.01) than the Control group in the serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.01) for sows at 109 d of gestation and glutathione peroxidase for weaning piglets, but lower at the levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (P < 0.05) in serum of weaning piglets. This study indicated that maternal dietary nucleotides could promote piglet growth, probably due to the higher lactational feed intake and higher concentration of nucleotides in the milk of sows, and lower oxidative stress for both sows and piglets.     

Profile of Steroid Receptors and Increased Aromatase Immunoexpression in Canine Inflammatory Mammary Cancer as a Potential Therapeutic Target

Canine inflammatory mammary cancer (IMC) has been proposed as a model for the study of human inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). The aims of this study were to compare the immunohistochemical expression of aromatase (Arom) and several hormone receptors [estrogen receptor α (ERα), estrogen receptor β (ERβ), progesterone receptor (PR) and androgen receptor (AR)], in 21 IMC cases vs 19 non‐IMC; and to study the possible effect of letrozole on canine IMC and human inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) in vitro using IPC‐366 and SUM‐149 cell lines. Significant elevations of the means of Arom Total Score (TS), ERβ TS and PR TS were found in the IMC group (p = 0.025, p = 0.038 and p = 0.037, respectively). Secondary IMC tumours expressed higher levels of Arom than primary IMC (p = 0.029). Non‐IMC PR‐ tumours contained higher levels of Arom than non‐IMC PR+ tumours (p = 0.007). After the addition of letrozole, the number of IMC and IBC cells dropped drastically. The overexpression of Arom found and the results obtained in vitro further support canine IMC as a model for the study of IBC and future approaches to the treatment of dogs with mammary cancer, and especially IMC, using Arom inhibitors.     

Therapeutic trial of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor for dilated cardiomyopathy in three dogs

Three dogs were presented to us for evaluation of cardiac problems. Electrocardiographic recordings revealed severe tachyarrhythmia and atrial fibrillation with ventricular tachycardia in 2 of the 3 dogs. The echocardiographic findings of the 3 dogs revealed markedly decreased fractional shortening and a marked increase in E-point septal separation. Based on the results of electrocardiographic and echocardiographic evaluation, the 3 dogs were diagnosed as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The dogs were treated with conventional cardiac medication, but cardiac function did not improve and the clinical signs remained. We subsequently attempted treatment with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF; 10 microg/kg, subcutaneously). The specific purpose of G-CSF therapy for DCM was to improve cardiac function and a significant improvement in cardiac function was confirmed. The three dogs had no treatment side effects. This case report suggests that G-CSF might have therapeutic effects for medically refractory DCM in dogs.