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Sepsis-induced endothelial acute respiratory distress syndrome is related to microvascular endothelial dysfunction caused by endothelial glycocalyx disruption. Recently, recombinant antithrombin (rAT) was reported to protect the endothelial glycocalyx from septic vasculitis; however, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of rAT administration on vascular endothelial injury under endotoxemia. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 20 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally into 10-week-old male C57BL/6 mice, and saline or rAT was administered intraperitoneally at 3 and 24 hours after LPS administration. Subsequently, serum and/or pulmonary tissues were examined for inflammation and cell proliferation and differentiation by histologic, ultrastructural, and microarray analyses. The survival rate was significantly higher in rAT-treated mice than in control mice 48 hours after LPS injection (75% versus 20%; P

Mesothelial cells (MCs) play a classic role in maintaining homeostasis in pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial cavities. MCs work as lubricants to reduce friction between organs, as regulators of fluid transport, and as regulators of defense mechanisms in inflammation. MCs can differentiate into various cells, exhibiting epithelial and mesenchymal characteristics. MCs have a high potential for differentiation during the embryonic period when tissue development is active, and this potential decreases through adulthood. The expression of the Wilms’ tumor suppressor gene (Wt1), one of the MC markers, decreased uniformly and significantly from the embryonic period to adulthood, suggesting that it plays a major role in the differentiation potential of MCs. Wt1 deletion from the embryonic period results in embryonic lethality in mice, and even Wt1 knockout in adulthood leads to death with rapid organ atrophy. These findings suggest that MCs expressing Wt1 have high differentiation potential and contribute to the formation and maintenance of various tissues from the embryonic period to adulthood. Because of these properties, MCs dynamically transform their characteristics in the tumor microenvironment as cancer-associated MCs. This review focuses on the relationship between the differentiation potential of MCs and Wt1, including recent reports using lineage tracing using the Cre-loxP system.

Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) can accompany advanced lung adenocarcinoma. Recent studies suggest that MPE could contain a heterogeneous subpopulation of cells with stem-like properties, such as tumorigenicity and self-renewal, indicating that they could be the source of metastasis. Although previous studies analyzed the correlation between cancer stem cell (CSC) marker expression and clinical outcomes using lung cancer tissues, investigations regarding the association of MPE with CSC marker expression are limited. We performed immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) and Sal-like 4 (SALL4) in 46 cell block samples of MPE from patients with lung adenocarcinoma. ALDH1-positive and SALL4-positive cancer cells in MPE were detected in 30 (65.2%) and 21 samples (45.7%), respectively. Cluster formation was detected in 26 samples (56.5%). The number of clusters was significantly higher in ALDH1-positive/SALL4-negative samples. SALL4 expression was inversely correlated with the cluster ratio (r = −0.356) and positively associated with the Ki-67 index (r = 0.326), suggesting that MPE cells with high SALL4 expression comprised the proliferative subpopulation. In conclusion, we demonstrated that MPE contains an ALDH1-positive/SALL4-negative subpopulation exhibiting cluster formation and a SALL4-positive proliferative subpopulation.

An on-farm trial was carried out to improve the current low-income farmers’ diet and to assess farm conditions that could accept the new ingredients using locally available feed resources in the Mekong Delta region. A total of 42 local Large White-type pigs, comprising 20 barrows and 22 gilts with initial-to-final mean live weight of 34.2–93.0 kg, were used. The trial was designed as a 3 × 3 factorial with three agricultural gross income levels of seven farm households and three dietary treatments. The annual income levels were high income (HI; $US2355 on average), medium income (MI; $US1439) and low income (LI; $US1116). The three types of diets were farmers’ common diet (FCD), rice-based diet (RBD) and water-hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)-supplemented diet (WHD). A total of 12 pigs, consisting of two barrow–gilt couples in each diet treatment, were slaughtered at the end of the trial. The daily weight gain (DG) was higher and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was lower in the MI and LI pigs than in the HI pigs over the entire fattening period (P

This study was conducted in Tan Phu Thanh Village in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam in order to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in the water system, and to reveal the exchange of Salmonella spp. occurring between the water system and livestock in this village. A total of 142 water samples were collected from 40 farms in this village from February to March, 2001. Thirty (21.1%) samples out of the 142 water samples analyzed were positive for Salmonella spp. in culture, based on biochemical tests. A total of 19 different serovars were observed among the 36 isolates from the positive water samples. Serovars Derby (n = 6), 03,10: r :-- (n = 4), Anatum (n = 3), Bardo (n = 3), Javiana (n = 3), London (n = 2), Bovismorbificans (n = 2), and Dessau (n = 2) were isolated from more than one water sample. Serovars Derby and Javiana had been observed among the strains isolated from swine in Tan Phu Thanh Village in 2000 (Phan et al., in preparation). Consequently, we attempted to compare these strains of water and animal origins by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The difference in the number of bands between the isolates from water and swine was less than 4 in part of the S. Derby and Javiana isolates. These data provide indirect evidence for an exchange of Salmonella between the water system and swine population in this area. Moreover, 3 (6.1%) out of the 49 samples of stored water used for animal watering were positive for Salmonella spp. including the serovar Javiana. Sterilization of stored water is essential to prevent the spread of infection in this area.

ベトナム・メコンデルタではVACシステム (農畜水複合経営) が広く展開し, 各経営部門結合の高度化に関心が寄せられている。なかでも養豚は (1) 米の副産物, 遊休労働力ならびに庭先を利用した現金収入源, (2) 糞尿等副産物の再利用による物質循環の観点から農家経営の安定化に重要な役割を果たしている。一方, 経営的損失が高い伝染病の存在は知られているが, 農家にとっての損耗要因とその軽重を判断できる発生情報は殆ど得られていない。このため, VACシステムの代表村, タンフータン村4集落において, 飼養管理, 生産指標, 損耗の発生状況等について39戸の農家調査を2001年9月に行った。その結果, 哺乳豚から生後60日令までの子豚の事故率は約5%, その後肉用豚として出荷するまで1%であった。病徴としては浮腫病等敗血症死が疑われる急性死亡, 抗生剤に反応せず種々の症状を呈して致死する熱性疾患による重症例が認められた。母豚は栄養性, 感染病等による繁殖障害で若くして淘汰されていた。農家間を行き来する技術関係者, 人や車の往来が多い幹線沿いの農家に致死的な疾病の発生例が認められた。今後, 実験室診断による原因究明と, 損耗に関する年次的な変化を継続調査することが必要である。

To determine the presence of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) (ETEC), Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and attaching and effacing E. coli (AEEC) were collected in swine and in a water system in 17 swine farms in the Can Tho province of the Mekong delta. A total of 258 samples which were collected from swine feces (n=169), from feed (n=39) and from water (n=50) in the irrigation system were examined by PCR to determine whether they harbored the stx, eae, and enterotoxin genes. STEC was detected in 10 of 169 (6%) fecal samples, and AEEC in 5 fecal samples (3%). Both STEC and AEEC were detected in one fecal sample. AEEC was mainly detected in fecal samples from pigs that were less than 4 months old. STEC or AEEC was detected in 18 samples from 5 out of 17 (29%) farms. On the other hand, STEC and AEEC were also detected in the water and feed samples. ETEC was not detected in diarrhea samples.

A crane herpesvirus (CrHV) grown in chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells was tested for hemagglutination (HA) with erythrocytes from a variety of species at 4 degrees C, room temperature and 37 degrees C. HA was observed at all temperatures with erythrocytes from mouse, ddY and BALB/c strains, but not with those from cattle, sheep and chicken. Mice, ddY strain, showed an individual variation in agglutinability of their erythrocytes and erythrocytes from BALB/c gave a higher HA titer. The HA activity was inhibited by the sera obtained from naturally infected cranes, experimentally infected duck and immunized rabbit with CrHV. HI antibody titers of these sera showed a closely positive correlation with their neutralizing antibody titers.

The effects of protein kinase C (PKC) activation on meiotic resumption and cortical granule (CG) exocytosis as well as its dependence on Ca2+ in porcine eggs matured in vitro were studied. Cortical granule release was judged by both confocal laser microscopy after the eggs were labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate-peanut agglutinin (FITC-PNA) and electron microscopy. Meiotic resumption and pronuclear formation were observed after eggs were stained with acetic orcein. When eggs were treated with PKC activators, 1-oleyl-2-acetyl-glycerol (OAG) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), the pronuclear formation percentage was significantly lower than that of Ca2+ ionophore A23187-treated group, but not statistically different from that in negative control group (P > 0.05), and most of the eggs were still arrested at metaphase II stage, suggesting that PKC activation does not induce the resumption of meiosis and pronuclear formation. In contrast, PKC activation induced 89.1% to 100% of the eggs completely or partially released their CG in different groups, not statistically different from A23187-treated group, and this effect could be overcome by PKC inhibition. When the intracellular free Ca2+ was chelated with acetoxymethal ester form of 1,2-bis(O-aminophenoxy)-ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA-AM), and then treated with PMA or OAG in Ca(2+)-free medium, the proportions of eggs with CG release were 90.9% and 78.1%, respectively, not statistically different from the above-treated groups, suggesting that CG exocytosis induced by PKC activation is independent of Ca2+ rise. The results indicate that different events of porcine egg activation may be uncoupled from one another.

Schizogony of Japanese Theileria sergenti of cattle was studied by light and electron microscopy. Schizonts were detected in the draining lymph node between 4 and 8 days after sporozoite inoculation. Macroschizonts (the phase of nuclear division having invaginations) were formed 6 days after inoculation. Subsequently, microschizonts (the phase of merozoite formation displaying rosette-like appearance) were observed 8 days after inoculation. Multiple infections of a host cell with sporozoites were suggested to occur since different stages of schizonts were simultaneously detected in the same cell. Host cells of schizonts were considerably enlarged by parasitism. However, morphological characteristics of the developmental stages of T. sergenti schizonts resembled those of malignant Theileria species (e.g. T. parva). Schizogony of T. sergenti observed in this study seems to be the primary generation.

Histological observations were performed on the schizonts of Japanese Theileria sergenti in three calves necropsied 8 and 10 days after application of nymphal Haemaphysalis longicornis infected with T. sergenti. In all the three calves, schizonts were observed in the cytoplasm of huge cells formed in the drainage lymph nodes, liver and spleen. The huge cells were 50 to 200 microns in diameter. Schizonts had granular appearance and an irregular shape and were 1 to 7 microns in diameter. Ultrastructurally, schizonts had more than one nuclei and were formed in the unit enlarged cell. Schizonts showed a specific reaction against anti-T. sergenti anti serum, therefore, it was concluded that the schizonts were those of T. sergenti histologically.

ハッチャーにある種卵の20～30%が孵化した時,ホルムアルデヒドで燻蒸し,雛の呼吸器に及ぼす影響について検討した。1) 40ml/m3のホルマリンを使用し,換気口を全閉して20分間燻蒸しても孵化成績に影響は認められなかった。しかし,燻蒸時に孵化が終了し雛となっていた個体の呼吸器には顕著な組織学的病変が観察された。換気口を閉めず正常運転状態に保ってガスを発生させた場合も同様な病変が認められた。燻蒸された雛の気管上皮細胞は変性,剥離し,病変は日時の経過に伴って重度となった。気管上皮細胞の扁平化,線毛消失,嚢胞形成等の病変が観察された個体もあった。肺にも病変が認められる雛があり,気管支上皮細胞が変性,剥離していた。一方,端打卵及び端打ちに至らない状態で燻蒸された種卵から孵化した雛には病変が認められなかった。2) 換気口を正常運転状態に保ち20ml/m3のホルマリンからガスを発生した場合には病変が認められなかった。走査型電子顕微鏡による気管線毛の観察でも異常は明瞭でなかった。3) ハッチャー内で雛が孵化する時にホルムアルデヒド燻蒸を実施することは,健康な雛を生産する目的と一致しないことが示唆された。