A novel cyclic peptide (Naturido) modulates glia-neuron interactions in vitro and reverses ageing-related deficits in senescence-accelerated mice.

The use of agents that target both glia and neurons may represent a new strategy for the treatment of ageing disorders. Here, we confirmed the presence of the novel cyclic peptide Naturido that originates from a medicinal fungus (Isaria japonica) grown on domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori). We found that Naturido significantly enhanced astrocyte proliferation and activated the single copy gene encoding the neuropeptide VGF and the neuron-derived NGF gene.

Neuropathogenicity of newly isolated avian leukosis viruses from chickens with osteopetrosis and mesenchymal neoplasms.

The prototype fowl glioma-inducing virus (FGVp) causes fowl glioma and cerebellar hypoplasia in chickens. In this study, we investigated whether a strain of avian leukosis virus (ALV), associated with avian osteopetrosis and mesenchymal neoplasms, is able to induce fowl glioma. We encountered avian osteopetrosis and mesenchymal neoplasms, including myxosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma, in Japanese native chickens used for both egg-laying and meat production.

Extralobar pulmonary sequestration in two pinniped species.

Two cases of extralobar pulmonary sequestrations from a walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) and a Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) are described in the present study. Grossly, an independent, soft unilocular cystic mass was found within the abdominal cavities of both animals, adherent to the diaphragm in O. rosmarus and attached to the cardia of the stomach in E.

Mandibular Reconstruction by Using a Liquid Nitrogen-Treated Autograft in a Dog with an Oral Tumor.

A 10 yr old intact female German shepherd dog presented with a large peripheral odontogenic fibroma and malignant melanoma on her lower jaw. The tumor was resected with a unilateral subtotal rostral hemimandibulectomy. After the mandible was removed, it was devitalized intraoperatively by freezing it in liquid nitrogen.

Outbreak of pasteurellosis in captive Bolivian squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis).

In September 2012, five Bolivian squirrel monkeys housed in a zoological park died within sequential several days without obvious clinical signs. In a necrospy, one monkey presented swelling of the kidney with multifocal white nodules in the parenchyma, and other two had pulmonary congestion. Histopathologically, multifocal bacterial colonies of gram-negative coccobacillus were found in the sinusoid of the liver in all monkeys examined (Nos.

Omental leiomyosarcoma with unusual giant cells in a Beagle dog - Short communication.

A 10-year-old castrated male Beagle dog was presented with a 2-month history of intermittent vomiting and abdominal pain. The dog was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Iwate University for further evaluation, and a splenic tumour was suspected on the basis of ultrasonography and computed tomography. Surgery identified a large, solid, light-pink mass on the greater omentum with blood-coloured ascites in the abdominal cavity, and resection was performed.

Persistence of chicken anemia virus antigen and inclusions in spontaneous cases of Marek's disease visceral lymphomas in broiler chickens at slaughterhouses.

The chicken anemia virus (CAV) and Marek's disease virus (MDV) infect chickens worldwide; a single or dual infection by these viruses has a great impact on poultry production. In the present study, we examined the existence of CAV antigen and its inclusions in Marek's disease (MD) lymphomas in chickens in the slaughterhouses of Iwate prefecture, Japan. Forty-nine spleens and 13 livers with different degrees of nodular lesions were histopathologically examined at our laboratory.

Gastric duplication: proventricular cystic choristoma on the spleen of a broiler chicken.

Gastric duplication (choristoma) is a very rare anomaly in both humans and other animal species. We report herein a case of proventricular cystic choristoma in a 62-day-old broiler chicken. The broiler chicken was brought from the slaughterhouse to our laboratory after a pale-brown cystic structure closely attached to a thin, compressed spleen was identified.

Isolation of maedi/visna virus from a sheep in Japan.

Maedi/visna (MV) is a lentiviral disease of sheep caused by the maedi/visna virus (MVV). Although MV is prevalent in many countries, it had not been reported in Japan. In 2011, however, three sheep in northern Japan were reported to be seropositive against the MVV antigen, indicating a persistent MVV infection.

Herniation of duodenum into the right ventral hepatic peritoneal cavity with groove formation at the ventral hepatic surface in a 2-week-old chicken.

Internal hernia in avian species is very rare. A necropsy of a 2-week-old SPF White Leghorn chicken revealed that a loop of the duodenum and part of the pancreas (4 × 2 × 1 cm) was protruding through the abnormal foramen (2.5 cm in diameter) in the right posthepatic septum into the right ventral hepatic peritoneal cavity.

Experimental induction and oral transmission of avian AA amyloidosis in vaccinated white hens.

Avian AA amyloidosis is commonly observed in adult birds afflicted with bacterial infections or chronic inflammatory disorders. Experimental AA amyloidosis in birds can be induced by repeated inflammatory stimulation, such as injection with casein or vaccination with oil-emulsified bacterins. However, the transmission of amyloidosis among avian species has not been studied well to date.

Relationship between tumour development and detection of Marek's disease virus in the feather follicular epithelium of older chickens.

To demonstrate the relationship between tumour development and virus replication, eight specific-pathogen-free pullets of line P2 (Group P; 14 weeks old) and five adult chickens (Group A; 96 weeks old) were inoculated with virulent Marek's disease virus (vMDV). Five chickens of Group P died or were euthanised due to moribund condition following the development of neoplastic lesions between days 53 and 91. On histopathological examination, these lesions were characterised by the proliferation of lymphoid cells of variable size.

Pathology of spontaneous tumour lesions in pullets and adult chickens in commercial farms - Short communication.

Twenty pullets and adult chickens, aged 100 to 403 days, from several commercial chicken farms were examined by gross and histopathology. Grossly, all chickens had white-greyish masses in the visceral organs with or without enlargement of the peripheral nerves. Histopathological examination revealed Marek's disease (MD) lymphoma, lymphoid leukosis (LL) and myeloid leukosis (ML) in 14/20, 5/20 and 1/20 of the chickens, respectively.

Pathological and immunohistochemical studies of subclinical infection of chicken anemia virus in 4-week-old chickens.

Subclinical infection of chicken anemia virus (CAV) at 4 to 6 weeks of age, after maternal antibodies have waned, is implicated in several field problems in broiler flocks. In order to understand the pathogenesis of subclinical infection with CAV, an immunopathological study of CAV-inoculated 4-week-old SPF chickens was performed. Sixty 4-week-old SPF chickens were equally divided into CAV and control groups.

Acidic environments induce differentiation of Proteus mirabilis into swarmer morphotypes.

Although swarmer morphotypes of Proteus mirabilis have long been considered to result from surfaced-induced differentiation, the present findings show that, in broth medium containing urea, acidic conditions transform some swimmer cells into elongated swarmer cells. This study has also demonstrates that P. mirabilis cells grown in acidic broth medium containing urea enhance virulence factors such as flagella production and cytotoxicity to human bladder carcinoma cell line T24, though no significant difference in urease activity under different pH conditions was found.

Fibrolipoma of a cryptorchid testis in a young bull.

A six-month-old Japanese Black bull was found to have no left testis in the scrotum. A fist-sized mass was palpated per rectum. Two months later, hCG was injected and blood samples were collected before and after injection.

Aloe vera oral administration accelerates acute radiation-delayed wound healing by stimulating transforming growth factor-β and fibroblast growth factor production.

Background: Delayed wound healing is a significant clinical problem in patients who have had previous irradiation. This study investigated the effectiveness of Aloe vera (Av) on acute radiation-delayed wound healing.

Methods: The effect of Av was studied in radiation-exposed rats compared with radiation-only and control rats.

Comparative susceptibility of some avian and mammalian lymphoblastoid cell lines to chicken anemia virus.

Although MSB1 is the most-commonly used lymphoblastoid cell line for isolation of chicken anemia virus (CAV), some researchers have reported a few biological drawbacks. None of them were supported by the results of the present study. Another four avian (HP1, HP2, BK3 and CU10) and two mammalian (BTL-26 and KO-1) cell lines were investigated for susceptibility to the TK-5803 and AH-9409 strains.

Late Marek's disease in adult chickens inoculated with virulent Marek's disease virus.

Recently, excessive losses from Marek's disease (MD) have been noted in adult laying flocks over the age of 40 weeks. We defined these late outbreaks in adult chickens as "late MD", and experimentally reproduced the disease in adult SPF P2 line (50-week-old) or commercial line (74-week-old) chickens inoculated with a virulent strain of Marek's disease virus (MDV). Commercial line chickens were given MDV vaccines (HVT and CVI 988) at hatch.

Effect of a Large Dose of Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on Hepatic Peroxisome in Cynomolgus Monkeys (Macaca Fascicularis).

To elucidate the effect of a large dose of di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a plasticizer and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) agonist, on hepatic peroxisomes, we orally administered 1,000 mg/kg/day, once daily, to 3 male and 4 female cynomolgus monkeys for 28 days consecutively. Light-microscopic and electron microscopic examinations of the liver were carried out in conjunction with measurement of the hepatic fatty acid β-oxidation system (FAOS), carnitine acetyltransferase (CAT) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) activities, which are peroxisomal and/or mitochondrial enzyme activities. Electron microscopically, enlargement of the mitochondria was observed with lamellar orientation of the cristae along the major axis.

Gallbladder agenesis in a Chihuahua.

A 4-year-old neutered male Chihuahua was presented with a history of anorexia and vomiting. Continuous elevation of liver enzymes was found on repeated blood examinations and the dog was referred to us for further evaluation. The absence of gallbladder was suspected on ultrasonography.

Changes in the gene expression and enzyme activity of hepatic cytochrome P450 in juvenile Sprague-Dawley rats.

The developmental changes in the hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) content, mRNA expression of 12 hepatic CYP subtypes, and the enzyme activities of 5 hepatic CYP subfamilies in rats were investigated using non-treated male and female Sprague-Dawley rats of ages postnatal day (PD) 4, 16, 30 and 8 and 12 weeks. The hepatic proliferation kinetics was also determined by using the phospho-histone H3 (p-histon)-labeled hepatocyte index. The developmental changes in the enzyme activities of hepatic expression of CYP1A and CYP3A in rats were similar to those in humans, although there is no fetal-neonatal dominant CYP3A subtype in rat livers unlike human CYP3A7.

Intestinal volvulus with coagulative hepatic necrosis in a chicken.

A 7-week-old SPF chicken inoculated at 4 weeks of age with chicken anemia virus was puffed up depressed and had ruffled feathers and a good body condition. Intestinal volvulus involving the jejunum and part of the duodenum forming two loops with one knob was observed. Microscopically, venous infarction of the obstructed loops, periportal and sublobular multifocal coagulative hepatic necrosis and granulomatous inflammation of the cecal tonsils were observed.

Pathological and immunohistochemical study of chickens with co-infection of Marek's disease virus and chicken anaemia virus.

Chicken anaemia virus (CAV) is the most important confounding pathogen in Marek's disease virus (MDV) infection. The effect of CAV co-infection at 4 weeks of age after inoculation of virulent MDV (vMDV, KS strain) or very virulent MDV (vvMDV, Md/5 strain) in 1-day-old chicks was investigated by pathological and immunohistochemical studies. CAV increased the mortality rates induced by vMDV or vvMDV.

Detection of initiation activity of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in in vivo medium-term liver initiation assay system using 4-week-old rats without hepatocellular proliferative stimuli during the test chemical treatment period.

We have developed an in vivo medium-term liver initiation assay system to detect initiation activities of chemicals on multi-organ carcinogenesis. However, cell proliferation stimuli during the test chemical treatment period, required in the previously used assay models using adult rats, are laborious; moreover, those cause decrease of hepatic metabolic enzymes and psychological and physical discomfort to animals resulting in inaccurate interpretation. Therefore, we investigated the utility of another in vivo medium-term liver initiation assay model using 4-week-old rats without the cell proliferation stimuli.