24 results match your criteria: "Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Animal Industry[Affiliation]"

Management of storage period is essential for meat. The purpose of this study was to develop a technique for predicting storage period in pork loins using a compact impedance-measuring device. Eight measurement positions were placed on pork loin block meat from five fattening pigs, and impedance values at frequencies of 2 and 100 kHz, modified K values (mK values), which are derived from nucleotide-related substances were collected during storage ranging from 0 to 14 days.

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The influence of post-ovulatory corpus luteum (CL) and first-wave dominant follicle (1DF) location on pregnancy establishment in cattle remains controversial. This study aimed to reveal the relationship between CL and 1DF positioning, pregnancy outcomes, and blood steroid hormone levels following artificial insemination (AI) in Holstein cattle. Data from heifers (n = 163) and cows (n = 69) with optimally timed AI, defined as ovulation within 24 h post-AI, were analyzed to determine associations between CL (left/right ovary) and 1DF (ipsilateral/contralateral to CL) locations and conception rates.

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Article Synopsis
  • Pig skeletal muscle-derived stem cells (SK-MSCs) were tested for their effectiveness in repairing long gaps in nerves using a collagen tube in a preclinical study.
  • The study simulated different human compatibility levels (50% and 100%) to evaluate the therapeutic potential and analyzed immune responses.
  • Results showed significant improvement in functional recovery from nerve injuries with SK-MSC transplantation, suggesting it could be a viable treatment option for nerve regeneration in related individuals.
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Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an intractable X-linked muscular dystrophy caused by mutations in the DMD gene. While many animal models have been used to study the disease, translating findings to humans has been challenging. Microminipigs, with their pronounced physiological similarity to humans and notably compact size amongst pig models, could offer a more representative model for human diseases.

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Genetic parameters for carcass and meat quality traits in Jinhua, Duroc, and their crossbred pigs.

J Anim Breed Genet

January 2024

Laboratory of Animal Husbandry Resources, Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Jinhua pigs have excellent meat quality and intramuscular fat content (IMF). Crossbreeding of Jinhua with Duroc pigs with high productivity was conducted to develop a new composite breed that possesses the beneficial characteristics of both breeds. The objective of this study was to estimate the crossbreeding parameters (additive breed, dominance, and epistatic loss effects) using the Kinghorn model and genetic parameters (heritability and genetic correlation) for carcass and meat quality traits by analysing the phenotypic data of Jinhua, Duroc, and their crossbred pigs.

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Large animal experiments are important for preclinical studies of regenerative stem cell transplantation therapy. Therefore, we investigated the differentiation capacity of pig skeletal muscle-derived stem cells (Sk-MSCs) as an intermediate model between mice and humans for nerve muscle regenerative therapy. Enzymatically extracted cells were obtained from green-fluorescence transgenic micro-mini pigs (GFP-Tg MMP) and sorted as CD34+/45- (Sk-34) and CD34-/45-/29+ (Sk-DN) fractions.

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Sperm Characteristics in Microminipigs.

In Vivo

March 2022

Swine and Poultry Department, Swine and Poultry Research Center, Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Animal Industry, Shizuoka, Japan.

Background/aim: The microminipig is a relatively new type of mini pig; microminipigs weigh about 10 kg at 6 months of age and are expected to be of use in drug discovery research and safety tests. Herein, we analyzed the characteristics of ejaculated sperm from microminipigs.

Materials And Methods: Sperm parameters such as microstructure and sensitivity to cold shock were investigated using optical or scanning electron microscopy.

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Background/aim: The reproducibility of athero - sclerotic lesions was evaluated after the production of cloned-microminipigs and their offspring.

Materials And Methods: Cloned-microminipig-parents were produced by microminipigsomatic cell nuclei. These parents were crossbred and delivered males (F1-offspring) were divided into two groups: normal chow diet (NcD)-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet (HcD)-fed groups.

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In the anammox process, maintaining a high anammox activity at low water temperatures for stable nitrogen removal is a challenge. In this study, to verify the adaptability of anammox to low water temperatures, we investigated effects of annual temperature fluctuations on nitrogen removal in a full-scale swine wastewater treatment plant, where anammox bacteria accumulated. Annual quarters were defined as L-1 (November-January), L-2 (February-April), H-1 (April-July), and H-2 (July-October).

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A full-scale swine-wastewater activated sludge treatment plant that contains naturally enriched anammox biofilms was investigated for 2 years. Red biofilm in this system included Planctomycetes at a maximum of 62.5% of the total bacteria diversity, including Candidatus Jettenia and Candidatus Brocadia.

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Spontaneous Age-Related Histopathological Changes in Microminipigs.

Toxicol Pathol

October 2019

Swine and Poultry Department, Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Animal Industry, Swine and Poultry Research Center, Shizuoka, Japan.

Microminipigs have become an attractive animal model for toxicology and pharmacology studies and for human disease models, owing to their manageable size. Although there are numerous reports of spontaneous age-related lesions in mice, rats, dogs, and monkeys, those in minipigs are scarce. In the present study, spontaneous age-related histopathological changes were investigated using 37 microminipigs (20 males and 17 females) that were 6 months to 10 years of age.

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Microminipigs have become an attractive animal model for the toxicology- and pharmacology-related studies because of their manageable size. In this study, the development of the testicular interstitium and steroidogenesis in microminipigs, from 0 to 12 months of age, were investigated. Testicular interstitium was mostly composed of two types of Leydig cells (large and small Leydig cells) and a few macrophages and mast cells.

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Persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous in two piglets.

J Vet Med Sci

March 2019

Swine and Poultry Research Center, Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Animal Industry, 2780 Nishikata, Kikugawa-shi, Shizuoka 439-0037, Japan.

Two Large Yorkshire piglets were diagnosed as persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous (PHPV). In case 1, the white cord-like structure extending from optic disc to lens was observed in the normal-sized right eye. Case 2 showed buphthalmos of the right eye.

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[Current progress of research and use of microminipigs in drug development].

Nihon Yakurigaku Zasshi

June 2019

Swine and Poultry Department, Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Animal Industry, Swine and Poultry Research Center.

The use of minipigs has been increasing in the areas of pharmacology researches and drug development. The microminipig developed by Fuji Micra Inc. (Shizuoka, Japan) inherits characteristics of other pig strains showing several similarities to humans in anatomy, physiology, omnivorousness and diurnal, but at the same time has several advantages over other pig strains because of its small size which allows easy keeping, handling and dosing, and saving of test substances.

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The microminipig has become an increasingly attractive animal model for various experimental practices because of its manageable size; however, studies of the histological features of the female reproductive organs in microminipigs are limited. The present study investigates the sexual development of the reproductive organs and the cyclical changes during the estrous cycle in female microminipigs. The ovaries, oviducts, uteri, and vaginal tissues from 33 animals aged 0 to 26 months were utilized in this study.

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Reproductive performance and expression of imprinted genes in somatic cell cloned boars.

Anim Sci J

November 2017

Animal Genome Unit, Division of Animal Breeding and Reproduction, Institute of Livestock and Glassland Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

To assess the performance of boars derived by somatic cell cloning, we analyzed various aspects of their reproductive characteristics and the expression of two imprinted genes. Cloned boars (cloned Duroc × Jinhua) were analyzed for birth weight, growth rate, age at first ejaculation, semen characteristics and fertility, in comparison with naturally bred control boars of the same strain. The expression of imprinted genes was analyzed using the microsatellite marker SWC9 for the paternally expressed gene insulin-like growth factor -2 (IGF2) and with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the gene maternally expressed 3 (MEG3).

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The Microminipig as an Animal Model for Influenza A Virus Infection.

J Virol

January 2017

Division of Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Unlabelled: Pigs are considered a mixing vessel for the generation of novel pandemic influenza A viruses through reassortment because of their susceptibility to both avian and human influenza viruses. However, experiments to understand reassortment in pigs in detail have been limited because experiments with regular-sized pigs are difficult to perform. Miniature pigs have been used as an experimental animal model, but they are still large and require relatively large cages for housing.

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Histological Development of Male Reproductive Organs in Microminipigs.

Toxicol Pathol

December 2016

1 Swine and Poultry Department, Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Animal Industry, Swine and Poultry Research Center, Kikugawa, Shizuoka, Japan.

Microminipigs are becoming increasingly attractive alternatives for various experimental applications, such as general toxicology studies, owing to their manageable size. However, there are limited studies on the male reproductive organs of microminipigs, particularly on the histological aspects of sexual maturity. To clarify the development of male reproductive organs, 35 male microminipigs, aged 0 to 12 months, were used in this study.

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Anammox biofilm in activated sludge swine wastewater treatment plants.

Chemosphere

January 2017

National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, Animal Waste Management and Environment Research Division, 2 Ikenodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0901, Japan. Electronic address:

We investigated anammox with a focus on biofilm in 10 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that use activated sludge treatment of swine wastewater. In three plants, we found red biofilms in aeration tanks or final sedimentation tanks. The biofilm had higher anammox 16S rRNA gene copy numbers (up to 1.

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Preservation and Reproduction of Microminipigs by Cloning Technology.

In Vivo

March 2017

Swine and Poultry Department, Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Animal Industry, Swine and Poultry Research Center, Shizuoka, Japan.

Background/aim: Microminipigs have been maintained in small populations of closed colonies, involving risks of inbreeding depression and genetic drift. In order to avoid these risks, we assessed the applicability of cloning technology.

Materials And Methods: Male and female clones were produced from a stock of cryopreserved somatic cells, obtaining offspring by means of natural mating.

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Spermatogenesis in the Microminipig.

Toxicol Pathol

October 2016

Swine and Poultry Department, Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Animal Industry, Swine and Poultry Research Center, Kikugawa, Shizuoka, Japan.

The microminipig has considerable potential as an animal model to evaluate general toxicity; however, there are few studies on the male reproductive system, particularly regarding spermatogenesis. The objectives of the present study were to clarify the stages of the seminiferous epithelium cycle on the basis of spermiogenesis and to determine the duration of spermatogenesis in the microminipig. Eleven microminipigs from 6 to 9 months of age were used for histological analyses.

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To reduce labor for superovulation treatment by twice-daily intramuscular (im) administration of FSH for more than 3 to 4 days, we investigated the superovulatory responses of Japanese Black cows to porcine FSH (pFSH) used as a single subcutaneous (sc) administration at two different doses in two different volumes of saline. In experiment 1, 20 Armour units (AU) of pFSH dissolved in either 10 mL (treatment A; n = 14) or 50 mL (treatment B; n = 14) of saline was administered subcutaneously in the neck region. In experiment 2, 30 AU of pFSH dissolved in either 10 mL (treatment C; n = 15) or 50 mL (treatment D; n = 15) of saline was administered subcutaneously in the neck region.

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In the present study, we investigated the influence of exogenous estrogen on embryo survival after transfer into prepubertal gilts in which estrus had been induced. In the first experiment, estrus was induced in prepubertal gilts by the administration of 1,000 IU of eCG and 750 IU of hCG every 72 h. Several blastocysts were recovered on d 6 (d 0 is the day of hCG administration), and 1 embryo was transferred to the tip of 1 side of the uterine horn on d 6 (Control).

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It has long been known that several embryos are needed to establish and maintain pregnancy during early gestation in pigs. In this study, we assessed whether co-transfer of parthenogenotes with a single embryo was sufficient to maintain development of the embryo. Embryos were recovered at morula and early blastocyst stages from gilts that had been artificially inseminated.

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