A Study on Growth Performance of Ducks Fed Diets with Different Types of Sipjeondaebo-Tang Byproduct Meal and Red Ginseng Marc with Fermented Red Koji and Ammonia Fluxes in Duck Litter using Alum or Aluminum Chloride.

The aims of the present study were to investigate the growth performance of ducks fed diets with different types of Sipjeondaebo-tang (ST) byproduct meal and red ginseng marc with fermented red koji (RGMK), and to investigate ammonia (NH3) fluxes from duck litter treated with alum or aluminum chloride (AlCl3). A total of 270 1-d-old ducks (180 males and 90 females) were allotted in a completely randomized design with 6 treatments and 3 replicates of 15 birds per pen. The six diet treatments were: basal diet, pelleted 1% ST byproduct powder, pelleted 1% RGMK, 1% blends (a mixture of ST byproduct and RGMK) powder, 1% pelleted blends, and coated pellets of 1% blends. The six litter treatments with 6 diet treatments were: no treatment, 50, 100, or 200 g alum/kg duck litter, and 100 g or 200 g AlCl3/kg duck litter (treatments T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5, respectively). During days 10 to 40, ducks fed the 5 experimental diets had significantly different (p<0.05) weight gains and feed conversion ratios compared with those fed the control diet, but initial body weight, final body weight, feed intake, and mortality were not affected. There were significant differences (p<0.05) in NH3 fluxes among treatments over the 6 weeks of the study, except for week 0. The relative NH3 losses at week 6 were lower by 25.6, 45.3, 45.6, 46.7, and 48.6% than those in the controls in T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 respectively. In conclusion, feeding pellets or coated pellets of ST and RGMK and using alum or AlCl3 in the litter at the same time improves weight gain and feed conversion ratio performance and reduces mortality and NH3 losses in ducks.

Sorafenib potentiates ABT-737-induced apoptosis in human oral cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE: The mimetic BH3 ABT-737, a potent inhibitor of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, has potential as anti-cancer drug in many cancers. Recently, patients treated with ABT-737 have developed drug tolerance during cancer therapy. Therefore, we examined whether ABT-737 is effective in killing MC-3 and HSC-3 human oral cancer cells either alone or in combination with the oncogenic kinase inhibitor, sorafenib. DESIGN: The potentiating activities of sorafenib in ABT-737-induced apoptosis were determined using trypan blue exclusion assay, DAPI staining, cell viability assay and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Combined use of ABT-737 and sorafenib synergistically suppressed cell viability and induced apoptosis compared with either compound individually. The combination of ABT-737 and sorafenib altered only Bax and Bak proteins and their activations, resulting in mitochondrial translocation of Bax from the cytosol. Additionally, combination treatment-mediated apoptosis may be correlated with ERK and STAT3 pathways. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that sorafenib may effectively overcome ABT-737 resistance to apoptotic cell death, which can be a new potential chemotherapeutic strategy against human oral cancer.

A rare case of hepatic T-cell rich B-cell lymphoma (TCRBCL) in a juvenile dog.

A 7-month-old castrated male French Bull dog was presented with vomiting, lethargy, anorexia and weight loss of 2 weeks duration. The patient's history and clinical manifestations of suspected hepatopathy were subjected to ultrasonography, radiography, biochemical investigations and cytology of hepatic lesion. The cytologic impression was hepatic lymphoma, which was later confirmed by histopathology. The neoplastic cells were strongly diffusely immunoreactive for PAX5, but not immunoreactive for CD3, and B lymphocyte specific clonal proliferation was detected using by assay of antigen receptor rearrangement. Large numbers of immunoreactive mature non-neoplastic lymphocytes were admixed with the neoplastic cell population. Therefore, the immunohistochemical results were definitively consistent with a T-cell rich B-cell lymphoma (TCRBCL). This is the first description of a hepatic TCRBCL in a juvenile dog showing a poor response to aggressive chemotherapy.

Multicentric epitheliotropic T-cell lymphoma in an African hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris).

A 2-year-old female African hedgehog was presented with a 5-month history of pruritus, and diffuse spine and hair loss. A dermatologic examination revealed erythema, excoriation, scales, and crusting affecting the face, flanks, forelimbs, hindlimbs, and dorsal and ventral abdomen. Fine-needle aspiration was performed and skin biopsies were taken from several lesions for cytologic and histologic evaluation. The aspirates yielded smears characterized by a monomorphic population of medium-sized to large lymphocytes with scant to moderate amounts of clear to moderately basophilic cytoplasm and distinct nucleoli along with a low number of cytoplasmic fragments. On histopathologic examination, there were dense dermal lymphoid infiltrates invading the dermis and a monomorphic population of round cells that had infiltrated the overlying epidermis. Epitheliotropic cutaneous lymphoma was diagnosed based on morphologic features. Additional immunochemical analysis using anti-CD3 and anti-CD79a antibodies revealed strong CD3 expression by the tumor cells, which confirmed epitheliotropic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. This is the first description of a multicentric pattern of epitheliotropic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in an African hedgehog.

Multiorgan fungal infection caused by Microsporum canis in a green iguana (Iguana iguana).

Multiple organ invasion by keratinophilic fungi in the green iguana (Iguana iguana) has not been previously reported. In this case, a 1-yr-old female green iguana presented with a nodular, darkly discolored skin lesion surrounded by necrosis in the right ventral abdominal region. A cytologic examination of the fine needle aspiration of the lesion revealed an exuberant proliferation of fibroblasts, macrophages, and multinucleated cells along with frequent filamentous structures consistent with hyphal elements. The necropsy revealed diffuse infiltration of the liver, lung, and cardiac apex with white nodules. A histopathologic examination of the lesions also confirmed a fungal infection associated with granulomatous inflammation. Rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the chitin synthase 1 gene was conducted for rapid direct detection, and inter-simple sequence repeat fingerprinting was conducted to classify the infectious origin. The PCR analysis definitively demonstrated representative Microsporum canis fungus. The present report is the first case of disseminated M. canis infection with multiorgan involvement in a green iguana.

Mithramycin A induces apoptosis by regulating the mTOR/Mcl-1/tBid pathway in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells.

Mithramycin A (Mith) is an aureolic acid-type polyketide produced by various soil bacteria of the genus Streptomyces. Mith inhibits myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) to induce apoptosis in prostate cancer, but the molecular mechanism underlying this process has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the detailed molecular mechanism related to Mith-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. Mith decreased the phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in both cell lines overexpressing phospho-mTOR compared to RWPE-1 human normal prostate epithelial cells. Mith significantly induced truncated Bid (tBid) and siRNA-mediated knock-down of Mcl-1 increased tBid protein levels. Moreover, Mith also inhibited the phosphorylation of mTOR on serine 2448 and Mcl-1, and increased tBid protein in prostate tumors in athymic nude mice bearing DU145 cells as xenografts. Thus, Mith acts as an effective tumor growth inhibitor in prostate cancer cells through the mTOR/Mcl-1/tBid signaling pathway.

Elevated serum levels of S100 calcium binding protein A8 (S100A8) reflect disease severity in canine atopic dermatitis.

A monoclonal antibody to canine S100 calcium binding protein A8 (S100A8) was developed to determine the association between S100A8 and the disease severity of canine atopic dermatitis. Serum S100A8 concentrations were studied in dogs with canine atopic dermatitis (n=213) and healthy dogs (n=213). Statistical correlations between these indices and atopic dermatitis activity were established, and dermatitis severity was assessed according to the CADESI score. Serum S100A8 concentrations were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). S100A8 serum levels were significantly higher in canine atopic dermatitis patients than in healthy dogs. A strong positive correlation was identified between S100A8 levels and canine atopic dermatitis patients. Our findings suggested that S100A8 is actively involved in the pathogenesis and clinical picture of canine atopic dermatitis.

Elevated expression of bisecting N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-III gene in a human fetal hepatocyte cell line by hepatitis B virus.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: UDP-N-acetylglucosamine: alpha-D-mannoside beta-1,4 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III (GnT-III) is a key enzyme in N-glycan biosynthesis. Human GnT-III enzyme activity was found to be elevated in the serum of patients with hepatomas and liver cirrhosis and in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues. Therefore, to understand the relationship between the elevation in GnT-III activity and hepatitis B viral (HBV) hepartocarcinogenesis, we investigated GnT-III gene expression in the HBV-infected cells. METHODS: A cell line, HFH-T1, producing HBV was produced by natural infection of human fetal hepatocytes. A 170-bp band corresponding to the pre-S1 region of HBV was detected in the culture medium by polymerase chain reaction. Virions were also isolated from the culture medium by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The synthesis of both alpha-fetoprotein and albumin as an indicator that these cells were functional hepatocytes and the extent of differentiation was examined. Polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis using a monoclonal antibody, GT273, which was prepared using human aglycosyl recombinant GnT-III were used for HBV DNA and GnT-III detection. RESULTS: Two types of HBV-related particles were secreted into the culture medium; one was a Dane particle (40 nm in size) containing HBV DNA and the other was a subviral hepatitis B surface antigen particle (20 nm in size) that did not contain the viral genome. The secretion from the cell line was diminished by the number of passages and, thus, this cell was renamed as HFH-T2. A decreased level of the HBV was secreted from the cells after a rest period. HFH-T2 cells showed a weak staining for alpha-fetoprotein and a moderate staining for albumin in the cytoplasm around the nucleus. High levels of a 0.7 kb DNA fragment originating from GnT-III DNA were detected in HFH-T2 cells. Western blot analysis using a monoclonal antibody, GT273, which was prepared using human aglycosyl recombinant GnT-III showed a single band, corresponding to Mr 63 kDa, whereas aglycosyl GnT-III showed a band at Mr 53 kDa, with a molecular weight difference of about 10 kDa. This indicates that HFH-T2 cells express glycosylated GnT-III. GnT-III activities were 347.2 +/- 53.6 pmol/mg of protein/h in HFH-T2, 276 +/- 26.3 in Hep3B, 252.5 +/- 23.3 in HepG2 and 30.7 +/- 3.4 in NIH-3T3. GnT-III activity was higher in HFH-T2 cells than in the hepatoma cell lines, Hep3B and HepG2. CONCLUSION: A human fetal hepatocyte cell line was transformed by infection with HBV and the cell line expressed high levels of GnT-III as the levels of secretion of HBV decreased. The decrease in HBV secretion from HFH-T2 cells could be due to a high level of expression of GnT-III. Such a cell line could be used to investigate relationships between HBV infection and glycosyltransferase gene expression. Furthermore, this cell line will be useful in future studies on the effect of the expression of GnT-III on other glycosyltransferase.