Q-fever is a vector-borne (Coxiella [C.] burnetii) zoonotic disease that is an increasing public health concern. To date, some research about Q-fever prevalence in dairy herds and human patients has been reported in Korea, but information about Korean native cattle is scarce. To measure the prevalence rates of C. burnetii in Korean native cattle, a total of 1,095 bovine serum samples collected during 2010~2013 were analyzed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sixty-eight heads of cattle were diagnosed as positive and while 19 heads were suspected (positive rate = 6.2%). Interestingly, Jeju province had a seropositivity rate six times greater than that of other provinces (18.9% vs. 3.2%). High seroprevalence might be caused by wide distribution of ticks in Jeju province compared to other regions. Based on these data, extensive monitoring of C. burnetii infection in cattle, tick distribution, and climate changes is required.

Field infectious bursal disease viruses 9IBDVs) were isolated from IBDV-suspected commercial chickens. The variable region in VP2 gene of six Korean IBDV isolates (K-IBDVs) and IBD vaccines was examined using the reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RT/PCR-RFLP) assay. With all K-IBDVs and vaccine IBDVs, a 474-bp fragment of the VP2 gene was amplified and tested with various restriction enzymes. Resseriction enzymes BstNI and StyI differentiated K-IBDV isolates and IBD vaccines into four groups. Reseriction enzyme profiles of K-IBDV isolates were different from them of IBD vaccines. K-IBDV isolates except for 310 isolate had specific SspI and TaqI recognition sites, which were recognized in highly virulent IBDVs, but IBD vaccines had no those sites. This study showed that RT/PCR-RFLP assay was thought to be valuable tool for differentiation of IBDVs and identification of highly virulent IBDV.

Ontogeny, distributions and relative frequencies of somatostatin-immunoreactive cells were investigated in the proventriculus of the chicken embryos with incubation periods. Samples were taken from 10 groups(10 days of incubation to hatching) and studied by immunogistochemical methods. The findings were as follows. Somatostatin-immunoreactive cells were observed from 12 days of incubation in the proventricular glands and after that increased with incubation periods. The first observation time of these cells in the epithelium were at 15 days of incubation in the basal portion but in 16 and 17 days of incubation, no immunoreactive cells were observed in the epithelium but after that a few immunoreactive cells were observed in the basal portion and gastric gland regions. The shpaes of these cells were spherical to spindle in the proventricular glands and spherical to round in the epithlium and gastric gland.

This study was performed to report the outbreaks of canine intestinal spirochetosis and to characterize the canine isolates. Three canine isolates were weakly beta-hemolytic and had sharp end shape with 5 flagella. Isolates didn't produce indole but fermented fructose. In API-ZYM∨_ study, isolates were alpha-glucosidase negative and alpha-galactosidase positive, which is the typical characteristics of B. pilosicoli. In multilocus enzyme electrophoresis(MEE) study, isolates were divided into 2 electrophoretic types.

To elucidate the involvement of interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE) in the courseof experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), we induced EAE by immunizing rats with an emulsion of rat spinal cord homogenate with complete Freund's adjuvant supplemented with Mycobacterium tuberculosis(H37Ra, 5mg/ml) and then examined the expression of ICE in the spinal cord of rats with EAE. In normal rate spinal cords, ICE is constitutively, but weakly, expressed in ependmal cells, neurons, and some neuroglial cells. In EAE, many inflammatory cells are positive for ICE, and the majority of ICE+ cells were identified as ED1+ macrophages. During this stage of EAE, the number of ICE+ cells in brain cells, including neurons and astrocytes, increased and these cells also had incresed ICE immunoreactivity. These findings suggest that the upregulation of ICE in both brain cells and invading hematogenous cells is stimulated by a secretory product from inflammatory cells, and that this enzyme is involved in the pathogenesis of EAE via the production of IL-1 beta.

The scarcity of green during summer months imposes nutritional stress on farm animals. In this study we examined the effect of nutritional stress on various biochemical parameters of rabbits.Control and green deprived groups each of 20, weaned New Zealand White rabbits, of either sex, were randomly placed and observed for two months. Then green was re-introduced in deprived group for again two months. Blood sera harvested at every 15th day and analyzed using RA 50 Chemistry auto analyzer. Significant (p0.05) decrease of alkaline phosphatase (AKP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and increase in gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and serum cholesterol was observed in rabbits green deprived group.

To characterize the roles of C-peptide in vascular homeostatic processes, we examined the genes regulated by C-peptide in LEII mouse lung microvascular endothelial cells. Treatment of the cells with C-peptide increased the expression of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) mRNA dose-dependently, accompanied by an increase in JNK1 protein content. Prior treatment of the cells with PD98059, an ERK kinase inhibitor or SB203580, a p38MAPK inhibitor, abrogated the C-peptide-elicited JNK1 mRNA expression. These results indicate that C-peptide increases JNK1 protein levels, possibly through ERK- and p38MAPK-dependent activation of JNK gene transcription.

Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a inclusão de farelo de girassol e a suplementação de complexo enzimático sobre os parâmetros de desempenho e características de carcaça de suínos, dos 30 aos 100 kg de peso vivo. Foram utilizados 96 suínos com peso vivo médio de 32,19±3,27 kg, distribuídos em um delineamento experimental de blocos casualizados, em esquema fatorial 4 x 2 (quatro níveis de farelo de girassol-FG: 0, 8, 16 e 24% com ou sem inclusão do complexo enzimático-CE), com seis repetições e dois animais por unidade experimental. As variáveis analisadas foram o consumo de ração (kg), o ganho de peso (kg), a conversão alimentar (kg/ kg), a espessura de toucinho (mm), a musculosidade (kg), o peso da carcaça quente (%), a porcentagem de carne magra na carcaça (%), a quantidade de carne magra na carcaça (kg). Não houve nenhuma interação entre os fatores para nenhuma das variáveis estudadas. A conversão alimentar dos animais dos 30 aos 70 kg de peso foi diminuída pela inclusão do CE, porém não afetou os parâmetros de carcaça. Níveis crescentes de FG na ração apresentaram efeito quadrático sobre o ganho de peso dos animais e sobre a espessura de toucinho, com valores máximos dessas variáveis em 7,26% e 8,16% de inclusão do FG, respectivamente. | Aiming to evaluate the performance of pigs from 30 to 100 kg of live a total of 96 pigs with average live weight of 32.19±3.27 kg were distributed in randomized blocks design in a 4 × 2 (four levels of SM: 0, 8, 16 and 24%; with or without inclusion of EC)  factorial arrangement with six replicates and two animals per experimental unit. The parameters analyzed were feed intake (kg), weight gain (kg), feed conversion (kg/kg), backfat thickness (mm), carcass muscularity (kg), hot carcass weight (%), percentage of lean meat in the carcass (%), and quantity of lean meat in the carcass (kg). There was no interaction between EC and SM levels in the diet. The addition of EC in the diet affected the performance of the animals, but not carcass characteristics. Feed conversion of animals from 30 to 70 kg weight was improved by the inclusion of EC. The increasing levels of SM in the diet presented quadratic effect on weight gain and on backfat thickness, with inclusion points of SM that promoted maximum values of these parameters of 7.26% and 8.16%, respectively.