• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.259-267
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• 1987

Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) cause an acute diarrhea (white scour) in both animals and humans. The disease process initially involves the adherence and colonization of the mucosal surface of the small intestine, followed by the elaboration of a heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) and/or heat-stable enterotoxin (ST). Intestinal adherence or colonization by ETEC is generally mediated by a specific surface-associated pilus (fimbrial) antigen that endows the bacteria with the capacity to adhere to epitherial cell surface. Fourteen monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against pili antigens of ETEC were obtained by cell fusion/hybridoma technique. They were characterized by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), and divided into four groups: specific to K99 antigen (group 1), cross-reactive with K99 and F41 antigens (group 2), specific to K88 antigen (group 3) and specific to 987P and K88 antigens (group 4), respectively. These MAbs demonstrated the distinct pili (K) antigens on the surface of ETEC by IFA, and could be utilized as diagnostic reagent for the identification of ETEC. When eighty-seven field isolates of E. coli from piglet with diarrhea were tested by group 3 MAb, fourty-two strains (48.3%) has K88 pilus antigen suggesting that this is one of the major pilus antigen of ETEC present in fifeld.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.253-261
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• 2007

Light is a synchronizing stimulus to regulate the circadian rhythms and neuroendocrine activities in both humans and animals. The retinohypothalamic tract is involved in the day/night cycle and neuroendocrine activities. In particular, melatonin secretion has been known to be affected by light and correlated with many aspects of health problems. This review introduces the role of the light in the biological rhythm and neuroendocrine activities, its relationship with health problems, and the characteristics of retinohypothalamic tract.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.85-105
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• 1998

Prions cause neurodegenerative diseases in animals and humans. The scrapie prion protein (PrPSc) is the major-possibly only-component of the infectious prion and is generated from the cellular isoform (PrPC) by a conformational change. Limited proteolysis of PrPSc produces an polypeptide comprised primarily of residues 90 to 231, which retains infectivity. The three-dimensional structure of rPrP(90-231), a recombinant protein resembling PrPC with the Syrian hamster (SHa) sequence, was solved using multidimensional NMR. Low-resolution structures of rPrP(90-231), synthetic peptides up to 56 residues, a longer (29-231, full-length) protein with SHa sequence, and a short here further structure refinement of rPrP(90-231) and dynamic features of the protein. Consideration of these features in the context of published data suggests regions of conformational heterogeneity, structural elements involved in the PrPC\longrightarrowPrPSc transformation, and possible structural features related to a species barrier to transmission of prion diseases.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.257-261
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• 2014

Toxoplasma 3 main clonal lineages are designated as type I, II, and III; however, atypical and mixed genotypes were also reported. This study was conducted for detection of Toxoplasma gondii genotypes in rats (Rattus rattus) in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. PCR test on T. gondii B1 gene was conducted on ELISA IgM positive samples for confirmation of the infection. However, genetic analysis of the SAG2 locus was performed to determine T. gondii genotypes using PCR-RFLP technique. PCR test on T. gondii B1gene showed that 22 (81.5%) out of the 27 ELISA IgM positive samples have T. gondii DNA. Genotypic analysis shows that, of the total 22 PCR positive samples, only 13 (59.1%) were of type II, 7 (31.8%) were of type III, and 2 (9.1%) were of an unknown genotype. It is obvious that the prevalence of both type II and III is high in rats. No reports have been available on T. gondii genotypes among rats in Riyadh region, and only little is known about its seroprevalence in rats. Future studies on T. gondii genotypes in rats using multi-locus markers is needed in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia for better understanding of T. gondii pathogenesis and treatment in humans and animals.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.13.1-13.12
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• 2022

Background: Toxoplasma gondii can infect humans and most animals and has a very high infection rate worldwide, including in China. The number of people infected with T. gondii in China increases with the number of cats. Objectives: We investigated the seropositive rate of T. gondii in cats over the last five years and analyzed the risk factors via meta-analysis. Methods: We retrieved 20 studies, with a total of 5,158 cats, published between 2016 and 2020, used the DerSimonian-Laird model and calculated seroprevalence estimates with the variance stabilizing double arcsine transformation. Results: The overall seroprevalence rate after sinusoidal conversion was 19.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.9-23.9; 966/5,158), lower than the domestic report from 1995 to 2015 (24.5%, 95% CI, 20.1-29.0). There was substantial heterogeneity among studies (χ² = 262.32; p < 0.001; I² = 64.6%). Regression analysis of possible heterogeneous causes and subgroup analysis showed that age and whether cats were stray or not have a significant effect on the seropositive rate. Conclusions: Articles published in recent five years suggest that the seroprevalence estimates of Toxoplasma gondii in cats has decreased. Cats, as the final host of T. gondii, are an important cause of the spread of the parasite, and this is an important concern for public health.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.197-202
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• 2023

Canine lymphoma (cL) is the most common hematopoietic cancer in dogs. Various determinants have been evaluated to find the predisposing factors in both human and canine lymphoma. Due to common risk factors and similar pathways, cL is considered a potential model for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in humans. In this case-series study, major hospitals in Tehran consented to take part in this study and between the years of 2020-2022, provided us with 52 cL cases which were approved by the attended pathologist. We designed a questionnaire and collected information about the dogs and their owners. Most of the owners were women, young (younger than 50 years old), had at least diplomas and interestingly were housewives or househusbands. Male dogs with middle to old age (more than 6 years) were mostly referred. The most common characteristics were neutered, normal BCS, purebred, urban but not industrial residence, previous tobacco smoke exposure but no history of previous fungicide or pesticide exposure. Also, most of them did not have any previous autoimmune or immunosuppressive diseases. Presented characteristics should be considered risk determinants but to approve their validity, they should be further evaluated in epidemiological studies.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.156-166
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• 2024

Pigs are genetically, anatomically, and physiologically similar to humans. Recently, pigs are in the spotlight as a suitable source animal for xenotransplantation. However, to use pigs as source animals, pigs should be raised in designated pathogen-free facilities. There is abundant data from embryo transfer (ET) experiments using farm pigs as surrogates, but data on ET experiments using minipigs are scarce. Eighty minipigs were used for ET experiments and after transplantation, the implantation and delivery rates were investigated. It was also confirmed whether the pregnancy rate could be increased by changing the condition or surgical method of the surrogate. In the case of minipigs that gave birth, the size of the fetal sac on the 28th day of ET was also measured. The factors that can affect the pregnancy rate such as estrus synchronization program, ovulation status at the time of ET, the number of repeated ET surgeries, and the ET sites, were changed, and the differences on the pregnancy rate were observed. However there were no significant differences in pregnancy rate in minipigs. The diameter of the implanted fetal sac on the 28th day after ET in the minipigs whose delivery was confirmed was calculated to be 4.7 ± 0.5 cm. In conclusion, there were no significant differences in pregnancy rate of minipigs in the comparative experiment on various factors affecting the pregnancy rate. However, additional experiments and analyses are needed due to the large individual differences of the minipigs.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 1979.04a
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• pp.113.1-113
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• 1979

Each year, vast amount of agricultural crop residues are produced (about 60 percent of the total crop production), which have not been effectively utilized because they are bulky and lignocellulosic, thus having little fuel energy per unit volume. Using treated plant residues as animal feeds could result in an ultimate saving of fossil fuel energy and a more effective utilizat ion of products created by the photosynthetic process. Feeding the residues to animals would decrease the pollution potential, but these residues are difficult for even a ruminant animal to digest. If cellulosic wastes produced from cereal grain straw and wood could be digested, land now used for producing forage add grain cnuld be shifted to food crops for humans. During the past decade, considerable efforts were made to utilize crop residues. These utilization methods can be broadly grouped into for categories: (1) direct uses, (2) mechanical conversions, (3) chemical conversions and (4) biological conversions. Agricultural crop residues consist mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectin, andother plant carbohydrates. The nature of the constituents of these residues can be best utilized as one of the five FS: Fuel, Fiber, Fertilizer, Feed and Food. Many processes have teen proposed and some are in industrial production stage. However, economics of the process depend on the location where availability of other competitive products are different.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.127-135
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• 2020

Coronavirus is generally known to cause minor respiratory diseases in animals and humans. However, some coronavirus genus is reported to cause animal-to-human interspecies infection. Since the end of 2019, a new type of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection is spreading rapidly throughout the world, leading to the declaration of the pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite various clinical studies to counter COVID-19 infection, the total confirmed cases and death rates are still accumulating. To break down this new threat, we should pay attention to newly revealed information based on scientific facts. In this review, we introduced the clinical characteristics, diagnostic methods, and treatment of patients infected with COVID-19. Moreover, we highlighted the correlation between COVID-19 severity and patients with underlying diseases. Potential risks associated with COVID-19 can be differed depending on the condition of patients and can cause pulmonary complications. Therefore, lung capacity exams are expected to help predict the progression of the disease along with previously established detection methods such as molecular diagnostics and immunoassay. Although physiological research hasn't yet been emphasized to evaluate COVID-19 infection, this review is expected to be valuable to give new inspiration to deal with COVID-19 which might strike again in the future.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2008

Fusarium verticillioides (teleomorph Gibberella moniliformis) is associated with maize worldwide causing ear rot and stalk rot, and produces fumonisins, a group of mycotoxins detrimental to humans and animals. While research tools are available, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with fungal virulence and fumonisin biosynthesis in F. verticillioides is still limited. One of the restraints that hampers F. verticillioides gene characterization is the fact that homologous recombination (HR) frequency is very low (<2%). Screening for a true gene knock-out mutant is a laborious process due to a high number of ectopic integrations. In this study, we generated a F. verticillioides mutant (SF41) deleted for FvKU70, a gene directly responsible for non-homologous end-joining mechanism, with the aim of improving HR frequency. Here, we demonstrate that FvKU70 deletion does not impact key Fverticillioides phenotypes, e.g., development, secondary metabolism, and virulence, while dramatically improving HR frequency. Significantly, we also confirmed that a high percentage (>85%) of the HR mutant strains harbor a desired mutation with no additional copy of the mutant allele inserted in the genome. We conclude that SF41 is suitable for use as a type strain when performing high-throughput gene function studies in F. verticillioides.