ABSTRACT. Polymorphonuclear cells of the peripheral blood in the chicken significantly increased their phagocytosis when cultured with sugar cane extract (SCE; 250-1,000 µg/ml) for 24 hr. Chickens orally administered SCE (500 mg/kg/day) for 3 or 6 consecutive days at 1 week of age showed significantly higher body weight and gain in body weight/day and a lower food conversion ratio within the growing period of 6 weeks than physiological saline-administered control chickens. Furthermore, oral administration of SCE also resulted in significantly higher immune responses against sheep red blood cells and Brucella abortus. These results suggest that SCE has immunostimulating and growth promoting effects in chickens. KEY WORDS: growth promotion, immunopotentiation, sugar cane extract.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 64(11): 1061-1063, 2002 Vaccines and antibiotics have contributed to the control of a lot of different infectious diseases in veterinary and human medicine. Much consumption of many various chemicals and antibiotics has resulted in some problems such as the development of antibiotics-resistant bacteria and pollution of environment. It is imperative to develop the novel production system of economically important food animals based on the consideration of safe food, less polluted environment and recycle of natural resources.Various kinds of native, synthesized or recombinant biological response modifiers (BRM) have been evaluated on the basis of preventive and therapeutic effects on infectious or non-infectious diseases. Some native BRM [5,6,10,13] with immunostimulating activity such as bacterial derived components and chicken egg white derivatives (EWD) are effective in recovery of immunosuppression. There is almost little information concerning the biological activities of sugar cane, except the finding on activation of classical complement pathway in human serum by its lipopolysaccharide [7,8]. The purpose of the present study is to define immunological and nutritional features of sugar cane extract (SCE) as one of native BRM.Original materials including cane juice produced from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.) in the raw sugar manufacturing process were subjected to the preparation of SCE. Dried SCE finally prepared by synthetic adsorbent chromatography and cation exchange column chromatograpy consisted of crude protein (16.9%), crude fat (0.5%), ash (36.1%) and nitrogen-free extracts (46.5%).The original concentration (10 mg/ml) of SCE was prepared in phosphate buffer saline. EWD kindly provided by Eisai Co., Ltd, Japan, were prepared in the same manner described previously [5], and used as a positive stimulator in the phagocytosis assay. At first, to examine the effect of SCE on phagocytosis, polymorphonuclear cells (PMN)-rich fraction from peripheral blood of inbred chickens (MHC; H.B15) was prepared as described previously [10]. The resultant PMN consisted of approximately 95% heterophils and 5% lymphocytes when their Giemsa-stained smear samples were cytologically examined. PMN suspended to a concentration o...

In an abnormal fibrinogen with severely impaired polymerization of fibrin monomers, we identified a methionine-to-threonine substitution at position 310 of the 'y chain. Furthermore, asparagine at position 308 was found to be N-glycosylated due to a newly formed consensus sequence, asparagine(308)-glycine(309)-threonine(310). The two structural defects in the mutant oy chain may well perturb the conformation required for fibrin monomer polymerization that is specifically assigned to the D domain of fibrinogen. This alteration also seems to affect the intermolecular y chain cross-linking of fibrin and fibrinogen, although the amine acceptor y glutamine-398 was found to function normally. These functional abnormalities may well be related to posttraumatic hemorrhage as observed in a 33-yr-old man with moderate hemorrhagic diathesis related to injuries since his early adolescence.The structure of the extra carbohydrate moiety attached to asparagine-308 was found to be identical with those derived from the normal B,8 and y chains as evidenced by HPLC. IntroductionThe carboxy-terminal region of the fibrinogen y chain has been shown to participate in various functions of fibrinogen including fibrin polymerization (1-7).To form stable fibrin clots, several reactions take place sequentially or simultaneously. They include proteolytic cleavage of fibrinopeptides A and B by thrombin, polymerization of fibrin monomers to form fibrin gels, and intermolecular cross-linking mediated by activated blood coagulation factor XIII (Factor XIIIa) (4, 5). Although polymerization and gelation of fibrin have been extensively studied (1-3), little is known about the mechanisms involved in the reactions. For this purpose, congenital dysfibrinogens with well-elucidated structures may deserve careful study.

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ABSTRACT. Primary culture of bovine brain cells was examined for its susceptibility to Neospora caninum infections, and this model was used to investigate the effects of bovine interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factors alpha (TNF-α) on tachyzoite growth. Tachyzoites of N. caninum grew well in this culture, and tachyzoite growth in astroglia and microglia were confirmed by immunocytochemical staining. IFN-γ inhibited the tachyzoite growth, and this inhibition was not reversed by the addition of nitric oxide antagonist. TNF-α, to a lesser extent, also inhibited the tachyzoite growth. Th-1 type cytokines may play an important role in host defense mechanisms in N. caninum infection.-KEY WORDS: brain culture, cytokine, Neospora caninum.