The purpose of this study was to compare the concentration of trace elements in the
plasma of sea turtles that inhabited the suburban (Okinawa Main Island, n=8) and the rural
coast (Yaeyama Island, n=57) in Okinawa, Japan. Particle induced X-ray emission allowed
detection of 20 trace and major elements. The wild sea turtles in the suburban coast in
Okinawa were found to have high concentrations of Pb, Si and Ti in the plasma when
compared to the rural area but there were no significant changes in the Al, As and Hg
concentrations. These results may help to suggest the status of some elements in a marine
environment. Further, monitoring the plasma trace and major element status in sea turtles
can be used as a bio-monitoring approach by which specific types of elements found here
could indicate effects that are related to human activities.
This study aimed to assess the usefulness of serum iron (Fe) concentration as a marker of
inflammation caused by the dehorning operation. Five young Holstein cows aged 205.0 ± 10.7
days and weighing 207.2 ± 24.1 kg underwent the dehorning operation. Blood samples were
withdrawn before dehorning (pre) and at time periods of t=0.5, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, and 48
hr. The serum amyloid A (SAA) concentration was significantly high at t=48 hr
(
P
<0.01). The serum Fe concentration significantly decreased,
reaching 90.0 ± 36.4
µ
g/d
l
at t=24 hr
(
P
<0.001). Therefore, serum Fe concentration showed significant and
negative correlation with SAA concentration (
r
2
=0.500,
P
<0.01). In conclusion, serum Fe concentration is a useful marker of
inflammation in young cows that have undergone the dehorning operation.
The objective of this study was to examine whether serum iron (Fe) concentration is useful as a prognostic biomarker for cows with acute coliform mastitis (ACM). Our study was composed of determining the reproducibility of serum Fe concentration as a prognostic criterion in cows with ACM (Study 1) and clarifying the sequential changes in serum Fe concentration in cattle that received endotoxin (Study 2). Seventy-seven cows with (n = 47) or without (n = 30) ACM were enrolled in Study 1. The proposed diagnostic cut-off value of serum Fe concentration indicating a poor prognosis of ACM based on the analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curves was < 31.5 µg/dL. Ten young cattle aged 176.8 ± 23.7 days were enrolled in Study 2. Five young cattle received endotoxin (LPS group) and the remaining five received physiological saline (control group). Blood collections were carried out before endotoxin challenge (pre), and 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h after the challenge. As a result, a significant decrease in serum Fe concentration was not observed until 24 h after endotoxin challenge. Because in cows with clinical ACM it is difficult to know the time course after infection, the alteration in serum Fe concentrations alone may be an insufficient prognostic criterion.
The aim of the present study was to compare endotoxin activities detected in raw milk
samples obtained from cattle by a commercially available portable test system (PTS) and
traditional microplate limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL)-based assay, which determined
activities using a kinetic turbidimetric (KT) assay. Raw milk samples were obtained from
53 and 12 dairy cattle without and with clinical mastitis, respectively. Comparison
between the KT and PTS was performed by the Friedman test. The Pearson product moment
correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate associations between any two
continuous variables. Linear regression model analysis was also performed to obtain the
equation describing the relationship between PTS and KT assay. The endotoxin activities
detected in 200- or 400-fold diluted milk samples were similar between PTS and KT assay,
whereas a significant difference was observed in 100-fold diluted milk
(P<0.001). The results obtained from 200-
(r2=0.778, P<0.001) and 400-fold diluted
milk samples (r2=0.945, P<0.001) using PTS
correlated with those using KT assay. The median milk endotoxin activities in
Gram-positive and Gram-negative clinical mastitis cows were 0.655 and 11,523.5
EU/ml, respectively. The results of the present study suggest that PTS
as a simple and easy test to assess endotoxin activity in raw milk is efficient, simple
and reproducible.
The aim of the present study was to measure changes in the serum concentrations of some
elements in endotoxin-challenged calves using a particle-induced X-ray emission analysis
and to screen for elements useful as diagnostic markers. The results obtained revealed
that serum Zn concentrations were more accurate diagnostic markers for detecting endotoxin
shock in calves than other elements. Serum Zn level in endotoxin-challenged calve was
significantly lower from 8 to 12 hr after the endotoxin challenge than pre-challenge
values. In addition, serum Zn concentrations in calves from 4 to 24 hr after endotoxin
challenges were significantly lower than those of control. Our results indicate that serum
Zn concentration has potential as diagnostic markers for detecting inflammation in calves
with endotoxin shock.
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