Body condition of willow ptarmigan parasitized by cestodes during winter

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 251-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. G. Thomas

Sixty-two adult male willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) were collected over 3 days in April 1979 from a single flock along the Hudson Bay coast of Ontario. Twenty-one ptarmigan contained cestodes (genus Raillietina) in the anterior of the small intestine and 41 were free of cestodes. Each ptarmigan was dissected into its principal voluntary muscles, liver, and intestinal components, and the entire body was subjected to neutral fat extraction. Parasitized willow ptarmigan had significantly heavier empty small intestinal weights than nonparasitized birds. All other variables pertaining to the fat–protein reserve status were very similar between the two groups. The larger small intestines of parasitized ptarmigan were shown, statistically, to be attributable to the presence of cestodes and not to effects of varying body size. There were significant correlations between the weight of the small intestine and the weight of cestodes (r = 0.677) and the volume of cestodes (r = 0.667) but not the number of cestodes (r = 0.414) in any given ptarmigan. The hypertrophic response was confined to the small intestine and was small (approximately 1.2 g of wet tissue) compared with the amount of intestinal hypertrophy that normally occurs with change of season and diet. This population of willow ptarmigan readily accommodates to cestodes with no detectable impairment of its winter nutrient and energy balance.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingming Song ◽  
Shiyao Zhang ◽  
Zixuan Tao ◽  
Yujie Shi ◽  
Yonghong Xiong ◽  
...  

Abstract The changes of small intestinal homeostasis have been recognized to contribute essentially to the obese development. However, the core small intestinal regulator which mediates overnutrient impacts on the homeostasis of the small intestines remains elusive. Here, we identify the MMP-12 as such a responsive factor in mouse small intestines. Taking advantages of the nano delivery system, we demonstrate that small intestine-specific MMP-12 knockdown alleviates high-fat diet feeding-induced metabolic disorders and improves intestinal homeostasis in mice, including a significant decrease in lipid transportation, bile acid reabsorption, and inflammation. In parallel, the small intestinal integrity is recovered and the gut microbiota composition is reversed towards that under normal diet feeding. Mechanistically, MMP-12, differing from its traditional elastolytic function, acts as a transcriptional factor to activate Fabp4 transcription through epigenetic modification. In translational medicine, clinical applications of our nanosystem and therapeutic interventions targeting MMP-12 will benefit patients with obesity and associated diseases.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 853
Author(s):  
Jacek Karamon ◽  
Małgorzata Samorek-Pieróg ◽  
Jacek Sroka ◽  
Ewa Bilska-Zając ◽  
Joanna Dąbrowska ◽  
...  

The aim of this study is to confirm the presence and molecular identification of Echinococcus tapeworms in wolves from south-eastern Poland. An investigation was carried out on the intestines of 13 wolves from south-eastern Poland. The small intestines were divided into three equal segments. Each segment was separately examined using the sedimentation and counting technique (SCT). The detected Echinococcus tapeworms were isolated and identified by PCRs and sequencing (nad1 and cox1 genes). Additionally, DNA isolated from the feces of wolves positive for Echinococcus tapeworms was examined with two diagnostic PCRs. The intestines of one wolf were positive for E. granulosus s.l. when assessed by SCT; the intestine was from a six-year-old male wolf killed in a communication accident. We detected 61 adult tapeworms: 42 in the anterior, 14 in the middle, and 5 in the posterior parts of the small intestine. The PCRs conducted for cox1 and nad1 produced specific products. A sequence comparison with the GenBank database showed similarity to the deposited E. ortleppi (G5) sequences. An analysis of the available phylogenetic sequences showed very little variation within the species of E. ortleppi (G5), and identity ranged from 99.10% to 100.00% in the case of cox1 and from 99.04 to 100.00% in the case of nad1. One of the two diagnostic PCRs used and performed on the feces of Echinococcus-positive animals showed product specific for E. granulosus. This study showed the presence of adult E. ortleppi tapeworms in wolves for the first time.


2002 ◽  
Vol 2002 ◽  
pp. 104-104
Author(s):  
J. A. N. Mills ◽  
E. Kebreab ◽  
L. A. Crompton ◽  
J. Dijkstra ◽  
J. France

The high contribution of postruminal starch digestion (>50%) to total tract starch digestion on certain energy dense diets (Mills et al. 1999) demands that limitations to small intestinal starch digestion are identified. Therefore, a dynamic mechanistic model of the small intestine was constructed and evaluated against published experimental data for abomasal carbohydrate infusions in the dairy cow. The mechanistic structure of the model allowed the current biological knowledge to be integrated into a system capable of identifying restrictions to dietary energy recovery from postruminal starch delivery.


2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (3) ◽  
pp. G368-G380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Einar Husebye ◽  
Per M. Hellström ◽  
Frank Sundler ◽  
Jie Chen ◽  
Tore Midtvedt

The effect of an intestinal microflora consisting of selected microbial species on myoelectric activity of small intestine was studied using germ-free rat models, with recording before and after specific intestinal colonization, in the unanesthetized state. Intestinal transit, neuropeptides in blood (RIA), and neuromessengers in the intestinal wall were determined. Clostridium tabificum vp 04 promoted regular spike burst activity, shown by a reduction of the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) period from 30.5 ± 3.9 min in the germ-free state to 21.2 ± 0.14 min ( P < 0.01). Lactobacillus acidophilus A10 and Bifidobacterium bifidum B11 reduced the MMC period from 27.9 ± 4.5 to 21.5 ± 2.1 min ( P < 0.02) and accelerated small intestinal transit ( P < 0.05). Micrococcus luteus showed an inhibitory effect, with an MMC period of 35.9 ± 9.3 min compared with 27.7 ± 6.3 min in germ-free rats ( P < 0.01). Inhibition was indicated also for Escherichia coli X7gnotobiotic rats. No consistent changes in slow wave frequency were observed. The concentration of neuropeptide Y in blood decreased after introduction of conventional intestinal microflora, suggesting reduced inhibitory control. Intestinal bacteria promote or suppress the initiation and aboral migration of the MMC depending on the species involved. Bacteria with primitive fermenting metabolism (anaerobes) emerge as important promoters of regular spike burst activity in small intestine.


2017 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. AB316
Author(s):  
Ryoichi Sawada ◽  
Ryosuke Miyazaki ◽  
Ayako Ishii ◽  
Yusuke Nagata ◽  
Makio Ogawa ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria C Jugan ◽  
John R August

Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate ultrasonographic changes in the small intestine of cats with clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease and low or low–normal serum cobalamin concentrations. Methods Records for client-owned cats presenting to the small animal hospital with signs of gastrointestinal disease and in which serum cobalamin concentrations were measured from 2000–2013 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were cobalamin concentrations <500 ng/l, abdominal ultrasound within 1 month of cobalamin testing and definitive diagnosis. Results Of 751 serum cobalamin measurements, hypocobalaminemia or low–normal cobalamin was identified in 270 cats, abdominal ultrasound was performed in 207 of those cats and a diagnosis was available for 75 of them. Small intestinal ultrasound changes were detected in 49/75 (65%) cats. Abnormalities included thickening, loss of wall layer definition, echogenicity alterations and discrete masses. Serum cobalamin concentrations <500 ng/l were observed with diagnoses of inflammatory disease, neoplasia, infectious disease and normal histopathology. Cobalamin concentration was significantly lower in cats with lymphoma or inflammatory bowel disease compared with other gastrointestinal neoplasia ( P = 0.031). No difference was found between cobalamin concentration and the presence of ultrasound abnormalities, specific ultrasound changes or albumin concentration. Conclusions and relevance One-third of symptomatic cats with hypocobalaminemia or low–normal cobalamin concentrations may have an ultrasonographically normal small intestine. For the majority of cats in this study, histopathologic abnormalities were observed in the small intestine, regardless of ultrasound changes. These findings suggest gastrointestinal disease should not be excluded based on low–normal cobalamin concentrations, even with a concurrent normal ultrasound examination. Additional studies are needed in cats with low–normal serum cobalamin concentrations, as a definitive diagnosis was not pursued consistently in those cats. However, data from this study suggest that careful monitoring, histopathologic evaluation and future cobalamin supplementation may be warranted.


2015 ◽  
Vol 129 (7) ◽  
pp. 529-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil A. Mabbott

A new study by Man and colleagues provides further insight into the effects of aging on small intestinal barrier function in humans. Here, their findings are briefly summarised and the wider implications discussed.


1985 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. Janes ◽  
T. E. C. Weekes ◽  
D. G. Armstrong

SummaryTwo groups of six sheep were fed either dried-grass or ground maize-based diets for at least 4 weeks before slaughter. Samples of the small intestinal mucosa and spancreatic tissue were assayed for a-amylase, glucoamylase, maltase and oligo-l,6-glucosidase.The pancreatic tissue contained high activities of α-amylase and much lower activities of glucoamylase, maltase and oligo-1,6-glucosidase. There was no effect of diet on the specific activities of any of these enzymes in the pancreatic tissue.The activity of α-amylase adsorbed on to the mucosa of the small intestine was greatest in the proximal region of the small intestine, the activity generally declining with increasing distance away from the pylorus. There was no diet effect on the absorbed α-amylase activity.Similar patterns of distribution along the small intestine were observed for maltase, glucoamylase and oligo-1,6-glucosidase with the highest activities in t he jejunum. There was no overall effect of diet on glucoamylase or maltase specific activities and glucoamylase total activity, although the total activities of maltase and oligo-1,6-glucosidase were significantly greater for the sheep fed the ground maize-based diet (P < 0·05).It is suggested that ruminant animals may be capable of digesting large amounts of starch in the small intestine through an adaptation in the activity of the host carbohydrases.


2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. AB321
Author(s):  
Yusuke Nagata ◽  
Ryoichi Sawada ◽  
Takashi Nishimura ◽  
Kanae Tsutsui ◽  
Hiroki Saijo ◽  
...  

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