Digestive disorders caused by sudden changes in diet or inappropriate diet are among the most common disorders of the digestive system. Cecal or intestinal tympany, one consequence of inappropriate diet, is characterized by the accumulation of gases, marked distension of the cecum and colon and the induction of inflammatory processes. To know the effects of intestinal tympany on the enteric plexuses, we developed a method of experimental tympanic colic (TC) in the Chinchilla lanigera. This species was used in view of its susceptibility to TC. TC was induced with a diet rich in alfalfa associated with grain overload for two weeks. Physical and clinical examination including the von Frey test confirmed the diagnosis. The chinchillas with acute abdomen were treated with 1% ketoprofen and resumption of a balanced diet. Necropsy and histopathological analysis showed tympany-induced alterations mainly in the cecum and colon. After treatment, the control conditions were restored. The TC protocol is proposed as an experimental approach designed to aid the study of the effects of acute intestinal inflammation and obstruction caused by an inappropriate diet.
Abdomen, Acute ; Cecum ; Edible Grain ; Chinchilla* ; Colic* ; Colon ; Diagnosis ; Diet ; Digestive System ; Gases ; Inflammation ; Ketoprofen ; Medicago sativa ; Models, Theoretical*

The interaction of salinity stress and plant residue quality on C mineralization kinetics in soil is not well understood. A laboratory experiment was conducted to study the effects of salinity stress on C mineralization kinetics in a soil amended with alfalfa, wheat and corn residues. A factorial combination of two salinity levels (0.97 and 18.2 dS/m) and four levels of plant residues (control, alfalfa, wheat and corn) with three replications was performed. A first order kinetic model was used to describe the C mineralization and to calculate the potentially mineralizable C. The CO(2)-C evolved under non-saline condition, ranged from 814.6 to 4842.4 mg CO(2)-C/kg in control and alfalfa residue-amended soils, respectively. Salinization reduced the rates of CO(2) evolution by 18.7%, 6.2% and 5.2% in alfalfa, wheat and corn residue-amended soils, respectively. Potentially mineralizable C (C(0)) was reduced significantly in salinized alfalfa residue-treated soils whereas, no significant difference was observed for control treatments as well as wheat and corn residue-treated soils. We concluded that the response pattern of C mineralization to salinity stress depended on the plant residue quality and duration of incubation.
Carbon ; chemistry ; Carbon Dioxide ; chemistry ; Cellulose ; metabolism ; Ecosystem ; Kinetics ; Medicago sativa ; metabolism ; Models, Chemical ; Plants ; metabolism ; Salts ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Soil ; Soil Pollutants ; Triticum ; metabolism ; Zea mays ; metabolism

We describe a genetic transformation method of secondary somatic embryogenesis in alfalfa through cotyledon-stage somatic embryos of alfalfa infected by Agrobacterium strain GV3101. The Agrobacterium strain GV3101 contained binary vector pCAMBIA2301 that had gus gene as reporter and npt II gene as selectable marker. The infected primary embryos were induced through series of medium under 75 mg/L kanamycin selection. We obtained the transgenic alfalfa plants. Then, GUS expression in different tissue of transgenic alfalfa was tested by GUS histochemical analysis. Further, the stable integration and transformation efficiency were tested by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blotting hybridization. The result showed that GUS expression was different in different organs of transgenic alfalfa; the copy number of integrated npt II gene was from 1 to 4; the transformation efficiency via primary somatic embryogenesis was 65.82%.
Agrobacterium ; genetics ; Medicago sativa ; embryology ; genetics ; physiology ; Plant Somatic Embryogenesis Techniques ; Plants, Genetically Modified ; embryology ; genetics ; Tissue Culture Techniques ; Transformation, Genetic

In this paper, microscopic identification method was adopted to observe the microscopic characters of ten batches of Medicago sativa seeds. And M. sativa seeds were identificated by TLC method in contrast to trigonelline and stachydrine hydrochloride. The impurities, moisture, ash, sour insoluble ash were detected based on Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010 version (Vol I ). An HPLC method was also established for determination of trigonelline in the M. sativa seeds. The contents of impurities, moisture, ash, sour insoluble ash should not exceed 5%, 10%, 6%, and 2%, respectively. The content of trigonelline should be not less than 0.795 6 mg x g(-1). The experimental methods were accurate and reliable, and can be used as the quality control of the seeds of M. sativa.
Alkaloids ; analysis ; standards ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; standards ; Medicago sativa ; chemistry ; ultrastructure ; Quality Control ; Seeds ; chemistry ; ultrastructure

OBJECTIVETo explore a new method for identification Astragali Radix from its adulterants by using ITS sequence.

METHODThirteen samples of the different Astragali Radix materials and 6 samples of the adulterants of the roots of Hedysarum polybotrys, Medicago sativa and Althaea rosea were collected. ITS sequence was amplified by PCR and sequenced unidirectionally. The interspecific K-2-P distances of Astragali Radix and its adulterants were calculated, and NJ tree and UPGMA tree were constructed by MEGA 4.

RESULTITS sequences were obtained from 19 samples respectively, there were Astragali Radix 646-650 bp, H. polybotrys 664 bp, Medicago sativa 659 bp, Althaea rosea 728 bp, which were registered in the GenBank. Phylogeny trees reconstruction using NJ and UPGMA analysis based on ITS nucleotide sequences can effectively distinguish Astragali Radix from adulterants.

CONCLUSIONITS sequence can be used to identify Astragali Radix from its adulterants successfully and is an efficient molecular marker for authentication of Astragali Radix and its adulterants.

Althaea ; classification ; genetics ; Astragalus membranaceus ; classification ; genetics ; DNA, Plant ; chemistry ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal ; chemistry ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Fabaceae ; classification ; genetics ; Medicago sativa ; classification ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Plant Roots ; genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal ; genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Species Specificity