Changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after calving in lactating cows with serious decrease of body weight before and after calving.

The aim of this study was to clarify the hormonal and immunological changes in periparturient dairy cows with excessive weight loss following calving. We analyzed leukocyte populations and the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) mRNA of IFN-gamma, IL-4, growth hormone (GH)-receptor (R) and insulin -R and measured the GH and insulin concentrations. Ten dairy cows fed in one herd were used in this study and were divided into two groups. Five cows that experienced loss of body weight following calving of over 10% comprised the Weight Loss Group, and the remaining five cows, which experienced loss of body weight of 5% or less following calving, served as the Control Group. The Weight Loss Group had high serum cholesterol and low blood urea nitrogen levels compared with the Control Group throughout the period of observation. In regard to the leukocyte populations, there were significantly fewer CD4(+)CD45R-T cells in the Weight Loss Group 1 to 2 months after calving compared with the Control Group. The percentage of IFN-gamma/IL-4 among PBMCs in the Weight Loss Group tended to be lower than in the Control Group throughout the observation period. In the Weight Loss Group, the levels of GH-R during month 2 were lower than in the Control Group. We concluded that excessive loss of body weight in dairy cows following calving is associated with depressed cellular immune function.

[Estimation of blood-group-dependent hyperphosphatasemia in healthy subjects by agarose gel electrophoresis].

Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) isozymes in the healthy human sera appears in two isoforms: normal-molecular-weight IAP (NIAP) and high-molecular-weight IAP (HIAP). We have demonstrated that the reference range for ALP activity is higher in blood group B and O secretors than in the other blood groups, for the appearance of these isoforms is depended on blood group B or O secretors. We currently reported that blood groups dependent hyperphosphatasemia in healthy subjects only appeared in blood group B or O secretors. In the present paper, we examined estimation of blood groups dependent hyperphosphatasemia in healthy subjects by use of agarose gel electrophoresis. We classified 104 healthy subjects with the B or O secretors into two groups of blood groups dependent hyperphosphatasemia (n = 5) and normal ALP activity (n = 99). The mean HIAP percentage in blood groups dependent hyperphosphatasemia group (18.5%) was higher than that in normal ALP activity group (9.9%). These results suggested that blood groups dependent hyperphosphatasemia in healthy subjects can be estimated from the HIAP levels by agarose gel electrophoresis.