BackgroundThe Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is a critically endangered species, and there has been limited success in restoring the population by captive breeding. This study assessed the biochemical and physiological parameters of newborn Saiga antelope to provide reference information that can be used to evaluate their health. Comparisons have been made with parameters for horses and closely related members of the Bovidae family but there are no reference values for the newborn Saiga antelope.MethodsBiochemical and physiological parameters were measured in 61 animals. An automatic analyzer (Hitachi Ltd. 7180 Serial, Tokyo, Japan) was used to analyze the biochemical parameters, while the Coulter counter (Model ZK) was used to analyze the physiological parameters.ResultsThe results showed that the biochemical and physiological parameters differ considerably in range. The evaluation of parameters stratified by sex showed differences. Triglyceride and LDL cholesterol concentrations among male animals were significantly higher than those in female animals, while the creatine kinase concentrations were significantly higher in females than in males. Comparing this study’s results with published data for horses showed many similarities and some differences. Cholesterol, magnesium and glucose levels were similar between Saiga antelope and horses, while albumin and hematocrit levels in Saiga antelope differed from the reference values in horses.ConclusionThe study has shown that horses and even closely related members of the Bovidae family are not suitable references when evaluating the biochemical and physiological properties of newborn Saiga antelope. These animals have unique stressors and warrant further study to inform efforts pertaining to their care and the future sustainability of the species.

The diencephalon, or interbrain, is a primary relay and processing center for sensory information and autonomic control. It connects structures of the endocrine system with the nervous system and works with the limbic system to generate and manage emotions and memories. Neuroglobin (Ngb) is a member of the vertebrate globin family involved in cellular oxygen homeostasis and reactive oxygen/nitrogen scavenging, while hypoxia-inducible factor (Hif-1α) is a transcription factors that respond to decreases in available oxygen in the cellular environment or hypoxia. The study explored the expression of Ngb and Hif-1α in the diencephalon of young yaks and examined factors that influenced the levels of Ngb and Hif-1α. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and Western blot (WB) were employed to investigate the expression of Ngb and Hif-1α in the diencephalon of young yaks. Ngb and Hif-1α are significantly expressed in all tissues of the diencephalon except the hypothalamus and epithalamus. The thalamus, cerebellar cortex, the white matter of the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and cerebrum showed significant levels of expression, and each plays an important role in the diencephalon. The overall expression of Ngb was higher than that of Hif-1α. Both Ngb and Hif-1α participate in oxygen transport throughout the telencephalon and have functions in neuroprotection. The results suggest that Ngb and Hif-1α influence the mechanism of adaptation of young yaks to their high altitude environment. Further studies on the mechanism of adaptation are recommended.

Arquitectura de los Capilares Alveolares de Pulmones de Camellos Bactrianos (Camelus bactrianus) Xiaohua Du 1 ; Xia Liu 2 & James Blackar Mawolo 2 DU, X.; LIU, X. & MAWOLO, J. B. The architecture of alveolar capillaries in the lungs of Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus). Int.

A coronavirus related to SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated from Malayan pangolins illegally imported into Guangdong Province. It is not the precursor of SARS-CoV-2, but a comparison of viral genome sequences provides further evidence that the virus currently infecting humans. Bats and pangolins have been suggested as the natural reservoirs of a large variety of viruses. Some researchers have given attention to other species as the origin of coronaviruses and none have referred to bats and pangolins as the two emerging coronaviruses origin, which have caused unexpected human disease outbreaks recently. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), are suggested to be originated from bats and pangolins. Numerous species of bats and pangolins in China have been observed to harbor genetically diverse SARS-like coronaviruses. Some strains are highly similar to SARS-CoV even in the spike protein and are able to use the same receptor as SARS-CoV for cell entry. Meanwhile, different coronaviruses phylogenetically related to MERS-CoV have been observed in the bats and pangolins species, some might be classified as similar to coronavirus species as MERS-CoV. Coronaviruses genetically related to human coronavirus 229E and NL63 have been found in bats and pangolins, respectively. However, intermediate hosts are suggested to play an important role in the transmission and emergence of these coronaviruses from bats and pangolins to humans. This study further documented that bats and pangolins origin of human coronaviruses are meaningful to predict and prevent a future outbreak of the deadly pandemic.

The telencephalon is also known as the cerebrum, and it consists of the largest part of the brain. It makes up about 85% of the total weight of the brain. Neuroglobin (Ngb) is a protein found in neurons of both the peripheral and central nervous system that appears to convey some resilience to hypoxia, while the hypoxia‐inducible factor (Hif‐1α) is a dimeric protein complex that plays an integral role in the body's response to low oxygen concentrations, or hypoxia. The study examines the expression of Ngb and Hif‐1α in the telencephalon of adult yak in the telencephalon. The immunohistochemistry (IHC), quantitative real‐time PCR and Western blot (WB) were employed to investigate Ngb and Hif‐1α expression in the telencephalon. Ngb and Hif‐1α are significantly expressed in all tissues of the telencephalon except the hypothalamus. The cerebellar cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, cerebellum and corpus callosum recorded the highest expression but not significant. The overall expression revealed that Ngb expression was higher as compared to Hif‐1α. The IHC results also showed that the expression of Ngb and Hif‐1α were higher in the cerebellar cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, cerebellum and corpus callosum as compared to other regions. The results suggested that Ngb and Hif‐1α expression influence the adaptive mechanism of yak to the high altitude environment. Both Ngb and Hif‐1α participate in oxygen transports throughout the telencephalon and have functions in neuroprotection. Further studies are needed to confirm the mechanism of adaptation.