The effect of follicular fluid hormones on oocyte recovery after ovarian stimulation: FSH level predicts oocyte recovery

Background  

Ovarian stimulation for assisted reproductive technology (ART) overcomes the physiologic process to develop a single dominant follicle. However, following stimulation, egg recovery rates are not 100%. The objective of this study is to determine if the follicular fluid hormonal environment is associated with oocyte recovery.     

Models for Trypanosoma evansi (surra), its control and economic impact on small-hold livestock owners in the Philippines

Simple demographic and infectious disease models of buffaloes and other domestic hosts for animal trypanosomosis (surra) caused by Trypanosoma evansi were developed. The animal models contained deterministic and stochastic elements and were linked to simulate the benefit of control regimes for surra in village domestic animal populations in Mindanao, Philippines. The impact of the disease on host fertility and mortality were key factors in determining the economic losses and net-benefit from the control regimes. If using a high (99%) efficacy drug in surra-moderate to high risk areas, then treating all animals twice each year yielded low prevalence in 2 years; targeted treatment of clinically sick animals, constantly monitored (monthly), required 75% fewer treatments but took longer to reach a low prevalence than treating all animals twice each year. At high drug efficacy both of these treatment strategies increased the benefit over untreated animals by 81%. If drug efficacy declined then the benefit obtained from twice yearly treatment of all animals declined rapidly compared with regular monitoring and targeting treatment to clinically sick animals. The current control regimen applied in the Philippines of annual sero-testing for surra and only treating sero-positive animals provided the lowest net-benefit of all the control options simulated and would not be regarded as effective control. The total net-benefit from effective surra control for a typical village in a moderate/high risk area was 7.9 million pesos per annum (US $158,000). The value added to buffaloes, cattle, horses, goats/sheep and pigs as a result of this control was US $88, $84, $151, $7, $114 per animal/year, respectively.     

Analysis of phospholipid molecular species by liquid chromatography--atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry of diacylglycerol nicotinates.

A method using liquid chromatography - atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry was evaluated for determining the molecular species composition of phospholipids (phosphatidylcholines from soybean, egg yolk and bovine liver) after conversion to diacylglycerol nicotinate derivatives. The structures could be deduced from pseudo-molecular ions ([MH-123](+)) and three pairs of monoacyl containing fragment ions. All molecular species in mixed peaks were readily identified and many minor components, earlier not encountered in the samples under investigation, were identified. Acyl chain regioisomers were readily distinguished by the ratio of the [MH-RCHCO](+) ions. Molecular species differing only in the position of the double bonds in one polyunsaturated acyl chain were separated on the basis of retention times. A half quantitative estimation of the molecular species composition of complex samples was achieved by a combination of UV detection and, for mixed peaks, the areas of [MH-123](+) ions.     

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor activation causes inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation, prolactin and growth hormone secretion in GH3 rat anterior pituitary tumour cells

Acetylcholine, oxotremorine and carbachol, compounds that exhibit muscarinic agonist activity, maximally inhibited basal prolactin secretion from GH3 cells by approx. 50% and intracellular cyclic AMP levels by approx. 20%. Both parameters were inhibited with similar potencies by each agonist. These inhibitory effects were blocked by a muscarinic but not by a nicotinic receptor antagonist. In the presence of VIP or IBMX, which raise intracellular cyclic AMP levels and stimulate hormone release, the degree of muscarinic inhibition was increased, but the potency remained unchanged. Similar changes in the secretory rate of prolactin and growth hormone occurred in these and in cell perifusion experiments. These results suggest that the inhibition of hormone secretion from GH3 cells by muscarinic agonists is mediated by a decrease in intracellular cyclic AMP levels.     

Thermodynamics of the arginine kinase reaction.

The effect of temperature, pH, free [Mg(2+)], and ionic strength on the apparent equilibrium constant of arginine kinase (EC 2.7.3.3) was determined. At equilibrium, the apparent K' was defined as [see text] where each reactant represents the sum of all the ionic and metal complex species. The K' at pH 7.0, 1.0 mM free [Mg(2+)], and 0. 25 M ionic strength was 29.91 +/- 0.59, 33.44 +/- 0.46, 35.44 +/- 0. 71, 39.64 +/- 0.74, and 45.19 +/- 0.65 (n = 8) at 40, 33, 25, 15, and 5 degrees C, respectively. The standard apparent enthalpy (DeltaH degrees') is -8.19 kJ mol(-1), and the corresponding standard apparent entropy of the reaction (DeltaS degrees') is + 2. 2 J K(-1)mol(-1) in the direction of ATP formation at pH 7.0, free [Mg(2+)] =1.0 mM, ionic strength (I) =0.25 M at 25 degrees C. We further show that the magnitude of transformed Gibbs energy (DeltaG degrees ') of -8.89 kJ mol(-1) is mostly comprised of the enthalpy of the reaction, with 7.4% coming from the entropy TDeltaS degrees' term (+0.66 kJ mol(-1)). Our results are discussed in relation to the thermodynamic properties of its evolutionary successor, creatine kinase.     

Discontinuous genetic variation among mesophilic Naegleria isolates: further evidence that N. gruberi is not a single species.

Naegleria isolates which are currently placed in the type species N. gruberi display great genetic, physiological and morphological heterogeneity. There are two possible interpretations of the nature of this species--that N. gruberi is a species complex or that it is a single continuously variable species. To distinguish between these alternatives, allelic states were determined for 33 loci in 74 new isolates selected to represent wide geographic sources and diverse temperature limits for growth. The results were compared with data for culture collection strains of N. gruberi and other species in the genus. The isolates formed a discontinuous series of clusters, separated by genetic distances similar to those separating the better-characterised taxa N. fowleri, N. lovaniensis, N. jadini, N. australiensis australiensis and N. australiensis italica. Culture collection strains assigned to N. gruberi fell into six distinct clusters, while other clusters were not represented by reference strains. The data are most consistent with the interpretation that N. gruberi is a group of several distinct species, each equivalent to the recently described species in the genus. Naegleria andersoni andersoni and N. andersoni jamiesoni also formed two distinct clusters, equivalent to species. Characteristics temperature limits for growth show that the mesophilic species are ecological as well as genetic entities.     

Heart design: free ADP scales with absolute mitochondrial and myofibrillar volumes from mouse to human

Our aim was to estimate a number of bioenergetic parameters in the beating mouse, rat and guinea pig heart in situ and compare the values to those in hearts of mammals over a 2000-fold range in body mass. For the mouse, rat and guinea pig heart, we report a phosphorylation ratio of 1005±50 (n=16), 460±32 (n=10) and 330±22 (n=5) mM⁻¹ and a free cytosolic [ADP] concentration of 13, 18 and 22 μM, respectively. When each parameter was plotted against body mass, they scaled closely to the quarter power (−0.28, r=0.99 and −0.23, r=0.97). A similar regression slope was found when the inverse of free [ADP] was plotted against absolute mitochondrial (slope=−0.26, r=0.99) and myofibrillar volumes (slope=−0.24, r=0.99). The similar slopes indicate that the ratio of absolute mitochondria and myofibrillar volumes in the healthy mammalian heart is a constant, and independent of body size. In conclusion, our study supports the hypothesis that the mammalian heart has a number of highly conserved thermodynamic and kinetic parameters that obey quarter-power laws linking the phosphorylation ratio, ATP turnover rates, free [ADP] and absolute mitochondrial volumes to body size. The results are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms and potential deviations from these laws in some disease states.