Prostaglandin f2α induced termination of pregnancy and its reversal by prolactin or progesterone in rats

Intrauterine insertion of a Silastic-PVP tube containing 400 μg PGF_2α terminated midterm pregnancy in 100 percent of the animals. Progesterone (2 mg/day) or prolactin (PRL) reversed the abortifacient effect of PGF_2α. A dose- and duration-related effect of the PRL on PGFinduced termination of pregnancy was evident. The results suggest that PP 2 and PRL are antagonistic to each other and multiple doses of PRL are needed to neutralize the luteolytic action of PGF_2α.     

Structural models of “simple” sense organs by the example of the first Metazoa

Basic variants of the evolutionary program of formation of simple sensory systems-structural models of gravitation receptor, organ of sight, chemoreceptor organ as well as of the nervous system at early stages of the Metazoan phylogenesis—are considered using results of our own morphofunctional studies and of literature data.     

The game of “gossip” analyzed by the theory of information

This paper deals with an analysis of a distributed model of the game of “gossip”, in which a message is passed through a line of individuals, and the final (in general, garbled) result is compared with the original ungarbled message. The deterioration of information (defined in the sense of Shannon and Wiener) along the line is calculated, and exact as well as asymptotic formulas suggesting approximate linear electric network analogues are obtained.     

“Ciliophagy”: The consumption of cilia components by autophagy

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) involves aberrant airway inflammatory responses to cigarette smoke (CS) associated with respiratory epithelial cell cilia shortening and impaired mucociliary clearance (MCC). The underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms for CS-associated cilia shortening have remained incompletely understood. We have previously demonstrated increased autophagy in the lungs of COPD patients; however, whether or not this process is selective for specific autophagic targets in the lung was not elucidated. Based on observations that increased morphological and biochemical indicators of autophagy correlate with cilia shortening in our models, we posited that autophagy might regulate cilia length in response to CS in the lung. We demonstrate that CS-induced cilia shortening occurs through an autophagy-dependent mechanism mediated by the deacetylase HDAC6 (histone deacetylase 6). Autophagy-impaired (Becn1^+/−, map1lc3b^−/−, or Hdac6^-/Y) mice resist CS-induced cilia shortening. Furthermore, cilia components are identified as autophagic substrates during CS exposure. Assessment of airway cilia function using a 3D MCC assay demonstrates that Becn1^+/−, map1lc3b^−/−, and Hdac6^-/Y mice or mice injected with the HDAC6 inhibitor tubastatin A are protected from CS-associated mucociliary dysfunction. We concluded that an autophagy-dependent pathway regulates cilia length during CS exposure, which identifies new pathways and targets in COPD.     

The “hypertriglyceridemic waist” phenotype and glucose intolerance in pregnancy

Background

Abdominal visceral adiposity in early pregnancy has been associated with impaired glucose tolerance in later pregnancy. The “hypertriglyceridemic waist” phenotype (i.e., abdominal obesity in combination with hyper-triglyceridemia) is a clinical marker of visceral obesity. Our study aimed to assess the association between the hyper-triglyceridemic-waist phenotype in early pregnancy and glucose intolerance in later pregnancy.

Methods

Plasma triglycerides and waist girth were measured at 11–14 weeks of gestation among 144 white pregnant women. Glycemia was measured following a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test performed at 24–28 weeks of gestation.

Results

A waist girth greater than 85 cm in combination with a triglyceride level ≥ 1.7 mmol/L in the first trimester was associated with an increased risk of two-hour glucose ≥ 7.8 mmol/L following the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (odds ratio [OR] 6.1, p = 0.002). This risk remained significant even after we controlled for maternal age, fasting glucose at first trimester and previous history of gestational diabetes (OR 4.7, p = 0.02).

Interpretation

Measurement of waist girth in combination with measurement of triglyceride concentrations in the first trimester of pregnancy could improve early screening for gestational glucose intolerance.Early and accessible screening tools for gestational diabetes mellitus are needed to improve pregnancy-related outcomes for women and children.¹ Diagnostic tools currently used for gestational diabetes (most commonly the fasting oral glucose tolerance test) are expensive, time-consuming, uncomfortable for pregnant women and do not allow diagnosis before the end of the second trimester of pregnancy.² Some earlier screening tools have been suggested, such as a 50-g glucose load followed by a one-hour plasma glucose analysis that can be performed at any time of the day and early in pregnancy. Although this test is less uncomfortable than the fasting oral glucose tolerance test, it remains time-consuming and unpleasant for women. Its use is therefore restricted mainly to women at risk for gestational diabetes.Several attempts have been made to simplify these tests to promote wider use. However, no results have yet identified the means to carry out early and widely accessible screening. Interesting positive and negative predictive values have been obtained for first-trimester fasting glucose and insulin for subsequent gestational diabetes expression.^3–5 However, these studies have been performed among women at risk of gestational diabetes and should be replicated in samples of women with various risk levels. Regardless of pregnancy, a person with normal fasting glucose can still meet the criteria for glucose intolerance or diabetes during an oral glucose tolerance test. Several studies have also shown that maternal pre-pregnancy obesity is directly associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes. However, results vary widely across studies, possibly because of lack of specificity of tools for measurement of adiposity.⁶ A recent study has suggested that abdominal visceral adiposity, specifically, is associated with risk of gestational diabetes expression.⁷The hypertriglyceridemic-waist phenotype has been identified as a simple, easily available clinical marker of visceral obesity and related metabolic abnormalities.^8,9 It is defined as the simultaneous presence of abdominal obesity (i.e., a waist girth greater than 85 cm in women or greater than 90 cm in men) and hypertriglyceridemia (i.e., a triglyceride concentration ≥ 2 mmol/L). The aim of our study was to document the association between the presence of the hypertriglyceridemic-waist phenotype in early pregnancy and impaired glucose tolerance in later pregnancy.     

The Teaching of “Adaptation”

The use of the data from various athletic sports for exercises in the interpretation of data is proposed, and accounts are given of two such exercises. The first looks at the relationship between time and distance in world records for men running. When the logarithm of the time is plotted against the logarithm of the distance a straight line is produced. Thefactors that govern the speeds at which various distances are run are discussed and the application of these to other sports and to animals other than man is briefly mentioned. The second exercise looks at anomalous performances by men running in the 1968 Olympic Games which took place at high altitude. It is shown that while the lowered air resistance increased the speeds in sprint events, and the lowered oxygen content slowed down speeds in long distance events, these were not the only factors involved in limiting speeds.

Among the advantages of the use of such data are that they are readily and easily available, that they are the result of a lengthy selection process involving many subjects, that they appeal to students interested in sport and that they can link courses in biology and physical education.