Evaluation of an on-farm blood progesterone test for predicting the day of parturition in cattle

An on-farm blood progesterone enzymeimmunoassay (EIA) was evaluated as a diagnostic test to predict the time of calving within a 24-hour period in near-term dairy cows. Blood samples were taken daily from 45 cows beginning 5 days prior to their expected due dates until calving, and plasma was stored at -20 degrees C until all cows had calved. The EIA test was performed on frozen-thawed plasma samples, and progesterone concentrations were determined to be low (positive test for calving within 24 hours) or high (negative test for calving within 24 hours). Sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of the EIA to accurately determine parturition within 24 hours were 86.7, 90.8 and 75.0%, respectively. The EIA correctly predicted the day of parturition in 168 of 187 (89.8%) plasma samples. Ten additional cows were similarly monitored except the EIA was performed on whole blood immediately after collection, and the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of the test were 80.0, 97.6 and 88.9%, respectively. The day of parturition was correctly predicted in 49 of 52 (94.2%) whole blood samples. More than 95% of the cows calved within 24 hours when their plasma progesterone reached < 1.3 ng/ml. When results of the EIA were compared with those of a radioimmunoassay (RIA), the EIA findings were used to correctly classify 190 of 232 (81.9%) plasma samples as having low (< 2.0 ng/ml) or high (>/= 2.0 ng/ml) concentrations of progesterone. The EIA test was found to be a quick, practical means of estimating progesterone concentrations in bovine plasma or whole blood and was a useful test for predicting the day of parturition in cows.     

Hourly distribution of time of parturition in the domestic goat

Data on 2589 records collected during 12 years in one breed of dairy goats that were maintained in stables were analysed to examine the influence of various factors on the time of parturition. Parturitions were observed from mid-January to the end of April. Hourly frequencies of birth showed an unimodal distribution with maximum births at midday and minimum births around midnight with 90.6% of deliveries occurring between 0600 and 2000 h. The distribution showed a noticeable homogeneity when the following parameters were taken into account: litter-size, litters with live or stillborn kids, time of the year and length of gestation. In two other herds, 117 and 166 records obtained after 4 and 3 years of observation were studied. As in the first herd, births were more frequent between 0700 to 1900 h (day; 72.3 and 70.2 %, respectively) than between 1900 and 0700 h (night; P<0.001). These observations on the time of birth of the domestic goat suggest a regulation of the birth process by circadian events which themselves remain unknown.     

The contribution of the immune system to parturition

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE BEFORE AND DURING PARTURITION, INCLUDING THE MAIN PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF PARTURITION: uterine contractions and cervical ripening. The immune system comprises white blood cells and their secretions. Polymorphonuclear cells and macrophages invade the cervical tissue and release compounds, such as oxygen radicals and enzymes, which break down the cervical matrix to allow softening and dilatation. During this inflammatory process, white blood cells undergo chemotaxis, adherence to endothelial cells, diapedesis, migration and activation. Factors that regulate white blood cell invasion and secretion include cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor and interleukins. Glucocorticoids, sex hormones and prostaglandins, affect cytokine synthesis. They also modulate the target cells, resulting in altered responses to cytokines. On the other hand, the immune system has profound effects on the hormonal system and prostaglandin synthesis. In animals, nitric oxide has marked effects on uterine quiescence during gestation. At the same time, it plays an important role in regulating the vascular tone of uterine arteries and has anti-adhesive effects on leukocytes. Cytokines are found in amniotic fluid, and in maternal and foetal serum at term and preterm. Several intrauterine cells have been shown to produce these cytoldnes. Since neither white blood cells, cytokines nor nitric oxide seem to be the ultimate intermediate for human parturition, the immune system is an additional but obligatory and underestimated component in the physiology of delivery. Scientists, obstetricians and anaesthesiologists must thus be aware of these processes.     

A microarray system for Y chromosomal and mitochondrial single nucleotide polymorphism analysis in chimpanzee populations

Chimpanzee populations are diminishing as a consequence of human activities, and as a result this species is now endangered. In the context of conservation programmes, genetic data can add vital information, for instance on the genetic diversity and structure of threatened populations. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) are biallelic markers that are widely used in human molecular studies and can be implemented in efficient microarray systems. This technology offers the potential of robust, multiplexed SNP genotyping at low reagent cost in other organisms than humans, but it is not commonly used yet in wild population studies. Here, we describe the characterization of new SNPs in Y-chromosomal intronic regions in chimpanzees and also identify SNPs from mitochondrial genes, with the aim of developing a microarray system that permits the simultaneous study of both paternal and maternal lineages. Our system consists of 42 SNPs for the Y chromosome and 45 SNPs for the mitochondrial genome. We demonstrate the applicability of this microarray in a captive population where genotypes accurately reflected its large pedigree. Two wild-living populations were also analysed and the results show that the microarray will be a useful tool alongside microsatellite markers, since it supplies complementary information about population structure and ecology. SNP genotyping using microarray technology, therefore, is a promising approach and may become an essential tool in conservation genetics to help in the management and study of captive and wild-living populations. Moreover, microarrays that combine SNPs from different genomic regions could replace microsatellite typing in the future.     

Molecular genetics of chimpanzee Rh-related genes: Their relationship with the R-C-E-F blood group system,the chimpanzee counterpart of the human rhesus system

As the chimpanzee R-C-E-F blood group system appears to be the chimpanzee counterpart of the human Rhesus (RH) system, we have tried to determine whether chimpanzee Rh-like genes encode R-C-E-F-related proteins. Chimpanzee genomic DNA, digested by any of eight endonucleases and hybridized with three Rh exon-specific probes, exhibits a high degree of polymorphism. Analysis of DNA from unrelated individuals of different R-C-E-F types revealed that the presence of some restriction fragments is correlated with particular R-C-E-F types. The cosegregation of these fragments with R-C-E-F haplotypes was confirmed by family studies. Oligonucleotides complementary to regions flanking human exons were used as PCR primers on chimpanzee DNA; the resulting amplified fragments were identical in size to their human counterparts. Moreover, the nucleotide sequences of the fragments present a high degree of similarity to the corresponding human regions.     

Gene flow in wild chimpanzee populations: what genetic data tell us about chimpanzee movement over space and time

The isolation of phylogenetically distinct primate immunodeficiency viruses from at least seven wild-born, captive chimpanzees indicates that viruses closely related to HIV-1 may be endemic in some wild chimpanzee populations. The search for the chimpanzee population or populations harbouring these viruses is therefore on. This paper attempts to answer the question of whether or not such populations of chimpanzees are likely to exist at all, and, if so, where they are likely to be found. We summarize what is known about gene flow in wild populations of chimpanzees, both between major phylogeographical subdivisions of the species, and within these subdivisions. Our analysis indicates that hitherto undocumented reproductively isolated chimpanzee populations may in fact exist. This conclusion is based on the observation that, despite limited geographical sampling and limited numbers of genetic loci, conventional notions of the nature and extent of chimpanzee gene flow have recently been substantially revised. Molecular genetic studies using mitochondrial DNA sequences and hypervariable nuclear microsatellite markers have indicated the existence of heretofore undocumented barriers to chimpanzee gene flow. These studies have identified at least one population of chimpanzees genetically distinct enough to be classified into a new subspecies (Pan troglodytes vellerosus). At the same time, they have called into question the long-accepted genetic distinction between eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and western equatorial chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes). The same studies have further indicated that gene flow between local populations is more extensive than was previously thought, and follows patterns sometimes inconsistent with those documented through direct behavioural observation. Given the apparently incomplete nature of the current understanding of chimpanzee gene flow in equatorial Africa, it seems reasonable to speculate that a chimpanzee population or populations may exist which both harbour the putative HIV-1 ancestor, and which have remained reproductively isolated from other chimpanzee populations over the time-scale relevant to the evolution of the SIVcpz-HIV-1 complex of viruses. Continued extensive sampling of wild chimpanzee populations, both for their genes and their viruses, should be performed quickly considering the high probability of extinction that many wild chimpanzee populations face today. The history of human-chimpanzee contacts is discussed.     

A case of the adoption of an infant chimpanzee by a suckling foster chimpanzee

Chimpanzees in captivity have grown up in a rather unnatural social environment and there frequently are problems when they have to nurse their own offspring. It is most remarkable that a chimpanzee mother in a captive colony, who had lost her child almost immediately after birth, adopted without problems a five-week-old infant, which had been reared by humans from the day of its birth. Successful adoption has not been reported for feral chimpanzees; similar cases in captivity are not known.     

A system for predicting and preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders among dentists

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have become increasingly common among dentists and initiate a series of events that could result in a career ending. This study aims to construct a system for predicting and preventing WMSD among dentists. We used Bayesian network (BN) that describes the mutual relationships among multiple variables contributing to WMSDs. The data-sets were prepared from direct measurements of dentist's movements and a questionnaire survey. We applied BN learning algorithms to the training data-sets to develop WMSD prediction model using 10-fold cross-validation. To evaluate the system performance, 16 dentists were randomly assigned into a 2 × 2 crossover trial scheduled to each of two sequences of dental working: receiving feedback or no feedback including the probability of WMSD and related risk factors from the system. The group that received feedback decreased significantly (t-test, p < 0.05) the extensions of neck and upper back in the y-axis as well as the WMSD probability on the post-test. In conclusion, the system for predicting and preventing WMSD aids the correction of neck and upper back extensions and reduction in WMSD probability, which may potentially contribute to reduce the risk of WMSD among dentists.     

New approaches for predicting protein retention time in hydrophobic interaction chromatography

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is an important technique for the purification of proteins. In this paper, we review three different approaches for predicting protein retention time in HIC, based either on a protein's structure or on its amino-acidic composition, and we have extended one of these approaches. The first approach correlates the protein retention time in HIC with the protein average surface hydrophobicity. This methodology is based on the protein three-dimensional structure data and considers the hydrophobic contribution of the exposed amino acid residues as a weighted average. The second approach, which we have extended, is based on the high correlation level between the average surface hydrophobicity of a protein's hydrophobic interacting zone and its retention time in HIC. Finally, a third approach carries out a prediction of the average surface hydrophobicity of a protein, using only its amino-acidic composition, without knowing its three-dimensional structure. These models would make it possible to test different operating conditions for the purification of a target protein by computer simulations, and thus make it easier to select the optimal conditions, contributing to the rational design and optimization of the process.     

A right hemispheric prefrontal system for cognitive time measurement

Despite a growing body of neuroimaging data, little consensus has been reached regarding the neural correlates of temporal processing in humans. This paper presents a reanalysis of two previously published neuroimaging experiments, which used two different cognitive timing tasks and examined both sub- and supra-second intervals. By processing these data in an identical manner, this reanalysis allows valid comparison and contrasting across studies. Conjunction of these studies using inclusive masking reveals shared activity in right hemispheric dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior insula, supporting a general-purpose system for cognitive time measurement in the right hemispheric prefrontal cortex. Consideration of the patterns of activity in each dataset with respect to the others, and taking task characteristics into account, provides insight into the possible role of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in working memory and of posterior parietal cortex and anterior cingulate in attentional processing during cognitive time measurement tasks.     

A search for associations between weather and the onset of human parturition

Weather data were examined for association with hospital records indicating the time at which pregnant women at term first experienced labor contractions (onsets). There is a considerable advantage, compared with mortality and morbidity, to using this response to infer weather influences. Three tests were used. First, the time series of daily onsets was analyzed to determine if characteristics known to exist in time series of weather data — variability and persistence — were evident in daily onsets. Second, the frequency distributions of nine weather variables were stratified, mostly by terciles, and onset means calculated for each of these divisions. Response means much different from average were then used to specify the nature of weather at such times. Third, the weather data were organized as weather types — pre- and post-cold frontal and general cold frontal — and onsets at these times were compared with those at non-frontal times. The time series characteristics were not found, but the other analysis revealed subsets of days on which onsets were above average, and in some cases the results were statistically significant. One such subset consists of winter days with low pressure, temperature markedly lower than the day before, and high wind speeds. On such days onsets were 34% above average. They were also above average during the 48 hours before and after cold front passage, and especially so in the 12 hours prior to the front. These findings constitute a weak, but statistically significant indication that human parturition is influenced by weather. Follow-up studies are urged.     

An SVM-based system for predicting protein subnuclear localizations

Background  

The large gap between the number of protein sequences in databases and the number of functionally characterized proteins calls for the development of a fast computational tool for the prediction of subnuclear and subcellular localizations generally applicable to protein sequences. The information on localization may reveal the molecular function of novel proteins, in addition to providing insight on the biological pathways in which they function. The bulk of past work has been focused on protein subcellular localizations. Furthermore, no specific tool has been dedicated to prediction at the subnuclear level, despite its high importance. In order to design a suitable predictive system, the extraction of subtle sequence signals that can discriminate among proteins with different subnuclear localizations is the key.     

Lambing and placental expulsion time after dexamethasone-induced parturition in Corriedale and Polwarth ewes

To study breed differences in ewes induced to parturition with dexamethasone (DXM), 15 Corriedale and 16 Polwarth ewes were injected with 15 mg of DXM four days before the expected lambing date (Days 144 and 145, respectively) in Experiment 1. Interval from treatment to parturition was twice as long for the Polwarth than for the Corriedale breed (57.9 vs 28.8 hours, P /= 0.05) and on the percentage of ewes retaining the placenta beyond 6 hours (18% vs 0%, P>/= 0.05). Birth weight of lambs was lower in the induced group (3.9 vs 4.5 kg, P相似文献