Gender-specific effects of prenatal stress on emotional reactivity and stress physiology of goat kids

The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of maternal stress during pregnancy on the emotional reactivity, the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, and the sympatho-adrenomedullary (SAM) system of goat offspring according to their gender, and to investigate the role of maternal cortisol in prenatal stress effects. Goats were exposed to ten transports in isolation or ten ACTH injections (0.125 IU/kg body weight) during the last third of pregnancy. Control goats remained undisturbed. No effect of repeated transport during the last third of pregnancy was found on basal cortisol concentrations of the offspring. However, an increase in phenylethanolamine N-methyl transferase activity in the adrenals was observed in prenatally stressed kids compared to control kids (P = 0.031). In the presence of novelty, prenatally stressed female kids were more active (P = 0.049) than control females; they also showed more signs of arousal (P = 0.039) and tended to explore more of their environment (P = 0.053) in reaction to a startling stimulus. On the contrary, prenatally stressed male kids tended to be less active (P = 0.051) than control male kids but showed more signs of distress (P = 0.047) in the presence of novelty. Intermediate effects were found on the emotional reactivity to novelty of kids born from dams given injections of ACTH. In conclusion, transport stress in pregnant goats affects the sympatho-adrenomedullary system and the emotional reactivity of their offspring in a gender-specific manner. Moreover, the effects of prenatal transport and ACTH injections showed some similarities but differed in some critical details.     

Survival analysis of mortality in pre-weaning kids of Sirohi goat

Pre-weaning animals exit a flock through death induced by various reasons, causing significant economic losses to the goat producers. In this study, we investigated the survival from birth to weaning of Sirohi goat kids within framework of the survival analysis. Kid records were accessed from 1997 to 2017, with the information on 4417 pre-weaning animals of farmed Sirohi goat native to the Rajasthan State of India. A multivariable Cox regression was fitted to the data after checking the assumptions of regression. The explanatory variables were sex, type of birth, season of birth, birthweight, doe weight at kidding and year of birth. Model selection eliminated doe weight from the model, and sex, type of birth, season of birth, birthweight and year of birth were retained in the model. With model calibration also, these five covariates were retained in the model. The mortality on the first day after birth was 0.3%, constituting 3.5% of all pre-weaning mortality. The mortality until the end of weaning period was 7.8%. Regression analysis revealed that the higher birthweight at kidding was associated with reduced hazard of death among the kids. Male kids had higher hazards of death compared with female kids. The single-born kids had lower risks of death compared with twin-born kids after accounting for heterogeneity. The winter season had a very high adverse effect on the survival of the kids. With each passing year, risks of death decreased. The results of this study indicate that better survival of kids can be achieved by controlling both environmental and animal-related factors.     

Clinical aspects of normal pubertal development.

Puberty is associated with changes in nearly all organs and structures of the body. The present paper reviews the clinical aspects of these changes, i.e. the growth and development of the gonads and of secondary sexual characteristics, the pubertal growth spurt, the changes in body composition and the differential growth of certain viscera. The marked sexual dimorphism of some of these changes and of their timing is also discussed.     

Properties and prenatal ontogeny of beta-D-mannosidase in selected goat tissues.

beta-D-Mannosidase activity in selected normal adult, neonatal and foetal goat tissues and in tissues from animals affected with caprine beta-mannosidosis was examined with the use of 4-methylumbelliferyl beta-D-mannopyranoside as substrate. The enzyme in normal adult thyroid, kidney and brain exhibited a sharp unimodal pH optimum at pH 5.0, whereas the enzyme in both normal adult and mutant liver exhibited broad pH ranges of activity (pH 4.5-8.0). No residual enzyme was detectable in mutant kidney or brain; in contrast, residual activity in mutant liver was 52% of that in a neonatal control. Concanavalin A-Sepharose 4B (Con A-Sepharose) fractionation of normal adult liver beta-D-mannosidase resolved the enzyme into an unbound (non-lysosomal) from (52%) with a broad pH range of activity (pH 4.5-8.0) and a bound (lysosomal) form (48%) with a sharp pH optimum of 5.5. The enzyme in mutant liver consisted entirely of the unbound (non-lysosomal) form. Beta-D-Mannosidase activity in normal adult thyroid, kidney and brain was resolved by chromatofocusing into two major isoenzymes, with pI 5.5 and 5.9, and traces of a minor isoenzyme, with pI 5.0. In normal adult liver the enzyme was also resolved into three isoenzymes with similar pI values; however, that with pI 5.0 predominated. The predominant form of the enzyme in 60-day-foetal liver was bound by Con A, exhibited a unimodal pH optimum (5.0) and was resolved into two isoenzymes, with pI 5.4 and 5.8; only traces of an isoenzyme with pI 5.0 were detectable. Total hepatic beta-D-mannosidase activity increased progressively towards adult values during the last 90 days of gestation as a result of increasing non-lysosomal isoenzyme activity (pI 5.0). Lysosomal beta-D-mannosidase was shown to occur in all normal goat tissues studied as multiple isoenzymes, which are genetically and developmentally distinct from the non-lysosomal isoenzyme occurring predominantly, if not exclusively, in liver.     

Synovial fluid changes in mycoplasma induced septicaemic polyarthritis of goat kids

Synovial fluid samples of goat kids inoculated (ip) with 5 ml of 48 hr log phase culture of Mycoplasma mycoides sub sp. mycoides (large colony type) containing 10(7) cfu/ml were analysed for physical, cytological and biochemical properties. The synovial effusions were exudative in nature with increased volume. Gross appearances were serofibrinous, haemorrhagic and turbid containing flocculent materials with immediate clot formation. Mucinous precipitate quality was very poor having friable precipitates with cloudy supernatant. There were high total leucocytic and erythrocytic counts with significant high numbers of both neutrophils and lymphocytes. Synovial fluid sugar contents were significantly reduced, whereas total protein contents were significantly increased with concomitant reduction in albumin:globulin ratio. The alkaline phosphatase and transaminase values were also markedly increased in the synovial fluids of mycoplasma induced polyarthritic goat kids. The results may provide a clinical guideline for diagnosis, chemotherapy and prognosis of different joint diseases in domesticated animals.     

Partial substitution by long days of short days required for floral induction in Impatiens balsamina

Two SD cycles are necessary for initiation of floral buds inImpatiens balsamina L., var. Rose. Floral buds are also initiatedin plants exposed to only one SD cycle +16- or 20-hr LDs; LDsby themselves are noninductive. Floral bud initiation is hastenedand the number of initiated flowers increases with longer darkperiods in the supplementary photoperiodic cycles. (Received May 6, 1972; )     

Genotypes and subtypes of Cryptosporidium spp. in diarrheic lambs and goat kids in northern Greece

Inconsistent data exist on the distribution of zoonotic Cryptosporidium species and subtypes in sheep and goats in European countries, and few such data are available from Greece. In this study, 280 fecal specimens were collected from 132 diarrheic lambs and 148 diarrheic goat kids aged 4 to 15?days on 15 farms in northern Greece, and examined for Cryptosporidium spp. using microscopy of Ziehl-Neelsen-stained fecal smears. Cryptosporidium spp. in 80 microscopy-positive fecal specimens (39 from lambs and 41 from goat kids) were genotyped by PCR-RFLP analysis of the small subunit rRNA gene and subtyped by sequence analysis the 60?kDa glycoprotein gene. Among the 33 specimens successfully genotyped, C. parvum was found in 32 and C. xiaoi in one. Seven subtypes belonging to two subtype families (IIa and IId) were identified among the 29 C. parvum specimens successfully subtyped, including IIaA14G2R1 (1/29), IIaA15G2R1 (6/29), IIaA20G1R1 (7/29), IIdA14G2 (1/29), IIdA15G1 (9/29), IIdA16G1 (3/29), and IIdA23G1 (2/29). Lambs were more commonly infected with C. parvum IIa subtypes, whereas goat kids were more with IId subtypes. The results illustrate that C. parvum is prevalent in diarrheic lambs and goat kids in northern Greece and these animals could potentially play a role in epidemiology of human cryptosporidiosis.     

Physical and pubertal development in young male gymnasts.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of intense training on physical growth and sexual maturation in young male gymnasts. Physical development, pubertal development, testosterone levels, energy expenditure, and relative body fat were examined in 21 circumpubertal male gymnasts (13.3 +/- 0.3 yr) and 24 age-matched controls (13.5 +/- 0.3 yr). Subjects completed a self-assessment of genital and pubic hair development with the use of the Tanner scale. All subjects were measured for height, weight, and salivary testosterone levels (T). The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents was used to estimate weekly energy expenditure in metabolic equivalents. Percent body fat (%BF) was assessed by using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Developmental stages and T, as well as height and weight, were not different between groups. Energy expenditure was significantly higher (P 相似文献   

Floral induction by gibberellic acid in Zinnia elegans jacq. under non-inductive long days

Summary Flowering was induced in Zinnia elegans under non-inductive 24-h photoperiods by the application of gibberellic acid, although later than under inductive 8-h photoperiods. Gibberellic acid also enhanced extension growth and leaf differentiation under both photoperiods.     

Preference of 12-h-old kids for their mother goat is impaired by pre-partum-induced anosmia in the mother

We investigated whether kids were able to discriminate their own mother from an alien one in a two-choice test on the day of birth when they had access to acoustic, visual and olfactory cues from their mother, and whether this discrimination depended on the selective maternal behaviour of the mother (i.e. exclusive nursing of own kids). When given the choice between their own mother and an alien equivalent dam, 8-h-old kids did not show a significant preference for their dam, whereas 12- and 24-h-old kids did. When given the choice between their own and an alien mother that were both non-selective because they had been rendered peripherally anosmic by irrigation of the nostrils with zinc sulphate, 12-h-old kids did not show a significant preference for their mother. These results are similar to those reported in sheep and may suggest that the contrast of behaviour between their own and an alien mother existing in normosmic does is important for discrimination of dams by kids at this age. Finally, testing 8-h-old kids in a smaller enclosure resulted in some improvement of their performance, although they still failed to display a significant preference for their mother. On the whole, kids are able to discriminate between their own and an alien mother goat as early as previously reported in lambs. The impairment of this ability when mothers are anosmic and not selective suggests that acceptance behaviours displayed by the mother may serve as one of the cues orientating the choice of the kid when given the choice between intact mothers. Finally, the present results do not suggest the existence of fundamental differences in the establishment of a preference for the mother between lambs, which are followers, and kids, which are hiders.     

Secular trend of pubertal development in Chile

The secular trend of pubertal development in Chile is analysed on the basis of three cross-sectional studies performed in 1887, 1940 and 1970.A tendency for menarche to occur at earlier ages is observed. There is a rate of decrease of 0·066 years per decade in the period between 1887 and 1940 and of 0·29 years per decade in the last 30 years.In 1970 girls aged 10 to 17 years were taller than those in 1940 at similar socioeconomic levels. In weight, the effect of socioeconomic level seems important, thus in the sample of 1940 girls in the higher socioeconomic level were the heaviest and in the sample of 1970 both socioeconomic levels presented similar weight although the well-off sample was taller.The weight/height³ index clearly shows two effects: first, that girls in 1970 had a lower index than those in 1940. Second, the effect of socioeconomic level was not the same in 1940 and 1970; in the former year the low socioeconomic groups had a lower index than that of high socioeconomic groups, whereas the reverse was found in 1970.     

Changes in bilirubins in human prenatal development.

1. A densitometric method has been developed for the quantification of azodipyrroles derived from dog bile pigments treated with diazotized ethyl anthranilate. 2. This method was used to estimate the bilirubins in bile and meconium from foetuses of 14-36 weeks gestation. 3. The proportion of the bilirubins in foetal bile changed during gestation. (a) No bile pigments were found until 14 weeks. (b) Between 14 and 15 weeks bilirubin-IX beta was the only bile pigment detected. (c) At 16-17 weeks some unconjugated bilirubin-IX alpha was found in the bile, but up to 20 weeks bilirubin-IX beta was the predominant bilirubin in the bile. (d) At about 20 weeks glucose, xylose, and an unidentified bilirubin-IX alpha monoconjugate were found in the bile. (e) Between 20 and 23 weeks bilirubin-IX alpha glucuronide appeared in the bile. (f) At 30 weeks monoconjugates of bilirubin-IX alpha were the predominant bilirubins in the bile. (g) Only in full-term foetuses was bilirubin-IX alpha monoglucuronide the major bilirubin derivative.     

Initiation of the breeding season in ewe lambs and goat kids with melatonin implants

Sixty-eight female and 4 male lambs of the Chios breed born in autumn (September–October) and 48 female and 4 male kids of the Damascus breed also born in autumn (November), were used to evaluate the effect of melatonin implants (Regulin^®) on the initiation of the breeding season. For each species and sex, half of the animals were either left untreated to serve as controls (C) or received ear implants (females one and males two implants) of melatonin (MEL) in May (spring). Each C and MEL group of females was kept separately and away from males for 5 weeks after implantation and then, C and MEL males were joined with the respective groups for 45 (sheep) and 35 days (goats). Animals not conceiving during the early June–July breeding season, were mated again in September (natural breeding season). The reproductive performance and the 60-day milk yield of animals giving birth during the two seasons were compared. Early in the season (mid November–December), significantly more MEL than C ewes and goats gave birth (75.5% versus 23.5%, p < 0.01; 70.8% versus 37.5%, p < 0.05, respectively). For both species, most of the other characteristics examined were significantly affected by season, but not by treatment. Females giving birth early in the season were approximately 80 days younger at parturition and recorded a lower body weight at mating than those giving birth in the natural February–March season. In the first mating period, the animals mated and conceived had similar body weights to those not mated. The natural, compared with the early June–July mating season, was associated in sheep with higher litter weight at birth (7.0 kg versus 5.8 kg, p < 0.05) and in sheep and goats with a higher number (p < 0.05) of offspring born live (1.78 versus 1.38; 2.0 versus 1.61, respectively) and weaned (1.74 versus 1.36; 1.82 versus 1.35, respectively). Total litter size at birth and 60-day milk yield after weaning, were not significantly different between the two seasons. It could be concluded that melatonin implants administered during the last month of spring in autumn-born female Chios sheep and Damascus goats, advanced the initiation of their breeding season by about 80 days when joined with young males also treated with melatonin implants. The overall reproductive performance and milk yield of animals breeding early, was satisfactory and comparable to that of animals breeding in the natural breeding season.     

Role of androgens in fetal and pubertal development

During fetal development, androgens exert long-term effects which are either organizational on specific organs during a critical phase of morphogenesis (e.g. sexual differentiation of external genitalia), or programming neural functions or enzyme activities expressed later in life. At all stages of development, which extends from fetal and neonatal stages to pubertal accomplishment, androgens also have activational effects that are immediate, multiple, reversible and dose dependent. Both types of actions are intricate during human development. This review will focus (1) on the intricate morphological and activational roles of androgens on sexual differentiation and pubertal development of the genital tract, external genitalia and mammary glands, and (2) on the organizational effects of androgens on four central nervous system functions: pituitary regulation of liver metabolism, gonadotropin secretions, sex dimorphic behavioral patterns, and 'sexualization of the brain'. If the molecular basis of the immediate androgenic action is known, depending of androgen receptor's availability and affinity, little is known of the way androgens exert their influence on either so various morphological processes or neuroendocrine imprinting.     

Artificial long days and daily contact with bucks induce ovarian but not oestrous activity during the non-breeding season in Mediterranean goat females

The aim of the present study was to determine whether a treatment of 3 mo of artificial long days and daily contact with bucks can stimulate reproductive activity during the normal seasonal anoestrous in female goats, and whether such treatment modifies the onset of the normal breeding season. Thirty-nine adult, open does were assigned to two treatments of similar mean body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS). One treatment (LD; n=18) was housed in a light-proof building and exposed to long days (16 h of light/d) from 17 November to 5 February, and then exposed to the natural photoperiod in an open shed. The remaining females were housed in an open shed under natural photoperiod conditions throughout the experiment (control [C]; n=21). Plasma samples for progesterone, BW and BCS were recorded every wk. Oestrous activity was checked daily using aproned bucks. Bucks were housed close to females in a separate barn from the onset of the experiment. Ovulation rate was determined by laparoscopy 7 d after positive identification of oestrus. The interaction of treatment by time for temporal concentrations patterns of progesterone concentrations indicated that luteal activity in LD does were greater (P<0.001) than those of C does during the natural seasonal anoestrous season. None of the C does exhibited oestrous or luteal activity during the non-breeding season; whereas, 72% of LD does exhibited luteal activity only 33% of them showed oestrous activity and during this season (P<0.01). Differences in resumption of the oestrous or luteal activity were not observed (P>0.05) in the subsequent breeding season between treatments. In conclusion, 3 mo of exposing does to long days and daily contact with bucks during the breeding season appears to stimulate reproductive processes that normal would not occur during the anoestrous season. However, this treatment does not induce oestrus is adequate numbers of does to be of practical value. Finally, this treatment does not modify the onset of the subsequent natural breeding season.     

Artificial long days in addition to exogenous melatonin and daily contact with bucks stimulate the ovarian and oestrous activity in Mediterranean goat females

One experiment was conducted to determine whether the treatment with artificial long days and exogenous melatonin can induce reproductive activity during spring (seasonal anoestrus) in Mediterranean goats that are in daily contact with bucks and whether this treatment causes a variation in the reactivation of the reproductive activity in the normal breeding season. The experiment started on 4 November 2005 and finished on 27 October 2006. Thirty-four adult and barren does were used, distributed into two groups balanced according to their live weight (LW) and body condition score (BCS). Seventeen females were exposed to long days (16 h of light/day) from 14 November 2005 to 20 February 2006. On 20 February, they received one s.c. melatonin implant (LD-M group) and were exposed to natural photoperiodic changes in an open shed. The other females during the experiment were placed in an open shed under natural photoperiod and remained as the control group (C group). The C and LD-M groups were keeping in contact with males during the whole experiment. During the experiment, the LW, BCS and plasma progesterone concentrations were measured weekly, oestrous activity was tested daily using entire aproned bucks, and ovulation rate was evaluated by laparoscopy 7 days after positive identification of the oestrus. A clear treatment-time interaction was observed for plasma progesterone concentrations (P < 0.001), with a period of high progesterone concentrations during the natural seasonal anoestrus in the LD-M group. Although 94.1% of females in the LD-M group presented ovarian activity during this period, no female in group C did. Resumption of ovarian activity in the subsequent natural breeding season was 2 weeks later in the LD-M group in comparison with group C (P < 0.05). We can conclude that in Mediterranean goat breeding systems, when females are in daily contact with bucks, the treatment with 3 months of long days and melatonin implant at the end of the light photoperiodic treatment can induce ovarian and oestrous activity during the seasonal anoestrus. Finally, this treatment causes a short delay in the subsequent reactivation of ovarian activity in the natural breeding season.     

Induction of leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana by long days through a light-dosage effect

Given the influence of photoperiod on reproductive development and whole-plant senescence in monocarpic plants, one would suspect that leaf senescence in these plants might be under photoperiodic control. In Arabidopsis thaliana , which is monocarpic and also a nonobligate long-day (LD) plant, LDs (16 h, 300 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) caused leaves to die earlier than did short days (SDs, 10 h). Since leaf longevity was not paralleled by the reproductive development in the present study, the reproductive structures did not seem to be the primary controls of leaf senescence. The LD effect appeared to depend on the amount of light rather than on day length, for leaves given LDs at reduced light intensity (180 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) lived longer than those in LDs with full light. In addition, the higher light intensity promoted chlorophyll loss and anthocyanin accumulation in LDs. Thus, senescence of these leaves seems to be governed by light dosage rather than photoperiod. Light may play a natural role in promoting the senescence of A. thaliana leaves.