Blood plasma catecholamine concentration of poult embryos during the transition from diffusive to convective respiration

1. Plasma catecholamines were determined in turkey embryos. 2. Decreased eggshell permeability depressed dopamine and epinephrine, but increased permeability also depressed epinephrine. 3. Norepinephrine (NE) was greatest before transition to convective respiration when hypoxia occurs. 4. NE was associated inversely with eggshell permeability. 5. Catecholamines appear to assist the embryo during hatching hypoxia.     

Use of the score test as a goodness-of-fit measure of the covariance structure in genetic analysis of longitudinal data

Model selection is an essential issue in longitudinal data analysis since many different models have been proposed to fit the covariance structure. The likelihood criterion is commonly used and allows to compare the fit of alternative models. Its value does not reflect, however, the potential improvement that can still be reached in fitting the data unless a reference model with the actual covariance structure is available. The score test approach does not require the knowledge of a reference model, and the score statistic has a meaningful interpretation in itself as a goodness-of-fit measure. The aim of this paper was to show how the score statistic may be separated into the genetic and environmental parts, which is difficult with the likelihood criterion, and how it can be used to check parametric assumptions made on variance and correlation parameters. Selection of models for genetic analysis was applied to a dairy cattle example for milk production.     

A short review on the root canal configuration of primary maxillary molars

It is of interest to compile available information on the root canal morphology of primary maxillary molars from known literature. The literature resources used to collect data include Medline/PubMed, The Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, SIGLE and Science Direct. Data consists of type of population, number of teeth per study, number of root canals, canal length and type of root canal configuration. We used data from a total of 13 studies (951 primary maxillary molars). Maxillary molars (1st and 2nd) are dominant for two roots variant. The first molar the mean root length ranges from 7.9mm - 8.1mm. The second molar ranges from 7.2mm-8.5mm. Type I (explain in a phrase) canal morphology is the common variant in both the molars. Data shows that Root Canal morphology shows variations with the diagnostic aid (example micro CT) used and in different ethnic populations.     

Catecholamine- and endotoxin-influenced cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity in chickens.

1. Catecholamines suppress cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH) to intradermal phytohemagglutinin (PHA-P) challenge in chickens. 2. E. coli 0127:B8 endotoxin, reserpine, and propranolol prevented a norepinephrine-induced suppression of CBH. 3. PHA-P induced CBH appeared to be mediated through a beta-adrenergic receptor mechanism associated with plasma corticosterone in chickens.     

Pregnancies following long luteal phases in southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)

All extant species in the Rhinocerotidae family are experiencing escalating threats in the wild, making self-sustaining captive populations essential genetic reservoirs for species survival. Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) will become increasingly important for achieving and maintaining ex situ population sustainability and genetic diversity. Previous reports have shown that a large proportion of captive southern white rhinoceros (SWR) females are irregularly cyclic or acyclic, and that cycling females display two different estrous cycle lengths of approximately 30 or 70 days. It has been suggested that the longer estrous cycle length is infertile or subfertile, as no term pregnancies have been observed following long cycles. Here we report the achievement of two pregnancies following long luteal phases, using ovulation induction and artificial insemination with either fresh or frozen-thawed semen. One female SWR conceived on the first insemination attempt and gave birth to a live offspring. A second female conceived twice in consecutive long cycles although the first embryo was resorbed by 33 days post-insemination. A pregnancy from this female's second insemination is ongoing with expected parturition in November 2019. Whether prolonged estrous cycles in SWR are subfertile or infertile in natural breeding situations remains unclear. However, our findings demonstrate that the application of ARTs following prolonged cycles can result the successful establishment of pregnancies in SWR. Therefore, with ARTs, female SWR otherwise considered nonreproductive due to long estrous cycles may still have the potential for representation and contribution to the ex situ population.     

Metabolic utilization of human osteoblast cell line hFOB 1.19 under normoxic and hypoxic conditions: A phenotypic microarray analysis

Osteoblasts play an important role in bone regeneration and repair. The hypoxia condition in bone occurs when bone undergoes fracture, and this will trigger a series of biochemical and mechanical changes to enable bone repair. Hence, it is interesting to observe the metabolites and metabolism changes when osteoblasts are exposed to hypoxic condition. This study has looked into the response of human osteoblast hFOB 1.19 under normoxic and hypoxic conditions by observing the cell growth and utilization of metabolites via Phenotype MicroArrays™ under these two different oxygen concentrations. The cell growth of hFOB 1.19 under hypoxic condition showed better growth compared to hFOB 1.19 under normal condition. In this study, osteoblast used glycolysis as the main pathway to produce energy as hFOB 1.19 in both hypoxic and normoxic conditions showed cell growth in well containing dextrin, glycogen, maltotriose, D-maltose, D-glucose-6-phospate, D-glucose, D-mannose, D-Turanose, D-fructose-6-phosphate, D-galactose, uridine, adenosine, inosine and α-keto-glutaric acid. In hypoxia, the cells have utilized additional metabolites such as α-D-glucose-1-phosphate and D-fructose, indicating possible activation of glycogen synthesis and glycogenolysis to metabolize α-D-glucose-1-phosphate. Meanwhile, during normoxia, D-L-α-glycerol phosphate was used, and this implies that the osteoblast may use glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle and oxidative phosphorylation to metabolize glycerol-3-phosphate.     

Intracerebroventricular beta-endorphin increases food intake of rats

B-Endorphin (B-END), met-enkepalin (M-ENK), and DAla²NMe⁵-met-enkephalinamide were administered intracerebroventricularly to rats and effects on the ingestion of a liquid diet were examined. B-END significantly increased food intake in a half-hour test at a dose of 200 ng/rat. Lower or higher doses did not affect food intake. Neither M-ENK or the synthetic enkephalin analog affected ingestion of the liquid diet. These findings demonstrate rapid action of an endorphin on food intake administered at a lower dose than has previously been reported and suggest a specificity for B-END in the endorphinergically mediated hyperphagic response.     

Hatch weight selection: effect on post-hatch growth in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

The post-hatch growth of Japanese quail, weight selected at hatch, was investigated. The quail were grouped according to hatch weight as follows: Group I, 5.5-6.2 g; Group II, 6.3-7.0 g; and Group III, 7.1-7.6 g. Group III quail were 25 and 12% heavier at hatching than Group I and II quails, respectively, and reached a mature body weight which was 38 and 12% heavier than Group I and II quails, respectively. Gompertz growth parameters were not different in any of the groups. Feed and water consumption (g/kg body weight) rates were not significantly different among the three groups.