Profiles of reproductive hormones associated with fertile and nonfertile inseminations of dairy cows

Blood and urine samples were collected at 8-hr intervals prior to ovulation (Day 0), daily through Day 8, and during alternate Days 10 to 18. The purpose was to determine if hormonal profiles differed between fertile and nonfertile inseminations (cases). Among 37 cases involving 30 lactating cows, 32 had a palpable corpus luteum after insemination, and 11 were fertile. Hormonal values among every nonfertile case were outside the limits observed for 10 of 11 fertile cases during one or more segments of the sampling period. A consistent difference among nonfertile cases was delayed estrus and delayed preovulatory increase in LH after progesterone decreased to less than .75 ng/ml. These 14 cases represented 75% of the cases having subnormal progesterone after ovulation. Compared to fertile cases, asynchronies among nonfertile cases involved plasma progesterone, LH and estrogen, and urinary estradiol-17α most frequently prior to Day 0. Examples of abnormal hormonal profiles also included those for ovarian cysts, and early and late regression of the corpus luteum.     

Gaschromatographische Untersuchungen über die Extraktion von Gallensäuren aus Lebergewebe während der elektronenmikroskopischen Präparation

Zusammenfassung Die elektronenmikroskopische Präparation von Lebergewebe führt zu einer Extraktion von Gallensäuren und ihren Glycin- und Taurinkonjugaten. Diese Extraktion wird fast ausschließlich durch die Dehydrierung in Aceton verursacht. Nach Fixation mit 6,25%igem Glutaraldehyd und 1%igem Osmiumtetroxyd beträgt der Verlust etwa 25–35% der im Gewebe enthaltenen sauren Sterine. Veränderungen ihrer chemischen Struktur lassen sich dabei nicht nachweisen. Die Wirkungsweise der Fixationsmittel auf die Gallensäuren wird diskutiert.

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Gaschromatographic investigations on the extraction of bile acids from liver tissue during preparation for electron microscopy

Summary The preparation of liver tissue for electron microscopy leads to an extraction of bile acids and their glycine and taurine conjugates. This extraction is almost entirely caused by the process of acetone dehydration.About 25–35% of the acid tissue sterines are lost after fixation by 6.25% glutaraldehyde and 1% osmiumtetroxide. Changes of chemical structure were not observed. The mechanism of the effect of the fixers is being discussed.

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Die Untersuchungen wurden mit Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft sowie die Harry und Peter Fuld-Stiftung durchgeführt.     

Developmental regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase expression in primary sensory neurons of the rat

The regulation of transmitter phenotype in primary sensory neurons remains poorly understood. However, recent studies of catecholaminergic (CA) sensory neurons suggest that expression of this particular phenotype may be related to innervation of specific peripheral tissues. In the glossopharyngeal petrosal ganglion (PG) of adult rats, for example, the vast majority of CA sensory neurons innervate a single target, the carotid body. The present study was undertaken, therefore, to begin investigating factors that underlie CA differentiation in sensory neurons, using the rat PG as a model system. Immunocytochemical, biochemical, and morphometric methods were used to investigate the normal time course of CA development in the PG in vivo, employing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) as a phenotypic marker. These studies revealed two temporally distinct waves of TH expression during embryogenesis. TH immunoreactivity was initially detectable on Embryonic Day (E) 11.5; the number of stained cells increased markedly by E12.5 and then fell off sharply to near 0 by E15.5. Simultaneous immunostaining for TH and neurofilament proteins revealed a high proportion of double-labeled perikarya on E12.5, indicating that the transiently TH-positive cells are neurons. A second, sustained phase of TH expression began on E16.5, and by Postnatal Day 1 adult numbers of TH-containing ganglion cells were present. Western blot analysis demonstrated that TH levels per cell rose 3.5-fold in the perinatal period, indicating that maturation of this particular catecholaminergic trait in PG sensory neurons is highly regulated around birth. Morphometric techniques were used to define the relationship between neurons that transiently exhibit TH immunoreactivity early in gangliogenesis and those that maintain enzyme expression in the mature PG. These studies revealed separate and distinct growth curves for the early and late TH cells, respectively, demonstrating that the appearance, disappearance, and reappearance of immunoreactive cells reflects the differentiation of two separate populations of PG neurons. Moreover, these data indicate that TH expression in the population of CA cells that persists in the mature PG begins around E16.5. This is after peripheral target innervation has begun, raising the possibility that neuron-target interactions regulate biochemical differentiation of these CA sensory neurons.     

Dietary urea for dairy cattle IV. effect on reproductive hormones

Effects of continuous free-choice feeding of urea in blended rations on reproductive hormones were compared during three consecutive reproductive periods. Urea nitrogen replaced plant nitrogen as follows for Groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively: 0, 22 and 45% from insemination to mid pregnancy, 0, 8 and 16% thereafter until 2 weeks before first calving, and 0, 18 and 36% precalving and during lactations. Dietary urea was consistently associated with significantly increased progesterone in blood plasma at all periods. In contrast, estrogen was significantly lower in urine of Group 3 during Days 1 to 18 after first insemination as heifers, but not at second calving or during Days 1 to 18 after insemination for third pregnancy. Plasma estrogen was significantly lower in Group 3 than Group 1 only during the first pregnancy. Group 2 was intermediate. Length of first gestation was subnormal in Groups 1 and 2. It was concluded that dietary urea caused differences in reproductive hormones which were improtant only during the first pregnancy as heifers.     

Autonomic neuropathy in Fabry disease: a prospective study using the Autonomic Symptom Profile and cardiovascular autonomic function tests

Background  

Fabry patients have symptoms and signs compatible with autonomic dysfunction. These symptoms and signs are considered to be due to impairment of the peripheral nervous system, but findings indicative of autonomic neuropathy in other diseases, such as orthostatic intolerance and male sexual dysfunction, are infrequently reported in Fabry disease. The aim of our study was to investigate autonomic symptoms and cardiovascular autonomic function in a large cohort of male and female Fabry patients.     

Growth hormone in urine: development of an ultrasensitive assay applicable to plasma and urine

A radiometric assay for human growth hormone (HGH) was developed based on a polyclonal goat anti-HGH antiserum covalently coupled to nonsedimenting polyacrylamide particles. HGH can be specifically immunoextracted from sample volumes of up to 10 ml. Subsequently, bound HGH is identified and quantitatively measured by a 125I-labelled monoclonal anti-HGH antibody. The assay is insensitive to plasma proteins from 10 to greater than 90%, to changing NaCl and urea molarities and to pH ranges from 6 to 8. The sensitivity in the second incubation is 2 pg/tube, corresponding to a maximum sensitivity of 300 fg/ml of a sample volume of 10 ml (urine) or of 40 pg/ml, if a volume of 50 microliter (plasma) is assayed. In healthy children, a mean HGH excretion of 6.5 ng/24 h was found with a large interindividual range from undetectable to 37.4 ng. An important intraindividual night-to-night variation of HGH excretion was found in several subsequent first morning void samples in healthy children. The mean excretion in 13 HGH-deficient children was 0.9 ng/24 h off therapy and increased to a mean of 6.9 ng/24 h on therapy. In acromegalic patients, the excreted HGH amounted to 73-208 ng/24 h. Preliminary results suggest that the ultrasensitive assay applied to plasma and urine could be a considerable improvement of diagnosis and follow-up of disorders of HGH secretion.