Phenotypic relationships between the interval from calving to first luteal activity and fertility in a seasonal dairy production system

In seasonal dairy production systems a high level of reproductive performance is required to maintain a 365-day calving interval. Compared with many countries New Zealand dairy cattle are fertile, with an average calving interval of 368 days and first service conception rates of around 55%. However, fertility has been demonstrated to have declined over the past 15-years. An extended interval from calving to first luteal activity (CLA) has previously been identified as a major cause of infertility in New Zealand dairy cows. This paper investigates the phenotypic relationship between CLA and reproductive performance in a population of second cross FriesianxJersey dairy cattle. The data consists of 1780 lactations, from 801 individuals that were managed in a seasonal, pasture-based dairy production system. Overall, reproductive performance in the herd was high, with first service conception rates of over 60% and more than 80% of the herd pregnant within 42-days of the start of the breeding period. Animals were divided into six groups of at least 270 animals per group based on CLA (50 days). First service conception rates and the interval from the start of mating to conception were not statistically different between the CLA groups (p>0.05), despite the number of oestrous cycles prior to first mating being inversely proportional to CLA. However, only 47% of animals with a CLA of >70 days (n=88) were pregnant within 21-day of the start of mating, compared with 65% of animals with CLA of <70 days. Animals that had not ovulated by 1-week prior to the start of mating also had reduced reproductive performance (45% versus 67% pregnant within 21-days of the start of mating, p<0.001). The poor reproductive performance of animals with CLA>70 days is likely to be due to a lower proportion of animals having ovulated by the start of mating (0.28 versus 0.95, p<0.001). Contrary to previous findings in non-seasonal production systems the length of CLA was not related to fertility, except when CLA was greater than 70 days.     

Focal plane array infrared imaging: a new way to analyse leaf tissue

* Here, a new approach to macromolecular imaging of leaf tissue using a multichannel focal plane array (FPA) infrared detector was compared with the proven method of infrared mapping with a synchrotron source, using transverse sections of leaves from a species of Eucalyptus. * A new histological method was developed, ideally suited to infrared spectroscopic analysis of leaf tissue. Spatial resolution and the signal-to-noise ratio of the FPA imaging and synchrotron mapping methods were compared. * An area of tissue 350 microm(2) required approx. 8 h to map using the synchrotron technique and approx. 2 min to image using the FPA. The two methods produced similar infrared images, which differentiated all tissue types in the leaves according to their macromolecular chemistry. * The synchrotron and FPA methods produced similar results, with the synchrotron method having superior signal-to-noise ratio and potentially better spatial resolution, whereas the FPA method had the advantage in terms of data acquisition time, expense and ease of use. FPA imaging offers a convenient, laboratory-based approach to microscopic chemical imaging of leaves.     

Memory reprocessing in corticocortical and hippocampocortical neuronal ensembles.

Hippocampal cells that fire together during behaviour exhibit enhanced activity correlations during subsequent sleep, with some preservation of temporal order information. Thus, information reflecting experiences during behaviour is re-expressed in hippocampal circuits during subsequent ''offline'' periods, as postulated by some theories of memory consolidation. If the hippocampus orchestrates the reinstatement of experience-specific activity patterns in the neocortex, as also postulated by such theories, then correlation patterns both within the neocortex and between hippocampus and neocortex should also re-emerge during sleep. Ensemble recordings were made in the posterior parietal neocortex, in CA1, and simultaneously in both areas, in seven rats. Each session involved an initial sleep episode (S1), behaviour on a simple maze (M), and subsequent sleep (S2). The ensemble activity-correlation structure within and between areas during S2 resembled that of M more closely than did the correlation pattern of S1. Temporal order (i.e. the asymmetry of the cross-correlogram) was also preserved within, but not between, structures. Thus, traces of recent experience are re-expressed in both hippocampal and neocortical circuits during sleep, and the representations in the two areas tend to correspond to the same experience. The poorer preservation of temporal firing biases between neurons in the different regions may reflect the less direct synaptic coupling between regions than within them. Alternatively, it could result from a shift, between behavioural states, in the relative dominance relations in the corticohippocampal dialogue. Between-structure order will be disrupted, for example, if, during behaviour, neocortical patterns tend to drive corresponding hippocampal patterns, whereas during sleep the reverse occurs. This possibility remains to be investigated.     

Obesity-Mediated Regulation of HGF/c-Met Is Associated with Reduced Basal-Like Breast Cancer Latency in Parous Mice

It is widely thought that pregnancy reduces breast cancer risk, but this lacks consideration of breast cancer subtypes. While a full term pregnancy reduces risk for estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and luminal breast cancers, parity is associated with increased risk of basal-like breast cancer (BBC) subtype. Basal-like subtypes represent less than 10% of breast cancers and are highly aggressive, affecting primarily young, African American women. Our previous work demonstrated that high fat diet-induced obesity in nulliparous mice significantly blunted latency in C3(1)-T_Ag mice, a model of BBC, potentially through the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met oncogenic pathway. Experimental studies have examined parity and obesity individually, but to date, the joint effects of parity and obesity have not been studied. We investigated the role of obesity in parous mice on BBC. Parity alone dramatically blunted tumor latency compared to nulliparous controls with no effects on tumor number or growth, while obesity had only a minor role in further reducing latency. Obesity-associated metabolic mediators and hormones such as insulin, estrogen, and progesterone were not significantly regulated by obesity. Plasma IL-6 was also significantly elevated by obesity in parous mice. We have previously reported a potential role for stromal-derived hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) via its cognate receptor c-Met in the etiology of obesity-induced BBC tumor onset and in both human and murine primary coculture models of BBC-aggressiveness. Obesity-associated c-Met concentrations were 2.5-fold greater in normal mammary glands of parous mice. Taken together, our studies demonstrate that, parity in C3(1)-T_Ag mice dramatically reduced BBC latency compared to nulliparous mice. In parous mice, c-Met is regulated by obesity in unaffected mammary gland and is associated with tumor onset. C3(1)-T_Ag mice recapitulate epidemiologic findings such that parity drives increased BBC risk and potential microenvironmental alterations in c-Met signaling may play a role in etiology.     

Diguanosine nucleotides of fungi that regulate RNA polymerases isolated and partially characterised.

Three unusual phosphorylated diguanosine compounds called ‘hot spots’ HS-1, HS-2 and HS-3 (ref. LéJohn, H.B. Proc. Can. Fed. Biol. Soc. 18, 159, 1975) have been isolated as acid-soluble materials from several fungi, $\text{Achlya, Blastocladiella emersonii, Aspergillus niger}$ and $\text{Rhizopus stolonifer}$ in their vegetative phase. The nucleotides were purified from acid extracts of $\text{Achlya}$ and $\text{Blastocladiella}$. The tentative structures of HS-3 and HS-2 determined are GppppG and GppppGp. HS-1 structure is still in doubt but it is related to HS-2. The structures were deduced from enzymatic digestion and UV analyses of the products, molar ratios of guanosine and phosphate, and chromatographic behaviour on PEI-cellulose. All three compounds accumulated in an inverse manner with rates of RNA synthesis and directly with rates of protein synthesis. The acid-soluble pools of the three compounds fluctuated during the life cycle of $\text{Achlya}$, and just prior to sporulation, were excreted into the medium. HS-2 was convertible to HS-3 by acid hydrolysis.     

In vitro heat shock of human monocytes results in a proportional increase of inducible Hsp70 expression according to the basal content

Heat shock proteins play an important role as molecular chaperones of the cell. Inducible heat shock protein 70 is rapidly synthesised in response to numerous stressors and monocytes are sensitive to changes in core temperature resulting in a circadian variation of Hsp70 expression. Monocytes were isolated via density centrifugation from nine healthy male volunteers at 5 am, 1 pm and 9 pm, representing the nadir (5 am), peak (9 pm) and intermediate (1 pm) of Hsp70 expression in the 24-h cycle. Analysis of freshly isolated monocytes for Hsp70 expression confirmed Hsp70 levels at the three selected time points. Monocytes were subjected to in vitro heat shock at 40°C (±0.1) for 90 min with a 90 min 37°C (±0.1) exposure acting as a control. A significant increase in Hsp70 was observed at 5 am (p < 0.001) and 1 pm (p = 0.028) at 40°C when compared to 37°C but not at 9 pm (p = 0.19). A significant increase was also observed from the basal levels of Hsp70, measured on freshly isolated monocytes and the levels detected after heat shock at 40°C at 5 am (p < 0.001) and 1 pm (p = 0.001), which was not observed at 9 pm (p = 0.15). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed in the heat shock response at 40°C and that obtained at 37°C (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the heat shock response in monocytes is directly proportional to the amount of Hsp70 present in the cells and the stress response may be much higher at different times of the day.     

Protease activated receptors 1 and 4 sensitize TRPV1 in nociceptive neurones

The basal ganglia (BG) are composed of several nuclei involved in neural processing related to the execution of motor, cognitive and emotional activities. Preclinical and clinical data have implicated a role for these structures in pain processing. Recently neuroimaging has added important information on BG activation in conditions of acute pain, chronic pain and as a result of drug effects. Our current understanding of alterations in cortical and sub-cortical regions in pain suggests that the BG are uniquely involved in thalamo-cortico-BG loops to integrate many aspects of pain. These include the integration of motor, emotional, autonomic and cognitive responses to pain.