Ovarian follicular activity and hormonal profile during estrous cycle in cows: the development of 2 versus 3 waves

Most estrous cycles in cows consist of 2 or 3 waves of follicular activity. Waves of ovarian follicular development comprise the growth of dominant follicles some of which become ovulatory and the others are anovulatory. Ovarian follicular activity in cows during estrous cycle was studied with a special reference to follicular waves and the circulating concentrations of estradiol and progesterone. Transrectal ultrasound examination was carried out during 14 interovulatory intervals in 7 cows. Ovarian follicular activity was recorded together with assessment of serum estradiol and progesterone concentrations. Three-wave versus two-wave interovulatory intervals was observed in 71.4% of cows. The 3-wave interovulatory intervals differed from 2-wave intervals in: 1) earlier emergence of the dominant follicles, 2) longer in length, and 3) shorter interval from emergence to ovulation. There was a progressive increase in follicular size and estradiol production during growth phase of each wave. A drop in estradiol concentration was observed during the static phase of dominant anovulatory follicles. The size of the ovulatory follicle was always greater and produced higher estradiol compared with the anovulatory follicle. In conclusion, there was a predominance of 3-wave follicular activity that was associated with an increase in length of interovulatory intervals. A dominant anovulatory follicle during its static phase may initiate the emergence of a subsequent wave. Follicular size and estradiol concentration may have an important role in controlling follicular development and in determining whether an estrous cycle will have 2 or 3-waves.     

Glucosylated N-acetyllactosamine O-antigen chain in the lipopolysaccharide from Helicobacter pylori strain UA861

The O-antigen chain from the lipopolysaccharide of Helicobacter pylori strain UA861 was determined to be composed of an elongated type 2 N - acetyllactosamine backbone, -[-->3)-beta-D-Gal-(1-->4)-beta-D-GlcNAc-(1- ]n-->, with approximately half of the GlcNAc units carrying a terminal alpha-d-Glc residue at the O -6 position. The O-chain of H.pylori UA861 was terminated by a N -acetyllactosamine [beta-D-Gal-(1-->4)-beta-D- GlcNAc] (LacNAc) epitope and did not express terminal Lewis X or Lewis Y blood-group determinants as previously found in other H.pylori strains. The absence of terminal Lewis X and Lewis Y blood-group epitopes and the replacement of Fuc by Glc as a side chain in the O- chain of H.pylori UA861 represents yet another type of lipopolysaccharide structure from H.pylori species. These structural differences in H.pylori lipopolysaccharide molecules carry implications with regard to possible different pathogenic events between strains and respective hosts.      

First record of lily thrips, Liothrips vaneeckei Priesner, in Australia (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)

The first Australian record of the lily thrips, Liothrips vaneeckei Priesner, is reported from a bulb farm in Warragul South, Victoria. It is an occasional pest of Lilium bulbs, both in the field and in storage, particularly in the USA and several European countries, and is also infrequently found in considerable numbers on the corms of orchids.     

Prognostic Role of Host Cyclooxygenase and Cytokine Genotypes in a Caucasian Cohort of Patients with Gastric Adenocarcinoma

Background

Genetic factors influencing the prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) are not well known. Given the relevance of cytokines and other pro-inflammatory mediators in cancer progression and invasiveness, we aimed to assess the prognostic role of several functional cytokine and cyclooxygenase gene polymorphisms in patients with GAC.

Methodology

Genomic DNA from 380 Spanish Caucasian patients with primary GAC was genotyped for 23 polymorphisms in pro-inflammatory (IL1B, TNFA, LTA, IL6, IL12p40), anti-inflammatory (IL4, IL1RN, IL10, TGFB1) cytokine, and cyclooxygenase (PTGS1 and PTGS2) genes by PCR, RFLP and TaqMan assays. Clinical and histological information was collected prospectively. Survival curves were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log rank test. Outcome was determined by analysis of Cox proportional hazards, adjusting for confounding factors.

Results

The median follow-up period and median overall survival (OS) time were 9.9 months (range 0.4–120.3) and 10.9 months (95% CI: 8.9–14.1), respectively. Multivariate analysis identified tumor stages III (HR, 3.23; 95% CI:2–5.22) and IV (HR, 5.5; 95% CI: 3.51–8.63) as independent factors associated with a significantly reduced OS, whereas surgical treatment (HR: 0.44; 95%CI: 0.3–0.6) was related to a better prognosis of the disease. Concerning genetic factors, none of the 23 polymorphisms evaluated in the current study did influence survival. Moreover, no gene-environment interactions on GAC prognosis were observed.

Conclusions

Our results show that, in our population, the panel of selected pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine, and cyclooxygenase gene polymorphisms are not relevant in determining the prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma.     

L-arginine supplementation improves responses to injury and inflammation in dextran sulfate sodium colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), consisting of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC), results in substantial morbidity and is difficult to treat. New strategies for adjunct therapies are needed. One candidate is the semi-essential amino acid, L-arginine (L-Arg), a complementary medicine purported to be an enhancer of immunity and vitality in the lay media. Using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) as a murine colonic injury and repair model with similarities to human UC, we assessed the effect of L-Arg, as DSS induced increases in colonic expression of the y(+) cationic amino acid transporter 2 (CAT2) and L-Arg uptake. L-Arg supplementation improved the clinical parameters of survival, body weight loss, and colon weight, and reduced colonic permeability and the number of myeloperoxidase-positive neutrophils in DSS colitis. Luminex-based multi-analyte profiling demonstrated that there was a marked reduction in proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression with L-Arg treatment. Genomic analysis by microarray demonstrated that DSS-treated mice supplemented with L-Arg clustered more closely with mice not exposed to DSS than to those receiving DSS alone, and revealed that multiple genes that were upregulated or downregulated with DSS alone exhibited normalization of expression with L-Arg supplementation. Additionally, L-Arg treatment of mice with DSS colitis resulted in increased ex vivo migration of colonic epithelial cells, suggestive of increased capacity for wound repair. Because CAT2 induction was sustained during L-Arg treatment and inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS) requires uptake of L-Arg for generation of NO, we tested the effect of L-Arg in iNOS(-/-) mice and found that its benefits in DSS colitis were eliminated. These preclinical studies indicate that L-Arg supplementation could be a potential therapy for IBD, and that one mechanism of action may be functional enhancement of iNOS activity.     

Ethnic differences in cytokine gene polymorphisms: potential implications for cancer development

Differences in incidence and outcome of cancer among ethnic groups may be explained by biological and/or socio-economic factors. Genetic variations that affect chronic inflammation, a potentially important risk factor for carcinogenesis, may differ across ethnic groups. Such differences may help explain cancer disparities among these groups. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within cytokine genes can affect cytokine levels and the degree of inflammation. Associations between cancer and some cytokine SNPs have been suggested. However, these have not been consistently replicated among populations, suggesting that SNP function may differ according to ethnicity, or that SNPs alone do not completely account for regulation of inflammation. We examined seven polymorphisms in African-American (n = 294) and Caucasian (n = 299) newborns in Louisiana: IL1B-511C > T, IL1B-31T > C, IL1B + 3954C > T, IL1RN*2, IL10-1082G > A, IL10-592C > A, and TNF-308G > A. African-American newborns had significantly higher frequencies of IL1B-511T, IL1B-31C, IL10-1082A and IL10-592A alleles and complete linkage equilibrium between IL1B + 3954 and IL1B-31. In contrast, IL1B + 3954T, IL1RN*2, and TNF-308A were more frequent in Caucasian newborns and exhibited strong linkage disequilibrium between IL1B + 3954 and IL1B-31. All allelic frequencies were significantly different between groups. We hypothesize that these dissimilarities may contribute to differences in the inflammatory response and cancer incidence and mortality between African-Americans and Caucasians in Louisiana.     

Antitumor effects of lactate transport inhibition on esophageal adenocarcinoma cells

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - As a consequence of altered glucose metabolism, cancer cell intake is increased, producing large amounts of lactate which is pumped out the cytosol by...