Viability of Culex pipiens pipiens eggs affected by nutrition and aposymbiosis

Raisins were a better source of carbohydrate than sucrose for reproduction by autogenous Culex pipiens. A blood meal increased the number of eggs per raft from 49 autogenously to 114. Eggs of aposymbiotic females produced autogenously did not hatch, but 34% of the eggs were viable if the mosquitoes fed on chickens. With repeated blood meals the number of eggs per raft and the rate of embryonation and hatching declined in each successive gonotrophic cycle. In about $\text{1}\text{4}$ of the unhatched eggs of normal females there were no fully developed embryos, while many more of the unhatched eggs of aposymbiotic females contained no evidence of embryonic development. After the fifth blood meal, neither normal nor aposymbiotic insects oviposited. The ovaries of the nulliparous females contained approximately 10% of the potential number of mature terminal oocytes. Proximally in the ovarioles there were dilatations and coiled tracheoles indicating egg resorption. There were fewer parous follicles in aposymbiotic than in normal females. Larval rearing water, i.e., infusion in which larvae had been reared, was more attractive than fresh infusion for oviposition by normal, autogenous mosquitoes. The degree of embryonation of the eggs was lower and the hatching success rate was poorer in fresh infusion than in larval rearing water.     

Embryo transfer in two-year-old donor mares

Embryos were collected from two-year-old donor mares and transferred surgically during 1983 and 1984. The overall embryo recovery rate from two-year-old donors was 36.3%. Over both years, 71.4% of the donors ($\text{30}\text{42}$) provided at least one embryo. There was a trend both years for slightly higher embryo recovery rates prior to August 1 (47.7%), as compared to after August 1 (31.1%). Pregnancy rates in recipient mares after surgical embryo transfer were not affected by month of the breeding season. However, there was a trend for improved pregnancy rates when embryos were transferred after August 1 (87.5%), as compared to before August 1 (70.0%). There was a 8.3% incidence of fetal loss between Days 15 and 35 of gestation in recipients. The incidence of fetal loss between Days 35 and 60 of gestation was 2.7%. Based on these data, the chance of obtaining a pregnancy from a two-year-old mare is 28.2% (36.3% recovery × 77.7% pregnancy rate). Thus embryo transfer may prove to be a beneficial tool for obtaining foals from two-year-old donor mares.     

Intra uterine survival and growth of Wistar and Wistar x Brown Norway rat embryos

Embryos of the Wistar strain and its F(1) cross (Wistar females mated with Brown Norway males) of rats were transferred nonsurgically to 48 Wistar, 17 F(1) cross and 20 Wistar-Imamichi recipients. The two types of embryos were transferred together to each recipient to compare the viability of the embryos. Pregnancy rate was 78.8% (67 85 ). The survival rate of fetuses to term was 11.5% (20 174 ) and 25.1% (42 168 ) for the Wistar and F(1) embryos, respectively. Placental weight differed significantly (P<0.05) between embryo types and among recipient types while fetus weight differed (P<0.01) only among recipient types, with a significant interaction between recipient and embryo types (P<0.01). It was concluded that the F(1) embryos (Wistar x Brown Norway) were twice as viable as Wistar embryos under the conditions provided.     

Successful transfer of embryos recovered from a cow with chronic cervicitis of mixed aerobic and anaerobic bacterial aetiology a case report

An imported 13-year-old Simmentaler cow was presented with severe purulent cervicitis and endometritis from which Corynebacterium pyogenes , Fusobacterium necrophorum , Bacteroides melaninogenicus and an untyped Clostridium perfringens were isolated. The endometritis responded to treatment but the cervix did not and remained fibrous, continuously patent and purulent. Natural pregnancy was considered unlikely and the cow was prepared as an embryo transfer donor. Eight embryos were recovered and six transferred, resulting in five confirmed pregnancies and four live births.     

花背蟾蜍(Bufo raddei Strauch)眼形态发生过程中角膜上皮表面结构的扫描电镜观察

扫描电镜观察表明,花背蟾蜍眼形态发生过程中角膜上皮细胞表面形态结构的变化,大致可分三个阶段。1.从神经管期至肌肉感应期预定角膜上皮表面无明显变化;2.在心跳期和鳃血循环期预定角膜上皮表面出现较多的细胞缢束和其下细胞表面的下陷;3.在以后各期,角膜上皮中纤毛细胞的纤毛逐渐退化消失,在右鳃盖封闭期纤毛细胞全部消失。上述变化与视网膜及其中光感受器的发育分化密切相关,纤毛的退化和消失更精确地反映了这种依赖关系,似可作为角??膜上皮分化的一个形态指标。     

Cell surface changes in preimplantation mouse embryos during compaction investigated using FITC conjugated lectins after proteolytic enzyme treatment

Summary Fluorescein-conjugated lectins were used to examine the reappearance of glycoproteins on the surface of 8-cell mouse embryos after treatment with proteolytic enzymes. Embryos were decompacted in calcium free medium, treated with various proteases and the process of recompaction monitored. The most effective enzymes in delaying recompaction were subtilopeptidase A and proteinase K at 1 mg/ml; the initiation of recompaction was delayed by about 5 h and 90% recompaction by 14–18 h. Papain and -chymotrypsin were only effective in the absence of calcium. The reappearance of receptors for fluorescein-conjugated Con-A, MPA, RCA-I, FBP, BSL-II and DBA was examined photometrically at 0,8–10 and 17–18 h after proteinase K treatment. There was an increase in binding of MPA, RCA-I, FBP and BSL-II in control embryos during the period of the experiment, between approx. 61 and 80 h post coitum in which embryos passed from the 8-cell stage to the 16–32 cell stage. Con-A binding remained the same and that of DBA decreased. By the time that 50% of enzyme treated embryos had recompacted (8–10 h) binding of Con-A was similar to control embryos. Binding of FBP had almost reached control levels while that of BSL-II, DBA, RCA-I and MPA had reached 60–85% of control levels. When embryos were fully compact (17–18 h) Con-A, FBP and DBA were bound in equal or slightly greater amounts to enzyme treated as to control embryos, and receptors for BSL-II, MPA and RCA-I had recovered almost to control levels. The results clearly show that the recovery of glycoproteins on the surface of 8–16 cell embryos parallels recompaction, providing further evidence for the role of these molecules in compaction.     

胎肝细胞输注与全胚注射液治疗再生障碍性贫血的机理探讨

本文对胎肝细胞输注或全胚注射液治疗再生障碍性贫血的可能机理作了一些实验性探讨。研究结果表明: 1.胎肝细胞在培养或解体过程中释放某些刺激红系造血的因子,有利于已经损伤的造血功能的恢复。 2.对正常小鼠注射无细胞胎肝制剂或全胚注射液后,骨髓红系细胞的分裂指数明显升高,骨髓中粒/红比值趋于降低,反映了骨髓中红系细胞增生活跃的状态。 3.对正常小鼠注射无细胞胎肝制剂或全胚注射液后,外周血网织红细胞和腹腔巨噬细胞的吞噬指数趋于平行增高,其增高程度和持续时间随注射次数的增加而加强。 小鼠注射无细胞胎肝制剂或全胚注射液后,巨噬细胞吞噬指数的增加,反映了巨噬细胞激活,这种作用除了提高机体的非特异性免疫功能,增强机体的抵抗力外,还可能通过巨噬细胞的活化,直接或间接地调控机体红系细胞的增殖,因而,对巨噬细胞在造血调控中的作用以及它在再生障碍性贫血发病机理研究中的意义提出了讨论。     

The human pronuclear ovum: Fine strcture of monospermic and polyspermic fertilization in vitro

The fine structure of pronuclear ova (monospermy and polyspermy) and one-cell embryos has been investigated in our IVF programme. Sixteen oocytes were collected at laparoscopy after appropriate hormonal stimulation and were matured and fertilized in vitro by methods that have given rise to normal pregnancies. Pronuclear ova showing monospermic fertilization had two vesicular pronuclei surrounded by aggregations of cellular organelles. The male pronucleus was closely associated with a sperm axoneme, while the female pronucleus was dismantling its envelope and condensing its chromatin ahead of its counterpart in late pronuclear ova. Each pronucleus had dispersed chromatin, dense compact nucleoli, and intranuclear annulate lamellae. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum, annulate lamellae, Golgi complexes, and mitochondria formed a conspicuous part of the perinuclear ooplasm. The one-cell embryos were either in syngamy or in the process of undergoing first cleavage. Positive evidence of cortical granule release and second polar bodies were detected in the perivitelline space. A block to polyspermy seemed to operate at the level of the inner zona. Dispermic and polyspermic ova had 3–16 pronuclei resembling those of monospermic ova and had sperm tails in the ooplasm. Sperm were also seen penetrating the inner zona and were occasionally found in the perivitelline space. Incomplete cortical granule release and early signs of cytoplasmic fragmentation were noted in polyspermic ova. Both normal and abnormal features of these ova are reported and compared with pronuclear structure in vivo and in vitro.