Effects of maternal nutrient restriction during early or mid-gestation without realimentation on maternal physiology and foetal growth and development in beef cattle

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of early and mid-gestation nutrient restriction on maternal metabolites and foetal growth. Primiparous Angus cows were synchronized and inseminated with semen from one sire. Dietary treatments were: control to gain 1 kg/week (CON) or 0.55% maintenance energy and CP requirements (nutrient restricted; NR). A subset of dams was fed NR (n=8) or CON (n=8) from days 30 to 110 of gestation. Another group was fed CON (n=8), days 30 to 190; NR (n=7), days 30 to 110 followed by CON days 110 to 190; or CON, (n=7) days 30 to 110 followed by NR days 110 to 190. Cows were harvested at days 110 or 190 of gestation, when foetal measurements and samples were collected. Cows that were NR during days 30 to 110 or 110 to 190 of gestation lost significant BW and body condition score (P<0.001), this was associated with reduced plasma glucose during NR (P<0.002). Foetal weights, empty foetal weights, abdominal and thoracic circumferences were all reduced (P<0.03) in day 110 NR animals. Foetal perirenal adipose as a percentage of empty foetal weight was increased (P=0.01) in NR day 110 female foetuses compared with CON foetus. Maternal serum triglycerides at day 110 of gestation were decreased (P<0.05) in NR dams, whereas foetal serum triglycerides were increased (P<0.05) in response to maternal NR. Foetal weights tended to be reduced (P=0.08) in NR/CON and CON/NR v. CON/CON cattle at day 190 of gestation. Empty foetal weights, abdominal and thoracic circumferences were reduced (P⩽0.03) in NR/CON and CON/NR v. CON/CON cattle. Brain weight as a percentage of empty foetal weight was increased (P<0.001) in NR/CON and CON/NR v. CON/CON cattle. Foetal perirenal adipose as a percentage of empty foetal weight was increased (P=0.003) in NR/CON and CON/NR v. CON/CON cattle. Maternal serum triglycerides at day 190 of gestation were decreased (P<0.05) in association with maternal NR. Foetal serum triglycerides at day 190 of gestation were increased (P<0.05) in response to maternal NR during early gestation but decreased by NR in mid gestation compared with CON foetuses. The data show that maternal nutrient restriction during early or mid-gestation cause’s asymmetrical foetal growth restriction, regardless if the restriction is preceded or followed by a period of non-restriction.     

Obesity as an Obstetric Risk Factor: Does It Matter in a Perinatal Center?

Objectives: Obesity before and during pregnancy is associated with several obstetrics risk factors for both mother and fetus. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the influence of BMI before pregnancy on distinct perinatal parameters. Research Methods and Procedures: The study includes 5067 singleton pregnancies from 2001 to 2004 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Leipzig. The study group was divided into BMI groups: <18.5, ≥18.5 to <25, ≥25 to <30, ≥30 to <35, ≥35 to <40, and ≥40 kg/m². Analysis of perinatal data included rate of intrauterine death, rate of cesarean section and shoulder dystocia, time of hospital stay for mother and newborn, and gestational age of delivery. Neonatal outcome variables included percentage of newborns weighing >4000 grams, rate of umbilical cord pH <7.10, and rate of 1‐, 5‐, and 10‐minute Apgar scores of <8. Results: There was no difference in the gestational age at delivery among the groups. In the group with BMI ≥30 kg/m², the cesarean section rate was significantly elevated to 25.1%, with a more dramatic increase up to 30.2% in the group with BMI ≥35 kg/m² and 43.1% in the group with BMI ≥40 kg/m², mainly because of a higher number of secondary cesarean sections. Although newborns of obese women showed worse initial neonatal adaptation, the 10‐minute Apgar values did not differ among the groups. The higher rate of operative deliveries and the trend to an increased rate of shoulder dystocia did not influence duration of the hospital stay for mothers and newborns or morbidity of both. Discussion: A high pre‐pregnancy BMI is clearly associated with a higher rate of cesarean section deliveries. However, under the compensating conditions of a tertiary perinatal center, overall morbidity of mothers and newborns seems not to be increased.     

秦岭佛坪自然保护区短柄枹栎种群的数量特征

在佛坪国家级自然保护区选取具有代表性的短柄枹栎林群落进行调查,采用空间序列代替时间变化的方法,划分年龄结构,编制静态生命表,绘制存活曲线和死亡率曲线,同时进行生存分析及谱分析,以揭示秦岭佛坪短柄枹栎种群的数量特征。结果显示:(1)佛坪自然保护区的短柄枹栎种群以中幼林为主体,老龄个体较少,种群年龄结构呈倒J型,属增长型种群。(2)短柄枹栎种群的死亡峰值出现在第Ⅰ龄级(胸径0~5cm)和第Ⅵ龄级(胸径25~30cm),生命期望在第Ⅱ龄级(胸径5~10cm)时达到最大;短柄枹栎种群存活曲线属于Deevey-Ⅱ型,可视为稳定种群。(3)短柄枹栎种群动态存在着周期性,基本周期较长,且大周期内存在小周期。研究表明,佛坪自然保护区短柄枹栎种群目前处于稳定增长的状态。     

Smaug assembles an ATP-dependent stable complex repressing nanos mRNA translation at multiple levels

The nanos (nos) mRNA encodes the posterior determinant of the Drosophila embryo. Translation of the RNA is repressed throughout most of the embryo by the protein Smaug binding to Smaug recognition elements (SREs) in the 3' UTR. Translation is locally activated at the posterior pole by Oskar. This paper reports that the SREs govern the time- and ATP-dependent assembly of an exceedingly stable repressed ribonucleoprotein particle (RNP) in embryo extract. Repression can be virtually complete. Smaug and its co-repressor Cup as well as Trailer hitch and the DEAD box protein Me31B are part of the repressed RNP. The initiation factor eIF4G is specifically displaced, and 48S pre-initiation complex formation is inhibited. However, later steps in translation initiation are also sensitive to SRE-dependent inhibition. These data confirm several previously untested predictions of a current model for Cup-dependent repression but also suggest that the Cup model by itself is insufficient to explain translational repression of the nos RNA. In the embryo extract, recombinant Oskar relieves translational repression and deadenylation by preventing Smaug's binding to the SREs.     

镇江北固山湿地虉草季节生长动态研究

在虉草(Phalaris arundinacea)整个生长季中,定期测量其株长、鞘高、叶龄及生物量等生长指标,分析和研究虉草的季节生长动态。结果显示:虉草各指标的季节生长动态基本一致,皆呈“S”型曲线,且均以三次方程拟合效果最佳。绝对生长速率和相对生长速率基本同步,呈单峰型曲线,但在负增长出现的时间上稍有差异。各生长指标累积绝对、相对生长速率的季节动态也呈“S”型曲线,同样三次方程拟合效果最佳。     

濒危植物明党参种群生存过程研究

对中国特有单种属濒危植物明党参杭州种群的生存过程进行了数量分析。针对难以测量明党参个体年龄的问题 ,基于实验数据利用 L ogistic生长模型估算其年龄并得到可估测年龄最高界限为 5 0 a。数量分析表明 ,目前明党参种群表现出衰退趋势 ,种群年龄结构类似于老年型 ,种群的净增殖率、瞬时增长率和周限增长率均较低 ,世代周期较长。运用 L eslie矩阵模型分析预测未来 30 a中种群个体数量将呈现出下降趋势。在所研究的样地中 ,明党参种群种子萌发和幼苗期 (0～ 5 a) ,成熟期 (15～2 5 a)和老年期 (4 5～ 5 0 a)受到了环境筛的强烈作用     

Variegation mutants and mechanisms of chloroplast biogenesis

Variegated plants typically have green‐ and white‐sectored leaves. Cells in the green sectors contain normal‐appearing chloroplasts, whereas cells in the white sectors lack pigments and appear to be blocked at various stages of chloroplast biogenesis. Variegations can be caused by mutations in nuclear, chloroplast or mitochondrial genes. In some plants, the green and white sectors have different genotypes, but in others they have the same (mutant) genotype. One advantage of variegations is that they provide a means of studying genes for proteins that are important for chloroplast development, but for which mutant analysis is difficult, either because mutations in a gene of interest are lethal or because they do not show a readily distinguishable phenotype. This paper focuses on Arabidopsis variegations, for which the most information is available at the molecular level. Perhaps the most interesting of these are variegations caused by defective nuclear gene products in which the cells of the mutant have a uniform genotype. Two questions are of paramount interest: (1) What is the gene product and how does it function in chloroplast biogenesis? (2) What is the mechanism of variegation and why do green sectors arise in plants with a uniform (mutant) genotype? Two paradigms of variegation mechanism are described: immutans (im) and variegated2 (var2). Both mechanisms emphasize compensating activities and the notion of plastid autonomy, but redundant gene products are proposed to play a role in var2, but not in im. It is hypothesized that threshold levels of certain activities are necessary for normal chloroplast development.     

指纹与年龄相关性的量化分析

本文利用Leica M125体视显微镜对1510份样本中右手拇指的皱纹、乳突纹线密度、乳突纹线和小犁沟的宽度、细点线、屈肌褶纹等特征进行测量,通过SPSS软件分析年龄信息特征的相关性,选取其中相关性大的变量进行多元线性回归,并得出推断公式以分析并量化随年龄的增长指纹与年龄相关信息的变化特点及规律。研究结果显示,手印中的皱纹、乳突纹线密度、乳突纹线和小犁沟的宽度、细点线、屈肌褶纹等特征与年龄具有相关性,但利用这些变量构建的多元回归模型拟合优度并不高;皱纹、乳突纹线密度、乳突纹线和小犁沟的宽度、细点线、屈肌褶纹等可作为手印分析年龄的参考和辅助特征。乳突纹线的边缘形态、手印印痕的模糊程度、汗孔等以当前科技手段难以用测量描述特征的年龄信息,在手印分析年龄中或可发挥核心价值,具体还需进一步探究。     

科尔沁草原区火电厂储灰池植被恢复过程中白草种群分蘖株的年龄结构

植被恢复过程中优势植物种群的年龄结构对于演替动态的预测具有重要的作用。通过对科尔沁草原区火电厂不同恢复年限储灰池植被恢复过程中白草种群分蘖株年龄结构、分蘖节芽年龄结构、分蘖株的物质生产力及营养繁殖力的比较研究,分析了不同恢复年限(1区:1992—1993年恢复;2区:1996—1997年恢复:3区:1999—2000年恢复)和家畜干扰条件下(2005年开始)白草分蘖株结构的变化。结果表明:2003年围栏时,随着恢复年限的增长,3个储灰池中白草分蘖株数量和生物量的龄级构成以增长型为主;2007年时,两年不同程度的家畜干扰后,3个储灰池中白草分蘖株数量和生物量均为稳定型结构。2007年各龄级白草分蘖节芽及其总量均显著高于2003年。2003年围栏时,3个储灰池中白草分蘖株的物质生产力在同一龄级间均无显著差异;2007年家畜干扰后,2区和3区中1a分蘖株和总体均值的物质生产力均显著低于2003年。2003年围栏时,3区中1a分蘖株和总体均值的营养繁殖力均显著高于1区和2区;2007年家畜干扰后,3区中1a、3a分蘖株和总体均值的营养繁殖力均显著低于1区和2区;2007年各龄级分蘖株及总体均值的营养繁殖力均高于2003年,各恢复区1a、1区2a和各区分蘖株营养繁殖力的均值在两个取样年间的差异均达到显著水平。继续围栏保护对于本研究中火电厂储灰池的植被恢复是切实可行而有效的管理措施。