Maternal–fetal transmission of SIV in macaques: Disseminated adenovirus infection in an offspring with congenital SIV infection

To develop a nonhuman primate model for maternal–fetal transmission of HIV infection, we have inoculated pregnant Macaca nemestrina with uncloned SIV_Mne. Three animals inoculated during the third trimester delivered healthy infants. One of the three infants, a male born 31 days after the mother was inoculated with SIV, became virus-positive but failed to produce SIV-specific antibody and died with overt simian immunodeficiency and disseminated adenovirus (SV20) infection at age six and one-half months. SIV and adenovirus antigen could be demonstrated by immunohistochemical methods in multiple organ systems.     

Determinants of infant mortality and representation in bioarchaeological samples: A review

In bioarchaeological contexts, a complex relationship exists between infant representation in the age-at-death distribution, gestational and young child mortality rates, and the total fertility rate. The representation of infants in a skeletal sample may be influenced by a range of social, biological, and archaeological factors. To better understand the interactions between representation, fertility, and mortality, this study evaluates the relationship between infant-juvenile age-at-death proportions, fertility rates, and a range of gestational and early childhood mortality measures. The statistical component of this study found the correlation between fertility rates and infant-juvenile proportions was stronger than with any mortality rate variable of interest. This suggests that the proportion of infants in a mortuary sample is a stronger indicator of fertility than it is of infant-juvenile mortality. Social, biological, and archaeological variables potentially influencing infant representation in skeletal samples are discussed and a strongly contextualized and holistic approach to infant and juvenile mortality is recommended.     

New strategy for in vitro activation of primordial follicles with mTOR and PI3K stimulators

It had been known for decades that primordial follicles in mammalian ovaries are assembled with definite numbers and represent the ovarian reserve throughout the reproductive life. Intra-oocyte PI3K/mTOR pathways have been indicated to play a central role on the activation of primordial follicles. Genetic modified mouse models with chronic activation of PI3K/mTOR signals in primordial oocytes showed premature activation of all primordial follicles and eventually their exhaustion. On the other hand, this may suggest that, unlike chronic activation of PI3K/mTOR, its acute activation in infertility would activate primordial follicles, permitting fertility during the treatment. Previously, PI3K stimulators were reported as a temporary measure to accelerate primordial follicle activation and follicular development in both mouse and human, and were applied in the treatment of infertility in premature ovarian failure (POF) patients. To address whether mTOR stimulators could play similar role in the process, we transiently treated neonatal and aged mouse ovaries with mTOR stimulators-phosphatidic acid (PA) and propranolol. Our results demonstrated the stimulators increased activation of primordial follicles and the production of progeny. Human ovarian cortex cubes were also treated with mTOR or/and PI3K stimulators in vitro. When they were used separately, both of them showed similar promotive effects on primordial follicles. Surprisingly, after joint-treatment with the 2 kinds of stimulators together, synergistic effects on follicular development were observed. Based on increased efficiency of follicular activation in humans, here we propose in vitro transient treatment with mTOR and PI3K stimulators as an optimized protocol for the application in different clinical conditions with limited follicle reserve.     

酪酸梭菌活菌散在防治早产儿喂养不耐受方面的应用

目的观察和评价酪酸梭菌活菌散防治早产儿喂养不耐受的临床疗效。方法将56例早产儿随机分成观察组和对照组,观察组30例,对照组26例。对照组给予早产儿配方奶及部分肠外营养等常规治疗,观察组在常规治疗基础上同时添加酪酸梭菌活菌散。观察2组早产儿恢复出生体重、达到全胃肠喂养时间及发生喂养不耐受等情况。结果观察组早产儿恢复出生体重、达到全胃肠喂养时间明显短于对照组(P<0.01或P<0.05),喂养不耐受的发生率也显著少于对照组(P<0.05)。结论早产儿服用酪酸梭菌活菌散,对防治喂养不耐受具有积极的作用,能减少早产儿喂养过程中呕吐、胃潴留、腹胀的发生,促进患儿早期的生长发育,缩短达到全胃肠喂养的时间。     

早期干预对早产儿脑损伤预后的临床观察

目的：探讨早期联合干预对脑损伤早产儿智能及运动发育的影响。方法：80例存在脑损伤的早产儿随机分为干预组与对照组,每组各40例,对照组给予常规治疗与保健指导,干预组在此基础上联合神经节苷脂治疗与早期康复训练,定期随访两年,观察比较患儿纠正胎龄40周时神经行为评分（NBNA）,智力及运动发育情况。结果：干预组患儿纠正胎龄40周NBNA评分为33．04±1．12．对照组NBNA评分为30．95±0．88,两组间差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）;干预组MDI与PDI指数分别于9月龄始和6月龄始显著高于对照组（P〈0．01或0．05）;1岁时进行Gesell智力发育检查,干预组大运动、精细动作、适应性、语言、个人一社会交往等五个能区情况均明显好于对照组（P〈0．01）;干预组17．5％的后遗症发生率显著低于对照组32．5％的发生率（P〈0．01）。结论：联合旱期干预治疗可有效促进脑损伤早产儿神经系统功能修复,改善智能及运动发育,减少后遗症发生。     

Electrophysiological Measurements and Analysis of Nociception in Human Infants

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience. Since infants cannot verbally report their experiences, current methods of pain assessment are based on behavioural and physiological body reactions, such as crying, body movements or changes in facial expression. While these measures demonstrate that infants mount a response following noxious stimulation, they are limited: they are based on activation of subcortical somatic and autonomic motor pathways that may not be reliably linked to central sensory processing in the brain. Knowledge of how the central nervous system responds to noxious events could provide an insight to how nociceptive information and pain is processed in newborns.The heel lancing procedure used to extract blood from hospitalised infants offers a unique opportunity to study pain in infancy. In this video we describe how electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) time-locked to this procedure can be used to investigate nociceptive activity in the brain and spinal cord.This integrative approach to the measurement of infant pain has the potential to pave the way for an effective and sensitive clinical measurement tool.     

Maternal effort and joey growth in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus)

The extent to which sex-biased maternal investment characterizes mammals is controversial, with less information available for evaluating patterns of maternal effort in marsupials than in placentals. Koalas Phascolarctos cinereus are size-dimorphic animals with a lengthy period of dependency and they reside in mating systems that might favour sex-biased maternal investment. We examined 18 years of data recorded from koalas living at the San Diego Zoo in order to examine how joey development and maternal condition might be connected. Koalas are pregnant for only 1 month, but joey emergence from the pouch does not occur until 32 weeks of age. Neither maternal condition nor age affected sex ratio at joey emergence, and both sexes had the same survivorship prospects. Koala dams transport and nurse joeys for close to 1 year, at which time the two sexes are size dimorphic. Given the poor-quality diet of koalas, combined with maternal transport of infants who are at least 25% of maternal mass, we suggest that infant rearing poses high energetic costs on koala females. We suggest that ecological and energetic constraints have moulded koala maternal strategies such that females maximize allocation of resources to offspring, regardless of sex, in order to increase prospects for joey survivorship.     

Developmental changes in the facial morphology of the Borneo orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus): possible signals in visual communication

Orangutans display remarkable developmental changes and sexual differences in facial morphology, such as the flanges or cheek-pads that develop only on the face of dominant adult males. These changes suggest that facial morphology is an important factor in visual communication. However, developmental changes in facial morphology have not been examined in detail. We studied developmental changes in the facial morphology of the Borneo orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) by observing 79 individuals of various ages living in the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (SORC) in Malaysia and in Japanese zoos. We also analyzed photographs of one captive male that were taken over a period of more than 16 years. There were clear morphological changes that occurred with growth, and we identified previously unreported sexual and developmental differences in facial morphology. Light-colored skin around the eyes and mouth is most prominent in animals younger than 3 years, and rapidly decreases in area through the age of approximately 7 years. At the same time, the scattered, erect hairs on the head (infant hair) become thick, dense hairs lying on the head (adult hair) in both sexes. The results suggest that these features are infant signals, and that adult signals may include darkened face color, adult hair, whiskers, and a beard, which begin to develop after the age of approximately 7 years in both sexes. In females, the eyelids remain white even after 10 years, and turn black at around the age of 20; in males, the eyelids turn black before the age of 10. The whiskers and beards of adults are thicker in males than in females, and are fully developed before the age of 10 in males, while they begin to develop in females only after approximately 20 years. White eyelids and undeveloped whiskers and beards may be visual signals that are indicative of young adult females. Our results also show that the facial morphology of the unflanged male is similar to that of the adult female, although it has also been pointed out that unflanged males resemble younger individuals.