Uterine defense mechanisms in the mare: The use of intrauterine plasma in the management of endometritis

Twenty-nine mares with either active or subclinical endometritis were treated with intrauterine infusions of their own plasma in one of two treatment schemes. Twenty-six mares actively infected, with an average of 2.4 years barren, were treated with combinations of saline irrigations and plasma infusions. Twenty-four showed clinical improvement and were bred, resulting in 15 pregnancies. Three mares with subclinical endometritis were treated post-breeding with a single plasma infusion and all became pregnant. The response to plasma infusions supports in-vitro observations which implicate serum-derived opsonins, particularly complement, as enhancers of phagocytic function.     

Uterine defense mechanisms in the mare: Serum opsonins affecting phagocytosis of Streptococcus zooepidemicus by equine neutrophils

The addition of serum to uterine secretions was shown to opsonize Streptococcus zooepidemicus and significantly enhance bacterial phagocytosis by equine neutrophils. Treatment of serum by heat inactivation at 56 degrees C, EDTA treatment, and C3 consumption reduced phagocytosis and therefore demonstrated that the process was complement-dependent. The amount of C3 present in uterine secretions was measured in a series of 14 mares infected with Streptococcus zooepidemicus . Ten of the 14 mares had detectable amounts of C3; however, the C3 had been cleaved and rendered nonfunctional. The importance of these findings in relationship to chronic uterine infections in the mare is discussed.     

Immunoglobulins in uterine secretions of mares with differing resistance to endometritis

The immunoglobulins IgA, IgG, IgG(T) and IgM were measured in uterine secretions from mares with normal uterine defense capability against bacterial contamination, and in mares with lowered resistance. Samples were collected for analysis at two stages of estrus and two stages of diestrus. All mares were then challenged with a pathogenic culture of Streptococci inoculated into the uterus. The immunoglobulins were quantitated on a similar schedule post-inoculation. Generally higher amounts of IgA, IgG and IgG(T) were found in the uterine secretions of mares which had an imparied resistance to endometritis than in mares with an efficient defense mechanisms. IgM was not detected in enough samples to suggest any differences.     

Hospital work load produced by breast-cancer screening programme run by trained non-medical staff.

In a feasibility study of mass population screening for breast cancer by annual clinical examination and mammography the findings of non-medical staff (nurses and radiographers) were used to estimate the hospital work load generated by such a programme. Among 2490 women who attended for the first time by invitation the rate of referral for a surgical opinion based on the findings of the non-medical staff was 7.9% and the biopsy rate 2.5%. In the second and third years referral rates fell to 4.3% and 2.7% respectively and the biopsy rates to 1.1% and 1.4%. The rates of referral and biopsy among 1203 women who referred themselves for screening were higher, but many self-referred women were symptomatic; those without symptoms had rates of referral and biopsy similar to those of the invited women. Extrapolation of these findings to a population of 200,000 in a typical health district showed that the hospital work load would be high in the first year of screening with 44 outpatient referrals per week and 14 biopsies. By the third year, however, only seven referrals and four biopsies a week could be expected. The work load would be reduced by a third if screening were confined to women over the age of 50.     

Screening for breast cancer.

The feasibility of mass population screening for breast cancer by clinical examination and x-ray mammography was studied. The results indicate that such a programme could be conducted effectively by non-medical staff and be safe from the dangers of irradiation. The response rate of women invited for screening suggests that such a service is acceptable to the general public. The additional work load produced by screening would not overburden the existing surgical services.     

Fascioloides magna (Bassi, 1875) in feral swine from southern Texas.

Between 1971 and 1975, Fascioloides magna was found in 46 of 67 (69%) feral swine (Sus scrofa) in southern Texas. Flukes were recovered from swine in areas where F. magna commonly has been recovered from white-tailed deer and cattle. One to 12 flukes were recovered from each infected animal. Their presence was indicated by black hematin pigment on the liver and various other internal organs. Eggs were not detected in the gallbladder or feces of infected animals although mature flukes and eggs were recovered in the livers suggesting that, like cattle, feral swine can be infected but are aberrant hosts for the parasite and do not disseminate eggs.     

Microtubule pivoting enables mitotic spindle assembly in S. cerevisiae

To assemble a bipolar spindle, microtubules emanating from two poles must bundle into an antiparallel midzone, where plus end–directed motors generate outward pushing forces to drive pole separation. Midzone cross-linkers and motors display only modest preferences for antiparallel filaments, and duplicated poles are initially tethered together, an arrangement that instead favors parallel interactions. Pivoting of microtubules around spindle poles might help overcome this geometric bias, but the intrinsic pivoting flexibility of the microtubule–pole interface has not been directly measured, nor has its importance during early spindle assembly been tested. By measuring the pivoting of microtubules around isolated yeast spindle poles, we show that pivoting flexibility can be modified by mutating a microtubule-anchoring pole component, Spc110. By engineering mutants with different flexibilities, we establish the importance of pivoting in vivo for timely pole separation. Our results suggest that passive thermal pivoting can bring microtubules from side-by-side poles into initial contact, but active minus end–directed force generation will be needed to achieve antiparallel alignment.     

Strong genetic isolation despite wide distribution in a commercially exploited coastal shark

The common smoothhound, Mustelus mustelus, is an epibenthic species targeted by fisheries around the world driven by the increasing demand for shark products. Given the wide-spread occurrence of this species and corresponding lack of molecular data in many areas of said distribution, baseline molecular assessments of this commercially important shark may contribute to finer-scale analyses in areas in which this species is targeted. Therefore, population genetic analyses were conducted along the East Atlantic, from the Mediterranean Sea to the south-east coast of Africa, using microsatellite markers and the mitochondrial control region (mtCR). Overall, M. mustelus displayed low to moderate genetic diversity, with the Mediterranean populations appearing to exhibit the lowest mitochondrial diversity, and the west African populations displaying the lowest nuclear diversity. Microsatellite analysis indicated strong genetic differentiation between the three regions, with finer-scale population structure in each region, without correlation between genetic and geographical distance. For the mtCR sequences, a total of 18 haplotypes were identified, with a high degree of divergence discernable between the regions, largely in accordance with the microsatellite data. The study documents a remarkable level of population isolation across a vast area, suggesting little or no present-day connectivity among extant populations. The findings may serve as an essential baseline for global population management and commercial traceability of this threatened shark.

     

IL-11 and IL-11Rα immunolocalisation at primate implantation sites supports a role for IL-11 in placentation and fetal development

Embryo implantation, endometrial stromal cell decidualization and formation of a functional placenta are critical processes in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Interleukin (IL)-11 signalling is essential for adequate decidualization in the mouse uterus and IL-11 promotes decidualization in the human. IL-11 action is mediated via binding to the specific IL-11 receptor α (IL-11Rα). The present study examined immunoreactive IL-11 and IL-11Rα in cycling rhesus monkey endometrium, at implantation sites in cynomolgus and rhesus monkeys and in human first trimester decidua and defined distinct spatial and temporal patterns. In cycling rhesus monkey endometrium, IL-11 and IL-11Rα increased in both basalis and functionalis regions during the secretory compared with the proliferative phase, with changing cellular locations in luminal and glandular epithelium and stroma. The patterns were similar overall to those previously described in human endometrium. Differences were seen in immunostaining during implantation in cynomologus and rhesus monkey. In the cynomolgus, very little staining for IL-11 or IL-11Rα was seen in syncytio- and cyto-trophoblast cells in the villi between days 12 and 150 of pregnancy although there was moderate staining in cytotrophoblast in the shell between days 12 and 17 and in subpopulations of cytotrophoblast cells invading the arteries at day 17. By contrast in the rhesus monkey between days 24 and 35 of pregnancy and in human first trimester placenta, cyto- and syncytio-trophoblast in the villi but not cytotrophoblast in the shell were positively stained. The most intense staining for both IL-11 and IL-11Rα was present within the decidua in the maternal component of implantation sites in all three primates but moderate staining was also present in maternal vascular smooth muscle and glands perivascular cells and epithelial plaques. These results are consistent with a role for IL-11 both during decidualization and placentation in primates.     

Kinetochore Biorientation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Requires a Tightly Folded Conformation of the Ndc80 Complex

Accurate transmission of genetic material relies on the coupling of chromosomes to spindle microtubules by kinetochores. These linkages are regulated by the conserved Aurora B/Ipl1 kinase to ensure that sister chromatids are properly attached to spindle microtubules. Kinetochore–microtubule attachments require the essential Ndc80 complex, which contains two globular ends linked by large coiled-coil domains. In this study, we isolated a novel ndc80 mutant in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that contains mutations in the coiled-coil domain. This ndc80 mutant accumulates erroneous kinetochore–microtubule attachments, resulting in misalignment of kinetochores on the mitotic spindle. Genetic analyses with suppressors of the ndc80 mutant and in vitro cross-linking experiments suggest that the kinetochore misalignment in vivo stems from a defect in the ability of the Ndc80 complex to stably fold at a hinge in the coiled coil. Previous studies proposed that the Ndc80 complex can exist in multiple conformations: elongated during metaphase and bent during anaphase. However, the distinct functions of individual conformations in vivo are unknown. Here, our analysis revealed a tightly folded conformation of the Ndc80 complex that is likely required early in mitosis. This conformation is mediated by a direct, intracomplex interaction and involves a greater degree of folding than the bent form of the complex at anaphase. Furthermore, our results suggest that this conformation is functionally important in vivo for efficient error correction by Aurora B/Ipl1 and, consequently, to ensure proper kinetochore alignment early in mitosis.