Heat Shock Protein 70 and Sex Steroid Receptors in the Follicular Structures of Induced Ovarian Cysts

The purpose of this study was to estimate the expression and relative amounts of estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) and their isoforms as well as heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in ovaries of rats with induced cystic ovarian disease (COD). Primary, secondary, tertiary, atretic and cystic follicles were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and total ovarian proteins were analyzed by Western blot. In the granulosa layer, growing and cystic follicles in the treated group have a higher expression of ERα than growing follicles of control individuals. In the theca interna layer, tertiary follicles presented a significantly higher expression of ERα in the treated group. An increase in total ERα protein was detected in the treated group. Granulosa cells of all growing, atretic and cystic follicles show a lower expression of ERβ in animals with COD, and the total protein expression of ERβ was lower in this group. The expression of PR was lower in the granulosa cell layer of tertiary and cystic follicles in treated animals, and theca interna layer had less intense immunostaining in this group. Although there were no differences in the expression of PR-B by Western blotting, the expression of PR-A was higher and the expression of PR-C was smaller in the treated group. An intense HSP70 immunostaining was observed in the cells of cystic follicles. By Western blotting, higher protein expression of HSP70 was detected in the ovarian samples of the control group than those of the treated ones. Ovaries of animals with COD exhibited an altered steroid receptor expression and subtype balance as compared with control animals, and an increase in HSP70 immunoexpression.     

Neospora caninum antibodies in commercial fetal bovine serum

The protozoan parasite Neospora caninum is a major cause of abortion in cattle throughout the world. In the process of propagating Neospora in vitro and producing specific antibodies for development of diagnostic assays in the food supply, our laboratory identified the presence of bovine antibodies to N. caninum in fetal bovine sera. The sera were produced commercially and preferentially recommended for tissue culture use and monoclonal antibody production. Seventeen different fetal bovine serum samples of different grades and from four different companies were examined for the presence of total IgG, IgG₁, IgG₂, and IgM specific for N. caninum. All of the tested serum samples recognized N. caninum specific bands on Western blot. Low IgG serum also recognized these antigens but with lower intensity. Antibody response was also evaluated using a commercially available ELISA kit for N. caninum.     

A spatiotemporal study of bacterial community profiles associated with Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae,Thunnus thynnus L., in three Mediterranean hatcheries

During the first 2 years of larval rearing trials with Atlantic bluefin tuna, survival was a challenging issue. As bacterial colonization of the gut has been shown to play a key role for other species, we studied the profiles of the microbiota associated with individual larvae at different stages in three distant hatcheries. The Bacterial Community Profile (BCP) was quantified based on PCR‐DGGE analyses of partial amplicons from 16S rDNA. Considerable individual variability in BCP was observed before onset of feeding, and the BCP did not show regular fluctuation during ontogenesis. Microalgae were added to the rearing tanks in two of the three hatcheries, but it was not possible to distinguish the effect of location from the effect of algal addition on BCP. In one hatchery, the larvae were reared either with algal addition or in mesocosm, but due to high individual variability, no significant difference in BCP was detected between the two groups. It was hypothesized that this variability was caused by differences in health, physiological status and developmental stage of the larvae. A practical conclusion from the study is the need to analyse a considerable number of individuals to reflect statistically significant differences between the microbial communities associated with rearing groups.     

Undernutrition in the parental and first generation provokes an organ‐specific response to oxidative stress on neonates of second filial generation of Wistar rats

Undernutrition induces an increase of the oxidative stress that can predispose offspring to various diseases in adulthood through epigenetic reprogramming. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of intergenerational undernutrition on protein oxidation and antioxidant defence response on liver, heart and brain of the second‐generation neonates (F₂) of undernourished rats. For this purpose, both parents in parental (F₀) and first generation (F₁) were fed with a low‐nutrient diet. Body mass and length decreased (p < 0.05) in F₀, F₁ and F₂ being the F₁ males who exhibited a greater mass loss. A decrease in plasma albumin concentration was observed in F₂ neonates (p < 0.05) and also a mass loss of liver, heart and brain (p < 0.05), although proportionally to body length reduction. Undernutrition increased levels of protein oxidation in liver and heart (p < 0.05) but not in brain (p > 0.05) while catalase activity increased only in brain (p < 0.05). In summary, intergenerational undernutrition modifies the antioxidant status through an organ‐specific response, on F₂ neonate rats, where the brain increased catalase activity to prevent a severe oxidative damage and support the vital functions of this key organ to maintain vital functions.     

The Odd Log-Logistic Student <Emphasis Type="Italic">t</Emphasis> Distribution: Theory and Applications

The normal distribution is most used in analysis of experiments. However, it is not suitable to apply in situations where the data have evidence of bimodality or heavier tails than the normal distribution. So, we propose a new four-parameter model called the odd log-logistic Student t distribution as an alternative to the normal and Student t distributions. The new distribution can be symmetric, platykurtic, mesokurtic or leptokurtic and may be unimodal or bimodal. Its various structural properties can be determined from the linear representation of its density function. The estimation of the model parameters is performed by maximum likelihood. The proposed distribution can be used as an alternative for randomized complete block design, thus providing analysis of real data more realistic than other special regression models. We perform a sensitivity analysis to detect influential or outlying observations, and construct generated envelopes from the residuals to select appropriate models. We illustrate the importance of the proposed model by means of three real data sets in analysis of experiments carried out in different regions of Brazil.     

Effects of Chloroformic Extracts from Washed and Unwashed Papaya Seeds (Carica papaya) on the Sperm Concentration of Dogs

Papaya seeds (Carica papaya Linn) have been found to have a significant effect on sperm characteristics in some mammals, including humans, but no studies have investigated the effects on dogs. In the present study, a significant decrease in sperm concentration was observed in a group of dogs treated with extracts from washed papaya seeds, but no decrease was observed in the group of dogs treated with non‐washed seeds. An important effect of extract components from washed seeds such as fatty acids is probably involved in the reduction of sperm production because of Sertoli cell damage, as has been suggested for langur monkeys. Dilution of the active components in the non‐washed papaya seeds or interference with some of the components may reduce the expected effect on spermatogenesis. This first report on the effects of a chloroformic extract of papaya seeds in dogs suggests that an increased dose is necessary to achieve azoospermia.     

The effect of a single intramammary infusion of a biological response modifier in cows at drying off

Biological response modifiers (BRM) are compounds that interact with the immune system to regulate specific aspects of host response. The objective of this study was to describe clinical and morphological changes during involution of bovine mammary gland following a single-dose infusion of a BRM containing lipopolysaccharide and cellular fractions of Escherichia coli incorporated into liposomes. A massive leukocyte response and increased subepithelial stroma infiltration of mononuclear cells, eosinophils and mast cells was observed in BRM-treated quarters compared with untreated controls; however, morphologic parameters assessed at 11 days post infusion were indicative of only slightly accelerated involution compared with untreated controls. In addition, BRM infusion at the end of lactation did not interfere with mammary epithelial cell proliferation and caused only mild systemic effects.