Neonatal handling reduces the number of cells in the medial preoptic area of female rats

Early-life events may induce alterations in neuronal function in adulthood. A crucial aspect in studying long-lasting effects induced by environmental interventions imposed to the animal several weeks before is finding a stable change that could be causally related to the phenotype observed in adulthood. In order to explain an adult trait, it seems necessary to look back to early life and establish a temporal line between events. The neonatal handling procedure is an experimental tool to analyze the long-lasting impact of early-life events. Aside from the neuroendocrine response to stress, neonatal handling also alters the functionality of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis. Reductions in ovulation and surge of the luteinizing hormone (LH) on the proestrous day were shown in female rats. Considering the importance of the medial preoptic area (MPA) for the control of ovulation, the present study aimed to verify the effects of neonatal handling on the numerical density and cell size in the MPA in 11-day-old and 90-day-old female rats. Cellular proliferation was also assessed using BrdU (5-bromo-2`-deoxyuridine) in 11-day-old pups. Results showed that neonatal handling induces a stable reduction in the number of cells and in the size of the cell soma, which were lower in handled females than in nonhandled ones at both ages. Cellular proliferation in the MPA was also reduced 24 h after the last manipulation. The repeated mother-infant disruption imposed by the handling procedure ""lesioned"" the MPA. The dysfunction in the ovulation mechanisms induced by the handling procedure could be related to that neuronal loss. The study also illustrates the impact of an environmental intervention on the development of the brain. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

On the Oberwolfach problem with two similar length cycles

For all in greater than or equal to 3, the Oberwolfach problem is solved for the case where the 2-factors consist of two cycles of lengths in and m + 1, and for the case where the 2-factors consist of two cycles of lengths m and m + 2.

Coupling between replication and packaging of flavivirus RNA: Evidence derived from the use of DNA-based full-length cDNA clones of kunjin virus

In order to study whether flavivirus RNA packaging is dependent on RNA replication, we generated two DNA-based Kunjin virus constructs, pKUN1 and pKUN1dGDD, allowing continuous production of replicating (wild-type) and nonreplicating (with a deletion of the NS5 gene RNA-polymerase motif GDD) full-length Kunjin virus RNAs, respectively, via nuclear transcription by cellular RNA polymerase II. As expected, transfection of pKUN1 plasmid DNA into BHK cells resulted in the recovery of secreted infectious Kunjin virions. Transfection of pKUN1dGDD DNA into BHK cells, however, did not result in the recovery of any secreted virus particles containing encapsidated dGDD RNA, despite an apparent accumulation of this RNA in cells demonstrated by Northern blot analysis and its efficient translation demonstrated by detection of correctly processed labeled structural proteins (at least prM and E) both in cells and in the culture fluid using coimmunoprecipitation analysis with anti-E antibodies. In contrast, when dGDD RNA was produced even in much smaller amounts in PKUN1dGDD DNA-transfected repBHK cells (where it was replicated via complementation), it was packaged into secreted virus particles, Thus, packaging of defective Kunjin virus RNA could occur only when it was replicated. Our results with genome-length Kunjin virus RNA and the results with poliovirus replicon RNA (C, I. Nugent et al,, J, Virol, 73:427-435, 1999), both demonstrating the necessity for the RNA to be replicated before it can be packaged, strongly suggest the existence of a common mechanism for minimizing amplification and transmission of defective RNAs among the quasispecies in positive-strand RNA viruses, This mechanism may thus help alleviate the high-copy error rate of RNA-dependent RNA polymerases.

Effect of body size on fecundity of Childers canegrub, Antitrogus parvulus Britton (Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae)

Actual and potential fecundity for Childers canegrub, Antitrogus parvulus Britton, was influenced by the size of females, with the largest females laying the most eggs. Actual or realised fecundity for A. parvulus averaged 18 eggs per female, about half of potential fecundity. Actual fecundity was significantly related to elytron length in a group of laboratory-reared beetles, but not for a group of field-collected beetles. Size was related to potential fecundity for four out of four groups of females collected from emergence traps in the field and for one of two groups reared in the laboratory from field-collected late-instar larvae. As females lay a single batch of eggs, beetle size may be important in the population dynamics of A. parvulus. Populations of A. parvulus with small beetles are potentially less likely to persist and expand than populations with relatively large females.

Rehabilitation outcomes for brain injured patients in Australia: functional status, length of stay and discharge destination

This study describes the rehabilitation length of stay (LOS), discharge destination and discharge functional status of 149 patients admitted with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to an Australian hospital over a 5-year period. Hospital charts of patients admitted between 1993-1998 were reviewed. Average LOS over the 5-year time period was 61.8 days and only decreased nominally over this time. Longer LOS was predicted by lower admission motor FIM scores and presence of comorbidities. Mean admission and discharge motor FIM scores were 58 and 79, which represented a gain of 21 points. Higher discharge motor FIM scores were predicted by higher admission motor FIM scores and younger age. FIM gain was predicted by cognitive status and age. Most patients, 88%, were discharged back to the community, with 30% changing their living setting or situation. Changing living status was predicted by living alone and having poorer functional status on admission.

Outcome of the acute abdomen in patients with previous spinal cord injury

Background: Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) have always posed difficulties for the diagnosis of an acute abdomen. The aim of the present study was to define this problem retrospectively at Princess Alexandra Hospital and to assess the results of treatment for these patients. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 133 SCI patients admitted with an acute abdomen in the 16 years prior to this analysis at the Spinal Injuries Unit (SIU) of Princess Alexandra Hospital. There were 21 patients who conformed to the study criteria. All the patients had sustained traumatic SCI at or above the level of T11, more than 1 month prior to admission. Results: There were 13 male and eight female patients. The time lapse between SCI and the onset of an acute abdomen ranged from 1.5 months to 27 years. The age range was 26-79 years. The majority of patients had C6 injuries (six patients). There were 18 patients with injury levels above T6 and three patients with injuries below this level. The time taken to diagnose the cause of the acute abdomen ranged between 1 day and 3 months. Investigations were found to be useful in making the diagnoses in 61.9% of cases. There were 14 patients who had surgical interventions. Five patients had surgical complications and there were two deaths in the study. The length of follow up was 1-132 months. The mortality in the study was 9.5%. Conclusion: An aggressive approach to the diagnosis and treatment of the acute abdomen in SCI patients with suspicious symptoms is recommended. A high index of suspicion should be maintained in those patients with pre-existing SCI who present with abdominal trauma.

Transcripts of the MHM region on the chicken Z chromosome accumulate as non-coding RNA in the nucleus of female cells adjacent to the DMRT1 locus

The male hypermethylated (MHM) region, located near the middle of the short arm of the Z chromosome of chickens, consists of approximately 210 tandem repeats of a BamHI 2.2-kb sequence unit. Cytosines of the CpG dinucleotides of this region are extensively methylated on the two Z chromosomes in the male but much less methylated on the single Z chromosome in the female. The state of methylation of the MHM region is established after fertilization by about the 1-day embryonic stage. The MHM region is transcribed only in the female from the particular strand into heterogeneous, high molecular-mass, non-coding RNA, which is accumulated at the site of transcription, adjacent to the DMRT1 locus, in the nucleus. The transcriptional silence of the MHM region in the male is most likely caused by the CpG methylation, since treatment of the male embryonic fibroblasts with 5-azacytidine results in hypo-methylation and active transcription of this region. In ZZW triploid chickens, MHM regions are hypomethylated and transcribed on the two Z chromosomes, whereas MHM regions are hypermethylated and transcriptionally inactive on the three Z chromosomes in ZZZ triploid chickens, suggesting a possible role of the W chromosome on the state of the MHM region.

Helping the female partners of men abusing alcohol: a comparison of three treatments

Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of three approaches to assisting the female partners of male problem drinkers with the stress imposed by the male's drinking. Design. Participants were assigned randomly via random number tables to one of three treatment conditions: supportive counselling, stress management or alcohol-focused couples therapy. Setting. The intervention took place at the Behaviour Research and Therapy Centre (BRTC), The University of Queensland. This research and training centre offers outpatient psychology services to the community. Participants. Sixty-one married women whose husbands drank heavily. Participants reported protracted alcohol problems, severe impact of alcohol on social functioning and severe marital distress. Measurement. The women's stress, alcohol consumption by the male, and relationship functioning were assessed at pre- and post-treatment and at 6-month follow-up. Interventions. All three treatments involved 15 1-hour sessions with the woman. In the alcohol-focused couple therapy, attempts were made to engage the man in these sessions. Results. Contrary to our predictions, there were few differences between the treatments. All three treatments were associated with reductions in the women's reported stress, with trends for somewhat greater reduction in the women's stress in the stress management and alcohol-focused couples therapy conditions than for supportive counselling. None of the treatments produced clinically significant reductions in men's drinking or relationship distress. Conclusion. The treatments ease stresses and burden but do not improve drinking or relationships. Limited power in the design restricted the capacity to detect differential treatment effects.

A novel target-field method for finite-length magnetic resonance shim coils: I. Zonal shims

This paper presents a new approach for the design of genuinely finite-length shim and gradient coils, intended for use in magnetic resonance imaging equipment. A cylindrical target region is located asymmetrically, at an arbitrary position within a coil of finite length. A desired target field is specified on the surface of that region, and a method is given that enables winding patterns on the surface of the coil to be designed, to produce the desired field at the inner target region. The method uses a minimization technique combined with regularization, to find the current density on the surface of the coil. The method is illustrated for linear, quadratic and cubic magnetic target fields located asymmetrically within a finite-length coil.

Functional annotation of a full-length mouse cDNA collection

The RIKEN Mouse Gene Encyclopaedia Project, a systematic approach to determining the full coding potential of the mouse genome, involves collection and sequencing of full-length complementary DNAs and physical mapping of the corresponding genes to the mouse genome. We organized an international functional annotation meeting (FANTOM) to annotate the first 21,076 cDNAs to be analysed in this project. Here we describe the first RIKEN clone collection, which is one of the largest described for any organism. Analysis of these cDNAs extends known gene families and identifies new ones.