Social Behavior and Impairments in Social Cognition Following Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objectives: The negative effect of changes in social behavior following traumatic brain injury (TBI) are known, but much less is known about the neuropsychological impairments that may underlie and predict these changes. The current study investigated possible associations between post-injury behavior and neuropsychological competencies of emotion recognition, understanding intentions, and response selection, that have been proposed as important for social functioning.

Methods: Forty participants with TBI and 32 matched healthy participants completed a battery of tests assessing the three functions of interest.

Developmental competence of prepubertal and adult goat oocytes cultured in semi-defined media following laparoscopic recovery.

With an increased interest in transgenic animal production, the caprine species offers many advantages, and the prepubertal goat is a potential source of large numbers of oocytes for in vitro embryo production. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the follicular response and recovery of oocytes from prepubertal and adult goats following ovarian stimulation and laparoscopic recovery, and their developmental competence following culture in semi-defined media. Oocytes were collected over a 15-week period from prepubertal goats (3-7 months old) and adult controls (2-4 years old) that had been subjected to estrus synchronization and ovarian stimulation.

Influence of GnRH administration on timing of the LH surge and ovulation in dwarf goats.

This study was conducted to determine whether or not exogenous gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) alters the timing or improves the synchrony of estrus, the LH surge, and ovulation following estrous synchronization in dwarf goats, and to assess the effects of season on these parameters. In January and June, estrus was synchronized in 12 Pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf goats with a 10-day progestagen sponge, 125 microg cloprostenol i.m.

Biphasic effects of leptin in porcine granulosa cells.

The direct effects of recombinant porcine leptin on porcine granulosa cells were studied to test the hypothesis that leptin, acting through the nuclear transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3), modulates sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) thereby increasing steroidogenesis. In porcine granulosa cells in culture over 48 h, leptin at 10 ng/ml increased progesterone accumulation 3-fold while it was reduced by leptin at 1000 ng/ml. Leptin had no effect on progression of granulosa cells through the cell cycle nor on the frequency of cell death.

Maturational and developmental competence of immature oocytes retrieved from bovine ovaries at different phases of folliculogenesis.

Immature oocytes recovered from bovine ovaries were studied to determine if their maturational and developmental competence is affected by phase of folliculogenesis. Ovaries (a total of 39 pairs) were collected from a local abattoir. Following examination, each pair of ovaries was assigned to one of three groups, according to follicle size and with or without a corpus luteum: (i) early phase (n = 13 pairs): all follicles were or=15 mm in diameter; (iii) luteal phase (n = 13 pairs): all follicles were View Article and Find Full Text PDF