NEONATAL CO-ADMINISTRATION OF THE PHYTOESTROGENS GENISTEIN AND DAIDZEIN DISRUPTS SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND FERTILITY.

Phytoestrogens are non-steroidal compounds that, can act as agonists and/or antagonists by binding to estrogen receptors; hence they can modify estrogen-dependent processes of neonatal sexual differentiation. Results of the analysis of the sexual behavior of experimental rats that received 6.8 mg of isoflavones/kg/day, showed significantly more mating activity, but fewer ejaculations (p<0.

Cumulative damage for multi-type epidemics and an application to infectious diseases.

A continuous time multivariate stochastic model is proposed for assessing the damage of a multi-type epidemic cause to a population as it unfolds. The instants when cases occur and the magnitude of their injure are random. Thus, we define a cumulative damage based on counting processes and a multivariate mark process.

A Sea Anemone Venom Fraction Decreases Boar Sperm Cells Capacitation: Possible Involvement of HVA Calcium Channels.

Sea anemones produce venoms characterized by a complex mixture of low molecular weight compounds, proteins and peptides acting on voltage-gated ion channels. Mammal sperm cells, like neurons, are characterized by their ion channels. Calcium channels seem to be implicated in pivotal roles such as motility and capacitation.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid induce plasma membrane dysfunction in boar spermatozoa during in vitro capacitation.

Spermatozoa require the capacitation, a series of biochemical events, to perform fertilization. Many toxic compounds can interfere in this process, including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which belong to the perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Since both substances are found in many everyday materials and are highly persistent, they accumulate in organisms where they have been associated with fertility problems.

Beneficial and deleterious effects of sitagliptin on a methionine/choline-deficient diet-induced steatohepatitis in rats.

Non-alcoholic fat liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the world. NAFLD is a spectrum of diseases ranging from simple steatosis to hepatic carcinoma. The complexity of pathomechanisms makes treatment difficult.

Boar sperm incubation with reduced glutathione (GSH) differentially modulates protein tyrosine phosphorylation patterns and reorganization of calcium in sperm, in vitro fertilization, and embryo development depending on concentrations.

The sperm in the female's reproductive tract undergo changes to fertilize the oocyte (sperm capacitation). These changes are regulated by redox system. However, some assisted reproductive technologies require sperm capacitation under in vitro conditions, though this increases the generation of ROS.

Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS) Alters Protein Phosphorylation, Increase ROS Levels and DNA Fragmentation during In Vitro Capacitation of Boar Spermatozoa.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) are toxic and bioaccumulative, included in the Stockholm Convention's list as persistent organic pollutants. Due to their toxicity, worldwide distribution, and lack of information in spermatozoa physiology during pre-fertilization processes, the present study seeks to analyze the toxic effects and possible alterations caused by the presence of these compounds in boar sperm during the in vitro capacitation. The spermatozoa capacitation was performed in supplemented TALP-Hepes media and mean lethal concentration values of 460.

Identification of lipid raft glycoproteins obtained from boar spermatozoa.

The surface of the spermatozoa is coated with glycoproteins the redistribution of which during in vitro capacitation plays a key role in the subsequent fertilization process. Lipid rafts are membrane microdomains involved in signal transduction through receptors and include or recruit specific types of proteins and glycoproteins. Few studies have focused on identifying glycoproteins resident in the lipid rafts of spermatozoa.

Rac1 is necessary for capacitation and acrosome reaction in guinea pig spermatozoa.

Actin cytoskeleton remodeling is a critical process for the acquisition of fertilizing capacity by spermatozoa during capacitation. However, the molecular mechanism that regulates this process has not been fully elucidated. In somatic cells, Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 protein (Rac1) promotes the polymerization of actin by participating in the modeling of two structures: lamellipodia and adhesion complexes linked with the plasma membrane.

Consensus With Persistently Exciting Couplings and Its Application to Vision-Based Estimation.

The problem of consensus in networked agent systems is revisited and applied to vision-based localization. A class of new consensus dynamics is introduced first, and sufficient conditions including the persistence of excitation on the coupling matrix for reaching consensus are derived. As an application of the proposed consensus dynamics, an adaptive localization algorithm then is proposed for autonomous robots equipped with primarily visual sensors in GPS-denied environments.

Changes in the membrane carbohydrates from sperm cryopreserved with dimethylsulfoxide or polyvinylpyrrolidone of red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicencis).

Background: That cryopreservation can induce alterations in sperm.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate sperm quality and distribution of N-acetylglucosamine, sialic acid and mannose residues in sperm cryopreserved of red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis).

Materials And Methods: We studied twenty samples of ejaculated semen for each cryoprotectant dimethylsulfoxide or polyvinylpyrrolidone.

Diagnostic genetic screening for assisted reproductive technologies patients with macrozoospermia.

Macrozoospermia is characterized by a high proportion of abnormal spermatozoa with enlarged heads. So far, it has been associated with mutations only in the Aurora Kinase C gene (AURKC) in some cases. Although many publications have reported failure to conceive in couples with macrozoospermia, a few others have described successful pregnancies, thus raising questions as to whether ICSI and AURKC genetic screening should be recommended in all patients with macrozoospermia.

Pronuclear formation by ICSI using chemically activated ovine oocytes and zona pellucida bound sperm.

Background: In order to improve ICSI, appropiate sperm selection and oocyte activation is necessary. The objective of the present study was to determine the efficiency of fertilization using ICSI with chemically activated ovine oocytes and sperm selected by swim up (SU) or swim up + zona pellucida (SU + ZP) binding.

Results: Experiment 1, 4-20 replicates with total 821 matured oocytes were chemically activated with ethanol, calcium ionophore or ionomycin, to determine oocyte activation (precense of one PN).

Prevalence and genotypes of the adenovirus infection as well detection of co-infection with bocavirus in Mexican immunosuppressed and non-immunosuppressed children with pneumonia.

Background: Adenovirus (AdV) causes respiratory infection; recent observations suggest that some subtypes have more ability to develop fatal disease. AdV infection has been associated with co-infection with human bocavirus (HBoV). We analysed the frequency of AdV infection, its subtypes and the presence of co-infection with HBoV, as well the clinical characteristics of such co-infection in Mexican paediatric immunosuppressed (IP) and non-immunosuppressed patients (non-IP) diagnosed with pneumonia.

Sperm characteristics and heterologous in vitro fertilisation capacity of Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) epididymal sperm, frozen in the presence of the enzymatic antioxidant catalase.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the protective effect of catalase (CAT) on frozen/thawed ibex epididymal sperm recovered post mortem, and to detect any harmful effect this might have on sperm fertilisation capacity. Epididymal spermatozoa were diluted using a Tris-citric acid-glucose medium (TCG) composed of 3.8% Tris (w/v), 2.

Fertilization capacity of cryopreserved Iberian ibex epididymal sperm in a heterologous in vitro fertilization assay.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) can be used to assess the fertilization capacity of sperm. Heterologous IVF may be useful when assessing that of wild animals as it is often difficult to obtain adequate numbers of naturally corresponding oocytes. The aim of the present study was to assess the fertilization capacity of frozen-thawed ibex epididymal spermatozoa via heterologous IVF involving the oocytes of prepubertal domestic goats.

Chemical constituents of Cinnamomum cebuense.

Aim: To investigate the chemical constituents of Cinnamomum cebuense, an endemic and critically endangered tree found only in Cebu, Philippines.

Methods: The compounds were isolated by silica gel chromatography. The structures of the isolates were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy.

Effect of porcine follicular fluid proteins and peptides on oocyte maturation and their subsequent effect on in vitro fertilization.

The follicular fluid (FF) is a microenvironment that contains molecules involved in oocyte maturation, ovulation, and fertilization. Characterizing the proteins and peptides present in the FF could be useful for determining which proteins and peptides to use as a supplement for culture media. Biologically active peptides produced during the maturation or degradation of functional proteins are called cryptides.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in small ruminants.

Small ruminants are an important component of the global production systems of meat and wool, and their reproductive biology is well known. However, the incorporation of assisted reproduction techniques (ART) in the production systems of small ruminants is not as well developed as for other domestic species. Normally, production systems that incorporate ARTs are restricted to artificial insemination or in vivo embryo transfer.

Hypoglycaemic effects of tea extracts and ent-kaurenoic acid from Smallanthus sonchifolius.

Hypoglycaemic activity was observed in normoglycaemic mice orally administered with the aqueous Smallanthus sonchifolius leaf tea extract, alloxan-induced diabetic mice orally administered with ent-kaurenoic acid (1), and normoglycaemic mice intraperitoneally administered with 1 from S. sonchifolius leaves. A single dose administration of 50 mg kg(-1) BW yacon leaf tea extract demonstrated immediate but relatively short hypoglycaemic activity, with significant effects observed during 1-2 h.

Quantitative determination of fluoxetine in human serum by high performance thin layer chromatography.

A high performance thin layer chromatographic method was developed and validated for the quantification of fluoxetine in human serum. Fluoxetine was extracted by liquid-liquid extraction method with diethyl ether as extraction solvent. Imipramine was used as internal standard.

Molecular cloning and functional analysis of the FSH receptor gene promoter from the volcano mouse (Neotomodon alstoni alstoni).

To gain further insights on the genetic divergence and the species-specific characteristics of the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), we cloned 946 bp of the 5'-flanking region of the FSHR gene from the volcano mouse (Neotomodon alstoni alstoni), and compared its features with those from other mammalian species. The sequence of neotomodon FSHR (nFSHR) gene from the translation initiation site to -946 is 74, 71, 64, and 59% homologous to rat, mouse (129/J), human, and sheep, respectively. The nFSHR 5'-flanking region exhibits new interesting putative cis-regulatory elements including those for the SRY transcription factor, which had not been previously related to the FSHR gene.

Effects of atrazine and fenoxaprop-ethyl on capacitation and the acrosomal reaction in boar sperm.

Atrazine is a herbicide of the chloro-s-triazine family. It inhibits photosynthesis in plants and is an endocrine disruptor, but its effects on human health are controversial. Fenoxaprop-ethyl, an aryloxy phenoxyalkanoic acid herbicide, inhibits the biosynthesis of fatty acids and provokes depolarization of membranes.

Instrumental planar chromatographic method for determination of carbamazepine in human serum.

An instrumental planar chromatographic (HPTLC) method for quantification of carbamazepine in human serum was developed using liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane, fluorescence activation with perchloric acid 60%/ethanol/water (1:1:1, v/v) and fluorescence detection. Planar chromatographic separation was performed on precoated silica gel F254 HPTLC plates using a mixture of ethyl acetate/toluene/methanol/acetic acid glacial (5:4:0.5:0.

Control of a nonholonomic mobile robot using neural networks.

A control structure that makes possible the integration of a kinematic controller and a neural network (NN) computed-torque controller for nonholonomic mobile robots is presented. A combined kinematic/torque control law is developed using backstepping and stability is guaranteed by Lyapunov theory. This control algorithm can be applied to the three basic nonholonomic navigation problems: tracking a reference trajectory, path following, and stabilization about a desired posture.