Histochemical indications for a chemically complex signal produced by the cervical gill slit gland of the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps).

The pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) possesses an exocrine gland associated with its false gill slit pigmentation pattern. The cervical gill slit gland is a compound tubuloalveolar gland that produces a holocrine secretion and displays maturational changes in size and secretory histology. While the morphology of the cervical gill slit gland has been described in detail, to date, the chemical composition of its secretion remains uncharacterized.

Remarkable consistency of spinal cord microvasculature in highly adapted diving odontocetes.

Odontocetes are breath-hold divers with a suite of physiological, anatomical, and behavioral adaptations that are highly derived and vastly different from those of their terrestrial counterparts. Because of these adaptations for diving, odontocetes were originally thought to be exempt from the harms of nitrogen gas embolism while diving. However, recent studies have shown that these mammals may alter their dive behavior in response to anthropogenic sound, leading to the potential for nitrogen supersaturation and bubble formation which may cause decompression sickness in the central nervous system (CNS).

The DUX-25 after Twenty-Five Years: New Analyses and Reference Data.

Twenty-five years after its inception, we present new analyses and reference data for the DUX-25, a questionnaire on health-related quality of life for children 8-17 years old and their parents as proxy. Data from 774 healthy children and their caregivers were collected through web-based data collection. Participants were recruited via primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands.

Microvascular anatomy suggests varying aerobic activity levels in the adipose tissues of diving tetrapods.

Adipose tissue has many important functions including metabolic energy storage, endocrine functions, thermoregulation and structural support. Given these varied functions, the microvascular characteristics within the tissue will have important roles in determining rates/limits of exchange of nutrients, waste, gases and molecular signaling molecules between adipose tissue and blood. Studies on skeletal muscle have suggested that tissues with higher aerobic capacity contain higher microvascular density (MVD) with lower diffusion distances (DD) than less aerobically active tissues.

The inactivated infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccine used as booster in layer hens influences the breadth of protection against challenge with IBV variants.

To achieve long term protection of laying and breeding hens against aberrant egg production caused by infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a vaccination programme incorporating both live-attenuated and inactivated IBV vaccines is required. High quality IBV vaccines of both types are widely available, but the number of IBV variants of global importance continues to increase and it is not possible to develop vaccines against each one of them. Therefore, it is desirable to perform studies under controlled conditions to determine which IBV vaccine(s) provide the best protection for laying hens against different IBV challenges.