Changes in vaginal gene expression and anogenital distance during gilt reproductive development.

Early puberty is associated with improved long-term reproductive performance. Predicting who will achieve early puberty is limited to intensive, invasive serial blood collections for measurement of reproductive hormones. The vaginal genome during pubertal development has potential as biomarkers of early estrus in the pre-pubertal period.

Reproductive cycle of northern largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides salmoides.

The seasonal dynamics of the northern largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides salmoides) reproductive cycle was investigated in a Midwestern United States population. Mature largemouth bass (n = five males and five females) were collected each month over a one-year period. Environmental cues (water temperature and photoperiod) were recorded in situ using data loggers.

Energy balance affects pulsatile secretion of luteinizing hormone from the adenohypophesis and expression of neurokinin B in the hypothalamus of ovariectomized gilts.

The pubertal transition of gonadotropin secretion in pigs is metabolically gated. Kisspeptin (KISS1) and neurokinin B (NKB) are coexpressed in neurons within the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC) and are thought to play an important role in the integration of nutrition and metabolic state with the reproductive neuroendocrine axis. The hypothesis that circulating concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) and expression of KISS1 and tachykinin 3(TAC3, encodes NKB) in the ARC of female pigs are reduced with negative energy balance was tested using ovariectomized, prepubertal gilts fed to either gain or lose body weight.

Differential expression of the type I interferon pathway during persistent and transient bovine viral diarrhea virus infection.

Persistent infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) serves as a reservoir for the perpetuation of infection in cattle populations and causes a range of adverse effects on the health of the host. To study the interactions of the virus with the host, gene expression was compared in the blood of persistently infected (PI) and uninfected steer, and in the blood and tissues of PI fetuses, transiently infected (TI), and uninfected bovine fetuses. Microarray analysis of PI steer blood revealed differential gene expression indicative of an interferon (IFN) response including genes involved in cell cycle regulation, which may contribute to long-term adverse effects.

Effects of two different anaesthetics on serum concentrations of cortisol and luteinizing hormone in barrows and gilts.

To determine if administration of the anaesthetic cocktail, telazol-ketamine-xylazine (TKX) and pentothal (PEN) decreases serum concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) in pigs, the following experiment was performed. On day 1, eight gilts and six barrows of similar weight (75 kg) were anaesthetized with TKX (1 mL/22.5 kg body weight [BW] intramuscularly) and indwelling jugular catheters were inserted.

The impact of varying dietary protein on serum IGF-I, IGFBP-1, and IGFBP-3 during 6 days of physical activity.

This study was designed to investigate the impact of dietary protein intake on serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-1 and relative amounts of serum IGFBP-3 during 6 d of physical activity. Ten men (23.8 +/- 2.

Effect of protein supplementation during a 6-mo strength and conditioning program on insulin-like growth factor I and markers of bone turnover in young adults.

Background: Exercise is beneficial for bone when adequate nutrition is provided. The role of protein consumption in bone health, however, is controversial.

Objective: The objective was to ascertain the effect of high protein intake on insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and markers of bone turnover during 6 mo of exercise training.

Hypoglycemia-induced suppression of luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in intact female rhesus macaques: role of vasopressin and endogenous opioids.

The first objective of this study was to determine whether insulin-induced hypoglycemia (IIH) inhibits LH secretion in unrestrained female macaques during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. There was a consistent inhibitory effect of hypoglycemia on LH secretion within 3 h in these females. This inhibition was likely an indirect effect since low glucose levels did not inhibit GnRH secretion from GT1-1 neurones in vitro.