Even though South American Camelids (SAC) are a rustic species, adapted to harsh environments, their ability to reproduce is low in their natural habitat. Conception and birth rates in camelids vary from 50 % to 90 %. This depends on the mating system used, sire and dam fertility, postpartum interval, environmental conditions, and nutrition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis review describes the first steps necessary to apply any reproductive biotechnology in South American camelids (SAC) semen or sperm: sample collection, evaluation and handling. In camelids, the length and position adopted for mating and the site of semen deposition have conditioned semen collection methods. The advantages and disadvantages of available collection methods are summarized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of different percentages of seminal plasma (SP) during the cooling at 5 °C of alpaca spermatozoa from vas deferens. Fifteen pools of sperm from vas deferens were evaluated and then divided into four aliquots that were diluted to a final concentration of 30 × 10 sperm/ml with either: (1) Tris with 20% egg yolk (T-EY) (control, 0% SP), (2) T-EY with 10% SP, (3) T-EY with 25% SP, and (4) T-EY with 50% SP. Samples were cooled at 5 °C and the following sperm parameters were evaluated after 24 and 48 h of storage: motility, viability, membrane function, acrosome integrity, morphology, and chromatin condensation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the original sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) assay and the toluidine blue (TB) stain to assess DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation, respectively, in cat sperm obtained by urethral catheterization (CT) and epididymis slicing (EP). CT and EP samples were collected from the same cat, and sperm motility, concentration, morphology, DNA integrity and chromatin condensation were evaluated. As controls, aliquots of the samples were incubated with 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTools to predict surges in cases and hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic may help guide public health decisions. Low cycle threshold (CT) counts may indicate greater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in the respiratory tract, and thereby may be used as a surrogate marker of enhanced viral transmission. Several population studies have found an association between the oscillations in the mean CT over time and the evolution of the pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study analyzes the efficacy of a brief psychoeducational program aimed at preventing older adult infantilization by nursing home professionals. We examined whether an experimental group of professionals reported less infantilization than those of a control group. Changes in stereotypes and humanization were regarded as sub-targets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe reproductive physiology in camelid species has its particularities. The present study aimed to characterize the ovarian follicular dynamics and its functional significance in relation to follicular deviation, vaginal cytological characteristics, and sexual hormone profiles in llamas as the first report in South American camelids. Non-pregnant, multiparous llamas (Lama glama; n = 10; age: 48−72 mo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two commercial extenders, AndroMed® (AM) and Androstar® Plus (AS) both with and without the addition of egg-yolk (EY), for cooling llama semen. A total of sixteen ejaculates were collected from four males. Each ejaculate was divided into four aliquots and diluted with: AM, AM with 20 % EY (AM-EY), AS and AS with 20 % EY (AS-EY) and then cooled to 5 °C in an Equitainer®.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCirc Heart Fail
December 2022
Energy metabolism becomes dysregulated in individuals with obesity and many of these changes persist after weight loss and likely play a role in weight regain. In these studies, we use a mouse model of diet-induced obesity and weight loss to study the transcriptional memory of obesity. We found that the 'metabolic memory' of obesity is predominantly localized in adipocytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To study differences in oxidative stress markers and antioxidants among patients with bipolar depression (BPD) and unipolar depression (UPD).
Methods: Data sources. Electronic MEDLINE/PubMed/Cochrane Library/Scopus/TripDatabase database search until 30/06/2021.
The study's objective was to adapt the Sperm Chromatin Dispersion (SCD) protocol to evaluate sperm DNA fragmentation and implement a fragmentation control in dogs. Correlation between DNA status and routine sperm parameters was also analysed. To adapt the SCD, two different mercaptoethanol (ME) concentrations were assayed (2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Most residents and staff in nursing homes have received full vaccination. Factors related to the immune response to vaccination might be related to the risk of future severe COVID-19 and may guide the need for vaccine boosters. Design: Nursing homes that were tested in a point survey in July-October 2020 were again analyzed after a vaccination campaign in June-July 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of collagenase and two final dimethylformamide (DMF) concentrations (4% and 7%) on alpaca frozen-thawed sperm quality. A total of 25 ejaculates from 5 alpaca were obtained using electroejaculation. Each individual ejaculate was evaluated and then diluted 4:1 in a solution of 1 mg/ml collagenase in HEPES-TALP medium and incubated for 4 min at 37°C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe global COVID-19 spread has forced countries to implement non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) (i.e., mobility restrictions and testing campaigns) to preserve health systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSemen cryopreservation is not available for massive use in South American Camelids (SACs) due to the lack of an efficient protocol and the low pregnancy rates obtained with artificial insemination (AI). The use of a single cryoprotectant (CP) is commonly used in SACs frozen semen. The objective of the study was to evaluate the combined cryoprotective capacity of two permeable CPs at different stages of the cryopreservation protocol in llama semen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is not easy to separate frozen-thawed South American camelid sperm from seminal plasma (SP) and diluents to be used for embryo production. The objective of this study was to evaluate Androcoll-E™ (AE) efficiency to separate llama sperm from SP and freezing extender in frozen-thawed semen. A total of 22 ejaculates from five males were collected using electroejaculation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to evaluate effects of dehydration on sperm DNA with the aim of eventually using this method for preserving llama spermatozoa. Two experiments were conducted: 1) sperm preservation at 5 °C for 60 days in different hyperosmotic solutions (500, 800, 1000 and 1200 mOsmol/l) (n = 6, replications = 2) and 2) sperm preservation at 5 and -20 °C for 60 days in the same hyperosmotic solutions, with supplementary antibiotics (n = 6, replications = 2). Sperm motility, membrane functional integrity, viability and morphology were evaluated at 0 and 48 h of the preservation period (Experiment 1) and at 30 min and 24 h (Experiment 2).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of air-drying preservation on llama sperm DNA. Semen collections were carried out using electroejaculation under general anesthesia. A total of 16 ejaculates were processed from 4 males ( = 4, = 4).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of non-commercial and commercial extenders for cooling alpaca sperm has already been reported, the latter showing certain advantages over the first. The Andromed® (AM) extender was created for use in ruminants and has also been tested in ejaculated and epididymal alpaca sperm. According to the manufacturer, this extender does not need the addition of egg yolk (EY); however, it is known that the addition of EY to some extenders improves the preservation of cooled sperm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of three possible diagnostic specifiers, namely predominant polarity (PP) throughout illness, polarity of the first episode and early age at onset, in a sample of bipolar disorder (BD) patients and their association with important socio-demographic, clinical and course-of-illness variables. A retrospective and naturalistic study on 108 BD outpatients, who were classified according to the PP, polarity of the first episode and early age at onset (≤ 20 years) [vs. late (>20 years)] and were characterized by their demographics, clinical data, functionality and social support, among others features.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of pulmonary ridge (PR) coverage on both clinical and imaging follow-up outcomes in patients undergoing left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO).
Methods And Results: The study included consecutive patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation who underwent LAAO with disc and lobe devices. Patients were classified into two groups according to the PR coverage.
In the present study, we evaluated the effects of chronic exposure to traffic from a heavy-duty diesel-fueled vehicle area on respiratory symptoms and airway inflammation in a nonsmoking adult and elderly population. Respiratory symptoms were evaluated by the ISAAC questionnaire (International Study of Asthma and Allergies questionnaire), and airway inflammation was assessed by fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). Forty volunteers were selected from the 112 volunteers who completed the ISAAC questionnaire for the measurement of FeNO.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate oxidative stress markers and antioxidants in bipolar disorder (BD).
Methods: Electronic MEDLINE/PubMed/Cochrane-Library/Scopus/TripDatabase search until 06/30/2019 for studies comparing antioxidant or oxidative stress markers between BD and healthy controls (HCs). Standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for ≥3 studies.
The objective of this study was to design a protocol to separate spermatozoa from seminal plasma of raw llama semen without prior enzymatic treatment using a single-layer centrifugation with Androcoll-E (AE). Two experiments were performed: (a) samples were divided into three aliquots (1 ml) that were deposited on the top of 4, 5 or 6 ml of AE and were centrifuged at 800g for 20 min and (b) samples were divided into two aliquots (1 ml) that were deposited on the top of 4 ml of AE and were centrifuged at 600g or 1,000g for 20 min. Columns of 5 and 6 ml of AE showed a total sperm motility (TM) significantly lower, while in the 4 ml column, this parameter was not different from the TM of samples before the AE treatment.
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