Clinical assessment of a point-of-care assay to determine protective vaccinal antibody titers to canine viral diseases.

Guidelines recommend that dogs are vaccinated for canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus (CPV), and canine adenovirus (CAV) every 3 years. Alternatively, their antibody titers are measured and vaccines given when titers fall below a protective threshold. In this study, a point-of-care (POC) assay was compared to hemagglutination inhibition (for CPV) and virus neutralization (for CAV and CDV) assays to predict the need for revaccination Ninety-two dogs presented for vaccination were enrolled.

No impact of prenatal paracetamol and folic acid exposure on cord blood DNA methylation in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Pharmacoepigenetic studies are important to understand the mechanisms through which medications influence the developing fetus. For instance, we and others have reported associations between prenatal paracetamol exposure and offspring DNA methylation (DNAm). Additionally, folic acid (FA) intake during pregnancy has been associated with DNAm in genes linked to developmental abnormalities.

Effects of prenatal exposure to (es)citalopram and maternal depression during pregnancy on DNA methylation and child neurodevelopment.

Studies assessing associations between prenatal exposure to antidepressants, maternal depression, and offspring DNA methylation (DNAm) have been inconsistent. Here, we investigated whether prenatal exposure to citalopram or escitalopram ((es)citalopram) and maternal depression is associated with differences in DNAm. Then, we examined if there is an interaction effect of (es)citalopram exposure and DNAm on offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Low reliability of DNA methylation across Illumina Infinium platforms in cord blood: implications for replication studies and meta-analyses of prenatal exposures.

Background: There is an increasing interest in the role of epigenetics in epidemiology, but the emerging research field faces several critical biological and technical challenges. In particular, recent studies have shown poor correlation of measured DNA methylation (DNAm) levels within and across Illumina Infinium platforms in various tissues. In this study, we have investigated concordance between 450 k and EPIC Infinium platforms in cord blood.

Diversity and function of motile ciliated cell types within ependymal lineages of the zebrafish brain.

Motile cilia defects impair cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow and can cause brain and spine disorders. The development of ciliated cells, their impact on CSF flow, and their function in brain and axial morphogenesis are not fully understood. We have characterized motile ciliated cells within the zebrafish brain ventricles.

Prenatal medication exposure and epigenetic outcomes: a systematic literature review and recommendations for prenatal pharmacoepigenetic studies.

When used during pregnancy, analgesics and psychotropics pass the placenta to enter the foetal circulation and may induce epigenetic modifications. Where such modifications occur and whether they disrupt normal foetal developme nt, are currently unanswered questions. This field of prenatal pharmacoepigenetics has received increasing attention, with several studies reporting associations between medication exposure and offspring epigenetic outcomes.

The role of motile cilia in the development and physiology of the nervous system.

Motile cilia are miniature, whip-like organelles whose beating generates a directional fluid flow. The flow generated by ciliated epithelia is a subject of great interest, as defective ciliary motility results in severe human diseases called motile ciliopathies. Despite the abundance of motile cilia in diverse organs including the nervous system, their role in organ development and homeostasis remains poorly understood.

The effects of incomplete milking and increased milking frequency on milk production rate and milk composition1.

Increased milking frequency and incomplete milking have differential effects on milk yield and mammary gland physiology that are important for optimization of milking practices in dairy herds. The objectives of this experiment were to determine the effects of increased milking frequency and incomplete milking on milk production rate (MPR) and milk composition and to determine if milking 3 times daily (3×) could rescue the negative production effects of incomplete milking. Twenty-two multiparous cows were enrolled onto this experiment beginning at 5 days in milk (DIM) and continuing through 47 DIM.

Ciliary Beating Compartmentalizes Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow in the Brain and Regulates Ventricular Development.

Motile cilia are miniature, propeller-like extensions, emanating from many cell types across the body. Their coordinated beating generates a directional fluid flow, which is essential for various biological processes, from respiration to reproduction. In the nervous system, ependymal cells extend their motile cilia into the brain ventricles and contribute to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow.

Interaction of 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan and negative dietary cation-anion difference on calcium homeostasis in multiparous peripartum dairy cows.

Hypocalcemia affects almost 50% of all dairy cows. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that infusions of the serotonin precursor 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan (5-HTP) increase circulating calcium concentrations in the Holstein transition cow. It is unknown whether feeding a negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) diet alters the relationship between 5-HTP and hypocalcemia.

Mineral composition of urinary calculi from potbellied pigs with urolithiasis: 50 cases (1982-2012).

Objective: To determine the mineral composition and anatomic location of urinary calculi and to investigate sex and reproductive status as predisposing factors for development of urolithiasis in potbellied pigs.

Design: Retrospective case series

Samples: Urinary calculi from 50 purebred and crossbred potbellied pigs.

Procedures: Laboratory records for urinary calculi of potbellied pigs submitted to the University of California-Davis Stone Laboratory from 1982 through 2012 were reviewed.

Hyperspectral imaging of atherosclerotic plaques in vitro.

Vulnerable plaques constitute a risk for serious heart problems, and are difficult to identify using existing methods. Hyperspectral imaging combines spectral- and spatial information, providing new possibilities for precise optical characterization of atherosclerotic lesions. Hyperspectral data were collected from excised aorta samples (n = 11) using both white-light and ultraviolet illumination.

Pyruvate recycling in cultured neurons from cerebellum.

Pyruvate recycling is a pathway for complete oxidation of glutamate. The cellular location and the physiological significance of such recycling has been debated during the last decade. The present study was aimed at elucidating whether recycling takes place in neuron-enriched cultures of dissociated cerebella, consisting mainly of glutamatergic granule cells, some GABAergic neurons, and few astrocytes.

Long-term kainic acid exposure reveals compartmentation of glutamate and glutamine metabolism in cultured cerebellar neurons.

Glutamate neurotoxicity is implicated in most neurodegenerative diseases, and in the present study the long-term effects of the glutamate agonist kainic acid (KA) on cerebellar neurons are investigated. Primary cell cultures, mainly consisting of glutamatergic granule neurons, were cultured in medium containing 0.05 or 0.

Glutamate is preferred over glutamine for intermediary metabolism in cultured cerebellar neurons.

The glutamate-glutamine cycle is thought to be of paramount importance in the mature brain; however, its significance is likely to vary with regional differences in distance between astrocyte and synapse. The present study is aimed at evaluating the role of this cycle in cultures of cerebellar neurons, mainly consisting of glutamatergic granule cells. Cells were incubated in medium containing [U-13C]glutamate or [U-13C]glutamine in the presence and absence of unlabeled glutamine and glutamate, respectively.

Demonstration of extensive GABA synthesis in the small population of GAD positive neurons in cerebellar cultures by the use of pharmacological tools.

Cultures of dissociated cerebella from 7-day-old mice were maintained in vitro for 1-13 days. GABA biosynthesis and degradation were studied during development in culture and pharmacological agents were used to identify the enzymes involved. The amount of GABA increased, whereas that of glutamate was unchanged during the first 5 days and both decreased thereafter.

First direct demonstration of extensive GABA synthesis in mouse cerebellar neuronal cultures.

Culturing mouse cerebellar neurones (predominantly glutamatergic) in the presence of [1-(13)C]glucose for 7 days resulted in a surprisingly extensive labelling of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, the average content and labelling of which were 20 +/- 4 nmol/mg protein and 20 +/- 4%, respectively. Cultures of neocortical neurones (predominantly GABAergic) had under similar conditions a GABA content and labelling of 32 +/- 2 nmol/mg protein and 21 +/- 2%. The cerebellar cultures contained only 6% glutamate decarboxylase (GAD)-positive neurones when immunolabelled using a GAD67 antibody, while a dense network of neurones in the neocortical cultures stained positively for GAD67.