The effects of trehalose and sucrose on frozen spermatozoa of Yunnan semi-fine wool sheep during a non-mating season.

To improve the quality of frozen spermatozoa of Yunnan semi-fine wool sheep, the protective effect of trehalose and sucrose on frozen ram spermatozoa during a non-mating season was evaluated and compared in this study. Briefly, following collection by electric stimulation, equilibration at degree C following dilution with the freezing extender, and pre-freezing in liquid nitrogen vapor, the ram spermatozoa were frozen in liquid nitrogen. After thawing, viability, motility, acrosome status, membrane integrity, and phosphatidylserine (PS) distribution was determined using a computer-assisted spermatozoa analysis system and flow cytometry.

Do patients with schizophrenia and healthy elderly people show similar patterns of prospective memory performance?

Schizophrenia and normal aging have both been associated with structural and physiological changes in the prefrontal and temporal cortex and impairments in prospective memory (PM). This study aimed to compare PM performance in patients with schizophrenia, healthy older, and healthy younger individuals. Computerized event- and time-based PM tasks were administered to 30 patients with schizophrenia, 30 healthy older adults, and 30 healthy younger adults.

Subjective awareness of everyday dysexecutive behavior precedes 'objective' executive problems in schizotypy: a replication and extension study.

This study aimed to examine the subjective awareness of everyday dysexecutive function and the 'objective' executive function in individuals with schizotypal personality features. Forty-nine individuals with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) proneness (25 negative schizotypy and 24 non-negative schizotypy were identified using cluster analysis) and 44 non-SPD individuals completed a battery of 'objective' executive function tests and a self-reported Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) on everyday executive problems. The findings showed that individuals with SPD proneness including negative schizotypy and non-negative schizotypy did not have significant worse performance than non-SPD in most of 'objective' executive function tests, but self-reported significantly disproportionate more dysexecutive problems than non-SPD.