Advances in our understanding of the estrous cycle and applications for improving targeted reproductive management in livestock.

The scientific discipline of endocrinology has been invaluable to our understanding of the estrous cycle. In the second half of the twentieth century the development of immunoassay technologies provided a rapid and sensitive method to quantify circulating concentrations of reproductive hormones and relate them to stage of the estrous cycle and physiological status of the animal. Ovarian ultrasonography provided the ability to track the growth and regression of ovarian structures within the same animal across the estrous cycle in real time and, in combination with hormonal profiling, accurately identify mechanisms regulating the estrous cycle and early pregnancy.

International Symposium on Ruminant Physiology: Paternal Nutrient Supply: Impacts on Physiological and Whole Animal Outcomes in Offspring.

Recent evidence suggests that environmental factors experienced by sires can be transmitted through the ejaculate (seminal plasma + sperm) into the female reproductive tract, influencing fertilization, embryo development, and postnatal offspring outcomes. This concept is termed paternal programming. In rodents, sire nutrition was shown to directly alter offspring outcomes through sperm epigenetic signatures, DNA damage/oxidative stress, cytokine profiles, and/or the seminal microbiome.

Transcriptomic analysis of luteal tissue supports the earlier onset of luteolysis in heifers with diminished ovarian reserve.

Context Antral follicle count (AFC) is reflective of ovarian reserve and linked to reproductive performance in mammalian females. We previously demonstrated earlier upregulation of endometrial oxytocin receptor transcription in heifers with low AFC, indicating an earlier onset of luteolysis. Aims We aimed to support the earlier onset of luteolysis in non-pregnant heifers with a low number of antral ovarian follicles (Open Low AFC) and hypothesized a reduced abundance of luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LH/CG-R ) and increased abundance of thrombospondin-1 (THBS1 ) in luteal tissue of those heifers.

Fertility and early embryonic development in a CD46-edited Gir heifer with reduced susceptibility to BVDV.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection during pregnancy is a significant contributor to reproductive failures in cattle. The bovine receptor for BVDV (CD46) was previously edited with a six amino acid substitution (G82QVLAL to A82LPTFS) and shown to have significantly reduced BVDV susceptibility in a Gir heifer calf. Since a role for CD46 has been proposed in mammalian fertilization, our objective was to assess the edited heifer's fertilization rates, early embryonic development, and germline transmission conformation of the edit.

Delayed endometrial preparation for the induction of luteolysis as a potential factor for improved reproductive performance in Angus beef heifers with high antral follicle counts†.

Antral follicle count (AFC) and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations are reflective for ovarian reserve and have been associated with improved reproductive performance in cattle. Key events for regulation of uterine receptivity are orchestrated by progesterone. As progesterone concentrations are greater in animals with high than low AFC, we tested the hypothesis, if the resulting improved uterine environment will lead to improved conceptus elongation and endometrial response to interferon tau.

Initially categorized 46,XY embryo transfer ending with 45,X products of conception-a case report and a review of discordant result management.

Objective: To report a case of an initially categorized euploid male embryo screened using preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) resulting in miscarriage and testing of products of conception consistent with Turner syndrome, and to discuss additional workup and considerations in cases of discrepancy.

Design: Case report.

Setting: University fertility clinic.

Influence of commercial inactivated or modified-live virus vaccination at time of AI on corpus luteum development and function in beef cattle.

Our objective was to evaluate the effect of vaccination with an inactivated virus vaccine (IVV) or modified-live virus (MLV) vaccine on the corpus luteum (CL). On d0, synchronized beef cows were treated with MLV (n = 70; BoviShield Gold FP5VL5), IVV (n = 16; ViraShield 6VL5HB), or were unvaccinated controls (n = 5). Plasma was collected from treated animals on d0 and every other day through d22.

Mercury concentrations in Seaside Sparrows and Marsh Rice Rats differ across the Mississippi River Estuary.

Mercury (Hg) concentrations and their associated toxicological effects in terrestrial ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico are largely unknown. Compounding this uncertainty, a large input of organic matter from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill may have altered Hg cycling and bioaccumulation dynamics. To test this idea, we quantified blood concentrations of total mercury (THg) in Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) and Marsh Rice Rats (Oryzomys palustris) in marshes west and east of the Mississippi River in 2015 and 2016.

The diverse roles of sphingolipids in inflammatory bowel disease.

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has increased over the last 20 years. A variety of causes, both physiological and environmental, contribute to the initiation and progression of IBD, making disease management challenging. Current treatment options target various aspects of the immune response to dampen intestinal inflammation; however, their effectiveness at retaining remission, their side effects, and loss of response from patients over time warrant further investigation.

Therapeutic Potential for Sphingolipids in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal Cancer.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), characterized by chronic inflammation in the intestinal tract, increases the risk for the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Sphingolipids, which have been implicated in IBD and CRC, are a class of bioactive lipids that regulate cell signaling, differentiation, apoptosis, inflammation, and survival. The balance between ceramide (Cer), the central sphingolipid involved in apoptosis and differentiation, and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a potent signaling molecule involved in proliferation and inflammation, is vital for the maintenance of normal cellular function.

Perspective: Therapeutic Implications for Sphingolipids in Health and Disease.

Long thought to be structural components of cell membranes, sphingolipids (SLs) have emerged as bioactive molecules whose metabolism is tightly regulated. These bioactive lipids and their metabolic enzymes have been implicated in numerous disease states, including lysosomal storage disorders, multiple sclerosis, inflammation, and cancer as well as metabolic syndrome and obesity. In addition, the indications for many of these lipids to potentially serve as biomarkers for disease continue to emerge with increasing metabolomic and lipidomic studies.

Expression of Ceramide Synthases in Mice and Their Roles in Regulating Acyl-Chain Sphingolipids: A Framework for Baseline Levels and Future Implications in Aging and Disease.

Sphingolipids are an important class of lipids present in all eukaryotic cells that regulate critical cellular processes. Disturbances in sphingolipid homeostasis have been linked to several diseases in humans. Ceramides are central in sphingolipid metabolism and are largely synthesized by six ceramide synthase (CerS) isoforms (CerS1-6), each with a preference for different fatty acyl chain lengths.

Impact of a video-based nutrition education program on the nutrition knowledge of students and parents: evidence from the North Region of Cameroon.

Background: Schools are an attractive platform for improving the dietary knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of children and their families, yet limited nutrition knowledge amongst educators can impede nutrition education efforts. Information and communication technology (ICT) can potentially overcome this barrier, yet there is limited evidence for its effectiveness in school settings in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: We implemented a randomized field experiment in 50 schools in the North Region of Cameroon to assess the effectiveness of a school-based nutrition education program at improving the nutrition knowledge of fifth and sixth grade students and their parents.

Genetic variants associated with hantavirus infection in a reservoir host are related to regulation of inflammation and immune surveillance.

The immunogenetics of wildlife populations influence the epidemiology and evolutionary dynamic of the host-pathogen system. Profiling immune gene diversity present in wildlife may be especially important for those species that, while not at risk of disease or extinction themselves, are host to diseases that are a threat to humans, other wildlife, or livestock. Hantaviruses (genus: Orthohantavirus) are globally distributed zoonotic RNA viruses with pathogenic strains carried by a diverse group of rodent hosts.

An extreme model of fertility in sheep demonstrates the basis of controversies surrounding antral follicle count and circulating concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone as predictors of fertility in ruminants.

Ovarian ultrasonography and measurement of circulating concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) have been used to estimate follicle number and predict fertility in mammalian females, but no study has evaluated follicle number and circulating concentrations of AMH in ewes known to differ in fertility. We tested the hypothesis that ewes that had failed to lamb (BARREN) in four consecutive annual breeding seasons of 21-35 d have fewer follicles and diminished circulating concentrations of AMH compared to closely matched ewes that consistently produced lambs (FERTILE) under the same breeding protocols. Once identified, BARREN ewes (n = 19) were paired by breed and sire to a FERTILE control ewe (n = 19) and reproductive tracts were recovered at necropsy.

Identification of Lipids and Cytokines in Plasma and Follicular Fluid before and after Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Stimulation as Potential Markers for Follicular Maturation in Cattle.

The process of follicle maturation leading to ovulation is a key milestone in female fertility. It is known that circulating lipids and cytokines play a role in the follicle's ability to go through follicular maturation and the ovulatory processes. However, the specific mechanisms are not well understood.

Targeting sphingosine kinase 1 in p53KO thymic lymphoma.

Sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1) is a key sphingolipid enzyme that is upregulated in several types of cancer, including lymphoma which is a heterogenous group of malignancies. Treatment for lymphoma has improved significantly by the introduction of new therapies; however, subtypes with tumor protein P53 (p53) mutations or deletion have poor prognosis, making it critical to explore new therapeutic strategies in this context. SK1 has been proposed as a therapeutic target in different types of cancer; however, the effect of targeting SK1 in cancers with p53 deletion has not been evaluated yet.

A novel HSPB1 mouse model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT) is a commonly inherited peripheral polyneuropathy. Clinical manifestations for this disease include symmetrical distal polyneuropathy, altered deep tendon reflexes, distal sensory loss, foot deformities, and gait abnormalities. Genetic mutations in heat shock proteins have been linked to CMT2.

Ceramide as an endothelial cell surface receptor and a lung-specific lipid vascular target for circulating ligands.

The vascular endothelium from individual organs is functionally specialized, and it displays a unique set of accessible molecular targets. These serve as endothelial cell receptors to affinity ligands. To date, all identified vascular receptors have been proteins.

Elucidating the Role of Hydrogen Bonding in the Optical Spectroscopy of the Solvated Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore: Using Machine Learning to Establish the Importance of High-Level Electronic Structure.

Hydrogen bonding interactions with chromophores in chemical and biological environments play a key role in determining their electronic absorption and relaxation processes, which are manifested in their linear and multidimensional optical spectra. For chromophores in the condensed phase, the large number of atoms needed to simulate the environment has traditionally prohibited the use of high-level excited-state electronic structure methods. By leveraging transfer learning, we show how to construct machine-learned models to accurately predict the high-level excitation energies of a chromophore in solution from only 400 high-level calculations.

Analysis of Teaching-Related Criteria Within Promotion and Tenure Documents from US Pharmacy Schools.

Objective: To describe teaching-related criteria within promotion and tenure (PT) guidance documents from US-based colleges/schools of pharmacy.

Methods: PT guidance documents were retrieved from college/school websites or via electronic mail. Institutional characteristics were compiled using available online data.