The influence of fetal sex on antenatal maternal glucose and insulin dynamics.

The 'Developmental Origins of Health and Disease' (DOHaD) hypothesis postulates that exposures during critical periods of development and growth, including maternal hyperglycemia, can have significant consequences for short- and long-term health in offspring. The influence of fetal status on maternal (patho)physiology is less well understood but gaining attention. Fetal sex specifically may be an independent risk factor for a range of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including increased gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) frequency with male fetuses in multi-ethnic populations.

Transdermal Measurement of Glomerular Filtration Rate in Preclinical Research.

The measurement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is essential to understanding renal physiology, including the monitoring of disease progression and treatment effectiveness. Transdermal measurement of glomerular filtration rate (tGFR) using a miniaturized fluorescence monitor in combination with a fluorescent exogenous GFR tracer has become a common technique to measure GFR in the preclinical setting, especially in rodent models. It allows for close to real-time measurement of GFR in conscious unrestrained animals and overcomes several limitations of other GFR measures.

Maternal gut microbiota displays minor changes in overweight and obese women with GDM.

Background And Aims: Previous literature have shown a diversity of findings regarding the relationship between the maternal gut microbiota and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We investigated the gut microbiota of overweight and obese women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) against matched euglycaemic women at 16 and 28-weeks' gestation.

Methods And Results: This study included women from the SPRING (Study of PRobiotics IN Gestational diabetes) cohort.

Validation of non-invasive transcutaneous measurement for glomerular filtration rate in lean and obese C57BL/6J mice.

Aim: The measurement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in experimental rodents is pivotal to understanding the progression of kidney disease and benefits of treatment strategies. A non-invasive clearance device has been developed, which measures transcutaneous decay of injected FITC-sinistrin in conscious rodents. The technique was validated against the well-established plasma clearance method in the same mice, but on consecutive days, using only models of uninephrectomy and polycystic kidney disease.

Changes in genetic diversity and differentiation in Red-cockaded woodpeckers () over the past century.

Red-cockaded woodpeckers (RCW; ) declined after human activities reduced their fire-maintained pine ecosystem to <3% of its historical range in the southeastern United States and degraded remaining habitat. An estimated 1.6 million RCW cooperative breeding groups declined to about 3,500 groups with no more than 10,000 birds by 1978.

Isolation by distance versus landscape resistance: Understanding dominant patterns of genetic structure in Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina).

Landscape genetics investigations examine how the availability and configuration of habitat influence genetic structure of plants and animals. We used landscape genetics to evaluate the role that forest connectivity plays in determining genetic structure of the federally-threatened Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) using genotypes of 339 Northern Spotted Owls obtained for 10 microsatellite loci. Spatial clustering analyses identified a distinct genetic cluster at the southern extent of the region examined.

Modeling heart failure risk in diabetes and kidney disease: limitations and potential applications of transverse aortic constriction in high-fat-fed mice.

There is an increased incidence of heart failure in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM). The coexistence of kidney disease in DM exacerbates the cardiovascular prognosis. Researchers have attempted to combine the critical features of heart failure, using transverse aortic constriction, with DM in mice, but variable findings have been reported.

Genetic differentiation and inferred dynamics of a hybrid zone between Northern Spotted Owls () and California Spotted Owls () in northern California.

Genetic differentiation among Spotted Owl () subspecies has been established in prior studies. These investigations also provided evidence for introgression and hybridization among taxa but were limited by a lack of samples from geographic regions where subspecies came into close contact. We analyzed new sets of samples from Northern Spotted Owls (NSO: ) and California Spotted Owls (CSO: ) in northern California using mitochondrial DNA sequences (mtDNA) and 10 nuclear microsatellite loci to obtain a clearer depiction of genetic differentiation and hybridization in the region.

Hello Harlie: Enabling Speech Monitoring Through Chat-Bot Conversations.

People with neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and dementia are known to have difficulties in language and communication. This paper presents initial testing of an artificial conversational agent, called Harlie. Harlie runs on a smartphone and is able to converse with the user on a variety of topics.

The conservation genetics juggling act: integrating genetics and ecology, science and policy.

The field of conservation genetics, when properly implemented, is a constant juggling act integrating molecular genetics, ecology, and demography with applied aspects concerning managing declining species or implementing conservation laws and policies. This young field has grown substantially since the 1980s following the development of polymerase chain reaction and now into the genomics era. Our laboratory has 'grown up' with the field, having worked on these issues for over three decades.

Intercontinental genetic structure and gene flow in Dunlin (Calidris alpina), a potential vector of avian influenza.

Waterfowl (Anseriformes) and shorebirds (Charadriiformes) are the most common wild vectors of influenza A viruses. Due to their migratory behavior, some may transmit disease over long distances. Migratory connectivity studies can link breeding and nonbreeding grounds while illustrating potential interactions among populations that may spread diseases.

SSR_pipeline: a bioinformatic infrastructure for identifying microsatellites from paired-end Illumina high-throughput DNA sequencing data.

SSR_pipeline is a flexible set of programs designed to efficiently identify simple sequence repeats (e.g., microsatellites) from paired-end high-throughput Illumina DNA sequencing data.

Variation in migratory behavior influences regional genetic diversity and structure among American Kestrel populations (Falco sparverius) in North America.

Birds employ numerous strategies to cope with seasonal fluctuations in high-quality habitat availability. Long distance migration is a common tactic; however, partial migration is especially common among broadly distributed species. Under partial migration systems, a portion of a species migrates, whereas the remainder inhabits breeding grounds year round.

Range-wide phylogeographic analysis of the spotted frog complex (Rana luteiventris and Rana pretiosa) in northwestern North America.

The dynamic geological and climatic history of northwestern North America has made it a focal region for phylogeography. We conducted a range-wide phylogeographic analysis of the spotted frog complex (Rana luteiventris and Rana pretiosa) across its range in northwestern North America to understand its evolutionary history and the distribution of clades to inform conservation of R. pretiosa and Great Basin R.

Introgression and dispersal among spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) subspecies.

Population genetics plays an increasingly important role in the conservation and management of declining species, particularly for defining taxonomic units. Subspecies are recognized by several conservation organizations and countries and receive legal protection under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA). Two subspecies of spotted owls, northern (Strix occidentalis caurina) and Mexican (S.

Taxonomic considerations in listing subspecies under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) allows listing of subspecies and other groupings below the rank of species.

Hyphal tip growth in Achlya bisexualis. II. Distribution of cellulose in elongating and non-elongating regions of the wall.

Cellulose has been localized in the hyphal wall of elongating and non-elongating hyphae of Achlya bisexualis using a direct enzyme-colloidal-gold method. A number of controls, including several different types of fixation, support the idea that this labeling is specific for cellulose. Both TEM and SEM were used and they gave similar results.

Hyphal tip growth in Achlya bisexualis. I. Distribution of 1,3-{beta}-glucans in elongating and non-elongating regions of the wall.

We have approached the problem of hyphal tip growth by comparing the cell wall composition of elongating and non-elongating regions of the hyphae of Achlya bisexualis. To ensure that we could distinguish between elongating and non-elongating hyphae, light microscopic observations were used to determine the rates of elongation under growing and non-growing conditions. When elongation was measured in 10 min intervals it was found to consist of fluctuating periods of fast and slow growth rates, in the form of cycles.