ABSTRACT
Inhibin is a gonadal hormone that inhibits the release of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from the anterior pituitary gland. The objective of this study was to determine whether active immunization of male and female rats against inhibin rich, steroid-free bovine follicular fluid would increase inhibin antibody titre, onset of female puberty, pregnancy rate, litter size, testis weights, testosterone concentration and serum FSH. Immunization of rats with steroid free bovine follicular fluid stimulated production of anti-inhibin antibodies that immunoneutralized endogenous inhibins and increased levels of circulating FSH in immunized males. Inhibin immunoneutralization resulted in early vaginal opening in immunized females compared with controls and pregnancy rates were increased when immunized female rats were mated with immunized males. However, serum testosterone, testis weights and potential litter size remained unchanged. We conclude that methods to immunoneutralize inhibin may have merit as therapeutic procedures to enhance reproductive performance in domestic animals.
Subject(s)
Fertility/immunology , Follicle Stimulating Hormone/antagonists & inhibitors , Follicular Fluid/immunology , Inhibins/immunology , Rats/physiology , Animals , Antibody Formation , Cattle , Female , Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood , Immunization/veterinary , Litter Size/immunology , Luteinizing Hormone/blood , Male , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Rate , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Testis/anatomy & histology , Vagina/physiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To compare the Omron HEM-713C automated blood pressure machine with the standard ausculatory method using a mercury manometer. DESIGN: Blood pressures of randomly selected subjects were measured using both the Omron HEM-713C and the mercury manometer. SETTING: Dombotombo surburb in Marondera, Zimbabwe. SUBJECTS: One hundred and sixteen subjects 25 years and above (47 males and 69 females) randomly selected in Marondera. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. RESULTS: The Omron HEM-713C passed with a grade B for both systolic and diastolic blood pressures when using the British Hypertension Society protocol. It also passed both systolic and diastolic criteria for Association of the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. CONCLUSION: The Omron HEM-713C compares well with the standard mercury manometer, we therefore recommend its use in both research and clinical applications which require blood pressure measurements.
