Adrenal hemorrhage and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction: an antiphospholipid syndrome dilemma.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) can affect different organ systems, including the heart and adrenal glands. Despite being known for its prothrombotic characteristics, APS can have serious bleeding complications. Occasionally, thrombotic and bleeding episodes can present simultaneously in an APS patient. Whenever these events co-occur, resuming anticoagulation becomes a topic of debate. As such, we present the case of a 43-year-old male with triple positive antiphospholipid antibodies, indicating APS, who presented with chest pain. Anticoagulants were switched one month before presentation from warfarin to a direct oral anticoagulant, rivaroxaban. Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction, as well as new-onset left-sided adrenal hemorrhage, were diagnosed. The patient developed adrenal insufficiency; therefore, corticosteroids were administered, and warfarin was resumed to prevent further thrombotic episodes.

Patrones y resultados del cambio de anticoagulantes orales directos en la fibrilación auricular no valvular: experiencia en la práctica clínica en España / Patterns and outcomes of switching direct oral anticoagulants in non-valvular atrial fibrillation: A real-world experience from Spain

Objetivos El objetivo consistía en evaluar un programa de gestión de anticoagulantes orales directos (ACOD) en pacientes con fibrilación auricular no valvular (FANV) según sus perfiles, idoneidad de la dosis, patrones de cambio de tratamiento, efectividad y seguridad Se trató de un estudio observacional, prospectivo y longitudinal en una cohorte de pacientes atendidos en la práctica clínica cotidiana en un hospital regional español con un plan de seguimiento de 3 años para pacientes que iniciaron el tratamiento con dabigatrán, rivaroxabán o apixabán entre enero de 2012 y diciembre de 2016. Métodos Se analizaron 490 episodios de tratamiento (apixabán 2,5mg, 9,4%; apixabán 5mg, 21,4%; dabigatrán 75mg, 0,6%; dabigatrán 110mg, 12,4%; dabigatrán 150mg, 19,8%; rivaroxabán 15mg, 17,8%; rivaroxabán 20mg, 18,6%) en 445 pacientes. En el 13,6% de los pacientes tratados con dabigatrán, el 9,7% de los tratados con rivaroxabán y el 3,9% de los tratados con apixabán se cambió a otros ACOD o se modificó la dosis. Resultados El ACOD al que se cambió con mayor frecuencia fue el apixabán. Los motivos más frecuentes para cambiar de tratamiento fueron toxicidad (23,8%), hemorragia (21,4%) y deterioro renal (16,7%). En el 23,8% de los episodios se constató una inadecuación de la dosis. Las tasas de ictus y accidentes isquémicos transitorios (AIT) fueron de 1,64 y 0,54 eventos/100 años/paciente, respectivamente, mientras que las de hemorragias importantes, no importantes, pero clínicamente relevantes (NICR) e intracraneales fueron de 2,4, 5 y 0,5 eventos/100 años/paciente, respectivamente. Las hemorragias digestivas y genitourinarias fueron el tipo más frecuente de eventos hemorrágicos. En el análisis multifactorial, el ictus previo y la edad fueron factores predictivos independientes de ictus/AIT. El uso concomitante de antiagregantes plaquetarios, el sexo masculino y la edad fueron factores predictivos independientes de eventos hemorrágicos (AU)

Aims The aim is to evaluate a management program for direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients according to their profiles, appropriateness of dosing, patterns of crossover, effectiveness and safety. This is an observational and longitudinal prospective study in a cohort of patients attended in daily clinical practice in a regional hospital in Spain with 3-year a follow-up plan for patients initiating dabigatran, rivaroxaban or apixaban between Jan/2012 and Dec/2016. Methods We analyzed 490 episodes of treatment (apixaban 2.5, 9.4%; apixaban 5, 21.4%; dabigatran 75, 0.6%; dabigatran 110, 12.4%; dabigatran 150, 19.8%; rivaroxaban 15, 17.8% and rivaroxaban 20, 18.6%) in 445 patients. 13.6% of patients on dabigatran, 9.7% on rivaroxaban, and 3.9% on apixaban switched to other DOACs or changed dosing. Results Apixaban was the most frequent DOAC switched to. The most frequent reasons for switching were toxicity (23.8%), bleeding (21.4%) and renal deterioration (16.7%). Inappropriateness of dose was found in 23.8% of episodes. Rates of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) were 1.64/0.54 events/100 patients-years, while rates of major, clinically relevant non-major (CRNM) bleeding and intracranial bleeding were 2.4, 5, and 0.5 events/100 patients-years. Gastrointestinal and genitourinary bleeding were the most common type of bleeding events (BE). On multivariable analysis, prior stroke and age were independent predictors of stroke/TIA. Concurrent platelet inhibitors, male gender and age were independent predictors of BE. Conclusion This study complements the scant data available on the use of DOACs in NVAF patients in Spain, confirming a good safety and effectiveness profil (AU)

Patterns and outcomes of switching direct oral anticoagulants in non-valvular atrial fibrillation: A real-world experience from Spain.

AIMS: The aim is to evaluate a management program for direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients according to their profiles, appropriateness of dosing, patterns of crossover, effectiveness and safety. This is an observational and longitudinal prospective study in a cohort of patients attended in daily clinical practice in a regional hospital in Spain with 3-year a follow-up plan for patients initiating dabigatran, rivaroxaban or apixaban between JAN/2012-DEC/2016. METHODS: We analyzed 490 episodes of treatment (apixaban 2.5 9.4%, apixaban 5 21.4%, dabigatran 75 0.6%, dabigatran 110 12,4%, dabigatran 150 19.8%, rivaroxaban 15 17.8% and rivaroxaban 20 18.6%) in 445 patients. 13.6% of patients on dabigatran, 9.7% on rivaroxaban, and 3.9% on apixaban switched to other DOACs or changed dosing. RESULTS: Apixaban was the most frequent DOAC switched to. The most frequent reasons for switching were toxicity (23.8%), bleeding (21.4%) and renal deterioration (16.7%). Inappropriateness of dose was found in 23.8% of episodes. Rates of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) were 1.64/0.54 events/100 patients-years, while rates of major, clinically relevant non-major (CRNM) bleeding and intracranial bleeding were 2.4, 5, and 0.5 events/100 patients-years. Gastrointestinal and genitourinary bleeding were the most common type of bleeding events (BE). On multivariable analysis, prior stroke and age were independent predictors of stroke/TIA. Concurrent platelet inhibitors, male gender and age were independent predictors of BE. CONCLUSION: This study complements the scant data available on the use of DOACs in NVAF patients in Spain, confirming a good safety and effectiveness profile.

Altered electrochemical properties of iron oxide nanoparticles by carbon enhance molecular biocompatibility through discrepant atomic interaction.

Recent advancement in nanotechnology seeks exploration of new techniques for improvement in the molecular, chemical, and biological properties of nanoparticles. In this study, carbon modification of octahedral-shaped magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was done using two-step chemical processes with sucrose as a carbon source for improvement in their electrochemical application and higher molecular biocompatibility. X-ray diffraction analysis and electron microscopy confirmed the alteration in single-phase octahedral morphology and carbon attachment in Fe3O4 structure. The magnetization saturation and BET surface area for Fe3O4, Fe3O4/C, and α-Fe2O3/C were measured as 90, 86, and 27 emu/g and 16, 56, and 89 m2/g with an average pore size less than 7 nm. Cyclic voltammogram and galvanostatic charge/discharge studies showed the highest specific capacitance of carbon-modified Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3 as 213 F/g and 192 F/g. The in vivo biological effect of altered physicochemical properties of Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3 was assessed at the cellular and molecular level with embryonic zebrafish. Mechanistic in vivo toxicity analysis showed a reduction in oxidative stress in carbon-modified α-Fe2O3 exposed zebrafish embryos compared to Fe3O4 due to despaired influential atomic interaction with sod1 protein along with significant less morphological abnormalities and apoptosis. The study provided insight into improving the characteristic of MNPs for electrochemical application and higher biological biocompatibility.

Sulfamethoxazole biodegradation and impacts on soil microbial communities in a Bolivian arid high altitude catchment.

The processes controlling antibiotics fate in ecosystems are poorly understood, yet their presence can inhibit bacterial growth and induce the development of bacterial resistance. Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is one of the most frequently detected sulfonamides in natural environments due to its low metabolism and molecular properties. This work presents pioneering results on SMX biodegradation and impact in high altitude soils (Bolivian Altiplano), allowing a better understanding of the persistence, spread and impact of this antibiotic at the global watershed scale. Our results showed significant dissipation of SMX in relation to its adsorption, hydrolysis and biotransformation. However, biodegradation appears to be lower in these mountain soils than in lowland soils as widely described in the literature. The half-life of SMX ranges from 12 to 346 days in non-sterile soils. In one soil, no biotic degradation was observed, indicating a likely high persistence. Biodegradation was related to OC content and to proximity to urban activities. Regarding the study of the impacts of SMX, the DGGE results were less sensitive than the sequencing. In general, SMX strongly changes the structure and composition of the studied soils at high altitudes, which is comparable to the observations of other authors in lowland soils. The phylum Actinobacter showed high sensitivity to SMX. In contrast, the abundance of ɣ-proteobacteria remained almost unchanged. Soil contamination with SMX did not lead to the development of the studied resistance genes (sul1 and sul2) in soils where they were absent at the beginning of the experiment. Thus, the presence of SMX resistance genes seems to be related to irrigation with wastewater carrying the studied resistance genes.

Colorimetry characterization of molecular reorientation transition in thin nematic cells.

The characterization of equilibria and their transition is fundamental in dynamic systems. Experimentally, the characterization of transitions is complex due to time scales separation, the effect of thermal fluctuations, and inherent experimental imperfections. Liquid crystal devices are derived from the manipulation of the molecular reorientation and transition between them by employing external electrical and magnetic fields. Here, we investigate and determine the Fréedericksz transition using hue measurements of the transmitted light in thin nematic liquid crystal cells. Based on birefringent retardation experienced by transmitted light due to molecular reorientation, the color adjustment of the nematic liquid crystal cells under white light illumination is characterized. By monitoring the hue of the transmitted light, the bifurcation diagram is determined. As a function of the voltage frequency, the critical transition voltage is characterized. The critical voltage increases with the applied frequency.

Notch Regulates Fibrocartilage Stem Cell Fate and Is Upregulated in Inflammatory TMJ Arthritis.

The Notch pathway is critical for the development of the extracellular matrix in cartilage by regulating both anabolic and catabolic cellular activities. Similarly, Notch signaling plays a biphasic role in adult cartilage health and osteoarthritis by maintaining homeostasis and contributing to degeneration, respectively. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the synovial joint of the craniofacial complex and is subject to injury and osteoarthritis. While Notch has been studied in axial skeletal joints, little is known about the role of Notch in TMJ development and disease. We identified fibrocartilage stem cells (FCSCs) localized within the TMJ condyle superficial zone niche that regenerate cartilage and repair joint injury. Here we investigate the role of Notch in regulating TMJ development and FCSC fate. Using a Notch reporter mouse, we discovered FCSCs localized within the TMJ superficial niche exhibit Notch activity during TMJ morphogenesis. We further showed that constitutively activating Notch promotes FCSC differentiation toward both cartilage and bone lineages, but inhibits adipogenesis. Using a TNF-α-induced TMJ inflammatory arthritis mouse model, we found that the expression of Notch receptors and ligands are upregulated and coupled with cells undergoing cartilage to bone transdifferentiation, which may contribute to TMJ pathogenesis. We also discovered that global Notch inhibition reduces osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of FCSCs. Together, these findings suggest that Notch is critical for FCSC fate specification and TMJ homeostasis, and reveal that inhibition of the Notch pathway may be a new therapeutic target for treating TMJ osteoarthritis.

Anti-Biofouling and Desalination Properties of Thin Film Composite Reverse Osmosis Membranes Modified with Copper and Iron Nanoparticles.

The anti-biofouling and desalination properties of thin film composite reverse osmosis membranes (TFC-RO), modified by the incorporation of copper and iron nanoparticles, were compared. Nanoparticles of metallic copper (CuNPs) and an iron crystalline phase mix (Fe and Fe2O3, FeNPs) were obtained by oxide-reduction-precipitation and reduction reactions, respectively, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Modified membranes (PA+0.25Cu-PSL and PA+0.25Fe-PSL) were obtained by incorporating these nanoparticles during the interfacial polymerization process (PI). These membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle measurements. Bactericidal tests by a Colony Forming Unit (CFU) were performed using Escherichia coli, and anti-adhesion properties were confirmed by fluorescence microscopy estimating the percentage of live/dead cells. The permeate flow and rejection of salts was evaluated using a crossflow cell. An increase of the membrane's roughness on the modified membrane was observed, influencing the desalination performance more strongly in the presence of the FeNPs with respect to the CuNPs. Moreover, a significant bactericidal and anti-adhesion effect was obtained in presence of both modifications with respect to the pristine membrane. An important decrease in CFU in the presence of modified membranes of around 98% in both modifications was observed. However, the anti-adhesion percentage and reduction of live/dead cells were higher in the presence of the copper-modified membrane in comparison to the iron-modified membrane. These facts were attributed to the differences in antimicrobial action mechanism of these types of nanoparticles. In conclusion, TFC-RO membranes modified by the incorporation of CuNPs during PI represent one alternative material to attend to the biofouling impact in the desalination process.

Assessment of the Sulfamethoxazole mobility in natural soils and of the risk of contamination of water resources at the catchment scale.

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is one of the antibiotics most commonly detected in aquatic and terrestrial environments and is still widely used, especially in low income countries. SMX is assumed to be highly mobile in soils due to its intrinsic molecular properties. Ten soils with contrasting properties and representative of the catchment soil types and land uses were collected throughout the watershed, which undergoes very rapid urban development. SMX displacement experiments were carried out in repacked columns of the 10 soils to explore SMX reactive transfer (mobility and reactivity) in order to assess the contamination risk of water resources in the context of the Bolivian Altiplano. Relevant sorption processes were identified by modelling (HYDRUS-1D) considering different sorption concepts. SMX mobility was best simulated when considering irreversible sorption as well as instantaneous and rate-limited reversible sorption, depending on the soil type. SMX mobility appeared lower in soils located upstream of the watershed (organic and acidic soils - Regosol) in relation with a higher adsorption capacity compared to the soils located downstream (lower organic carbon content - Cambisol). By combining soil column experiments and soil profiles description, this study suggests that SMX can be classified as a moderately to highly mobile compound in the studied watershed, depending principally on soil properties such as pH and OC. Potential risks of surface and groundwater pollution by SMX were thus identified in the lower part of the studied catchment, threatening Lake Titicaca water quality.

Antibiotic pollution in the Katari subcatchment of the Titicaca Lake: Major transformation products and occurrence of resistance genes.

An increasing number of studies pointed out the ubiquitous presence of medical residues in surface and ground water as well as in soil compartments. Not only antibiotics can be found in the environment but also their transformation products about which little information is generally available. The development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is particularly worrying as it can lead to sanitary and health problems. Studies about the dissemination of antibiotics and associated resistances in the Bolivian Altiplano are scarce. We provide baseline information on the occurrence of Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and Trimethoprim (TMP) antibiotics as well as on the most common human SMX transformation products (TP) and on the occurrence of sulfonamide resistance genes. The studied water and soil compartments presented high levels of antibiotic pollution. This situation was shown to be mainly linked with uncontrolled discharges of treated and untreated wastewaters, resulting on the presence of antibiotics in the Titicaca Lake. SMX TPs were detected in surface waters and on soil sampled next to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). SMX resistance genes sulI and sulII were widely detected in the basin hydrological network, even in areas unpolluted with antibiotics. Mechanisms of co-selection of antibiotic- and metal- resistance may be involved in the prevalence of ARG's in pristine areas with no anthropogenic activity and free of antibiotic pollution.

Small angle neutron scattering contrast variation reveals heterogeneities of interactions in protein gels.

We propose a quantitative approach to probe the spatial heterogeneities of interactions in macromolecular gels, based on a combination of small angle X-ray (SAXS) and neutrons (SANS) scattering. We investigate the structure of model gluten protein gels and show that the gels display radically different SAXS and SANS profiles when the solvent is (at least partially) deuterated. The detailed analysis of the SANS signal as a function of the solvent deuteration demonstrates heterogeneities of sample deuteration at different length scales. The progressive exchange between the protons (H) of the proteins and the deuteriums (D) of the solvent is inhomogeneous and 60 nm large zones that are enriched in H are evidenced. In addition, at low protein concentration, in the sol state, solvent deuteration induces a liquid/liquid phase separation. Complementary biochemical and structure analyses show that the denser protein phase is more protonated and specifically enriched in glutenin, the polymeric fraction of gluten proteins. These findings suggest that the presence of H-rich zones in gluten gels would arise from the preferential interaction of glutenin polymers through a tight network of non-exchangeable intermolecular hydrogen bonds.

Advantages and limitations of virtual reality for balance assessment and rehabilitation.

Virtual reality (VR) is now commonly used in many domains because of its ability to provide a standardized, reproducible and controllable environment. In balance assessment, it can be used to control stimuli presented to patients and thus accurately evaluate their progression or compare them to different populations in standardized situations. In balance rehabilitation, VR allows the creation of new generation tools and at the same time the means to assess the efficiency of each parameter of these tools in order to optimize them. Moreover, with the development of low-cost devices, this rehabilitation can be continued at home, making access to these tools much easier, in addition to their entertaining and thus motivating properties. Nevertheless, and even more with low-cost systems, VR has limits that can alter the results of the studies that use it: the latency of the system (the delay cumulated on each step of the process from data acquisition on the patients to multimodal outputs); and distance perception, which tends to be underestimated in VR. After having described why VR is an essential tool for balance assessment and rehabilitation and illustrated this statement with a case study, this review discusses the previous works in the domain with regards to the technological limits of VR.

Asynchronous ovulation in mares: seasonal variations in frequency.

The mare's reproductive system is rarely capable of sustaining multiple pregnancies to term. Multiple pregnancies largely derive from multiple ovulations, most commonly double ovulations, hence, double ovulations are of significant concern to breeders/veterinarians. Double ovulations may be synchronous or asynchronous. Asynchrony of up to 96 hours may result in two embryonic vesicles of very different sizes, which are challenging to detect at early ultrasonic pregnancy detection. This study aims to (1) document the incidence of synchronous and asynchronous double ovulation and (2) determine whether this varies with month/season. 506 cycles from double ovulating mares were monitored at 8±1 hour intervals before expected ovulation until 96 hours post initial ovulation. Mares were grouped according to eight-hour ovulation intervals and month/season. When asynchrony was classed as greater than or equal to eight hours or greater than or equal to 24 hours apart, respectively, a significant (P<0.001) difference existed between the number of mares demonstrating asynchronous double ovulations (65.8 and 28.5 per cent) and synchronous double ovulations (34.2 and 71.5 per cent). Significantly (P<0.05), more asynchronous ovulations occurred in the seasonal transition periods. This study demonstrates that asynchronous double ovulation is common and emphasises the importance of closely monitoring mares, particularly at the extremes of the breeding season, for double ovulation up to or at 96 hours postinitial ovulation in order to minimise the chances of missing multiple pregnancy.

The Pattern of Secreted Molecules During the Co-Inoculation of Alfalfa Plants With Sinorhizobium meliloti and Delftia sp. strain JD2: An Interaction That Improves Plant Yield.

Delftia sp. strain JD2 is a plant-growth-promoting bacterium that enhances legume nodulation and growth, acting as nodule-assisting bacterium during the co-inoculation of plants with rhizobial strains. In this work, we evaluate how the co-inoculation of alfalfa with Sinorhizobium meliloti U143 and JD2 increases plant yield under greenhouse conditions and we analyze the pattern of secreted bioactive compounds which may be involved in the microbe-plant communication. The chemical composition of extracellular cultures (EC) produced in hydroponic conditions (collected 4, 7, and 14 days after bacterial treatment) were characterized using different chromatographic and elucidation techniques. In addition, we assessed the effect that plant irrigation with cell-free EC, produced during co-inoculation experiments, would have on plant yield. Results showed increased alfalfa shoot and root matter, suggesting that U143-JD2 co-inoculation might be a beneficial agricultural practice. The pattern of secreted secondary metabolites among treatments showed important differences. Qualitative and quantitative changes in phenolic compounds (including flavonoids), organic acids, and volatile compounds were detected during the early microbe-plant interaction, suggesting that the production of some molecules positively affects the microbe-plant association. Finally, the irrigation of co-inoculated plants with cell-free EC under greenhouse conditions increased plant yield over agronomic expectations. This effect might be attributed to the bioactive secondary metabolites incorporated during the irrigation.

Liver iron overload assessment by MRI R2* relaxometry in highly transfused pediatric patients: an agreement and reproducibility study.

AIMS: Perform an agreement and reproducibility study of the estimation of iron overload in highly transfused pediatric patients comparing R2* relaxometry (R2*=1000/T2*) to the reference technique liver/muscle signal intensity ratio (SIR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-two MRI were performed in 68 children who were mainly transfused for sickle cell disease, mean age 9.9 years old. The examination included six sequences for the SIR protocol and a single multiecho T2* sequence. R2* relaxometry was measured by two radiologists independently, either by a region of interest (ROI) in the right liver, or an outline of the whole liver. Hepatic iron load was determined by the Wood formula (Fe mg/g=R2*×0.0254+0.202). The validity of R2* relaxometry compared to SIR was evaluated by the coefficient of variation and the quadratic weighted Kappa value. RESULTS: The correlation between R2* relaxometry and SIR was very good with a Pearson coefficient of 0.89 and a coefficient of variation of 17.3%. The inter- and intraobserver reproducibility of the measurement of R2* relaxometry by ROI and whole liver mapping was excellent. However, we observed a common positive variation of one class between SIR and R2* relaxometry, with higher hepatic iron content values with SIR than with R2* relaxometry. CONCLUSION: Hepatic iron content can be rapidly and precisely estimated on MRI by multiecho gradient-echo sequences.

Don't forget methylmalonic acid quantification in symptomatic exclusively breast-fed infants.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to serious haematological and neurological signs in infants. The reported clinical cases of vitamin B12 deficiency were found in exclusively breast-fed infants whose asymptomatic mothers were diagnosed later with pernicious anaemia. For the infants, the diagnosis required urinary methylmalonic acid quantification (grossly elevated in these two cases) and treatment rapidly improved the clinical signs. These cases underline the serious consequences of vitamin B12 deficiency in infants and the helpful role of early methylmalonic acid quantification for diagnosis.

Effect of heterologous and homologous seminal plasma on stallion sperm quality.

Removing most of the seminal plasma (SP) from stallion semen has been shown to improve survival during cooled storage, yet adding small quantities of SP may improve pregnancy rates or cryosurvival. Furthermore, there is considerable controversy about whether the stallion's own SP or heterologous SP produces the best effect, possibly because of the variation between stallions in SP proteins or because some homologous SP remained in the sperm preparation. The SP is removed completely from stallion spermatozoa prepared by colloid centrifugation. Thus, the aim of the present study was (1) to investigate the effect of adding back SP to colloid centrifuged spermatozoa to determine its effect on spermatozoa; and (2) to investigate whether the stallion's own SP had a greater or lesser effect than heterologous SP. Conventional semen doses were sent from a stud overnight to the laboratory using standard transport conditions. Once at the laboratory, the semen samples were used for single layer centrifugation with Androcoll-E, and the resulting sperm preparations were treated with heterologous SP. Adding SP had a small but significant effect on sperm motility but no effect on the proportion of spermatozoa that had acrosome reacted. There were significant increases in hydrogen peroxide production and chromatin damage (P < 0.001). When homologous and heterologous SP were compared, considerable variation was observed between stallions, so that it was not possible to predict whether homologous or heterologous SP, or no SP, will produce the best motility for spermatozoa from any given stallion. Therefore, it is necessary to test different combinations of spermatozoa and SP to find the optimal effect on motility. The SP from most stallions increased reactive oxygen species and chromatin damage. In conclusion, the interaction between SP and spermatozoa depends on the origin of both SP and spermatozoa. If it is desirable to add SP to stallion sperm samples, it should be done directly before insemination rather than before storage, because of increased hydrogen peroxide production and sperm chromatin damage.

Lack of adenylate cyclase 1 (AC1): consequences on corticospinal tract development and on locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury.

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) signalling pathways are involved in axonal growth and regeneration. The calcium-calmodulin- stimulated adenylate cyclase 1 (AC1), a regulator of cAMP levels, is strongly expressed in the corticospinal motor neurons (CSMN) in cerebral cortex layer V during development, but its role in the development of the corticospinal tract (CST) is unknown. Here, we analyse the organization of the CST pathway using anterograde and retrograde tracers in the barrelless (brl) mouse that carries an inactivating mutation of the AC1 gene. We show that in brl mice the general organization of the CST is normal but there is an increase in the number of axons in the ipsilateral contingent in the dorsal and ventral medial funiculi of the cervical spinal cord. The density of CSMN in layer V of the motor cortex is increased in brl compared to wild-type mice. Thus, lack of AC1 likely perturbs late phases of CSMN and CST development. Next, we examine the motor recovery after a spinal cord injury (SCI). We find that brl mice show enhanced locomotor functions as assessed by the BMS (Basso mouse scale) as early as 6h and up to 6 weeks after SCI, indicating a smaller responsiveness of brl mice to SCI. It is therefore possible that developmental effects on motor systems might decrease the locomotor effects consecutive to a SCI. This point is particularly important with regards to the use of transgenic animals for testing SCI recovery.

Equine endometrial cytology and bacteriology: effectiveness for predicting live foaling rates.

Endometritis is an important cause of sub-fertility in mares. The critical indicator of reproductive success and financial return for commercial studs is live foaling rate. Endometrial bacteriology and/or cytology are used to diagnose endometritis and thus identify mares at risk of early embryonic death. However, mares with endometritis may conceive but then abort in late gestation. The aims of this study were to establish, as part of a standard breeding examination (1) whether a threshold percentage of uterine polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) exists above which a significant reduction in live foaling rate is evident; (2) the relationship of a positive bacteriology result to live foaling rate, and (3) the relationship of a combination of positive cytology and bacteriology result to live foaling rate. Guarded endometrial swabs (n=2660) were collected from 1621 Thoroughbred mares on 17 commercial stud farms by five veterinarians during a single breeding season. All mares were included regardless of age, history or parity. Cytological and bacteriological analyses were performed on each swab and subsequent live foaling rates recoded. Data were analysed by comparing 0%, ≥ 1%, ≥ 2%, ≥ 5% or ≥ 25% PMNs of total cells counted, or categories of bacterial growth to live foaling rates, using Pearson's chi-squared test. A threshold value of ≥ 1% PMNs, culture of a single bacterial isolate and a combination of both these parameters were associated with significantly reduced live foaling rates. Positive cytology alone, positive bacterial culture alone, or combined positive cytology and bacteriology were equally indicative of the likelihood of a mare producing a live foal.