Farmers' perceptions and acceptance of crossbred guinea pigs in Mantaro Valley, Peru.

This study aimed at assessing farmers' perceptions and acceptance of the proposed breeding strategy of Instituto Veterinario de Investigaciones Tropicales y de Altura (IVITA), located in the Central Andes of Peru. A total of 34 farmers, who had received guinea pigs from IVITA, were interviewed. The questionnaire was performed in Spanish language and covered topics about the guinea pig production, feeding, mating system, training, the main products, perception and acceptance of crossbred lines ("cuy RG"), and the farmers' comment about the terminal crossbred animal ("cuy G"). The preferred feeding strategy was a combination of forage and supplement. All farmers implemented a controlled mating system. Most farmers had received training on feeding, reproduction, management, equipment, and facilities. The main product is animals for slaughter. The 82.40% of farmers reported that they do not purchase guinea pigs from IVITA anymore, because they are highly susceptibility to lymphadenitis, which is a highly contagious disease and causes swollen lymph nodes and affects the meat quality. Most of the respondents classified the "cuy RG" and "cuy G" as suitable for meat production and were satisfied with the performance of the animals. Therefore, 58.80% of respondents already recommended "cuy RG" to other farmers. However, 17.70% of the respondents would not recommend these animals because they are susceptible to disease, especially lymphadenitis. Therefore, IVITA should engage in more structured dialogue with farmers and regularly include their opinion in future improvement of its breeding strategies. This could help to reach higher acceptance rates by farmers.

Estimation of genetic parameters for four Peruvian guinea pig lines.

This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters for four guinea pig lines of a crossbreeding scheme. Two paternal lines are selected for growth rate (P1) and feed conversion rate (P2), whereas two maternal lines are selected for growth rate of litter (M1) and litter size at birth (M2). The heritabilities and genetic correlations were estimated with animal linear models employing multivariate analyses with REML. The heritabilities for birth weight (BW) were 0.21±0.02 and 0.23±0.03 for P1 and P2, respectively, and for weaning weight (WW), the heritability was 0.28±0.03 for P2. The estimates for weight at 60 days of age (W60) were 0.34±0.01 and 0.47±0.04 for P1 and P2, respectively, and for partial feed conversion rate was 0.46±0.03 for P2. Heritabilities for litter weight at birth (LW) were 0.09±0.03 and 0.10±0.03 for P1 and M1, respectively. For litter weight at 10 days of age (LW10), the heritability was 0.15±0.03 for M1. Heritabilities for litter size (LS) were 0.17±0.03, 0.20±0.03 and 0.11±0.03, and for number of pups born alive (BA) were 0.09±0.03, 0.14±0.03 and 0.09±0.03 for P1, M1 and M2, respectively. Similarly, high genetic correlations were found between BW, WW and W60 and between LW, LS, LW10 and BA. The genetic correlation between BW direct and maternal was moderately negative (- 0.24 ± 0.10) for P1. These results show the genetic status for all four guinea pig lines, which is essential for the further improvement of the currently implemented breeding programme and also indicate an opportunity for genetic improvement.

Desenvolvimento de escore preditor de sucesso imediato e tardio pós valvoplastia mitral percutânea em pacientes portadores de estenose mitral / Development of early and late success predictor score after percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty in patients with mitral stenosis

INTRODUÇÃO: Os dados de resultados a longo prazo após valvoplastia mitral percutânea (VMP) em pacientes portadores de estenose mitral ainda são escassos e os sistemas de pontuação atuais têm limitações. Propomos um novo escore capaz de predizer sucesso imediato e tardio em pacientes elegíveis para o tratamento de estenose mitral por VMP, baseando-se nas análises de características ecocardiográficas, fatores clínicos e hemodinâmicos relevantes. MÉTODOS: Análise retrospectiva de 1582 pacientes com estenose mitral grave que foram submetidos à VMP no período de agosto de 1987 a junho de 2011 em um único centro. O período de seguimento dos pacientes apresentou mediana de 8,3 anos, com um seguimento máximo de até 23 anos. O desfecho combinado foi composto de morte cardiovascular, nova VMP ou cirurgia para plastia/troca valvar mitral. Dois modelos estatísticos foram construídos para prever a sobrevivência imediata e de longo prazo livre de eventos. RESULTADOS: A média de idade dos pacientes foi de 36,8±12,9 anos e houve prevalência do sexo feminino (86,4%). A maioria dos pacientes no momento da VMP apresentavam classe funcional New York Heart Associaton (NYHA) III (57,7%) e escore de Wilkins entre 9-11 (49,1%). Na análise multivariada para predição de sucesso imediato tiveram significância estatística a idade, tamanho de átrio esquerdo, gradiente transvalvar mitral médio e pontuação pelo escore de Wilkins. Para predição de sucesso tardio tiveram significância estatística idade, classe funcional, tamanho de átrio esquerdo e pontuação pelo escore de Wilkins. CONCLUSÃO: Na ampla população estudada tornou-se evidente que não somente o escore de Wilkins parece ter relevância na predição de sucesso imediato e tardio para os pacientes com estenose mitral reumática submetidos a VMP. Além de parâmetros ecocardiográficos, os parâmetros clínicos e hemodinâmicos também parecem contribuir de forma importante no sucesso imediato do procedimento, bem como no tempo livre de intervenções e mortalidade a longo prazo. (AU)

Insulin modifies the proliferation and function of chicken testis cells.

We investigated whether insulin plays a role in the proliferation and androgen production of chick testis cells. Testes from 18-d-old chick embryos or newly hatched chickens were dissociated and precultured in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 24 h. After this period, testis cells from 18-d-old chick embryos were cultured in serum-free medium for 1 h with 0, 10, 50, or 100 microg/mL of insulin and were then exposed to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for 3 h. In addition, some cells were incubated for 18 h with only insulin or insulin plus hCG. Androgens were measured by radioimmunoassay in the spent media. To study the influence of insulin on testis cell proliferation, cells were exposed to insulin for 18 h. A pulse of 3H-thymidine was added thereafter. We found that 18-d-old embryonic testis cells responded to hCG, increasing androgen production. Incubation with insulin for 1 h did not affect basal androgen production but modified the subsequent response to hCG. The addition of insulin plus hCG for 18 h resulted in important downregulation of the hCG effect. In addition, insulin significantly increased the proliferation of embryonic testis cells. The cells from testes of newly hatched chickens were precultured as described for embryonic cells and then exposed to insulin for 1 h in a serum-free medium. This treatment significantly increased the basal androgen production. Insulin also significantly enhanced the response to hCG of the testis cells from newly hatched chickens. These results strongly suggest that insulin has a role in the activity and in the proliferation of cultured testis cells throughout the perinatal period.

[Expression of oncogenes (c-myc-neu) and prolactin receptor (PRLr) in tissues of women with endometriosis]. / Expresión de los oncogenes (c-myc-neu) y el receptor de prolactina (PRLr) en tejidos de mujeres con endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a disease of unknown ethology; there are several theories that are unproven. It is known that women with such disease present with infertility, and that recurrence is very high, and apparently not depending of estrogenic stimulus. This phenomenon has been contributed to other growth factors and some oncogens. There are few studies about oncogens or other hormonal receptors; so, this study tries to evaluate them in eutopic tissue and in ectopic one of women with previous diagnosis of endometriosis. Our results show that myc as PRLr are expressed differently in the different tissues; and neu is expressed in the same way in both tissues. So, it was concluded that the cells of the endometriosis focus, have a differential status relating to expression of some of their genes, which target on their development and maintenance in a hormonal environment which differs from the uterine cavity.

The effects of fetal serum and gonadotropins on testosterone production by cultured chick testicular cells.

This report describes the influences of fetal serum and gonadotropins on the development and function of chick testicular cells in a culture system that allows long term control of culture conditions. Testis of new born male chicks were dissociated and cultured in different conditions and the production of testosterone measured by RIA. 1. To investigate the effect of serum the cells were wither cultured in a defined medium composed by Dulbecco's modified medium (DMM) plus 0.1% albumin or media containing DMM plus 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The presence of serum increased protein content of the cultures, but no differences were found in basal testosterone production. When hCG (2IU/ml) was added to both culture media, the increment in testosterone production hence produced, was greater when cells were cultured in defined medium. 2. Cells were precultured for 24 hr in either defined serum media with or without hCG. The media were then replaced with DMM plus BSA and 1-methyl 3-isobutyl xanthine (IBMX) in the presence or absence of hCG and cells further incubated for 2 hr. Addition of hCG increased testosterone production by cells cultured in defined medium and enhanced its subsequent response to hCG stimulation. Cells cultured in serum medium maintained their ability to respond to hCG, but the addition of this hormone to the medium, abolished the response to further hCG-stimulation. 3. hCG caused a dose-related increased in testosterone production by cells cultured in defined and serum containing media, but concentrations of hCG above 2 IU/ml depressed testosterone production in the latter group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mechanisms of hormonal and antihormonal action of contraceptive progestins at the molecular level.

19-Nor synthetic progestins undergo extensive metabolism at the target cells. The resulting metabolic conversion products interact with putative steroid receptors within the cells, and through those interactions, they may exert either agonistic, synergistic and antagonistic hormonal effects. Studies conducted in our laboratories have disclosed that norethisterone (NET) and D-(1) norgestrel (LNG), two widely used contraceptive progestins, are biotransformed to several A-ring reduced (dihydro and tetrahydro) derivatives. The resulting metabolites 5 alpha-dihydro NET (5 alpha-NET) and 5 alpha-dihydro LNG bind with relative high affinity to the progesterone and androgen receptors. To gain insight into the underlying molecular events mediating the mode of action of NET and its neutral metabolites, we have examined the expression of their biological effects at target organs by using the rabbit uteroglobin gene model and the beta-glucuronidase activity of the mouse kidney. The results of a series of experiments seem to indicate that the enzyme-mediated formation of the 5 alpha (trans A/B ring junction) NET derivative results in a significant diminution of its progestational and androgenic potencies. Furthermore, 5 alpha-NET acquire a potent anti-progestational/contragestational effect as assessed in the female rabbit. These results demonstrated that 5 alpha-reduction of 19-nor progestins exerts a paradoxical effect, at least in terms of their hormone-like effects. The overall data are in line with the concept that metabolism of synthetic progestins at hormone-sensitive organs modulates their mechanisms of action.