Effects of testosterone propionate administered perinatally on sexual behavior of female ferrets.

Conducted an experiment with 25 female and 8 male albino ferrets ( Mustela furo ). Females that received injections of testosterone propionate (TP) early in postnatal life displayed significantly more masculine behavior than did control females when gonadectomized and administered either TP or estradiol benzoate in adulthood. This increased masculine response potential was not correlated with the effects of early TP treatment on phallic development. In contrast to results obtained in most other species, perinatal administration of TP to females failed to disrupt their ability to display the behavior that is characteristic of the sexually receptive animal in estrus. When estrogenic stimulation was provided in adulthood, the receptive behavior of 3 groups of perinatally androgenized females was indistinguishable from that of both male and female controls. However, after gonadectomy and administration of TP, control males and females that had received TP prenatally plus on Day 3 were significantly more receptive than were control females. The induction of receptivity by TP was significantly inhibited by simultaneous administration of the antiestrogen MER-25. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental infection of pregnant ewes with Chlamydia pecorum

Pregnant ewes were infected in midpregnancy with three isolates of Chlamydia pecorum derived from the feces of healthy lambs from three different farms. Oral infection, alone or together with Fasciola hepatica, did not result in tissue invasion, since all placental and fecal samples were negative for chlamydiae. Intravenous infection resulted in placental infection in 16 of 18 ewes in that chlamydiae were cultured from placentas or vaginal swabs. Two ewes bore dead lambs after a shortened gestation time. The chlamydiae isolated were all C. pecorum. There were no significant differences between the weights of the lambs from the infected groups and those from uninfected control ewes. Most ewes showed no serological evidence of infection by the complement fixation test; therefore, it is unlikely that the enteric subtype of C. pecorum is responsible for the cross-reactions sometimes seen in flocks being tested for C. psittaci infection.     

Effects of a prolonged administration of valepotriates in rats on the mothers and their offspring

Valeriana officinalis L. (Valerianaceae) is widely known to be associated with sedative properties. The effects of a valepotriates mixtures on mothers and progeny were evaluated in rats. A 30-day administration of valepotriates did not change the average length of estral cycle, nor the number of estrous phases during this period. Also, there were no changes on the fertility index. Fetotoxicity and external examination studies did not show differences, although internal examination revealed an increase in number of retarded ossification after the highest doses employed--12 and 24 mg/kg. No changes were detected in the development of the offspring after treatment during pregnancy. As for temperature, valepotriates caused a hypothermizant effect after administration by the intraperitoneal route but not after oral administration. Generally, the valepotriates employed induced some alterations after administration by the intraperitoneal route, but doses given orally were innocuous to pregnant rats and their offspring.     

Effect of exercise on cardiac output and distribution of uterine blood flow in pregnant ewes

This study was designed to determine what effect physical training has on heart rate and stroke volume responses to exercise stress and to determine if exercise altered the distribution of uterine blood flow. Measurements were made in ten pregnant ewes at rest and immediately following exercise on a treadmill. Five ewes underwent physical training for 3 wk prior to measurement. An increase in heart rate with no change in stroke volume was observed following exercise in both trained and untrained ewes. Total uterine blood flow was not changed following exercise, but distribution was altered in favor of the placenta. Blood flow was evenly distributed within the placenta before and after exercise. The redistribution of flow to the placenta that occurs after exercise. tphe redistribution of flow to the placenta that occurs after exercise might represent a compensatory mechanism for the fetus.     

Diazepam treatment of pregnant rats differentially affects interleukin-1 and interleukin-2 secretion in their offspring during different phases of postnatal development

Treatment of pregnant Long Evans rats with benzodiazepines was found to cause alterations in cellular immune responses in their offspring. We now report on changes in interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-2 secretion which were analyzed in rats from birth until 12 weeks. Time-pregnant rats were treated with diazepam (1.25 mg/kg/day subcutaneously) from gestational day 14 to 20. Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated release of macrophage-derived IL-1 by spleen cells, determined on D10.G4.1 cells, remained in the control range during the preweaning period (postnatal day 6-28), then decreased in prenatally diazepam-exposed offspring, significantly in males during the postweaning period (postnatal day 34-61) and in both sexes in adults (postnatal day 62-83). Concanavalin A-stimulated release of T lymphocyte-derived IL-2 from spleen cells, determined on CTLL-2 cells, was reduced in male and female offspring during preweaning (postnatal day 3-28) and postweaning (postnatal day 33-55) periods and normalized in adulthood (postnatal day 60-84). The percentage of IL-2 receptor expressing (CD25+) cells was unaffected. From these and our earlier data it is evident that prenatal exposure to low doses of benzodiazepines can result in long-lasting alterations of the cytokine network, as indicated by reduced release of TNF-alpha, IL-1, IL-6, IL-2 and interferon-gamma. The concomitant reduction of peripheral type benzodiazepine receptors on macrophages is discussed as a possible link between prenatal treatment and disturbed function.     

Effects of infection on plasma levels of copper and zinc in ewes

Plasma copper and zinc in 20 ewes, healthy or infected with chronic postpartum metritis or mastitis, have been determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Plasma protein profile was measured by electrophoresis on cellulose acetate plates, and albumin and ceruloplasmin were determined colorimetrically. For the ten initial days, plasma copper and ceruloplasmin increased in plasma zinc decreased in spite of a daily drenching of 200 mg Zn/ewe (as sulfate). Fibrinogen and IgG2 increased and albumin decreased slightly indicating an infectious process. After a five day period of intramuscular injection with chloramphenicol, tetracycline and prednisolone, plasma zinc increased but copper remained unchanged. It may be concluded that hypozincemia should not be attributed to a zinc deficiency without any information on biochemical parameters specific for inflammation of infection. An inflammatory hypozincemia is not affected by a zinc treatment even at a high level.     

Effect of long-term cocaine administration to pregnant ewes on fetal hemodynamics, oxygenation, and growth

OBJECTIVE: To assess uterine and fetal blood flows by Doppler velocimetry and fetal growth and oxygenation in pregnant ewes treated daily with cocaine and to determine whether cocaine impairs fetal cardiac and cerebral reactivity. METHODS: The study groups received 70 mg (n = 7) or 140 mg (n = 7) of cocaine and the control group (n = 7) received placebo injected intramuscularly daily on days 60-134. Hemodynamic data were measured at rest and during two acute hypoxic tests at cesarean delivery performed on day 134. RESULTS: The fetal heart rate (FHR) and umbilical and uterine resistance indices (RIs) were higher in the cocaine groups than in the control group (FHR: 187 +/- 8 and 166 +/- 8 beats per minute at 83 and 123 days, respectively, in controls and 9-11% higher in cocaine groups; umbilical RI: 0.79 +/- 0.06, 0.60 +/- 0.04, and 0.52 +/- 0.06, at 83, 105, and 123 days, respectively, in controls and 11-17% higher in the cocaine groups [P < .01]; and uterine RI: 0.40 +/- 0.05, 0.40 +/- 0.04, and 0.37 +/- 0.04, at 83, 105, and 123 days, respectively, in controls and 13-35% higher in cocaine groups [P < .05]). At delivery on day 134, the following characteristics were found to be different in the cocaine groups: fetal weight (4.03 +/- 0.2 kg in controls and 15-21% lower in the cocaine groups [P < .02]), partial pressure of oxygen (26.5 +/- 1.4 mmHg in controls and 15-16% lower in cocaine groups [P < .05]), umbilical RI (0.40 +/- 0.03 in controls and 11-17% higher in cocaine groups [P < .01]), cerebral RI (0.61 +/- 0.03 in controls and 9-15% lower in cocaine groups [P < .01]), and cerebral-umbilical ratio (1.52 +/- 0.04 in controls and 22-23% lower in cocaine groups [P < .001]). During the hypoxic tests, the cerebral RI (P < .05) and the cerebral-umbilical ratio (P < .05) decreased significantly less in the two cocaine groups. The FHR response was reduced significantly in the two cocaine groups (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Long-term exposure to cocaine induces uterine and fetal blood flow disorders, fetal growth restriction, and hypoxia. It reduces the capability of the cerebral vessels to vasodilate and the heart rate to increase during acute hypoxia.     

Classification system and case definitions of Toxoplasma gondii infection in immunocompetent pregnant women and their congenitally infected offspring. European Research Network on Congenital Toxoplasmosis

Classification systems and case definitions provide the foundations upon which clinical and epidemiological studies are based. The European Research Network on Congenital Toxoplasmosis acknowledged the lack of such a system or definitions within its field of interest and established a working group to address the issue. Congenital Toxoplasma gondii infection was defined as occurring in four separate patient groups: pregnant women, fetuses, infants, and individuals > 1 year of age. The likelihood of Toxoplasma gondii infection was separated into five mutually exclusive categories: definite, probable, possible, unlikely, and not infected. Inclusion within a specific category is dependent upon the case definition, which is in turn derived from criteria based on serological, parasitological, and clinical information. Notes are included within the classification not only to clarify the definitions, but also to improve the reliability and quality of diagnosis. The goal is to construct a system that encompasses all aspects of congenital toxoplasmosis, which is applicable to different countries and health services, suitable for large epidemiological studies, aids the diagnosis and management of individual cases, and lends itself to computerisation.     

Effects of anandamide on gestation in pregnant rats

The present study was to test whether the recently described endogenous ligand for the cannabinoid receptor; arachidonyl-ethanolamide (anandamide, ANA), may produce similar effects on pregnancy as the main psychoactive component of marihuana: delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in rats. ANA, THC (0.02 mg/kg i.p./day, respectively) or vehicle were injected daily over the third week of pregnancy. The pregnant rats were either killed on day 21 of pregnancy or followed up to delivery. Results show a significant increase in the duration of pregnancy after both THC and ANA treatment. Both drugs caused an increase in the frequency of stillbirths. The mothers' hormone contents in tissues and sera were measured. Decreased LH content was observed in the serum of treated animals. No changes in FSH content were observed either in the pituitary or in the sera. Pituitary prolactin (PRL) levels was lower in ANA treated animals as compared both to controls or THC treated subjects. The serum PRL content decreased in all experimental groups. Decrease in serum progesterone was more prominent in treated rats. Serum levels of prostaglandins (PGF 1alpha and PGF 2alpha) were significantly decreased after THC and ANA treatment. We conclude that ANA has the same tendency to change reproductory parameters in pregnant rats as THC, although in some cases the effects of ANA were slightly different from that of THC. Both endogenous and exogenous cannabinoids inhibit PG synthesis in pregnant rats and this maybe responsible for the delay constitute the mechanism in the onset of labour.     

Changes in the concentration of estrone, estradiol and estradiol in the blood of pregnant ewes

A chemical method was used for the study of the concentration of the three main groups of oestrogens in the blood of five ewes after mating in natural heat. The concentration values of all the three groups of oestrogens was found to increase in proportion with the length of gravidity. From the 30th to the 140th day of gravidity the average concentration values of oestrone increased from 309 to 1380 ng per 100 ml blood, those of oestradiol from 48 to 192 ng per 100 ml blood. Significant changes were recorded in oestrone between the 50th and 60th day and between the 130th and 140th day of gravidity; in oestradiol and oestriol such changes occurred on the 140th day of gravidity.     

Effects of testosterone on glomerular growth after uninephrectomy

BACKGROUND: Renal functional prognosis is consistently more adverse in male individuals with renal disease. Male animals develop more marked proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis in several models of renal damage. Renal and glomerular growth are important permissive factors for progression of renal failure. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To investigate the influence of testosterone on renal and glomerular growth. DESIGN: Renal compensatory growth after uninephrectomy (UNX) was chosen as a model of renal growth. The effect of testosterone was assessed in control male, in orchidectomized (OX) male, and in ovariectomized (OV) female SD rats. Observation time was 10 months. MEASUREMENTS: Albuminuria by nephelometry; glomerular diameter, glomerular tuft area, renal zonal analysis by quantitative stereology. Testosterone and dihydroxytestosterone by gas chromatography and RIA. RESULTS: In sham-operated male rats, testosterone administration did not change the (left) kidney:body-weight ratio after uninephrectomy. In contrast, in OX male rats, testosterone administration caused a significant increase in kidney:body-weight ratio and in albuminuria. In these animals, glomerular diameter and outer stripe width were significantly lower in OX rats than in sham-operated controls. Glomerular volume and outer stripe width in OX animals were significantly higher after uninephrectomy (UNX) and were further increased in OX-UNX animals by administration of testosterone. Similar effects on glomerular diameter, cortical width (single) kidney:body-weight ratio were seen when OV female rats were treated with testosterone. CONCLUSION: After gonadal ablation, administration of testosterone amplifies compensatory glomerular and tubular growth in uninephrectomized male and female rats, i.e. testosterone is a permissive factor. Stimulation of glomerular growth may favour development of glomerulosclerosis.     

Dietary choline supplementation in pregnant rats increases hippocampal phospholipase D activity of the offspring

Supplementation with choline during pregnancy in rats causes a long-lasting improvement of visuospatial memory of the offspring. The biochemical mechanism of this effect may be related to the function of choline as a precursor of phosphatidylcholine (PC), the substrate of a receptor-stimulated enzyme, phospholipase D (PLD). PLD activation initiates the sequential formation of two intracellular messengers, phosphatidic acid and 1,2-sn-diacylglycerol. We hypothesized that prenatal choline status may cause long-term modulation of PLD-catalyzed PC hydrolysis in the hippocampus, a brain region implicated in visuospatial memory functions. PLD activity was determined in hippocampal slices prelabeled with [3H]glycerol or [3H]oleic acid by measuring the PLD-catalyzed formation of [3H]phosphatidylpropanol in the presence of 1-propanol. Slices were obtained from male pups born to mothers consuming a control diet, a choline-supplemented diet, or a choline-free diet from days 11 to 17 of pregnancy. The radiolabeling of phospholipid classes was unaffected by the treatments. Prenatal choline supplementation significantly increased basal PLD activity in [3H]glycerol-labeled slices [by 46% of controls on postnatal day (P) 7 and by 36% on P21], and [3H]oleate-labeled slices (by 91% on P7), as well as glutamate-stimulated PLD activity in [3H]oleate-labeled slices (by 60% on P7). Prenatal choline deficiency failed to alter PLD activity. The actions of choline apparently required intact cells because in vitro assays of PLD activity in hippocampal homogenates, using fluorescent NBD-PC as substrate, revealed no differences between groups. The results show that prenatal choline supplementation up-regulates basal and receptor-stimulated PLD activity in the hippocampus during postnatal development.     

Influence of testosterone propionate administered neonatally on puberty and bisexual behavior in female hamsters.

Treated female golden hamsters with oil, 3-mg, 30-mg, or 300-mg testosterone propionate (TP) as neonates in Exp I. Neonatal TP treatment delayed the onset of puberty by 4.5 days to an age near that previously reported for the male hamster. In addition, neonatal TP altered genital morphology, induced the capacity for mounting behavior, and at the highest dosage, disrupted the ability to bear and rear young. Vaginal and behavioral estrous cycles, however, were not influenced by neonatal TP. In Exp II 600-mg TP administered neonatally blocked estrous cyclicity but did not eliminate the capacity to display feminine sexual behavior. Results imply that masculinization and defeminization are separate aspects of neurobehavioral sexual differentiation, and that defeminization includes several independent physiological processes. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pharmacokinetics and antiretroviral activity of lamivudine alone or when coadministered with zidovudine in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected pregnant women and their offspring

The safety, pharmacokinetics, and antiretroviral activity of lamivudine alone and in combination with zidovudine was studied in pregnant women infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and their neonates. Women received the drugs orally from week 38 of pregnancy to 1 week after delivery. Neonate therapy began 12 h after delivery and continued for 1 week. Both treatment regimens were well-tolerated in women and newborns. Lamivudine and zidovudine pharmacokinetics in pregnant women were similar to those in nonpregnant adults. Lamivudine and zidovudine freely crossed the placenta and were secreted in breast milk. Neonatal lamivudine clearance was about half that in pediatric patients; zidovudine clearance was consistent with previous reports. HIV-1 RNA could be quantified in 17 of the 20 women. At the onset of labor/delivery, mean virus load had decreased by approximately 1.5 log10 copies/mL in both treatment cohorts. Although not definitive for HIV-1 infection status, all neonates had HIV-1 RNA levels below the limit of quantification at birth and at ages 1 and 2 weeks.     

Effects of daunomycin implants on filtering surgery outcomes in rabbits

BACKGROUND: Results of long-term testosterone treatment of congenital hypoplasia of the penis are sparse; the aim of this work was to evaluate these results according to age at onset of treatment, the presence or absence of hypospadias, and its eventual adverse effect upon growth and bone maturation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-six children with congenital hypoplasia of the penis, isolated (n = 31) or associated with a hypospadias (n = 35), were evaluated between 1 day and 16 years of age. The prevalence (40% of the cases) of the different malformations and/or syndromes associated with congenital hypoplasia and its severity were not different whether the penis was isolated or associated with hypospadias (male-pseudohermaphroditism). The effect of the testosterone heptylate (IM) was evaluated in 40 children treated before 10 years of age. RESULTS: The penis' increase in length was more important in the children with isolated micropenis (+2.1 +/- 0.8 SDS) than those with hypospadias (+1.3 +/- 1.2 SDS) but, in all cases, its increase was better when the treatment was started during the neonatal period, which corresponded to those with the most severe forms of micropenis. A mean regression of the penile volume of -0.7 +/- 0.8 SDS was noticed after the end of each stimulation. No long-term secondary effects related to treatment were seen on later growth and bone-maturation. CONCLUSION: Penile length at the last follow-up was not associated with total dose of testosterone but with its length at the first evaluation time (r = 0.52; P = 0.002).     

Oxygen consumption by and blood flow across the portal-drained viscera and liver of pregnant ewes

The energy requirement of ewes increases during pregnancy. In late pregnancy, approximately 40% of the increase in heat production can be attributed to increases in heat production by nonreproductive tissues. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of oxygen consumption by the portal-drained viscera (PDV) and liver during pregnancy to allow for an estimation of the extent to which these tissues contribute to the increase in energy requirement. Nineteen multiparous ewes were individually penned and allowed ad libitum access to an alfalfa hay-based diet. Catheters were surgically placed in the portal vein, a branch of the hepatic vein, a mesenteric vein, and the abdominal aorta. Oxygen consumption by the PDV and liver were subsequently measured before breeding and at 6, 19, 39, 61, 82, and, 103 d before lambing. Hepatic arterial blood flow was not influenced by litter size (P = .89) or stage of pregnancy (P = .28). Portal and hepatic venous blood flow peaked 19 d before lambing. Oxygen consumption by the PDV and liver increased with increased ad libitum feed intake. The increase in hepatic oxygen consumption occurred approximately 63 d earlier in ewes with twins than in ewes with a single fetus independent of changes in feed intake. Hepatic oxygen consumption increased with duration of gestation and was estimated to account for 40% of the heat production not associated with the gravid uterus.     

Indirect maternal effects of oxacillin administered to pregnant mice on the postnatal immune response of the offspring

Effects of oxacillin administered to pregnant or nursing randombred NMRI mice on the humoral immune response of their offspring were studied. The primary humoral response of male offspring to immunization by sheep red blood cells (SRBC) on the 24th postnatal day was assayed. Spectrophotometric determination of SRBC lysis by anti-SRBC IgM antibodies produced by spleen cells was used. Treatment of pregnant mice with oxacillin (70 mg/kg body weight) from the 12th to 16th day of pregnancy resulted in an enhancement of the spleen IgM antibody response in their offspring. The same treatment of nursing mothers, either on postnatal days 1-4 or 13-16, depressed the humoral response of the offspring. When the litters of control mothers and mothers treated with oxacillin from the 11th to 15th day of pregnancy were cross-fostered at birth, the offspring born of saline-treated mothers and nursed by oxacillin-treated mothers as well as the offspring born to oxacillin-treated mothers and nursed by control mothers produced significantly higher amounts of spleen anti-SRBC IgM than the control offspring. The results suggest that the alteration of the immune response in offspring of mice treated by oxacillin during pregnancy was induced not only in the prenatal period, but also postnatally by factors originating from effects of oxacillin on the maternal organism.     

Acute stress in pregnant rats: effects on growth rate, learning, and memory capabilities of the offspring

Growth rate of the offspring of female rats stressed by the presence of a cat at the 10th or the 19th gestational day was lower than that of controls whereas footshocks administered at the same periods did not significantly influence growth rate of the young. Whatever the nature of the stress and the time when it was administered to the mother, the death rate of the young rats was much greater than that in controls. When adult, the offspring of stressed mothers exhibited learning and memory impairments in a delayed alternation task as well as in passive avoidance conditioning. Alteration of these cognitive functions is interpreted in terms of subtle dysfunctions in the development of the nervous system through modifications of the hormonal components of the mothers, particularly eventual alterations of the nervous system biochemistry of the offspring.