Uterine glands agenesia in the mare

All mammalian uteri contain endometrial glands that synthesize and secrete a substance termed histotroph, which is essential for early pregnancy nutrition. Because of that function, endometrial glands play a crucial role as regulators of survival and development of conceptus. In all mammalian females as well as in woman, endometrial glands undergo extensive hyperplasia and hypertrophy during pregnancy as a response to increasing demands of the developing conceptus for uterine histotroph. The process of endometrial glands development is called adenogenesis. Inhibition of the development of these glands through gene mutation or epigenetic strategies results in infertility. Two cases of total intrauterine glands developmental agenesis are presented, which were diagnosed on the base of histopathological examination of endometrial biopsy specimens. Despite the fact that endometrial glands agenesis in mare is a rare condition, it is worth while to emphasize that the endometrial biopsy is currently the best diagnostic tool to recognize the above developmental disturbance. Clinicians should be aware, that the mare with normal reproductive organs during macroscopic clinical investigation, can present with uterine glands agenesis

Construction of a set of novel transposon vectors for efficient silencing of protein and lncRNA genes via CRISPR interference

In recent years, CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) technology of gene silencing has emerged as a promising alternative to RNA interference (RNAi) surpassing the latter in terms of efficiency and accuracy. Here, we describe the construction of a set of transposon vectors suitable for constitutive or tetracycline (doxycycline)-inducible silencing of genes of interest via CRISPRi method and conferring three different antibiotic resistances, using vectors available via Addgene repository. We have analyzed the performance of the new vectors in the silencing of mouse Adam10 and human lncRNA, NORAD. The empty vector variants can be used to efficiently silence any genes of interest

Zmiany w zakresie postrzegania i oceny własnego ciała wśród kobiet od okresu dojrzewania do dorosłości

Changes in body perception and evaluation among women from adolescence to adulthoodThe inspiration for the discussion presented in the article were differences in body self-perception in women from adolescence to adulthood. The results of research conducted among a group of 476 women at the age between 13 and 50 revealed regularities and tendencies for developmental changes in female body perception. There were distinguished three age groups connected with the appearance of signifi cant changes in body perception ensuing from various social roles and developmental tasks that the fair sex representatives need to face during subsequent life stages. The first stage was observed in participants aged around 18, which sets the transition between adolescence and adulthood and at the same time begins the period with the most experienced satisfaction with one’s own appearance. Entering the next stage of body perception development at the age of 25, there appears the so-called middle life crisis which is another turning point not only in the area of gathering experiences, reflections, and competencies of the gentle sex, but also in area of own body perception and evaluation

Influence of sulpiride treatment on the level of prolactin and immunoglobulins in the peripheral blood of mares during the postpartum period

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of increased levels of prolactin (PRL) on the concentration of immunoglobulins in the blood, colostrum and milk of mares. The study was conducted on 12 mares of the Polish Pony breed (6 in the control and 6 in the experimental group). To induce hyperprolactinaemia in mares of the experimental group, 750 mg sulpiride was administered orally once a day. The initial PRL concentration was 52.22 ± 11.21 ng/ml in the control group and 49.39 ± 10.12 ng/ml in the experimental group. In the subsequent days, the concentration of PRL dynamically changed. Statistical analysis showed highly significant differences (P < 0.01) between the groups. The concentration of immunoglobulins in the blood plasma was at the same level during the experimental period (32.97–29.08 mg/ml in the experimental group and 28.60–18.11 mg/ml in the control group). Statistical analysis showed highly significant differences between the groups in blood plasma immunoglobulin level (P < 0.01). The highest immunoglobulin concentration was obtained within 12 h after parturition in the control and the experimental group (23.49 ± 2.12 mg/ml and 26.94 ±1.72 mg/ml, respectively). The lowest values were obtained on day 12 after parturition in the experimental group (10.15 mg/ml ± 1.47 mg/ml) and on day 7 after parturition in the control group (14.30 mg/ml ± 2.48 mg/ml). In conclusion, this study did not provide evidence that the lactogenic hormone prolactin is involved in the transfer of immunoglobulins into the colostrum in horses

Age-Related Changes of Peak Width Skeletonized Mean Diffusivity (PSMD) Across the Adult Lifespan: A Multi-Cohort Study

Parameters of water diffusion in white matter derived from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), such as fractional anisotropy (FA), mean, axial, and radial diffusivity (MD, AD, and RD), and more recently, peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD), have been proposed as potential markers of normal and pathological brain ageing. However, their relative evolution over the entire adult lifespan in healthy individuals remains partly unknown during early and late adulthood, and particularly for the PSMD index. Here, we gathered and analyzed cross-sectional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data from 10 population-based cohort studies in order to establish the time course of white matter water diffusion phenotypes from post-adolescence to late adulthood. DTI data were obtained from a total of 20,005 individuals aged 18.1 to 92.6 years and analyzed with the same pipeline for computing skeletonized DTI metrics from DTI maps. For each individual, MD, AD, RD, and FA mean values were computed over their FA volume skeleton, PSMD being calculated as the 90% peak width of the MD values distribution across the FA skeleton. Mean values of each DTI metric were found to strongly vary across cohorts, most likely due to major differences in DWI acquisition protocols as well as pre-processing and DTI model fitting. However, age effects on each DTI metric were found to be highly consistent across cohorts. RD, MD, and AD variations with age exhibited the same U-shape pattern, first slowly decreasing during post-adolescence until the age of 30, 40, and 50 years, respectively, then progressively increasing until late life. FA showed a reverse profile, initially increasing then continuously decreasing, slowly until the 70s, then sharply declining thereafter. By contrast, PSMD constantly increased, first slowly until the 60s, then more sharply. These results demonstrate that, in the general population, age affects PSMD in a manner different from that of other DTI metrics. The constant increase in PSMD throughout the entire adult life, including during post-adolescence, indicates that PSMD could be an early marker of the ageing process