Evaluation of a Role for Prolactin in the Recrudescense of Ovarian Activity in Seasonally Anovulatory Mares

A series of experiments studied the possible role for prolactin in the spring-time recrudescence of ovarian activity in mares. The first experiment was based on cabergoline administration to seasonally anovulatory mares to prevent the seasonal rise in endogenous plasma prolactin to assess whether reduced prolactin altered onset of ovarian activity or first ovulation. Although prolactin concentrations were reduced, basal prolactin concentrations recovered from suppression by the time of the next injection (10 days later), even though low-dose sulpiride stimulation of prolactin was still suppressed by 85%. The subsequent experiment tested whether season affected the duration and degree of suppression produced by a standard dose of cabergoline. Mares were administered cabergoline at 1.5 mg/500 kg body weight in March, June, September, and December. Duration of suppression was affected little by month of assessment. Follow-up assessments with either low dose sulpiride (July) or thyrotropin releasing hormone (October) challenges after administration of 5 mg cabergoline indicated that basal prolactin concentrations always rebounded earlier than secretagogue-induced secretion. The third experiment studied possible physical and hormonal characteristics of seasonally anovulatory mares that might affect their response to a combined estradiol and sulpiride treatment for inducing ovulation in winter. All mares received 50 mg of estradiol cypionate (ECP) followed by 3 g of sulpiride. Factors that were commonly associated with early-induced ovulation were: adequate body condition, elevated plasma concentrations of leptin and insulin, and a greater LH response to secretagogue prior to the start of the experiment. The final experiment studied the hormonal production aspects of the first pre-ovulatory follicle of the breeding season in seasonally anovulatory mares treated with ECP followed by injections of sulpiride 5 and 12 days later, or ECP plus vehicle (controls), beginning in January. Date to first 35-mm follicle was advanced in sulpiride-treated mares. It was concluded that early-induced follicles are equally as competent in terms of steroid production and ability to respond to circulating LH as pre-ovulatory follicles occurring naturally in spring. These experiments support the model in which an increase in circulating prolactin during winter can hasten follicular growth and advance the date to first ovulation in most mares

Preparations of Duck Hepatitis B Virions Contain Multiple DNA Polymerase Activities

The hepadnaviral DNA genome is synthesized by a viral-encoded reverse transcriptase, but the nature of this protein(s) in vivo remains obscure. We have previously described studies in which activity gel assays identified multiple DNA polymerase (DNAp) activities associated with highly purified duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) core particles. We now report that virions isolated from viremic sera are associated with DNA-dependent DNAp activities which are nearly identical to major DNAp activities detected with highly purified DHBV core particles. These results suggest that the virion-associated polymerases are the same as those which are detected with core particles and are likely to represent DHBV pol gene products involved in replication of the genome

"...an den Fransen erkennt man das Gewebe"

Im Rahmen der sich abzeichnenden bildungspolitischen Veränderungen erscheint aus fachdidaktischer Sicht die zentrale Aufgabe umso wichtiger, die Grenzen künstlerischer Fächer zu erhalten. Hierbei stellt sich die Frage, inwieweit sich die Methode der Transformation als eine spezifische fächerübergreifende Verfahrensweise anbietet, die Besonderheiten der Fächer und Künste trotz der Tendenz zu deren Vereinheitlichung zu bewahren. Diese bildungspolitische Bezugnahme bildet den Ausgangspunkt für die vorliegenden ästhetischen und musikdidaktischen Überlegungen, die auf drei Argumentationssträngen basieren. In einem ersten Schritt lassen sich anhand der \u27Verfransung der Künste\u27 (Theodor W. Adorno) als eine kritische Zeitdiagnose der Kunst am Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts spezifische Charakteristika der Entgrenzung der Künste gewinnen. Anschließend werden didaktische Überlegungen in Bezug auf Potenziale des Interdisziplinären im fächerübergreifenden Musikunterricht aufgezeigt. In einem dritten Schritt wird die Methode der künstlerischen Transformation vorgestellt und mit Aspekten der Verfransungstheorie in Bezug gesetzt. Diese Vorgehensweise bewegt sich demnach auf einer zu unterscheidenden historisch ästhetischen (Verfransung & Transformation) und fachdidaktisch-methodischen Ebene (Transformationen im fächer- übergreifenden Unterricht). (DIPF/Orig.

Musicians and educators in kindergarten. Their cooperation and conflict in a continuous professional development seminar

The article presents the evaluational results of nursery school teachers’ and musicians’ professional development in their efforts to establish a sustainable musical offering in kindergarten. This cooperation is characterized as transprofessional and is based on the awareness and reflection of specific professions and attitudes the participants have. The self-perceptions and the perceptions of others give evidence of stereotypical job descriptions in the profession of teachers and musicians. Against this background, three fields of possible conflict are outlined. They help to underline the importance of cross-institutional cooperation in early childhood musical education that takes into account the diversity of the participants in sharing musical experiences across borders and professional fields. (DIPF/Orig.

Evaluation of the 3-Minute Diagnostic Confusion Assessment Method for identification of postoperative delirium in older patients

Importance: Delirium is a common postoperative complication in older patients that often goes undetected and might lead to worse outcomes. The 3-Minute Diagnostic Confusion Assessment Method (3D-CAM) might be a practical tool for routine clinical diagnosis of delirium. Objective: To assess the 3D-CAM for detecting postoperative delirium compared with the long-form CAM used for research purposes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study of older patients enrolled in ongoing clinical trials between 2015 and 2018 was conducted at a single tertiary US hospital. Included participants were aged 60 years or older undergoing major elective surgical procedures that required at least a 2-day hospital stay. Data were analyzed between February and April 2019. Exposures: Surgical procedures of at least 2 hours in length requiring general anesthesia with planned extubation. Main Outcomes and Measures: Patients were concurrently assessed for delirium using the 3D-CAM assessment and the long-form CAM, scored based on a standardized cognitive assessment. Agreement between these 2 methods was tested using Cohen κ with repeated measures, a generalized linear mixed-effects model, and Bland-Altman analysis. Results: Sixteen raters conducted 471 concurrent CAM and 3D-CAM interviews including 299 patients (mean [SD] age, 69 [6.5] years), the majority of whom were men (152 [50.8%]), were White (263 [88.0%]), and had noncardiac operations (211 [70.6%]). Both instruments had good intraclass correlation (0.84 for the CAM and 0.98 for the 3D-CAM). Cohen κ demonstrated good overall agreement between the CAM and 3D-CAM (κ = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.83). According to the mixed-effects model, there was statistically significant disagreement between the 3D-CAM and CAM (estimated difference in fixed effect, -0.68; 95% CI, -1.32 to -0.05; P = .04). Bland-Altman analysis showed the probability of a delirium diagnosis with the 3D-CAM was more than twice the probability of a delirium diagnosis with the CAM (probability ratio, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.44 to 3.23). Conclusions and Relevance: The 3D-CAM instrument demonstrated agreement with the long-form CAM and might provide a pragmatic and sensitive clinical tool for detecting postoperative delirium, with the caveat that the 3D-CAM might overdiagnose delirium

LENS repair and modification of metal NW components:materials and applications guide.

Laser Engineered Net Shaping{trademark} (LENS{reg_sign}) is a unique, layer additive, metal manufacturing technique that offers the ability to create fully dense metal features and components directly from a computer solid model. LENS offers opportunities to repair and modify components by adding features to existing geometry, refilling holes, repairing weld lips, and many other potential applications. The material deposited has good mechanical properties with strengths typically slightly higher that wrought material due to grain refinement from a quickly cooling weld pool. The result is a material with properties similar to cold worked material, but without the loss in ductility traditionally seen with such treatments. Furthermore, 304L LENS material exhibits good corrosion resistance and hydrogen compatibility. This report gives a background of the LENS process including materials analysis addressing the requirements of a number of different applications. Suggestions are given to aid both the product engineer and the process engineer in the successful utilization of LENS for their applications. The results of testing on interface strength, machinability, weldability, corrosion resistance, geometric effects, heat treatment, and repair strategy testing are all included. Finally, the qualification of the LENS process is briefly discussed to give the user confidence in selecting LENS as the process of choice for high rigor applications. The testing showed LENS components to have capability in repair/modification applications requiring complex castings (W80-3 D-Bottle bracket), thin wall parts requiring metal to be rebuilt onto the part (W87 Firing Set Housing and Y-12 Test Rings), the filling of counterbores for use in reservoir reclamation welding (SRNL hydrogen compatibility study) and the repair of surface defects on pressure vessels (SRNL gas bottle repair). The material is machinable, as testing has shown that LENS deposited material machines similar to that of welded metal. Tool wear is slightly higher in LENS material than in wrought material, but not so much that one would be concerned with increased tooling cost. The LENS process achieved process qualification for the AY1E0125 D-Bottle Bracket from the W80-3 LEP program, and in the effort, also underwent testing in weapons environments. These tests included structural dynamic response testing and drop testing. The LENS deposited parts were compared in these tests with conventionally machined parts and showed equivalency to such an extent that the parts were accepted for use in parallel path subsystem-level weapon environment testing. The evaluation of LENS has shown that the process can be a viable option when either complete metal parts are needed or existing metal parts require modification or repair. The LENS Qualification Technology Investment team successfully investigated new applications for the LENS process and showed that it has great applicability across the Nuclear Weapons Complex as well as in other high rigor applications

A comparison of alternative assays to measure DNA damage in stallion spermatozoa: TUNEL test versus ‘Nicoletti assay’

The aberrations of sperm DNA may cause various problems and have negative consequences on fertility. These influence embryonic development or might lead to early embryo loss. Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay (SCSA) is the flow cytometric method most often used for the detection of DNA lesions; however, some studies using that method reached confusing conclusions. The aim of this pilot study was to adjust and compare two alternative tests, namely the TUNEL test and the Nicoletti assay. The above-mentioned two flow cytometric methods capable of detecting the fragmented DNA of sperm were tested on 12 frozen-thawed stallion semen samples. The TUNEL test demonstrated much higher DNA fragmentation ratio than the Nicoletti assay (mean ± SD: 30.77 ± 13.03% vs. 1.93 ± 0.89%, respectively). A fluorescent microscopic check of the samples showed that TUNEL labelled the plasma membrane and the mitochondria in a nonspecific way, rather than detecting only the fragmented DNA, thus eventually resulting in a false positive sign. The Nicoletti assay is simpler, quicker and does not detect nonspecific binding; however, further analyses are required to determine its diagnostic value

Attenuated reovirus displays oncolysis with reduced host toxicity

Background: Although the naturally occurring reovirus causes only mild symptoms in humans, it shows considerable potential as an oncolytic agent because of its innate ability to target cancer cells. In immunocompromised hosts, however, wild-type reovirus can target healthy tissues, including heart, liver, pancreas and neural structures. Methods: We characterized an attenuated form of reovirus (AV) derived from a persistently infected cell line through sequence analysis, as well as western blot and in vitro transcription and translation techniques. To examine its pathogenesis and oncolytic potential, AV reovirus was tested on healthy embryonic stem cells, various non-transformed and transformed cell lines, and in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice with tumour xenografts. Results: Sequence analysis of AV reovirus revealed a premature STOP codon in its sigma 1 attachment protein. Western blot and in vitro translation confirmed the presence of a truncated ?1. In comparison to wild-type reovirus, AV reovirus did not kill healthy stem cells or induce black tail formation in SCID mice. However, it did retain its ability to target cancer cells and reduce tumour size. Conclusion: Despite containing a truncated attachment protein, AV reovirus still preferentially targets cancer cells, and compared with wild-type reovirus it shows reduced toxicity when administered to immunodeficient hosts, suggesting the potential use of AV reovirus in combination cancer therapy