Effect of Kisspeptin on Regulation of Growth Hormone

Kisspeptin ( KP ), a neuroendocrine regulator of reproduction, is hypothesized to be an integrator of metabolism and hormones critical to the regulation of reproduction. Lactation is associated with enhanced growth hormone (GH) responsiveness and reduced fertility. Our study was designed to determine the effects of lactation on KP-stimulated GH and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion. Five non-lactating and five lactating dairy cows were used in the study. Experiments were conducted with lactating cows at weeks 1, 5 and 11 after parturition. The experimental treatments ( saline and KP [100 and 400 pmol / kg body weight]) were given intravenously and blood was collected and plasma was stored until later assay to determine concentrations of GH, LH, progesterone and non-esterified fatty acids. We found that neither dose of KP stimulated an increase in GH secretion. The low dose of KP increased (P \u3c0. 05) LH concentrations only in lactating cows. The higher dose of KP elicited an increase in circulating LH concentrations in both lactating and non-lactating cows. The lower dose of KP increased (P \u3c 0. 05) the area under the curve for LH only in cows during week 5 of lactation, and the area under the curve of LH following the highest dose of KP was greater (P \u3c 0. 05) in cows during week 5 of lactation than that for the other groups of cows. In summary, lactation status and stage of lactation did not change the sensitivity of the GH system to KP. However, an effect of stage of lactation on KP-stimulated LH secretion was detected in the dairy cows. Study of the KP system during lactation in dairy cows may provide critical insights into the mechanisms for lactation associated changes in the reproductive axis

Vulnerable and forgotten: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autism special schools in England

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, unprecedented disruption in England. The impact of the pandemic on the English education system has been significant, especially for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). While it was encouraging that the educational rights of children and young people with SEND were highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Government decision-making appeared to be centered around the needs of pupils in mainstream schools. In this article, co-authored by an academic researcher and senior leaders from the Pan London Autism Schools Network (PLASN; a collective of special schools in London and the South East of England, catering for pupils on the autistic spectrum), we reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on special schools in England. We document and discuss a range of challenges experienced by PLASN schools, including the educational inequalities that were exposed and perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the manner in which the needs and realities of special schools were overlooked by the Government. We also detail the creative and innovative solutions implemented by PLASN schools to overcome barriers that they encountered. These solutions centered on facilitating holistic approaches to support, ensuring clear and regular communication with families, providing effective support for home learning, and promoting collaborative ways of working; all of which align with good practice principles in autism education more generally, and are essential elements of practice to maintain post-pandemic. We additionally reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic could be a catalyst for much-needed change to the SEND system: leading to better educational provision, and therefore better outcomes, for pupils with SEND

Val103Ile polymorphism of the melanocortin-4 receptor gene (MC4R) in cancer cachexia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>At present pathogenic mechanisms of cancer cachexia are poorly understood. Previous evidence in animal models implicates the melanocortin-4 receptor gene (<it>MC4R</it>) in the development of cancer cachexia. In humans, <it>MC4R </it>mutations that lead to an impaired receptor function are associated with obesity; in contrast, the most frequent polymorphism (Val103Ile, rs2229616; heterozygote frequency approximately 2%) was shown to be negatively associated with obesity. We tested if cancer patients that are homo-/heterozygous for the Val103Ile polymorphism are more likely to develop cachexia and/or a loss of appetite than non-carriers of the 103Ile-allele.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>BMI (body mass index in kg/m²) of 509 patients (295 males) with malignant neoplasms was determined; additionally patients were asked about premorbid/pretherapeutical changes of appetite and weight loss. Cachexia was defined as a weight loss of at least 5% prior to initiation of therapy; to fulfil this criterion this weight loss had to occur independently of other plausible reasons; in single cases weight loss was the initial reason for seeing a physician. The average age in years (± SD) was 59.0 ± 14.5 (males: 58.8 ± 14.0, females 59.2 ± 14.0). Blood samples were taken for genotyping of the Val103Ile by PCR- RFLP.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most of the patients suffered from lymphoma, leukaemia and gastrointestinal tumours. 107 of the patients (21%) fulfilled our criteria for cancer cachexia. We did not detect association between the Val103Ile polymorphism and cancer cachexia. However, if we exploratively excluded the patients with early leucaemic stages, we detected a trend towards the opposite effect (p < 0.05); heterozygotes for the 103Ile-allele developed cancer cachexia less frequently in comparison to the rest of the study group. Changes of appetite were not associated with the 103Ile-allele carrier status (p > 0.39).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Heterozygotes for the 103Ile-allele are not more prone to develop cancer cachexia than patients without this allele; possibly, Ile103 carriers might be more resistant to cancer cachexia in patients with solid tumors. Further studies of the melanocortinergic system in cachexia of patients with solid tumors are warranted.</p

Field trial on glucose-induced insulin and metabolite responses in Estonian Holstein and Estonian Red dairy cows in two herds

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insulin secretion and tissue sensitivity to insulin is considered to be one of the factors controlling lipid metabolism <it>post partum</it>. The objective of this study was to compare glucose-induced blood insulin and metabolite responses in Estonian Holstein (EH, n = 14) and Estonian Red (ER, n = 14) cows.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was carried out using the glucose tolerance test (GTT) performed at 31 ± 1.9 days <it>post partum</it> during negative energy balance. Blood samples were obtained at -15, -5, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min relative to infusion of 0.15 g/kg BW glucose and analysed for glucose, insulin, triglycerides (TG), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), cholesterol and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). Applying the MIXED Procedure with the SAS System the basal concentration of cholesterol, and basal concentration and concentrations at post-infusion time points for other metabolites, area under the curve (AUC) for glucose and insulin, clearance rate (CR) for glucose, and maximum increase from basal concentration for glucose and insulin were compared between breeds.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was a breed effect on blood NEFA (<it>P </it>< 0.05) and a time effect on all metabolites concentration (<it>P </it>< 0.01). The following differences were observed in EH compared to ER: lower blood insulin concentration 5 min after glucose infusion (<it>P </it>< 0.05), higher glucose concentration 20 (<it>P </it>< 0.01) and 30 min (<it>P </it>< 0.05) after infusion, and higher NEFA concentration before (<it>P </it>< 0.01) and 5 min after infusion (P < 0.05). Blood TG concentration in ER remained stable, while in EH there was a decrease from the basal level to the 40^thmin nadir (<it>P </it>< 0.01), followed by an increase to the 60^thmin postinfusion (<it>P </it>< 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results imply that glucose-induced changes in insulin concentration and metabolite responses to insulin differ between EH and ER dairy cows.</p

Chlamydial Pre-Infection Protects From Subsequent Herpes Simplex Virus-2 Challenge in a Murine Vaginal Super-Infection Model

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Chlamydia trachomatis and Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV-2) genital tract co-infections have been reported in humans and studied in vitro but the clinical consequences are unknown. Limited epidemiologic evidence suggests that these co-infections could be more severe than single infections of either pathogen, but the host-pathogen interactions during co-infection remain uncharacterized. To determine whether disease progression and/or pathogen shedding differs between singly-infected and super-infected animals, we developed an in vivo super-infection model in which female BALB/c mice were vaginally infected with Chlamydia muridarum (Cm) followed later by HSV-2. Pre-infection with Chlamydia 3 or 9 days prior to HSV-2 super-infection conferred significant protection from HSV-2-induced neurologic disease and significantly reduced viral recovery compared to HSV-2 singlyinfected controls. Neither protection from mortality nor reduced viral recovery were observed when mice were i) super-infected with HSV-2 on day 27 post Cm; ii) infected with UV-irradiated Cm and super-infected with HSV-2; or iii) azithromycin-treated prior to HSV-2 super-infection. Therefore, protection from HSV-2-induced disease requires active infection with viable chlamydiae and is not observed after chlamydial shedding ceases, either naturally or due to antibiotic treatment. Thus, Chlamydia-induced protection is transient and requires the continued presence of chlamydiae or their components. These data demonstrate that chlamydial pre-infection can alter progression of subsequent HSV-2 infection, with implications for HSV-2 transmission from co-infected humans

Does specialized psychological treatment for offending reduce recidivism? a meta-analysis examining staff and program variables as predictors of treatment effectiveness

A meta-analysis was conducted to examine whether specialized psychological offense treatments were associated with reductions in offense specific and non-offense specific recidivism. Staff and treatment program moderators were also explored. The review examined 68 studies and 55,604 individuals who had offended. Three specialized treatments were examined: sexual offense, domestic violence, and general violence programs. Across all programs, offense specific recidivism was 13.4% for treated individuals and 19.4% for untreated comparisons over an average follow up of 66.1 months. Relative reductions in offense specific recidivism were 32.6% for sexual offense programs, 36.0% for domestic violence programs, and 24.3% for general violence programs. All programs were also associated with significant reductions in non-offense specific recidivism. Overall, treatment effectiveness appeared improved when programs received consistent hands-on input from a qualified registered psychologist and facilitating staff were provided with clinical supervision. Numerous program variables appeared important for optimizing the effectiveness of specialized psychological offense programs (e.g., arousal reconditioning for sexual offense programs, treatment approach for domestic violence programs). The findings show that such treatments are associated with robust reductions in offense specific and nonoffense specific recidivism. We urge treatment providers to pay particular attention to staffing and program implementation variables for optimal recidivism reductions

Opportunities of influence of plasma streams formed in IKA with continus norking gas filling en the surface of materiales

The results of the investigation of influence of plasma stream formed in IKA with continuous working gas filling on the surface of stainless steel 12X18H10T and aluminum are given in this article. It is shown here that the effect of influence of plasma stream on the surface of materials depends on the way of working gas filling. There is the comparison of influence of plasma stream formed in plasma accelerator with impulse and continuous working gas filling