A randomized controlled trial of rivastigmine in patients with cognitive impairment no dementia because of cerebrovascular disease

OBJECTIVES

The safety and efficacy of early acetylcholinesterase inhibitors therapy in patients with cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) after a cerebrovascular accident have not been examined. In this study, we investigated the safety and efficacy of rivastigmine in cognition, particularly executive function in patients with CIND because of cerebrovascular disease.

METHODS

This study was a 24-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of ischemic stroke patients seen at a tertiary hospital who had cognitive impairment no dementia because of cerebrovascular disease. The intervention was either rivastigmine or placebo up to 9 mg/day. The primary outcome of interest was mean change from baseline in the Ten-Point Clock Drawing and Color Trails 1 and 2.

RESULTS

Fifty patients were randomized into rivastigmine (n = 25) and placebo (n = 25) arms. Patients in the rivastigmine group showed statistically significant improvement (1.70 vs 0.13, P = 0.02) on the animal subtask of the verbal fluency measure compared with placebo. There was also a trend (non-significant) towards improvement in Color Trails II.

CONCLUSIONS

In this pilot study, we demonstrated that rivastigmine was well tolerated in patients with CIND because of cerebrovascular disease and may potentially improve executive functioning.

The relationship between adipokines, metabolic parameters and insulin resistance in patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between adipokines in metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Sixty male and female subjects with or without metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes were included. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated. Compared with lean control subjects, patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes had lower circulating levels of total adiponectin and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin, and higher levels of leptin and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Total and HMW adiponectin and the adiponectin/leptin (A/L) ratio were negatively correlated with HOMA-IR. After adjusting for age and sex, leptin, IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were positively correlated with HOMA-IR. After also adjusting for body mass index, HOMA-IR was found to be independently associated with leptin, A/L ratio and TNF-alpha levels. In conclusion, decreased total adiponectin and HMW adiponectin and increased leptin and IL-6 levels are characteristic of patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Bioconversion of waste cellulose by using an attrition bioreactor

A new type of reactor, an attrition bioreactor, was tested to achieve a higher rate and extent of enzymatic saccharification of cellulose than is possible with conventional methods. The reactor consisted of a jacketted stainless-steel vessel with shaft, stirrer, and milling media, which combined the effect of the mechanical action of wet milling with cellulose hydrolysis. The substrates tested were newsprint and white-pine heartwood. The performance of the reactor was excellent. The extent and rate of enzymatic hydrolysis could be markedly improved over other methods. The power consumption of the attrition bioreactor was also measured. The cellulase enzyme deactivation during attrition milling was not significant.

Getting heavier, younger: trajectories of obesity over the life course

Context

Although recent trends in obesity have been well documented, generational patterns of obesity from early childhood through adulthood across birth cohorts, which account for the recent epidemic of childhood obesity, have not been well described. Such trends may have implications for the prevalence of obesity-associated conditions among population subgroups, including type 2 diabetes.

Objective

Our objective was to evaluate trajectories of obesity over the life course for the US population, overall and by gender and race.

Design, Setting, and Participants

We conducted an age, period, and birth cohort analysis of obesity for US individuals who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (1971-2006).

Main Outcome Measures

Obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥ 95th percentile for individuals aged 2-16 years or ≥ 30 kg/m2 among individuals older than 16 years. Age was represented by the age of the individual at each NHANES survey, period was defined by the year midpoint of each survey, and cohort was calculated by subtracting age from period.

Results

Recent birth cohorts are becoming obese in greater proportions for a given age, and are experiencing a greater duration of obesity over their lifetime. For example, whereas the 1966-75 and 1976-85 birth cohorts had reached an estimated obesity prevalence of at least 20% by 20-29 years of age, this level was only reached by 30-39 years for the 1946-55 and 1956-65 birth cohorts, by 40-49 years for the 1936-45 birth cohort, and by 50-59 years of age for the 1926-35 birth cohort. Trends are particularly pronounced for female compared with male, and black compared with white cohorts.

Conclusions

The increasing cumulative exposure to excess weight over the lifetime of recent birth cohorts will likely have profound implications for future rates of type 2 diabetes, and mortality within the US population.

Pattern formation in prey-taxis systems

In this paper, we consider spatial predator-prey models with diffusion and prey-taxis. We investigate necessary conditions for pattern formation using a variety of non-linear functional responses, linear and non-linear predator death terms, linear and non-linear prey-taxis sensitivities, and logistic growth or growth with an Allee effect for the prey. We identify combinations of the above non-linearities that lead to spatial pattern formation and we give numerical examples. It turns out that prey-taxis stabilizes the system and for large prey-taxis sensitivity we do not observe pattern formation. We also study and find necessary conditions for global stability for a type I functional response, logistic growth for the prey, non-linear predator death terms, and non-linear prey-taxis sensitivity.

Salivary diagnostics

The ability to monitor health status, disease onset and progression, and treatment outcome through non-invasive means is a most desirable goal in the health care promotion and delivery. There are three prerequisites to materialize this goal: specific biomarkers associated with a health or disease state; a non-invasive approach to detect and monitor the biomarkers; and the technologies to discriminate the biomarkers. A national initiative catalyzed by the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) has created a roadmap to achieve these goals through the use of oral fluids as the diagnostic medium to scrutinize the health and/or disease status of individuals. Progress has shown this is an ideal opportunity to bridge state of the art saliva-based biosensors, optimized to disease discriminatory salivary biomarkers, for diagnostic applications. Oral fluid being the 'mirror of body' is a perfect medium to be explored for health and disease surveillance. The translational applications and opportunities are enormous.

Duct-to-duct biliary reconstructions and complications in 100 living donor liver transplantations

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated the risk factors for biliary complications and surgical procedures for duct-to-duct reconstructions in adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From February 2005 to March 2008, we performed 100 cases of adult LDLT with duct-to-duct biliary reconstruction, using 64 right lobe grafts, 33 left lobe grafts, and 3 right lateral grafts. We employed 4 types of duct-to-duct procedures: all interrupted 6-0 Prolene suture (group 1, n = 9); continuous posterior and interrupted anterior wall 6-0 Prolene suture (group 2, n = 49); all continuous 7-0 Prolene suture (group 3, n = 26); and all continuous 7-0 Prolene suture with external stent (group 4, n = 16). Biliary complications were defined as an anastomosis stricture or a leakage.

RESULTS

Thirty-four patients experienced biliary complications during the follow-up period (median, 27 months). The incidence of stricture was 27% and that of leakage, 8%. There were no perioperative, intraoperative, or anatomic risk factors for biliary complications, except the type of duct-to-duct procedure. Group 1 and 2 patients showed higher incidences of biliary strictures than groups 3 and 4 (43.1% vs 4.7%; P = .00). Group 3 patients experienced a higher incidence of bile leakage than the other groups (23.1% vs 2.7%; P = .004).

CONCLUSIONS

The type of biliary reconstruction is a factor affecting biliary complications following duct-to-duct anastomosis in LDLT. Duct-to-duct biliary anastomosis with 7-0 monofilament suture and a small external stent is a feasible procedure in LDLT that significantly reduces the incidence of biliary complications.

Insulin resistance in divergent strains of Holstein-Friesian dairy cows offered fresh pasture and increasing amounts of concentrate in early lactation

The objective of this study was to determine whether the physiological response to an intravenous glucose challenge would be affected by genetic strain or concentrate supplementation in grazing Holstein-Friesian cows in early lactation. North American (NA; n = 30) or New Zealand (NZ; n = 30) cows were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 feeding treatments. All cows were offered a generous pasture allowance, and 4 of the 6 groups received either 3 or 6 kg of dry matter (DM)/cow per day of concentrates. During wk 5 of lactation, all cows underwent an intravenous glucose challenge. Cows of NA origin produced more milk than NZ cows, but there was no significant strain effect on milk fat or protein yield. Milk yield and the yield of individual components increased with increasing level of concentrate eaten, but there were no significant strain x diet interactions. During wk 1 to 6, mean body weight and body condition score decreased in all treatments. Average body weight was greater in NA cows, but body condition score was greater for NZ cows. There was no strain or diet effect on the length of the postpartum anovulatory interval, with cows ovulating before 40 d postpartum on average. Glucose fractional turnover rate was greater in NZ cows compared with those of NA origin and in all cows receiving 6 kg of DM concentrates, indicating a less severe insulin resistance in those treatments. Consistent with this, the time taken to dispose of half the peak glucose concentration was less when 6 kg of DM concentrate was fed, and tended to be less in NZ than in NA cows. There was no effect of genetic strain on glucose area under the curve (AUC) at 60 or 120 min, but AUC at both time points was less in cows receiving 6 kg of DM concentrates per day. Neither genetic strain nor nutrition affected basal or peak insulin concentrations, insulin increment, or insulin AUC, and there were no strain x diet interactions for any of the glucose challenge response variables measured. In conclusion, differences in milk production between NA and NZ cows in early lactation can, at least in part, be explained by the greater degree of insulin resistance in the NA cows, and this insulin resistance can be overcome by supplementing grazing cows with 6 kg of DM concentrates.

Positive predictive value of breast MRI in cancer detection

Abstract #4007

Purpose: 
 Positive predictive values (PPVs) are among the performance benchmarks which have been reported when examining clinical outcomes related to mammography. Breast MRI is increasingly being used as a tool for screening and diagnostic purposes and current performance benchmarks for breast MRI have yet to be established. The purpose of this study is to assess breast MRI performance in our academic clinical practice via comparison of breast MRI PPVs with reported PPV values for mammography. Specifically, we sought to determine the abnormal interpretation rate of breast MRI examinations, and then to calculate the PPVs related to recommendations for further diagnostic evaluation and to recommendations for biopsy of breast lesions visualized on MRI.
 Materials and Methods: 
 This study was approved by our institutional review board and its methodology is in compliance with federal HIPAA regulations. A retrospective search of our institutional breast imaging database identified all breast MRI examinations performed 4/1/07 - 3/31/08. Data abstracted included: patient age, clinical indication for breast MRI, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) assessments for all breast imaging examinations, clinical follow-up, and pathology results. Positive exams were defined as those with an initial BI-RADS 0, 4, or 5. Exams with suspicious findings were defined as those with a final BI-RADS 4 or 5 after additional workup. PPVs were calculated based on American College of Radiology recommendations and using the following definitions: PPV1 = exams with cancer/positive exams, PPV 2 = exams with cancer/exams with suspicious findings, and PPV 3 = cancers/biopsied lesions.
 Results:
 2,600 breast MRI examinations were performed during the study period. After exclusion criteria were applied, 285 positive exams (BI-RADS 0, 4 or 5) were identified for further analysis. The abnormal interpretation rate was 10.96% (285/2600, 95% CI: 9.7% - 12.2%). After non-invasive workup, including mammographic and sonographic correlation, 186 lesions on 177 exams had biopsy recommendations (final BI-RADS 4 or 5). Following biopsy, 55 malignancies were diagnosed (35 invasive carcinomas, 18 DCIS, 2 phyllodes/sarcoma). The overall PPV for a positive breast MRI exam (PPV1) was 17.2% (49/285). The PPV for suspicious findings after non-invasive workup (PPV2) was 27.7% (49/177). The PPV for biopsied lesions (PPV3) was 29.6% (55/186). When stratified by MRI indication, the cancer yield was lower in the screening setting (PPV1 = 9.7%, PPV2 = 19.7%, PPV3 = 19.4%) than in the diagnostic setting (PPV1 = 23.0%, PPV2 = 31.9%, PPV3 = 34.7%).
 Conclusions:
 Diagnostic breast MRI PPVs are comparable to published benchmarks for diagnostic mammography. Screening breast MRI PPVs are lower than published values for screening mammography, and lower when compared with reports from high-risk screening breast MRI trials. This may reflect characteristics of the population undergoing screening breast MRI in our academic clinical practice. Factors such as cancer detection rate and the population risk for breast cancer should be considered when examining PPVs for breast MRI.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 4007.

Adoptive immunotherapy using human peripheral blood lymphocytes transferred with RNA encoding Her-2/neu-specific chimeric immune receptor in ovarian cancer xenograft model

The current gene transfer technology for single chain (scFv)-based chimeric immune receptor (CIR) has relied on retrovirus and lentivirus vectors which require a long time to obtain sufficient number of transduced cells and stably incorporate into genome. To ameliorate these limitations, we applied RNA electroporation to human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) activated with anti-CD3 antibody and interleukin-2 (IL-2) for 3 days and assessed that PBL transiently expressing anti-Her-2/neu CIR (CIR-PBL) containing signaling portion of CD28 and CD3zeta could elicit strong cytotoxicity in vitro and antitumor responses in vivo. The CIR-PBL expressed high level of CIR in CD4+, CD8+ and CD56+ cells. Her-2/neu-specific stimulation induced secretion of type-I cytokines including interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), IL-8 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and IFN-gamma secretion was mainly mediated by CD8+ T cells. CIR-PBL specifically killed SKOV3 cell line expressing Her-2/neu. Adoptive transfer of CIR-PBL in SKOV3 xenograft model led to significant inhibition of tumor growth compared with transfer of mock-transduced PBL and showed higher inhibition than those with Herceptin, humanized monoclonal antibody specific for Her-2/neu. These results provided evidence that electroporation of CIR RNA to human PBLs could be used for rapid generation and high number of therapeutic antigen-specific T cells for adoptive immunotherapy.

Effect of remifentanil on oculocardiac reflex in paediatric strabismus surgery

BACKGROUND

Rapidly acting narcotics enhance the degree of bradycardia due to the oculocardiac reflex (OCR) elicited by extraocular muscle (EOM) tension during strabismus surgery. We evaluated and compared the effects of remifentanil and sevoflurane on OCR during paediatric strabismus surgery.

METHODS

One hundred and twenty children, 1-9 years old, undergoing elective strabismus surgery, were randomly assigned to receive sevoflurane or remifentanil. No anticholinergic prophylaxis was administered. Anaesthesia was induced using ketamine 1.0 mg/kg or midazolam 0.15 mg/kg with 66% N(2)O in O(2). Laryngeal mask airways were placed with rocuronium 0.5 mg/kg. Anaesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane 2.0-3.0 vol% with 66% N(2)O in O(2) or remifentanil 0.75 mug/kg over 1 min and followed by the continuous infusion of remifentanil 0.5 mug/kg/min with 66% N(2)O in O(2). Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured and compared. OCR was defined as a reduction in HR of >20% induced by traction of an EOM.

RESULTS

During anaesthesia, HR and BP were maintained at a lower level in the remifentanil group than in the sevoflurane group (each, P<0.05). The mean percent change in HR (-23.3+/-17.0% vs. -11.2+/-13.0%; P<0.05) and the incidence of OCR (58.3% vs. 28.3%; P<0.05) following traction of an EOM were higher in the remifentanil group than in the sevoflurane group.

CONCLUSIONS

Remifentanil enhanced the degree of bradycardia due to OCR as compared with sevoflurane during paediatric strabismus surgery.

Luminal hydrochloric acid stimulates rapid transepithelial ion fluxes in rodent esophageal stratified squamous epithelium

It remains unclear whether enhanced ion fluxes occur in the esophageal stratified squamous epithelium upon acid exposure. Rat esophageal tissues devoid of submucosal glands displayed basal short-circuit current (Isc) of 5.03 +/- 1.93 microA/cm(2) and lumen-negative potential difference (PD) in association with net absorption of Na+ and Cl-, and secretion of HCO3(-). Luminal hydrochloric acid (HCl) challenge (pH = 1.6) triggered an acute rise of the Isc and increment of negative PD to seven-fold of baseline, which was diminished in HCO3(-)-free, but not Na+- free buffer. The rise of Isc was inhibited by pretreatment with di-isothiocyanatostilbene-2, 2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS) and 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)-amiloride (EIPA). Topical carbachol, capsaicin, forskolin or CFTR(inh)-172 had no effect on basal Isc.CFTR(inh)-172 did not reduce the acid-increased Isc. Functional ablation of capsaicin-sensitive nerves had no effect on the acid-induced Isc. The phenomenon of enhanced ion fluxes upon acid stimulation was confirmed in human esophageal specimens. Our results demonstrated that the mechanism of acid-induced rapid transepithelial ion fluxes is dependent on the presence of bicarbonate ions as well as functional anion transporters and Na+/H+ exchanger, but independent of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). The capsaicin-sensitive and muscarinic-dependent nerve pathways did not play roles in the mechanism.

Subclinical Cushing's syndrome associated with an adrenocortical oncocytoma

Oncocytoma is a neoplasm that can arise in several organs, and it has been more commonly described in the kidney, salivary gland and thyroid. Oncocytoma arising in the adrenal gland is a rare finding. Moreover, functioning adrenocortical oncocytoma is exceptionally rare. A 47-yr-old man was incidentally discovered to have a right adrenal mass. The patient had no clinical features suggestive of increased adrenal function. However, hormonal evaluation showed a disturbed cortisol circadian rhythm, supranormal urinary cortisol excretion, a low level of ACTH, and a lack of suppressibility of cortisol secretion after dexamethasone. Right adrenalectomy was performed, and this revealed a well-circumscribed dark-brown tumor that measured 2.4x2.2 cm. The tumor consisted almost exclusively of large eosinophilic and epitheloid cells whose cytoplasm was packed with eosinophilic granulations, which corresponded to the numerous mitochondria confirmed on electron microscopy. This is a rare case of subclinical Cushing's syndrome that was caused by adrenocortical oncocytoma.

Osteoprotegerin Lys3Asn polymorphism and the risk of fracture in older women

CONTEXT

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a soluble decoy receptor for receptor activator nuclear factor kappa-beta that blocks osteoclastic bone resorption.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the association between a Lys3Asn polymorphism in the OPG gene and bone mineral density (BMD), and the risk of fracture in 6695 women aged 65 yr and older participating in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures.

DESIGN

BMD was measured using either single-photon absorptiometry (Osteon Osteoanalyzer; Dove Medical Group, Los Angeles, CA) or dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (Hologic QDR 1000; Hologic, Inc., Bedford, MA). Incident fractures were confirmed by physician adjudication of radiology reports. Genotyping was performed using an immobilized probe-based assay.

RESULTS

Women who were homozygous for the minor G (Lys) allele had significantly lower BMD at the intertrochanter, distal radius, lumbar spine, and calcaneus than those with the C (Asn) allele. There were 701 incident hip fractures during 13.6-yr follow-up (91,249 person-years), including 362 femoral neck and 333 intertrochanteric hip fractures. Women with the C/C (Asn-Asn) genotype had a 51% higher risk of femoral neck fracture (95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.02) and 26% higher risk of hip fracture (95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.54) than those with the G/G (Lys-Lys) genotype. These associations were independent of BMD. Intertrochanteric fractures were not associated with the Lys3Asn polymorphism.

CONCLUSION

These results require confirmation but suggest a role for the OPG Lys3Asn polymorphism in the genetic susceptibility to hip fractures among older white women.

The impact of human ABO blood groups on human xenoreactive antibody-mediated cytotoxicity and the protective effect of human decay-accelerating factors exogene on swine endothelium

Swine tissue can express antigens similar to human A/B blood types. We evaluated whether the variation in human blood type influences the human xenoreactive antibody-mediated cytotoxicity and modifies the protective effect of human decay-accelerating factor (hDAF) exogene, a complement activation regulator, on swine endothelium.

METHODS

Pig aortic endothelial cells were harvested form normal and hDAF transgenic pigs. Cellular viability was evaluated with an MTT assay.

RESULTS

As compared with that of other human blood types, human serum from blood type O donors induced more prominent cytotoxicity on swine endothelial cells both from hDAF transgenic or normal pigs (P < .05). In addition, this difference of xenoreactive antibody-induced cytotoxicity between treatment with O and other human blood type sera was more evident in hDAF transgenic swine endothelial cells than those of normal pigs (P < .05). The hDAF exogene can significantly protect the endothelial cells from human xenoreactive antibody-mediated cytotoxicty when treated with human serum from AB blood type (P < .05). Our data demonstrated that human ABO blood type significantly affected human xenoreactive antibody-induced cytotoxicity, which may modulate the protective effect of hDAF exogene expression on swine endothelial cells.

Effects of banana, orange, and apple on oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells

Banana, orange, and apple are the major fruits in Western and Asian diets. In order to find the effects of these fruits, neuron like PC12 cells were exposed to the extracts of these fruits before H(2)O(2) treatment. We found a significant viability of PC12 cells by the MTT reduction test, which indicated that the phenolics of banana, orange, and apple fruits prevented oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity. Additional tests by lactate dehydrogenase and trypan blue exclusion assays showed that the extracts reduced oxidative stress-induced neuronal cell membrane damage. These results suggest that fresh apples, banana, and orange in our daily diet along with other fruits may protect neuron cells against oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity and may play an important role in reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

Temporal migration of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-1 neurones is modified in GAD67 knockout mice

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH-1) neurones reside in the forebrain and regulate gonadal function via the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Disruption of this axis results in reproductive dysfunction. During embryonic development, GnRH-1 neurones migrate from the nasal pit through the nasal/forebrain junction (NFJ) into the developing brain. Prenatally gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is excitatory and has been shown to play a role in nervous system development. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments suggest that GABA inhibits migration of GnRH-1 neurones. The present study examines the migration of GnRH-1 neurones in GAD67 knockout (KO) mice to further elucidate the role of GABA on GnRH-1 neuronal development. Three stages were examined, embryonic day (E)12.5, E14.5 and E17.5. GnRH-1 cell number and location were analysed by immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridisation histochemistry. The total number of GnRH-1 immunopositive cells was similar between wild-type (WT) and KO mice. However, significant differences were found in the overall distribution of GnRH-1 immunopositive cells in GAD67 KO compared to WT mice at all stages. Subsequent analysis by area revealed differences occurred at the NFJ with an increase in GnRH-1 cells in GAD67 KO at E14.5 and a decrease in GnRH-1 cells in GAD67 KO at E17.5. Comparable counts for cells expressing GnRH-1 transcript and protein were obtained. These data indicate that attenuated levels of GABA accelerate GnRH-1 cell migration in nasal areas as well as movement of GnRH-1 cells into the central nervous system at the NFJ.

Body Condition Score and Body Weight Effects on Dystocia and Stillbirths and Consequent Effects on Postcalving Performance

The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of periparturient body condition score (BCS) and body weight (BW) related traits on the incidence of calving dystocia and stillbirths, and to determine any consequent effect of dystocia and stillbirths on BCS, BW, milk production, udder health, and fertility in grazing Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. Up to 2,384 lactation records with data on calving dystocia or stillbirths were available from one research herd across 15 yr. Mixed models and generalized estimating equations were used to quantify all effects. Body condition score or BW 8 wk precalving or at calving, or change precalving did not significantly affect the odds of a difficult calving or stillbirth. Cows that experienced dystocia lost, on average, more BCS and BW between calving and nadir and had significantly reduced nadir BCS and BW. Incidence of stillbirths did not affect BCS in early lactation, although BW loss postpartum was greater following a stillbirth. A dystocia or stillbirth event was associated with reduced 60-d milk yield (42 and 52 kg less milk produced following a difficult calving or a stillbirth, respectively). The effect of stillbirth on milk yield was independent of dystocia. Cows that experienced dystocia had reduced milk concentration of fat, protein, and lactose, whereas average somatic cell score (natural logarithm of somatic cell count) in the first 60-d postpartum was elevated. There was no significant effect of dystocia or stillbirth on clinical mastitis, but pregnancy rates to first service and throughout the 12-wk breeding season were compromised in cows that had experienced difficulty at calving. The significance of the effects of stillbirth on somatic cell score and reduced fertility were mediated through its association with dystocia. In conclusion, periparturient BCS and BW within the range observed in the current study did not significantly affect incidence of dystocia and stillbirth, but these events negatively affected cow performance in early lactation.

Describing the Body Condition Score Change Between Successive Calvings: A Novel Strategy Generalizable to Diverse Cohorts

The objective of this study was to explore the derivation of a mathematical model that adequately describes the intercalving body condition score (BCS) profile in dairy cows and is robust and applicable to different animal cohorts. The data used to generate the function were 75,352 daily BCS records across 3,209 lactations in 1,172 cows from a research herd in New Zealand. Mean daily BCS (scale 1 to 10) across all data were plotted and 4 distinct phases were observed. The functional form used to describe the pattern and quantify its features comprised the sum of the 4 phase functions created from intercepts, rates of change, approximate timing of phase transition points, and the sharpness of these transition points in the BCS profile. The generality and applicability of the described model were tested across substrata of BCS at calving and parity. A second data set consisting of a multiyear study comparing cows fed a total mixed ration (TMR) or grazing fresh pasture was compiled from a different research farm. This data set consisted of 4,112 BCS records from 211 lactations on 95 cows. The third data set was a collation of data from another multiyear experiment comparing animal performance under different stocking rates. The data set consisted of 12,414 BCS test-day records on 564 lactations from 287 cows. The presented model is robust and applicable to different animal cohorts, explaining between 29 and 79% of variation depending on the cohort studied. A notable second period of negative energy balance was evident in all grazing cows during midlactation, irrespective of calving BCS, parity, or stocking rate, but did not appear in cows fed TMR. The amount of BCS lost postcalving and nadir BCS were positively correlated with calving BCS, with fatter cows at calving losing more BCS postcalving but remaining at a greater BCS at nadir. Primiparous cows calved at a greater BCS than multiparous cows, as dictated by management protocols, but they failed to regain BCS postnadir as effectively as their multiparous counterparts. Results may highlight the need for preferential feeding of younger cows during late lactation, at least in grazing systems, to ensure that they achieve the required calving BCS at second calving. Cows receiving TMR lost BCS at a slower rate than cows on pasture but for a longer period; the amount of BCS lost between calving and nadir did not differ between the different feeding treatments. Calving BCS declined with increasing stocking rate, and the rates of both loss and gain were negatively affected by stocking rate. The presented model accurately identified biological attributes of the intercalving BCS profile of different groups of cows.

Structural and expression analyses of two vitellogenin genes in the carp, Cyprinus carpio

We cloned and sequenced two vitellogenin (vg) cDNAs of the carp, Cyprinus carpio, using a cDNA library constructed from estradiol-17 beta (E2)-treated livers. One was a novel, longer 5000 bp-long cDNA termed vg-B2 encoding 1624 amino acids in a single open reading frame. The other was a shorter cDNA (vg-B1), identical to that registered previously as carp vg cDNA in the international nucleotide sequence database. The deduced amino acid sequences of these two molecules were well-aligned with known vertebrate Vgs sharing common characteristics such as N-terminal lipovitellin I (LVI), phosvitin (PV) and C-terminal lipovitellin II (LVII). The novel Vg-B2 bore a highly conserved GL/ICG motif within the LVII region, in contrast to the shorter Vg-B1 that has a truncated C-terminal and lacks the beta-component within the LVII region including the GL/ICG motif. Both vg-B2 and vg-B1 genes were expressed in the livers of females and E2-injected males. Western blot analysis using anti-Vg and anti-vitellin (Vn) antisera demonstrated that both Vg-B2 and Vg-B1 were detected as polypeptides with an estimated molecular mass of 180 kDa and 160 kDa, respectively, in the blood of females and E2-injected males. The results suggest the potential utilization of these genes as sensitive xenoestrogenic markers.

Relationships Among Body Condition Score, Body Weight, and Milk Production Variables in Pasture-Based Dairy Cows

The objective of the present study was to identify and quantify relationships among dairy cow body condition score (BCS) and body weight (BW) and production variables in pasture-based, seasonal-calving herds. More than 2,500 lactation records from 897 spring-calving Holstein-Friesian and Jersey dairy cows were used in the analyses. Six variables related to BCS and BW, including observations precalving, at calving, and nadir as well as days to nadir and change precalving and between calving and nadir were generated. An exponential function was fitted within lactation to milk and 4% fat-corrected milk (FCM) yield data to model lactation curves. The milk production variables investigated were the parameters of the fitted function as well as accumulated yield of milk and FCM at 60 and 270 days in milk and average milk composition. Mixed models were used to identify BCS and BW variables that significantly affected milk production. After adjusting for the fixed effect of year of calving, parity, and days dry, milk and FCM yields were nonlinearly associated with calving and nadir BCS, increasing at a declining rate up to BCS 6.0 to 6.5 (10-point scale; approximately 3.5 in the 5-point scale) and declining thereafter. However, there was very little increase in milk and FCM yields above a calving BCS of 5.0 (approximately 3.0 in the 5-point scale). Average milk fat content over 60 and 270 days in milk was positively correlated with increasing calving and nadir BCS. In comparison, milk protein percentage was not influenced by calving BCS but was positively associated with nadir BCS and negatively associated with BCS lost between calving and nadir. The effect of BW and changes in BW were similar to the effect of BCS, although the scale of the effect was breed-dependent. For example, milk and FCM yield increased linearly with increasing calving BCS, but the effect was greater in Holstein-Friesians compared with Jersey cows. The results are consistent with the literature and highlight the important role that BCS and BW loss has on milk production, irrespective of the system of farming.

Estrogen receptor alpha genotype is associated with a reduced prevalence of radiographic hip osteoarthritis in elderly Caucasian women

PURPOSE

This study evaluated the association between polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor (ER) alpha gene (ESR1) and prevalent and incident radiographic hip osteoarthritis (RHOA) in a large, well-defined prospective cohort of elderly Caucasian women.

METHODS

Prevalent and incident RHOA was evaluated from all available pelvis X-rays obtained from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures at baseline and after a mean of 8.3 years. Evaluable DNA samples were available from 4746 of these subjects. RHOA cases were defined by published methods. The ESR1 polymorphisms at intron I (Pvu II for a T/C substitution and Xba I for an A/G substitution) were genotyped in the context of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification followed by allele-specific single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection with immobilized oligonucleotide probes in linear arrays. Multiple logistic regression was performed to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) associated with the T/C and A/G polymorphisms.

RESULTS

RHOA was present in 12.1% of subjects, of whom 325 had joint space narrowing (JSN) score > or =3 and 130 had an osteophyte score > or =2 and JSN score > or =2. There was a significant reduction in the odds of prevalent RHOA for individuals with the C/C compared to T/T genotype at the Pvu II site with an OR of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.55-0.92) (P=0.01). Adjustments for age, weight, height, hip Bone mineral density (BMD) and estrogen use did not alter the relationship between the C/C genotype and reduced risk of RHOA, with an OR of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.54-0.94) (P=0.01). The risk of incident RHOA was reduced for the Pvu II C/C compared to the T/T genotype (P=0.11). Also, the reduced risk of incident RHOA in C/C subjects varied by estrogen use. There was no association between the Xba I G/G or G/A genotypes and RHOA with OR of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.61-1.10) (P=0.19) compared to women with A/A genotype.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that the C/C genotype of the ER alpha Pvu II polymorphism was associated with a modestly reduced risk of prevalent and incident RHOA in elderly Caucasian women. Additional work is required to understand how the intron I ESR1 polymorphism may alter joint degeneration.