Search results for " zoology"
showing 10 items of 2242 documents
The effects of experimentally manipulated yolk androgens on growth and immune function of male and female nestling collared flycatchers Ficedula albi…
2009
Hormone-mediated maternal effects may be an important mechanism for adjusting offspring phenotype to particular requirements of the environment. We manipulated the levels of testosterone and androstenedione in the yolk of collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis eggs to investigate the effects of pre-natal exposure to androgens on growth and immune function. Androgen treatment tended to reduce the growth of males, and enhance the growth of females, as indicated by significant interaction between sex and androgen treatment. Cellular immune function was not affected by androgen treatment or sex. Survival of nestlings until fledging was not related to androgen treatment. Our results indicate th…
Eye fluke-induced cataract formation in fish: quantitative analysis using an ophthalmological microscope
2004
We examined the parasite-induced cataract formation in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) using slit-lamp microscopy to determine the relationship between cataract intensity and number of Diplostomum spathaceum parasites that were established in the lens. Cataract intensity increased significantly with parasite burden, but was also affected by the pattern of exposure to the parasite cercariae. The slit-lamp methodology proved useful in scoring the cataracts since it provides a 3-dimensional view into the lens and gives an actual picture of the location and intensity of the cataracts, which allows detailed investigations of mechanisms underlying cataract formation in various fish species. P…
66 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLASMA CHLORIDE LEVELS AND FOLLICLE DIAMETER IN CYCLING SPANISH PUREBRED MARES
2014
Several studies in cows have shown that plasma levels of chloride are positively correlated with the diameter of the preovulatory follicle (FD), establishing at the same time a significant positive association between plasma levels and intraoviducal concentration of this electrolyte (Hugentobler et al. 2007). These relationships may reflect the influence of changes in systemic metabolic plasma on follicular fluid, physiological events that might be closely related to the quality of the oocyte and granulosa cells of the preovulatory follicle (LeRoy et al. 2004). However, these mechanisms remain unknown in the mare. The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between p…
Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome Reduced Heart Rate Variability and Increased Irregularity and Complexity of Short-Term RR Time Series in Rabbits.
2019
Simple Summary In recent years, obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) have become more prevalent, owing to increased unhealthy habits and sedentary lifestyles becoming public health problems. Both conditions are linked with a higher prevalence of sudden cardiac death (SCD), but the exact mechanisms are not known. An autonomic nervous system imbalance can produce atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, which cause SCD, and this can be quantified by analyzing heart rate variability (HRV). We investigated HRV using time-domain, frequency-domain and nonlinear analyses during the development of MetS in rabbits and found HRV modifications that could be associated with the higher prevalence of SCD in …
Cytokine components and mucosal immunity in the oviduct of Xenopus laevis (amphibia, pipidae)
2011
Abstract Most studies on the mucosal immunity in female reproductive tissues have been performed in mammals. In all species, apart from their reproductive strategies, immunity in the genital mucosa is required to defend the host against luminal pathogens. In this study we investigated the role of the innate immunity of the oviductal mucosa of Xenopus laevis , an amphibian characterized by external fertilization. In particular we examined the expression and localization of Interleukin-1β (IL1B), Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and Interleukin-1 receptor type 1 (IL1R1) in different oviductal portions including an upper glandular region, an intermediate and a lower aglandular regi…
Ex vivoevidence for PGE2and LTB4involvement in cutaneous leishmaniasis: relation with infection status and cytokine production
1996
SUMMARYEx vivoculture of spleen cells from BALB/c mice infected with 2 × 106Leishmania major(L.major) promastigotes were cultured with ConcanavalinA (ConA) or leishmanial antigen (L. Ag) and tested for prostaglandin E2(PGE2) and for leukotriene B4(LTB4), in order to study their involvement in the evolution of cutaneous leishmaniasis and the connexion with lymphokine-mediated responses. The data were compared with those obtained in BALB/c mice protected againstL. majorby sublethal irradiation (550 rad; cured mice). In the unprotected BALB/c mice the levels of PGE2that were responsible for the depression of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNFα) Th1-associated cytokines and …
Scientific Opinion addressing the state of the science on risk assessment of plant protection products for in‐soil organisms
2017
Abstract Following a request from EFSA, the Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues developed an opinion on the science behind the risk assessment of plant protection products for in‐soil organisms. The current risk assessment scheme is reviewed, taking into account new regulatory frameworks and scientific developments. Proposals are made for specific protection goals for in‐soil organisms being key drivers for relevant ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes such as nutrient cycling, soil structure, pest control and biodiversity. Considering the time‐scales and biological processes related to the dispersal of the majority of in‐soil organisms compared to terrestrial non…
Addendum to the type catalogue of the malacological collection in the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona
2018
Noves aportacions al catàleg d’exemplars tipus de la col·lecció malacològica del Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona S’amplia el catàleg d’exemplars tipus de mol·luscs del Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, publicat l’any 2008, amb nou material corresponent a 42 tàxons de mol·luscs continentals de la península Ibèrica, les illes Balears i les Canàries. La majoria d’espècimens pertanyen a les col·leccions històriques del Museu o a la col·lecció malacològica de Miquel Bech, donada a la institució el 2009. Per a cada tàxon representat s’aporta, entre d’altres dades, informació relativa a la categoria del tipus, el nombre d’exemplars, la procedència geogràfica, els espècimens tipus c…
Genome-wide analysis of Italian sheep diversity reveals a strong geographic pattern and cryptic relationships between breeds
2014
Summary Italy counts several sheep breeds, arisen over centuries as a consequence of ancient and recent genetic and demographic events. To finely reconstruct genetic structure and relationships between Italian sheep, 496 subjects from 19 breeds were typed at 50K single nucleotide polymorphism loci. A subset of foreign breeds from the Sheep HapMap dataset was also included in the analyses. Genetic distances (as visualized either in a network or in a multidimensional scaling analysis of identical by state distances) closely reflected geographic proximity between breeds, with a clear north–south gradient, likely because of high levels of past gene flow and admixture all along the peninsula. Sa…
Reduction and variability of trunk spines in the acanthocephalan Corynosoma cetaceum: the role of physical constraints on attachment
2005
. In this study, we investigated a functional trade-off between trunk attachment and trunk-spine development in the acanthocephalan Corynosoma cetaceum. The worms live attached to the stomach and upper intestine of their cetacean definitive hosts, using the proboscis and spiny foretrunk as the main holdfast; the spiny hindtrunk can also attach by bending ventrally. When the hindtrunk bends, ventral compression generates an anterior fold (AF) and a posterior fold (PF). A morphological analysis based on 7,823 individuals collected from 10 franciscana dolphins, Pontoporia blainvillei, revealed that spines were smaller and more variable in size and occurrence in the folds than on neighboring ar…