476 Effect of Holding Period on Viability, Acrosome Status and Intracellular Zinc of Boar Sperm During Liquid Storage

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 210-210
Author(s):  
Raul A Gonzalez-Castro ◽  
Lisa A Herickhoff

Abstract Sperm capacitation results in acrosomal remodeling, increased membrane fluidity, plasma membrane fusability and hyperactivated sperm. Distinct sperm zinc signatures reflect intracellular zinc content, capacitation status, and viability. Therefore, flow cytometric assessment could be a useful tool to evaluate sperm quality and longevity during liquid storage of boar semen. Cooled semen (17°C) from commercial boars (n = 12) were assessed at Day-1, -4 and -7 after collection for motility (IVOS II, Hamilton Thorne, Beverly, MA), intracellular zinc and viability. Samples were stained with 8 µg/mL Hoecsht-33342 (Hoe), 1 µM FluoZinTM-3-AM (Zinc), 10 µM propidium iodide (PI) and 5.6 µg/mL PNA-Alexa647TM (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR), incubated for 30 min, washed with PBS, and aditionally incubated for 30 min. Acquisition and analysis of 20000 events were performed using Bio-Rad ZE5 Cell Analyzer (Hercules, CA) and FLowJoTM (Ashland, OR). Hoe+ events were gated into Zinc/PI plot to determine viable sperm with high Zinc (Zinc+/PI-). Likewise, Hoe+ events were gated into PI/PNA plot and then into Zinc histogram to detect viable-intact-acrosome with high Zinc (Zn+/PI-/PNA-). Data were analyzed by mixed model for repeated measures, Tukey-adjusted pairwise comparisons and Pearson’s correlation. Viable sperm at Day-1 (86.0±3.1; emmean±SM) and Day-4 (84.7±2.8) showed similar percentage of Zinc+ sperm, and both significantly higher compared to Day-7 (52.2±2.8). Also, viable-intact-acrosome sperm displayed similar percentage of Zinc+ sperm at Day-1 (93.8±3.4) and Day-4 (91.6±3.4) and both higher than sperm at Day-7 (64.5±3.1; P < 0.0001). Percentages of Zinc+ sperm were higher (P < 0.001) when viable sperm had intact acrosome within Day. Percentages of Zinc+ sperm strongly correlated to viable-intact-acrosome sperm (r=0.76, P < 0.0001) and total motility (r=0.65, P < 0.0001). We conclude that sperm having intact plasmatic membrane and acrosome display higher intracellular zinc content which is related to capacitated status, remaining non-capacitated until at least to Day-4 after collection in the tested extender.

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-403
Author(s):  
Dania Rishiq ◽  
Ashley Harkrider ◽  
Cary Springer ◽  
Mark Hedrick

Purpose The main purpose of this study was to evaluate aging effects on the predominantly subcortical (brainstem) encoding of the second-formant frequency transition, an essential acoustic cue for perceiving place of articulation. Method Synthetic consonant–vowel syllables varying in second-formant onset frequency (i.e., /ba/, /da/, and /ga/ stimuli) were used to elicit speech-evoked auditory brainstem responses (speech-ABRs) in 16 young adults ( M age = 21 years) and 11 older adults ( M age = 59 years). Repeated-measures mixed-model analyses of variance were performed on the latencies and amplitudes of the speech-ABR peaks. Fixed factors were phoneme (repeated measures on three levels: /b/ vs. /d/ vs. /g/) and age (two levels: young vs. older). Results Speech-ABR differences were observed between the two groups (young vs. older adults). Specifically, older listeners showed generalized amplitude reductions for onset and major peaks. Significant Phoneme × Group interactions were not observed. Conclusions Results showed aging effects in speech-ABR amplitudes that may reflect diminished subcortical encoding of consonants in older listeners. These aging effects were not phoneme dependent as observed using the statistical methods of this study.


Methodology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Livacic-Rojas ◽  
Guillermo Vallejo ◽  
Paula Fernández ◽  
Ellián Tuero-Herrero

Abstract. Low precision of the inferences of data analyzed with univariate or multivariate models of the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in repeated-measures design is associated to the absence of normality distribution of data, nonspherical covariance structures and free variation of the variance and covariance, the lack of knowledge of the error structure underlying the data, and the wrong choice of covariance structure from different selectors. In this study, levels of statistical power presented the Modified Brown Forsythe (MBF) and two procedures with the Mixed-Model Approaches (the Akaike’s Criterion, the Correctly Identified Model [CIM]) are compared. The data were analyzed using Monte Carlo simulation method with the statistical package SAS 9.2, a split-plot design, and considering six manipulated variables. The results show that the procedures exhibit high statistical power levels for within and interactional effects, and moderate and low levels for the between-groups effects under the different conditions analyzed. For the latter, only the Modified Brown Forsythe shows high level of power mainly for groups with 30 cases and Unstructured (UN) and Autoregressive Heterogeneity (ARH) matrices. For this reason, we recommend using this procedure since it exhibits higher levels of power for all effects and does not require a matrix type that underlies the structure of the data. Future research needs to be done in order to compare the power with corrected selectors using single-level and multilevel designs for fixed and random effects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-208
Author(s):  
Ravindra Arya ◽  
Francesco T. Mangano ◽  
Paul S. Horn ◽  
Sabrina K. Kaul ◽  
Serena K. Kaul ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEThere is emerging data that adults with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) without a discrete lesion on brain MRI have surgical outcomes comparable to those with hippocampal sclerosis (HS). However, pediatric TLE is different from its adult counterpart. In this study, the authors investigated if the presence of a potentially epileptogenic lesion on presurgical brain MRI influences the long-term seizure outcomes after pediatric temporal lobectomy.METHODSChildren who underwent temporal lobectomy between 2007 and 2015 and had at least 1 year of seizure outcomes data were identified. These were classified into lesional and MRI-negative groups based on whether an epilepsy-protocol brain MRI showed a lesion sufficiently specific to guide surgical decisions. These patients were also categorized into pure TLE and temporal plus epilepsies based on the neurophysiological localization of the seizure-onset zone. Seizure outcomes at each follow-up visit were incorporated into a repeated-measures generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) with MRI status as a grouping variable. Clinical variables were incorporated into GLMM as covariates.RESULTSOne hundred nine patients (44 females) were included, aged 5 to 21 years, and were classified as lesional (73%), MRI negative (27%), pure TLE (56%), and temporal plus (44%). After a mean follow-up of 3.2 years (range 1.2–8.8 years), 66% of the patients were seizure free for ≥ 1 year at last follow-up. GLMM analysis revealed that lesional patients were more likely to be seizure free over the long term compared to MRI-negative patients for the overall cohort (OR 2.58, p < 0.0001) and for temporal plus epilepsies (OR 1.85, p = 0.0052). The effect of MRI lesion was not significant for pure TLE (OR 2.64, p = 0.0635). Concordance of ictal electroencephalography (OR 3.46, p < 0.0001), magnetoencephalography (OR 4.26, p < 0.0001), and later age of seizure onset (OR 1.05, p = 0.0091) were associated with a higher likelihood of seizure freedom. The most common histological findings included cortical dysplasia types 1B and 2A, HS (40% with dual pathology), and tuberous sclerosis.CONCLUSIONSA lesion on presurgical brain MRI is an important determinant of long-term seizure freedom after pediatric temporal lobectomy. Pediatric TLE is heterogeneous regarding etiologies and organization of seizure-onset zones with many patients qualifying for temporal plus nosology. The presence of an MRI lesion determined seizure outcomes in patients with temporal plus epilepsies. However, pure TLE had comparable surgical seizure outcomes for lesional and MRI-negative groups.


BMC Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dulanji K. Kuruppu ◽  
Joshua Tobin ◽  
Yan Dong ◽  
Sheena K. Aurora ◽  
Laura Yunes-Medina ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Galcanezumab is a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) monoclonal antibody (mAb) indicated for the preventive treatment of migraine. While galcanezumab has demonstrated efficacy in patients who did not respond to prior preventive medications in general, its efficacy in patients who did not benefit from individual, commonly prescribed preventive treatments due to inadequate efficacy or safety/tolerability remains unknown. Methods CONQUER was a 3-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3b study that enrolled patients with episodic or chronic migraine who had 2 to 4 migraine preventive medication category failures in the past 10 years. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive placebo (N = 230) or galcanezumab 120 mg/month (240 mg loading dose; N = 232). Post hoc analyses were conducted to determine the efficacy of galcanezumab in patients who had not benefited from six of the most commonly prescribed migraine preventive medications. The mean change from baseline in monthly migraine headache days and ≥ 50 % response rates were assessed over months 1–3. Improvement in Migraine-Specific Questionnaire Role Function-Restrictive (MSQ-RFR) scores were assessed at month 3. The endpoints were estimated via mixed model with repeated measures. Results The most common treatment failures due to inadequate efficacy or safety/tolerability, which at least 20 % of patients reported trying without benefit, included topiramate, amitriptyline, propranolol, valproate or divalproex, onabotulinum toxin A, and metoprolol. Patients who had not previously benefited from these treatments had a greater mean reduction in monthly migraine headache days across months 1–3 in the galcanezumab group compared to placebo (all p < 0.01). More patients treated with galcanezumab experienced a ≥ 50 % reduction from baseline in monthly migraine headache days across months 1–3 compared to placebo (all p < 0.05). Galcanezumab-treated patients had a greater improvement in mean MSQ-RFR scores at month 3 compared to placebo (all p < 0.01). Conclusions In this population, galcanezumab was effective in reducing monthly migraine headache days, improving response rates, and enhancing quality of life in patients who had not previously benefited from topiramate, amitriptyline, propranolol, valproate or divalproex, onabotulinum toxin A, and/or metoprolol due to inadequate efficacy or safety/tolerability. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03559257 (CONQUER).


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 2827
Author(s):  
Fuengfa Khobkhun ◽  
Mark Hollands ◽  
Jim Richards

Difficulty in turning is prevalent in older adults and results in postural instability and risk of falling. Despite this, the mechanisms of turning problems have yet to be fully determined, and it is unclear if different speeds directly result in altered posture and turning characteristics. The aim of this study was to identify the effects of turning speeds on whole-body coordination and to explore if these can be used to help inform fall prevention programs in older adults. Forty-two participants (21 healthy older adults and 21 younger adults) completed standing turns on level ground. Inertial Measurement Units (XSENS) were used to measure turning kinematics and stepping characteristics. Participants were randomly tasked to turn 180° at one of three speeds; fast, moderate, or slow to the left and right. Two factors mixed model analysis of variance (MM ANOVA) with post hoc pairwise comparisons were performed to assess the two groups and three turning speeds. Significant interaction effects (p < 0.05) were seen in; reorientation onset latency of head, pelvis, and feet, peak segmental angular separation, and stepping characteristics (step frequency and step size), which all changed with increasing turn speed. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed the main effects of speeds within the older adults group on those variables as well as the younger adults group. Our results suggest that turning speeds result in altered whole-body coordination and stepping behavior in older adults, which use the same temporospatial sequence as younger adults. However, some characteristics differ significantly, e.g., onset latency of segments, peak head velocity, step frequency, and step size. Therefore, the assessment of turning speeds elucidates the exact temporospatial differences between older and younger healthy adults and may help to determine some of the issues that the older population face during turning, and ultimately the altered whole-body coordination, which lead to falls.


Author(s):  
Natasha Buitendag ◽  
Gail S. Fortuin ◽  
Amber De Laan

Background: Integrated reporting has attracted much attention in the past few years, and South Africa has taken the lead in its development worldwide. An annual survey is published by Ernst & Young regarding the quality of the integrated reports of the top 100 entities listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).Aim: The study on which this article is based was aimed at determining whether the assessment of an entity’s characteristics can predetermine the quality of the integrated report generated by that entity. Setting: This article focuses on an analysis of the integrated reporting of the top 100 entities listed on JSE for the financial years ending in 2013, 2014 and 2015.Methods: Comparison of categorical variables, mixed-model repeated measures ANOVA and generalised estimating equations were applied to identify the best classificators to distinguish between excellent integrated reporting and those reports where progress could still be made. Results: The results show that the type of industry the entity finds itself in, the size and profitability of the entity, as well as the composition of the members of the board, have an effect on the quality of the integrated report.Conclusion: Our results indicated that the type of industry, size of an entity, the profitability and composition of the board of directors, all have an effect on the quality of the integrated reporting. Our evidence will assist current and prospective stakeholders in evaluating the expected quality of an entity’s integrated report, through the evaluation of certain firm characteristics.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S90-S91 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Correll ◽  
R. Goldman ◽  
J. Cucchiaro ◽  
L. Deng ◽  
A. Loebel

IntroductionLurasidone is an atypical antipsychotic that demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of adults with schizophrenia in the dose range of 37–148 mg/day.Objective/AimsThe objective of this analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of lurasidone in adolescent patients with schizophrenia.MethodsAdolescents (13–17 years old) diagnosed with schizophrenia were randomly assigned to six weeks of double-blind treatment with lurasidone 37 mg/day, 74 mg/day or placebo. Changes from baseline to week 6 in PANSS total and subscale (positive, negative, general psychopathology, excitability) scores were evaluated using mixed-model repeated-measures analysis.ResultsA total of 326 patients (mean age, 15.4 years) were randomized and received lurasidone 37 mg/day (n = 108), 74 mg/day (n = 106), or placebo (n = 112). The PANSS total score at week 6 demonstrated a placebo-adjusted, least-squares (LS) mean improvement of –8.0 (P < 0.001; effect size [ES], 0.51) for the 37 mg/day group and –7.7 (P < 0.001; ES = 0.48) for the 74 mg/day group. Placebo-adjusted LS mean change for lurasidone 37 mg/day and 74 mg/day, respectively, was –3.2 (P < 0.001; ES = 0.62) and –3.2 (P < 0.001; ES = 0.60) on the PANSS positive subscale, –1.7 (P = 0.011; ES = 0.41) and –1.6 (P = 0.022; ES = 0.35) on the PANSS negative subscale, –2.8 (P = 0.012; ES = 0.38) and –2.8 (P = 0.011; ES = 0.37) on the PANSS general psychopathology subscale, and –1.1 (P = 0.016; ES = 0.36) and –1.8 (P < 0.001; ES = 0.53) on the PANSS excitability subscale.ConclusionsIn adolescent patients with schizophrenia, lurasidone (37 mg/day and 74 mg/day) demonstrated statistically significant efficacy and clinically meaningful improvement across a wide spectrum of symptoms associated with schizophrenia. Sponsored by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01911429.Disclosure of interestDr Correll reports being a consultant and/or advisor for Alkermes, Forum Pharmaceuticals Inc., Gerson Lehrman Group, IntraCellular Therapies, Janssen/J&J, Lundbeck, Medavante, Medscape, Otsuka, Pfizer Inc, ProPhase, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc., Supernus, Takeda, and Teva providing expert testimony for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Janssen, and Otsuka serving on a Data Safety Monitoring Board for Lundbeck and Pfizer Inc and receiving grant support from Takeda. Drs Goldman, Cucchiaro, Deng and Loebel are employees of Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Maddux ◽  
Lars-Gunnar Lundh

The present study assessed the rate of depressive personality (DP), as measured by the self-report instrument depressive personality disorder inventory (DPDI), among 159 clients entering psychotherapy at an outpatient university clinic. The presenting clinical profile was evaluated for those with and without DP, including levels of depressed mood, other psychological symptoms, and global severity of psychopathology. Clients were followed naturalistically over the course of therapy, up to 40 weeks, and reassessed on these variables again after treatment. Results indicated that 44 percent of the sample qualified for DP prior to treatment, and these individuals had a comparatively more severe and complex presenting disposition than those without DP. Mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine between-groups changes on mood and global severity over time, with those with DP demonstrating larger reductions on both outcome variables, although still showing more symptoms after treatment, than those without DP. Only eleven percent of the sample continued to endorse DP following treatment. These findings suggest that in routine clinical situations, psychotherapy may benefit individuals with DP.


2021 ◽  
Vol 186 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 198-204
Author(s):  
Shawnna M Chee ◽  
Veronica E Bigornia ◽  
Daniel L Logsdon

ABSTRACT Introduction The CogScreen-Aeromedical Edition (CogScreen-AE) is a computerized neurocognitive assessment screening tool developed for the Federal Aviation Administration as a rapid, reliable means of measuring neurocognitive deficiency in civilian airline pilots. This has potential use and assessment of military aviators flying high performance aircraft under extreme conditions; however, no data exist on how the dynamic flight environment affects CogScreen-AE scores. The objectives of this study were to determine what changes in performance on CogScreen-AE scores are seen post-flight in Naval Aviators flying high performance aircraft and to determine the potential for use of CogScreen-AE as a screening tool to evaluate degree of impairment, recovery from neurological illness, and return to duty status of a military aviator. Materials and Methods Repeated measures, within-subjects experimental design with three CogScreen-AE administrations—introduction session, preflight session, and postflight session. An experimental study group was exposed to dynamic flight between preflight and postflight sessions, while a control group flew a desktop computer flight simulator between sessions. Data were analyzed by mixed model ANOVA using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences to compare CogScreen-AE pre- and postflight performance on 5 composite scores of variables that account for 45% of the variance in predicting flight performance. Results Preflight versus postflight scores demonstrated no significant differences in performance attributable to flight in high performance aircraft. Conclusions The CogScreen-AE performance is shown to be consistent preflight to post-flight. These data show that CogScreen-AE may be a reliable clinical instrument for assessing aviators’ cognitive function with regard to return to flight duty decision-making. We anticipate future work in determining how CogScreen-AE can be utilized in the operational environment and documenting recovery from neurologic illness.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2192
Author(s):  
Qinghua Qiu ◽  
Chaoyu Gao ◽  
Huawei Su ◽  
Binghai Cao

This study was conducted to explore the proper time required to achieve stabilization in digestibility, serum metabolism, and rumen fermentation characteristics when different diets shift, thus providing decision-making of practical sampling frequency for basal nutritional research. For these purposes, 12 Holstein steers (body weight 467 ± 34 kg, age 14 ± 0.5 months) were equally assigned to two dietary treatments: high-density (metabolizable energy (ME) = 2.53 Mcal/kg and crude protein (CP) = 119 g/kg; both ME and CP were expressed on a dry matter basis) or low-density (ME = 2.35 Mcal/kg and CP = 105 g/kg). The samples of feces, serum, and rumen contents were collected with a 30-day interval. All data involved in this study were analyzed using the repeated measures in mixed model of SPSS. Results showed that nutrient apparent digestibility and serum metabolic parameters were stable across each monthly collection, while most rumen fermentation characteristics, namely concentrations of acetate, propionate, isobutyrate, and valerate, were affected by the interaction effects between collection period and dietary density. These findings indicate that rumen fermentation characteristics require more time to stabilize when diet shifts. It is recommended to collect ruminal digesta monthly to evaluate rumen fermentation characteristics, while unnecessary to sample monthly for digestion trials and blood tests in the long-term fattening of Holstein steers. This study may provide insights into exploring the associations between detected parameters and stabilization time, and between diet type and stabilization time when diet shifts.


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