Cypermethrin Toxicity-induced Infertility: An Assessment of Longitudinal Transfer of Protective Potentials of Date Fruit Extracts in Wister Rats.

BACKGROUND: There is a potential for longitudinal and horizontal transfer of the cytotoxic effects of cypermethrin, and evidence suggests that date fruit extracts can ameliorate these cytotoxic effects. Thus, the current study evaluated female Wister rats' fertility and pup parameters after mating males treated with cypermethrin and date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera) extract. METHODS: Adult Wistar rats (n = 74; 140 - 207 g) were used to conduct this experiment in two phases: The first phase was a single dose toxicity study (n = 18), while the second phase (n = 56) evaluated female Wister rats' reproductive and pup development parameters after mating with male Wistar rats exposed to date fruit extract and cypermethrin. Male rats were distributed randomly into four groups (n = 7 per group) and administered distilled water (Group I); 60 mg/kg cypermethrin (Group II) to simulate infertility; 250 mg/kg date fruit extract alone (Group III); and date fruit extracts plus 60 mg/kg cypermethrin (Group IV). Treated males were then mated with healthy female rats at a ratio of 1:1. Successfully mated females were appraised for conception and pregnancy rates, gestation length, litter size, and weights at birth, and on days 5, 10, 15, and 21 post-partum, an anogenital distance at day-20, sex ratio, and age of pup when hair growth was evident. RESULTS: Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in litter size and male anogenital distance but not in reproductive performance. Also, the study demonstrated that date fruit extract skewed the sex ratio of offspring to more female than male pups when female Wister rats were mated with males that received date fruit extracts alone or cypermethrin and date fruit extracts. The body weight gain did not differ significantly between the control and cypermethrin-treated groups. CONCLUSION: This evidence suggested a longitudinal transfer of the protective effects of date fruit extracts following a weekly exposure of male rats to cypermethrin at 60 mg/kg.

Correction: Effects of the hippocampus on the motor expression of augmented breaths.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183619.].

Canine babesiosis in a male Boerboel: Hematobiochemical and anatomic pathological changes in the cardiorespiratory and reproductive organs.

A 9-month old male Boerboel was presented at the University of Abuja Small Animal Clinic with a primary complaint of inappetence and micturition with brownish-yellow urine. Physical examination revealed pale mucous membranes, enlarged pre-scapular lymph nodes, bilateral ocular discharges, pyrexia (41.2 °C), depression and the presence of ticks of the genus Rhipicephalus sanguineus on the body of the animal. History revealed that the dog was recently vaccinated against canine distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, parvovirus (DHLPP) and rabies six days prior to the onset of clinical signs, and had been anorexic. Following clinical examination, blood and faecal samples were collected for biochemical and parasitological analyses, and the results revealed the presence of intraerythrocytic Babesia parasites, normocytic and normochromic anaemia with extensive cellular damage. However, during the course of the investigation, the dog died. With appropriate consent, a post-mortem examination was carried out. Diffuse oedema with interstitial pneumonia in the lung, focal haemorrhage with cellular infiltration in the heart and progressive necrosis of epithelial cells within the seminiferous tubules of the testicles were observed. Many of the observed clinicopathological alterations were consistent with complicated babesiosis. However, in the current case, some unique systemic complications such as testicular degeneration, which has not been previously observed in the Boerboel are discussed.

Hippocampal modulation of cardiorespiratory function.

Changes in cardiorespiratory control accompany the expression of complex emotions, indicative of limbic brain inputs onto bulbar autonomic pathways. Previous studies have focussed on the role of the prefrontal cortex in autonomic regulation. However, the role of the hippocampus, also important in limbic processing, has not been addressed in detail. Anaesthetised, instrumented rats were used to map the location of hippocampal sites capable of evoking changes in cardiorespiratory control showing that stimulation of discrete regions within the CA1 fields of both the dorsal and ventral hippocampus potently alter breathing and cardiovascular activity. Additionally, tracing of the neuroanatomical tracts and pharmacological inactivation studies were used to demonstrate a role of the basomedial amygdala in hippocampal evoked responses. Collectively, these data support the existence of a hippocampal-amygdala neural circuit capable of modulating bulbar cardiorespiratory control networks and may suggest a role for this circuit in the top-down regulation of breathing and autonomic outflow necessary for the expression of complex emotions.

Effects of the hippocampus on the motor expression of augmented breaths.

Augmented breaths, also known as sighs, constitute the normal repertoire of breathing in freely behaving humans and animals. The breaths are believed to be generated by neurones in the preBötzinger complex but under modulatory influence from higher brain centres, particularly in the limbic system due to the strong correlations between the expression of emotional behaviours such as anxiety and the occurrence of augmented breaths. The current study examines the role of the hippocampus in the motor expression of augmented breaths, and also examines the characteristics of eupneic breaths surrounding a sigh before and after stimulating the hippocampus in urethane anaesthetised Sprague-Dawley rats. Neurochemical microstimulation using the excitatory amino acid, D,L-Homocysteic acid, was used to locate areas in the hippocampus with the potential to modulated the motor expression of augmented breaths. The CA1 neurone cluster of the ventral hippocampus was found to completely suppress the expression of augmented breaths without affecting the intrinsic properties of the breaths. A similar neurone cluster, but in the dorsal field of the hippocampus, was also investigated and found to have no effects over the expression of augmented breaths. The data supports the hypothesis that there is a structural or functional relationship between neurones of the ventral hippocampus and brainstem nuclei that control augmented breaths. The implications of these findings in the context of behaviours are discussed but with due consideration of experimental conditions.

A neuroanatomical framework for the central modulation of respiratory sensory processing and cough by the periaqueductal grey.

Sensory information arising from the airways is processed in a distributed brain network that encodes for the discriminative and affective components of the resultant sensations. These higher brain networks in turn regulate descending motor control circuits that can both promote or suppress behavioural responses. Here we explore the existence of possible descending neural control pathways that regulate airway afferent processing in the brainstem, analogous to the endogenous descending analgesia system described for noxious somatosensation processing and placebo analgesia. A key component of this circuitry is the midbrain periaqueductal grey, a region of the brainstem recently highlighted for its altered activity in patients with chronic cough. Understanding the nature and plasticity of descending neural control may help identify novel central therapeutic targets to alleviate the neuronal hypersensitivity underpinning many symptoms of respiratory disease.

Assessment of antimicrobial drug residues in beef in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.

Drugs administered to food-producing animals close to the time of slaughter often result in prohibited antimicrobial residues in the animal tissues at slaughter. Evidence based on the Premi® test confirmed the occurrence of antimicrobial drug residues in 89.3% of kidney and urine samples from cattle slaughtered within Abuja town where the residents rely heavily on beef as a source of protein. The administration of antibiotics close to the time of slaughter by marketers/herd owners and transporters was found to be significantly (p<0.05) higher when compared with butchers and abattoir workers. The practice of administering antibiotics to animals close to the time of slaughter was believed to be profit-motivated. The research suggests that awareness campaigns amongst the stakeholders, the enactment of appropriate laws for the control of antibiotic use and the empowerment of veterinary public health practitioners in food regulatory agencies as some of the strategies which may positively reduce the risk of antimicrobial drug residues in food animals in Nigeria.

Osteomorphometry of the bones of the thigh, crus and foot in the New Zealand white rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

The morphology and morphometry of the bones of the thigh, crus and foot of ten adult New Zealand white rabbits were investigated to outline the peculiarities of the species and attempt to establish a morpho-functional paradigm. The femur, tibia-fibular, tarsus, metatarsals and digits of the right and left limbs were extracted and properly macerated. Gross observations of the femur revealed the presence of three trochanters. The greater trochanter was considerably higher than the head of the femur. The femoral head possessed a fovea capitis. The distal part of the femur had prominent condylus lateralis, condylus medialis, epicondylus lateralis and epicondylus medialis. The femur had an average length of 8.230 cm (SD +/- 0.086). The proximal aspect of the tibia possessed a prominent tuberosity and two condyles. Distal fusion of the tibia and fibula was observed since about half of the total tibia length. The distal articular surface of the tibia was about twice as wide medio-laterally than dorso-ventrally and deeply excavated to accommodate the relief of the talus trochlea. The right and left tibia length measured 9.100 cm (+/- 0.119) and 9.080 cm (+/- 0.120), respectively. Six distinct tarsal bones were observed. The foot was complete with four digits. The relative lengths of the metatarsal bones were III > II > IV > I. Various other parameters were measured. Bilateral asymmetry was observed in all the considered parameters.