Effect of exercise on the reproductive outcome and fetal development of diabetic rats.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of exercise on pregnancy outcome in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats (n = 11 animals/group). These animals were randomly assigned to sedentary (G1) and exercised groups, beginning from day 0 (G2) or 7 (G3) to day 20 of pregnancy. The moderate exercise was a swimming programme. At day 21 of pregnancy, all rats were anaesthetized and killed to obtain pregnancy outcome data. All rats presented glycaemia higher than 300 mg/dl, regardless of the exercise training. The G3 group showed higher live fetus number per implantation site and lower resorption number per implantation site compared with the G1 group. The fetal and placental mean weights per litter and the total number of ossification sites were significantly lower in the exercised groups (P < 0.05). Placental index was lower in the G2 and G3 groups compared with the G1 group. The occurrence of skeletal anomalies indicated that exercise increased the number of altered fetuses. Thus, moderate exercise achieved better outcomes by increasing the number of live births and decreasing resorption. However, exercise increased skeletal anomalies and decreased fetal and placental weights.

Effects of isomeric fatty acids on reproductive parameters in mice.

PROBLEM: The aim of this study was to determine if dietary fatty acids (FA) level or isomeric FA type may affect reproductive parameters in mice. METHOD: of study Mice were fed for 1 month diets differing in cisFA (cFA) content or type of isomeric FA. Resorption, number of fetuses and placental cytokine expression were determined and sperm acrosome reaction was evaluated after induction by calcium ionophore. RESULTS: Mice fed high fat diets showed increased fetal resorptions, a decrease in interleukin (IL)-4 placental expression in the first generation and an increase of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the second generation. In this generation, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) returned TNF-alpha to normal levels and diminished IL-4 and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) expressions; males fed transFA (tFA) and CLA showed a lower rate of induced acrosome reaction. CONCLUSION: The amount and type of dietary FA may affect reproductive performance in mice by affecting sperm membrane functionality and placental cytokine production.

Altered modulation of the in vitro antibody synthesis by placental factors from the CBA/J x DBA/2 abortion-prone mating combination.

PROBLEM: The in vitro immunomodulating effect of placental culture supernatants (PSs) obtained from two H-2k x H-2d allogeneic crossbreedings, the CBA/J x DBA/2 abortion-prone mating combination, and the reproductively normal pregnancy CBA/J x BALB/c crossbreeding were compared, and the influence of previous deliveries was evaluated. The behavior of placentae obtained from CBA/J females with two previous pregnancies by BALB/c males was also investigated. METHOD OF STUDY: Supernatants of cultures of murine placentae were added to a mouse immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 hybridoma culture which produced anti-dinitrophenol (anti-DNP) antibodies. The quantity of monoclonal antibody produced, the nature of these antibodies, and the proliferation of the hybridoma cells were studied. RESULTS: CBA/J x DBA/2 placental factors obtained from multiparous females induced a diminished asymmetric IgG antibody production without varying the quantity of antibody produced. In contrast, PSs obtained from the nonresorption-prone CBA/J x BALB/c mating combination with the same number of previous deliveries enhanced the production of both symmetric and asymmetric anti-DNP molecules and also increased the proportion of asymmetric blocking monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) synthesized by the hybridoma. Both of the PSs analyzed had induced similar inhibition of 3H-thymidine uptake. PSs obtained from the abortion-prone mating combination whose CBA/J females had two previous pregnancies by BALB/c males showed similar immunomodulating effects to those observed using multiparous CBA/J x BALB/c placentae. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that the placenta produces soluble factors that participate in the regulation of antibody synthesis by the mother during gestation. Such a placental immunomodulating effect appears to be altered in the CBA/J x DBA/2 abortion-prone mating combination and could be corrected by previous pregnancies by BALB/c males. These observations suggest that placental factors would be relevant to the protection of the fetus and might play an important role in the immune equilibrium between mother and fetus. Asymmetric antibody production as a Th2 responsiveness was also discussed.

[Experimental infection of pregnant gilts with Aujeszky's disease virus strain RC/79]. / Infección experimental de cerdas preñadas con virus de la enfermedad de Aujeszky cepa RC/79.

The RC/79 strain of the Aujeszky's disease virus was able to induce reproductive failure of pregnant gilts intranasally inoculated at different gestation periods. Four gilts 40-46 days pregnant (group A) and 6 gilts 70-73 days pregnant (group B) were instilled with 0.2 ml x 10(5) tissue culture infectious dose 50 (TCID50/0.2 ml) of the RC/79 strain into each nostril. Two gilts 70-73 days pregnant (group C) were used as non exposed controls. The three groups were kept in separated boxes and they were observed for clinical signs of infections and samples were collected for determination of viral shedding every day. Viral isolation was attempted in Vero cells (figure 1). From the 2nd to 7th day after inoculation, groups A and B showed fever anorexia, sneezing, coughing and depression; and viral isolation from nasal swabs was possible in 7 gilts at days 4 to 11, 9 gilts developed neutralizing antibodies. The virus caused fetal reabsorption in swine during the first period of pregnancy (group A), while infection during late pregnancy resulted in still birth or normal pigs and one mummification (group B). The entire a live litter was composed of no more than 8 suckling pigs in both groups. At necropsy virus from turbinates, ovary , placenta, spleen and lung could be isolated only from 3 gilts (group B, table 1). In 5 of 35 stillbirth and alive fetuses virus could be isolated from spleen (100%), lung (80%), liver (60%) and brain (40%) indicating that the virus has the ability to cross the placental barrier thus producing lesions in porcine fetuses and causing reproductive failure in sows (table 2). Tissue specimens from these 35 fetuses were fixed in 10% formalin, included in paraffin sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. In 13 fetuses microscopic lesions i.e. necrotic foci were found in lung (60%), liver (40%) and spleen (20%), these alterations were coincident with gross lesions in most of them. Inclusion bodies were absent. The gilts organs did not present gross lesions.