Primary delayed onset craniosynostosis in a child demonstrated by serial computed tomography imaging.

Primary delayed onset craniosynostosis is a rarely reported phenomenon. The unique case of a 2-year-old boy who had computed tomography (CT) scans performed 20 months apart demonstrating the post-gestational development of sagittal suture craniosynostosis is presented. The otherwise healthy male initially presented to the emergency department at age 7 months with soft tissue swelling over his left parietal region secondary to a fall. A CT scan revealed a possible left parietal skull fracture without intracranial pathology and patent cranial sutures with a normocephalic calvarial configuration. Twenty months later, his paediatrician referred the boy to the craniofacial service for evaluation of progressive dolichocephaly. A new CT scan showed complete fusion of the sagittal suture with resultant biparietal narrowing, frontal bossing, and occipital prominence. The patient subsequently underwent uncomplicated frontoparietal craniotomy with calvarial vault reconstruction. Prior reports in the literature of cases of non-syndromic primary delayed onset craniosynostosis all lack 'pre-synostosis' CT imaging that proves post-birth patency of the cranial sutures. This case report documents CT demonstrating true primary delayed onset craniosynostosis.

Effect of type of emulsifiers and antioxidants on oxidative stability, colour and fatty acid profile of low-fat beef burgers enriched with unsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols.

Low-fat beef burgers were formulated using fresh lean meat, 9.9% oleic sunflower oil and 0.1% deodorized fish oil to obtain a product enriched in unsaturated fatty acids. The effect of two emulsifiers (whey proteins or egg white) and natural antioxidants (tocopherols and/or oregano-rosemary), as well as the influence of frozen storage on the oxidative stability, colour, and fatty acid (FA) profile was determined on the cooked products. Whey proteins protected better against oxidation than egg white, and tocopherols demonstrated an adequate antioxidant effect in formulations with egg white. For all the formulations the unsaturated/saturated FA ratio was higher than 5.8, showing a good lipid balance in the products. The consumption of 100g of the cooked product would provide 6% of the recommended daily intake of phytosterols suggested to decrease cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. Formulated low-fat burgers with pre-emulsified oils and phytosterols could be considered to be potentially functional foodstuffs.

Food restriction affects the gonadotropin releasing hormone neuronal system of male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

Individuals of species inhabiting temperate and boreal latitudes optimize the timing of energetically costly processes by curtailing nonessential energetically demanding processes when environmental conditions are not favourable. One proximate environmental variable used to fine-tune moment-to-moment changes in reproductive physiology and behaviour is food intake. The neuroendocrine mechanisms by which food restriction leads to the cessation of reproduction in seasonally breeding rodent species remain largely unspecified. The present study sought to determine the effects of extended food restriction on the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) neuronal system. Male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) were either fed ad libitum or were exposed to either 1, 2 or 3 weeks of moderate (70% of daily mean) food restriction. In accordance with previous studies of food restriction, gross reproductive organ masses and body mass were unaffected by food deprivation. Although 1 week of food restriction did not result in alterations in the GnRH neuronal system, food restriction for 2 weeks was associated with increased GnRH-immunoreactive (GnRH-ir) neurone soma size. Three weeks of food restriction resulted in a pronounced increase in GnRH-ir neurone numbers, as well as an increase in fibre intensity in the main fibre pathway to the median eminence. Taken together, these findings suggest that extended food restriction leads to modifications in the GnRH neuronal system, providing a means for temporary cessation of reproduction without gross alterations in reproductive physiology. This transient change in the hypothalmo-pituitary-gonadal axis, without pronounced changes in reproductive organ morphology, likely provides a mechanism for the rapid reinitiation of breeding in nature when local conditions provide adequate food availability.

Photoperiod and temperature interact to affect the GnRH neuronal system of male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

Individuals of numerous species limit energy expenditure during winter by inhibiting reproduction and other nonessential functions. To time these adaptations appropriately with the annual cycle, animals rely on environmental cues that predict, well in advance, the onset of winter. The most commonly studied environmental factor that animals use to time reproduction is photoperiod. Rodents housed in short photoperiods in the laboratory or in naturally declining day lengths exhibit pronounced alterations in reproductive function concomitant with alterations in the hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuronal system. Because animals in their natural environment use factors in addition to photoperiod to time reproduction, the present study sought to determine the independent effects of photoperiod and temperature, as well as the interaction between these factors, on reproductive parameters and the GnRH neuronal system. Male prairie voles were housed in either long (LD 16:8) or short (LD 8:16) day lengths for 10 weeks. Animals in each photoperiod were further subdivided into groups housed in either mild (i.e., 20 degrees C) or low (i.e., 8 degrees C) temperatures. As shown with immunohistochemistry, voles that underwent gonadal regression in response to short photoperiods and long-day voles housed in low temperatures (and maintained large gonads) exhibit higher GnRH-immunoreactive (GnRH-ir) neuron numbers in the preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus (POA/AH) relative to all other groups. In addition, voles that underwent gonadal regression in response to both short days and low temperatures did not exhibit an increase in GnRH-ir neuron numbers compared to long-day, mild-temperature controls. These data suggest that photoperiod and temperature interact to influence reproductive function potentially by alterations of the GnRH neuronal system.