EFFECT OF NIKETHAMIDE AND DIAZEPAM ON THE LEVELS OF BIOGENIC AMINES IN THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE POULTRY BRAIN AT THREE AGE GROUPS.

Fifty four female poultry birds of 3, 4 and 5 months age were given nikethamide and diazepam intramuscularly as stimulant and depresent, respectively. The effects of above two drugs on the levels of biogenic amines were measured Fluorometrically in the rostral, middle and caudal portions of poultry brain. Diazepam increased the levels of 5-HT and dopamine in the caudal and middle portion of the brain respectively. The levels of dopamine and non-epinephrine increased with the nikethamide administration and also with increasing age of the birds, but the effect of diazepam was inconsistant. Unlike the levels of dopamine and nor-epinephrine which were maximum in middle protion, the epinephrine concentration was highest in the caudal portion of brain. It was concluded that 5-HT acted as inhibitory particularly in the caudal portion, whereas, catecholamines as excitatory neurotransmitter of the poultry brain. The increased levels of catecholamines in the poultry brain with increasing age speaks of their positive role in sexual maturity and subsequently in reproduction of the birds.

Prenatal mortality and its effects on subsequent fertility in purebred and crossbred Gir cows.

A study was conducted on 851 cows (Gir cows and their crossbreeds) between 1971 and 1984 at the Livestock Farm of the All India Coordinated Research Project on Cattle in Jabalpur, India. The cows were impregnated with frozen or fresh semen from 90 bulls and a total of 2699 pregnancies resulted. An overall incidence of prenatal mortality was recorded at 4.89%. A significantly higher (P / 0.01) incidence of prenatal mortality was encountered in three breed crosses in comparison with Gir cows and their first generation crossbreeds. Parity of dam had no effect on prenatal mortality. However, effects of season and individual sires on prenatal mortality were documented. It was observed that reproductive performance was improved significantly after prenatal mortality.

3-MHPG as a non-predictor of antidepressant response to imipramine and electroconvulsive therapy.

The urinary excretion of 3-methoxy, 4-hydroxyphenyl-glycol, (3-MHPG) was measured in 20 unipolar depressed patients before treatment with imipramine and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to investigate the relationship between pretreatment urinary excretion of 3-MHPG and clinical response. There was no difference in 3-MHPG excretion for depressed patients and controls. There was no significant difference between the mean percentage reduction of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale Scores in "low" and "high" excretors of 3-MHPG in the imipramine and ECT group of patients after four weeks of treatment.

Serum thyroid hormone levels in male buffalo calves as related to age and sexual development.

A total of 155 male buffalo calves were classified into 17 groups according to chronological age. The body weight was recorded on a balance or computed. Sera samples were analysed for thyroxine (T(4)) and triiodothyronine (T(3)) by radioimmunoassay. Highest concentration of thyroid hormones (T(4), 87.6+/-17.6; T(3), 3.1+/-0.07 ng/ml) were seen during the first week after birth followed by a gradual decline until two months of age. Later, the mean T(4) and T(3) levels fluctuated between 30 and 40 ng/ml and at around 1.0 ng/ml, respectively, except for a mild peak at 12 to 15 months of age. T4:T3 ratio did not vary significantly among various age groups. Both T4 and T3 were negatively correlated with age.

Changes in profiles of serum sex steroids of male buffaloes from birth to maturity.

Age-related changes in testosterone, progesterone and estradiol 17-beta were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in the serum of 155 male buffalo calves of varying ages. The calves were classified into 17 age groups. The mean weight of calves increased from 33.6+/-9.6 kg at one week of age to 531+/-41.4 kg at 42 months. The testosterone levels were less than 100 pg/ml from birth until 15 months of age, followed by peak concentrations of 422+/-79 pg/ml at 24 to 30 months and 793+/-193 pg/ml at 42 to 48 months (corresponding to puberty and maturity, respectively). The progesterone levels were higher in newly born calves and mature bulls. Otherwise, the levels continued to be low throughout the period of growth and development. Estradiol 17-beta was significantly higher in postnatal calves up to two months of age. The testosterone revealed a positive correlation with weight and age while E2 17-beta showed a negative correlation with age. These results do not support a direct role of peripheral progesterone and estradiol 17-beta in the onset of puberty and sexual maturity of buffalo bulls.