Plasma progesterone changes and length of oestrous cycle in Rusa Deer (Rusa timorensis).

A study was conducted to profile the plasma progesterone (P4) concentrations and establish the length of oestrous cycle in the Rusa timorensis during the breeding season. Five healthy hinds were selected for peripheral blood sampling twice weekly to gauge the P4 levels by radioimmunoassay, at the start of the breeding season indicated by rutting behaviours of sexually active males. The hinds were polyestrous as proven by the cyclic trend of P4 levels. After the presumptive oestrus indicated by the lowest P4 concentrations (0.20±0.09ng/ml), this ovarian hormone was markedly elevated on day 7 of the cycle (0.78±0.20ng/ml), reached its peak (2.61±0.23ng/ml, P<0.05) on day 14, and then declined to the basal level in the subsequent oestrus. The mean oestrous cycle length in R. timorensis during the breeding season was 19.2 days with a range of 18-21 days, and the pattern of circulating progesterone during the oestrous cycle of the R. timorensis is similar to those of other deer species. It was also observed that the length of oestrous cycle of R. timorensis determined by gauging the progesterone levels and observation of the oestrous behaviours as well as changes in the cellular pattern of vaginal epithelial cells are highly consistent.

Sensory analysis of lipstick.

Sensory analysis of lipstick product by trained panellists started with recruiting female panels who are lipstick users, in good health condition and willing to be a part of sensory members. This group of people was further scrutinized with duo-trio method using commercial lipstick samples that are commonly used among them. About 40% of the 15 panels recruited were unable to differentiate the lipstick samples they usually use better than chance. The balance of nine panels that were corrected at least with 65% across all trials in panels screening process was formed a working group to develop sensory languages as a means of describing product similarities and differences and a scoring system. Five sessions with each session took about 90 min were carried out using 10 types of lipsticks with different waxes mixture ratio in the formulation together with six commercial lipsticks that are the most common to the panels. First session was focus on listing out the panels' perception towards the characteristic of the lipstick samples after normal application on their lips. Second session was focus on the refining and categorizing the responses gathered from the first session and translated into sensory attributes with its definition. Third session was focus on the scoring system. Fourth and fifth sessions were repetition of the third session to ensure consistency. In a collective effort of the panels, sensory attributes developed for lipstick were Spreadability, Off flavour, Hardness, Smoothness, Moist, Not messy, Glossy and Greasy. Analysis of variance was able to provide ample evidence on gauging the panel performance. A proper panels selecting and training was able to produce a reliable and sensitive trained panel for evaluating the product based on the procedures being trained.

An abnormal nonhyperdiploid karyotype is a significant adverse prognostic factor for multiple myeloma in the bortezomib era.

Multiple myeloma is clinically heterogeneous and risk stratification is vital for prognostication and informing treatment decisions. As bortezomib is able to overcome several high-risk features of myeloma, the validity of conventional risk-stratification and prognostication systems needs to be reevaluated. We study the survival data of 261 previously untreated myeloma patients managed at our institution, where bortezomib became available from 2004 for the treatment of relapse disease. Patient and disease characteristics, and survival data were evaluated overall, and with respect to bortezomib exposure. Overall, the international staging system (ISS), metaphase karyotyping and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were discerning of survival outcomes, where the median for the entire cohort was 5.2 years. However, when stratified by bortezomib exposure, only metaphase karyotyping was still discriminating of long-term prognosis. The presence of an abnormal nonhyperdiploid karyotype overrides all other clinical and laboratory parameters in predicting for a worse outcome on multivariate analysis (median survival 2.6 years, P = 0.001), suggesting that bortezomib used at relapse is better able to overcome adverse risk related to high tumor burden (as measured by the ISS) than adverse cytogenetics on conventional karyotyping. Metaphase karyotyping provides additional prognostic information on tumor kinetics where the presence of a normal diploid karyotype in the absence of any high-risk FISH markers correlated with superior survival and could act as a surrogate for lower plasma cell proliferation.

Ovarian activity in beef and dairy cows with prolonged postpartum period and heifers that fail to conceive.

The primary objectives of this study were to investigate incidence of abnormal ovarian cyclicity (AOC) and its type in dairy and beef cows with prolonged postpartum period (>90 days) and in heifers that fail to conceive. A total of 53 animals were included in the study: 17 Friesian crosses, 16 Braford crosses, eight Brangus crosses, and 12 local Kedah-Kelantan (KKX) crosses. These animals were initially checked for absence of pregnancy via palpation per rectum. Blood samples for progesterone analysis were obtained twice a week for 2 to 3 months following their spontaneous oestrous cycle, and all animals were rechecked for pregnancy at the end of the study. Progesterone analysis indicated that 33.9% of the total animals were having AOC: 18.9% with cessation of ovarian cyclicity, 9.4% with prolonged luteal phases (PLP), and 5.7% short luteal phases. The highest incidence was observed in Brangus crosses (62.5%), followed by Braford crosses (43.8%), and Friesian crosses (35.3%). In contrast, no AOC was observed in the local KKX breeds, and all of them were found to be pregnant at the end of the study. A significant difference (p < 0.05) in the incidence of AOC and its type was observed between Kedah-Kelantan crosses and the other breeds. Although not significant (p > 0.05), Friesian crosses showed a higher percentage incidence of AOC than beef cows (40% vs 36.4%), with major types being PLP (26.7%) in dairy and cessation of ovarian cycle (27.3%) in beef cows. Compared with beef heifers, beef cows showed a higher percentage of AOC (36.4% vs 28.6%) where again, cessation of cyclicity was the predominant abnormality. In conclusion, AOC reflected by abnormal endocrine pattern is a possible cause of reduction in fertility for dairy and beef cows beyond 90 days postpartum and heifers that fail to conceive.

Reproductive behaviour of captive Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis).

The Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) is on the verge of extinction in Malaysia. At the Sumatran rhinoceros Conservation Centre in Sungai Dusun, the reproductive behaviour of two female and two male rhinoceroses were studied for 8-10 months during attempts to breed them in captivity. Due to the paucity of scientific information on the reproductive biology of the Sumatran rhinoceros, this study was conducted to obtain information on the reproductive behaviour of this species. The male rhino was introduced to a female rhino in the morning for 1-2 h daily in order to observe for behavioural oestrus. Observations were made on the signs of oestrus and mating behaviour. Oestrus was determined by receptivity towards the male and lasted about 24 h. Common signs of oestrus were an increase in frequency of urine spraying, tail raising or swinging, anogenital and other contacts. Although the males exhibited mounting, the inability of the male to achieve intromission was poor. The study demonstrated that the pattern of courtship and copulation of the captive Sumatran rhinos were comparable with those of other rhino species, reported previously by other scientists and flehmen reflex was also exhibited by the male Sumatran rhinos. In a captive breeding programme, it is recommended that only an oestral female is introduced into a male enclosure due to the male solitary behaviour and to avoid serious injuries inflicted onto the females.