Effects of daidzein and kiwifruit on bone mineral density and equol production in ovariectomised rats.

In this study, we investigated the synergistic effects of daidzein (Dz) and kiwifruit on bone and equol production in ovariectomised (OVX) rats. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of five groups: sham operated, OVX control, OVX fed 0.1% Dz-supplemented diet (OVX + Dz), OVX fed 0.1% Dz and green kiwifruit (GRK)-supplemented diet (OVX + Dz + GRK) and OVX fed 0.1% Dz and gold kiwifruit (GOK)-supplemented diet (OVX + Dz + GOK). There were no significant differences in whole body and femur bone mineral density (BMD) among groups at week 8. BMD in the OVX group significantly decreased at week 8; however, BMD in the OVX + Dz + GRK was not significantly different from baseline in the end of the study. However, supplementation with kiwifruit did not affect urinary equol concentrations, urinary ratios of equol to Dz and the composition of caecal microbiota. These results suggest that the combination of Dz and GRK may slightly reduce bone loss caused by oestrogen deficiency but does not affect equol production.

Impact of high- and low-flow nebulised saline on airway hydration and mucociliary transport.

Background: Nebulised drugs, including osmotic agents and saline, are increasingly used during noninvasive respiratory support, including nasal high-flow therapy. The authors conducted an in vitro study to compare the hydration effect of nebulised isotonic 0.9% and hypertonic 7.0% saline on mucociliary transport. Methods: In a perfused organ bath, 10 sheep tracheas were exposed to 7.5 mL nebulised 0.9% and 7.0% saline entrained into heated (38°C) and humidified air delivered at high and low flow (20 and 7 L·min-1, respectively). Simultaneous measurements of the airway surface liquid height, mucus transport velocity, cilia beat frequency and surface temperature were made over time. The data are presented as mean±sd. Results: The airway surface liquid height increased significantly with both 0.9% and 7.0% saline: at low-flow by 37.2±10.0 µm and 152.7±10.9 µm, respectively, and at high-flow by 62.3±5.6 µm and 163.4±25.4 µm, respectively (p<0.001). Mucus velocity was increased by both 0.9% and 7.0% saline from a baseline of 8.2±0.8 mm·min-1 to 8.8±0.7 mm·min-1 and 17.1±0.5 mm·min-1, respectively, with low-flow and at high-flow to 9.8±0.02 mm·min-1 (p=0.04) and 16.9±0.5 mm·min-1 (p<0.05), respectively. Ciliary beating did not change with 0.9% saline, but declined from 13.1±0.6 Hz to 10.2±0.6 Hz and 11.1±0.6 Hz (p<0.05) with 7.0% saline at low- and high-flow, respectively. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that nebulised isotonic 0.9% saline, like hypertonic 7.0% saline, significantly stimulates basal mucociliary transport, and the use of high-flow delivery had no significantly different hydration effects compared with low-flow delivery. Hypertonic 7.0% saline suppressed ciliary beating, indicating an increase in airway surface liquid osmolarity, which may have negative effects on the airway surface with frequent use.

The eggshell structure in apteryx; form, function, and adaptation.

Apteryx is a genus of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand known to lay very large eggs in proportion to body weight. The eggshell of Apteryx is unusually thin and less porous than allometrically expected possibly as a compensation for a very long incubation period. Past studies have been carried out on Apteryx australis, a species which once comprised all kiwi with brown plumage, now separated into three distinct species. These species use different habitats and live at different latitudes and altitudes, therefore generating a need to revise our knowledge of the attributes of their eggshells. In this study, we measured the physical characteristics and water conductance on eggshell fragments of these three species and Great-spotted Kiwi and relate them to the environmental conditions of their respective environments; we also measured the water vapor conductance of Brown Kiwi eggs of late stages of incubation. We found that several trade-offs exist between incubation behavior, environmental conditions, and eggshell structure. We found differences between species in eggshell water vapor conductance seemingly related to altitude; Brown Kiwi and Rowi generally inhabiting lower altitudes had the highest conductance and Tokoeka, generally living in montane environments, the lowest. This is achieved by an increased eggshell thickness rather than a pore area reduction. Finally, the water vapor conductance late in incubation was 58% higher than infertile unincubated eggs, suggesting a drastic increase in conductance throughout the long incubation period. Using the values previously reported, we calculated the embryonic eggshell thinning to be 32.5% at the equatorial region of the eggshell. We describe several new features, such as triangular mineral particles in the cuticle, reported for the extinct Trigonoolithus amoei, and confirmed the existence of plugged pores. We suggest that these structures provide microbial protection needed by a burrow nesting species with a long incubation period.

Spatiotemporal Mapping of the Contracting Gravid Uterus of the Rabbit Shows Contrary Changes With Increasing Gestation and Dosage With Oxytocin.

Spontaneous and oxytocin induced contractile activity was quantified in the bicornuate uteri of pregnant rabbits maintained in situ, using data from two- and uni- dimensional video spatiotemporal maps (VSTM) of linear and area strain rate and compared statistically. Spontaneous contractions occurred over a range of frequencies between 0.1 and 10 cpm, in gravid animals at 18-21 and at 28 days of gestation, and propagated both radially and longitudinally over the uterine wall overlying each fetus. Patches of contractions were randomly distributed over the entire surface of the cornua and were pleomorphic in shape. No spatial coordination was evident between longitudinal and circular muscle layers nor temporal coordination that could indicate the activity of a localized pacemaker. The density and duration of contractions decreased, and their frequency increased with the length of gestation in the non-laboring uterus. Increasing intravenous doses of oxytocin had no effect on the mean frequencies, or the mean durations of contractions in rabbits of 18-21 days gestation, but caused frequencies to decrease and durations to increase in rabbits of 28 days gestation, from greater spatial and temporal clustering of individual contractions. This was accompanied by an increase in the distance of propagation, the mean size of the patches of contraction, the area of the largest patch of contraction and the overall density of patches. Together these results suggest that progressive smooth muscle hypertrophy and displacement with increasing gestation is accompanied by a decrease in smooth muscle connectivity causing an increase in wall compliance and that oxytocin restores connectivity and decreases compliance, promoting volumetric expulsion rather than direct propulsion of the fetus by peristalsis. The latter effects were reversed by the ß2 adrenergic receptor agonist salbutamol thus reducing area of contraction, and the duration and distance of propagation.

Effects of ω3- and ω6-polyunsaturated fatty acids on RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation of RAW264.7 cells: a comparative in vitro study.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been reported to have an anabolic effect on bone in vivo, but comparative studies to identify inhibitors of osteoclast formation amongst ω3- and ω6-PUFAs are still lacking. Here we assessed the effects of the ω3-PUFAs, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the ω6-PUFAs, arachidonic acid (AA) and γ-linolenic acid (GLA) on a RAW264.7 osteoclast differentiation model. The effects of PUFAs on RANKL-induced osteoclast formation were evaluated by counting tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multinucleated cells. PUFAs significantly inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast formation in a dose-dependent manner with AA- and DHA-mediated inhibition being the strongest. Furthermore, RANKL-induced mRNA- and protein expression of the key osteoclastogenic genes cathepsin K and TRAP were inhibited by AA and more potently by DHA. Owing to the attenuated osteoclastogenesis by DHA and AA, actin ring formation and bone resorptive activity of these cells as evaluated on bone-mimetic plates were severely compromised. Hence, of the tested PUFAs, AA and DHA were found to be the most effective in inhibiting RANKL-induced osteoclast formation with the latter providing the strongest inhibitory effects. Collectively, the data indicates that these PUFAs may play an important role in regulating bone diseases characterized by excessive osteoclast activity.