Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Na/K-Atpase-Mediated 86rb+ Uptake And Asymmetrical Trophectoderm Localization Of Alpha1 And Alpha3 Na/K-Atpase Isoforms During Bovine Preattachment Development., D H Betts, L C Barcroft, A J Watson

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

This study evaluated Na/K-ATPase alpha 1- and alpha 3-subunit isoform polypeptide expression and localization during bovine preattachment development. Na/K-ATPase cation transport activity from the one-cell to blastocyst stage was also determined by measuring ouabain-sensitive 86Rb+ uptake. Both alpha1- and alpha 3-subunit polypeptides were detected by immunofluorescence to encircle the entire cell margins of each blastomere of inseminated zygotes, cleavage stage embryos, and morulae. Immunofluorescent localization of alpha1-subunit polypeptide in bovine blastocysts revealed an alpha1 immunofluorescence signal confined to the basolateral membrane margins of the trophectoderm and encircling the cell periphery of each inner cell mass (ICM) cell. In contrast, alpha …

Fornix Lesions Can Facilitate Acquisition Of The Transverse Patterning Task: A Challenge For "Configural" Theories Of Hippocampal Function., T J Bussey, E Clea Warburton, J P Aggleton, J L Muir

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Configural theories of hippocampal function predict that hippocampal dysfunction should impair acquisition of the transverse patterning task, which involves the concurrent solution of three discrimination problems: A+ versus B-; B+ versus C-; and C+ versus A-. The present study tested this prediction in rats using computer-graphic stimuli presented on a touchscreen. Experiment 1 assessed the effects of fornix lesions when the three problems were introduced sequentially (phase 1: A+ vs B-; phase 2: A+ vs B-, B+ vs C-; phase 3: A+ vs B-, B+ vs C-, C+ vs A-). Fornix lesions significantly facilitated acquisition of the complete transverse patterning …

The Ontario Health Care Evaluation Network And The Critical Care Research Network As Vehicles For Research Transfer, William Sibbald, Jennifer Kossuth

Health Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

Uwomj Volume 67, Number 2, Summer 1998, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Uwomj Volume 67, Number 1, Winter 1998, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Identifying Global Anatomical Differences: Deformation-Based Morphometry, J Ashburner, C Hutton, R Frackowiak, Ingrid Johnsrude, C Price, K Friston

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

The aim of this paper is to illustrate a method for identifying macroscopic anatomical differences among the brains of different populations of subjects. The method involves spatially normalizing the structural MR images of a number of subjects so that they all conform to the same stereotactic space. Multivariate statistics are then applied to the parameters describing the estimated nonlinear deformations that ensue. To illustrate the method, we compared the gross morphometry of male and female subjects. We also assessed brain asymmetry, the effect of handedness, and interactions among these effects.

Right Medial Temporal-Lobe Contribution To Object-Location Memory, B Milner, Ingrid Johnsrude, J Crane

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

An important aspect of normal human memory, and one humans share with many other species, is the ability to remember the location of objects in their environment. There is by now strong evidence from the study of epileptic patients undergoing brain surgery that right temporal-lobe lesions that encroach extensively upon the hippocampal and parahippocampal gyrus impair the delayed, but not the immediate, recall of the location of objects within a random array. These findings have now been extended to a multiple-trial, spatial-array learning task; by including not only patients tested after unilateral anterior temporal lobectomy but also those with a …

Triple Dissociation Of Anterior Cingulate, Posterior Cingulate, And Medial Frontal Cortices On Visual Discrimination Tasks Using A Touchscreen Testing Procedure For The Rat., T J Bussey, J L Muir, B J Everitt, T W Robbins

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Four experiments examined effects of quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, and medial frontal cortices on tests of visual discrimination learning, using a new "touchscreen" testing method for rats. Anterior cingulate cortex lesions impaired acquisition of an 8-pair concurrent discrimination task, whereas posterior cingulate cortex lesions facilitated learning but selectively impaired the late stages of acquisition of a visuospatial conditional discrimination. Medial frontal cortex lesions selectively impaired reversal learning when stimuli were difficult to discriminate; lesions of anterior and posterior cingulate cortex had no effect. These results suggest roles for the anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, and medial …

Bovine Oviductal And Embryonic Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins: Possible Regulators Of "Embryotrophic" Insulin-Like Growth Factor Circuits., Q A Winger, P De Los Rios, V K Han, D T Armstrong, D J Hill, A J Watson

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

Bovine oviductal monolayer and vesicle primary cultures express insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and -II mRNAs and polypeptides. Early bovine embryos also express IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF-I receptor, IGF-II receptor, and insulin receptor mRNAs. This study reports the expression of IGF binding protein (IGFBP) mRNAs and polypeptides in bovine oviduct primary cultures and IGFBP mRNAs in preattachment embryos. Release of immunoreactive IGF-I and IGF-II by oviduct cultures and bovine blastocysts was also determined. IGFBP-2, -3, -4, and -5 transcripts were observed in oviduct primary cultures throughout an 8-day interval. IGFBP-1 and -6 mRNAs were consistently not detected in the oviduct. Messenger RNAs …

Selecting Subjects For Participation In Clinical Research: An Empirical Inquiry And Ethical Analysis, Charles Weijer

Philosophy Publications

Procedures for the selection of subjects for participation in randomized clinical trials--usually formalized as eligibility criteria in the study protocol--have both scientific and ethical implications. In this thesis, I undertake an examination of eligibility criteria at three stages in the genesis and dissemination of medical knowledge: clinical trial protocol, interpretation by investigators, and reporting of study results.

In the first chapter, ethical issues in subject selection are reviewed and the main study questions are presented. In the second chapter, the results of an examination of eligibility criteria in two sets of clinical trials, one sponsored by the NSABP, the other …

The Effect Of Silica Inhibition Of Macrophage On Renal Allograft Rejection, Carman Giacomantonio

Data and Test Instruments

Kidney failure, one of the most serious complications of diabetes is routinely managed by kidney allograft transplantation. Research into the etiology of diabetes has revealed that macrophages are primarily responsible for the β-islet cell destruction in diabetes and that depletion of macrophages using intraperitoneal (i.p.) silica, which is selectively toxic to macrophages, prevents this. Macrophages accounts for approximately 50% of the graft infiltrating cells (GIC) observed in an acutely rejecting kidney, a process phenotypically very similar to a delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction. Macrophages are known to be essential for DTH reactions. Their exact role has never been elucidated in …

Uwomj Volume 66, No 2, Summer 1997, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

An interdisciplinary medical science publication, established in 1930.

Aortic Valve Grafts In The Rat: Evidence For Rejection., Ahmad Moustapha, David Ross, B Bittira, D Vanvelzen, C Lannon, Vivian Mcalister, Tim Lee

Data and Test Instruments

OBJECTIVE:The histopathologic changes of fresh rat aortic valve allografts over time and the effect of cryopreservation were examined.METHODS:Fifty-six syngeneic and allogeneic rat aortic valves were transplanted, either fresh or after cryopreservation, and then at different time points they were explanted and histologically examined in a blinded fashion.RESULTS:Histopathologic changes in the first week are similar in syngeneic and allogeneic grafts. Fresh syngeneic grafts and leaflets retained normal structure up to 56 days. Allogeneic grafts showed retrovalvular thrombus formation with leaflet ghosts and neointimal proliferation. Cryopreservation did not alter this process.CONCLUSIONS:Cardiac allograft valves in the rat model undergo changes that are characteristic …

The Role Of Rejection In Aortic Valve Allograft Failure, Ahmad Moustapha

Data and Test Instruments

At present the main question is whether homograft failure is due to rejection or mechanical degeneration. The use of cardiac valve transplants between syngeneic and allogeneic strains of rats permits investigations into the role of immune mediated rejection of these grafts. We expanded an already developed microsurgical rat model for aortic interposition allografts to include the aortic valve. Aortic valves were harvested from donor rats and then heterotopically transplanted into the abdominal aorta of a recipient rat using inbred strains. All recipient rats were Lewis and donor rats were either Lewis (syngeneic) or Brown Norway (allogeneic). Grafts were transplanted either …

Uwomj Volume 66, No 1, Winter 1996-97, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

An interdisciplinary medical science publication, established in 1930.

Uwomj Volume 65, No 2, Spring 1996, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

An interdisciplinary medical science publication, established in 1930.

Successful Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation (Bmt) Following Orthotopic Liver Transplantation (Olt) For Fulminant Hepatic Failure And Severe Aplastic Anemia (Saa) Due To Non A Non B Non C Hepatitis., Darrell White, Thomas Nevill, Vivian Mcalister

Data and Test Instruments

No abstract provided.

Expression Of Genes Encoding Antioxidant Enzymes In Preimplantation Mouse And Cow Embryos And Primary Bovine Oviduct Cultures Employed For Embryo Coculture., M B Harvey, M Y Arcellana-Panlilio, X Zhang, G A Schultz, A J Watson

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

Preimplantation embryos from a variety of mammalian species contrast markedly in their response to culture in vitro. Murine preimplantation embryos display a wider tolerance than other mammalian species to culture environments, and this has contributed to the development of several effective defined culture media. Embryo coculture on somatic cells remains the most effective method of supporting reasonable rates of bovine preimplantation development in vitro. The patterns of gene expression for several antioxidant enzymes during preimplantation murine and bovine development were examined by use of the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction technique to determine whether the differential developmental capacity of mammalian preimplantation …

Characterizing The Population In Clinical Trials: Barriers, Comparability, And Implications For Review, Charles Weijer

Philosophy Publications

The definition of the study population for a clinical trial via the criteria for trial eligibility has implications for the validity of the study and its applicability to clinical practice. Though issues of equity regarding the selection of subjects for research have long been a concern of ethicists, issues regarding the impact of subject selection on a trial's generalizability have only recently attracted ethical scrutiny. After a review of the history of the ethics of subject selection, I focus on three empirical questions regarding the generalizability of clinical trials. (1) What proportion of diseased populations are studied in clinical trials? …

Uwomj Volume 65, No 1, Winter 1995-96, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

An interdisciplinary medical science publication, established in 1930.

Uwomj Volume 64, Number 2, Spring 1995, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Preimplantation Development Of In Vitro-Matured And In Vitro-Fertilized Ovine Zygotes: Comparison Between Coculture On Oviduct Epithelial Cell Monolayers And Culture Under Low Oxygen Atmosphere., A J Watson, P H Watson, D Warnes, S K Walker, D T Armstrong, R F Seamark

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

The roles of medium composition, serum source, embryo coculture, and culture under low O2 conditions on the development of in vitro-matured and in vitro-fertilized (IVMF) ovine zygotes were investigated in three separate experiments. In the first experiment, the proportion of cocultured IVMF zygotes developing to the blastocyst stage was significantly higher (38.0% vs. 3.5%; p < 0.05) than that of non-cocultured zygotes treated within three embryo culture media (TCM-199 + 10% fetal bovine serum [FBS]; bicarbonate-buffered, glucose-free synthetic oviduct fluid medium [mod-SOFM] + 10% FBS; and bicarbonate-buffered BSA-free Tyrode's salt solution [mod-TALP] + 10% FBS) under a 5% CO2 atmosphere in air. In a second experiment, a significantly higher (p < 0.05) proportion of cocultured zygotes placed in TCM-199 medium survived to the blastocyst stage (37.4% blastocysts vs. 23.4% in mod-SOFM). No significant effect of serum (FBS vs. human serum [HS]) was observed on embryonic development, but coculture was confirmed to exert a significant influence on development to the blastocyst stage. In the final experiment, survival of the embryo under a reduced oxygen (5% CO2:5% O2:90% N2) atmosphere was investigated. In contrast to results in the initial experiments, embryonic survival was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the non-cocultured treatment groups (21.9% blastocysts vs. 0.4% for cocultured zygotes). Serum source also had a significant (p < 0.05) influence upon the development of non-cocultured zygotes: 32.3% of zygotes cultured with HS progressed to the blastocyst stage vs. 11.5% of zygotes cultured in FBS-supplemented medium. These results have characterized two distinct culture environments, each capable of supporting the development of high frequencies of unselected IVMF zygotes to the blastocyst stage in vitro.

A Growth Factor Phenotype Map For Ovine Preimplantation Development., A J Watson, P H Watson, M Arcellana-Panlilio, D Warnes, S K Walker, G A Schultz, D T Armstrong, R F Seamark

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine the patterns of expression for several growth factor ligand and receptor genes during ovine preimplantation development. Transcripts for insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF-II, and the receptors for insulin and IGF-I were detected throughout ovine preimplantation development from the 1-cell to the blastocyst stage. Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) transcripts were also detected throughout ovine preimplantation development. The mRNAs encoding basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were detected in all stages of the ovine preimplantation embryo, although the relative abundance of this transcript consistently decreased from the 1-cell to the blastocyst …

Possible Roles Of Insulin And Insulin-Like Growth Factors In Rat Preimplantation Development: Investigation Of Gene Expression By Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction., X Zhang, G M Kidder, A J Watson, G A Schultz, D T Armstrong

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

The sensitive mRNA phenotyping technique of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to demonstrate that insulin receptor mRNA is present in rat embryos during the preimplantation period. In addition, mRNA encoding insulin-like growth factor (IGF) type I and type II receptors have also been detected in rat preimplantation embryos. IGF-I mRNA was not detected in preimplantation embryos but was found in oviducts and uteri of prepubertal and early pregnant rats. IGF-II mRNA was present in both embryos and in oviducts and uteri during the preimplantation period. These findings suggest that insulin and IGF-I could influence early embryo development in endocrine …

Uwomj Volume 64, Number 1, Winter 1994, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Uwomj Volume 63, Number 2, Spring 1994, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Uwomj Volume 63, Number 1, Fall 1993, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Uwomj Volume 62, Number 2, Spring 1993, Western University

University of Western Ontario Medical Journal

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Harpoon Extraction Of A Common Bile Duct Stone Impacted At The Ampulla Of Vater With Needle-Knife Sphincterotome., Vivian Mcalister, Andre Roy, Ron Passi

Data and Test Instruments

The urgency of dealing with impacted ampullary stones is underlined in the first case reported by Opie6 at the autopsy of a young woman. Impacted ampullary stones that prevent papillary cannulation and standard sphincterotomy make up less than 5% of common bile duct stones seen at ERCP.3 Several series suggest the safe use of needle-knife sphincterotomy to create a choledochoduodenal fistula or to allow subsequent standard sphincterotomy in this situation. These series have also reported failure to extract the stone so that surgical removal was required.3,4Successful sphincterotomy may facilitate the early diagnosis of tumors that cause the ampulla to bulge. …

How To Make A Blastocyst., A J Watson, G M Kidder, G A Schultz

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

Several of the new reproductive technologies have been cultivated from our current understanding of the genetic programming and cellular processes that are involved in the major morphogenetic events of mammalian preimplantation development. Research directed at characterizing the patterns of gene expression during early development has shown that the embryo is initially under maternal control and later superseded by new transcriptional activity provided by the activation of the embryonic genome. Several embryonic transcripts encoding: (i) growth factors, (ii) cell junctions, (iii) plasma membrane ion transporters, and (iv) cell adhesion molecules have been identified as contributing directly to the progression of the …