Reproduction and thermoregulation in Peromyscus: Effects of chronic short days

Seven groups of laboratory reared Connecticut P. leucopus were exposed to a 9L:15D photoperiod for either 6, 9, 12, 20, 25, 32, or 36 weeks. An eighth group was maintained on 16L:8D. During the final 6 weeks all mice were cold exposed (13°C). Substantial reproductive regression occurred in females following 6 weeks exposure to 9L:15D relative to 16L:8D animals. In males, a slight decrease in testicular weight occurred following 6 weeks on 9L:15D; this effect was pronounced by 9 weeks, along with a decrease in seminal vesicle weight. Reproductive recrudescence occurred in females by week 32 and in males by week 36. Between 10 and 12 weeks on 9L:15D mice exhibited increases in nesting, incidence of daily torpor, and presence of the winter molt. These increases persisted through 36 weeks on 9L:15D. An increase in the interscapular brown fat pad occurred between 12 and 25 weeks. Reproductive and thermoregulatory characters respond differently to prolonged exposure to a short day photoperiod in this species.     

The legal mandate of drug registration authorities in theory and practice

In the course of this century all industrial nations witnessed a growth in the influence of the state over the individual. Usually, state intervention in private life is justified by the state's mandate to protect the health and security of its constituents, either through general, uniform precepts such as laws or decrees, or through individual arrangements such as licences or subsidies. The principle of state protection has also long been established in the pharmaceutical sector, and entails that regulatory agencies should only approve those drugs for market use, which--according to scientific knowledge--have benefits which outweigh their potential harmful effects. Although 'the state of scientific knowledge' seems to imply that safety decisions concerning drugs are predominantly based on medical, scientific criteria, it is argued in this paper, that regulatory agencies nevertheless have wide discretionary margins, which allow for a political dimension to such decisions. For this reason it is briefly examined how drug authorities react under political pressure, i.e. when a drug has become a public problem. Additionally, the issue is considered why especially so-called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's) have recently been the focus of controversy in the media. This attention has led to a situation in which it seems that regulatory agencies only accept drugs for market use with zero risk. The paper concludes by recommending that safety decisions of health authorities should involve two expert levels: in order to make precise risk assessments on the scientific level all relevant information about risks and benefits of drugs should be collated, whereas safety decisions should be taken by experts knowledgeable in the field of societal proportions.     

Regulation and selection of patients

During the past decades health legislation and regulation have been on the increase in most industrialized countries. The growing role of government in the provision and financing of health care, the need to correct given aspects of health care and the mandate to protect the underprivileged have been some of the many reasons for increased regulation. Different regulatory approaches and their respective advantages and disadvantages are reviewed in this paper. Particular attention is given to the crucial issue of how to regulate the access to scarce resources and how to cope within a legislative approach with the resulting patient selection.     

农业科技期刊论文发表中的信息安全问题及应对策略

【目的】 分析农业科技论文中的信息安全问题,指出信息安全关键点,为防止因学术传播泄露国家(企业)机密和保护信息安全提供参考。【方法】 依据我国相关法律法规以及编辑工作实践,对农业科技期刊论文发表中的信息安全关键点进行分析。【结果】 总结出农业科技论文中的信息安全关键点,即全国性的农业基础数据、涉密的科研项目、生物育种技术、食品安全、动物疫情、植物病害、地理信息、气象信息等。针对信息安全问题提出如下应对策略:提高编辑人员信息安全意识和涉密数据识别能力、建立完整的信息安全审查机制、联合探索信息权限控制技术手段、对作者加强信息安全知识宣传、增加行业期刊间的沟通与交流。【结论】 编辑部应将国家安全和利益放在重要位置,以国家法律法规以及农业农村部的有关规定为依据,把控农业科技论文信息安全关键点,确保发表论文的信息安全。     

Caregivers’ Perceived Emotional and Feeding Responsiveness toward Preschool Children: Associations and Paths of Influence

Although there is a large body of research connecting emotion to eating behaviors, little is known about the role of caregivers’ responses to children’s emotions in the context of child feeding. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relation between caregivers’ emotional responsiveness and feeding responsiveness. The mothers of 137 children between 2 and 6 years of age reported on their responses to children’s negative emotions using the Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale and on their feeding practices using the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire. The results showed that mothers’ supportive emotion responses (e.g., problem-focused, emotion-focused, and expressive encouragement reactions) tend to be positively associated with responsive feeding practices (e.g., encouraging, modelling, and teaching healthy food-related behaviors). Instead, mothers’ unsupportive responses (e.g., distress, punitive and minimization reactions) tend to be positively associated with nonresponsive feeding practices (e.g., food as reward or to regulate emotions, and pressure to eat) and negatively associated with responsive feeding practices. Our results suggest that emotional and feeding responsiveness may be intertwined and that differences in parent’s emotional responsiveness may translate into differences in their feeding styles, setting the stage for parents’ use of positive vs. negative feeding practices.     

Regulatory review time and pharmaceutical research and development

In the United States, all newly developed drugs undergo a lengthy review process conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These regulatory delays have direct immediate costs for drug manufacturers and patients waiting for treatment. Under certain market conditions, regulatory delays may also affect future research and development (R&D) strategies of pharmaceutical companies. To estimate the magnitude of this effect, we match data on drugs in the development pipeline in 2006 to data that we collect on FDA review times for all drugs approved between 1999 and 2005. Employing a rich and novel set of controls that affect drug R&D decisions and, potentially, regulatory review lags, we find that on average, three additional months of delay result in one fewer drug in development in that drug category. Our results suggest that the length of the regulatory delay matters for pharmaceutical firms' R&D decisions and that the firms are likely unable to pass on these costs onto consumers.     

糖尿病患者饮食的自我调控单因素回归分析

目的 研究糖尿病患者饮食和自我调控的关系。方法 采用问卷法和访谈法。结果 经过对与饮食相关的诸因素进行Logistic单因素分析,每次喝酒量的多少,家人对饮食疗法执行的支持情况,性别等三项指标,其OR值均大于1,是正调控因素。说明自我调控越强喝酒越少;家人越支持饮食疗法执行情况越好;男性的自我调控力在执行饮食疗法时比女性高,测血糖的时间,OR值小于1,自我调控力越高的人测血糖越定时。结论 饮食疗法的控制和自我调控力并非正相关。     

养正合剂的免疫作用研究

目的:考察养正合剂的免疫调节作用,方法:对小鼠碳粒廓清速率进行测定,对三硝基氯苯(ＤＮＣＢ)所致迟发型超敏反应(ＤＮＣＢ-ＤＴＨ)进行测定,对小鼠血清溶血素含量进行测定,对大鼠脾细胞产生ＩＬ-ＩＩ水平进行测定.结果:养正合可使小鼠碳粒廓清速率明显升高,大剂养成合剂可显增中荷小鼠低下的ＤＴＨ,显著增加接种Ｓ１８０株小鼠的血清溶血素含量并明显促进大鼠脾细胞的ＩＬ-ＩＩ的生物活性.结论:养正合剂]可对抗环磷酰胺的免疫抑制作用,对荷瘤小鼠免疫功能有明显增强作用.     

老年男性骨密度与钙调节激素关系的探讨

目的探讨老年男性骨密度与钙调节激素的关系.方法[ HTSS〗用双能X线骨密度仪(DEXA)测定65例老年男性骨密度(BMD).用放免法测定睾酮( T)、甲状旁腺激素(PTH)、降钙素(CT)、骨钙素(BGP).结果 (1) 随年龄增加,骨质疏松及骨量减少患者逐渐增加;(2) T、CT随年龄增加而逐步减少,PTH逐渐增加,而BGP无明显变化;(3) 骨质疏松及骨量减少组T、CT均显著低于正常组(均P ＜0.001),PTH显著高于正常组(P＜0.001,P＜0.01),BGP在骨质疏松组显著高于正常组(P＜0.001),而骨量减少组则与正常组无差异 (P＞0.05).结论增龄、钙调节激素异常是引致老年男性骨质疏松的重要原因之一.     

How defective spermatogenesis affects sperm DNA integrity

Spermatogenesis is the essential process to maintain and promote male fertility. It is extraordinarily complex with many regulatory elements and numerous steps. The process involves several cell types, regulatory molecules, repair mechanisms and epigenetic regulators. Evidence has shown that fertility can be negatively impacted by reduced sperm DNA integrity. Sources of sperm DNA damage include replication errors and causes of DNA fragmentation which include abortive apoptosis, defective maturation and oxidative stress. This review outlines the process of spermatogenesis, spermatogonial regulation and sperm differentiation; additionally, DNA damage and currently studied DNA repair mechanisms in spermatozoon are also covered.