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Biomedical subjects

D L Davis

Publications and source records attributed to D L Davis.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Reproductive development in young boars exposed to sexually mature, nonpregnant sows and gilts.

Thirty Yorkshire boars were allotted by litter to one of two treatment groups. Fifteen boars were reared, from 14 to 22 wk of age, in fenceline contact with mature sows and gilts that were randomly exhibiting estrus. Fifteen littermates of these boars, reared without exposure to females, served as controls. Boar-to-boar sexual behaviors were observed 1 hour daily from 16 to 22 wk of age. At ages 14 to 30 wk, boars were weighed at 4-wk intervals. Five boars per treatment were slaughtered when 22 wk old and twelve others (six per treatment) when 30 wk old. Vesicular gland, bulb of the prostate gland, bulbourethral gland, and each testis, cauda epididymis, and combined caput and corpus epididymis were closely trimmed and weighed. Left cauda epididymal sperm and left testis elongated spermatids were determined by homogenization and hemacytometer counting. At 26, 30, and 38 wk of age, boars were tested for mating efficiency by exposure to an estrous gilt. Boars exposed to females tended to be lighter at 22 wk and were lighter at 30 wk (P<.05). Total male-to-male sexual acts from 16 to 22 wk were correlated with mating-efficiency score at 26 and 30 wk (r = .69 and .68, respectively; (P<.05)). Correlation between testicle size and total testicle elongated spermatids was high at 30 wk of age (r = .92; P<.001). Results indicated that exposing young boars to mature females had limited effects on the boars' reproductive development; however, there were strong indications of a relationship between boar behavior during rearing and postpuberal mating performance.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1982

Women's status and experience of the menopause in a Newfoundland fishing village.

Recent studies attribute cross-cultural variations in the experience of the climacteric to changes in female status at middle age. An analysis of women's life cycles in a Newfoundland fishing village, where there is no dramatic change in status at middle age, contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of interaction between female and climacteric symptoms. Newfoundland concepts of bio-social self are examined in terms of folk notions of nerves and blood. Conclusions are drawn about the relative importance of somatic components, folk notions and female status in the experience of the climacteric.

Attitude↗
PubMed1982

Estrous synchronization and fertility in gilts after 14- or 18-day feeding of altrenogest beginning at estrus or diestrus.

A synthetic progestogen (altrenogest) was used to synchronize estrus in 160 Yorkshire and Duroc x Yorkshire gilts (6 to 11 mo old) in four trials. Gilts were fed 15 mg altrenogest for 14 or 18 d beginning either at or near estrus (d -1, 0, +1 or +2) or at diestrus (d +3 to +21). Mean intervals to estrus after treatment did not differ between 14- and 18-d treatments (5.4 +/- .1 vs 5.3 +/- .1 d, respectively), but were slightly longer (P less than .01) in gilts beginning treatment at or near estrus than in diestrus (5.6 +/- .1 vs 5.2 +/- .1, respectively). Average intervals to estrus were similar between treatment groups and among stages of the cycle even though more gilts (P less than .01) beginning treatment at estrus had serum progesterone concentrations greater than 2 ng/ml at the end of progestogen treatment. Although more 18- than 14-d treated gilts (P less than .05) were in estrus on d 5 post-treatment, proportions in estrus from 3 to 10 d post-treatment were similar (greater than 98%). Neither stage of estrous cycle at onset of treatment nor duration of progestogen treatment affected percentages of gilts farrowing (greater than 73%), average gestation length (116.5 d), or total (10.3), live (9.7) and dead (.6) pigs at birth after artificial insemination at the post-treatment estrus. We concluded that 14-d feeding of altrenogest effectively synchronized fertile estrus in gilts regardless of stage of estrous cycle at the onset of progestogen treatment. Although 18-d treatment of gilts with altrenogest improved estrous synchronization precision compared to 14-d treatment, there was no advantage of the 18-d treatment for subsequent farrowing responses.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1982

Length-tension properties of the anterior tibial artery in normotensive and perinephritic hypertensive dogs.

The length-active tension relation has been previously reported to be decreased or unchanged in hypertensive vessels whereas resting distensibility was unchanged or increased. We found the maximum active stress and the internal ring circumference, in millimeters, at which it occurs (Lmax) to be lower in arterial rings from perinephritic hypertensive dogs than in rings from normotensive dogs. The internal circumferences (length) at which resting force and active force became zero (L0 and Lmin, respectively) were unchanged. Lmax, L0 and Lmin were used to normalize length-tension diagrams. Active stress was significantly lower in hypertensive vessels at most of the lengths tested with the diagram normalized to Lmax. When the length-tension diagram was normalized to Lmin there was no difference in the active stress at any of the lengths tested. The length-resting stress curves were identical when rhe diagram was normalized to Lmax but the curve for hypertensive vessels was higher when the diagram was normalized to L0. An important characteristic of these length-tension curves is that normalized lengths correspond to the same absolute length in each group of vessels when the reference length has the same absolute value (L0 and Lmin in this study). This separates differences due to absolute length from differences associated with hypertension. We conclude that perinephritic hypertension in the dog is accompanied by a decrease in resting distensibility of the arterial wall. The results indicate that the choice of reference length may affect the values of stress and tension that are obtained for comparison of length-tension relationships in hypertensive and normotensive blood vessels.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Dibromochloropropane (DBCP): a review.

A highly persistent, lipophilic, brominated organochlorine which is effectively used against nematodes, dibromochloropropane (DBCP) has been produced for agriculture since 1955. In 1975, production of DBCP in the United States reached 25 million lbs. However, investigations with laboratory animals, some of which were published in the early 1960s, have shown that DBCP decreases sperm mobility and spermatogenesis, disturbs the estrous cycle, reduces phagocytosis by white blood cells, and induces malignant tumors. Later studies with procaryotic and eucaryotic cells, including human sperm, have demonstrated DBCP to be mutagenic and to effect the genome adversely. In 1977 many of the employees at the Occidental Chemical plant in Lathrop, California, who had handled DBCP, were found to be either azoospermic or oligospermic. Subsequent surveys of employees handling DBCP at other chemical plants confirmed these findings. In 1977 on edible crops and in 1979 DBCP per se was detected in well waters. As a result of these studies, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1977 promulgated regulations restricting the use and handling of DBCP. In 1979, the EPA banned almost all agricultural uses of DBCP.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Length-dependent sensitivity in vascular smooth muscle.

Dose-response curves were obtained from dog anterior tibial artery rings at various lengths (L) to determine whether sensitivity to norepinephrine (NE) and potassium (K+) depends on arterial circumference. The dose for half maximal response (ED50) was determined by graphical estimation and by calculation from a best fit curve. For both NE and K+: 1) ED50 was lowest (most sensitive) at L for maximum active force (Lmax) and increased significantly as L decreased from Lmax; 2) ED50 at 1.0 and 1.15 Lmax was not significantly different; 3) ED50 of repeated dose-response curves at Lmax was not significantly different; and 4) when the direction of length change was reversed (from decreasing to increasing), the direction of change in ED50 was also reversed (from increasing to decreasing). Change in the dose for 10% maximal response was the same as ED50. The results did not depend on the method of determining ED50 or on whether responses were expressed as absolute values or as relative values. The results show that sensitivity of vascular smooth muscle depends on L and that the length-sensitivity relation is similar to the length-active tension relation. Similarity of results for NE and K+ indicate that length-dependent sensitivity does not depend on the method of stimulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Contractility and the length-tension relation of the dog anterior tibial artery.

Active force (S) and rate of change of force (S) throughout the time of isometric contraction in electrically stimulated, circumferentially cut segments of dog anterior tibial artery were analyzed for dynamic indices of the contractile state. Previous works have determined indices that change with temperature but not with length (L) or calcium (Ca) and were designated indices of crossbridge dynamics. They assumed that changes in L and Ca change only the number of crossbridges between contractile filaments and temperature affects only the dynamics of individual crossbridges. We have shown: (1) specific ratios of S/S to be independent of L; (2) S/S at the same instant of time (VCE) is related to an index from previous work which was defined as a velocity of internal shortening; (3) specific indices of S/S were decreased with lower temperature but increased with time in a Ca-free solution. Our results for a Ca-free solution do not agree with previous work but can be explained by changes of the smooth muscle cell membrane. This suggests that L-independent indices are useful for characterizing changes in the overall dynamic state of the tissue but are not necessarily representative of a change in crossbridge dynamics.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Diabetes in pregnancy: a preliminary study of the pancreas, placenta and malformations in the BB Wistar rat.

Diabetes in pregnancy was studied in a new animal model, the spontaneously diabetic BB Wistar rat. The BB rat appears to be superior to the drug-induced models for the investigation of the effects of maternal diabetes on fertility, fetal development, and placental function because the disease entity develops spontaneously, is accompanied by destructive insulitis similar to pancreatic lesions in the human condition, and is controlled to various degrees by daily insulin therapy.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Microvessel mean transit time and blood flow velocity of sulfhemoglobin-RBC.

An indicator dilution technique is described for obtaining time-concentration curves subsequent to bolus injections of sulfhemoglobin red blood cells (SH-RBC), which have a deep greenish-brown color (absorption peak 620 nm vs. 542 and 564 nm for normal red cells). The series- and parallel-coupled microvessels of cat mesentery were studied. This is accomplished by means of video microscopy with a two-window intensity-sensitive video sampler system. The relationship between SH-RBC concentration in blood and optical measurement is linear. Blood flow velocities were calculated from the difference in mean transit times between two points along a vessel. When this technique is used in association with the previously reported method for determining time-concentration curves for the plasma indicator FITC-dextran the mean transit time (t) for red blood cells was less than for plasma in arterioles. The reproducibility of t and flow velocity for both SH-RBC and FITC-dextran from successive injections were reported. The mean transit time ratio of arteriolar SH-RBC to FITC-dextran averages 0.89. Blood flow velocity calculated from SH-RBC is greater than that calculated from FITC-dextran in these same arterioles. The ratio of the velocities averages 1.29.

Animals↗