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PubMed1980

[Erythrocyte phenotypes in Gabon. II. Estimation of the gene frequencies of the ABO, MNSs, Rh, Lu and Jk systems in 6 ethnic Bantus and a Pygmy group in Gabon (Lower and Upper Ogooué regions)].

There does not seem to be any noticeable difference between the various Bantu groups tests. One can note a higher frequency of the O gene in the High Ogooué (0,77) than in the Ogooué Lolo (0,73). The Powi group shows very few MSU or NSU alleles but because of the small number, no firm conclusions can be drawn. The collection of these Bantu populations is characterised by a high frequency of O, u, and Ro. The tested Pygmies match up with these characteristics and only differ from the Bantus by a very high frequency of u (0,33), especially of the MU haplotype, and by an increased frequency of Ro. The small number does not enable these differences to be considered as statistically valid. It should be noted that the Bawandji group is similar to the Pygmy group as regards ABO and Rhesus, i.e. a marked B and Ro frequency.

Blood Group Antigens↗

PubMed2003

Status of the so-called African pygmy elephant (Loxodonta pumilio (NOACK 1906)): phylogeny of cytochrome b and mitochondrial control region sequences.

Among the African elephants, it has been unanimously acknowledged that the forest elephants (cyclotis form) are peculiar, so that they have been elevated to the specific rank. The development of molecular analyses of extant Loxodonta has only focused on two forms yet: the savannah form (africana) and the forest form (cyclotis), disregarding the so-called pygmy elephants (pumilio or fransseni) the systematic status of which has been debated since their discovery. Therefore, we have sampled nine dwarfed-labelled specimens in collection and eight specimens of typical forest elephants that we compared to three savannah elephants and two Asian elephants. Because of the degraded nature of the nuclear DNA content in bone samples of old specimens, we assayed mitochondrial markers; 1961 bp of the mitochondrial genome were sequenced (over a continuous range spanning the cytochrome b gene, tRNA Thr, tRNA Pro, hypervariable region 1 and central conserved region of the control region). Pumilio and cyclotis are not sister-taxa: the phylogenetic analyses rather account for the inclusion of the so-called pygmy elephants within a monophyletic group of forest elephants sensu lato. The internal structure of this clade reveals to depend on isolation and remoteness between populations, characteristics that may have been extensively influenced by climatic variations during the Quaternary period. We conclude that the specific taxon Loxodonta pumilio (or Loxodonta fransseni) should be abandoned.

Africa↗

PubMed1994

Mini-mouse: phenotypic characterization of a transgenic insertional mutant allelic to pygmy.

A phenotypic analysis was performed on two alleles at the pygmy locus which arose by insertional mutagenesis in transgenic mice. Similar to the spontaneous mutant pygmy, the adult insertional transgenic mutants are 40% of the size of wild-type litter-mates whereas adult heterozygotes are 80% of wild-type litter-mates. An analysis of the various organs revealed that, in general, there was a reduction in weight of each organ commensurate with the overall reduction in body size. However, two organs did not follow this pattern, the brain being disproportionately larger and the adrenals disproportionately smaller in the mutant mice. In addition, mini-mice have less adipose tissue than their wild-type or heterozygous litter-mates. A developmental analysis determined that mutants could first be identified on the basis of reduced body weight at day 15.5 of gestation. The small size is not due to a growth hormone deficiency so these mice differ from other known dwarf mouse mutants. Therefore they should provide insight into the growth hormone-resistant human dwarfisms and help in furthering our knowledge of mammalian growth and development.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed2001

An outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis infection in pygmy hogs (Sus salvanius).

An outbreak of salmonellosis was recorded in captive pygmy hogs (Sus salvanius), a critically endangered species of mammal. Of 42 captive animals maintained for conservation breeding by the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme, Guwahati, Assam, India, 7 (16.67%) died within 3 days. The organism associated with this outbreak was identified as Salmonella enteritidis. The organisms were highly susceptible to chloramphenicol, gentamicin, norfloxacin and cefotaxim but were resistant to ampicillin, oxytetracycline, mezlocillin and sulfamerazin. The strain belonged to phage type 13a/7 and harboured two plasmids (38 and 44 megadaltons). The organisms were enterotoxigenic in CHO cell assay and were found to carry stn, sef and pef genes.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Multiple environmental contexts and communication in pygmy marmosets (Cebuella pygmaea).

There are multiple components to the concept of Umwelt experienced by an organism that may constrain the type and structure of communication signals as well as the usefulness of these signals. To illustrate the impact of these multiple environmental components, the authors used signals of the pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea), a small primate from the western Amazon. The authors summarize studies to show how the physical effects of the habitat; effects of other species, both predators and nonpredators; anthropogenic effects on the communication environment; within-group and between-groups influences other pygmy marmosets exert; and ontogeny influence the structure and usage of vocal signals. Communication within a species can be understood only in consideration of each of these contexts.

Animal Communication↗

PubMed1995

Mutation responsible for the mouse pygmy phenotype in the developmentally regulated factor HMGI-C.

Growth is one of the fundamental aspects in the development of an organism. Classical genetic studies have isolated four viable, spontaneous mouse mutants disrupted in growth, leading to dwarfism. Pygmy is unique among these mutants because its phenotype cannot be explained by aberrations in the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor endocrine pathway. Here we show that the pygmy phenotype arises from the inactivation of Hmgi-c (ref. 6), a member of the Hmgi family which function as architectural factors in the nuclear scaffold and are critical in the assembly of stereospecific transcriptional complexes. Hmgi-c and another Hmgi family member, Hmgi(gamma) (ref. 10), were found to be expressed predominantly during embryogenesis. The HMGI proteins are known to be regulated by cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation which alters their DNA binding affinity. These results demonstrate the important role of HMGI proteins in mammalian growth and development.

Alleles↗

PubMed2000

Suppression of feed intake after parenteral administration of D-beta-hydroxybutyrate in pygmy goats.

The effect of intraperitoneal injection of D,L- or D-beta-hydroxybutyrate on feed intake and plasma metabolites was investigated in pygmy goats. The combined intraperitoneal injection of D,L-beta-hydroxybutyrate or D-beta-hydroxybutyrate (15 mmol/kg0.75) and 1,3-butanediol (6.6 mmol/kg0.75), a ketogenic substrate, decreased cumulative food intake while the same dose of 1,3-butanediol or DL-beta-hydroxybutyrate alone had no effect. The decrease in food intake after combined injection of D-beta-hydroxybutyrate and 1,3-butanediol was characterized by a significant decrease in meal frequency and a prolongation of the latency to eat. The hypophagic effect of the combined injection of D-beta-hydroxybutyrate and 1,3-butanediol was significant for 8 h, while the hypophagia after D,L-beta-hydroxybutyrate and 1,3-butanediol was significant for only 2 h after injection. Injection of D,L-beta-hydroxybutyrate increased plasma D-beta-hydroxybutyrate levels to 0.55 mmol/l and decreased plasma free fatty acids. Addition of 1,3-butanediol (6.6 mmol/kg0.75) to the injection increased plasma D-beta-hydroxybutyrate level up to 0.75 mmol/l. The results show that parenteral administration of D-hydroxybutyrate reduces feed intake in pygmy goats and that the hypophagia appears to be related to the amount of D-beta-hydroxybutyrate injected. The hypophagia seems to be related to elevated plasma D-beta-hydroxybutyrate concentration, and the threshold concentration appeared to be about 0.7 mmol/l under the experimental conditions of this study.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Some anthropometric and functional dimensions of the pygmy (Kivu Twa).

At the Institut pour la Recherche Scientifique en Afrique Centrale (I.R.S.A.C.), Station of Lwiro on Lake Kivu, Republic of Zaire, anthropometric and spirometric measurements were made on 25 male members of a pygmy clan, living the traditional hunter-gatherer's life on the slopes of the Mitumba mountain range. The response of 15 men to graded exercise was tested on a bicycle ergometer. The morphology of the Kivu Twa was in agreement with that described for pygmies in the same general area. Blood pressure was extremely low, 99/64 (SD +/- 12/11) mm Hg, and was not affected by age. Lung volumes were small compared to those of Europeans, and fitted well the standards for the 'Bantu' in South Africa. The vital capacity of adult men was 3.183 (SD +/- 0.151)l and the one-second forced expiratory volume 2.558 (SD +/- 0.11)l. Their cardiovascular response to increasing physical work-loads was similar to that of other population samples in Central Africa and quite close to those of the Equator Twa. The maximum aerobic power, calculated indirectly, was small, 1.957 (SD +/- 0.158)l/min, but when expressed per kg body weight was 42.5 (SD +/- 5.2) ml min-1 kg-1, comparable to that of many other populations.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

HPA polymorphism in sub-Saharan African populations: Beninese, Cameroonians, Congolese, and Pygmies.

The frequency of human platelet antigen-1 (HPA-1) to HPA-11w (excluding HPA-8w) and HPA-15 systems was studied in four sub-Saharan populations: Beninese, Congolese (Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa), Cameroonians, and Aka pygmies (Central African Republic). No report of HPA prevalence has previously been published concerning these populations which are characterized by the highest HPA-2b gene frequencies of any reported to date (Aka 0.393, Benin 0.292, Cameroon 0.237, and Congo 0.224) and at lesser degree HPA-5b (Aka 0.405, Congo 0.268, Cameroon 0.254, and Benin 0.182). This study is of great importance (i) particularly in the context of the diversity caused by the population migrations, we may observe today in our hospitals (ii) to confirm that the Pygmy population with distinctive frequencies (absence of the HPA-1b, HPA-2b, and HPA-5b highest frequencies) is an isolated population.

Africa South of the Sahara↗

PubMed1997

Food-associated drinking in pygmy goats: importance of histamine receptors.

The combined effect of the histamine receptor antagonists Dexbrompheniramine (DXB: H1-receptor antagonist) and Cimetidine (C: H2-receptor antagonist) on food and water intake was investigated in pygmy goats. DXB (1 mg/kg BW0.75) and C (16 mg/kg BW0.75) were injected together intraperitoneally (i.p.). Cumulative food and water intake, as well as meal and draft pattern, were recorded. DXB and C significantly reduced cumulative water intake, whereas cumulative food intake did not change. Water to food ratio was also significantly diminished. Draft frequency and the percentage of drafts associated with meals were significantly reduced during the 6 h post injection, while meal frequency and meal size did not change during this period. The results show that blockade of the H1- and H2-histamine receptors attenuates the association between water and food intake in pygmy goats. Therefore, mechanisms responsible for meal-associated drinking seem to depend upon activation of histamine receptors.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

A papillomavirus related to HPV type 13 in oral focal epithelial hyperplasia in the pygmy chimpanzee.

An epizootic of focal epithelial hyperplasia (FEH) or Morbus Heck in a pygmy chimpanzee (Pan paniscus) colony is described. Papovavirus-like particles were observed in the nuclei of epithelial cells. Analysis of the DNA of the lesions revealed an episomal papillomavirus-specific band with a molecular size of approximately 8,000 bp. In situ hybridization under high stringency conditions showed cross-hybridization between the chimpanzee papillomavirus DNA and human papillomavirus (HPV) type 13. The latter virus is uniquely associated with oral disease in man. This is the first demonstration of the association of a HPV 13-related pygmy chimpanzee papillomavirus (PCPV) and oral epithelial hyperplasia in a nonhuman primate.

Animal Diseases↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hemolysis associated with water administration using a nipple bottle for human infants in juvenile pygmy goats.

A 4-month-old, 6.8-kg, castrated male pygmy goat was examined for recurrent episodic fever and red urine of 7 days' duration. A second, 3-month-old, 7-kg, intact female pygmy goat was presented for similar clinical signs. The red discoloration of the urine in each case was determined to be due to hemolysis with subsequent hemoglobinuria. In both cases, hemolysis and hemoglobinuria were closely associated with the goats consuming large volumes of water from a human infant's nipple bottle. A diagnosis of water intoxication-induced hemolysis and hemoglobinuria was made. Episodes of hemoglobinuria in the first case were consistently associated with dilute (specific gravity < 1.010) urine. Water intoxication has been associated with bottle-feeding in human infants and is also widely reported in human psychiatric patients. The small erythrocytes in goats appear to be the most sensitive of the domestic species to hypotonicity-induced hemolysis.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Sequential meiotic prophase development in the pubertal Indian pygmy field mouse: synaptic progression of the XY chromosomes, autosomal heterochromatin, and pericentric inversions.

Sequential meiotic prophase development has been followed in the pubertal male pygmy mouse Mus terricolor, with the objective to identify early meiotic prophase stages. The pygmy mouse differs from the common mouse by having large heterochromatic blocks in the X and Y chromosomes. These mice also show various chromosomal mutations; for example, fixed variations of autosomal short arms heterochromatin among different chromosomal species and pericentric inversion polymorphism. Identification of prophase stages was crucial to analyzing effects of heterozygosity for these chromosomal changes on the process of homologous synapsis. Here we describe identification of the prophase stages in M. terricolor, especially the pachytene substages, on the basis of morphology of the XY bivalent. Based on this substaging, we show delayed pairing of the heterochromatic short arms, which may be the reason for their lack of chiasmata. The identification of precise pachytene substages also reveals an early occurrence of "synaptic adjustment" in the pericentric inversion heterobivalents, a mechanism that would prevent chiasma formation in the inverted segment and thereby would abate adverse effects of such heterozygosity. The identification of pachytene substages would serve as the basis to analyze the nature of synaptic anomalies met in M. terricolor hybrids (which will be the basis of a subsequent paper).

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Effect of exercise on uterine blood flow in the pregnant Pygmy goat.

Pygmy goats in the last third of pregnancy were trained to walk on a treadmill at rates up to 2.0 mph and up an inclination of 0-15 degrees. Electromagnetic flowmeters were placed unilaterally on a uterine artery, and measurements were made while the goats were standing quietly on the treadmill and during 5 min of exercise. Blood flow fell during exercise in all five animals studied, and this reduction was proportional to the level of exertion. At the highest level of exercise that these animals would voluntarily perform, uterine artery blood flow fell by 32 +/- 3 (SE) % (P less than 0.001) from control. In four additional animals the radioactive microsphere technique was used to measure uterine blood flow at rest and after 5-7 min of exercise. In these animals, exercise caused total uterine blood flow to fall by 18 +/- 10%; cotyledonary (placental) blood flow fell by 8 +/- 13%, while myoendometrial blood flow decreased by 52 +/- 12% (P less than 0.05). Thus nonplacental portions of the pregnant Pygmy goat uterus suffer major reductions in blood flow during exercise. This vasoconstriction may be due to exercise per se or to concomitant hypocapnia or hyperthermia. Singleton and twin kids born to animals that exercised were of normal birth weight.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Ventilatory and metabolic responses to hypoxia in the smallest simian primate, the pygmy marmoset.

The pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) is the smallest New World Monkey (average body mass of 120-130 g). As such, it faces possible challenges to thermoregulation. Small mammals (e.g., rats) are well known to lower body temperature and metabolism in response to hypoxia; however, small primates have not been studied in this respect nor have, in general, the interactions between metabolism and ventilation. Because little is known about these responses in small primates, it seemed of great interest to assess the hypoxia-induced metabolic depression and drop in body temperature and the associated ventilatory requirements in this species under hypoxic conditions. Exposure to graded hypoxia (30 min at each of 18, 16, 14, 12, and 10% O(2)) caused body temperature to drop from the normoxic value of 39 to 37 degrees C. This was accompanied by a marked metabolic depression (O(2) consumption was approximately 68% of the normoxic value, implying a suppression of metabolism greater than that predicted from a typical value of the effect of 10 degrees C change on metabolism of 2-3 times). Minute ventilation declined in parallel to metabolism, maintaining a constant air-convection requirement during hypoxia; thus this species did not show the typical mammalian hyperventilation. Acute exposure to 10% O(2) led to a similar overall decline in metabolism and body temperature and qualitative differences in the timing of these changes. The pygmy marmoset shares some similarities in its hypoxic metabolic response with other mammals of similar size yet appears to be unique in its much diminished ventilatory response to hypoxia.

Animals↗

PubMed1980

Asynaptic behavior of X and Y chromosomes in the Virginia oppossum and the southern pygmy mouse.

The meiotic behavior of silver-stained X and Y chromosomes of the Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana, and the southern pygmy mouse, Baiomys musculus, was studied by light microscopy. While the sex chromosomes of these two species differ in both size and morphology, their meiotic behavior is very similar. In both species a typical sex vesicle is formed during pachytene, but unlike most other mammalian species thus far studied, a synaptonemal complex does not form between the X and Y chromosomes. During pachytene, variable modes of association of the ends of the sex chromosomes (both heterologous and autologous) are sometimes observed. During diplotene, diakinesis, and metaphase I, the X and Y rarely appear to be associated. In some pachytene nuclei of B. musculus, the single axis of the biarmed X chromosome folds back upon itself, and the telomeres form a close association. While synaptic pairing segments of the sex chromosomes of the Virginia opossum may be displaced by telomeric heterochromatin on the X, true pairing regions between the X and Y of the pygmy mouse may be lacking.

Animals↗

PubMed1979

Genetic variants of human glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in a Saharian and Pygmy family.

In two African communities, inhabitants of a Western Sahara oasis and Bi-Aka Pygmies (Central Africa), a genetic study of the distribution of G6PD phenotypes has been undertaken. Obtained data show the existence in both groups of slow electrophoretic variants with no enzyme deficiency or moderately reduced activity. Biochemical characterization of G6PD types was performed. In the Saharian family in which inheritance pattern of mutant G6PD was investigated, two alleles were found, the Negroid marker GdA- and Gd+Madrona, segregating among the different members. In the Pygmy family the Gd+Ibadan-Austin gene was detected. The incidence of these mutations in the groups studied, a comparison with similar G6PD variants observed in other African populations and the geographic distribution of these slow molecules are discussed in this paper.

Africa, Central↗

PubMed1978

Skeletal differences between pygmy (Pan paniscus) and common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Skeletal dimensions of pygmy (Pan paniscus) and common (Pan troglodytes) chimpanzees were compared. Significant differences were found in the clavicles, scapulae, pelvises, and in the humerus/femur and femur head/length ratios. No significant differences were observed in long bone lengths or talar breadths. There is extensive overlap in body weights, so that the observed differences cannot be accounted for by body size alone. We conclude that pygmy and common chimpanzees are morphologically distinct. Implications for hominoid evolution are discussed.

Animals↗