To determine the characteristics of magnetic resonance (MR) signals of normal growing cartilage and identify the difference in transverse relaxation times between physeal and epiphyseal cartilage in vivo. 24 distal femora of 12 two-week-old piglets were imaged on a 1.5 Tesla GE MR scanner. Comparison was made between signal intensity on MR images and the structure shown in corresponding histologic sections. T2 values were measured in eight piglets by means of multiecho spin-echo sequences. Our results showed that MR imaging delineated five regions between the secondary ossification center and the metaphysis, which histologically correspond to the zone of provisional calcification of the secondary ossification center, physis of the secondary ossification center, epiphyseal cartilage, physis and zone of provisional calcification. The T2 value in the physeal cartilage was much larger than that in the epiphyseal cartilage (P<0.05). It is concluded that MRI findings could differentiate the different regions of growing cartilage. T2 is longer in physeal than in epiphyseal cartilage, perhaps reflecting differences in water binding by proteoglycans.
Animals, Newborn ; Femur/anatomy & histology ; Femur/growth & development ; Femur/metabolism ; Growth Plate/*anatomy & histology ; Growth Plate/*growth & development ; Growth Plate/metabolism ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Osteogenesis/physiology ; Swine

Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in establishing a behavior. An animal study was done to determine the characteristics of interaction between genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) factors. Delivery of footshocks (0.8 mA x 60 times, at random) early in life was used as the environmental stimulus. As the footshock was delivered repeatedly, a rat showed helplessness behavior and the number of shocks necessary to elicit helplessness was measured to quantify the trait of an animal in coping with the aversive environmental stimulus. The nocturnal ambulatory activity at adulthood was measured as a behavioral expression of the nature-nurture interaction. Although the experience of footshocks early in life did not significantly alter average activity levels at adulthood, the activity was positively correlated with the number of shocks necessary to elicit helplessness (nature) while receiving footshocks (nurture) on postnatal day 14. Additionally, a second exposure to identical shock parameters on postnatal day 21 reversed the relationship. These results clearly showed that an interaction between nature and nurture during infancy leads to substantial behavioral alterations later in life, and suggest that the nature-dependent determination of an adult behavior can be modified in different directions by the conditions of an environmental experience early in life.
Aging/physiology* ; Animal ; Animals, Newborn/physiology* ; Animals, Newborn/growth & development ; Electroshock* ; Foot* ; Motor Activity/physiology* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

To determine the characteristics of magnetic resonance (MR) signals of normal growing cartilage and identify the difference in transverse relaxation times between physeal and epiphyseal cartilage in vivo. 24 distal femora of 12 two-week-old piglets were imaged on a 1.5 Tesla GE MR scanner. Comparison was made between signal intensity on MR images and the structure shown in corresponding histologic sections. T2 values were measured in eight piglets by means of multiecho spin-echo sequences. Our results showed that MR imaging delineated five regions between the secondary ossification center and the metaphysis, which histologically correspond to the zone of provisional calcification of the secondary ossification center, physis of the secondary ossification center, epiphyseal cartilage, physis and zone of provisional calcification. The T2 value in the physeal cartilage was much larger than that in the epiphyseal cartilage (P<0.05). It is concluded that MRI findings could differentiate the different regions of growing cartilage. T2 is longer in physeal than in epiphyseal cartilage, perhaps reflecting differences in water binding by proteoglycans.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Femur ; anatomy & histology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Growth Plate ; anatomy & histology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Osteogenesis ; physiology ; Swine

TrkA is essential components of the high-affinity NGF receptor necessary to mediate biological effects of the neurotrophins NGF. Here we report on the expression of trkA in the cerebral cortex and diencephalon of mongolian gerbils during postnatal development. The expression of trkA was identified by immunohistochemical method. In parietal cortex and piriform cortex, higher levels of trkA-IR (immunoreactivity) were detected at 3 days postnatal (P3) and at P9. Although trkA was not expressed till P3 in the parietal cortex, it was detectable at birth in the piriform cortex. Several regions, such as Layers I, IV & VI, did not show much expression. Layer I showed especially weak labeling. In the hippocampus, thalamus, and hypothalamus, higher levels of trkA-IR were detected at P6 and P12 than earlier days. But trkA was not expressed at birth in the hippocampus, at P3 in the reticular thalamic nucleus (Rt), or neonatally in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DM). This data shows that expression of trkA is developmentally regulated and suggests that high affinity neurotrophin-receptors mediate a transient response to neurotrophines in the cerebral cortex and diencephalon during mongolian gerbil brain ontogeny.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Cerebral Cortex/*metabolism ; Diencephalon/*metabolism ; Gerbillinae/*metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry/veterinary ; Nerve Growth Factor/metabolism ; Receptor, trkA/*metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To study the role of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) in pulmonary vascular remodeling in neonatal rats with hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) by regulating survivin (SVV). METHODS: A total of 96 neonatal rats were randomly divided into three groups: HPH+VEGF-A group, HPH group, and control group. Each group was further randomly divided into 3-, 7-, 10-, and 14-day subgroups ( RESULTS: The HPH group had a significantly higher mean RVSP than the control and HPH+VEGF-A groups at each time point ( CONCLUSIONS Prophylactic intratracheal administration of exogenous VEGF-A in neonatal rats with HPH can inhibit pulmonary vascular remodeling and reduce pulmonary arterial pressure by upregulating the expression of SVV in the early stage of hypoxia. This provides a basis for the interventional treatment of pulmonary vascular remodeling in neonatal HPH.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/etiology* ; Hypoxia ; Pulmonary Artery ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Vascular Remodeling

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of intrauterine hypoxia on the development of rat lung after birth under ordinary pressure and normoxia, on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the lung as the age increasing after birth, and to provide experimental basis for the treatment of intrauterine hypoxia after baby was born. METHODS: Intrauterine hypoxia models were established. The rats were divided into an air-control group (the control group) and a hypoxic 6-day group (the hypoxic group). All rats were fed under normal pressure and normoxia after they were born. At postnatal 7, 14, and 21 days, we measured the pulmonary vascular morphometry, detected the expression of VEGF protein with immunohistochemisty, the expression of VEGF mRNA with real-time PCR, and observed the alteration of capillary endothelium in the lung tissues under the electron microscope. RESULTS: The expression of VEGF protein and VEGF mRNA in the 2 groups increased as the rats grew, but the expression increased slower in the hypoxic group than that in the control group. The increase curve of the 2 groups crossed. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the pulmonary vascular morphometry at each experiment time point. Hyperplasia of capillary endothelium decreased with age. Cellular edema of capillary endothelium was obvious especially at the 14th day after birth under the electron microscope. CONCLUSION The expression of VEGF protein and VEGF mRNA has slower increase in the intrauterine hypoxic rats than that in the normal control rats. The expression of VEGF may influence the development of lung vessel after rats was born.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Endothelium, Vascular ; pathology ; Hypoxia ; Lung ; blood supply ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; Rats ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of excessive fluoride on type I collagen in rat developmental dentine.

METHODSEighty SD rats, 5 days old, were divided into experimental and control groups, 40 in each group. The experimental group received subcutaneous injection of 0.2% NaF every 4 days (the dose was 2 mg NaF per kg body wt). The same volume of 0.9% NaCl was used in the control. Twenty rats in each group were killed 4 days after the second and the seventh injection respectively. The expression of type I collagen was assayed with immunohistochemical technique.

RESULTS4 out of 20 rats after two injections showed abnormal distribution of type I collagen (dense stain of collagen in the odontoblast, aggregation of collagen in the dentine and disordered arrangement of collagen in the predentine; All 20 rats after seven injections showed abnormal distribution of type I collagen.

CONCLUSIONExcessive fluoride may affect the metabolism of type I collagen in rat developmental dentine.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Collagen Type I ; analysis ; Dentin ; chemistry ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Fluorides ; toxicity ; Immunohistochemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Bifidobacterium ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; microbiology ; Liver Function Tests ; Parenteral Nutrition ; methods ; Rabbits

Intestinal tract, which produces more than fifty kinds of gut peptides, is regarded as the largest endocrine organ. With regard to the gut peptides, a number of studies were focused on their structure, function and the roles in some diseases. The changes in output or distribution of gut peptides in the intestinal tract during development have been largely unknown. This study was aimed to investigate the changes of somatostatin (SST) and somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) in small intestinal and hepatic tissues during the development of macaque. The tissue samples of small intestine, liver or blood samples from peripheral and portal vein of 4 macaques in 6-month fetus, 2-day neonate, 45-day neonate and adult were obtained after anesthetization. The concentrations of SST in blood or tissues of macaques were measured by radioimmunoassay. The distributions of SST in small intestinal or hepatic tissues were visualized by immunohistochemical staining. The expression of SSTR2 was detected by in situ hybridization. SST concentration of intestinal tissue in 6-month-old macaque was (27.3+/-16.6) ng /mg protein and light positive staining of SST was localized in mucosal crypts but negative in muscle layer. The intestinal concentration of SST increased gradually with macaque development and reached to the peak [(120.1+/-35.3) ng /mg protein] in adult. It was significantly higher than that in fetus (P<0.01). Strong positive staining of SST was found in both mucosal crypts and myenteric nerve plexus of adult animal. SSTR2 was obviously expressed in intestinal epithelium of fetus but its expression was greatly reduced in epithelium and was shifted to mucosal crypts when grown to adult. Negative staining of SSTR2 in muscle layer of fetal or neonatal macaque turned to be positive in myenteric nerve plexus of adult. The levels of SST or SSTR2 in liver decreased gradually during development. SST concentrations of small intestinal tissue kept significantly higher than those of hepatic tissues in the macaque developing stages. SST levels of portal vein were also maintained significantly higher than those of peripheral blood in the macaque developing stages. In conclusion, the level of SST and expression of SSTR2 in mucosal crypt increased gradually with macaque development. SST from intestinal tract was quickly degraded in portal vein before entering into liver. SST positive myenteric nerve plexus was visualized only in mature macaque.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Fetus ; Intestine, Small ; metabolism ; Liver ; metabolism ; Macaca mulatta ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Male ; Receptors, Somatostatin ; metabolism ; Somatostatin ; metabolism

Little is known about the factors that control the initiation of growth of primordial follicles. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of c-erbB₂ on the onset of primordial follicle development, and whether c-erbB₂ mediates the effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in this process. We synthesized three pairs of siRNAs targeting the c-erbB₂ mRNA and transferred them into the newborn rat ovary cultured in vitro with Metafectene. After siRNAs transfection, the efficiency of siRNAs was tested by examining c-erbB₂ mRNA and protein levels. The level of c-erbB₂ mRNA was reduced by 49.6%, 46.7% and 82.6% respectively after transfecting siRNA1, siRNA2 and siRNA3, and the level of ErbB₂ protein also reduced remarkably after siRNA3 transfection. c-erbB₂ siRNA3 significantly inhibited the primordial follicle initiation and development; EGF augmented primordial follicles formation, but the effect was abolished by c-erbB₂ siRNA3. All of these results suggest that c-erbB₂ plays an important role in primordial follicle development and folliculogenesis initiation, and mediates the effect of EGF on primordial follicle development.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Female ; Organ Culture Techniques ; Ovarian Follicle ; growth & development ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Rats ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; physiology