Search

African sharptooth catfish, Clarias gariepinus, is a successful aquatic invader as it has a eurytopic physiology, is highly fecund, grows quickly and has an omnivorous diet. Despite possible threats that include predation of and competition with indigenous species, habitat degradation, and the spread of diseases and parasites, there is a lack of knowledge regarding its ecology and population dynamics within invaded systems. This study presents a mark– recapture experiment to investigate its population structure, natural mortality rate, population size and density within a population inhabiting a small, 76 ha invaded water supply reservoir in the temperate Eastern Cape region, South Africa. The adult population was found to be old (x = 12.0 ± 2.9 years) and male-dominated (1.768:19 for fish 100 cm TL) with its maximum age estimated at one year less than the age of the reservoir. Adult abundance and density (in terms of numbers and biomass) was relatively low at 1655 fish (CV = 18%), 94.32 kg/ha (CV = 18%) and 21.78 fish/ha (CV = 16%), respectively. The estimated mean natural mortality rate was high at 0.80/year (CV = 82%). The skewed length- and age-structure suggests that the adult population is dominated by the fish that were either the initial colonizers during the reservoir filling phase or were the first internally reproduced recruits. The predominance of old, large fish in the population is also probably suppressing recruitment of younger fish. Despite the population being small, the fish are mobile and feed aggressively. Manual removal using baited longlines could be a feasible removal method.African Zoology 45(2): 299–308 (October 2010)

Previous studies of the role of estrogen in primate luteolysis, designed to investigate the effects of estrogen antagonism or selective inhibition of luteal phase estrogen production on luteal function, have ignored the impact of such treatments on secretory endometrial development. We examined the effect of luteal phase estrogen antagonism on endometrial maturation and luteal function in six women. In each of two menstrual cycles in each woman, blood samples were obtained on alternate days from cycle days 3-9, daily until 1 day after the urinary LH surge (day 0), and again on alternate days until the onset of menses. In the second of each pair of cycles, clomiphene citrate (100 mg) was administered daily from 2 days after the LH surge until menses. Endometrial biopsy was performed 13 days after the LH surge in each cycle. Serum FSH, LH, estradiol, and progesterone (P) were measured by RIA. The endometrial histological date and concentration of cytosolic (C) and nuclear (N) estrogen (ER) and P (PR) receptors were determined. We found significant (P less than 0.05) increases in luteal phase serum FSH, LH, estradiol, and P levels in the clomiphene cycle compared to those in the control cycle. Endometrial histology was significantly (P less than 0.002) different during estrogen antagonism; a maturation delay of more than 2 days was found in all six women during the clomiphene cycle. Luteal phase duration was unchanged by clomiphene (P = 0.29). Endometrial ER-C [7.38 +/- 2.52 (+/- SEM) vs. 38.75 +/- 10.17 fmol/mg protein], ER-N (248 +/- 84 vs. 685 +/- 80 fmol/mg DNA), and PR-C (97 +/- 38 vs. 189 +/- 38 fmol/mg protein) were significantly lower (P less than 0.03) in the clomiphene cycle than in the control cycle, whereas PR-N was not different (P greater than 0.10). These data suggest that luteal phase estrogen 1) modulates endometrial PR and 2) plays an important role in secretory endometrial development.

Obese patients who voluntarily reduce to a normal weight may develop secondary amenorrhea. Six young women who dieted to lose from 13 to 50 pounds, including four from an obese weight, were evaluated because of absent cervical mucus ferning, hypoestrogenic vaginal smears, and failure to have withdrawal menses from a progestogen. Serum FSH values were normal in all, while four had normal serum LH and two had low serum LH levels. T4 and/or T3 uptake was normal in all. The pituitary-adrenal axis was apparently intact since baseline urinary steroids were normal as was the response to both ACTH and metyrapone. Fasting serum growth hormone was markedly elevated in two and slightly elevated in three, with the other patinet demonstrating an unusually high response to glucagon/propranolol in the 30 minute specimen. These endocrine findings are similar to those observed in patients with anorexia nervosa, but the weight loss is entirely voluntary and there was no associated psychiatric abnormality.

The number of mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics datasets in the public domain keeps increasing, particularly those generated by Data Independent Acquisition (DIA) approaches such as SWATH-MS. Unlike Data Dependent Acquisition datasets, the re-use of DIA datasets has been rather limited to date, despite its high potential, due to the technical challenges involved. We introduce a (re-)analysis pipeline for public SWATH-MS datasets which includes a combination of metadata annotation protocols, automated workflows for MS data analysis, statistical analysis, and the integration of the results into the Expression Atlas resource. Automation is orchestrated with Nextflow, using containerised open analysis software tools, rendering the pipeline readily available and reproducible. To demonstrate its utility, we reanalysed 10 public DIA datasets from the PRIDE database, comprising 1,278 SWATH-MS runs. The robustness of the analysis was evaluated, and the results compared to those obtained in the original publications. The final expression values were integrated into Expression Atlas, making SWATH-MS experiments more widely available and combining them with expression data originating from other proteomics and transcriptomics datasets.

Danazol is a synthetic steroid with antigonadotropic properties useful in treating endometriosis, especially in young infertile women. Prior to its availability for clinical use in September 1976, thyroid function studies other than thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which was normal, had not been reported. Soon after danazol began to be used in the infertility clinic to treat documented endometriosis, it was observed that changes occurred in thyroid function studies. While no patients manifested clinical evidence of hypothyroidism, all 8 patients receiving 800 mg of danazol daily for 1 to 5 months had laboratory evidence of decreased thyroid function. The triiodothyronine (T3) uptake was elevated and the total serum thyroxine (T4) was decreased. The finding that TSH and the free thyroid index (FTI) were normal confirmed that these patients were euthyroid during danazol therapy. The abnormality of thyroid function tests is believed to reflect an androgen-like reduction in thyroxine-binding protein rather than a true decrease in thyroid function or interference with the pituitary-thyroid axis.