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The sea otter ( Enhydra lutris) is a popular exhibit animal in many zoos and aquariums worldwide. Captive sea otters from these populations are owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS). The USFWS has requested that these sea otters be prevented from breeding in order to save captive space for wild rescued animals. Sea otters are often housed in mixed sex groups, therefore a chemical contraceptive method or surgical removal of gonads must be used to prevent potential pregnancy. The contraceptive, Suprelorin® or deslorelin, has been used in many different species to effectively suppress reproduction but duration of effect may vary not only between species but also individuals. Here, we report the effects of one to several consecutive deslorelin implants on gonadal reproductive hormones found in fecal samples from six captive sea otters (two males and four females) compared to two control otters (one male and one female) housed at three zoological institutions. We documented the longitudinal hormone signatures of many stages of the contraceptive cycle including pretreatment ( PT), stimulatory phase ( S), effective contraception ( EC), and hormone reversal ( HR) that was characterized by a return to normal hormone levels. Deslorelin was found to be an effective contraceptive in sea otters and was found to be reversible documented by a live birth following treatment, however the duration of suppression in females was much longer than expected with a 6-month and a 1-year implant lasting between 3 and 4 years in females. Zoo Biol. 32:307-315, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents North American zoos began using melengestrol acetate ( MGA) implants to control reproduction in wild felids in the mid-1970s. Research linking MGA and other progestin-based contraceptives to uterine and mammary pathology in canids as well as felids resulted in a shift to Gn RH agonist implants (Suprelorin®: deslorelin, Peptech Animal Health, Australia). However, a recent study revealed an association between Suprelorin® and uterine pathology in canids, but that pathology was not found in canids treated with oral megestrol acetate ( MA) for 2 weeks around the time of implant insertion to prevent the initial agonist stimulation phase. Thus, the AZA Wildlife Contraception Center ( WCC) currently recommends Suprelorin® plus the 2-week MA regimen for wild canids and felids. WCC research is now focusing on factors affecting Suprelorin® reversibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The authors carried out a genomewide linkage scan to identify chromosomal regions likely to contain genes that contribute to susceptibility to recurrent early-onset major depressive disorder, the form of the disorder with the greatest reported risk to relatives of index cases.Method: Microsatellite DNA markers were studied in 656 families with two or more such cases (onset before age 31 in probands and age 41 in other relatives), including 1,494 informative "all possible" affected relative pairs (there were 894 independent affected sibling pairs). Analyses included a primary multipoint allele-sharing analysis (with ALLEGRO) and a secondary logistic regression analysis taking the sex of each relative pair into account (male-male, male-female, female-female).Results: Genomewide suggestive evidence for linkage was observed on chromosome 15q25-q26 (at 105.4 centimorgans [cM]). The authors previously reported genomewide significant linkage in this region in the first 297 families. In the secondary analysis, after empirical genomewide correction for multiple testing, suggestive linkage results were observed on chromosome 17p12 (28.0 cM, excess sharing in male-male and male-female pairs) and on chromosome 8p22-p21.3 (25.1 cM, excess sharing in male-male pairs).Conclusions: These regions of chromosomes 15q, 17p, and 8p might contain genes that contribute to susceptibility to major depression and related disorders. Evidence for linkage has been reported independently in the same regions of chromosome 15q for major depression and of chromosome 8p for related personality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to safely and effectively manage reproduction is central to the success of AZA captive-breeding programs. Although the AZA Wildlife Contraception Center routinely monitors contraceptive safety, there have been no studies that compare the effects of contraceptive use to separation of males from females, the other option for preventing reproduction. We used retrospective medical records and pathology reports submitted by AZA and related facilities for the seven AZA-managed canid species to assess rates of uterine pathology relative to female reproductive life histories. Our results showed that the prevalence of both pyometra and endometrial hyperplasia (EH) was associated not only with treatment with the two most common contraceptives (Suprelorin® and MGA implants) but also with the number of years barren (i.e., not producing a litter and not contracepted). Rates of pyometra and EH were especially high in African painted dogs and red wolves, but lowest in swift and fennec foxes. The number of years producing a litter had a low association, suggesting it could be protective against uterine pathology. A more recently developed Suprelorin® protocol using Ovaban® to prevent the initial stimulation phase, followed by implant removal when reversal is desired, may be a safer contraceptive option. These results concerning the relationship between reproductive management and uterine health have important implications for AZA-managed programs, since the unsustainability of many captive populations may be due at least in part to infertility. Managing a female's reproductive lifespan to optimize or maintain fertility will require a reconsideration of how breeding recommendations are formulated., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Florida's coasts have been transformed over the past three decades as population growth and unprecedented demand for individual shore access to bays and estuaries led to the creation of residential canal developments. Thousands of miles of channels and basins were dredged as a by-product of this urbanization process. The navigable waterways that resulted are now being stressed by increasing boat traffic and canal-side activities. Recognizing their common goal to preserve the recreational and ecological value of southwest Florida waterways, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the four-county West Coast Inland Navigation District, and the University of Florida Sea Grant College Program signed a Memorandum of Agreement. The signatories agreed to develop a science-based Regional Waterway Management System (RWMS), which is a new approach to waterway planning and permitting based on carefully mapped channel depths, a census of actual boat populations, and the spatial extent of natural resources. The RWMS provides a comprehensive, regional overview of channel conditions and the geographic distribution and severity of existing impediments to safe navigation and resource protection. RWMS information and analyses result in regional-scale permitting to accommodate water-dependent uses while minimizing environmental impacts and reducing public expenditures. Compared with traditional approaches to waterway management, the science-based RWMS is relatively unbiased, objective, transparent, ecologically sound, and fiscally prudent.

A genome scan was performed on the first phase sample of the Genetics of Recurrent Early-Onset Depression (GenRED) project. The sample consisted of 297 informative families containing 415 independent affected sibling pairs (ASPs), or, counting all possible pairs, 685 informative affected relative pairs (555 ASPs and 130 other pair types). Affected cases had recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) with onset before age 31 years for probands or age 41 years for other affected relatives; the mean age at onset was 18.5 years, and the mean number of depressive episodes was 7.3. The Center for Inherited Disease Research genotyped 389 microsatellite markers (mean spacing of 9.3 cM). The primary linkage analysis considered allele sharing in all possible affected relative pairs with the use of the Z(lr) statistic computed by the ALLEGRO program. A secondary logistic regression analysis considered the effect of the sex of the pair as a covariate. Genomewide significant linkage was observed on chromosome 15q25.3-26.2 (Zlr=4.14, equivalent LOD = 3.73, empirical genomewide P=.023). The linkage was not sex specific. No other suggestive or significant results were observed in the primary analysis. The secondary analysis produced three regions of suggestive linkage, but these results should be interpreted cautiously because they depended primarily on the small subsample of 42 male-male pairs. Chromosome 15q25.3-26.2 deserves further study as a candidate region for susceptibility to MDD.

This is an initial report on a six-site collaborative project, Genetics of Recurrent Early-Onset Depression (GenRED). This is a study of a large sample of families with recurrent major depressive disorder (DSM-IV) beginning by the age 30 in probands or 40 in relatives. Evidence suggests that early onset and recurrence of depressive episodes predict substantially increased risk of depression in first-degree relatives compared with the general population, suggesting that susceptibility genes might be mapped with this phenotype. The projected sample of 800-1,000 affected sibling pairs (ASPs) and other relatives will be studied using genome scan methods. Biological materials and blinded clinical data will be made available through the NIMH cell repository program. The sample should have good-to-excellent power to detect a locus associated with a 24% or greater population-wide increase in risk to siblings. We describe 838 affected individuals from the first 305 families containing 434 independent ASPs, or 613 ASPs counting all possible pairs. The mean age at the onset was 18.5 years, with a mean of 7.3 episodes and longest episode of 655 days. Almost all subjects had experienced at least 4 weeks of depression with five or more additional symptom criteria. Frequencies of symptoms and psychiatric and medical comorbid are provided. Substance use was more common in males, and panic disorder in females. Within pairs of affected siblings, correlations were significant for age at onset, substance abuse/dependence, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and nicotine initiation and persistence. We replicated previously reported associations among comorbid panic disorder and social phobia, chronicity of depression and suicidal behavior. This suggests comparability of our cases to those in earlier large family studies. This dataset should prove useful for genetic studies of a highly familial form of major depressive disorder., (Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Effects of vagotomy on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) protein and mRNA levels in the dorsal motor nucleus of vagus (DMV) and nucleus ambiguus (NA) of rats were examined by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) staining, brain NOS (bNOS) immunostaining and in situ hybridization. NADPH-d staining and bNOS immunoreactivity increased in neurons of the ipsilateral DMV and NA 5, 10, and 20 days after vagotomy. These changes were not observed in unoperated or sham-operated rats. In situ hybridization showed that bNOS mRNA levels were also elevated in neurons of DMV and NA on the operated side. Our results suggest that transection of vagal efferents up-regulates bNOS and its mRNA expression in the DMV and NA.

Systemic arterial pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were not detectably different from control rats prior to 3 weeks of age. Arterial pressure was elevated in SHR at 4 weeks compared to Wistar-Kyoto rats. Thus, the term 'prehypertensive stage' should probably be reserved for animals less than 1 month of age when this model is examined.

This study examined the role of the anteroventral third ventricle (AV3V) in the renin-dependent two-kidney, one-clip model of renal hypertension. AV3V lesion and sham lesion rats were subjected to the placement of a clip on one renal artery or a sham operation. The sham lesion-renal artery clip rats experienced an increase in systolic blood pressure; however, AV3V lesioned animals experienced only a transient rise in arterial pressure during the 1st wk after clip. Body fluid regulation studies during the course of the hypertension revealed that there were no differences in water intake and urine volume between the lesion- and sham lesion-renal artery clip animals. Although significantly greater plasma and blood volumes were demonstrated in the AV3V lesion-sham clip rats compared with sham lesion animals, no differences in vascular volumes were detected in the renal artery clip rats. Finally, the rats were water deprived for 3 days to maximally stimulate vasopressin release. Urine osmolality increased significantly in all groups of rats except the AV3V lesion-renal artery clip animals protected against the hypertension.