The effect of clomiphene citrate and estradiol on body weight,vaginal cornification,and uterine weight after chronic treatment of ovarlectomized rats

Summary Clomiphene reduced the body weight gain of ovariectomized rats to a much greater degree than extradiol did. Estradiol had a more pronounced effect on vaginal cornification and uterine weight than clomiphene did.Acknowledgment. The work was supported by USPHS Grant AM-08029-6 awarded to Dr W. J. Bo. The support and guidance of Dr Bo is gratefully acknowledged. The clomiphene citrate was generously supplied by the Wm. S. Merrell Co., and the estradiol by Ciba Pharmaceutical Co.     

Effect of maternal under-nutrition on pup body weight and hypothalamic endocannabinoid levels

Dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are known to influence brain levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide in newborn pigs and mice. Furthermore, endocannabinoids were shown to control pup suckling and body weight in mice, and food intake in adult rodents. Here we determined the effect of maternal under-nutrition during gestation, lactation, or both, on body weight, and on the levels of endocannabinoids and expression of cannabinoid CB₁ receptors and fatty acid amide hydrolase in the hypothalamus of rat pups at weaning (21 days old) or adult rats (4 months old). Maternal under-nutrition resulted in a striking decrease in body weight of weaning rats, paralleled by a decrease in the hypothalamic levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide, but not of 2-arachidonoylglycerol. No significant change in the hypothalamic expression of either cannabinoid CB₁ receptors or fatty acid amide hydrolase mRNA was detected in any of the three groups of weaned pups. The decrease in pup body weight and hypothalamic anandamide levels was not observable in 4-month-old rats from any of the three groups. These data suggest that maternal under-nutrition causes a decrease in hypothalamic anandamide levels and loss of body weight, and confirm a crucial role for endocannabinoid signalling in neonatal development. Received 4 November 2002; received after revision 29 November 2002; accepted 16 December 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author.     

Effects of environmental temperature-humidity and cage density on body weight and behavior in mice

Zusammenfassung Es wurden Mäuse des C3H/HeJ-Stammes nach Entwöhnung bis zum Alter von 125 Tagen unter verschiedenen Umweltbedingungen wie Temperatur, relative Luftfeuchtigkeit und Käfigdichte aufgezogen. Je höher Temperatur, relative Luftfeuchtigkeit und je grösser die Käfigdichte, um so grösser waren die Körpergewichtsverluste. Umwelttemperatur, Feuchtigkeit und Käfigdichte beeinflussten zusammen das Überleben der Mäuse nach Schwimmen.     

Continuous isolated spleen weight registration

Zusammenfassung Es wird gezeigt, dass für die Messung der Gewichtsänderung der isolierten, durchströmten Hundemilz, die Registrierung mittels eines «Displacement transducer» eine präzise volumometrische Auswertung erlaubt.

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This work was supported by a grant from the Fund for Collective Fundamental Research (Belgium).     

Combining forecasts using optimal combination weight and generalized autoregression

In this paper, we consider a combined forecast using an optimal combination weight in a generalized autoregression framework. The generalized autoregression provides not only a combined forecast but also an optimal combination weight for combining forecasts. By simulation, we find that short‐ and medium‐horizon (as well as partly long‐horizon) forecasts from the generalized autoregression using the optimal combination weight are more efficient than those from the usual autoregression in terms of the mean‐squared forecast error. An empirical application with US gross domestic product confirms the simulation result. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Brain weight in homing and ‘non-homing’ pigeons

Summary Homing pigeons show a 5% higher brain weight than fantails and strassers. This difference is statistically significant and independent of body size. There are no allometric differences in the eye weights.     

Molecular weight of bovine growth hormone

Zusammenfassung Das Molekulargewicht des Rinder-wachstumshormons wurde mittels Gelfiltration in Sephadex, Sedimentationsgeschwindigkeit und Diffusionsmessungen bestimmt: 19,800±700 und 20,800±400 bzw.     

Similarities between metallothionein and low molecular weight testicular cadmium-binding protein

Summary The incorporation of³⁵S-cysteine and³H-glutamic acid was studied in mouse hepatic and renal metallothionein and in testicular cadmium-binding protein of similar molecular weight. Preferential incorporation of³⁵S-cysteine over³H-glutamic acid was observed not only in hepatic and renal metallothionein, but also in testicular cadmium-binding protein. When the antigenic reactivity of these proteins was compared, all three proteins reacted with the metallothionein antibody. These similarities suggest that the low molecular weight testicular cadmium-binding protein is apparently metallothionein.     

Similarities between metallothionein and low molecular weight testicular cadmium-binding protein

The incorporation of 35S-cysteine and 3H-glutamic acid was studied in mouse hepatic and renal metallothionein and in testicular cadmium-binding protein of similar molecular weight. Preferential incorporation of 35S-cysteine over 3H-glutamic acid was observed not only in hepatic and renal metallothionein, but also in testicular cadmium-binding protein. When the antigenic reactivity of these proteins was compared, all three proteins reacted with the metallothionein antibody. These similarities suggest that the low molecular weight testicular cadmium-binding protein is apparently metallothionein.     

Correlation of song frequency and body weight in passerine birds

Summary Frequency analysis of the songs of 90 European passerine species shown a correlation with body weight. In a number of species a dependence on habitat was found.     

Molecular weight of human alpha2-H-ferroglobulin subunits. Comparison with molecular weight of ferritin subunits]

alpha2 H globulin, a glycoferroprotein, was first demonstrated in the sera of patients with malignant diseases. This protein was isolated from cancerous human liver, and compared with ferritin, a ferroprotein showing some identical properties (presence of iron, high molecular weight, common antigenic determinants). However, physicochemical differences were observed between these two proteins. The study of protein dissociation was performed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate after reduction by mercaptoethanol. A similar molecular weight of 19 000 is obtained for subunits of these two proteins. This value agrees well with the results obtained by other authors for ferritin.