Reproductive immunology in viviparous mammals: evolutionary paradox of interactions among immune mechanisms and autologous or allogeneic gametes and semiallogeneic foetuses

Literally, reproductive immunology was born in bovine on-farm reproduction where seminal experiments intended for developing methods for embryo transfer in cattle were performed. Actually, these experiments led to two of major concepts and fundamental principles of reproductive immunology using the bovine species as a model for biomedical research, namely the concept of acquired immunological tolerance and the paradox of the semiallogeneic bovine foetus whereby such organism can develop within an immunologically competent host. Peter Medawar, a scientist who together with Frank Macfarlande Burnet shared the 1960 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discovery of acquired immunological tolerance, while studying dizygotic cattle twins, thereby giving birth to reproductive immunology. Also, these findings significantly influenced development of organ transplants and showed that using farm animals as models for studying transplantation immunology had general relevance for mammalian biology and health including those of humans. However, the interest for further research of the fascinating maternal immune influences on pregnancy and perinatal outcomes and of the prevention and treatment of immunologically mediated reproductive disorders in viviparous mammals of veterinary relevance by veterinary immunologists and reproductive clinicians have been very scarce regarding the application of nonspecific immunomodulatory agents for prevention and treatment of subfertility and infertility in pigs and cattle, but still broadening knowledge in this area and hold great potential for improving such therapy in the future. The aim of the current overview is to provide up-to-date information and explaining/translating relevant immunology phenomena into veterinary practice for specialists and scientists/clinicians in reproduction of animals.

Q fever outbreak in the village of Noćaj, Srem county, Vojvodina province, Serbia, January to February 2012

From 27 January to 10 February 2012, a total of 43 cases of Q fever were notified in the village of No?aj, Srem county, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia. Q fever was laboratory confirmed in 37 notified cases. Alhough, the outbreak is considered over, the outbreak investigation is still ongoing in order to identify aetiologic factors relevant for this outbreak.

Q fever outbreak in the village of Noćaj, Srem County, Vojvodina Province, Serbia, January to February 2012

From 27 January to 10 February 2012, a total of 43 cases of Q fever were notified in the village of Noćaj, Srem county, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia. Q fever was laboratory confirmed in 37 notified cases. Alhough, the outbreak is considered over, the outbreak investigation is still ongoing in order to identify aetiologic factors relevant for this outbreak.

Effects of peroral insulin and glucose on circulating insulin-like growth factor-1, its binding proteins and thyroid hormones in neonatal calves

There is disagreement in the literature about the ability of neonatal calves to absorb perorally administered insulin. This study evaluated the absorption of a bolus of insulin administered alone or with an energy souce and its effects on the circulating insulin-like growth factor system and thyroid hormones in newborn Holstein-Friesian calves. Within 1 h of dosing, mean serum insulin and triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations had increased considerably, whether the insulin was applied alone (n = 4) or together with glucose (n = 4), accompanied by marked hypoglycemia. No significant changes were observed in control calves (n = 4) given the vehicle solution. Increased serum glucose and T3 concentrations with no change in insulinemia occurred in a 4th group of calves given glucose alone. At 32 h of age and after 3 meals of colostrum there were no differences in glycemia, insulinemia, or proteinemia among the 4 groups of calves examined. Mean serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) tended to decrease over this period in the control group. The decrease was more pronounced in the insulin-treated group but absent in both groups that received glucose. These differences were associated with equivalent differences in abundance of the 40-45K IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3); however, lower molecular mass IGFBPs were not affected. The results show that a pharmacological peroral dose of insulin can lead to rapid systemic alterations in the IGF/IGFBP system in neonatal calves that can be modified by simultaneous administration of a small energy supply in the form of glucose.

[Levels of dihydroxyvitamin D3 and hydroxyvitamin D in patients with chronic renal insufficiency]

According to the aim of our research to find a regulatory of changes of the serum levels of 1.25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 and 25 OH D vitamin, we examined their serum concentration in 43 among 100 pts. with normal and impaired renal function with different stages of chronic renal failure (CRF). In all of 100 pts. we measured plasma phosphate and calcium concentration and endogenous creatinine clearance. The results of our research showed homeostasis abnormalities in all of parameters we examined. We found out that the serum 1.25 (OH)2 D3 levels decreased in early course of CRF, hypovitaminosis occurred when glomerular filtration rate reaches values equal or less than 50.7 ml/min. Hypovitaminosis of 25 OH D expressed in end-stage of CRF, while hyperphosphatemia was commonly seen in moderate CRF, when GFR became less than 28.6 ml/min. Hypocalcemia obtained when GFR was equal or less than 47.7 ml/min.

[Disorders of phosphate, calcium and magnesium ion metabolism in chronic renal insufficiency]

In hundred patients with different stages of renal functional damage, including the controls of healthy persons we examined the disturbances of phosphate, calcium and magnesium ion metabolism during chronic renal failure (CRF) progression. We also determined the serum levels of regulatory substances, parathormone and 1.25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 in 43 pts. grouped according to their group, sex, age average and season (autumn-winter) distribution. We established actual renal compensatory mechanisms for all of substances we determined, which were involved in homeostasis preservation of those substances. Some characteristic changes in plasma substance concentration and renal mechanisms of their regulation during CRF progression, suggest the following conclusions. No substances have preserved body homeostasis, although renal compensatory mechanism were expressed by different size for any of them. Those disturbances very tightly correlate with the stage of renal functional deterioration, as well as the serum parathormone rising and serum 1.25 DHHC decreasing.

[Pathogenic mechanisms of importance for the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal insufficiency]

Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a complex pathophysiologic event which we examined in hundred patients Sixteen of them belonged to the control with normal renal function, and the rest of them were categorised into four subgroups according to the actual level of chronic renal failure, determined by GFR a.i. by endogenous creatinine clearance. We determined the serum level of parathormone (C-PTH) and plasma concentration of phosphate and calcium in all of patients. In 43 of them we measured serum level of 1.25 dihydroxycholecalcipherol and ionised calcium. Our results suggested an important parallelism between parathormone hypersecretion (GFR +/- 58.3 ml/min), 1.25 dihydroxycholecalcipherol hypovitaminosis (GFR +/- 50.7 ml/min) and hypocalcemia (GFR +/- 47.7 ml/min) which connect them in very strong relationship. Even if secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure is caused by numerous factors, it appears that the hypovitaminosis of 1.25 dihydroxycholecalcipherol with consequent hypocalcemia and phosphate retention acts as a main movement of this complex pathophysiology mechanism.

Anaphylactic shock-induced conditioned taste aversion. II. Correlation between taste aversion and indicators of anaphylactic shock

Previous studies (V. J. Djurić, B. M. Marković, M. Lazarević, & B. D. Janković, 1987, in B. D. Janković, B. M. Marković, & N. H. Spector (Eds.), Neuroimmune interactions, pp. 561-568, New York: New York Acad. Sci.; B. M. Marković, V. J. Djurić, M. Lazarević, & B. D. Janković, 1988, Brain Behav. Immun. 2, 11-23) have shown that rats learn to associate the taste of saccharin with the induction of anaphylactic shock, thus exhibiting conditioned taste aversion (CTA) toward an otherwise preferred saccharin solution. The present experiment investigates the effect of unconditioned stimulus intensity (the amount of antigen used for the induction of shock) on CTA. Rats were sensitized to ovalbumin and subjected to a conditioning trial in which the conditioned stimulus (CS; saccharin solution given orally) signaled the presentation of the unconditioned stimulus (US; shocking doses of ovalbumin ranging from 0.5 to 3 mg given intraperitoneally). Behavioral signs, hematocrit, and rectal temperature were used for evaluation of anaphylactic shock. Twenty-four hours after the conditioning trial, rats were subjected to a two-bottle preference test between saccharin solution and water. Multiple regression statistical analysis revealed significant correlations among saccharin preference ratio, dose of antigen used for the induction of shock, behavioral signs of shock, rise in hematocrit, and fall in rectal temperature. A dose-dependent relation among saccharin preference ratio and physiological indicators of shock suggests that conditioned anaphylactic shock-induced avoidance behavior is functionally related to homeostatic factors involved in immune reactivity.

Anaphylactic shock-induced conditioned taste aversion. I. Demonstration of the phenomenon by means of three modes of CS-US presentation

A series of three experiments was conducted to investigate whether an anaphylactic response could induce a conditioned modification of behavior. Rats sensitized to ovalbumin were subjected to a conditioning trial in which the conditioned stimulus (CS; saccharin solution) signaled the presentation of the unconditioned stimulus (US; shocking dose of ovalbumin), eliciting the unconditioned response (UR; anaphylactic shock). In a subsequent two-bottle preference test, immunized rats given a CS-US pairing developed a conditioned taste aversion toward an otherwise preferred saccharin solution. The phenomenon of anaphylactic shock-induced conditioned taste aversion was found to be robust and resistant to extinction during the 6-day test period and was established employing three modes of CS-US presentation: (a) CS po, US ip; (b) CS po, US iv; and (c) CS iv, US iv. The most effective mode of CS-US presentation for producing anaphylactic shock-induced taste aversion was observed in Experiment 1 (CS po, US ip). Thus, aversive manifestations of anaphylactic shock can serve as afferent signals by which the immune system informs the central nervous system which in turn modulates behavior.

Short-term liquid storage of ram semen in various extenders

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of three extenders on ram sperm quality after short-term liquid storage (24 hours’ holding time). The study included 20 crossbred rams (Pirot Pramenka x Wurttemberg x Ile de France), 12 months old. Animals were housed at the experimental sheep farm of the Institute for Animal Husbandry in Belgrade, Serbia. Semen was collected through electro ejaculation. The ejaculates were obtained from single services and routine field analysis of the semen was performed immediately after the collection. The semen was split and diluted with three extenders, namely Optidyl®, Andromed® and ultrahigh temperature processed (UHT) milk, in ratios of 1 : 50 or 1 : 100. The ejaculates were examined for sperm motility variables (sperm cell motility percentage, the progressive motility percentage, curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight line velocity (VSL), average path velocity (VAP), sperm linearity (LIN), straightness (STR), amplitude of lateral sperm head displacement (ALH), beat cross frequency (BCF) and circular tracks), and sperm morphology (live sperm percentage, percentage of normal sperm forms with intact acrosome, percentage of abnormal sperm forms and total damaged acrosome) by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) and classic sperm cytology after supravital eosin/nigrosine/trypan blue staining, respectively. It was observed that the type of extender used in diluting ram semen is an important factor in the successful short-term liquid preservation (at 4 °C) of ram spermatozoa. In conclusion, this study showed that egg yolk (Optidyl) and soybean (Andromed)-based extenders gave better results of both sperm morphology and sperm motility parameters compared with UHT milk.Keywords: Diluents, morphology, motility, sperm