The effects of maternal exposure to lead (Pb) during the perinatal (1% and 0.1% Pb) periods of sexual brain differentiation were studied in adult male offspring. Maternal Pb levels were measured after treatment. Behavioral (open field and sexual behavior), physical (sexual maturation, body and organ weights), and biochemical (testosterone levels and hypothalamic monoamine and respective metabol...

Background: Proteins are known mainly based on their metabolic and nutritional functions including protein synthesis and a source of energy. In spite of various physiological properties attributed to proteins, their functions have neither been addressed by assessing quality of proteins nor by nutrition and dietetic practices. Methods: Studies were included if they were randomized animal studies...

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of metabolizable energy (ME) and protein of Japanese quails diets on offspring performance and antibody production against sheep red blood cell (SRBC). A total of 432 Japanese quails (13 week-old) were divided into nine treatments. Each treatment comprised four replicates of twelve birds (9 female and 3 male). Nine diets including three levels of ...

Background and Aim: The exchange of oxygen carbon dioxide (CO2) in the incubator plays a key role embryonic development hatching. This study aimed to effect non-ventilated (NV) intervals during early stage on hatching process. Materials Methods: Hatching eggs (n = 7200) were equally divided into four treatment groups incubated incubators. first group was normal ventilated condition (V) setting ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin E on reproductive and productive parameters in Japanese quails. A total number of 240 female and 80 male Japanese quail were divided into five treatments with four replications in a completely randomized design. Experimental diets were zero control, 30, 60, 120 and 240 mg kg-1 of vitamin E. Fertility and total hatchability wer...

BACKGROUND Environmental alternations leading to fetal programming of cardiovascular diseases in later life have been attributed to maternal factors. However, animal studies showed that paternal obesity may program cardio-metabolic diseases in the offspring. In the current study we tested the hypothesis that paternal BMI may be associated with fetal growth. METHODS AND RESULTS We analyzed the...

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of maternal diabetes on fetal spinal structure, especiallyin brachial enlargement. Sixteen adult female rats were divided into two groups. Diabetes was induced in one group by alloxan agent. Both groups became pregnant by natural matting. On days 7, 14, 21 and 28 after birth, the brachial enlargement of the spinal cord was collected from offsprin...

RATIONALE Greater levels of prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) have been associated with childhood obesity in epidemiological studies. However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that prenatal PAH over-exposure during gestation would lead to weight gain and increased fat mass in offspring and grand-offspring mice. Further, we hypothesized...

Parent-offspring birth weight correlations are presented by sex of parent and infant. They range from .14 to .16, except for the mother-daughter correlation, which is .32. This pattern of parent-offspring correlations varies when the parity of the infant, the size of the mother, and the mother's drinking and smoking status are considered. All parent-offspring correlations are higher when the in...

OBJECTIVE The offspring of mothers who had diabetes during pregnancy experience increased risk later of diabetes and obesity later. We hypothesized that, in light of the historical improvements in the management of diabetes during pregnancy, these late consequences of the early environment might be diminishing with time. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Birth weight and information on BMI and gluc...