After reading the title of this chapter you might conclude that this is an odd area of investigation, maybe even trivial to human behavior. The sense of smell is given a great deal of importance in non-human animal interactions, including parent-offspring relationships and mating. Often when we think of odors we think of something unpleasant or something to be avoided. However, the sense of sme...

The colostrum trypsin inhibitor (CTI) gene and transcript were cloned from the Cape fur seal mammary gland and CTI identified by in silico analysis of the Pacific walrus and polar bear genomes (Order Carnivora), and in marine and terrestrial mammals of the Orders Cetartiodactyla (yak, whales, camel) and Perissodactyla (white rhinoceros). Unexpectedly, Weddell seal CTI was predicted to be a pseu...

The serum levels of calcium (Ca) and phosphate are maintained higher in the fetus than in the pregnant mother, especially in late gestation, to meet the demands of fetal bone development. In order to maintain this fetal stage-specific mineral homeostasis, the placenta plays a critical role through active transcellular mineral transport. Although the molecular mechanism of transplacental Ca tran...

Survival of many altricial animals critically depends on the sense of smell. Curiously, the olfactory system is rather immature at birth and undergoes a maturation process, which is poorly understood. Using patch-clamp technique on mouse olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) with a defined odorant receptor, we demonstrate that OSNs exhibit functional maturation during the first month of postnatal li...

Central oxytocin mediates the acquisition of a filial preference for maternal odour in rat pups, manifested by their huddling preferences. The present study was designed to examine whether maternal care modulates oxytocin concentrations in rat pups and, if so, how different types of maternal contact are associated with the pups' oxytocin concentrations. Pairs of 14-day-old littermates were remo...

Background: Comparison of the effect of lactation on expression of RFRP-3 mRNA in dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH) and KiSS-1 mRNA in arcuate nucleus (ARC) of hypothalamus in lactating and nonlactating rat Materials and Methods: Fourteen rats of the Sprague- Dawley strain were randomly allotted into three groups. The non-lactating rats (n=5) were separated from their pups immediately upon...

The aim of this study was to understand the impacts SARS-CoV-2 on breastfeeding. This is an integrative literature review carried out in online databases LILACS, BDENF and MEDLINE. descriptors used search were “Breastfeeding” AND “Coronavirus” “Postpartum period”. covered period January 2021. Studies Portuguese English selected. Eleven articles met eligibility criteria composed reading summary ...

Abstract Breast milk has been shown to play a key role in the transfer of immunity from mother offspring. Antibodies and lymphoid cells can be passed through breast impact offspring immunity. However, these lactation control remains unclear. We observed that present are distinct those found blood. Compared blood, T enriched T-bet +unconventional population. Imaging analysis revealed +cells grad...