Biomedical subjects

D G Satterlee

Publications and source records attributed to D G Satterlee.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Treating Japanese quail with vitamin C does not facilitate their capture by the experimenter.

1. Vitamin C supplementation reduces fear of novel situations and of people. The present study examined its effects on the ease of capture of male Japanese quail by the experimenter. 2. At 20 d of age, quail received either vitamin C (ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, APP, 1 g L-ascorbic acid/l) solution or untreated drinking water (UDW) for 24 h before they were mixed in 2 groups of 40 (20 APP + 20 UDW. All the birds in 1 group were caught individually by an unsighted experimenter whereas a sighted catcher captured the others. The bird's identity was noted each time. This capture/recapture procedure was repeated 6 times for each group (12 capture trials per bird) and an overall capture rank across all 12 trials was assigned to each bird. 3. Regardless of whether the catcher was sighted or unsighted, the mean ranks of neither APP nor UDW quail differed significantly from the value expected by chance. Neither were there any linear trends in the effects of repeated testing. Thus, prior treatment with vitamin C neither facilitated nor hindered capture. 4. Body weights were similar in both treatment groups and there were no significant intra-individual correlations between body weight and capture rank. 5. Highly significant tendencies were found for individual birds to be caught at similar stages of each capture trial regardless of treatment or test situation. This finding sounds a cautionary note for all studies involving putatively random sampling of a population.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Factors affecting ostrich egg hatchability.

Ostrich eggs often have low hatchability (HATCH) rates because they do not lose sufficient weight during incubation. Because egg size, eggshell porosity and thickness (THICK), and length of preincubation egg storage are known to affect egg weight loss during incubation (EWL) and HATCH of chicken eggs, these factors were examined using ostrich eggs. The effects of eggshell porosity (number of large pores per cm2 of shell; LP); and THICK on EWL and HATCH were assessed by categorizing the eggs as having either low, intermediate, or high LP or low, intermediate, or high THICK. Mean EWL was higher (P<0.05) in eggs of the high LP group when compared with eggs in either the low or intermediate LP groups that lost similar amounts of weight during incubation. Mean HATCH was also higher (more than 25%; P<0.10) in eggs with high LP when compared with the HATCH found in eggs having low LP. Eggs from the intermediate LP group had an intermediate HATCH response. Moreover, numbers of LP were positively correlated to both EWL (r2 = 0.64; P<0.0001) and HATCH (r2 = 0.25; P<0.03). Inverse relationships existed between THICK and EWL and between THICK and HATCH according to the order (P< 0.05): eggs of low THICK, highest mean EWL and HATCH > eggs of intermediate THICK, intermediate mean EWL and HATCH > eggs of highest THICK, lowest mean EWL and HATCH. Shell thickness was not correlated to either EWL or HATCH. The influence of egg size on mean LP, THICK, EWL, HATCH, and chick weight (CWT) was assessed. Although THICK was unaffected by egg size, higher LP (P<0.10), EWL (P<0.05), and HATCH (P<0.10) were found in medium-sized eggs when compared with either small or large eggs. The CWT was associated with egg size (P<0.05) according to the order: large eggs, highest CWT > medium eggs, intermediate CWT > small eggs, lowest CWT. Neither EWL nor HATCH was affected by length of preincubation egg storage. Collectively, our findings suggest that 1) ostrich eggs that possess low LP and increased THICK hatched poorly, 2) intermediate-sized eggs hatch best, 3) large eggs produced large chicks, and 4) ostrich eggs can be stored under conditions typically used in the poultry industry for a minimum of 10 d without negatively impacting HATCH.

Animal Husbandry↗

PubMed1998

Active immunization of Japanese quail hens with a recombinant chicken inhibin fusion protein enhances production performance.

The effects of active immunization against inhibin on production performance in female Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were assessed in two separate trials using an MBP-cINA521 fusion protein as an immunogen. The fusion protein, MBP-cINA521, consisted of the bacterial maltose binding protein (MBP) and a truncated form of the mature alpha-subunit of chicken inhibin (cINA521). MBP-cINA1521 was constructed by: 1) excising a 521-bp PstI fragment from a chicken inhibin alpha-subunit cDNA (cINA6; gift of P. A. Johnson), 2) cloning this fragment, which encodes all but the first 11 amino acid residues of the mature alpha-subunit, into the pMal-c2 vector of the MBP fusion expression system, and 3) expressing the fusion protein (MBP-cINA521) from the Escherichia coli and purifying it using affinity chromatography. In each trial, quail were randomly and equally assigned to one of two injection treatments as follows: 1) MBP-cINA521 in Freund's adjuvant, or 2) Freund's adjuvant (vehicular controls; CON). All immunizations were given subcutaneously and Freund's complete and incomplete adjuvant were used for primary and booster injections, respectively. In Trial 1, birds were given a primary challenge of 0.2 mg MBP-cINA521 per bird at 25 d of age, followed by booster immunizations (0.1 mg MBP-cINA521 per bird) at 33, 40, 47, 54 and 61 d of age and every 35 d thereafter. The CON birds received vehicular immunizations at the same time intervals. In Trial 2, birds treated with MBP-cINA521 received a primary challenge of 0.2 mg MBP-cINA521 per bird at 26 d of age, followed by booster immunizations (0.1 mg MBP-cINA521 per bird) using the same schedule as that used in Trial 1, with the exception that no boosters were given after 61 d of age. The CON birds received vehicular immunizations at the same time intervals. Collection of production performance data was initiated coincident with the laying of the first egg in each trial (i.e., beginning at 41 and 44 d of age for Trials 1 and 2, respectively) and continued for 30 1-wk periods of lay. Combined data from Trials 1 and 2 indicated that the mean +/- SE age at first egg lay was markedly decreased (P < 0.005) in MBP-cINA521-treated quail (53.4 +/- 0.9 d of age) when compared to the CON (57.6 +/- 1.3 d of age). Likewise, the mean +/- SE age at 50% egg production was reduced (P < 0.03) in quail immunized against inhibin (65.4 +/- 2.1 d of age) when compared to the CON (77.6 +/- 4.7 d of age). Total hen-day egg production was also higher (P < 0.05, Trial 1; P < 0.01, Trial 2) in MBP-cINA521-treated quail (88.7 +/- 1.4%, Trial 1; 90.1 +/- 1.2%, Trial 2) than in the CON birds (81.9 +/- 2.9%, Trial 1; 73.6 +/- 6.5%, Trial 2). Collectively, these findings provide evidence that inhibin immunoneutralization accelerated puberty and enhanced hen-day egg production during a 30-wk period of egg lay in Japanese quail.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMed1997

Ease of capture in Japanese quail of two lines divergently selected for adrenocortical response to immobilization.

Divergent lines of Japanese quail have been genetically selected over several generations for a reduced (low stress, LS) or an exaggerated (high stress, HS) plasma corticosterone response to brief mechanical restraint. Female quail were housed in one mixed-line group (18LS + 18 HS) in one of the top-tier compartments of a brooder. At 32 d of age, the quail were removed individually by the experimenter, their identity and position in the order of capture were noted, and then they were placed in a separate compartment. Following brief respites, this procedure was repeated on 16 occasions. No differences were found between HS and LS quail in their ease of capture and no linear trends were apparent upon repeated testing of either strain. These findings have positive connotations for management and welfare because, although selection for a reduced adrenocortical stress response to restraint has apparently been accompanied by reduced fearfulness, it has not resulted in a potential and undesirable increase in the difficulty of capture and handling. Further, the significant tendencies found within and across lines for individual birds to be caught at similar stages of each trial has important implications for behavioral studies that involve putatively random sampling of a population.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMed1996

Vitamin C supplementation and fear-reduction in Japanese quail: short-term cumulative effects.

1. Fear-related behaviour was measured in individually-housed Japanese quail which had received either untreated drinking water (UDW) or a vitamin C solution (ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, APP, 1 g L-ascorbic acid/1 for 1 or 4 d. Behavioural tests were carried out at 24 or 27 d of age. Water consumption was measured daily and plasma ascorbic acid (AA) content was assayed after differential treatment for 1 or 4 d. 2. The quail in the APP treatment groups drank significantly more than did those receiving untreated drinking water. 3. Supplementation with APP raised plasma AA concentrations substantially above those found in UDW quail. The lower AA concentrations found after APP treatment for 4 d rather than one may have reflected either inter-assay variation or limited intestinal absorption following excess ingestion. 4. Quail treated with APP showed less home-cage avoidance of a novel object and shorter tonic immobility fear reactions than did the UDW birds. The UDW quail showed remarkably similar avoidance and TI scores on test days 1 and 4. Conversely, continued treatment with APP further reduced avoidance scores but, although TI durations fell slightly with continued treatment there were no significant day effects. 5. It was concluded that APP supplementation can reduce underlying fearfulness but that it may not be necessary to continue treatment for longer than 24 h immediately prior to a known frightening event.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1996

Threat-induced behavioural inhibition in Japanese quail genetically selected for contrasting adrenocortical response to mechanical restraint.

1. Behavioural and adrenocortical responses to brief mechanical restraint were examined in 28-d-old female Japanese quail of two lines which had been genetically selected over several generations for either reduced (LS, low stress) or exaggerated (HS, high stress) plasma corticosterone response to brief immobilisation in a metal box. 2. As expected, quail of the LS line showed lower adrenocortical responses to restraint than did their HS line counterparts. The LS quail also struggled much sooner and more often during the 5 min restraint period than did the HS ones. Collectively, these and previously reported line differences in behavioural, catecholamine and adrenocortical responsiveness are consistent with an interpretation based on the adoption of active and passive coping strategies respectively by LS and HS quail upon their exposure to alarming stimuli.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMed1994

Fear of humans in Japanese quail selected for low or high adrenocortical response.

Behavioral reactions to a nearby human were recorded in male Japanese quail of two lines selected for reduced (LS; low stress) or exaggerated (HS; high stress) plasma corticosterone (B) response to brief mechanical immobilization. Their adrenocortical responses to one of three treatments were then examined. These were: no human disturbance (undisturbed controls, CON), capture and return to the home cage before recapture and bleeding after 5 min (CR), or capture and manual restraint for 5 min before blood sampling (CREST). Quail of the HS line showed more fear-related behavior (crouching, escape) and avoidance of the experimenter than did their LS counterparts. Plasma B concentrations were markedly elevated following each capture treatment (CREST > CR) and the response appeared to be more pronounced in quail of the HS than the LS line. These findings indicate that HS quail perceived human contact to be more aversive than did those of the LS line. Avoidance scores and the adrenocortical responses to capture were positively correlated within individual birds. Therefore, simple behavioral tests of fear may have predictive value concerning physiological responsiveness to stressful stimulation.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Effects of ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate on adrenocortical activation and fear-related behavior in broiler chickens.

The effects of supplemental ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (APP) on adrenocortical function and underlying fearfulness in broiler chickens were assessed in a number of test situations. Chicks pretreated for a minimum of 24 h with APP (1,000 ppm equivalents of L-ascorbic acid) in their drinking water or with no APP (tap water controls; CON) had blood samples taken immediately following water treatment and again after exposure to a capture and cooping stressor for 10 min. First, although the cooping stressor markedly increased plasma corticosterone concentrations, pretreatment with APP failed to attenuate this adrenocortical response. Second, APP-treated chicks showed less freezing and vocalized sooner in an open field (novel environment) than did controls. They also showed nonsignificant tendencies toward accelerated and enhanced ambulation. Third, supplementation with APP reduced the duration of the birds' tonic immobility fear reactions. Collectively, these behavioral effects are indicative of dampened fear. The apparent reduction of nonspecific, underlying fearfulness by APP treatment may have important implications for poultry welfare and performance.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Short-latency stressor effects on tonic immobility fear reactions of Japanese quail divergently selected for adrenocortical responsiveness to immobilization.

Despite evidence for a positive association between adrenocortical activation and fearfulness, the effects of chronic (12 to 20 h) exposure to stressful stimulation on the fear reactions of Japanese quail genetically selected for high (HS) or low (LS) plasma corticosterone response to immobilization stress are not straightforward. The present study examined tonic immobility fear responses in quail of both lines that, immediately prior to testing, either had been allowed to remain undisturbed or had been exposed to an acute stressor similar to that used in the selection program (i.e., a short-latency stressor; 5 min of immobilization). Tonic immobility responses were generally more pronounced in quail of the HS line than the LS line, and they were exaggerated in both lines after exposure to stress treatment. The findings provide further support for the suggestion that selection for exaggerated or reduced adrenocortical responsiveness may have been accompanied by a concomitant and unconscious effect on underlying fearfulness.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMed1992

Fear and distress in Japanese quail chicks of two lines genetically selected for low or high adrenocortical response to immobilization stress.

Behavioral and adrenocortical reactivity to stressful stimulation was examined in 12- and 13-day-old chicks of two lines of Japanese quail selected over several generations for exaggerated (HS: high stress) or reduced (LS: low stress) plasma corticosterone (B) response to brief immobilization stress. Plasma B concentrations and tonic immobility (TI) fear reactions were measured in unstressed (control) and stressed (overnight cooping) chicks of both lines. The stress treatment was applied over a period of 12-20 hr and it involved capture by the experimenter, inescapable exposure to an unfamiliar environment and to strange conspecifics, reductions in ambient temperature and floor space, and the deprivation of food and water. Chicks of the HS line were more susceptible to the induction of TI and they remained immobile longer than did LS chicks. Therefore HS chicks were considered to be more fearful than their LS counterparts. Stress treatment elicited a marked adrenocortical response that was more pronounced in HS than in LS chicks. Stress treatment also increased susceptibility to TI but did not significantly affect the duration of immobility. These findings suggest that selecting the quail for differential corticosterone response to a particular stressor had exerted an unconscious and concomitant effect on underlying fearfulness as well as on their adrenocortical reactivity to several other stressful situations. The results are further discussed in terms of a putative relationship between adrenocortical activation and fearfulness.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMed1992

Research note: open-field behavior of Japanese quail chicks genetically selected for low or high plasma corticosterone response to immobilization stress.

Open-field behavior was examined in Japanese quail chicks genetically selected for either reduced (LS, low stress) or exaggerated (HS, high stress) plasma corticosterone response to immobilization stress. Chicks of the LS line showed less freezing and ambulated sooner than did their HS counterparts. These findings suggest that exposure to an open-field or novel environment elicited less fear in LS than in HS chicks. They also support the suggestion that fearfulness and adrenocortical activation are positively associated and indicate that selection for differential adrenocortical responsiveness exerted concomitant effects on fear-related behavior.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

The influence of stress treatment on femur cortical bone porosity and medullary bone status in Japanese quail selected for high and low blood corticosterone response to stress.

1. Femurs taken from Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) genetically selected for either exaggerated (HS; high-stress) or reduced (LS; low-stress) blood corticosterone (B) response to unfamiliar environments were examined to determine their cortical bone porosity (CBP; degree of osteoporosis) and medullary bone (MB) status following treatment with or without stress. 2. Femur CBP was elevated in both sexes of stressed, HS-line quail and was attributed directly to the presumably exaggerated blood B responses known to occur in this line as a consequence of the stress treatments used. 3. The increase in CBP in stressed, HS-line birds occurred independently of changes in the numbers of osteoclast cells (CLASTS) associated with cortical bone. 4. Stress treatment was associated with lower CLAST numbers/mm2 of MB and with increased MB accretion. 5. These stress-induced effects were considered to be the consequence of a reduced rate of lay found in stressed quail hens. 6. There was only marginal evidence for a direct effect of B in stimulating MB resorption.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1989

Vitamin C amelioration of the adrenal stress response in broiler chickens being prepared for slaughter.

1. At 32 hr prior to slaughter, broiler chickens were treated for 24 hr with either: 1200 ppm of L-ascorbic acid (AA; Vitamin C) in their drinking water or with no-AA supplementation (controls; simultaneously maintained on tap water). 2. Following the dietary treatments, birds were stressed by cooping/starvation for 8 hr before being hauled to an abattoir for processing. As indices of stress status, blood corticosterone (B) levels and heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios were determined at 32 and 8 hr prior to slaughter, and immediately before slaughter (0 hr). 3. The results indicated that AA supplementation reduces the stress response (i.e. elevated plasma B levels and H/L ratios) evident in broiler chickens being prepared for processing.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMed1989

Influence of exogenous prostaglandin E2 and stress on circulating corticosterone concentrations in Coturnix.

The effects of exogenous prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) injections and stress on circulating corticosterone (B) levels in Coturnix were determined. Adult Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were subjected to one of four treatments: 1) injected with vehicle; 2) injected with PGE2; 3) immobilized for 10 min, followed by vehicle injection; or, 4) immobilized for 10 min, followed by PGE2 injection. Injections were given intraperitoneally, and blood samples were collected by cardiac stab at 15-min postinjection treatment. Plasma B concentrations were quantified by radioimmunoassay. Immobilized, vehicle injected quail had higher plasma B levels than unstressed, vehicle-injected quail. Plasma B levels were significantly greater in unstressed, PGE2-injected quail than in unstressed, vehicle injected quail or in stressed, vehicle injected quail. The effects of immobilization stress and PGE2 injection on B secretion were additive; stressed PGE2-injected quail had significantly higher plasma B levels than unstressed, PGE2-injected quail. It is concluded that, as in mammals, PGE2 is a potent stimulator of adrenal B release in quail.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1988

Plasma corticosterone in hemorrhaged Japanese quail after microwave irradiation in ovo.

1. Sexually immature male and female Japanese quail were divided within each sex into three treatment groups: hemorrhaged by jugular puncture; immobilized for 2 min, but not hemorrhaged (shams); and neither immobilized nor hemorrhaged (controls). 2. Hemorrhage resulted in increased plasma corticosterone levels in both sexes. Corticosterone levels in shams were higher than in controls. 3. In another experiment, Japanese quail eggs were irradiated during incubation with 2.45 GHz CW microwave radiation. Nonirradiated eggs were incubated under identical conditions without irradiation. After hatching, juvenile males and females were hemorrhaged. 4. After hemorrhage, irradiated males had higher plasma corticosterone levels than nonirradiated males. No effect of irradiation on females was found. 5. The results of these two experiments indicate that male quail respond to blood loss with increased adrenocortical activity and that this response is modified in male quail after irradiation with microwaves during embryogeny.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Steroidogenic properties of isolated adrenocortical cells from Japanese quail selected for high serum corticosterone response to immobilization.

The effect of selection for high stress response on adrenocortical function was examined by measuring the corticosterone response of adrenocortical cells isolated from random-bred Japanese quail and quail selected for high serum corticosterone response to immobilization (high-stress). Highly enriched adrenocortical cells were incubated with various concentrations of ACTH1-24 (ACTH), 8-bromo-cyclic AMP (8Br-cAMP) and pregnenolone for 2 hr. Corticosterone production was measured by radioimmunoassay. Basal corticosterone production values by cells from random-bred and high-stress birds were not different. In contrast, the average maximal ACTH- and 8Br-cAMP-induced corticosterone production by cells from high-stress quail was 89% greater than that of cells from random-bred quail. However, the average pregnenolone-supported corticosterone production by cells from high-stress birds was 34% less than that of cells from random-bred birds. Thus, the data suggest that although random-bred quail cells had a greater potential capacity for corticosterone production, high-stress quail cells had a greater ability to couple ACTH, ACTH-transmembrane-signaling factors and subsequent second messengers with the available steroidogenic enzyme pool. The magnitude of the differences in function between cells from high-stress and random-bred birds was greater for female cells compared to male cells. In addition to differences in cellular function, there were also differences in adrenal and relative adrenal weights between random-bred and high-stress quail. The average, adrenal and relative (mg/100 g body weight) adrenal weights of high-stress quail were 14-16% greater than those of random-bred quail. It is concluded that the enhanced serum corticosterone response of the high-stress quail line is, in part, due to an increase in relative adrenal weight and an increase in adrenocortical cell responsiveness to ACTH.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMed1988

Selection of Japanese quail for contrasting blood corticosterone response to immobilization.

Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were divergently selected for 12 generations for increased (high stress, HS) and decreased (low stress, LS) blood corticosterone (B) response to unfamiliar environments. Response lines were selected initially on the basis of wild-type quail B response to albino (ALB) quail intrusion (S1 to S3) and subsequently on B response to immobilization (IMB) (S4 to S12). Using ALB intruders as stressors proved unsuccessful, therefore the practice was abandoned in favor of using IMB, which proved successful. Across nine generations of selection, using the IMB stressor, the HS line exhibited a mean serum B response that was approximately 58% greater than that of the random-bred (control stress, CS) line, whereas the LS line had a mean response approximately 23% less than that of the CS line. Selection differentials were approximately three-fold greater in the HS than in the LS line whereas realized heritabilities (h2) were approximately two-fold greater in the HS than in the LS line.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Effect of adrenocorticotropin and dietary ascorbic acid on the graft-versus-host reaction capacity of chickens.

Two trials using the splenomegaly assay were conducted to assess the effects of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and dietary ascorbic acid (AA) on the ability of chickens to mount a graft-vs.-host reaction (GVHR). Broiler chicks served as blood donors. Birds received AA at levels of 0, 150, or 300 mg/kg of feed (ppm). At 6 wk of age, donor birds from each AA group received either three intramuscular injections of ACTH in gelatin at 12-h intervals, comparable injections of the gelatin, or no injections. Thirteen-day-old Single Comb White Leghorn embryos served as recipients. Two recipient embryos per donor were injected in a chorioallantoic vein with either whole blood (Trial 1) or saline-washed and reconstituted blood cells (Trial 1). Eggs were further incubated for 6 days, at which time the embryos were killed and each spleen excised. Relative spleen weights were expressed as milligrams of spleen/100 g embryonic body weight. Significant differences in relative spleen weight or donor plasma corticosterone (CS) levels did not occur in Trial 1. In Trial 2, regardless of AA treatment, relative spleen weights of embryos that received blood cells from donors treated with ACTH were significantly lower than controls. Donor CS was significantly lower in birds that received ACTH. These results indicate that, when washed and reconstituted blood cells are injected into recipients and donor plasma CS is decreased, GVHR capacity is suppressed in ACTH-treated donors.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗