Litters Of Mothers Research Articles

Consequences of premature weaning on the reproduction of mothers and offspring in laboratory mice.

A decrease of energy expenditure per offspring is expected to benefit the mother by increasing the number of offspring she can produce, and to inflict costs upon the young by decreasing their reproductive value. To evaluate the benefit-cost functions of shortened suckling times in house mice, the young were separated from their mothers prior to natural weaning. During two following litters of mothers and young, time of birth and numbers born were recorded. The impact of the resulting effects on the lifetime reproduction of mothers and young were evaluated by model calculations assuming population equilibrium, exponential population growth or exponential growth limited by population breakdowns.

Homologous immunological studies of ocular lens. II. Biological aspects.

Lenses of rabbits with high titers of homologous lens antibodies showed no lesions, even after repeated paracentesis of the anterior chamber in a number of such animals. In these instances, lens antibodies were shown to be present in both the primary and secondary aqueous humors. A small group of rabbits with high homologous anti-lens antibody titers were successfully bred. These had been immunized with adult rabbit lens pools in Freund's adjuvants, and had high antibody levels throughout pregnancy. No significant congenital lens lesions were found when these 18 young from 3 litters were compared with the 17 young from 3 litters of mothers who had no detectable anti-lens antibody through gestation. The latter group of does had received the equivalent doses of homologous lens in saline. Patients with cataract did not show demonstrable anti-lens antibodies in their serum when tested by the agar precipitin technic against cataractous human lens homogenates.