Pseudocyesis Research Articles

How Residual Fertility Impacts the Efficiency of Crop Pest Control by the Sterile Insect Technique.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a biological control technique based on mass-rearing, radiation-based sterilization that can induce fitness costs, and releases of the pest species targeted for population control. Sterile matings, between females and sterilized males, can reduce the overall population growth rate and cause a fall in population density. However, a proportion of irradiated males may escape sterilization, resulting in what is called residual fertility. Our aim in this study was to examine the impact of residual fertility on pest control employing a modeling approach. We modeled pest population dynamics with three generic differential equations representing sterilized males, wild males and wild females. We explored the impact of residual fertility, in the presence or absence of fitness costs, on potential pest control outcomes using a scenario with male sterilization as our standard of reference. We carried out a detailed mathematical analysis of the model's dynamics by calculating model equilibria and the latter's stability. Bifurcation analyses were performed with parameters for the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata. We showed that, when residual fertility is below a threshold value, wild populations can be eradicated by flooding the landscape with irradiated males. This threshold is higher when residual fertility is associated with fitness costs. Too high a level of residual fertility makes SIT less effective and hinders population eradication. That said, substantial decreases in population density can be achieved even when residual fertility is much larger than the above threshold.

Upscaling the production of sterile male mosquitoes with an automated pupa sex sorter.

Effective mosquito population suppression has been repeatedly demonstrated in field trials through the release of male mosquitoes to induce sterile mating with wild females using the incompatible insect technique (IIT), the sterile insect technique (SIT), or their combination. However, upscaling these techniques requires a highly efficient and scalable approach for the sex separation of mass-reared mosquitoes to minimize the unintentional release of females, which can lead to either population replacement or biting nuisance, a major bottleneck up to now. Here, we report the successful development of an automated mosquito pupa sex sorter that can effectively separate large numbers of males from females for population suppression of Aedes aegypti, A. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus. The male production capacity of the automated sex sorter was increased by ~17-fold compared with manual sex separation with the Fay-Morlan sorter and enabled one person to separate 16 million males per week. With ~0.5% female contamination, the produced males exhibited high flight ability and mating performance. The field trial demonstrates that the quality of A. albopictus males produced using the automated sex sorter is suitable for inducing population suppression. These results indicate that the automated sex sorter offers the potential to upscale IIT and SIT against mosquito vectors for disease control.

Identification and structural elucidation of an oxidation product generated during stability studies of Cabergoline drug product

Cabergoline is a dopamine agonist with applications as anti-Parkinson drug and prolactin inhibitor. The cabergoline drug product Laktostop® 50 µg/mL is used in veterinary medicine for lactation suppression in cats and dogs e.g. during false pregnancy. Recently, during ongoing HPLC stability testing of Laktostop® 50 µg/mL a new oxidation product of Cabergoline was identified. A synthesis starting from Cabergoline was developed, followed by full characterization of the unknown impurity. Preliminary HPLC and LC-MS analyses indicated the unknown impurity as mono-oxygenated product of Cabergoline (Cabergoline N-oxide) that is presumably formed with oxygen by a radical mechanism. Thus, Cabergoline was treated with oxidizing agents such as m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid to afford the desired Cabergoline-N-oxide as a byproduct. After isolation by column chromatography, NMR and LC-MS-MS studies provided evidence that oxidation occurred at the N-allyl nitrogen of Cabergoline to form Cabergoline-N-oxide. © 1905 Elsevier Science. All rights reserved.

Delusion of pregnancy: Case series.

Delusion of pregnancy is a relatively uncommon manifestation in psychotic patients. Differentiating it from closely related clinical entities like pseudocyesis/pseudopregnancy can be a challenge in clinical setting. Diagnosis of a psychotic illness with delusional pregnancy as the presenting feature in the absence of other florid symptoms of psychosis is a different challenge altogether. Currently, there is no consensus on the pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy of delusional pregnancy. We present a case series on delusional pregnancy with the intent to answer some of these gaps in the literature.

Клинико-диагностические проявления ложной беременности у коз

The purpose of research is to study the clinical and diagnostic manifestations of false pregnancy in goats. The object of the study is replacement goats of breeding age (n = 6) and lactating goats (n = 37) of the Saanen breed, which were diagnosed with pseudopregnancy during a screening ultrasound examination for pregnancy and infertility. It has been established that anaphrodisia and hydrometra are obligatory symptoms of false gestation. Due to the accumulation of a significant amount of serous transudate in the uterine cavity, a pronounced bilateral symmetrical increase in abdominal volume was recorded in almost every third patient. Hydrometra was effectively recognized using ultrasound. During transabdominal scanning of pseudouterine goats, an accumulation of echo-negative fluid was visualized in the uterine cavity in the absence of the fetus (fetuses) and placentas. In the majority of sick goats (35 heads, or 81.4 %), the diagnosis was made on the hydrometer during the first ultrasound. Only 8, or 16.6 %, of the experimental goats required additional ultrasound to diagnose the hydrometer and differentiate it from a physiologically developing pregnancy. When analyzing the results of a study of the concentration of serum progesterone in pseudofetal goats, another characteristic feature of the pathology was revealed – moderate progesteronemia. It is interesting to note that the average progesterone values in pseudofetal goats were 3.5 times lower (P ≤ 0.01) than in clinically healthy goats with a gestation period of 50–90 days (4.50 ± 1.52 vs. 15.81 ± 1.32 ng/ml). Hematological and biochemical blood parameters in pseudopregnant goats did not have significant deviations from the norm and were comparable to those in clinically healthy goats with a physiologically developing pregnancy. Transabdominal visual echography is an informative method for diagnosing and differentially diagnosing false gestation from a physiologically developing pregnancy, which allows one-time (in 81.40 % of cases) or two-time examination of goats using the character¬ristic echo symptoms of hydrometers to make an accurate diagnosis of pseudo-pregnancy.

Pregnant Without a Uterus: A Case of Pseudocyesis Preceding Psychosis

Pseudocyesis is an uncommon syndrome in which a woman firmly believes to be pregnant, and manifests signs and symptoms of pregnancy, in the absence of true gestation. A woman of 37 years of age, hysterectomized at 34 and was currently divorcing an 85-year-old vasectomized man, after engaging in an extra-conjugal relationship. Soon after, she developed signs and symptoms of pregnancy and the belief of being pregnant. After being exposed to additional stressors such as sleep deprivation, she presented for psychiatric evaluation with a psychotic episode, centered around a delusional pregnancy. She was admitted and treated with antipsychotics, which enabled full remission, matching a diagnosis of brief psychotic disorder. When the belief in pregnancy takes the form of a delusion, it is arguably easier to treat than as an overvalued idea, or pseudocyesis vera. Although little is known about prognosis, psychotherapy may play an important role in relapse prevention.

Testing the Adaptive Sterilization Hypothesis in Mice Inoculated with Chlamydia muridarum.

The "adaptive sterilization hypothesis" argues that the tendency of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) to cause infertility likely reflects an evolutionary adaptation of these pathogens. For example, some STIs can lead to bilateral occlusions of the oviducts and sterile matings. Cycling females that do not spend time gestating and lactating are ready to mate sooner than fertile females, and therefore, likely to mate more frequently and possibly more promiscuously. These sexual activities are associated with enhanced transmissibility of STIs, and tubal occlusion is a proximate mechanism by which STIs can increase fitness. Our principal objectives were to determine whether female mice inoculated with Chlamydia muridarum mate more frequently than mice inoculated with sterile saline and to test the hypothesis that tubal occlusion following C. muridarum infection modulates mating behavior in a manner that might increase transmissibility of Chlamydia. Similar to C. trachomatis infections in human females, C. muridarum can ascend the reproductive tract of mice, damage and occlude the oviducts, and cause infertility. However, ovarian function and mating activity are maintained following tubal occlusion. A total of 20 C57Bl/6 mice with regular estrous cycles were given intravaginal inocula of C. muridarum and 32 days later paired with a male for 90 days. A total of nine saline-treated females served as controls. A total of three Chlamydia-inoculated females were rendered infertile due to bilateral oviductal damage and mated eight (±0.0) times. Control females mated on average 4.6 (±0.3) times, and 17 Chlamydia-inoculated fertile females, including six females with only a single oviduct occluded, mated on average 4.7 (±0.2) times. Chlamydia-inoculated fertile females with unilateral oviductal damage had significantly smaller average litter sizes as compared to females inoculated with saline. Females with unilateral tubal occlusion also tended to wean fewer pups than saline controls over the course of 90 days. Female mice with Chlamydia-induced tubal infertility mated more frequently (approximately every 11 d) than did fertile females (approximately every 20 days), which is consistent with the adaptive sterilization hypothesis. To determine whether Chlamydia-induced sterilization is truly adaptive, future studies will need to demonstrate increased sexual transmissibility, and possibly increased promiscuity, within populations of freely breeding mice.

Delusion of pregnancy - what the literature says?

Introduction Delusion of pregnancy (DP) is a false and persistent belief of being pregnant despite realistic evidence to the contrary. Being considered a rare phenomenon, more cases of DP have been reported lately, however the literature about this topic is still scarce.ObjectivesClarify the etiology and clinical aspects of this pathology in order to diagnose and to treat it properly.MethodsA search on Pubmed was performed using the MeSH terms “delusion pregnancy” or “pseudocyesis”. The DSM-5 and ICD-10 were also a source of information.ResultsDP can be sometimes confused with other disorders, like pseudocyesis, pseudo-pregnancy and Couvade syndrome, but it is important to differentiate all of them to have a clear view of the pathology and follow a correct approach to the problem.DP can manifest isolatedly, but it is more commonly associated with other diseases. Etiologically, several factors can intercede: biological, psychosocial and cultural factors, iatrogenic factors and coenaesthesis processes.Demographically, about 50% of the patients are 20-40 years old and the most common psychiatric diagnoses are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Concerning the treatment, it is essential to exclude non-psychiatric causes and treat those, if present. After doing so, the therapeutical approach can be non-pharmacological, using psychotherapy or electroconvulsive therapy, although the latter has inconclusive results and sometimes it only remits the comorbid depressive symptoms; or pharmacological using 2nd generation antipsychotics.In general, there is now a good response in 50-64% of the cases (Bera and Sakar, Indian J Psychol Med 2015;37(2)131-137) (Yadov et al, Indian J Psychol Med 2012;34(1) 82-84).ConclusionsDP can be a psychiatric diagnosis itself or a manifestation of other psychiatric or non-psychiatric disorder so we must be allert to make a precise differential diagnosis. Its genesis is multifactorial and that must be taken into account when thinking about its treatment approach.In the past, the prognosis of the DP wasn’t good, but in the recent literature it was found a good response in more than half of the patients treated accordingly.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Can Non-invasive Hormone Profiling in Female Tigers (Panthera tigris) could Differentiate True Pregnancy and Pseudopregnancy

Background: The tigers (Panthera tigris) being the world’s largest cat are one of the critically endangered species which are at the verge of extinction. The pseudopregnancy or false pregnancy or pseudocyesis is a syndrome which is characterized by the presence of signs of pregnancy in a non-pregnant animal. False lactation or nervous lactation are the terms which are used to refer pseudopregnancy as there is very low quantities of milk production is seen. This condition can be differentiated with true pregnancy by using hormones and by correlation of behavioral symptoms of pregnancy with hormonal profiles for confirmation of pregnancy in female tigers. Methods: Total seven animals were used in the experiment and was divided into three groups (G I, G II and G III). Group G I consist of 03 non-bred animals of less than 9 years of age, G II consisted of 03 non-bred animals of more than 9 years of age and G III was consisted of 03 animals after mating irrespective of their age. Faecal samples were collected non-invasively from enclosures weekly up to 14 weeks. Only fresh samples (deposited within 24 h) was chosen, urine puddles were aspirated from the floor. The extracted samples were then analysed for estimation of relaxin, progesterone and prostaglandin F2 alpha metabolite (PGFM) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Result: Relaxin the hormone for early detection of pregnancy in felines gives elevated concentration from 49 days after mating and attains a peak during parturition, whereas, no elevation or peak was observed in pseudopregnant animals. Progesterone, in true pregnancy remains elevated from 7th week onwards after mating, it gets dropped after 7th week with wide fluctuation in pseudopregnant animals. PGFM elevation observed after nine weeks of gestation in true pregnancy whereas, no elevation will be observed in pseudopregnant tigress.

“Not Until the Baby Arrives”: When Delusional Pregnancy Impacts the Management of Uterine Cancer

A 56-year-old postmenopausal woman (FB) was diagnosed with Grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma but was refusing a hysterectomy. The patient understood she had cancer and understood treatment was required to treat the condition. However, due to a well-entrenched delusion of pregnancy associated with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, FB believed the surgery recommended by her gynecologist would harm the fetus she believed to be developing inside her womb. FB was deemed incapable of consenting to surgery due to her pregnancy delusion, which meant that the procedure could be performed with consent from a substitute decision maker (SDM). In this paper, we describe our team’s approach to the presenting moral dilemma consisting of a choice between forcing surgery on an unwilling patient or allowing her to die of a treatable illness.

Epidemiological investigation and surgical treatment of canine mammary tumors in Dalian, China, from 2019 to 2023.

Objective of this study is to investigate the epidemiological characteristics, clinical features, and treatment outcomes of canine mammary tumors in Dalian, providing insights into prevention and management strategies. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 198 cases of canine mammary tumors diagnosed in outpatient departments across several veterinary hospitals in Dalian. Data on breed, age, sex, tumor location, and clinical staging were collected and correlated with treatment modalities and prognosis. Poodles, Chinese pastoral dogs, and Cocker Spaniels exhibited higher incidence rates. The majority of affected dogs were middle-aged and older females, with unneutered dogs and those with a history of false pregnancies being at the highest risk. Benign tumors were more common in younger dogs, while malignant tumors predominated in older dogs, accounting for 89.9% of the cases. Early surgical intervention significantly improved survival and quality of life. Early detection, prompt surgical treatment, and post-operative follow-up are essential for optimal outcomes in canine mammary tumor management. This study summarizes the impact of early sterilization on tumor development and suggests that preventive measures, such as total ovarian extraction prior to the first estrus, are effective in reducing the incidence of mammary tumors.

Delusion of Pregnancy

Delusion of Pregnancy

Psychiatrists Explore Their Inner Hemingway

Psychiatrists Explore Their Inner Hemingway

Presenting the diagnostic background of gender dysphoria from a psychological and criminological perspective in a sexually exploited adolescent living in a children’s special foster care home

Aim: We present an extremely rare case in this article. A transgender adolescent was admitted to the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Heim Pál National Institute of Pediatrics in September 2021 due to delusional pregnancy and peer relationship conflicts. The 17-year-old child was convinced she was pregnant with twins, although she was born as a boy. The psychopathological and criminological aspects of the case are outlined.Methodology: The psycho-diagnostic background was based on traditional Hungarian diagnostic protocol. It consisted of projective tests. Criminological characteristics were explored by analysing the most recent international literature. In both aspects we used our own clinical and victim protection experience.Findings: We concluded that the psychological and criminological development pathways of the adolescent in the case study intersected at several points, and that these issues escalated along the child’s victimization.Value: We highlighted that child sexual exploitation is a systematic problem. Not only the cohesion of society is threatened, but the effectiveness of social care institutions and law enforcement can be also damaged. At the end of our article,we outlined a hypothesis that the indirect causes of transgender violence can be found in sexual exploitation and the immanent harms of institutionalisation.

ТЕРАПЕВТИЧЕСКАЯ ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТЬ ЭСТРОФАНТИНА ПРИ ПСЕВДОБЕРЕМЕННОСТИ (ГИДРОМЕТРЕ) У КОЗ

The aim of the study was to carry out a comparative evaluation of the therapeutic potency of Estrophantine®, a drug of the highly active synthetic analog of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PgF2α) cloprostenol, when goats with hydrometer were twice injected intramuscularly with a 10-day interval in a dose of 0.5 and 1.0 ml, respectively. The objects of the study were breeding goats of breeding age (n=6) and lactating goats (n=37) of the Zaanen breed diagnosed with false pregnancy during screening ultrasound examination. The animals were divided into two experimental groups according to the analogy principle. The animals in the first experimental group (n=21) were twice injected intramuscularly with a 10-day interval in the dose of 0.5 ml (125 μg cloprostenol), and those in the second group (n=22) were also twice injected intramuscularly with with a 10-day interval, but in the dose of 1.0 ml (250 μg cloprostenol). The results of the study showed high therapeutic potency of Estrophantine® when goats with hydrometer were twice injected intramuscularly with with a 10-day interval in the dose of 1.0 ml. After the first dose of the preparation complete expulsion of intrauterine fluid was noted in 81.82% of goats with hydrometer. The effectiveness of the method for a complete course of treatment was 100% according to the percentage of cured animals, and 86.36% and 77.27% according to the frequency of renewal of sexual cycling and pregnancy rate, respectively. None of the 5 (22.73%) goats found to be infertile registered a re-lapse of hydrometra after treatment. An Estrofantin® dose of 0.5 ml (125 μg cloprostenol) was found to be inadequate for treat-ment of goats with hydrometra. After the first dose, complete expulsion of intrauterine fluid was noted in only 52.38% of animals. When Estrophantine® is used at the lowest therapeutic dose (125 μg cloprostenol) the effectiveness of prostaglandin therapy over a full course of treatment is reduced by 4.76% in the proportion of cured animals, by 10.17% in the renewal of sexual cycling and by 15.37% in pregnancy rate. At the same time, the risk of relapse is 5%.

Современные ультразвуковые методы диагностики беременности и бесплодия у коз

The purpose of the study is to prepare a review of modern ultrasound methods for diagnosing pregnancy and infertility in goats, based on literature data. For the review, scientific articles published in the bibliographic databases E-library and Scopus were used. It has been shown that visual echography is a safe and highly informative research method that makes it possible to accurately diagnose infertility and pregnancy in goats, determine the timing of gestation, predict the number and sex of gestated fetuses, conduct dynamic monitoring of their growth and development throughout almost the entire pregnancy, as well as clearly differentiate physiologically developing pregnancy from false pregnancy, which is important for practical veterinary medicine.

A Rare Case of Shared Delusion of Pregnancy in a Couple Undergoing Fertility Treatment

Pseudocyesis or phantom pregnancy is a false belief of being pregnant that is associated with objective signs and reported symptoms of pregnancy, which may include abdominal enlargement, reduced menstrual flow, amenorrhea, subjective sensation of fetal movement, nausea, breast engorgement and secretions, and labor. Though it is a very rare condition, it is often seen in women undergoing fertility treatment in developing countries. Isolated pseudocyesis in women and sometimes men have been reported before, but there are very few reports of shared delusions of pregnancy by a couple. No such report has ever been made before from Nepal. Therefore, this case report seeks to associate psychiatric/psychological, gynecological, and neuroendocrine mechanisms leading to the emergence of shared delusion of pregnancy (folie à deux) in a Nepali couple undergoing artificial reproductive techniques for the management of infertility. In this case, the couple firmly believed in their pregnancy against all medical evidence.

Growth, maturity, reproduction, and life expectancy in ex-situ pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)

BackgroundPacific walruses are found in Arctic regions of the Chukchi and Bering Sea where rapid changes in environmental conditions resulting in loss of sea ice are occurring. Therefore, accurate life history data are crucial for species management plans and longitudinal data collected over the lives of individual walruses housed in zoos and aquaria provide otherwise difficult to obtain biological information.ResultsWhile similar at birth, Gompertz regression curves indicated that males grew faster than females (p < 0.0001) in weight (99 kg vs 57.6 kg/y) and length (26.9 cm vs 26.3 cm/y) with physical differences being detected by age 3 for weight and age 7 for length. Males reached adult weight at 13.5 ± 3.3 y and females by age 12.3 ± 2.3 y. The mean age at first ovulation and at first conception occurred at 8.8 y and 9.6 y. Greater than 75% of all conceptions and calving occurred between February and March and from May to June, respectively. Mean gestation lasted 423 d and false pregnancies lasted at least 169 d with a decrease (p < 0.05) in serum progesterone concentration between false pregnancy and pregnancy occurring within 6 months after ovulation. Based on these results, we estimated embryonic diapause to last from 120 to 139 days, and fetal growth last ~ 284 days. All males older than 8 y had an increase in serum testosterone and body weight that was highest in February and lowest in July. Overall, no differences were observed between male and female survival, with a mean (± SEM) life expectancy of 19.5 ± 1.5 y, respectively. Currently, the oldest male and female captive walruses are 40 and 43 y, respectively.ConclusionsData provided herein include details of life history characteristics of zoo and aquaria housed walruses that are useful for wild population recovery models. In particular, results on survivorship and the identification of the most vulnerable period for calf survival can help with model development and suggests that for recovery to occur birthing locations for this species must be protected.

(198) “I heard the heartbeat”: Psychophysiological and Sociocultural Determinants in Pseudocyesis and Delusion of Pregnancy

(198) “I heard the heartbeat”: Psychophysiological and Sociocultural Determinants in Pseudocyesis and Delusion of Pregnancy

Secondary Delusion of Pregnancy in an Antipsychotic Naïve Patient

Delusion of pregnancy is relatively rare phenomenon encountered in psychiatric patients but is reported frequently in developing countries. It can be associated with both psychiatric and neurological disorders. We are reporting a case of delusion of pregnancy that developed in a drug-naïve young woman secondary to auditory hallucination with normal body mass index with no neurological cause due to paranoid schizophrenia. Till date, only seven such cases were reported where auditory hallucinations were reported along with the belief in pregnancy. It should be differentiated from pseudocyesis/pseudopregnancy/simulated pregnancy/Couvade syndrome. Workup should include the identification of the psychosocial/cultural factors leading to the development of this phenomenon, although pharmacological treatment remains the mainstay of the treatment.