Ultrazvučno praćenje odgovora jajnika na program multiple ovulacije i embriotransfera u koza.

The aim of this research was to establish the importance and accuracy of ultrasonic examination of goats in order to estimate the superovulatory response. For this reason, 28 donor goats were systematically examined by real time ultrasonography to count the preovulatory follicles at observed oestrus onset and to confirm respective ovulation(s) 48 h later. The accuracy of ultrasound exams was analysed comparing the number of preovulatory follicles with number of corpora lutea (CL′s) counted during embryo collection. The total relative undervalue of ultrasound prediction of multiple ovulation was found to be 19.4%. In all ovaries examined, the total number of preovulatory follicles minus number of unovulated follicles was lower than the number of CL′s. The relationship between the predicted ovulation rate and number of CL’s was positive and significant (CL 3.98 + 0.75 follicle; r2 0.93), with significantly higher intercept (1.45) for the right ovary. Also, the accuracy of ultrasound to establish the ovulating and non-ovulating goats was 100.0%. However, determination of the exact number of multiple ovulations on ovaries was 45.0%. In conclusion, the ultrasonography of donor goats is an useful tool to monitor follicular dynamics and success of superovulation procedures. Counting the number of follicles >4 mm in diameter at the oestrus onset and confirming the ovulation is a good method for selection of responding goats prior to flushing of uterus.Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ustanoviti važnost i točnost ultrazvučnog pregleda koza u procjeni uspješnosti postupka superovulacije. U tu svrhu je 28 koza davateljica bilo sustavno pregledavano „real-time“ ultrazvučnom metodom kako bi se izbrojali preovulacijski folikuli na početku estrusa i potvrdile ovulacije 48 sati kasnije. Provjerena je točnost ultrazvučnih nalaza i uspoređena s brojem žutih tijela utvrđenih prilikom ispiranja maternice. Ukupna relativna podcijenjenost ultrazvučnog predviđanja multiple ovulacije iznosila je 19,4%. Na svim pregledanim jajnicima, ukupni broj preovulacijskih folikula umanjen za broj neovuliranih folikula bio je manji nego broj žutih tijela. Odnos između predviđene stope ovulacije i broja žutih tijela bio je pozitivan i značajan (CL 3,98 + 0,75 folikula; r2 0,93), sa značajno višim interceptom (1,45) za desni jajnik. Također, točnost utvrđivanja ovulirajućih i neovulirajućih koza ultrazvukom iznosila je 100,0%. Međutim, određivanje točnog broja multiplih ovulacija na jajnicima bilo je na razini od 45,0%. Iz navedenog se može zaključiti kako je ultrazvučno pregledavanje koza davateljica korisna metoda za praćenje folikularne dinamike i uspjeha superovulacije. Brojenje folikula promjera >4 mm na početku estrusa i potvrda ovulacije je dobra metoda za odabir koza koje su dobro reagirale na superovulacijske postupke prije ispiranja maternice

Combating obesity through healthy eating behavior: A call for system dynamics optimization

Poor eating behavior has been identified as one of the core contributory factors of the childhood obesity epidemic.The consequences of obesity on numerous aspects of life are thoroughly explored in the existing literature.For instance, evidence shows that obesity is linked to incidences of diseases such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and some cancers, as well as psycho social problems.To respond to the increasing trends in the UK, in 2008 the government set a target to reverse the prevalence of obesity (POB) back to 2000 levels by 2020. This paper will outline the application of system dynamics (SD) optimization to simulate the effect of changes in the eating behavior of British children (aged 2 to 15 years) on weight and obesity. This study also will identify how long it will take to achieve the government’s target. This paper proposed a simulation model called Intervention Childhood Obesity Dynamics (ICOD) by focusing the interrelations between various strands of knowledge in one complex human weight regulation system. The model offers distinct insights into the dynamics by capturing the complex inter dependencies from the causal loop and feedback structure, with the intention to better understand how eating behaviors influence children’s weight, body mass index (BMI), and POB measurement. This study proposed a set of equations that are revised from the original (baseline) equations. The new functions are constructed using a RAMP function of linear decrements in portion size and number of meal variables from 2013 until 2020 in order to achieve the 2020 desired target. Findings from the optimization analysis revealed that the 2020 target won’t be achieved until 2026 at the earliest, six years late.Thus, the model suggested that a longer period may be needed to significantly reduce obesity in this population

A simple method to select high superovulatory responder goats

In most female mammals, a common drawback to multiple ovulation embryo transfer programs is the variability in the superovulatory response to the multidose pFSH treatment. The aim of the present study was to identify embryo donor goats based on their response to superovulation before the performance of a high-cost hormonal treatment, as we have previously done in sheep. To this end, we evaluated the number of ovulations obtained in response to the administration of a one-shot eCG treatment and related it with the subsequent ovarian response to a multiple-dose pFSH treatment in 33 goats of the Criolla-Neuquina breed. Goats received a one-shot eCG treatment of 800 IU at the end of a 17-day progestational treatment; 9 days later, started a second 17-day progestational treatment and then received a multiple-dose pFSH treatment on days 15–17 (116 mg pFSH, in six decreasing doses). The number of corpora lutea (CL) per goat was recorded laparoscopically after both hormonal treatments. On day 8 after the second pessary removal, embryos were surgically recovered and classified by quality. Results showed a significant positive correlation between the number of CL obtained in response to the eCG and pFSH treatments (r = 0.41; y = 0.8352x + 6.9906; P 0.05). In conclusion, the recurrence rate in ovarian response between the one-shot eCG treatment and the multiple-dose pFSH treatment would confirm the existence of an “individual or intrinsic factor” of the donor goat that would respond as a high or low ovulatory responder to superovulatory treatments.Fil: Bruno Galarraga, María Macarena. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Patagonia Norte. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Carlos de Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, Jimena. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Patagonia Norte. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Carlos de Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Lacau, Isabel María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez Bulnes, Antonio. Universidad Cardenal Herrera; EspañaFil: Gibbons, Alejandro Eduardo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Patagonia Norte. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Carlos de Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Cueto, Marcela Isabel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Patagonia Norte. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Carlos de Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; Argentin

The Use of hCG for Inducing Ovulation in Sheep Estrus Synchronization Impairs Ovulatory Follicle Growth and Fertility

Currently, there is an intense effort to find an alternative hormone to eCG to induce ovulation after estrus synchronization treatments in sheep. One of the proposed alternatives is based on the use of hCG, but the results are controversial since fertility rates are commonly affected. The present study aims to evaluate, therefore, the adequacy of hCG in protocols for the synchronization of estrus and ovulation. Ovarian follicle dynamics, occurrence of estrus behavior and subsequent ovulation, quality of corpora lutea, and pregnancy rate after controlled natural mating were assessed in two consecutive trials. The findings indicate that the low fertility rates reported for the protocols based on the administration of hCG for inducing ovulation during estrus synchronization in sheep may be related to a high occurrence of abnormal follicular growth patterns, disturbances, and retardments of ovulation and concomitant formation of follicular cysts in the treated females. These results preclude their practical application to induce ovulation concomitantly to estrous synchronization treatments.Estación Experimental Agropecuaria BarilocheFil: Bruno Galarraga, María Macarena. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estacion Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Laboratorio de Reproducción de Rumiantes Menores; ArgentinaFil: Bruno Galarraga, María Macarena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Cano Moreno, Virginia. Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU. Facultad de Veterinaria. Departamento Produccion y Sanidad Animal; EspañaFil: Lago Cruz, Beatriz. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Facultad de Veterinaria. Departamento de Toxicologia y Farmacologia; EspañaFil: Encinas, Teresa. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Facultad de Veterinaria. Departamento de Toxicologia y Farmacologia; EspañaFil: Gonzalez Bulnes, Antonio. Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU. Facultad de Veterinaria. Departamento Produccion y Sanidad Animal; EspañaFil: Martinez Ros, Paula. Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU. Facultad de Veterinaria. Departamento Produccion y Sanidad Animal; Españ

Ram semen deterioration by short-term exposure to high altitude is prevented by improvement of antioxidant status.

Abstract Ovine reproduction efficiency in herds at high altitude (ha) is lower than that at low altitude (la). In ewes, ha effects are due to hypoxia and oxidative stress. Our aim was to establish the effect of antioxidant vitamin supplementation on semen traits and antioxidant status of rams exposed to short or long time ha. A total of 32 rams native to la (~500 m) were used, 16 were kept at la and the other 16 were brought to ha (~3600 m), where they were placed in the same flock as the ha native rams (n=16). Half of the animals in each group were supplemented daily with vitamins C 600 mg and E 450 IU per os, during the entire experimental period, starting the 4th day after animal's arrival at ha (day 0). At days 0, 30 and 60 of treatment, blood and semen samples were collected for evaluation of antioxidant status and semen standard characteristics. Data were compared within each experimental time by analysis of variance using a general linear model. Elevated concentrations of oxidative stress biomarkers were present in blood from animals maintained at ha. Ejaculates from ha exposed rams showed decreased sperm concentration, progressive motility and viability, in addition to decreased antioxidant status in seminal fluid. A total of 30 days of oral supplementation with vitamins C and E prevented some ha negative effects on semen characteristics, mainly in recently ha exposed rams. It is concluded that exposure of rams to ha negatively affects semen quality, where oxidative stress plays a predominant role. These effects are mainly prevented by oral supplementation of vitamins C and E, which constitutes a simple and cheap alternative to improve semen quality of rams when they are moved to ha

A High-Fat Diet Modifies Brain Neurotransmitter Profile and Hippocampal Proteome and Morphology in an IUGR Pig Model

This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (AGL2015-68463-C2-2-P to A.B. and projects AGL2013-48121-C3-R and AGL2016-79321-C2-1-R to A.G.-B.), cofunded by FEDER. N.Y. is recipient of a graduate student fellowship from the Spanish FPU National Program Grant (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities; number FPU17/01881). A.H.-M. is recipient of a graduate student fellowship from the Spanish FPI National Program Grant (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities; number BES-2017-080541).Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) hinders the correct growth of the fetus during pregnancy due to the lack of oxygen or nutrients. The developing fetus gives priority to brain development ("brain sparing"), but the risk exists of neurological and cognitive deficits at short or long term. On the other hand, diets rich in fat exert pernicious effects on brain function. Using a pig model of spontaneous IUGR, we have studied the effect on the adult of a long-term high-fat diet (HFD) on the neurotransmitter profile in several brain areas, and the morphology and the proteome of the hippocampus. Our hypothesis was that animals affected by IUGR (born with low birth weight) would present a different susceptibility to an HFD when they become adults, compared with normal birth-weight animals. Our results indicate that HFD affected the serotoninergic pathway, but it did not provoke relevant changes in the morphology of the hippocampus. Finally, the proteomic analysis revealed that, in some instances, NBW and LBW individuals respond to HFD in different ways. In particular, NBW animals presented changes in oxidative phosphorylation and the extracellular matrix, whereas LBW animals presented differences in RNA splicing, anterograde and retrograde transport and the mTOR pathway

Polyphenols and IUGR Pregnancies : effects of the Antioxidant Hydroxytyrosol on Brain Neurochemistry and Development in a Porcine Model

Supplementation of a mother's diet with antioxidants, such as hydroxytyrosol (HTX), has been proposed to ameliorate the adverse phenotypes of fetuses at risk of intrauterine growth restriction. In the present study, sows were treated daily with or without 1.5 mg of HTX per kilogram of feed from day 35 of pregnancy (at 30% of total gestational period), and individuals were sampled at three different ages: 100-day-old fetuses and 1-month- and 6-month-old piglets. After euthanasia, the brain was removed and the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex were dissected. The profile of the catecholaminergic and serotoninergic neurotransmitters (NTs) was characterized and an immunohistochemical study of the hippocampus was performed. The results indicated that maternal supplementation with HTX during pregnancy affected the NT profile in a brain-area-dependant mode and it modified the process of neuron differentiation in the hippocampal CA1 and GD areas, indicating that cell differentiation occurred more rapidly in the HTX group. These effects were specific to the fetal period, concomitantly with HTX maternal supplementation, since no major differences remained between the control and treated groups in 1-month- and 6-month-old pigs

Fetal sex modulates developmental response to maternal malnutrition

The incidence of obesity and metabolic diseases is dramatically high in rapidly developing countries. Causes have been related to intrinsic ethnic features with development of a thrifty genotype for adapting to food scarcity, prenatal programming by undernutrition, and postnatal exposure to obesogenic lifestyle. Observational studies in humans and experimental studies in animal models evidence that the adaptive responses of the offspring may be modulated by their sex. In the contemporary context of world globalization, the new question arising is the existence and extent of sex-related differences in developmental and metabolic traits in case of mixed-race. Hence, in the current study, using a swine model, we compared male and female fetuses that were crossbred from mothers with thrifty genotype and fathers without thrifty genotype. Female conceptuses evidence stronger protective strategies for their adequate growth and postnatal survival. In brief, both male and female fetuses developed a brain-sparing effect but female fetuses were still able to maintain the development of other viscerae than the brain (mainly liver, intestine and kidneys) at the expense of carcass development. Furthermore, these morphometric differences were reinforced by differences in nutrient availability (glucose and cholesterol) favoring female fetuses with severe developmental predicament. These findings set the basis for further studies aiming to increase the knowledge on the interaction between genetic and environmental factors in the determination of adult phenotype

Characterization of Ageing- and Diet-Related Swine Models of Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Obesity

Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity are currently considered major global threats for health and well-being. However, there is a lack of adequate preclinical models for their study. The present trial evaluated the suitability of aged swine by determining changes in adiposity, fatty acids composition, antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation, development of metabolic disturbances and structural changes in tissues and organs. Iberian sows with clinical evidence of aging-related sarcopenia were fed a standard diet fulfilling their maintenance requirements or an obesogenic diet for 100 days. Aging and sarcopenia were related to increased lipid accumulation and cellular dysfunction at both adipose tissue and non-adipose ectopic tissues (liver and pancreas). Obesity concomitant to sarcopenia aggravates the condition by increasing visceral adiposity and causing dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and lipotoxicity in non-adipose tissues. These results support that the Iberian swine model represents certain features of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in humans, paving the way for future research on physiopathology of these conditions and possible therapeutic targets