Effect of photoperiod on sexual activity of boar

The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of photoperiod on sexual activity of three breeds of boars: Swedish Landrace (n=34), Large White (n=38), and Duroc (n=32). Boar sexual activity was analysed based on the libido index and intensity of ejaculation. The libido index was calculated as the ratio between the duration of ejaculation and time of preparation until ejaculation. The intensity of ejaculation was the volume of ejaculate (mL) secreted in the unit of time (min). The effect of photoperiod was analysed as the effect of duration of daylight ( lt 12 h and >12 h) within photoperiod intervals (increasing and decreasing). Impact assessment was carried out by applying the General Linear Model procedure. Libido and intensity of ejaculation varied under the impact of photoperiod and the breed of boars. With the increase in age, the boar libido weakened, while the volume of ejaculate and intensity of ejaculation increased. Boars manifested better libido when the daylight lasted longer than 12 h in both photoperiod intervals. Different from libido, the volume of ejaculate and intensity of ejaculation were highest when the daylight was shorter than 12 h, but only in the decreasing photoperiod interval. Swedish Landrace boars manifested best libido, while in the production of sperm the Duroc boars were inferior compared with Swedish Landrace and Large White. The phenotypic relationship among libido, ejaculate volume, and ejaculation intensity ranges from very low to high; however, the coefficients were positive, which indicates the possibility of simultaneous improvement of these traits

Polycystic ovary syndrome

The document attached has been archived with permission from the editor of the Medical Journal of Australia. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 5-20% of women of reproductive age worldwide. The condition is characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) - with excessive androgen production by the ovaries being a key feature of PCOS. Metabolic dysfunction characterized by insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinaemia is evident in the vast majority of affected individuals. PCOS increases the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes and other pregnancy-related complications, venous thromboembolism, cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events and endometrial cancer. PCOS is a diagnosis of exclusion, based primarily on the presence of hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and PCOM. Treatment should be tailored to the complaints and needs of the patient and involves targeting metabolic abnormalities through lifestyle changes, medication and potentially surgery for the prevention and management of excess weight, androgen suppression and/or blockade, endometrial protection, reproductive therapy and the detection and treatment of psychological features. This Primer summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the epidemiology, mechanisms and pathophysiology, diagnosis, screening and prevention, management and future investigational directions of the disorder.Robert J Norman, Ruijin Wu and Marcin T Stankiewic

Effect of storage conditions on selected characteristics of eggs derived from green-legged partridge hens

Celem pracy było porównanie wybranych cech jaj pochodzących od kur rasy Zielononóżka kuropatwiana w zależności od czasu i temperatury ich przechowywania. Materiałem doświadczalnym były jaja uzyskane od 50-tygodniowych kur tej rasy. Badania przeprowadzono na próbie 60 jaj, podzielonych losowo na trzy grupy doświadczalne. Grupę pierwszą oceniano jako jaja świeże, drugą grupę stanowiły jaja przechowywane w chłodziarce w temperaturze 6 °C przez 20 dni, a trzecią grupę jaja przechowywane przez 20 dni w temperaturze 24 °C. Oceniano jaja w całości, a następnie po ich wybiciu na szklaną płytkę. Przechowywanie jaj przez 20 dni w temperaturze 24 °C znacznie zintensyfikowało procesy ich starzenia się. Zwiększone parowanie wody z treści jaj w tej temperaturze wpłynęło na zwiększenie wysokości komory powietrznej, istotne zmniejszenie masy jaj (z 32,55 do 27,93 g), zmniejszenie zawartości białka ogólnego (z 32,55 do 27,93 g) oraz obniżenie jednostek Hougha (JH) białka i wzrost zasadowości białka. Zaobserwowano istotnie większą (p ≤ 0,05) masę żółtka w jajach przechowywanych przez 20 dni w temperaturze 24 °C w porównaniu z masą żółtka jaj przechowywanych w temperaturze 6 °C, co było spowodowane przenikaniem wody z białka. Jednocześnie zaobserwowano istotne (p ≤ 0,01) zwiększenie indeksu żółtka oraz nieznaczny wzrost wartości pH – z 6,01 do 6,62. Temperatura 24 °C i wydłużony czas przechowywania jaj wywarły niekorzystny wpływ na dynamikę zmian zachodzących w ocenianych jajach, co przyczyniło się do utraty ich świeżości.The objective of the research study was to compare some selected characteristics of eggs derived from hens of the Green-legged Partridge species depending on the time and temperature of storage. The experimental material comprised the eggs derived from 50 weeks old hens of this species. A sample of 60 eggs were analyzed; the eggs were divided randomly into three experimental groups. The eggs in the first group were assessed as fresh eggs, the eggs in the second group were stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of 6 °C for 20 days, and the eggs in the third group were stored at a temperature of 24 °C for 20 days. At first, the whole eggs were assessed; next, the eggs were spilled onto a glass plate and, then, assessed. The storing of eggs for 20 days at a temperature of 24 °C significantly intensified the processes of their ageing. An increased evaporation of water from the eggs caused the height of air cell to increase, the weight of eggs to significantly decrease (from 32.55 to 27.93 g), the content of total white to decrease (from 32.55 to 27.93 g), the IH of white to drop, and the alkalinity of white to grow. Significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater yolk weight was observed in the eggs stored for 20 days at 24 °C than in the eggs stored at 6 °C, which was due to penetration of water from the albumen. At the same time, it was reported a significant increase (p ≤ 0,01) in the yolk index and a slight increase in the value of pH from 6.01 to 6.62. The temperature of 24 °C and the extended time of storing the eggs negatively affected the dynamics of changes occurring in the eggs assessed and this fact caused that the eggs lost their freshness

Effect of sperm concentration in an ejaculate on morphometric traits of spermatozoa in Duroc boars

The experimental material consisted of 75 ejaculates collected form 8 Duroc boars. The ejaculates were divided into three groups according to sperm concentration in an ejaculate. An ejaculate was obtained from each boar monthly and it was used to make microscopic preparations to examine spermatozoa morphology. In each preparation morphometric measurements were taken of fifteen randomly selected spermatozoa characterized by normal morphology. The following measurements of spermatozoa were taken: length and width of the spermatozoa head, head area, length of the flagellum, perimeter of the spermatozoon head and total spermatozoon length. The results were used to calculate indicators of spermatozoa morphology. Moreover, assessments were made of frequency of morphological defects to isolate spermatozoa with primary and secondary abnormalities following the Blom classification system. It was found that the concentration of spermatozoa in the ejaculate influenced the morphometric characteristics of spermatozoa. Ejaculates with low sperm concentrations are characterized by larger spermatozoa as compared to ejaculates with high sperm concentrations. However, sperm concentration in the ejaculate does not much influence the shape of spermatozoa