Ultrasonographic assessment of the ovarian response in eCG-treated goats

A study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonographic evaluation of ovulation rate during the early luteal phase of does and to estimate the reliability of ultrasonic scanning to differentiate between the corpus luteum and luteinized follicles. Both ultrasonographic and laparoscopic observations of ovarian structures and radioimmunoassays of progesterone in plasma were performed in 47 goats on day 7 after estrus synchronization using intravaginal FGA sponges and eCG. Ultrasonographic scanning allowed the determination of the presence or absence of ovulation. Total ef®ciency in detecting the occurrence of multiple ovulations was 87.5%. However, accuracy to establish the number of corpora lutea decreased to 23.5% in goats with three or more ovulations, due to an increasing underestimation as the number of corpora lutea in the ovary increased (p<0.001). Ultrasonographic assessment of ovulation rate can be used to determine if a goat has ovulated or if multiple ovulations have occurred, but not to establish the precise number of corpora lutea. Evaluation of the ratio between cavity diameter and total luteal-tissue diameter is useful in distinguishing between corpora lutea and luteinized follicles, since the diameter differed between the two (0.36 0.21 vs. 0.64 0.16, respectively; p<0.005)

Evaluation of the small ruminants cystic ovarian disease using transrectal ultrasonography

A transrectal ultrasonic method using a 7.5 MHz linear-array transducer was used in 194 ewes and 39 goats to study the characteristc of cystic ovaries. Cystic structures found on the ovaries include follicular cysts and luteinised cysts. Follicular cysts showed up as non-echogenic structures with a 1.5 ± 0.4 cm diameter. The cysts luteinised showed an echogenic rim of tissue, ranging from 2- 3 mm, around the cyst; the central cavity was 1±0.2 cm. In total, 4.1 percent of ewes and 5.1 percent of goats exhibited follicular cysts. Only 1 percent of ewes and 2.6 percent of goats showed luteinised cysts. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that transrectal ultrasonography provides a noninvasive form of visual access to the ovary from small ruminants, to evaluate pathological changes before the aplication of superovulation treatments and embryo transfer.Se ha realizado un estudio de las características ecográficas de estructuras quísticas ováricas en 194 ovejas y 39 cabras de diferentes razas y procedentes de distintas zonas geográficas, con el objeto de valorar la ecografía transrectal con sondas de alta resolución (7,5 MHz) como criterio de selección de animales destinados a programas de superovulación y recogida de embriones. Los quistes foliculares tenían una incidencia de presentación del 4,1 p.100 en las ovejas y del 5,1 p.100 en las cabras, presentándose ecográficamente con una morfología esférica anecoica de 1,5±0,4 cm de diámetro, con paredes finas y generalmente bien definidas. Los quistes luteínicos tuvieron una presentación del 1 p.100 en las ovejas y del 2,6 p.100 en las cabras. Ecográficamente se caracterizaban por presentar una cavidad central anecógena 1±0,2 cm, rodeada por un anillo ecogénico de 2-3 mm de espesor. No había diferencias significativas en la frecuencia de presentación de quistes ováricos entre ambas especies. Los resultados muestran que la ecografía transrectal con sondas de alta resolución permite la realización de un diagnóstico eficaz de la patología quística ovárica en los pequeños rumiantes, siendo recomendable esta metodología en la selección de hembras donantes y receptoras

Maternal Supplementation with Herbal Antioxidants during Pregnancy in Swine

The effects of a combined supplementation with herbal antioxidants during pregnancy on reproductive traits and piglet performance (number of live, dead, and mummified newborns and litter weight at birth and individual body weight at both birth and weaning) were assessed in a total of 1027 sows (504 treated and 523 control females) kept under commercial breeding conditions. The supplementation increased the number of live-born piglets (13.64 ± 0.11 vs. 12.96 ± 0.13 in the controls; p = 0.001) and the total litter weight, decreasing the incidence of low-weight piglets without affecting the number of stillbirths and mummified newborns. Such an effect was modulated by the number of parity and the supplementation, with supplementation increasing significantly the number of living newborns in the first, second, sixth, and seventh parities (0.87, 1.10, 1.49, and 2.51 additional piglets, respectively; p < 0.05). The evaluation of plasma vitamin concentration and biomarkers of oxidative stress (total antioxidant capacity, TAC, and malondialdehyde concentration, MDA) performed in a subset of farrowing sows and their lighter and heavier piglets showed that plasma levels of both vitamins were significantly higher in the piglets than in their mothers (p < 0.05 for vitamin C and p < 0.005 for vitamin E), with antioxidant supplementation increasing significantly such concentrations. Concomitantly, there were no differences in maternal TAC but significantly higher values in piglets from supplemented sows (p < 0.05). On the other hand, supplementation decreased plasma MDA levels both in the sows and their piglets (p < 0.05). Finally, the piglets from supplemented mothers showed a trend for a higher weaning weight (p = 0.066) and, specifically, piglets with birth weights above 1 kg showed a 7.4% higher weaning weight (p = 0.024). Hence, the results of the present study, with high robustness and translational value by offering data from more than 1000 pregnancies under standard breeding conditions, supports that maternal supplementation with herbal antioxidants during pregnancy significantly improves reproductive efficiency, litter traits, and piglet performance

Intake of Spineless Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica During Late Pregnancy Improves Progeny Performance in Underfed Sheep

13 Pág.The present study tested whether feeding ewes during the last third of pregnancy with cladodes of Opuntia (untreated or protein-enriched), as an alternative to alfalfa hay, would improve milk yield as well as the pre- and post-natal growth of their lambs. Sixty mature Rambouillet ewes and their progeny were randomly allocated among three nutritional treatments: (i) Control, fed alfalfa; (ii) Opuntia, fed untreated cladodes; (iii) E-Opuntia, fed protein-enriched cladodes (pre-treated with urea and ammonium sulphate). Birth weight did not differ among treatments (p > 0.05) but Control ewes produced more milk than both groups of Opuntia-fed ewes (p 0.05) because lambs from E-Opuntia-fed ewes grew faster (p < 0.01) and were heavier at weaning (p < 0.05) than lambs from the other two groups. We conclude that Opuntia (with or without protein enrichment) can be used as an alternative to alfalfa hay for feeding ewes during the last third of pregnancy and therefore reduce production costs under extensive conditions in arid and semiarid regions. Moreover, protein-enriched Opuntia appears to improve postnatal lamb growth.The present study was funded by the National Institute for Research in Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock (INIFAP/project-10561934075).Peer reviewe

Ontogeny of sex-related differences in foetal developmental features, lipid availability and fatty acid composition

Sex-related differences in lipid availability and fatty acid composition during swine foetal development were investigated. Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in the mother were strongly related to the adequacy or inadequacy of foetal development and concomitant activation of protective growth in some organs (brain, heart, liver and spleen). Cholesterol and triglyceride availability was similar in male and female offspring, but female foetuses showed evidence of higher placental transfer of essential fatty acids and synthesis of non-essential fatty acids in muscle and liver. These sex-related differences affected primarily the neutral lipid fraction (triglycerides), which may lead to sex-related postnatal differences in energy partitioning. These results illustrate the strong influence of the maternal lipid profile on foetal development and homeorhesis, and they confirm and extend previous reports that female offspring show better adaptive responses to maternal malnutrition than male offspring. These findings may help guide dietary interventions to ensure adequate fatty acid availability for postnatal development

Clustering COVID-19 ARDS patients through the first days of ICU admission. An analysis of the CIBERESUCICOVID Cohort

Background Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) can be classified into sub-phenotypes according to different inflammatory/clinical status. Prognostic enrichment was achieved by grouping patients into hypoinflammatory or hyperinflammatory sub-phenotypes, even though the time of analysis may change the classification according to treatment response or disease evolution. We aimed to evaluate when patients can be clustered in more than 1 group, and how they may change the clustering of patients using data of baseline or day 3, and the prognosis of patients according to their evolution by changing or not the cluster.Methods Multicenter, observational prospective, and retrospective study of patients admitted due to ARDS related to COVID-19 infection in Spain. Patients were grouped according to a clustering mixed-type data algorithm (k-prototypes) using continuous and categorical readily available variables at baseline and day 3.Results Of 6205 patients, 3743 (60%) were included in the study. According to silhouette analysis, patients were grouped in two clusters. At baseline, 1402 (37%) patients were included in cluster 1 and 2341(63%) in cluster 2. On day 3, 1557(42%) patients were included in cluster 1 and 2086 (57%) in cluster 2. The patients included in cluster 2 were older and more frequently hypertensive and had a higher prevalence of shock, organ dysfunction, inflammatory biomarkers, and worst respiratory indexes at both time points. The 90-day mortality was higher in cluster 2 at both clustering processes (43.8% [n = 1025] versus 27.3% [n = 383] at baseline, and 49% [n = 1023] versus 20.6% [n = 321] on day 3). Four hundred and fifty-eight (33%) patients clustered in the first group were clustered in the second group on day 3. In contrast, 638 (27%) patients clustered in the second group were clustered in the first group on day 3.Conclusions During the first days, patients can be clustered into two groups and the process of clustering patients may change as they continue to evolve. This means that despite a vast majority of patients remaining in the same cluster, a minority reaching 33% of patients analyzed may be re-categorized into different clusters based on their progress. Such changes can significantly impact their prognosis