Comparison of cryopreservative effect of different levels of omega-3 egg-yolk in citrate extender on the quality of goat spermatozoa

The objective of the present study was to compare quality of chilled and frozenthawed goat semen processed in citrate extender containing 3 different levels (2.5, 5 and 10%) of omega-3 egg-yolk (EY). Ejaculates were collected from five adult goats using artificial vagina. Quality of fresh semen, processed semen after 3 hrs of chilling and 24 hrs of freezing was assessed based on live sperm %age, abnormality (determined by eosin-nigrosin stain) and general and progressive motility (evaluated by CEROS computer assisted semen analyzer). The result showed a significant (P<0.05) decrease in post-chilled live sperm %age from the fresh sample for extenders using 2.5 and 5% EY but not for the 10%. Moreover, a significantly lower percentage general and progressive motility was recorded using the 2.5% EY compared to the others that showed post-chilled sperm motility non-significantly different from the fresh sample. After chilling, 5% EY showed significantly lower percent sperm abnormalities compared to others. However, the abnormalities increased after freezing to a level non-significantly different from the 10% EY that sustained to demonstrate higher live sperm %age and motility than both 2.5 and 5% EY. An overall increase in post-thawed live sperm %age, general and progressive motility was observed with increase in concentration of EY added. Thus, though the difference with the 5% EY is in magnitude, the 10% omega-3 EY in citrate extender is preferred compared to 2.5% for superior post-thawed goat semen quality, extended without washing seminal plasma

An update on type 1 diabetes treatments: insulin treatment, cell therapy and transplantation

Diabetes is one of the major life-threatening health problems worldwide today. It is one of the most fast-growing diseases that cause many health complications and a leading cause of decreasing life expectancy and high mortality rate. Many studies have suggested several different types of intervention to treat Type 1 diabetes such as insulin therapy, islet transplantation, islet xenotransplantation and stem cell therapy. However, issues regarding the efficacy, cost and safety of these treatments are not always well addressed. For decades, diabetes treatments with few side effects and long-lasting insulin independence has remained one of the most challenging tasks facing scientists. Among the treatments mentioned above, application of human islet transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes has progressed rapidly with significant achievement. Again, the lack of appropriate donors for islet transplantation and its high cost have led researchers to look for other alternatives. In this review, we discuss very pertinent issues that are related to diabetes treatments, their availability, advantages, disadvantages and also cost

Seroprevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus infection and associated risk factors in cattle in Selangor, Malaysia

Nurhusien Yimer/ Mohamed Ariff Omar,Jesse Faez Firdaus bin Abdullah,Rosnina Hj. Yusoff,Siti Suri Arshad,Abd Wahid Haron/ / , Kazhal Sarsaif

Development of superovulation program and heterologous in vitro fertilization test assessment in hamsters

Superovulation has become a common assisted reproductive technology in the field of animal reproduction. In addition, zona-free hamster oocytes have been used in heterologous in vitro fertilization research to evaluate sperm function. A study was conducted to compare eight different superovulation protocols for golden hamsters using two concentrations of human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) given at two time intervals post-pregnant mare’s serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) injection and two time intervals of oocyte harvesting. Fifty-six female golden hamsters were randomly and equally assigned into eight superovulation groups. Hamsters were superovulated initially with PMSG followed by human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG). All the groups received 40 IU PMSG, either 40 or 45 IU hCG given at either 48-50 or 55-57 h post PMSG injection and the oocytes recovered at either 12-15 or 16-18 h after hCG injection. Higher number of recovered oocytes (51.57±0.83) and maturation rates (94.20%) (p<0.05) were detected in hamsters which received 45 IU hCG at 55-57 h after PMSG injection when the oocytes were recovered later at 16-18 h compared with hamsters in the other groups. Mean fertilization rate of hamsters given 45 IU hCG at 55-57 h post PMSG injection ranged from 77.89-78.84% and were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those that received hCG at 48-50 h post PMSG injection. In conclusion administration of 40 IU PMSG followed by 45 IU hCG injection at 55 and 57 h post PMSG injection followed by oocyte recovery after 16-18 h gave the highest response in oocyte recovery and maturation in golden hamsters

α-Linolenic acid supplementation in BioXcell® extender can improve the quality of post-cooling and frozen-thawed bovine sperm

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of supplementing α-linolenic acid (ALA) into BioXcell® extender on post-cooling, post-thawed bovine spermatozoa and post thawed fatty acid composition. Twenty-four semen samples were collected from three bulls using an electro-ejaculator. Fresh semen samples were evaluated for general motility using computer assisted semen analyzer (CASA) whereas morphology and viability with eosin–nigrosin stain. Semen samples extended into BioXcell® were divided into five groups to which 0, 3, 5, 10 and 15 ng/ml of ALA were added, respectively. The treated samples were incubated at 37 °C for 15 min for ALA uptake by sperm cells before being cooled for 2 h at 5 °C. After evaluation, the cooled samples were packed into 0.25 ml straws and frozen in liquid nitrogen for 24 h before thawing and evaluation for semen quality. Evaluation of cooled and frozen-thawed semen showed that the percentages of all the sperm parameters improved with 5 ng/ml ALA supplement. ALA was higher in all treated groups than control groups than control group. In conclusion, 5 ng/ml ALA supplemented into BioXcell® extender improved the cooled and frozen-thawed quality of bull spermatozoa

Effect of semen collection methods on the quality of pre- and post-thawed Bali cattle (Bos javanicus) spermatozoa.

This study was conducted to evaluate the response of Bali bulls (Bos javanicus) to different semen collection methods and their effects on fresh and post-thawed semen quality. The collection methods employed were electro-ejaculation (EE), transrectal massage (RM) and RM followed by EE (RM + EE). A total of 25 untrained Bali bulls (age between 2 and 4 years old) were subjected to the different semen collection methods. Fresh semen samples from all the 25 bulls were evaluated for volume, pH, general motility, live/dead ratio and abnormality using the conventional method. For fresh and frozen samples collected by EE and RM from 10 bulls, computer-assisted semen analysis system was used for precise quantitative measurement of motility, velocity and forward progression. Accucell photometer was used to measure sperm concentration in all samples, regardless fresh and frozen. Semen samples were obtained 100% of the attempts using EE, 84% using RM and 96% using RM + EE. There were no differences among the collection methods for fresh semen quality characteristics, including motility, morphology and viability, but pH and volume were higher for EE than RM and RM + EE. Higher sperm concentration was observed in semen collected by RM than the other two methods. Different age groups (2–3 and >3–4 years old) of the bulls did not show significant differences in volume, pH, sperm concentration, percentages in motility, live/dead ratio and normal sperm morphology. The quality of semen for general and progressive motility, VAP, VSL and VCL and acrosomal integrity after thawing was higher for RM than EE. In conclusion, Bali bulls appeared to respond best to EE and the combination of RM + EE than RM, as a method of semen collection, with a shorter time of stimulation required. Differences in age of the Bali bulls did not affect the semen quality

Recurrent vaginal prolapse in a postpartum river buffalo and its management

This article presents a case report based on a river buffalo cow with a history of recurrent vaginal prolapse following a normal parturition. After clinical examination, the buffalo was diagnosed with first grade vaginal prolapse. Following administration of epidural anesthesia (Lidocaine), the area of vulva was aseptically prepared and a modified boot-lace retention suture was applied using nylon tape to prevent recurrence of the prolapse. Because of a foul smell lochia detected and for prevention of further contamination, antibiotic was administered. The buffalo was also treated with anti-inflammatory drug and drugs useful to help muscle tonicity and retention of reproductive organs in place. Two weeks later suture was removed and the animal recovered successfully with no recurrence reported after that. Though vaginal prolapse in buffalo has been reported to be most common during last trimester of pregnancy or associated with dystocia, the present case shows that it can also occur following normal parturition

Testicular evisceration sequel to trauma and its surgical management in a rabbit

The characteristic thin skin of the scrotal sac in a rabbit was torn resulting in traumatic exposure of the right testicle. Bilateral orchiectomy through an open scrotal approach was performed under general anaesthesia. The rabbit was premedicated with Acepromazine (0.5 mg/kg, 0.15 ml) and Flunixin meglumine (1 mg/kg, 0.03 ml,) intra-muscularly. Isoflurane was used for induction at 5% with O2 flow rate at 0.7 L/min and maintenance Isoflurane, 1.5% - 3%, O2 flow rate = 0.7 L/min) of general anaesthesia. Both right and left testicles were removed and the hemiscrotal incision was closed with 4-0 Vicryl, horizontal mattress suture pattern. Post-operative treatments with antibiotic and anti-inflammatory agents were instituted and the client was advised about how to safely manage aggressive behaviour of rabbits towards each other. The surgical site healed without complication and the neutered rabbit recovered fully within 14 days

Evaluation of isolated caprine pancreatic islets cytoarchitecture by laser scanning confocal microscopy and flow cytometry

Background: Pancreatic islets are composed of different hormone-secreting cell types. A finely balanced combination of endocrine cells in the islets regulates intraportal vein secretions and plasma nutrient levels. Every islet cell type is distinguished by its specific secretory granule pattern and hormone content, endocrine and cell signaling mechanisms, and neuronal interactions. The scarcity of pancreatic islet donors for patients with diabetes has caused a considerable interest in the field of islet xenotransplantation. Previous studies have shown that cell arrangement in the pancreatic islets of ruminants differs from that of other mammals; however, caprine islet cytoarchitecture has not yet been comprehensively described. This investigation aimed to characterize caprine islets in regard to better understanding of caprine islet structure and compare with previously reported species, by conducting a detailed analysis of islet architecture and composition using confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence staining for pancreatic islet hormones. Methodology: After collection and purification of caprine islets with Euro-Ficoll density gradients, islets were considered for viability and functionality procedures with DTZ (dithizone) staining and GSIST (glucose-stimulated insulin secretion test) subsequently. Batches of islet were selected for immunostaining and study through confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Results: Histological sections of caprine pancreatic islets showed that α-cells were segregated at the periphery of β-cells. In caprine islets, α- and δ-cells remarkably were intermingled with β-cells in the mantle. Such cytoarchitecture was observed in all examined caprine pancreatic islets and was also reported for the islets of other ruminants. In both small and large caprine islets ( 150 μm in diameter, respectively), the majority of β-cells were positioned at the core and α-cells were arranged at the mantle, while some single α-cells were also observed in the islet center. We evaluated the content of β-, α-, and δ-cells by confocal microscopy (n = 35, mean ± SD; 38.01 ± 9.50%, 30.33 ± 10.11%, 2.25 ± 1.10%, respectively) and flow cytometry (n = 9, mean ± SD; 37.52 ± 9.74%, 31.72 ± 4.92%, 2.70 ± 2.81%, respectively). Our findings indicate that the caprine islets are heterogeneous in cell composition. The difference could be attributed to species-specific interaction between endocrine cells and blood. Conclusions: Comparative studies of islet architecture may lead to better understanding of islet structure and cell type population arrangement. These results suggest the use of caprine islets as an addition to the supply of islets for diabetes research

Effect of seminal plasma removal, washing solutions, and centrifugation regimes on boer goat semen cryopreservation

Three experiments were carried out to improve semen quality during cryopreservation process. Total motility, forward motility, acrosome integrity, live spermatozoa, and normal spermatozoa were measured as semen quality. In Experiment 1, the effects of seminal plasma removal were analyzed by using two different extenders (GE and FE). The removal of seminal plasma gave higher and significant (P<0.05) effect in the total motility, forward motility, and live spermatozoa after cryopreservation. For two different extenders, however, the differences were not observed on the semen quality. In Experiment 2, three different washing solutions (namely, phosphate buffered saline, normal saline and Tris-based extender) were tested to evaluate the effects of semen quality after cryopreservation. Tris-based extender (TCG) conferred the highest (P<.05) sperm quality values in the total motility, forward motility, and live spermatozoa after cryopreservation. In Experiment 3, the effects of different centrifugation regimes (3000 × g for 3 min, 1600 × g for 10 min, 800 × g for 15 min) were evaluated on Boer semen quality. Semen quality parameters (namely, total motility, forward motility, acrosome integrity, and live spermatozoa) were significantly (P<.05) higher for cryopreserved spermatozoa centrifuged with 3000 × g for 3 min than the others. In conclusion, the removal of seminal plasma, washing solution TCG, and the use short-term centrifugation with a relative high g-force could contribute to the increased Boer semen quality after cryopreservation