Ultrazvučne značajke maternice i jajnika za vrijeme estrusa i njihov odnos sa stopom gravidnosti u mliječnih krava

It was hypothesized that the accumulation of fluids in the uterine lumen reduces fertility in dairy cows. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was an evaluation of the ultrasound characteristics of the reproductive tract, including the accumulation of fluids in the uterine lumen during estrus, and the effect of these findings on pregnancy rates in dairy cows. The study was conducted on 486 lactating Holstein cows detected to be in estrous, on a large commercial dairy herd in Shiraz, Iran. Transrectal ultrasound was performed at the time of artificial insemination. Reproductive tract characteristics, comprising follicle diameters, the presence of corpus luteum in ovaries, the thickness, folding and edema of the uterus, and intrauterine fluid, were visualized and scored by ultrasonography. The cows were followed after insemination and their pregnancy rate determined. The effect of ultrasound findings were investigated in relation to pregnancy rates. The data were analyzed using logistic regression analyses. The results indicated that the pregnancy rate was significantly higher in cows with follicle size >14 mm (38.8%) compared with ≤14 mm (27.3%), after adjusting for the parity of the animals, days in milk and mean daily milk production (OR = 1.84, P = 0.005). No association between pregnancy rate and other ultrasound characteristics of the reproductive tract during estrus was observed in this study (P>0.05). In conclusion, follicle size is positively associated with the pregnancy rate of dairy cows in estrus. However, other ultrasound findings of the uterus, including intrauterine fluid, did not show any association with pregnancy rates.Pretpostavlja se da nakupljanje tekućine u materničnoj šupljini smanjuje plodnost u mliječnih krava. Cilj je ovoga istraživanja stoga bio procijeniti ultrazvučne značajke reproduktivnog sustava, uključujući nakupljanje tekućine u maternici za vrijeme estrusa, te njihov utjecaj na stopu gravidnost u mliječnih krava. Istraživanje je provedeno na 486 holštajnskih krava uzgajanih u velikom komercijalnom stadu, u Shirazu, Iran. Sve krave su bile u laktaciji i s otkrivenim estrusom. Transrektalni ultrazvuk učinjen je u vrijeme umjetnog osjemenjivanja. Značajke reproduktivnog sustava, koje su obuhvatile promjer folikula, prisutnost žutog tijela u jajnicima, debljinu, nabor i edem maternice te intrauterinu tekućinu, promatrane su i procijenjene ultrazvučno. Krave su nakon osjemenjivanja praćene te im je određena stopa gravidnosti. Analiziran je utjecaj pokazatelja određenih ultrazvukom na stopu gravidnosti. Podaci su obrađeni logističkom regresijskom analizom. Rezultati su pokazali da je stopa gravidnosti, nakon prilagođavanja pariteta životinja te dnevne količine mlijeka i srednje dnevne količine proizvodnje (OR = 1,84, P = 0,005), bila znakovito veća u krava s folikulima većima od 14 mm (38,8 %) u usporedbi s onima od 14 mm i manjima (27,3 %). Nije uočena povezanost između stope gravidnosti i drugih ultrazvučnih značajki reproduktivnog sustava za vrijeme estrusa praćenog u ovom istraživanju (P>0,05). Zaključeno je da je veličina folikula pozitivno povezana s stopom gravidnosti mliječnih krava u estrusu. Kakogod, drugi ultrazvučni nalazi maternice, uključujući intrauterinu tekućinu, nisu pokazali povezanost sa stopom gravidnosti

Outbreak Investigation of Brucellosis at a Kennel in Iran

This study was undertaken to assess the seroprevalence of Brucella canis at a kennel in Iran. Serum samples (n=21) were examined for the presence of B. canis antibodies with immunochromatography assay. Out of these, 57.2% were positive for B. canis antibodies. All sero positive dogs were more than 2 years old. Of these, majority (75%) was female dogs and 66.6% had the history of late abortion between 40 and 55 days of gestational period accompanied with brownish or gray-green vaginal discharge. The aborted puppies usually appeared partially autolysed. Scrotal dermatitis and orchitis were the only signs in male dogs. Prevention measures were also performed to control the infection in this kennel

Methyl β-Cyclodextrin-sperm-mediated gene editing (MBCD-SMGE): a simple and efficient method for targeted mutant mouse production

Abstract Background Generating targeted mutant mice is a crucial technology in biomedical research. This study focuses on optimizing the CRISPR/Cas9 system uptake into sperm cells using the methyl β-cyclodextrin-sperm-mediated gene transfer (MBCD-SMGT) technique to generate targeted mutant blastocysts and mice efficiently. Additionally, the present study elucidates the roles of cholesterol and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the exogenous DNA uptake by sperm. Results In this study, B6D2F1 mouse sperm were incubated in the c-TYH medium with different concentrations of MBCD (0, 0.75, 1, and 2 mM) in the presence of 20 ng/µl pCAG-eCas9-GFP-U6-gRNA (pgRNA-Cas9) for 30 min. Functional parameters, extracellular ROS, and the copy numbers of internalized plasmid per sperm cell were evaluated. Subsequently, in vitro fertilization (IVF) was performed and fertilization rate, early embryonic development, and transfection rate were assessed. Finally, our study investigated the potential of the MBCD-SMGT technique in combination with the CRISPR-Cas9 system, referred to as MBCD-SMGE (MBCD-sperm-mediated gene editing), for generating targeted mutant blastocysts and mice. Results indicated that cholesterol removal from the sperm membrane using MBCD resulted in a premature acrosomal reaction, an increase in extracellular ROS levels, and a dose-dependent influence on the copy numbers of the internalized plasmids per sperm cell. Moreover, the MBCD-SMGT technique led to a larger population of transfected motile sperm and a higher production rate of GFP-positive blastocysts. Additionally, the current study validated the targeted indel in blastocyst and mouse derived from MBCD-SMGE technique. Conclusion Overall, this study highlights the significant potential of the MBCD-SMGE technique for generating targeted mutant mice. It holds enormous promise for modeling human diseases and improving desirable traits in animals. Graphical Abstrac

Effects of anestrus dog serum on superovulation in rats and mice

Objective: To study the effects of anestrus dog serum in rodents (contains high amount of FSH) compared with two common superovulatory programs.Methods: Rats (n=30) at diestrus phase were evenly divided into pregnant mare serum gonadotrophins (PMSG) group (administrated with 30 IU PMSG, and 48 h later following by 25 IU hCG), recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH) group (reducing dose every 12 h from 5 to 1 IU, then following by 25 IU hCG) and anestrus dog serum group (reducing dose every 12 h from 0.6 to 0.1 mL, then following by 25 IU of hCG). Mice (n=30) were also evenly divided into PMSG group (5 IU PMSG used at 13 pm, and 48 h later following by 5 IU of hCG), rFSH group (from 13 pm, reducing dose every 12 h from 2.5 to 0.5 IU, then following by 5 IU hCG) and anestrous dog serum group (from 13 pm, reducing dose every 12 h from 0.100 to 0.025 mL, then following by 5 IU hCG). Mice and rats placed with males for 24 h after last injection. Histology samples of ovaries were prepared and the numbers of corpus lutea were counted on day 14 after mating.Results: In mice, the differences among mean number of corpus lutea in all groups (P=0.01) and between FSH and dog serum group were significant (P=0.000 7). But no significant differences were found between the mean number of corpus lutea in dog serum and PMSG, or between FSH and PMSG groups. In rats, mean number of corpus lutea were significant differences among three groups (P=0.01), and between PMSG and dog serum groups (P=0.02).Conclusions: Superovulatory response in anestrus dog serum group is similar to PMSG group in mice, which is relatively similar to FSH in rats

Changes in thyroid hormones, leptin, ghrelin and, galanin following oral melatonin administration in intact and castrated dogs: a preliminary study

Abstract Background Melatonin regulates metabolism and metabolism related hormones in mammalians. Castration has some adverse effects on the metabolic hormones of dog. This study was conducted to determine the effects of oral melatonin administration on metabolic hormones, as well as to compare changes of these hormones after administration of melatonin in castrated and intact dogs. Twenty healthy mixed breed mature male dogs were divided randomly into four groups (n = 5): melatonin (3 mg/10 kg(, castrated, castrated and melatonin treated, and negative control. Blood sample was collected from jugular vein weekly for 1 month. Results T3 and T4 hormones had a significant decrease within 1 month following administration of melatonin. No significant change was observed in concentration of FT3 and FT4 hormones. Leptin and ghrelin hormones also had a significant decrease in this period. Leptin and ghrelin had a more significant decrease in “non-castrated and melatonin treated” group compared to “castrated and melatonin treated” group. Galanin had a significant decrease but this neurotransmitter had no significant change in “non-castrated and melatonin treated” group in comparison to “castrated and melatonin treated” group. Conclusions It seems that daily administration of melatonin capsule in all dogs can probably decrease concentration of T3 and T4 hormones and balance other metabolic hormones following castration. Methods The dogs underwent castration, melatonin treatment and blood sampling

Intrauterine xenotransplantation of human Wharton jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells into the liver of rabbit fetuses: A preliminary study for in vivo expression of the human liver genes

Objective(s): End-stage hepatic failure is a potentially life-threatening condition for which orthotopic liver transplantation is the only effective treatment. However, a shortage of available donor organs for transplantation each year results in the death of many patients waiting for liver transplantation. Xenotransplantation, or the transplantation of cells, tissues, or organs between different species, was proposed as a possible solution to the worldwide shortage of human organs and tissues for transplantation. The purpose of this preliminary study was to reconstruct human liver tissue by xenotransplantation of human Wharton jelly mesenchymal stem cells (hWJ-MSCs) into fetal rabbit. Materials and Methods: Isolation and confirmation of hWJ-MSCs from human umbilical cord was performed. Eight rabbits at gestational day 14 were anesthetized. All rabbits carried pregnancies to term yielding 40 rabbit fetuses. Intrauterine injection of hWJ-MSCs was performed in 24 fetuses. Twenty-seven fetuses were born alive. Ten liver samples from injected fetuses were sampled, eight rabbits 3 days after birth and two rabbits 21 days after birth. The non-injected fetuses served as positive control. Fetuses of non-injected rabbits were negative controls. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), mRNA expression of albumin (ALB), α-fetoprotein (AFP), hepatic nuclear factor 4 (HNF4), and CYP2B6 (CYP) were detected in liver samples. Results: The human ALB, AFP, HNF4, and CYP mRNAs were expressed in the injected sampled fetuses by hWJ-MSCs into fetuses of rabbits in utero. Conclusion: Developing xenotransplantation of hWJ-MSCs into rabbit uterus can introduce an applied approach for producing human liver tissue in rabbits