Canine follicular development treated by hormones

Ovarian follicular dynamics is not well known in dogs. Imaging of ovaries is technically difficult; however, ovaries clamped at a subcutaneous site can more easily be monitored using ultrasound imaging. This study investigated the follicular development of canine ovaries stimulated by hormone treatment using ultrasound imaging of the ovaries clamped at a subcutaneous site. Oestrus was induced using subcutaneous administration of 500 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) and 1000 IU human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (eCG/hCG). Five bitches were given 1000 IU hCG 11 days after eCG/hCG administration. Examinations with ovarian ultrasonography using a 7.5‐MHz sector transducer, vaginal cytology, and assays of serum oestrogen and progesterone were performed daily until 20 days after eCG/hCG administration. Serosanguineous vaginal discharges and vaginal cytology of two of the bitches were observed. New follicular growth (>1.0 mm in diameter) was observed in all bitches from 2 to 8 days after eCG/hCG administration. The mean diameter of follicles and maximum numbers of follicles per ovary ranged from 2.8 to 5.5 mm and 4 to 16, respectively. The elevation in oestrogen concentrations after eCG/hCG administration was observed in all bitches, and elevation in progesterone concentration (>2 ng mL−1) was observed in three bitches. However, no follicles ovulated until 9 days after hCG administration. In conclusion, although the number of examined bitches were limited, follicular growth in ovaries clamped at a subcutaneous site can be monitored using ultrasound imaging. Ovarian ultrasonography showed that eCG/hCG administration induced new follicular growth and hCG administration induced increases in oestrogen concentrations but not ovulation by hCG administration

Breeding performance of Indonesian beef cattle as recipients for embryo transfer

The objective of this study was to evaluate the breeding performance of Indonesian beef cattle (Ongole cross) as recipients for embryo transfer using Limousin embryos. As a result, the pregnancy rate was 35% (7 out of 20 cows). There was a significant difference (P<0.01) in the serum progesterone concentration between the nonpregnant and pregnant cows at the time of the embryo transfer (day 7 after the estrus). The pregnancy rate in the Indonesian beef cows was low, which may be due to their insufficient genetic quality and/or low physical conditions caused by the poor management, like a low-nutrition diet. The low progesterone concentration in the nonpregnant cows on day 7 may be associated with the failure of embryo implantatio

Vaginal stimulation enhances ovulation of queen ovaries treated using a combination of eCG and hCG

Follicular changes throughout the oestrous phase have been poorly documented in queens because of the location and the small size of ovaries. We investigated follicular development in queens treated with a combination of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and evaluated the effects of vaginal stimulation by a tomcat on ovulation induction. A hormonal treatment was administered using a simple crossover design. Four queens were administered 150 IU of eCG (day 1) and 250 IU of hCG on day 5 and 6. Half of the queens were mated with a vasectomised tomcat for 3 days after hCG injection. Ultrasound imaging of the ovaries clamped at a subcutaneous site was performed once a day from day 1 to 7, and on day 13, and the serum concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone were examined on day 1, 5, 7 and 13. The mean number of follicles gradually increased with the eCG treatment and decreased after hCG injection. The ovulation rate of follicles was significantly higher in the vaginal stimulation group (70.0%) than in the control group (42.6%). During the hormonal treatments, the serum concentration of oestradiol and progesterone did not differ between the two groups. Ultrasound imaging of the ovaries clamped at a subcutaneous site showed that eCG and hCG treatment promoted the follicular growth and corpus luteum formation, respectively. The combination of hCG injection with vaginal stimulation by a vasectomised tomcat enhanced the ovulation rate of follicles

Effects of chlorogenic acid on porcine oocytes

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a quinic acid conjugate of caffeic acid, and a phytochemical found in many fruits and beverages that acts as an antioxidant. The present study investigated the effects of CGA supplementation during in vitro maturation, on in vitro development of porcine oocytes, in order to improve the porcine in vitro production (IVP) system. Oocytes were matured either without (control) or with CGA (10, 50, 100, and 200 µM). Subsequently, the matured oocytes were fertilised, and cultured in vitro for 7 d. The rates of maturation, fertilisation, and blastocyst formation of oocytes matured with 50 µM CGA was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those of the control oocytes. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is one of the reactive oxygen species and induces DNA damage in porcine oocytes. When oocytes were matured with 1 mM H2O2 to assess the protective effect of CGA, 50 µM CGA supplementation improved the maturation rate and the proportion of DNA-fragmented nuclei in oocytes compared with control oocytes matured without CGA. Moreover, when oocytes were matured with either 50 µM CGA (control) or caffeic acid (10, 50, and 100 µM), the rates of maturation, fertilisation, and the blastocyst formation of oocytes matured with 50 µM CGA were similar to those of oocytes matured with 10 and 50 µM caffeic acid. Our results suggest that CGA has comparable effects to caffeic acid, and in vitro maturation with 50 µM CGA is particularly beneficial to in vitro production of porcine embryos and protects oocytes from DNA damage induced by oxidative stress. Supplementation of CGA to the maturation medium has a potential to improve porcine IVP system

Cystic Ovarian Follicles in Cattle

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different intramuscular dosages of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on ovarian follicular development of dairy cows diagnosed with refractory cystic ovarian follicles (COFs). Cows diagnosed with COFs (≥25mm in diameter) were allocated to four treatment groups: hCG-1 (n = 3), a single dose of 4,500 IU on day 1; hCG-2 (n = 3), 2,250 IU on days 1 and 3; hCG-3 (n = 3), 1,500 IU on days 1, 3, and 5; and hCG-C (n = 3) received saline on day 1. Blood sampling and ovarian ultrasonographic (US) examinations were performed on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14. A progesterone (P4) value 1 ng/ml was 100% (3/3) and 100% (3/3) in group hCG-1; 100% (3/3) and 67% (2/3) in group hCG-2; 67%(2/3) and 100%(3/3) in group hCG-3; and 33%(1/3) and 33%(1/3) in group hCG-C, respectively. Strong tendencies of P4 increases in group hCG-1 (P = 0.054) and hCG-2 (P = 0.051) were measured after hCG administration. Additionally, P4 values tended to be higher (P = 0.07) for group hCG-1 compared to group hCG-C on day 5. The preliminary findings of this study suggest that multiple smaller doses of hCG might be equally effective as a single large dose of hCG in modulating ovarian follicular development in dairy cows with COFs

THYROID DYSFUNCTION FOLLOWING ALPHA-INTERFERON TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC HEPATITIS C

In order to evaluate the influnces of IFNα on thyroid function, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroxine (T4), free T4, tri-iodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine-binding globulin were examined in IFNα-treated 351 patients with chronic hepatitis C before and during therapy. As therapy, either 3 million units (MU) of human lymphoblastoid IFNα or 9MU of recombinant IFNα2a was administrated daily for the initial two weeks followed by three times a week for 22 weeks. There were nine patients showing thyroid dysfunction during IFNα therapy. They consist of one relapse of Graves' disease, one relapse of Hashimoto thyroiditis, one development of apparent thyroid insufficiency from subclinical hypothyroidism, five cases with transient hyperthyroidism and one case with transient hypothyroidism. T4 and T3 levels in most patients who transiently developed thyroid dysfunction were normalized spontaneously after the discontinuation of IFNα. Thyroid-related autoantibodies were positive in 4 patients before IFNα therapy and newly developed in one patient during therapy. Attention should be paid first to the previous histories of autoimmune thyroid diseases and the existence of thyroid-related autoantibodies for the prediction of development of thyroid dysfunction during IFNα therapy. In addition, serial examinations of TSH, T3 and T4 should be also necessary for early detection of transient thyroid dysfunction during IFNα therapy

Luteal lifespan and fertility after estrus synchronization in goats

The present experiment aims to examine the efficiency of estrus synchronization using progesterone and equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) and to look at luteal function. During the non-breeding and breeding season, 5 adult female Korean native goats were injected intramuscularly with 2.5 ml of physiological saline as the control. A progesterone impregnated intravaginal sponge was then kept in the same goats for 10 days followed, after a week, by an intramuscular injection of 500 IU eCG. Five adult female Nubian goats were mated with a fertile buck during the non-breeding season. During the non-breeding season 2 of the 5 goats showed a normal estrous cycle (ranging from 18 to 21 days) and 3 a short estrous cycle (ranging from 3 to 6 days). During the breeding season the equivalent figures were 1 and 2. The major axes of the corpus luteum (CL) were measured by means of calipers built into the ultrasonography system, and the concentrations of plasma progesterone (P4) were determined by double antibody radioimmunoassay. The mean major axes of the CL in goats showing the short cycle (6.1 ± 0.5 mm) was significantly smaller than in those showing the normal cycle (8.9 ± 0.5 mm; p < 0.01) and also the value of P4 in goats showing the short cycle (4.2 ± 2.1 ng/ml) was significantly lower than for those showing the normal cycle (10.3 ± 4.3 ng/ml; p < 0.05) at day 3 following ovulation. Three out of 5 Nubian goats became pregnant but only one goat carried to full term. The present experiment indicated that a combination of progesterone and eCG was effective in inducing estrus, although it resulted in a high incidence of short luteal lifespan. The low kidding rate and high incidence of embryonic loss may be due to the instability of the luteal lifespan

新規乳酸菌を用いたおから・豆乳発酵食品の成分特性

Soybean is widely used in Japanese dietary pattern. Okara is a by-product generated mainly during processing of soybean. A great deal of okara has been treated as industrial waste. A lot of soy proteins which are functional components are included in okara. We have proposed a beneficial use for okara. Yoghurt-like food used in this experiment was prepared from a mixture of okara and soymilk by lactic acid fermentation. We investigated nutritional and food characteristics of this yoghurt-like food and obtained following results. Soy proteins in okara and soymilk were scarcely digested during the fermentation. Some soy proteins have been known to exhibit cholesterol-lowering effect. In the yoghurt-like food lactic acid occurred predominantly among several organic acids detected by HPLC. An improvement effect on enteric environment was expected because stachyose could not be degraded by lactic acid fermentation and it would be used by other microorganisms in intestine. The difference of isoflavone content between the unfermented food and yoghurt-like food was not observed. Soy isoflavones remained without degradation during lactic acid fermentation. These results suggested that the intake of yoghurt-like soy food would improve serum cholesterol concentration and intestinal environment

大豆乳酸発酵食品がラットの血漿および肝臓脂質濃度に及ぼす影響

Yogurt-like food (Soy-Yogurt) was prepared by lactic fermentation of okara and soybean milk which suppress the increase of blood lipid level. To investigate the effect of Soy-Yogurt on the lipid metabolism in rat, male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-cholesterol diet for 8 weeks. A control group was fed a diet containing 1% cholesterol, while the other two groups were fed the diets which were replaced with freeze-dried Soy-Yogurt either 10% or 20%, respectively. The increases of body weight and total cholesterol level in plasma of 20% Soy-Yogurt group were significantly suppressed compared to those of the control group, respectively. The twenty percentage Soy-Yogurt group maintained a high level of plasma adiponectin. The levels of hepatic total lipid, cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly decreased with the increase of Soy-Yogurt content in the feed. These results suggest that the ingestion of Soy-Yogurt improves the lipid metabolism in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet