Meloxicam administration in the management of postoperative pain and inflammation associated with caesarean section in beef heifers: Evaluation of reproductive parameters.

Post-operative pain and inflammation are normal physiological reactions to caesarean section. Their management in cattle have rarely been investigated. This surgical procedure negatively affects reproductive function with, for example, a reduction in fertility resulting in an increase in calving interval.

Kick-starting ovarian cyclicity by using dietary glucogenic precursors in post-partum dairy cows: a review.

The objective of this review is to describe how dietary glucogenic precursors could stimulate ovarian activity in post-partum dairy cows and improve reproductive success. Although the nutrient requirements for the early resumption of ovarian cycles, and for follicle and embryo development are quantitatively small, reproductive success is deteriorated by post-partum negative energy balance. Since very little glucose is absorbed directly from the digestive tract of ruminants one of the targets for nutritional manipulation could be the glucogenic potential of the diet.

Relationships between welfare and reproductive performance in French dairy herds.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between cow reproductive performance and welfare evaluated at the herd level using the Welfare Quality protocol. The 11 criteria, four principles (good feeding, good housing, good health and appropriate behavior, scale 0-100) and overall welfare category (excellent/enhanced/acceptable/not classified = poor welfare) were included as risk factors for calving to first service interval (CFSI) and calving rate (CR). The confounding factors cow breed, parity, season of calving and AI, calving to AI interval, rank of AI (1-3) and milk production were taken into account.

Progesterone-releasing devices for cattle estrus induction and synchronization: Device optimization to anticipate shorter treatment durations and new device developments.

Synchronization programs using progesterone-releasing intravaginal devices that allow for fixed time artificial insemination are still finding increasing application in bovine reproduction. This practice is useful for rationalizing livestock management because an increased number of cows can be inseminated in one session without the need for estrus detection. Although much of the innovation related to the design and development of intravaginal devices for use in cattle took place in the previous century, progress in understanding the physiology of the bovine estrous cycle resulted in shorter treatment durations, a trend which is still continuing.

Interferon stimulated genes as peripheral diagnostic markers of early pregnancy in sheep: a critical assessment.

We investigated the diagnostic reliability of pregnancy detection using changes in interferon stimulated gene (ISG) messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in circulating immune cells in ewes. Two different groups of ewes (an experimental group, experiment 1 and a farm group, experiment 2) were oestrus-synchronized and blood sampled on day 14 (D0=day of insemination in control animals, experiment 1) and day 15 (experiment 2). Real-time PCR were performed to evaluate the abundance of different ISG mRNAs.

Aortic Stenosis: Diagnosis and Treatment.

Aortic stenosis affects 3% of persons older than 65 years. Although survival in asymptomatic patients is comparable to that in age- and sex-matched control patients, it decreases rapidly after symptoms appear. During the asymptomatic latent period, left ventricular hypertrophy and atrial augmentation of preload compensate for the increase in afterload caused by aortic stenosis.

Progesterone plays a critical role in canine oocyte maturation and fertilization.

Canine oocyte maturation and fertilization take place within the oviducts under increasing plasma levels of progesterone (P4). In order to investigate the role of P4 in these processes, 51 beagle bitches were treated with the P4 receptor antagonist aglepristone at the end of proestrus and 32 females were kept untreated. Fifteen treated and 13 control bitches were inseminated at Days +1 and +2 after ovulation (Day 0).

Sire effect on early and late embryonic death in French Holstein cattle.

We investigated the effect of maternal sire on early pregnancy failure (between D0, day of insemination and D90) in their progeny during the first and second lactations (n=3508) in the Holstein breed. The estimated breeding value (EBV) for cow fertility of 12 bulls (reliability⩾0.95) was used to create the following three groups: low, medium and high EBV (EBV from -0.

OVGP1 is expressed in the canine oviduct at the time and place of oocyte maturation and fertilization.

In the dog, oocyte maturation, fertilization, and early embryo development take place within the oviduct in the presence of increasing circulating progesterone (P4) levels. Expression of the oviduct-specific glycoprotein 1 (OVGP1), known in other species to be estrogen-dependent, was explored by real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry in oviducts from adult Beagle bitches during anestrus and at five specific time periods around ovulation: during pro-estrus before the luteinizing hormone (LH) peak (Pre-LH); after the LH peak and before ovulation (Pre-ov); and at Days 1, 4, and 7 after ovulation (n = 6 bitches per stage). Plasma estradiol-17β (E2) and P4 were assayed at all stages.

Energy and lipid metabolism gene expression of D18 embryos in dairy cows is related to dam physiological status.

We analyzed the change in gene expression related to dam physiological status in day (D)18 embryos from growing heifers (GH), early lactating cows (ELC), and late lactating cows (LLC). Dam energy metabolism was characterized by measurement of circulating concentrations of insulin, glucose, IGF-1, nonesterified fatty acids, β-hydroxybutyrate, and urea before embryo flush. The metabolic parameters were related to differential gene expression in the extraembryonic tissues by correlation analysis.

Effect of blood handling conditions on progesterone assay results obtained by chemiluminescence in the bitch.

Assay of blood progesterone (P4) is commonly practiced to determine the time of ovulation, diagnose luteal insufficiency, and predict time of parturition in bitches. Because of practical constraints, most blood samples cannot be assayed on site immediately after collection. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of various sampling and storage conditions on concentrations of P4 as determined by chemiluminescence immunoassay.

Gene selection heuristic algorithm for nutrigenomics studies.

Large datasets from -omics studies need to be deeply investigated. The aim of this paper is to provide a new method (LEM method) for the search of transcriptome and metabolome connections. The heuristic algorithm here described extends the classical canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to a high number of variables (without regularization) and combines well-conditioning and fast-computing in "R.

Are oocytes from the anestrous bitch competent for meiosis?

In the bitch, oocyte meiosis resumption takes place in the oviduct. Using oocytes from anestrous bitches, in vitro maturation (IVM) generally gives very poor results. To investigate the contribution of oocyte competence to the low IVM yield, we compared in vivo maturation in an optimal environment with conventional IVM.

Expression of nuclear and membrane progesterone receptors in the canine oviduct during the periovulatory period.

Important reproductive events take place in the canine oviduct in the presence of increasing concentrations of progesterone (P4). To investigate the potential effects of P4 on the canine oviduct, the expression of nuclear (PR) and membrane (PGRMC1 and 2, mPRα, β and γ) P4 receptors was studied by quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Oviducts were collected from Beagle bitches after the onset of pro-oestrus and before the LH peak (Pre-LH), after the LH peak and before ovulation (Pre-ov) and on Days 1, 4 and 7 post-ovulation (n=6 bitches/stage).

Pre- and post-partum mild underfeeding influences gene expression in the reproductive tract of cyclic dairy cows.

Undernutrition before and after calving has a detrimental effect on the fertility of dairy cows. The effect of nutritional stress was previously reported to influence gene expression in key tissues for metabolic health and reproduction such as the liver and the genital tract early after calving, but not at breeding, that is, between 70 and 90 days post-partum. This study investigated the effects of pre- and post-partum mild underfeeding on global gene expression in the oviduct, endometrium and corpus luteum of eight multiparous Holstein cows during the early and middle phases of an induced cycle 80 days post-partum.

Postpartum variations of plasma IGF and IGFBPs, oocyte production and quality in dairy cows: relationships with parity and subsequent fertility.

The aim of this study was to determine whether postpartum variations of plasma IGF-1 and IGFBP concentrations, oocyte production and quality were related to parity and subsequent conception rate in Holstein dairy cows. Holstein dairy cows [10 primiparous (PP) and 22 multiparous (MP)] were allotted in six batches and sampled once weekly between calving and oestrous synchronization treatment started at 71.2 ± 2.

Oocyte and embryo production and quality after OPU-IVF in dairy heifers given diets varying in their n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio.

Dietary fat supplementation can improve oocyte quality in ruminants. The influence of the type of dietary fat on the number and quality of oocytes collected by ovum pick-up and on the production of embryos in vitro was investigated in Holstein heifers. Heifers were given hay plus one of two dietary supplements for 42 days.

PTGS2-related PGE2 affects oocyte MAPK phosphorylation and meiosis progression in cattle: late effects on early embryonic development.

During the periovulatory period, the induction of prostaglandin G/H synthase-2 (PTGS2) expression in cumulus cells and associated prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production are implicated in the terminal differentiation of the cumulus-oocyte complex. During the present study, the effects of the PTGS2/PGE2 pathway on the developmental competence of bovine oocytes were investigated using an in vitro model of maturation, fertilization, and early embryonic development. The specific inhibition of PTGS2 activity with NS-398 during in vitro maturation (IVM) significantly restricted mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation in oocytes at the germinal vesicle breakdown stage and reduced both cumulus expansion and the maturation rate after 22 h of culture.

Expression of enzymes involved in the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 in bovine in vitro-produced embryos.

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) may play a major role in embryo development and the establishment of pregnancy in cattle. The biosynthesis of PGE2 implies the sequential transformation of arachidonic acid to PGH2 by cyclooxygenases (COXs), then the conversion of PGH2 to PGE2 by prostaglandin E synthases (PGESs). Quantitative RT-PCR was used to examine the expression of COX-1, COX-2, microsomal PGES-1 (mPGES-1), microsomal PGES-2 (mPGES-2) and cytosolic PGES (cPGES) mRNAs in day 7 in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos from oocytes collected by ovum pick-up in Holstein heifers.

Comparison of clinical, periapical radiograph, and cone-beam volume tomography measurement techniques for assessing bone level changes following regenerative periodontal therapy.

Background: Intraoral radiographs (IRs) provide a two-dimensional view of osseous structures, whereas cone-beam volumetric tomography (CBVT) images are viewable in three dimensions. The aim of this investigation was to compare the measurements from digital IR and CBVT images to direct surgical measurements for the evaluation of regenerative treatment outcomes.

Methods: Digital IR and CBVT images were taken prior to initial bone grafting and at the 6-month reentry surgery for 35 intrabony defects.

Clinical evaluation of demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft with and without enamel matrix derivative for the treatment of periodontal osseous defects in humans.

Background: Beneficial clinical effects have been demonstrated with the addition of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) to demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft (DFDBA) compared to EMD alone. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of DFDBA combined with EMD compared to DFDBA alone in the treatment of intraosseous defects of chronic periodontitis.

Methods: Thirty-two patients with 41 intrabony defects > or = 3 mm were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups.

Aortic stenosis: diagnosis and treatment.

Aortic stenosis is the most important cardiac valve disease in developed countries, affecting 3 percent of persons older than 65 years. Although the survival rate in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis is comparable to that in age- and sex-matched control patients, the average overall survival rate in symptomatic persons without aortic valve replacement is two to three years. During the asymptomatic latent period, left ventricular hypertrophy and atrial augmentation of preload compensate for the increase in afterload caused by aortic stenosis.