Impact of negative energy balance and postpartum diseases during the transition period on oocyte quality and embryonic development in dairy cows.

Transition period is a critical time for dairy cows because a large proportion of clinical and subclinical diseases are observed in the first month after parturition. Occurrence of negative energy balance is associated with depressed immunity and these conditions can affect oocyte quality and further embryonic development. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of negative energy balance-associated disorders on embryo production (IVP) in dairy cattle.

Subtypes of dorsal root ganglion neurons based on different inward currents as measured by whole-cell voltage clamp.

Electrophysiological and pharmacological properties distinguished subtypes of adult mammalian dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRGn) in monolayer dissociated cell culture. By analogy of action potential waveform and duration, neurons with short duration (SDn) and long duration (LDn) action potentials resembled functionally distinct subtypes of DRGn in intact ganglia. Patch clamp and conventional intracellular recording techniques were combined here to elucidate differences in the ionic basis of excitability of subtypes of DRGn in vitro.