Climatic factors affecting quantity and quality grade of in vivo derived embryos of cattle.

The present study investigated the effects of climatic variables on the quality grade and quantity of in vivo derived cattle embryos in the Midwestern United States. Climatic information included greatest and least daily temperature, average daily wind speed and average temperature-humidity index for each of the 765 records. The response variables included the number of ovarian structures, viable embryos, quality grade 1 embryos, quality grade 2 embryos, quality grade 3 embryos, freezable embryos (sum of quality grade 1 and quality grade 2 embryos), transferable embryos (sum of quality grade 1-3 embryos), degenerate embryos and unfertilized ova.

Effects of a naturally occurring amino acid substitution in bovine PrP: a model for inherited prion disease in a natural host species.

Objective: The most common hereditary prion disease is human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), associated with a mutation in the prion gene resulting in a glutamic acid to lysine substitution at position 200 (E200K) in the prion protein. Models of E200K CJD in transgenic mice have proven interesting but have limitations including inconsistencies in disease presentation, requirement for mixed species chimeric protein constructs, and the relatively short life span and time to disease onset in rodents. These factors limit research on the mechanism by which the mutation drives disease development.

Embryo Transfer (Techniques, Donors, and Recipients).

Commercial embryo transfer has evolved as an art and as a science since the early 1970s. Today's multiple ovulation embryo transfer is a widely used reproductive tool on many farms and is performed by veterinarians throughout the world. Propagation of the female genomes of select donors, through embryo transfer, has allowed a rapid progression of genetic gain in many breeds, much like what happened with artificial insemination since the 1940s.

Effects of label-dose permethrin administration in yearling beef cattle: I. Reproductive function and embryo quality of superovulated heifers.

The objective was to study the effects of a commercial pyrethroid-based pour-on product, permethrin, on reproductive performance in superovulated beef heifers by assessing steroid biosynthesis and embryo quality. Nonpregnant, yearling beef heifers (n = 10; 418 ± 33 kg; 5.5 ± 0.