Combined use of non-laboratory methods for the practical diagnosis of endometritis in postpartum dairy cows.

Background: Postpartum endometritis can cause subfertility in cows and reduce the reproductive performance of dairy herds. Thus, there is a critical need to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis of this disease, particularly in dairy cows.

Objectives: This study confirmed the effects of the combined use of two non-laboratory methods: Metricheck device (MT) and ultrasonography (UT) to detect signs of endometritis and therefore predict the likelihood of pregnancy.

Cytobrush cytology patterns of early postpartum dairy cows.

Endometrial cytobrush cytology has been recommended as a reliable method for determining the percentage of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN%) in cattle smears to diagnose cytological endometritis (CE). In this study, the clarity of cytobrush　cytological smears and the influence of different sample evaluation methods (number　and types of cells counted) on CE diagnosis were evaluated. Samples from 28 lactating　Holstein cows were collected weekly between 3 and 7 weeks postpartum.

Comparison of diagnostic methods for uterine health in dairy cattle on different days postpartum.

Background: Uterine health status is a key factor for dairy management.

Methods: The uteri of 28 Holstein cows were assessed weekly by three different methods: ultrasonography (UT), Metricheck device (MT) and cytobrush (CYT), during two weeks to seven weeks postpartum.

Results: The percentage of cows with an MT-positive, UT-positive and CYT-positive result decreased dramatically at three weeks, four weeks and five weeks postpartum, respectively.

Influence of meiotic inhibition by butyrolactone-I during germinal vesicle stage on the ability of porcine oocytes to be activated by electric stimulation after nuclear maturation.

Butyrolactone-I (BL-I) is a specific inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases and prevents germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) in porcine oocytes. This study first focused on the effect of BL-I on the time course of GVBD and progression to metaphase II (MII) in oocytes after the removal of BL-I. When porcine oocytes were treated with 20 microM BL-I for 28 h, the intervals taken to undergo GVBD and progress to MII were 4-8 h and 16-20 h after washing out BL-I, respectively.