Effects of low concentrations of dietary cobalt on liveweight gains, haematology, serum vitamin B(12) and biochemistry of Omani goats.

Seventy-three, 10-week-old, newly weaned Omani goats of three different breeds, namely Dhofari (D), Batinah (B) and Jebel Akhdar (JA) were randomly divided into a control (n=38) and a treated group (n=35) for an experimental period of 10 months. Goats in both groups were fed 150 g/day per head of a pelleted concentrate, based on body weight and their requirements and Rhodes grass hay ad libitum, containing 0.12 and 0.

Effect of heat stress on milk production, rectal temperature, respiratory rate and blood chemistry in Holstein, Jersey and Australian Milking Zebu cows.

The effect of heat stress on changes in milk production, rectal temperature, respiratory rate and blood chemistry was evaluated in three groups of six mature Holstein, Jersey and Australian Milking Zebu (AMZ) dairy cows. These animals were subjected to a cool environment when the mean temperature-humidity index (THI) was 72+/-1.4 (dry bulb temperature of 22.

Serum vitamin B12 levels in Omani goats.

Blood and faecal samples were studied from 200 Omani goats of both sexes and various age groups, within five different regions in Oman. Survey questionnaires were undertaken on each goat. The serum vitamin B12 values ranged from 105 to >2000 pg/ml, with a mean value of 723.

Caprine hepatic lipidosis induced through the intake of low levels of dietary cobalt.

Forty-one, 10-week-old newly weaned goats were randomly allocated into two groups, namely control (n=22) and treated (n=19). Kids in both groups were fed Rhodegrass hay ad libitum that contained < 0.1 mg/kg DM cobalt and 150 g/day of a commercially prepared ruminant concentrate that contained approximately 0.

Comparative effect of low levels of dietary cobalt and parenteral injection of vitamin B(12) on carcass and meat quality characteristics in Omani goats.

The effect of low levels of dietary cobalt (Co) on carcass and meat quality characteristics were investigated in 36 male goats of three different Omani breeds namely Batina, Dhofari and Jabal Akdhar. Goats were randomly divided into two groups at 10 weeks of age, control (18 animals) and treated (18 animals). Goats from both groups were fed Rhodesgrass hay and a commercially prepared diet containing 0.

Assessment of molasses-urea blocks for goat and sheep production in the Sultanate of Oman: intake and growth studies.

The goal of this study was to develop a molasses-urea block (MUB) for purposes of supplementing trace minerals to domestic ruminant livestock in Oman. To accomplish this, the utility of molasses and date syrup as fermentable energy sources, of straw, date flakes and wheat bran as fibre sources, and of cement and lime as binders were evaluated. The proportion of cement needed for adequate hardening of the block was also studied.

Premature elevation of progesterone shortens duration of ovulation in PMSG/hCG-treated prepuberal gilts.

A surge of LH during the follicular phase triggers multiple pathways, including progesterone and prostaglandin synthesis before culminating in ovulation. Progesterone has been shown to be involved in the ovulatory process in many species. In prepuberal gilts treated with PMSG/hCG the follicular progesterone level has been shown to increase sharply before ovulation.

Preovulatory changes in follicular prostaglandins and their role in ovulation in cattle.

Indomethacin (INDO, n = 5) or vehicle (CONTROL, n = 4) was injected into superovulated heifers at 48 and 60 h following a luteolytic cloprostenol injection (0 h). One heifer from each group was ovariectomized (OVX) at 48, 56, 64 and 72 h. The fifth heifer of the INDO group was OVX at 80 h.

Presence of follicular fluid in the porcine oviduct and its contribution to the acrosome reaction.

Two experiments were conducted to measure the quantity of follicular fluid entering the porcine oviduct following ovulation and to establish its influence on the sperm acrosome reaction in vivo. Prepubertal gilts treated with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) followed by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were used in both experiments. In experiment 1, each of 64 gilts was assigned at random to one of four treatment groups (n = 16 per group): I (preovulatory), surgery 38 hr post-hCG; II (ovulatory), (surgery 42 hr post-hCG; III (postovulatory), surgery 46 hr post-hCG; IV (ovulation blocked), surgery 46 hr post-hCG but also treated with indomethacin (INDO) at 24 hr.

Changes in and partial identification of the plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor systems during ovarian follicular maturation in the pig.

Plasminogen, plasmin, and plasminogen activator (PA) activities and PA and PA inhibitor (PAI) contents were measured in granulosa (GC) and theca interna cell extracts and follicular fluid (FF) obtained from preovulatory follicles of prepubertal gilts treated with eCG and hCG to induce follicular growth and ovulation. Plasmin activity in FF increased just before the time of expected ovulation. This increase was not attributable to changes in plasminogen levels, which remained relatively constant during preovulatory follicular development.

Gonadotrophin-binding components in porcine follicular fluid.

The follicular fluid is an important milieu for the growing and maturing oocyte and granulosa cells. In this study we investigated: (1) the properties of gonadotrophin-binding sites in the supernatant fraction of porcine follicular fluid (pFF) and compared them with those of membrane-bound receptors, and (2) the relative changes that occur in pFF and granulosa cell receptor-binding activity following hormone priming of gilts. 125I-Labelled human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and 125I-labelled ovine FSH (oFSH) binding to particulate and supernatant fractions of pFF were hormone-specific and saturable.

Induction of ovulation in gilts with cloprostenol.

Prepuberal gilts were treated with 750 IU pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) followed 72 h later by 500 IU human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to induce follicular growth and ovulation. In this model, ovulation occurred at 42 +/- 2 h post hCG treatment. When 500 mug of cloprostenol was injected at 34 and of 36 h after hCG injection, 78% of the preovulatory follicles ovulated by 38 h compared with 0% in the control gilts.

Gonadotropic regulation of prostaglandin production by ovarian follicular cells of the pig.

Prepubertal gilts were treated with 750 IU pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and 72 h later with 500 IU human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to induce follicular growth and ovulation. Dispersed granulosa cells (GC) and theca interna cells (TC) from follicles of gilts 72 h (GC-72 and TC-72, respectively) and 108 h (GC-108 and TC-108 h, respectively) after PMSG treatment were cultured for 0, 12, 24, and 36 h in medium with or without luteinizing hormone (LH), dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate [Bu)2cAMP), calcium ionophore (A23187), and/or arachidonic acid (AA), and the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE) and prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF) was measured by radioimmunoassay. TC-72 was the principal source of PGs 72 h after PMSG.

Correction of subnormal fertility with copper and magnesium supplementation.

Two hundred and four Holstein cows and heifers were randomly assigned to mineral supplement groups 30 d prior to expected calving. Supplement treatment groups were Cu, Mg, Cu plus Mg, and no mineral supplement. The total diet of supplemented groups averaged 15 mg/kg of Cu and .

Autonomic interplay in VIP-induced tracheal smooth muscle relaxation.

VIP-induced inhibitory responses of the guinea-pig tracheal pouch, an in vivo preparation designed to demonstrate non-noradrenergic non-cholinergic innervation, where determined in chloraloseurethane anaesthetized animals under control conditions, or pretreated with atropine, propranolol, both atropine and propranolol or atropine-propranolol with indomethacin. Of the five groups, the control group showed a significantly greater cumulative dose-response relaxation to VIP than did the treatment groups. Among the treatment groups, the propranolol pretreated animals showed significantly greater relaxation than the remaining treatments.