Rochefreedman7149

The current study was conducted to determine the optimal concentration carrier-compound for oleic acid (OA) among dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), liposome and β-cyclodextrin on ram spermatozoa cryosurvival. The preliminary experiment was designed to ascertain the optimal concentration of egg yolk plasma. In Experiment 1, semen was placed in a diluent containing different concentrations of OA dissolved in DMSO (0.125, 0.25, 0.50, 1, 2, 4 and 8 mM). In Experiments 2 and 3, effects of liposome loaded-OA and β-cyclodextrin-OA complexes (0.25, 0.50, 1 and 2 mM) on semen cryopreservation were evaluated. In Experiment 4, optimal concentrations of OA were determined, based on results from previous experiments. Spermatozoa viability, kinematics, plasma membrane integrity, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase activity and total antioxidant status of samples were evaluated. Results indicated varying concentrations of OA had different effects on sperm kinematics, viability and membrane functionality after freezing/thawing (P less then 0.05). In addition, inclusion of OA in liposomes or combinations with β-cyclodextrin resulted in greater values for spermatozoa motion variables compared with DMSO dissolved-OA (P less then 0.05). Inclusions of OA at 0.25 and 0.50 mM led to a reduction in amounts of lipid peroxidation when there was inclusion of liposome and β-cyclodextrin as carrier-compounds (P less then 0.05). Activity of SOD was similar with inclusion of different concentrations of OA or carrier-compounds, but total antioxidant capacity was affected by OA concentration and carrier-compound type (P less then 0.05). The results highlight the importance of carrier-compound type and concentrations of OA on ram spermatozoa during cryopreservation.Adipokines such as chemerin affect metabolic status and reproductive function in many species. The hypothesis in the present study was that there were chemerin mRNA transcript and protein in the pituitary of pigs and that relative abundances fluctuate during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. Chemerin is thought to modulate luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion during the estrous cycle. Changes in the relative abundance of chemerin mRNA transcript and protein in anterior (AP) and posterior (PP) pituitaries of pigs were investigated, for the first time in the present study, during four phases of the estrous cycle and four periods of early pregnancy. Chemerin protein was localized in gonadotrophs, thyrotrophs and somatotrophs during the estrous cycle and early gestation. Chemerin treatments affected both basal, GnRH- and/or insulin-induced LH and FSH production, with there being variations with phase of the estrous cycle when tissues were collected. These findings indicate chemerin may be produced locally in the pituitary and may affect female reproductive function by controlling the release of LH and FSH from AP cells.In this study there was evaluation of effects of dietary inulin during late gestation on sow physiology, farrowing duration and piglet performance. At day 80 of gestation sows were randomly assigned to four groups：basal diet (CON); or basal diet with 0.8 %; 1.6 %; or 2.4 % inulin. The feeding of the diet with 1.6 % inulin resulted in larger weights of the litter at birth a shorter duration of the farrowing period, lesser average birth interval between piglets, lesser number of piglets dead at birth, and fewer piglets/sow dead at birth (P less then 0.05). When sows were fed 0.8 % and 1.6 % IN, there was a larger litter weight at weaning, sow average daily feed intake and piglet average daily gain during lactation compared with values for these variables in the CON group (P  less then   0.05). Additionally, there was an increase in serum concentration of free fatty acid, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol with increasing amounts of inulin in the diet (linear, P  less then   0.05). Sows fed 1.6 % IN had greater serum concentrations of glucose than those in the CON group (P  less then   0.05). Furthermore, there was a linear increase in serum activity of total antioxidant capacity, total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase with increasing amounts of inulin in the diet (P  less then   0.05). In conclusion, results of the present study indicated feeding inulin during late gestation improved reproductive performance of sows, thus, may be a novel additive for the pig industry in improving efficiency of pork production.Leptospirosis is a globally distributed disease associated with reproductive failures in livestock; however, its pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Results from the present study indicate there is a presence of Leptospira sp. in organs and fluids of fetuses from ewes slaughtered in the semiarid region of Brazil. Twenty-nine fetuses from 23 ewes determined to be Leptospira sp.-positive using PCR were sampled (14 and 15 in dry and rainy seasons, respectively). Fetal samples of blood, central nervous system (CNS), lung, liver, spleen, stomach contents, peritoneal fluid, kidney, bladder, urine and reproductive system were collected. Diagnostic methods included the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bacterial isolation. Of the 29 fetuses, 24 (82.8 %) had at least one Leptospira sp.-positive organ or fluid, as determined using PCR, and of a total of 209 samples, 62 (29.7 %) contained leptospiral DNA. Of the 99 samples collected during the dry season, 42 (42.4 %) were positive, and of 110 samples collected during the rainy season, 20 (18.2 %) were positive (P = 0.0001). There was deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing of three samples of kidney, CNS and liver, and in all of these, there was 99.3 % similarity with Leptospira interrogans. Leptospires were present in cultures of pooled samples from fetuses with deformities. Nedometinib cost Results indicate there is vertical (maternal-to-fetus) transmission which would represent an alternative transmission route for the spread of Leptospira sp. in ewes, suggesting molecular detection is essential in the investigation of leptospirosis in fetuses to identify animals that have been infected with this bacterium.