scholarly journals Recent Possibilities for the Diagnosis of Early Pregnancy and Embryonic Mortality in Dairy Cows

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1666
Author(s):  
Ottó Szenci
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Fetal Mortality ◽  
Reproductive Efficiency ◽  
Interferon Tau ◽  
Early Pregnancy Factor ◽  
Pelvic Inlet ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Protein Assays

One of the most recent techniques for the on-farm diagnosis of early pregnancy (EP) in cattle is B-mode ultrasonography. Under field conditions, acceptable results may be achieved with ultrasonography from Days 25 to 30 post-AI. The reliability of the test greatly depends on the frequency of the transducer used, the skill of the examiner, the criterion used for a positive pregnancy diagnosis (PD), and the position of the uterus in the pelvic inlet. Non-pregnant animals can be selected accurately by evaluating blood flow in the corpus luteum around Day 20 after AI, meaning we can substantially improve the reproductive efficiency of our herd. Pregnancy protein assays (PSPB, PAG-1, and PSP60 RIA, commercial ELISA or rapid visual ELISA tests) may provide an alternative method to ultrasonography for determining early pregnancy or late embryonic/early fetal mortality (LEM/EFM) in dairy cows. Although the early pregnancy factor is the earliest specific indicator of fertilization, at present, its detection is entirely dependent on the use of the rosette inhibition test; therefore, its use in the field needs further developments. Recently found biomarkers like interferon-tau stimulated genes or microRNAs may help us diagnose early pregnancy in dairy cows; however, these tests need further developments before their general use in the farms becomes possible.

On-farm phosphorus budget: Model to predict yearly phosphorus contents in manure of dairy herds

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-411
Author(s):  
Isabelle Chaperon, Cynthia Ouellet ◽  
Vincent Girard ◽  
Younes Chorfi
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Reproductive Efficiency ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Cow Manure ◽  
Phosphorus Budget ◽  
Budget Model ◽  
Dairy Animals ◽  
On Farm ◽  
The Relationship

In order to reduce soil phosphorus (P) saturation, it is essential to assess the amount of manure P on cultivated soil. The purpose of this study was to estimate yearly herd manure P outputs from production and feeding records with a model based on replacement and dairy animals. The model predicts manure P based on P ingested by dairy cows (kg yr-1), P secreted in milk (kg yr-1), P in calf at birth (kg yr-1), and the number of first-lactation cows. The relationship between first-lactation cows and heifers was established; there were 1.3 ± 0.05 heifers for each first-lactation cow. Manure P from heifers was then obtained by fitting the model to manure P accumulated in concrete pits of 12 farms, measured over two 6-mo periods at 1 yr intervals. The model added 10.6 ± 4.6 kg of P for each first-lactation cow to predict the yearly P output of 1.3 heifers. Ratios between P harvested as feed and P predicted in manure were calculated in 1133 herds. High ratios were obtained in herds with less customized concentrate (P < 0.001), more harvested grain and silage (P < 0.001) on farm and larger size of herd (P < 0.001) with more milk (P < 0.001) and lower calf production (P < 0.001). Decreasing purchased customized concentrates and increasing the amount of silage fed to animals are valid options to reduce non-point-source P pollution. Key words: Dairy herds, manure, phosphorus, model, reproductive efficiency

THE REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY OF GILTS FED VERY LOW LEVELS OF ZEARALENONE

1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 635-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. FRIEND ◽  
H. L. TRENHOLM ◽  
K. E. HARTIN ◽  
P. S. FISER ◽  
B. K. THOMPSON ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Fetal Mortality ◽  
Reproductive Efficiency ◽  
Serum Progesterone ◽  
Dietary Level ◽  
Low Levels

In the first of three experiments, 60 prepuberal gilts (12–13 wk old) were fed diets containing 0.01 (control), 0.16, 0.36, 0.47, 1.28 and 2.21 mg zearalenone (ZEN) kg−1 feed for 63 d. Vulvovaginitis occurred in some gilts fed the control diet; there was a trend (P < 0.01) towards heavier uteruses as the dietary level of ZEN increased. Experiment 2 involved 16 gilts allocated in pairs in noncontiguous pens and fed diets containing 0.01 and 2.21 mg ZEN kg−1 feed for 42 d. No control gilt exhibited vulvovaginitis when separated from a treated gilt by an unoccupied pen while all eight of the treated gilts showed vulvovaginitis. Results suggested that estrogenic metabolites in the urine of gilts eating ZEN-contaminated feed might, if ingested, induce vulvovaginitis in other untreated gilts. Experiment 3 involved 40 gilts and four diets (0.01, 0.36, 0.47 and 1.28 mg ZEN kg−1 feed). The gilts were bred and were necropsied between days 52 and 55 of pregnancy. The incidence of vulvovaginitis differed (P < 0.01) among diets, tending to increase with higher ZEN levels. Fewer gilts fed the two higher levels of ZEN could be bred than those fed the lower ZEN levels. Serum progesterone concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 0.6 ng mL−1 for prepubertal gilts, and from 22 to 29 ng mL−1 during early pregnancy. Fetal mortality, while not significantly different, was numerically less for the control gilts than for those fed the ZEN-treated diets. Feed intake and weight gain were not affected significantly, by the inclusion of zearalenone in any of the experiments. The data indicated that zearalenone did not have serious effects on the reproductive efficiency of young gilts at levels below 0.5 mg kg−1 feed. Key words: Zearalenone, gilt, reproduction, estrus, fetus

Production of interferon by red deer (Cervus elaphus) conceptuses and the effects of roIFN-tau on the timing of luteolysis and the success of asynchronous embryo transfer

Reproduction ◽  
2000 ◽  
pp. 387-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
KJ Demmers ◽  
HN Jabbour ◽  
DW Deakin ◽  
AP Flint
Keyword(s):  
Embryo Transfer ◽  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Cervus Elaphus ◽  
Pregnancy Loss ◽  
Red Deer ◽  
Interferon Tau ◽  
Recombinant Interferon ◽  
Uterine Flushing ◽  
Calving Rate

The role of interferon in early pregnancy in red deer was investigated by (a) measuring production of interferon by the conceptus, (b) testing the anti-luteolytic effect of recombinant interferon-tau in non-pregnant hinds, and (c) treatment of hinds with interferon after asynchronous embryo transfer. Blastocysts were collected from 34 hinds by uterine flushing 14 (n = 2), 16 (n = 2), 18 (n = 8), 20 (n = 13) or 22 (n = 9) days after synchronization of oestrus with progesterone withdrawal. Interferon anti-viral activity was detectable in uterine flushings from day 16 to day 22, and increased with duration of gestation (P < 0.01) and developmental stage (P < 0.01). When interferon-tau was administered daily between day 14 and day 20 to non-pregnant hinds to mimic natural blastocyst production, luteolysis was delayed by a dose of 0.2 mg day(-1) (27.3 +/- 1.3 days after synchronization, n = 4 versus 21 +/- 0 days in control hinds, n = 3; P < 0.05). Interferon-tau was administered to hinds after asynchronous embryo transfer to determine whether it protects the conceptus against early pregnancy loss. Embryos (n = 24) collected on day 6 from naturally mated, superovulated donors (n = 15) were transferred into synchronized recipients on day 10 or day 11. Interferon-tau treatment (0.2 mg daily from day 14 to 20) increased calving rate from 0 to 64% in all recipients (0/11 versus 7/11, P < 0.005), and from 0 to 67% in day 10 recipients (0/8 versus 6/9, P < 0.01). The increased success rate of asynchronous embryo transfer after interferon-tau treatment in cervids may be of benefit where mismatched embryo-maternal signalling leads to failure in the establishment of pregnancy.

How do the mechanical influences of blood flow impact trophoblast plugging and unplugging of the spiral arteries in early pregnancy?

Placenta ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. e26
Author(s):  
Rojan Saghian ◽  
Gib Bogle ◽  
Joanna James ◽  
Alys Clark
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Early Pregnancy

scholarly journals On-farm examination of sainfoin supplementation effects in dairy cows in a roughage-based feeding system: indicators of protein utilisation

2021 ◽  
pp. 104509
Author(s):  
Alexandra N. Kapp-Bitter ◽  
Uta Dickhoefer ◽  
Gerdine Kaptijn ◽  
Vasilisa Pedan ◽  
Erika Perler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Feeding System ◽  
Protein Utilisation ◽  
On Farm

Corpus luteum blood flow in abnormal early pregnancy.

1996 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 645-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
J L Alcázar ◽  
C Laparte ◽  
G López-Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Corpus Luteum ◽  
Early Pregnancy

scholarly journals Managing Ammonia Emissions from Dairy Cows by Amending Slurry with Alum or Zeolite or by Diet Modification

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 860-865 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Meisinger ◽  
Alan M. Lefcourt ◽  
Jo Ann S. Van Kessel ◽  
Victor Wilkerson
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Nitrogen Sources ◽  
Neutral Detergent Fiber ◽  
Wind Tunnels ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Nh3 Volatilization ◽  
Available N ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Potential Contributor ◽  
On Farm

Animal agriculture is a significant source of atmospheric ammonia. Ammonia (NH3) volatilization represents a loss of plant available N to the farmer and a potential contributor to eutrophication in low-nitrogen input ecosystems. This research evaluated on-farm slurry treatments of alum or zeolite and compared three diets for lactating dairy cows in their effectiveness to reduce NH3 emissions. NH3 emissions were compared using a group of mobile wind tunnels. The addition of 2.5% alum or 6.25% zeolite to barn-stored dairy slurry reduced NH3 volatilization by 60% and 55%, respectively, compared to untreated slurry. The alum conserved NH3 by acidifying the slurry to below pH 5, while the zeolite conserved ammonia by lowering the solution-phase nitrogen through cation exchange. The use of alum or zeolite also reduced soluble phosphorus in the slurry. NH3 loss from fresh manure collected from lactating dairy cows was not affected by three diets containing the same level of crude protein but differing in forage source (orchardgrass silage vs. alfalfa silage) or neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content (30% vs. 35% NDF). NH3 losses from the freshly excreted manures occurred very rapidly and included the urea component plus some unidentified labile organic nitrogen sources. NH3 conservation strategies for fresh manures will have to be active within the first few hours after excretion in order to be most effective. The use of alum or zeolites as an on-farm amendment to dairy slurry offers the potential for significantly reducing NH3 emissions.

Platelet activating factor-induced early pregnancy factor activity from the perfused rabbit ovary and oviduct

1988 ◽  
Vol 159 (6) ◽  
pp. 1580-1584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kou Sueoka ◽  
A.M. Dharmarajan ◽  
Toyohiko Miyazaki ◽  
Susan J. Atlas ◽  
Edward E. Wallach
Keyword(s):  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Platelet Activating Factor ◽  
Factor Activity ◽  
Early Pregnancy Factor
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