PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Y Folman

Publications and source records attributed to Y Folman.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Influence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and timing of insemination relative to estrus on pregnancy rates of dairy cattle at first service.

The objective was to determine the influence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone on pregnancy rates of dairy cattle at first services, when both the timing of hormone injection and insemination were altered relative to the onset of estrus. Cows (n = 325) were assigned randomly to six groups making up a 2 X 2 X 2 incomplete factorial experiment; dose of GnRH (100 micrograms versus saline), timing [1 h (early) or 12 to 16 h (late) after first detected estrus] of AI, and timing of hormone injection (early versus late) were the three main effects. Cows were observed for estrus 4 times daily. Treatments and resulting pregnancy rates were: 1) hormone injection early plus AI early (35%), 2) hormone injection late plus AI early (34%), 3) saline injection early plus AI early (30%), 4) hormone injection late plus AI late (30%), 5) hormone injection early plus AI late (46%), and 6) saline injection late plus AI late (43%). Pregnancy rate in the first four groups (32%) was less than that in the latter two groups (44%). Concentrations of LH in serum were greater for cows given hormone or saline injections in early estrus than for cows injected with either hormone of saline during late estrus. Concentrations of LH in serum 2 h after GnRH were elevated above those of controls, whether GnRH was injected during early or late estrus. Neither concentrations of LH during estrus nor concentrations of progesterone 8 to 14 d after estrus explained the possible antifertility effect of GnRH given during late estrus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Comparison of methods for the synchronization of estrous cycles in dairy cows. 1. Effects on plasma progesterone and manifestation of estrus.

Dairy cows (n = 571) were treated with 1) one or two injections of prostaglandin F2 alpha given 11 or 14 d apart, 2) two injections given 14 d apart and a progesterone coil inserted 8 d after the first injection for a 7-d period; or 3) a coil inserted for 7 d and prostaglandin injected 1 d before its removal. Cows given two prostaglandin injections that conceived had higher progesterone concentrations during the luteal phase preceding AI than did cows that did not conceive. Cows with progesterone coils that conceived did not have higher progesterone concentrations than did cows that did not conceive. Older cows had lower progesterone concentrations than younger ones, and they appeared in estrus earlier after treatment. In four daily observations, 75% of cows were seen in estrus within 7 d after treatment. Cows mounting two or more times had a conception rate (62%) similar to that of cows that stood to mount. Fewer cows (56%) treated with prostaglandin that had low concentrations of progesterone appeared in estrus than did cows with high progesterone (84%). Cows treated with prostaglandin differ from cows treated with progesterone coils in respect to manifestation of estrus and to the relationship between plasma progesterone and conception.

Administration, Intravaginal↗

Comparison of methods for the synchronization of estrous cycles in dairy cows. 2. Effects of progesterone and parity on conception.

Three experiments with 571 dairy cows indicated that significantly more primiparous cows given two prostaglandin F2 alpha injections 14 d apart conceived within 30 d of first AI than did cows given two injections 11 d apart (84 vs. 62%). Fewer multiparous cows given two injections 14 d apart and inseminated after estrus conceived than did cows given two injections and a progesterone intravaginal coil inserted 8 d after the first injection (42 vs. 66%). Fewer cows given one injection of prostaglandin and inseminated at estrus conceived than did cows given two injections 14 d apart and a progesterone coil (39 vs. 66%). Conception rates of cows given two prostaglandin injections were positively related to plasma progesterone concentrations 2 and 4 d before the second injection (r = .81 and .86). Cows with progesterone concentrations below 5 ng/ml, 2 d before the second prostaglandin injection, and synchronized by two prostaglandin injections or by two injections and a progesterone coil had conception rates of 36 and 63%, respectively. Cows with progesterone concentrations above 5 ng/ml had a conception rate of 75 and 46% in the two treatments, respectively. Conception after estrus synchronization depends on the method and on the plasma concentrations of progesterone. Progesterone coils may be used before AI to enhance fertility in cows with low progesterone concentrations.

Administration, Intravaginal↗

Spinal cord injury: prognostic indicators.

A retrospective analysis of 70 patients with closed traumatic incomplete injuries of the spinal cord was performed. Of those presenting with motor sparing, as minimal as muscle flicker, 86 per cent recovered useful motor function. Of those presenting with spinothalamic sensory sparing, as minimal as unilateral sacral sparing, 71 per cent recovered to a similar functional level. While the patients presenting with preservation of only posterior column sensory sparing had the worst prognosis, some still showed important improvement. Meticulous neurological assessment within 72 h of the injury can localize the tract spared and can help with the prognosis in those patients with incomplete lesions.

Humans↗

Rabbits fed on beta-carotene have higher serum levels of all-trans retinoic acid than those receiving no beta-carotene.

The aim of the present work was to determine the effect of giving increasing doses of supplements of beta-carotene on serum retinoic acid levels in rabbits. Four groups of 7-week-old female rabbits were fed for 9 weeks on a pelleted diet containing 1.72 mg vitamin A as retinyl acetate/kg and including control gelatin beadlets devoid of beta-carotene or 1, 2 or 4 mg beta-carotene/kg body-weight per d. Serum was collected at 3, 6 and 9 weeks after the beginning of the experiment and the concentration of all-trans retinoic acid was determined by a gradient reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography system following a double-phase extraction. The average concentration of retinoic acid in serum of the combined control and 1 mg beta-carotene/kg groups was 3.80, 3.06 and 2.40 nM at 3, 6 and 9 weeks respectively. The concentrations of retinoic acid in serum of the combined 2 and 4 mg beta-carotene/kg groups were 4.80 nM (P less than 0.05), 3.76 nM (not significant) and 4.90 nM (P less than 0.005) at 3, 6 and 9 weeks respectively. A SAS (SAS Institute Inc., 1985) general linear model repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed that the effects of treatment (P less than 0.01), time (P less than 0.05) and treatment x time interaction (P less than 0.05) were statistically significant. It is concluded that giving beta-carotene is associated with higher concentrations of all-trans retinoic acid in the serum of rabbits than in those receiving no beta-carotene.

Animals↗

Thermal, productive, and reproductive responses of high yielding cows exposed to short-term cooling in summer.

Effect of cooling on body temperature, milk production, estrous behavior, and reproductive performance was examined in 66 estrous-synchronized, Israeli-Holstein dairy cows. Cooling was by an automated system, which actuated sprinkling (30 s) followed by forced ventilation (4.5 min) for 30-min periods. Cows were cooled 9 times/d between 0500 and 2100 h over 10 d, starting 1 d before expected estrus until d 8 post estrus. Cooling reduced typical diurnal rise of body temperature in summer heat-stressed cows by .5 to .9 degrees C, and body temperature was maintained close to normothermic temperature (38.6 degrees C). Milk production of cooled cows was 2.6 kg/d (+8%) above control at end of the cooling period. More cooled cows than noncooled exhibited standing estrous behavior; in noncooled cows, silent ovulations or anestrus were more frequent. Conception rate of cooled cows did not differ from control, suggesting need for a longer than a 10-d cooling period for improvement of fertility. The cooling system has potential to alleviate heat stress in dairy cows and to improve their thermal balance, productive, and reproductive performances.

Animals↗

The effect of active immunization against progesterone on plasma concentrations of total and free progesterone, estradiol-17beta and LH in the cyclic ewe.

Nine mature cyclic ewes were actively immunized against progesterone which was rendered immunogenic by conjugation to bovine serum albumin (BSA). Seven control ewes were immunized with BSA. In ewes immunized against progesterone, the concentration of total plasma progesterone increased to 24.3 ng/ml vs 2.8 ng/ml in control animals (P<0.001). However, immunization did not affect the plasma levels of free, unbound progesterone. The correlation coefficient between total plasma progesterone concentrations on Days 4 to 11 of the estrous cycle and antibody titer was r=0.983. Estradiol-17beta concentrations in immunized ewes were higher than in controls on Days 6 to 15 of the estrous cycle (P approximately 0.05). Frequent sampling for LH over a 6-h period on Days 2, 5, 8, 11 and 14 of the cycle revealed no significant differences in the frequency and amplitude of LH pulses between immunized and control ewes. The immunized ewes had estrous cycles of normal length and maintained normal pregnancies. It is suggested that the immunized cyclic ewe is capable of maintaining adequate levels of free progesterone by greatly increasing progesterone synthesis, thus neutralizing the effect of the antibodies.

Journal Article↗

Adverse effect of beta-carotene in diet on fertility of dairy cows.

A total of 155 high yielding dairy cows were used to study the effect of dietary beta-carotene (carotene) on fertility. The diet of group 1 was supplemented with 69 mg retinyl acetate per cow daily before calving and 96 mg retinyl acetate after calving: diet of group 2 was supplemented with 500 mg carotene per cow before calving and 96 mg retinyl acetate after calving; and that of group 3 with 500 mg carotene before and 700 mg after calving. Conception rates were 53.9, 42.2, and 27.9% for cows of groups 1, 2, and 3. Days open were 110 and 112 for young (second and third lactation) and old (fourth and later lactations) cows of the group 1; 130 and 129 for young and old cows of group 2; and 133 and 166 for young and old cows of group 3. Number of inseminations per conception was 1.8 and 1.8, 2.2 and 2.2, and 2.5 and 3.4 for the same groups, respectively. Within group 3 the percent of cows pregnant 120 d after calving was 57 and 20 for the young and old cows. Correlation coefficients between plasma carotene of 53 old cows of all groups 4 and 8 wk after calving, and the number of open days and the number of inseminations per conception were significant. The intake of high carotene may have adverse effects on the fertility of dairy cows.

Animals↗

Cyclic impacts on heel strike: a possible biomechanical factor in the etiology of degenerative disease of the human locomotor system.

The cyclic impacts induced by heel strike when walking were studied using both a high-resonance-frequency force plate and a low-mass skin-mounted accelerometer. The data were computer analyzed. The results showed that during normal human walking, the locomotor system is subjected to repetitive impact loads at heel strike, lasting about 5 ms and consisting of frequency spectra up to and above 100 Hz. The natural shock-absorbing structures in the musculoskeletal system have viscoelastic time-dependent mechanical behavior, which is relatively ineffective in withstanding sudden impulsive loads. Degenerative joint diseases may thus be seen as a late clinical result of fatigue failure of the natural shock absorbers, submitted to deleterious impacts over a period of time.

Adult↗

Interactive environmental and genetic effects on longevity in the male rat: litter size, exercise, electric shocks and castration.

The effects on longevity of manipulating litter size during rearing and of postweaning forced exercise were observed in intact and castrated male rats. Random-bred sib quintets of newborn littermates were reared in reduced litters or normal litters (5 or 6, or 10-12 young, respectively). The quintets were split into five postweaning treatments: untreated (control), exercised (forced to run by electric shocks), shocked (without exercise), castrated, and castrated and exercised. Reduced litter size increased weaning weight from 46 to 56 g and diminished mean longevity from 724 to 620 days. The decrease in longevity due to reduced litter size was greater in the control (204 days) than in the other postweaning treatments (42 to 142 days). The postweaning treatments affected longevity only in the reduced-litter males; in these, exercise and mere shocks appeared to increase longevity. The variation in longevity among quintets was large and the expression of genetic longevity interacted with the treatments. The regression of individual on mean sib longevity was .89 in the castrates but only .10 in the controls; in exercised and shocked males it was .58 in normal-litter but only .09 in reduced-litter sibs indicating an interaction between pre- and postweaning treatments. The implications of the results on the interpretation of longevity studies are discussed.

Adipose Tissue↗

Upper critical temperatures and forced ventilation effects for high-yielding dairy cows in a subtropical climate.

Upper limit of thermal stability and subsequent rise of thermoregulatory functions as affected by forced ventilation were examined. Rectal temperature, respiratory frequency, ear skin temperature, body weight, and milk yield were recorded biweekly July to March over 2 yr for 170 Israeli-Holstein cows (305-day milk yield 9000 kg/cow) at air temperatures 10 to 36 degrees C. Cows were in an open shelter. One side was force ventilated over 2.5 m along the stanchions (air velocity 1.5 to 3 m/s) from 0500 to 2200 h. Control side mean air velocity was .5 m/s. Within the 10 to 24 degrees C range, rectal temperature was not affected by air temperature or forced ventilation but increased by .02 degrees C/kg fat-corrected milk in animals producing above 24 kg/day. Between 26 and 36 degrees C rectal temperature increased with air temperature in both groups; rate of rise was halved by forced ventilation. In this range of air temperature, rectal temperature increased with rising milk yield, as in the lower air temperature range, in both high-producing and lower-producing cows in forced ventilation. Body weight or parity did not have significant effects. Mean ear skin temperature was higher for control animals, but its rate of increase with air temperature was similar in both groups. Forced ventilation reduced mean respiratory rate. An upper critical temperature is 25 to 26 degrees C and is independent of milk yield or acclimatizational state of cows exposed to the natural sequence of climate.

Animals↗

Reproductive management of dairy cattle based on synchronization of estrous cycles.

High-yielding dairy cows (199) were allotted to a control group or one of two groups for synchronization of estrus. Synchronization of estrus was accomplished by either insertion of a progesterone-releasing intravaginal device (progesterone coil) for 7 days with .5 mg of the prostaglandin analogue cloprostenol (Estrumate) administered 1 day before removal of the progesterone coil, or by administration of .5 mg of Estrumate followed 13 days later by a progesterone coil inserted for 9 days. Following each estrous synchronization regimen, cows were inseminated during a fixed 6-day period (insemination week). Into one-half of the cows of each treatment group, a second progesterone coil was inserted 12 days following the fixed-time insemination for 9 days. Cows that calved within 21 days were included in a cluster and were treated and inseminated simultaneously at regular 3-wk intervals. Thus, insemination of synchronized cows was during only 6 out of each 21 days. The estrous synchronization regimens were applied so that the first fixed-time insemination for any cow occurred between 59 and 79 days after calving. Control cows were inseminated following estrus, commencing 59 days after calving. Conception rates for cows of groups 1, 2, and 3 were 50, 56, and 51%. Pregnancy rates at 25 days following the fixed-time insemination were 53, 78, and 69%, and at 100 days after calving, 57, 75, and 65%. A system of reproductive management is proposed in which observations for estrous behavior and inseminations are only during 6 days out of each 3 wk.

Animals↗

The effect of dietary and climatic factors on fertility, and on plasma progesterone and oestradiol-17 beta levels in dairy cows.

The effects of high dietary protein concentrations, high ambient temperatures and low dietary beta-carotene levels on fertility and on plasma progesterone and oestradiol-17 beta levels in high-yielding dairy cows, are described. High-yielding dairy cows were fed diets containing 15 or 20% crude protein. Cows fed the higher level of protein were less fertile and had a lower plasma progesterone concentration during the oestrous cycle preceding the first insemination. This phenomenon was especially pronounced in cows fed a diet containing 85% concentrates and 15% hay, where plasma progesterone levels during days 9-17 of the oestrous cycle were 2.5-3.7 ng/ml in cows fed the high level of protein and 4.0-5.5 ng/ml in cows fed the low level of protein (P less than or equal to 0.05). In cows fed 50% more energy before parturition, plasma progesterone levels did not differ between animals fed the low and high protein diets. Heat stress, which caused a rise in body temperature, decreased fertility and plasma progesterone levels during the luteal phase of the oestrous cycle but increased plasma oestradiol-17 beta levels during the 36 h preceding the onset of oestrus from 5 to 7 pg/ml (P less than or equal to 0.005). The effect on fertility of supplementing the diet of dairy heifers and cows with beta-carotene is reviewed. In some of the experiments where the basal plasma beta-carotene levels were lower than 50 micrograms/100 ml, beta-carotene supplementation significantly increased fertility. However, in no case was fertility affected when plasma beta-carotene levels exceeded 150 micrograms/100 ml. The possible relationships among body weight changes, energy balance, plasma progesterone levels and fertility of dairy cows are discussed.

Animals↗

The time of oestrus and ovulation following various synchronisation techniques using progesterone impregnated intravaginal devices.

Progesterone releasing intravaginal devices (PRIDs) were used in 4 experiments involving 67 cattle to study the effect of the stage of the oestrous cycle and of oestradiol benzoate (ODB) administration on the time interval from PRID removal to oestrus and/or ovulation. Cows in which PRIDs were inserted on days 2 to 4 of the oestrous cycle for 14 days were subsequently observed by endoscopy to ovulate significantly later than cows given identical treatments on days 13 and 14 of the cycle. The concentration of progesterone was higher in the former group at the time PRIDs were removed and remained at a higher level for 3 days thereafter. The length of the oestrous cycle of untreated heifers was significantly longer than in heifers treated for 12 days with PRIDs only inserted on day 3 of cycle (19.7 v 18.2; p less than 0.01). Treatment with PRIDs inserted for 12 days together with ODB further shortened the cycle length from 18.2 days to 16.9 days (p less than 0.01). The intervals from PRID removal to onset of standing oestrus in heifers treated with PRID only and those treated with PRID and ODB were 80h and 45h, respectively (p less than 0.01); the respective variances were 280 and 4; p less than 0.01). Plasma progesterone concentration, at PRID removal, was 3 times higher in heifers treated with PRID only than in heifers treated with PRID and ODB (p less than 0.01) and the interval from PRID removal to the lowest progesterone value following it was 3.8 ad 1.2 days for the 2 groups, respectively (p less than 0.05). The study indicated that the stage of oestrous cycle at PRID insertion is an important factor which influences the interval from withdrawal of PRIDs to ovulation. The results suggest closer synchronisation would follow insertion in the mid-luteal phase (Day 13 to 14) or use of ODB treatment at the time of insertion of PRIDs.

Animals↗