Effect of insemination-to-induced ovulation interval on fertilization rate, embryo viability and number of accessory sperms in SOWS

The ideal interval between AI and ovulation (OV) is not well determined yet, varying from 12 to 28 h before up to 4 h after ovulation. Utilization of gonadotrophins to synchronize ovulation would allow the pre-determination of the groups' size, according to the AI-OV intervals, and would contribute to determine a secure interval between AI-Ov. 120 sows received 7.5 mg IM of Luprostiol, between days 12 and 17 of the estrous cycle, 600 lU of eCG 1M 24 h after prostaglandin and 5.0 mg of LH 1M 72 h after eCG injection. The moment of ovulation was diagnosed by transrectal ultrasonography at intervals of 6 h. There were 5 treatments according to IA-OV interval: T1- 48 to 36 h before OV; T2- 36 to 24 h before OV; T3- 24 to 12 h before OV; T4- 12 to 0h before OV and T5-0 to 12 h after Ov. Sows were slaughtered 96. 7±11.37 h after Ov. Recovery rate (RR), number of corpora lutea (NC), total number of structures (ST), fertilization rate (FR), embryo viability (EV) and number of accessory sperm (AS) were analyzed. The synchronization protocol showed an homogenous distribution of the animaIs among treatments (LH-OV interval 39.22±7.6h), and it didn't influenced the results. FR and EV results suggest that 36 h is the time of sperm viability in sow genital tract. There was a strong decline of AS between T3 and T4.

O intervalo ideal entre a AI e ovulação (OV) não está bem determinado ainda, variando entre 12 a 28 h antes até 4 h depois da ovulação. A utilização de gonadotrofinas para sincronizar ovulação permitiria a pré-determinação do tamanho dos grupos, de acordo com os intervalos IA-OV, e possibilitaria determinar um intervalo seguro entre IA-OV 120 porcas receberam 7.5 mg IM de Luprostiol, entre os dias 12 e 17 do ciclo estral, 600 lU de eCG 1M 24 h após o Luprostiol e 5.0 mg de LH 1M 72 h após a injeção de eCG. O momento de ovulação foi diagnosticado pela ultra-sonografia trans-retal a intervalos de 6 h. Definiu-se 5 tratamentos de acordo com o intervalo IA-OV: T1 - 48 a 36 h antes da OV; T2 - 36 a 24 h antes da OV; T3 - 24 a 12 h antes da OV; T4 -12 a 0 h antes da OV e T5 - 0 a 12 h após a OV. O abate ocorreu 96.7±11.37 h após a OV. A taxa de recuperação (RR), número de lutea de corpos (NC), número total de estruturas (ST), taxa de fecundação (FR), viabilidade embrionária (EV) e número de espermatozóides acessórios (AS) foram analisados. O protocolo de sincronização mostrou uma distribuição homogênea dos animais entre os tratamentos (intervalo LH-OV de 39.22±7.6h), e não influenciou os resultados. A FR e os resultados de EV sugerem que 36 h seja o tempo de viabilidade do espermatozóide trato genital da porca. Houve um forte declínio do AS entre T3 e T4.

Growth and development of children conceived by intracytoplasmic sperm injection at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

A number of concerns have been raised about children conceived by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). In this study, 75 babies in the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital ICSI programme were determined during pediatric follow-up to assess the growth, development and congenital malformations from April 1997 to December 2000. Male to female ratio was 1:1.27. Mean birth weight for singletons was not different from the general population. Thirty six per cent of the babies weighed less than 2,500 g, which was almost four times higher than naturally conceived babies. Approximately 27 per cent of deliveries were multiple pregnancies compared to 0.93 per cent from natural conception. Prematurity rate was 25 per cent and 85.7 per cent of deliveries were carried out by caesarian section. One baby (1.3%) had major congenital malformation and 37 babies (49.3%) had one or more minor defects. Most of the babies had weight, height, and head circumference within normal ranges. After correction for gestational age, all the premature babies caught up growth within the first year of life. Eleven babies (14.7%) had abnormal or questionable results or Denver II at different ages. Longer-term follow-up is necessary to properly assess the growth and developmental outcome of the ICSI babies.