[Radioimmunologic determination of progesterone and rectal ovarian palpation in embryonic death in cows]. / Rádioimunologické stanovenie progesterónu a rektálna palpácia ovárií pri embryonálnej mortalite kráv.

Repeated radio-immunological assays of progesterone in milk and ovary rectal palpation were used for indirect determination of embryonal mortality in cows. Milk sampling and rectal examination were made in the insemination period and then in two- to three-day intervals, mostly from the 21st day after insemination till the early pregnancy determination made after the 42nd day on the basis of the double wall phenomenon. Observation was made in 185 animals from two herds. Embryonal mortality was found in 9.06% out of 289 evaluated inseminations, which prolongs the oestral cycle over 25 days. The monitoring corpus luteum function in connection with rectal ovary palpation supplemented by oestrus, ovulation and insemination control enable a more objective indirect diagnosis of embryonal losses prolonging the oestral cycle.

[Serum levels of progesterone and estradiol in relation to tertiary follicles in the sheep ovary in proestrus and after administration of gonadoliberin]. / Koncentrácia progesterónu a estradiolu krvného séra vo vztahu k terciárnym folikulom vajecníka oviec v proestre a po podaní gonádoliberínu.

Changes in progesterone (P4) and 17 beta-estradiol (E2) concentrations in blood serum as well as changes in counts and quality of tertiary follicles on ovary surfaces of ewes were investigated after administration of different GnRH doses on the 15th and 16th day of the oestral cycle. Progesterone (P4) and 17 beta-estradiol (E2) were determined by radioimmunological assays using RIA-test-Prog and RIA-test-Estra kits. It follows from the results that GnRH in Dirigestran inj. Spofa preparation reduces the E2 concentration and multiplication of the number of selected tertiary follicles of ovaries through stimulation of their growth and ripening in ewes of the Improved Wallachian breed. The greatest number of ovulations was reported in ewes administered three doses of the preparation. A positive correlation (r = 0.803) was found between the E2 concentration and the number of selected tertiary follicles of ewes in proestrus. The results corroborated the data on a pulsatile release of gonadoliberin during pre-ovulation incretion of gonadotropins--mainly lutropin (LH), as well as the inhibiting effect of gonadoliberin on the steroidogenesis of the ovary--mainly on estradiol production.

[Biometric parameters of ovaries in the Tsigai strain of sheep and their changes after administration of cloprostenol]. / Biometrické parametre vajecníkov oviec plemena cigája a ich zmeny po podaní cloprostenolu.

The weight, length, width and volume of ovaries were determined as well as the number of follicles visible on the surface in relation to the presence of corpus luteum on the ovary in autumn period after Cloprostenol application. The ovaries of 43 sheep of the Tsigai breed were examined at the age of 2--4 years. The animals were divided into five groups. First group (I) was the control (n = 6). In the luteal phase of sexual cycle the animals of groups II to V were applied i. m. 125 micrograms of cloprostenol in Oestrophan inf. Spofa preparation. According to groups II (n = 8), III (n = 10), IV (n = 9), V (n = 10) the animals were killed at intervals of 24, 48, 72 and 120 hours (h) from the preparation application. The removed ovaries were fixed in 10% neutral formalin; after a 48-hour fixation they were weighed and their length and width were measured. Tertiary follicles visible on the surface were counted and measured. In group I we demonstrated the significantly higher weight of ovaries with corpus luteum (CL) as compared with ovaries without CL (P less than 0.001). The weight of ovaries with CL dropped significantly within 48 hours after cloprostenol application as compared with control (P less than 0.001) and the difference in the ovary weight according to CL incidence disappeared almost completely. In comparison with groups III and IV, the weight of ovaries in ewes of group V increased statistically significantly (P less than 0.01) on 5th day from the cloprostenol application. This finding is a result of development of new CL after a passed ovulation. The alterations in length, width and volume of ovaries were not so significant as those in weight. The number of surface follicles was very variable and the changes were not significant. The changes in the average size of follicles larger than 1 mm and of the largest follicles have shown that both parameters achieved significantly higher values in ovaries of the control group with present CL in comparison with ovaries without CL. The reduction of surface follicles after cloprostenol application seems to be connected with a possible operation on contractile structures of the external theca folliculi.

[Micromorphology of the endometrium of dairy cows after estrus synchronization with cloprostenol]. / Mikromorfológia endometria dojníc po synchronizácii ruje cloprostenolom.

Trials were conducted to study and describe the micromorphological parameters of endometrium in five cows of the Black-Pied breed after the expiration of the synchronizing effect of cloprostenol in the Oestrophan inj. Spofa preparation. Two animals four to five days after oestrus were used as control and three cows on the sixth day of sexual cycle with rectally palpated corpora lutea were treated intramuscularly with 0.5 mg cloprostenol in 2 ml of Oestrophan. On the eighth day from the administration of the product, samples of uterine horns were obtained by necropsy and were subjected to histological preparation. Paraffin slices, 7 micron thick, were stained with haematoxylin-eosine by the PAS reaction. Changes were observed in the ipsilateral and contralateral uterine horns in relation to active corpus luteum. A state resulting from previous oedematization, with ample thin connective tissue and fading cell infiltration after the administered preparation, was described in the subepithelial layer of endometrium. The occurrence of intraepithelial lymphoid cells was observed in the surface epithelium of endometrium. A significant increase in the thickness of endometrium (P less than 0.001) was observed to persist on the eighth day after the administration of cloprostenol. An increase in the thickness of surface epithelium, ipsilateral with the corresponding corpus luteum, was on the level of significance (P less than 0.05). The subsurface cells of endometrial glands shrunk significantly after the administration of the preparation, both ipsilaterally (P less than 0.001) and contralaterally (P less than 0.001) to the corpus luteum, like in the glands in the depth of the mucous membrane just above myometrium (P less than 0.01). The occurrence of intraepithelial lymphoid cells decreased significantly after the administration of cloprostenol.