Embryo development rates after transfer of oocytes matured in vivo, in vitro, or within oviducts of mares.

Objectives of the present study were to use oocyte transfer: 1) to compare the developmental ability of oocytes collected from ovaries of live mares with those collected from slaughterhouse ovaries; and 2) to compare the viability of oocytes matured in vivo, in vitro, or within the oviduct. Oocytes were collected by transvaginal, ultrasound-guided follicular aspiration (TVA) from live mares or from slicing slaughterhouse ovaries. Four groups of oocytes were transferred into the oviducts of recipients that were inseminated: 1) oocytes matured in vivo and collected by TVA from preovulatory follicles of estrous mares 32 to 36 h after administration of hCG; 2) immature oocytes collected from diestrous mares between 5 and 10 d after aspiration/ovulation by TVA and matured in vitro for 36 to 38 h; 3) immature oocytes collected from diestrous mares between 5 and 10 d after aspiration/ovulation by TVA and transferred into a recipient's oviduct <1 h after collection; and 4) im mature oocytes collected from slaughterhouse ovaries containing a corpus luteum and matured in vitro for 36 to 38 hours. Embryo development rates were higher (P < 0.001) for oocytes matured in vivo (82%) than for oocytes matured in vitro (9%) or within the oviduct (0%). However, neither the method of maturation nor the source of oocytes affected (P > 0.1) embryo development rates after the transfer of immature oocytes.

Use of oocyte transfer in a commercial breeding program for mares with reproductive abnormalities.

In some mares with lesions of the reproductive tract, embryo collection and survival rates are low, or collection of embryos is not feasible. For these mares, oocyte transfer has been proposed as a method to induce pregnancies. In this report, a method for oocyte transfer in mares and results of oocyte transfer performed over 2 breeding seasons, using mares with long histories of subfertility and various reproductive lesions, are described. Human chorionic gonadotropin or an implant containing a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog was used to initiate follicular and oocyte maturation. Oocytes were collected by means of transvaginal ultrasound-guided follicular aspiration. Following follicular aspiration, cumulus oocyte complexes were evaluated for cumulus expansion and signs of atresia; immature oocytes were cultured in vitro to allow maturation. The recipient's ovary and uterine tube (oviduct) were exposed through a flank laparotomy with the horse standing, and the oocyte was slowly deposited within the oviduct. Oocyte transfer was attempted in 38 mares between 9 and 30 years old during 2 successive breeding seasons. All mares had a history of reproductive failure while in breeding and embryo transfer programs. Twenty pregnancies were induced. Fourteen of the pregnant mares delivered live foals. Results suggest that oocyte transfer can be a successful method for inducing pregnancy in subfertile mares in a commercial setting.

Comparison of culture and insemination techniques for equine oocyte transfer.

This study was designed to test 3 approaches for insemination and transfer of oocytes to recipient mares. Oocytes were recovered transvaginally from naturally cycling donor mares 24 to 26 h after an intravenous injection of 2500 IU of hCG when follicles reached 35 mm in diameter. Multiple oocytes (1 to 4) were transferred surgically into the oviducts of 4 or 5 recipient mares per group. Three groups of transfers were compared: 1) transfer of oocytes cultured in vitro for 12 to 14 h postcollection with insemination of the recipient 2 h postsurgery; 2) transfer of oocytes into the oviduct within 1 h of collection, with completion of oocyte maturation occurring within the oviduct, and insemination of the recipient 14 to 16 h postsurgery; and 3) transfer of spermatozoa and oocytes (cultured 12 to 14 h in vitro) into the oviduct. Numbers of embryos detected by Day 16 of gestation were not different (P>0. 1) for groups 1, 2, and 3 (57%, 43% and 27%). Therefore, equine oocytes successfully completed the final stages of maturation within the oviduct, and sperm deposited within the oviduct were capable of fertilizing oocytes.

Ocular flora of patients with AIDS compared with those of HIV-negative patients.

PURPOSE: To determine whether there are quantitative or qualitative differences in the ocular flora of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) compared with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients. METHODS: Forty patients with AIDS and 42 HIV-negative controls were sex and age matched. All subjects had a detailed anterior segment examination, including Schirmer's test, rose bengal staining, and quantitative cultures of the conjunctiva and lids. Statistical evaluation of the relation between AIDS, keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), and ocular flora was performed. RESULTS: No differences were observed in the types or numbers of organisms isolated from the conjunctiva or lids of patients with AIDS and HIV-negative subjects. Ocular flora was not influenced by use of systemic antibiotics, level of immunosuppression as measured by CD4 lymphocyte counts, KCS, or other ocular-surface disease. One AIDS patient was colonized by large numbers of Haemophilus influenzae OU with minimal clinical signs of inflammation or infection. CONCLUSION: There do not appear to be any differences in the ocular flora of HIV-negative patients and patients with AIDS. Presence of KCS and level of immunosuppression do not appear to affect the ocular flora in patients with AIDS.

Entering the life care and retirement housing markets.

Life care communities and other forms of retirement housing can be compatible ministries for health care sponsors. Successfully financing such projects, however, may be difficult if sponsors do not carefully evaluate the market. Determining the need for a proposed project should include the following steps: Study the elderly population trends in the defined market area, particularly data for the over-70 group. Identify the minimum income level for potential residents; a general guideline is one and one-half to two times the annualized rental fee. Determine the penetration rate to obtain the optimal demand for housing. Determine whether the project is viable by subtracting the number of existing and other planned units from the optimal demand for units; the remainder should be large enough to support the proposed project. Further evaluation of the market should include research to discover potential residents' perceptions about retirement communities and their preferences for services and type of units. Because of increasing interest in providing services for the elderly, numerous financing alternatives are available. Sponsors need not rely on internal financing or debt financing to maintain control. By carefully structuring a limited partnership and working with a private developer, for example, the sponsor can ensure involvement in the project without having to assume responsibility for debt or invest scarce capital.

Automated differential leucocyte counters: an evaluation of the Hemalog D and A comparison with the Hematrak. II. Evaluation of performance on routine blood samples from hospital patients.

The performance of the Hemalog D on routine blood samples from patients was assessed over a 6 wk period, 500 samples being studied in detail. The performance of the Hematrak was assessed on 85 routine blood samples. It was found that in our hospital population at least 58% of blood samples counted by the Hemalog D would require a blood film to be examined. Occasional patients with haematological diseases had abnormalities on the blood film but had normal Hemalog 8 and Hemalog D printouts. The Hemalog D was unable to perform an accurate differential count on the blood from a large proportion of patients with uraemia, including dialysis patients. The Hematrak was imprecise because of the small number of cells counted; it was also found to be inaccurate if blood films were not made rapidly after the blood was taken.

Automated differential leucocyte counters: an evaluation of the Hemalog D and A comparison with the Hematrak. I. Principles of operation; reproducibility and accuracy on normal blood samples.

The precision and accuracy of the Hemalog D, which uses cytochemical identification of cells in suspension, and of the Hematrak, which uses image recognition of cells on a stained blood film, have been compared counting normal blood samples. The Hemalog D showed superior precision for all cell types, as would be expected since 10,000 cells are counted per sample; however, the precision for monocytes was worse than expected for the number of cells counted. The precision of the Hematrak was equivalent or superior to that of a manual count of the same number of cells but showed the poor precision inevitable when only 100 cells are counted. With respect to accuracy, both automated counters showed statistically significant differences from manual counts and from each other in counting neutrophils, lymphocytes and eosinophils, bu the differences were not sufficiently great to be of practical importance. The Hematrak counted monocytes accurately (though imprecisely) whereas the Hemalog D overestimated monocytes on average by 2.3%, or 40% of the mean monocyte percentage. This was consequent on the counting of esterase positive neutrophils as monocytes, and the difference from the manual count was sufficient to be of some practical importance. The Hemalog D counted basophils both accurately and precisely. The precision of manual and Hematrak basophil counts was poor; the accuracy of the Hematrak basophil count was dependent on the quality of the stain and that of the manual basophil count was dependent on the quality of the stain and the attentiveness of the technologist. For other cell types in blood samples from normal volunteers, the Hematrak was versatile and accuracy was not greatly affected by the use of May-Grünwald-Giemsa rather than Wright's stain, nor by the use of hand spread rather than machine spread films.