RESUMO
Reproductive physiology is one of the first systems which is altered when an animal suffers from an imbalance. This is crucial in tropical dairy farming, where maintaining homeostasis and production is particularly demanding. Lameness is a disorder commonly identified by impaired walking, but its early diagnosis could reduce the negative repercussions on production, welfare, and postpartum conception. To evaluate the effect of lameness on postpartum conception, a prospective observational cohort study with a cross-sectional design was developed. Fifty-two Jersey milking cows raised under hot-humid tropical conditions were scored using a five-point locomotion scoring (LS) system (1-non-lame, 2-slightly lame, 3-moderately lame, 4-lame, and 5-severely lame), considering scores ≥ 3 to indicate clinical lameness. Inseminations per conception and days open (CCI) were registered. Inseminations were similar in animals scoring 1, 2, 3, and 5, while they increased in cows with a score of 4, which also increased their CCI along with animals that scored 5. Positive correlations were observed between LS and reproductive variables. The herd's conception rate was reduced from 45% to 21.8% in the presence of clinical lameness (score ≥ 3). Applying the LS system should be essential as part of routine medical examinations used to monitor dairy herds, and it becomes even more crucial under hot-humid tropical environments, where adverse conditions could rapidly aggravate the early stages of lameness and not only increase the costs of hoof care, but also delay fertility in cattle.
RESUMO
The aim of this study was to standardize a simple, manual platelet-rich plasma (PRP) protocol in Catalonian donkeys using single-spin tube centrifugation as a treatment for jenny endometritis. The objective was to obtain a blood product with a moderate concentration of platelets (2 or 3 times baseline physiologic values) and a low WBC (White Blood Cells) concentration. Blood was drawn from six Catalonian donkeys using acid citrate dextrose (ACD) as an anticoagulant, and then processed by single centrifugation at 133× g for two different centrifugation times (10 and 15 min). The PRP samples were evaluated by flow cytometry, and TGF-ß1 (Transforming Growth Factor-Beta1) concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The 10 min centrifugation protocol resulted in a slightly greater release of TGF-ß1 (6044.79 ng/mL), a 2.06-fold increase in platelet concentration, and a 15-fold reduction in leukocyte concentration when compared to the initial values. The 15 min centrifugation time resulted in a 2.44-fold increase in baseline platelet concentration, a reduction in WBC count by a factor of 20, and slightly lower TGF levels (5206 ng/mL). We conclude that both protocols are adequate for the obtention of PRP, and both may have an acceptable therapeutic potential for use in this species, although this needs to be further validated.
RESUMO
To evaluate the effect of seminal plasma in endometrial inflammation in donkeys, samples from fresh pure, fresh diluted and frozen-thawed semen of three different jackasses were co-incubated in water bath at 37°C with uterine Jennie's secretions collected 6h after artificial insemination with frozen-thawed donkey semen. Individual sperm movement parameters using the computerised sperm analysis system (CASA) and sperm-polymorphonuclear neutrophils (sperm-PMN) attachment observed in Diff-Quick stained smears were evaluated at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4h of co-incubation. Controls consisted of incubating diluted or frozen-thawed sperm in the absence of uterine secretions. For data analyses, a repeated measures ANOVA was performed with incubation time as intra-subject factor and with treatment and donkey as inter-subject factor, followed by a post-hoc Bonferroni's test. Greater values (P<0.05) of sperm-PMN percentages and a loss of progressive motility were observed in frozen-thawed semen compared with pure and diluted fresh semen samples throughout the incubation time. In addition, the presence of seminal plasma in fresh and diluted semen samples reduced the inflammatory response of polymorphonuclear neutrophils produced after insemination by suppressing the sperm-PMN attachment in vitro. Motility sperm parameters analysed by CASA were also less affected than those in frozen-thawed semen samples. In conclusion, seminal plasma in jennies appears to have a modulation on the endometrial response after artificial insemination with frozen-thawed donkey semen. As a result, spermatozoa with the greater motility characteristics are selected.
