1,721,203 research outputs found
Effect of sperm concentration on characteristics of frozen-thawed semen in donkeys
No full textIn this study, the effect of donkey sperm concentration in the straw during cryopreservationon the quality of thawed semen was evaluated. Samples from seven adult Martina Francajackasses were collected three times using a Missouri artificial vagina. After estimation ofvolume and concentration, raw semen was evaluated for motility using a computer-assistedsperm analyzer (CASA); viability and acrosome integrity were also determined. Fresh semenwas then centrifuged and re-suspended at five different concentrations (100, 250, 500,750, and 1000×106 sperm/ml) with a commercial extender, packaged in 0.5 ml straws, andfrozen. After thawing, motility parameters, viability, and acrosome integrity were analyzed.The analysis of the data showed similar parameters of fresh semen compared with those ofcentrifuged and cooled samples. The sperm concentration in the straw affected the semenparameters analyzed after thawing, as suggested by evidence that when the concentrationincreased, the quality of the post-thawed semen decreased. Furthermore, the differencesin total and progressive motility among samples at different concentrations are due to theimmobilization of spermatozoa, as suggested by the finding that the percentage of staticspermatozoa increased when the concentration increased. The reason for the impairmentof semen quality when the sperm concentration increased was discussed. A great variabilityin cryo-resistance was found between jackasses but not within the same male, suggestingthe presence of donkey males with semen that has acceptable and unacceptable freezingqualities.[...
VALUTAZIONE DI ALCUNI PARAMETRI NEL LIQUIDO SINOVIALE DI TORI AFFETTI DA ARTROPATIA DEGENERATIVA
No full textEffectiveness of a modified administration protocol for the medical treatment of canine pyometra
No full textPyometra is one of the most common diseases in intact bitches. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified aglepristone protocol for the medical treatment of pyometra in the bitch. Of these, 73 bitches affected by pyometra of different breeds and age (2–14 years old) were enrolled. They were randomly assigned to a control group (CTG - 26 bitches) treated with classical protocol (aglepristone at 0, 1 and 6 days - day 0 = day of the diagnosis) and a modified treated group (MTG - 47 bitches) treated with a different administration protocol (aglepristone at 0, 2, 5 and 8 days). The classical protocol with the anti-progestagen aglepristone was effective in 88.5 % (23/26) of CTG bitches while the modified protocol was effective in all (47/47) of MTG bitches. One of the 23 CTG bitches received a further administration on day 14, which resolved the pyometra, while in the three cases of CTG bitches, in which the treatment was ineffective, an ovariohysterectomy was carried out. The modified protocol showed a success rate of 100 %, compared with the classical protocol proposed in the literature, and no recurrence of the disease was recorded in the 24 months follow up. After treatment, the oestrus onset was earlier than expected (interoestrus of 128 ± 32 days). In this study, the modified treatment protocol showed high efficacy and lack of recurrence within 24 months, suggesting a complete recovery of reproductive function in the bitch, with a normal fertility
Space availability influence laterality in donkeys (Equus asinus)
No full textCerebral lateralization is the portioning of the cognitive functions between the two cerebral hemispheres. Several factors, like embryological manipulations, light exposure, health conditions, sex and age can influence the left-right brain asymmetries and contribute to increasing the variability in the strength and direction of laterality within most species. We investigated the influence of an environmental constraint, namely space availability, as a new source of variation on laterality in an adult vertebrate model, the donkey. In a baseline condition we tested whether donkeys show a motor lateralization bias at population level, while in an experimental condition we manipulated space availability to verify if a reduction in this parameter could represent a new source of variation in laterality. Results show that donkeys are lateralized at population level with a strong bias to standing with the right forelimb advanced over the left and that a reduction of space availability is an important source of variation in the laterality strength and direction within this species. The comparative analysis of the environmental and developmental factors that give origin to neural and behavioural laterality in animal models will be very important for a better understanding of the evolutionary origin of such multifaceted phenomenon.[...
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