1,720,990 research outputs found
Overnight holding aids in selection of developmentally competent equine oocytes
Full text linkThe demand for equine in vitro produced embryos has increased over the last decade. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of an extended IVM or a prolonged period before fertilization, including holding time, on equine immature oocyte developmental competence. Oocytes, collected from abattoir-derived ovaries, were divided into 4 groups: H0/24 (n = 165) 0 h holding + standard 24-26 h IVM; H8/36 (n = 160) 8 h holding + 36 h IVM; H20/24 (n = 187) 20 h holding + 24 h IVM; H0/44 (n = 164) 0 h holding + 44 h IVM. Oocytes matured to MII were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and cultured for 10 days. The oocyte degeneration rate was higher (P 0.05). Timing of blastocyst development was not different among groups. Overnight holding of equine immature oocytes followed by a standard IVM interval may induce a pre-selection of the most competent oocytes thereby improving cleavage and embryo development rates after ICSI
TELOMERE LENGTH AND CANINE MAMMARY CARCINOMAS PROGNOSIS: PRELIMINARY STUDY
No full textMammary tumors are the second most common neoplasia in dogs; therefore, they represent a significant clinical problem, furthermore, recent studies indicate that spontaneous canine mammary carcinomas (CMCs) resemble human breast cancer by clinic and pathology as well as its behavior and prognostic indicators [1, 2] Biological aging pathways may be a mechanism for cognitive impairment in cancer survivors. The goal of the current study was to examine whether indicators of biological aging, namely elevated levels of DNA damage, reduced telomerase enzymatic activity, and shorter peripheral blood telomere length (TL) would be related to cognitive function in a cohort of survivors of breast cancer. [3, 4]. The association of TL with breast cancer prognosis in human had been examined through a systematic review [3]. Our study had the aim to relate peripheral blood TL and canine mammary carcinomas (CMCs) in the bitch. To this end, six female bitches aged 6-8 years old, of middle size, that were submitted to mastectomy for CMC during the last 24 months, were subjected to blood sampling to evaluate TL. As control, 5 clinically healthy bitches free of cancer diseases, and of the same range of age and size were subjected to the same blood withdrawal. From each animal, 8 ml of blood was collected and taken in Qiagen tubes and sent via airmail to the lab of Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Genotyping and Genetics for Population Sciences. DNA extraction was performed on blood white cells, and TL was measured by a modified quantitative polymerase chain reaction qPCR method, as previously described [4]. Our results were submitted to ANOVA test and show that breast cancer patients had significantly shorter TLs than control subjects (p<0.05). The results of the current study suggest a significant association between measures of biological aging and breast cancer. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm a causal role of biological aging as a driver of declines in cognitive function after cancer treatment
Use of regenerative medicine in the treatment of endometritis in mares: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Full text linkDefining the optimal therapy for endometritis remains a significant challenge for clinicians. Given the public health threat posed by antibiotic resistance and the inconclusiveness of traditional therapies, regenerative medicine has been proposed as an alternative. The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis, to investigate the efficacy of regenerative medicine products in the treatment of both post-breeding persistent and chronic degenerative endometritis (PBIE/CDE) in mares, following the PRISMA guidelines. This research could be a comprehensive scientific reference for determining appropriate treatments and clinical strategies.
All studies exploring the use of regenerative medicine therapies (i.e., plasma products, autologous conditioned serum, mesenchymal stem cells MSCs, and MSC derivatives) in the treatment of PBIE/CDE were included, regardless of the specific protocol used, the evaluated outcomes, or the diagnostic method employed. Two au- thors independently gathered data and evaluated the risk of bias for each study. Treatment effects were assessed using risk ratios for dichotomous data, accompanied by 95 % confidence intervals. Data were aggregated uti- lizing the fixed-effects model. The quality of evidence for each outcome was evaluated using GRADE criteria.
Eighteen studies were included in the systematic review, while fifteen trials were included in the meta- analysis. A sub-meta-analysis was conducted separately on platelet-derived products, as well as on MSCs and their derivatives. The results demonstrated an overall positive effect of regenerative therapies in treating PBIE/ CDE, particularly those involving MSCs and their derivatives. The positive outcomes include an anti- inflammatory effect, characterized by reduced intrauterine fluid accumulation, neutrophils, and cytokine con- centrations. Additionally, improvements in pregnancy, foaling, and embryo recovery rates have been observed in some cases. Despite the limited number of randomized controlled studies and the high variability among pro- tocols, including the timing of treatment, type, and volume of products used, the use of regenerative products, especially MSCs and their derivatives, has promising results in terms of both efficacy and safety for treating PBIE/ CDE in mares
Effects of maternal dietary supplementation with antioxidants on clinical status of mares and their foal
Full text linkBackground: The peripartum period constitutes a delicate physiological moment in mares showing a transient state of oxidative stress. Diet supplementation with antioxidants during pregnancy in women appears to have a beneficial effect on mother and neonate health. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of diet supplementation with a commercial product containing a mix of antioxidants (Oxyliver®, Candioli) on the length of gestation, weight, and haemato-biochemical parameters in Italian Salernitano mares and their newborn foals. Eight late-term pregnant mares were randomly divided into two groups: Antiox group receiving 30 g/day of antioxidants, and Car group receiving the same amount of carrot powder, from 290 to 320 days of gestation. The following parameters were evaluated in mares: weight, colostrum composition, haemato-biochemical parameters, progesterone, and cortisol blood concentrations, along with blood oxidant/antioxidant status. Assessments were conducted at specific time points: immediately before the start of diet supplementation (T0), 15 days after (T1), at the end of diet supplementation (T2), within 8 h after parturition (T3), and 10 days post-partum (T4). Foal parameters such as weight, haemato-biochemical values, cortisol concentration, and blood oxidative stress variables were assessed within 8 h of birth (TF0) and at 10 days of age (TF1). Results: Pregnancy was shorter in the Antiox group (P < 0.05) compared with the Car group; the foals’ weight increase of group Antiox (40%) was higher (P < 0.05) compared to those of the Car group (28.6%). The colostrum of the Antiox group exhibited higher levels of Brix, total solids, protein, nonfat solids, casein, urea, density, free fatty acids, and glucose, while lower levels of fat and lactose were observed compared to the Car group (P < 0.05). Mares’ serum albumin at T1 and T3, creatinine, glucose, total proteins, total bilirubin, AST, and ALT at T3 were lower in Antiox than in the Car group. No significant differences were found in foals. Conclusions: While the limited sample size and the potential variability of evaluated parameters, the observed outcomes suggest that Oxyliver® supplementation in mares might safely decrease gestation length and enhance liver function, thus potentially improving colostrum quality and offspring development
Evaluation of oxidative stress measurement in canine species and correlation with the semen parameters by Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis System (CASA).
No full textAssessment of an open-access CASA software for bovine and buffalo sperm motility analysis
Full text linkThe aim of this study was to verify the reliability of an open access CASA software (BGM) to evaluate the sperm motility of cattle and buffalo, comparing motility and kinematic parameters to those of a commercial one (HTM). Thirty frozen-thawed samples for each species were analyzed with both HTM and BGM, after 1 h of incubation at 37 degrees C. Sperm viability and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were evaluated through flow cytometric analysis. Agreement of all motility variables between the two systems was assessed. Correlation analysis was performed to identify relationships between motion parameters and sperm viability and MMP. Bland Altman analysis showed good agreement between methods for all motility parameters except for curvi-linear velocity (VCL) in cattle, and for average path (VAP), VCL and (amplitude of lateral head displacement) ALH in buffalo, that showed a proportional bias (P > 0.05). In both systems, positive correlation between both viability and high MMP and total and progressive motility of cattle spermatozoa were found; viability and the sperm with high MMP were positive correlated only with VAP, straight-line (VSL), VCL and ALH evaluated with HTM system. Different results were found for buffalo sperm motility parameters, since viability had positive correlations and mitochondrial activity negative ones. Results suggested that motility assessment performed by these two systems are comparable. The discrepancy of VCL, VAP, and ALH could be due to the difference in the algorithms between software. The open-access CASA plug-in is a reliable alternative to the expensive commercial CASA system for sperm motility assessment in cattle and buffalo
The Use of Virtual-Problem-Based Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency: Veterinary Students’ Perception
Full text linkThe COVID-19 global pandemic emergency forced us to replace the “traditional and in presence” clinical, pre-graduating, veterinary medical training with clinical virtual-problem-based learning (v-PBL). This prospective cross-sectional case-control study aimed to evaluate the students’ perception of the v-PBLs compared to the traditional veterinary clinical training (t-VCT). The t-VCT consisted of supervised management of clinical cases admitted at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and in the field. The v-PBL consisted of genuine clinical cases shared by tutors throughout an online platform. A survey was delivered to all the fifth-year students who completed the t-VCT or the v-PBL. The survey was completed by 49% of the students. Overall student satisfaction regarding the training experiences was high in both groups, but it was less in the v-PBL than in the t-VCT group. The students of the v-PBL group perceived that they could not improve their practical clinical skills through online sessions, and they emphasized how it could be employed as support for traditional practical activities. All the students are satisfied with the supervision and considered the training correctly focused on relevant learning objectives and the task clearly explained. Stimulating the integration of knowledge and lifelong learning skills replicating life experiences the v-PBLs represented an attractive curricular alternative for veterinary education
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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