The objective of our study was to determine the effects of clinoptilolite supplemented in colostrum on the blood serum protein electrophoretic pattern of new-born calves. Methods: Romanian Black and White new-born calves involved in the study were divided into 3 groups: the control group (C) that received colostrum without clinoptilolite, and experimental groups I (E1) and II (E2) that received colostrum supplemented with 0.5% and 2% clinoptilolite, respectively. The concentration of total protein and protein fractions (albumin, α1-globulin, α2-globulin, β-globulin and γ-globulin) were analyzed by electrophoresis on cellulose acetate. Results: At hour 30 after birth, concentrations of γ-globulins, β-globulin and total protein in E1 group of calves were higher than in control group by 42.11% (p < 0.05), 28.48% (p > 0.05) and 18.52% (p > 0.05), respectively, and were higher, but not significantly, in group E2 compared to the control group. This was in accordance with a significant lower albumin/globulin ratio in groups E1 and E2 (29.35%, p < 0.05 and 35.87%, p < 0.05, respectively) than in control group at 30 h postpartum, which indicates an obvious increase of the globulins fraction in experimental groups. The conclusion: Clinoptilolite was effective in improving passive transfer in new-born calves, but it was more effective if added in colostrum with a dose of 0.5% than with a dose of 2%.

The objective of this project was to report the effects of season and age on conception rate amongst Italian Mediterranean Buffalo subjected to an Ovsynch/Resynch (O/R) reproductive management protocol. The study utilized nulliparous (heifers), primiparous buffalo cows (PBC) and multiparous buffalo cows (MBC). The primiparous and multiparous groups were subjected to the synchronization protocol throughout the entire year, but heifers were synchronized and inseminated only during the spring/summer seasons.The conception rate obtained following the OvSynch oestrus synchronization protocol, applied during spring, was 68.4% for heifers, 83.3% for PBC and 67.7% for MBC. The overall total conception rates following the complete O/R protocol were 84.27%, 94.4% and 79%. Conception rates achieved during summer were heifers 52%, PBC 47.2% and MBC 49%, whilst overall conception rates following the full O/R protocol were 72%, 69.8% and 58.2% respectively. In the autumn seasons, PBC conceived 58.9% and MBC 52.1% following initial Ovsynch, which improved to total overall conception rates of 87.5% and 78.7% following the full O/R protocol. Similarly, in the winter season, PBC experienced a conception rate of 47.5% following Ovsynch and 72.5% after a follow-up Resynch. MBC experienced 60.0% and 74.4% conception following Ovsynch and full O/R, respectively, during winter. Total conception rates during all seasons were quite acceptable following the O/R protocol. There was a significant decrease from spring to summer in conception rate for all parity groups, but heifers were not a severely affected as older buffalo cows. This finding agrees with that of other investigators indicating that heifer fertility is not as negatively impacted by long photoperiod and higher ambient temperature as that of older animals. The O/R protocol as utilized in this study is an effective means of reproductive management for dairy buffalo cows and is effective for improving fertility during out-of-season breeding.

The objective of our research was to determine the effects of colostrum supplementation with clinoptilolite on concentrations of serum proteins, minerals and enzyme activities in newborn calves. Twenty newborn calves that were divided into control group (n=10) which received colostrum and experimental group (n=10) that received colostrum with 0.5% clinoptilolite added in the first three colostrum meals were studied. Blood samples were collected from jugular vein in vacutainer tubes from all calves prior to colostrum intake and after that, at 24 and 48 h after birth. Samples were analyzed for total protein, albumin, α1-globulin, α2-globulin, ß-globulin, γ-globulin, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, gamma glutamyltransferase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase. Clinoptilolite supplementation had significant effect (p<0.0006) on serum iron concentrations in experimental (27.64±3.78 µmol/l) vs control group (8.93±1.26 µmol/l) after 48h. GGT values were also significantly higher (p<0.04) in E (163.60±26.67 U/l) than in C group (84.01±19.77 U/l) at 48h after parturition. Other parameters analyzed were unaffected by clinoptilolite treatment. Obtained data revealed that colostrum supplemented with clinoptilolite had positive effects on some mineral parameters.

Congenital abnormalities in animals, including abnormalities of the cleft lip and jaw and hypospadias have been reported in all domesticated species. They are a major concern for breeders due to the increased economic loss they entail. In this article, we described a congenital bilateral cheilognathoschisis (cleft lip and jaw) with campylognathia in association with penile hypospadias and preputial hypoplasia with failure of preputial fusion in a Bos taurus crossbred Piedmontese × Wagyu calf. Clinical examination, computed tomography, and whole genome sequencing were performed to describe and identify a possible cause of the abnormalities. Clinical examination revealed a bilateral cheilognathoschisis of approximately 4 cm in length and 3 cm in width in the widest part, with computer tomography analyses confirming the bilateral absence of the processus nasalis of the incisive bone and the lateral deviation of the processus palatinus towards the left side. Genomic data analyses identified 13 mutations with a high impact on the products of the following overlapped genes: ACVR1, ADGRA2, BHMT2, BMPR1B, CCDC8, CDH1, EGF, F13A1, GSTP1, IRF6, MMP14, MYBPHL, and PHC2 with ADGRA2, EGF, F13A1, GSTP1, and IRF6 having mutations in a homozygous state. The whole genome investigation indicates the involvement of multiple genes in the birth defects observed in this case.

The beneficial effect of antioxidant supplementation in maturation culture media of sow oocytes was evaluated by the expression quantification of apoptotic genes and the genes that ensure stability of germ cells during fertilization. The oocytes were cultivated for 44 h in conventional medium (C) or in medium supplemented with 105 µM rosmarinic acid (R) and 0.5 mM ascorbic acid (A) and classified into three quality classes by morphological observation from which the total RNA was isolated. The gene expression of Ptx3 and the apoptotic regulator p53, Bax and BCL-2 were evaluated by quantitative PCR technique. The decreased expression of the Bax gene in the A and R groups, compared to the control, indicates a protective role of antioxidants in the cells. Cell homeostasis was maintained, as reflected in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 in class I COCs (cumulus-oocyte complex) regardless of the experimental group, indicating minimum cellular stress. The expression of p53 genes was higher in all class III COC, but in A1 and R1 the expression was lower than in C1, and a similar Ptx-3 gene decreased significantly in groups A1, A2, A3 and R1 compared with control groups. Antioxidant supplementation showed beneficial effects on all morphological classes of pig COCs.

The timely detection of oestrus presents an important professional procedure with which cattle farmers, in addition to veterinarians, are very often faced, because failure to detect oestrus poses a big economic problem. The objective of this work is to evaluate the efficacy of discovering oestrus in cows by determining the progesterone concentration (P4) in blood plasma. This experiment covered 22 animals, including 15 cows and 7 heifers, in which spontaneous oestrus was discovered. P4 concentration was determined using the ELISA test in samples of blood taken from the animals at the moment of insemination. Of the 15 cows, four cows (26.6%) were not inseminated at the optimal time, and the P4 level in these animals was higher than 1 ng/ml. All the heifers showed a progesterone concentration of over 1 ng/ml, and a percentage of conception which was 85%. The high P4 level in heifers at the moment of insemination could also be a consequence of stress caused by the regrouping and separating of the animals. Even though the heifers were under stress, which is indicated by the high progesteronemia values at the moment of insemination, the percentage of conception among them was beyond expectations. Therefore, the determination of P4 values at the moment of insemination is a suitable method for improving reproduction management on cattle farms. Inappropriate treatment of cows which are expected to show oestrus can cause stress and an increase in the values of the blood concentration of P4. On the grounds of the results obtained in this work, no negative influence of stress on the insemination results in heifers was observed

Mitochondria is the most frequently studied cell organelle in relation to development competence of the oocytes both in vivo and in vitro. Developmental competence of oocyte is crucial for embryonic development, the molecular activity until the activation of the embryonic genome being based on the maternal reserves stored in the oocyte. Study was designed to qualitatively evaluate 133 COC class C1 and class C2 gilts and sow’s oocytes according to the distribution of mitochondria after IVM, based on Rhodamine 123 stain solution. Regarding mitochondrial distribution, the percentage of oocytes that had a homogeneous distribution around the germinal vesicle was higher in group C1 than C2 and also higher in sow oocytes than in gilts oocytes. For class 1, the difference was 10.58% in favor of sows, the same trend is maintained for C2, the difference being 4.37%. The results are confirmed by morphological examination, where C1 sow’s oocytes matured 26.09% more, compared to gilts oocytes, a difference maintained for C2 oocytes, being 27.4% more sow’s oocytes IVM compared to gilts. Based on mitochondrial distribution we observed that the stage of sexual development of females influences the IVM of oocytes. For pig’s IVF it’s recommended to use C1 sow oocytes.

Data from literature indicate that there is a correlation between the values of reproductive parameters and the values of parameters of the metabolic profile, even though this cannot be confirmed in many cases. The objective of this work was to examine the connection between certain parameters of the metabolic profile and the restoration of reproductive activity in the postpartal period. Blood samples were taken from the cows involved in the experiment and values of parameters of the metabolic state were determined in 27 cows, of which 14 were primiparous and 13 multiparous. In the blood serum samples, we determined the concentration of glucose, total proteins, albumin, urea, and the activities of certain enzymes (alkaline phosphatase, ASAT and ALAT). It was established on the grounds of the obtained results that the delay in the establishment of reproductive activity in the postpartal period was in correlation with the blood concentrations of urea and albumin.