Seasonal changes in testicular ultrasonogram pixel-intensity and their association with semen characteristics in rams

Hedia, Mohamed; El-Belely, M.S.; Ismail, Sayed; El‐Maaty, Amal M. Abo

doi:10.4103/2305-0500.275635

Cited by 10 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Grey scale testicular echogenicity (pixel intensity) and colour flow map pixels were the most studied parameters via the corresponding computer software. There were several studies reported that these measures have direct association with sperm properties and testosterone concentrations in farm animals (Giriboni et al, 2017; Hedia et al, 2020c; Vikram et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ageing affects plasma steroid concentrations and testicular volume, echotexture and haemodynamics in rams

Hedia

El-Shalofy

2021

Andrologia

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Animal production systems usually use fewer breeding males than females (Fitzgerald & Morgan, 2007). Breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) is recommended to assess breeding potential in farm animals (Hedia et al., 2020a;Palacios et al., 2016). BSE consists of several orders of examinations starting with traditional physical examination, clinical examination of various body vital systems (digestive, respiratory, circulatory, locomotor and reproductive system) and evaluation of semen. Recently, the massive production systems are interested in application of more advanced techniques to broadly assess the breeding quality of the males. In addition, these systems are looking forward to establish a definite protocol for replacing the males found to have a lower breeding efficiency with other males of high reproductive merits. Several studies aimed to investigate the possible effect of ageing on the different andrological levels and to detect the optimal age of replacing the reproductively minor rams

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ageing affects plasma steroid concentrations and testicular volume, echotexture and haemodynamics in rams

Hedia

El-Shalofy

2021

Andrologia

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“…Similarly, Hedia and El‐Belely (2021) reported that blood flow indices were positively linked with testicular echotexture. Furthermore, in several studies in rams, variations in testicular pixel intensity were directly linked to significant changes in semen properties and testicular function (Camela et al., 2019; Hedia & El‐Belely, 2021; Hedia, El‐Belely, Ismail, & El‐Maaty, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Computerized analysis of B‐mode ultrasonograms of testicular parenchyma potentiates the usefulness of traditional grey‐scale ultrasonography to assess testicular function in various species (Brito et al., 2012; Hedia et al., 2020; Samir, Nyametease, Elbadawy, Fathi, et al., 2020). An ultrasonogram is a matrix of pixels varying in intensity (echogenicity) from 0 to 255 (indicating anechoic black and absolute white respectively; Brito et al., 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An ultrasonogram is a matrix of pixels varying in intensity (echogenicity) from 0 to 255 (indicating anechoic black and absolute white respectively; Brito et al., 2012). Changes in testicular echogenicity are associated with changes in testicular histomorphology (Giffin et al., 2009), testicular haemodynamics (Hedia & El‐Belely, 2021; Samir, Nyametease, Elbadawy, Fathi, et al., 2020) and sperm characteristics (Brito et al., 2012; Hedia, El‐Belely, Ismail, & El‐Maaty, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Melatonin improves testicular haemodynamics, echotexture and testosterone production in Ossimi rams during the breeding season

El-Shalofy

Hedia

Kastelic

2021

Reprod Domestic Animals

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The objective was to determine effects of a single parenteral dose of melatonin on testicular blood flow indices, testicular echogenicity and plasma testosterone concentrations in rams during the physiological breeding season. We hypothesized that melatonin enhances testicular blood flow, echogenicity and plasma testosterone concentrations during the breeding season in rams. During the breeding season, 12 sexually mature Ossimi rams were randomly allocated to either a melatonin group (n = 8) that received 18 mg of melatonin in 1 ml of corn oil (injected SC) or a control group (n = 4) that received 1 ml corn oil only. Blood collection and ultrasonographic assessment of the testes and supratesticular arteries were conducted immediately before treatment (W0) and once weekly for 6 weeks after melatonin injection (W1‐W6). Mean plasma testosterone concentrations were greater (p < .05; at least 1 ng/ml) in the melatonin‐treated group compared to the control group from W4 to W6 after treatment. A decrease (p < .05) in both resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) began 1 week after melatonin injection (W1) and persisted until the end of the experiment, with mean RI and PI values in the melatonin group lower (p < .05) than those in the control group on W3 and W4. Furthermore, plasma testosterone concentrations in melatonin‐treated rams were inversely correlated to both RI and PI (r = −.7 and −.6, respectively, p < .01). Testicular echogenicity decreased (p < .05) 1 week after melatonin injection (W1) and remained lower (p < .05) in the melatonin‐treated group compared to the control group until the end of the study (W6). In conclusion, melatonin administration significantly altered testicular blood flow and echogenicity and increased plasma testosterone concentrations in Ossimi rams during the breeding season.

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“…In goats, the testicular volume increased during the summer months reaching its highest values in September [ 12 ]. Similarly, in rams the mean testicular pixel intensity reached its lowest values during the winter and increased gradually reaching its highest values during summer [ 57 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Approaches to Assess Fertility in Domestic Animals: Relationship between Arterial Blood Flow to the Testicles and Seminal Quality

Velasco

Ruiz

2020

Animals

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The early identification of infertile males improves reproduction efficiency at a production level and is essential to secure high production rates. Before entering a breeding program, males must pass an initial breeding soundness examination (BSE) which consist of several diagnostic exams whose end point is to estimate their future fertility. There is ongoing research to find new markers that allow better identification of fertile males. Doppler mode allows the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the irrigation of organs. When evaluating the reproductive system, Doppler mode has been successfully used for the evaluation of the uterine and ovarian irrigation. In males, it is gaining relevance for the evaluation of testicular irrigation. Researchers have found a relationship between pulsed-wave Doppler velocimetric parameters and seminal quality in various domestic animal species. This suggests Doppler ultrasound parameters should be considered as objective parameters to evaluate testicular function. In this review, we analyze the results in the main domestic animal species and discuss the differences and similarities among the results. We also discuss the effect of the location of the measurements, breed, season and laterality in the measurement of Doppler velocimetric parameters as well as the impact and limitations of this method of assessing breeding soundness.

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Seasonal changes in testicular ultrasonogram pixel-intensity and their association with semen characteristics in rams

Cited by 10 publications

References 22 publications

Ageing affects plasma steroid concentrations and testicular volume, echotexture and haemodynamics in rams

Ageing affects plasma steroid concentrations and testicular volume, echotexture and haemodynamics in rams

Melatonin improves testicular haemodynamics, echotexture and testosterone production in Ossimi rams during the breeding season

New Approaches to Assess Fertility in Domestic Animals: Relationship between Arterial Blood Flow to the Testicles and Seminal Quality

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