135 SHORT-TERM OVARIAN EFFECTS OF UNILATERAL OVARIECTOMY IN COWS

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
R. Carrasco ◽  
J. Singh ◽  
G. P. Adams

Classical studies established that the removal of one of the paired organs produces a compensatory effect on the remaining organ. In the bovine ovary this aspect has not been examined in detail. We took advantage of follicular and luteal profiles from a previous study to retrospectively examine the effects of ovariectomy before and after ovulation on follicular dynamics of the remaining ovary in cattle. To characterise the prevalence and distribution of tyrosine kinase receptor A in the bovine ovary, the original design involved unilateral ovariectomy of cows at different stages of the periovulatory period. For the purposes of the present study, we combined data into 2 groups, a preovulatory group (n = 6 cows) and a post-ovulatory group (n = 5 cows), to provide sufficient data for statistical interpretation. The cows were examined daily by transrectal ultrasonography to determine the ovarian status. For the preovulatory group, a luteolytic dose of prostaglandin was administered when the dominant follicle of the second follicular wave reached ≥10 mm, and the ovary containing the dominant follicle was removed within 48 h. For the post-ovulatory group, ovariectomy was performed on the ovary containing the newly formed corpus luteum between Days 2 to 6 (Day 0 = ovulation). Unilateral ovariectomy was performed by colpotomy under caudal epidural anaesthesia using a chain ecraseur. After ovariectomy, cows were examined daily by ultrasonography from ovariectomy to the completion of an interovulatory interval (period between 2 ovulations). Single-point data were compared between groups by t-test, and binomial data were compared between groups by Fisher’s exact test. Double ovulations were detected in 3/6 ovariectomized in the preovulatory period and 2/5 ovariectomized in the post-ovulatory period. The first ovulation after ovariectomy tended to occur earlier in the preovulatory group than in the post-ovulatory group (P = 0.08), which was attributed primarily to the development of oversized persistent dominant follicles (~20 mm in diameter for ≥7 days in absence of a corpora lutea) in 2 of 5 cows in the post-ovulatory ovariectomy group. The interovulatory interval after ovariectomy was shorter in the post-ovulatory group than in the preovulatory group (14.6 ± 0.3 v. 20.3 ± 0.6 days; P = 0.01). No distinct patterns were detected in follicular and luteal dynamics between the pre- and post-ovulatory ovariectomy groups. The number of follicles ≥3 mm detected by ultrasonography was greater in the post-ovulatory ovariectomy group than in the preovulatory group on Days 6, 7, 8, and 16 of the first interovulatory interval after ovariectomy. In conclusion, results of this retrospective study support the concept that follicular and luteal effects of removal of one ovary are influenced by the timing of ovariectomy relative to ovulation. A prospective study involving a comparison of ovarian dynamics of the same cows before and after unilateral ovariectomy will provide a better understanding of the disruption that take place and the mechanisms controlling it. Research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Endocrinology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 145 (11) ◽  
pp. 5373-5383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuhiro Kobayashi ◽  
Fermin Jimenez-Krassel ◽  
Qinglei Li ◽  
Jianbo Yao ◽  
Ruiping Huang ◽  
...  

Abstract We recently obtained evidence that cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), a potent anorectic neuropeptide, is expressed in the bovine ovary. The objectives of this study were to characterize bovine ovarian CART and determine its localization, regulation, and regulatory role during follicular development. CART mRNA was detected in stroma of adult ovaries and in large follicles, but was undetectable in several peripheral tissues, fetal ovaries, and corpora lutea. Within the ovary, CART mRNA and peptide were localized to the granulosal layer of some, but not all, antral follicles, with low, but detectable, expression in oocytes and cumulus cells. CART mRNA was undetectable in granulosal cells of dominant ovulatory follicles collected before and after the preovulatory gonadotropin surge, but was detected in the granulosal layer of adjacent subordinate follicles. In addition, amounts of CART mRNA and follicular fluid concentrations of CART peptide were greater in subordinate follicles vs. dominant follicles of the first follicular wave. Furthermore, CART treatment inhibited basal estradiol production, but not progesterone production, by granulosal cells in a dose-dependent fashion, and the effect was dependent on stage of cell differentiation. We conclude that granulosal cell CART expression is temporally regulated and potentially associated with follicle health status, and CART can inhibit granulosal cell estradiol production. Thus, CART may be a novel local regulator of follicular atresia in the bovine ovary.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
R. Carrasco ◽  
C. E. Leonardi ◽  
J. Singh ◽  
G. P. Adams

Neurotrophins are molecules involved in the development and survival of neurons and its cellular projections. Results of recent studies have implicated the local role of the high affinity neurotropin receptor, trkA, in bovine ovarian follicle selection and early luteogenesis (Carrasco et al. 2016 Reprod. Biol. Endocrinol. 14, 47), but innervation and neuropeptide control remains an unexplored aspect of ovarian function. P75 is the low-affinity receptor for all neurotrophins and is expressed in ovarian tissue. The objective of this study was to explore the distribution of P75 neurons and fibres within the ovary and to examine the relationship of these components with follicular development. The ovaries of cows (n = 5) were collected at the time of slaughter, 36 h after induced luteolysis (i.e. proestrus). The ovaries were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 48 h, and samples from the ovarian hilus, medulla, and cortex (3 blocks per ovary) were cryo-sectioned (20–50 µm). Tissue sections were incubated for 48 h with a rabbit antibody against rat P75 or a mouse monoclonal antibody against neurofilament. Immunodetection was visualised by an amplification procedure with horseradish peroxidase using nickel DAB as a chromogen. Sections were counterstained with nuclear fast red for follicle identification. Immunoreactive cell bodies were counted in 10 to 20 fields (40×) per section, and data were expressed based on ovarian areas (cortex, medulla, or hilus) as an average count per 40× field per animal. Data among ovarian regions were compared by ANOVA; differences were considered significant when P < 0.05. Antral follicles ≤5 mm displayed strong immunoreactivity in the theca layer, without reaction in the granulosa cells. In contrast, preovulatory follicles were devoid of P75 immuno-reactivity in the theca layer. Oval P75 immunoreactive neuron-like cells were present in all ovarian areas studied. The neuronal nature of the P75 immunoreactive cells was confirmed by the presence of a similar pattern when adjacent sections were stained for neurofilaments, a protein characteristic of neurons. In the stroma of the ovarian cortex and medulla, neurons were present individually (scattered) rather than grouped; however, a dense network of neurons and fibres was detected immediately beneath the ovarian surface epithelium. No differences between the cortex, medulla, and hilus were found in the mean number of immunoreactive cells (10.6 ± 2.8, 14.4 ± 3.6 and 13.9 ± 2.0 cells/40× field, respectively). Immunoreactive neuron-like cells and fibres were in close proximity to blood vessels in the ovarian medulla. Corpora lutea were devoid of P75 immunoreactivity. In conclusion, results document the existence of a neuronal network in the bovine ovary, displaying an association with follicles at different stages of development. The abundance of neuronal components (i.e. neuron cell bodies and axons) in the ovarian stromal and surface epithelium implies a role of innervation (either extrinsic or intrinsic) in the control of ovarian follicular development and function. Research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.


1961 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Béla Flerkó ◽  
Vera Bárdos

ABSTRACT Absence of compensatory ovarian hypertrophy in »constant oestrus rats« from lesions in the anterior hypothalamic area suggests that nervous elements localized in this region play an essential role in the stimulation of gonadotrophin output by diminution of the blood oestrogen level. The constant vaginal oestrus after unilateral ovariectomy in the majority of animals was, however, repeatedly interrupted by vaginal smears of a dioestrous type. The appearance of a dioestrous vaginal smear in the »hypothalamic constant oestrus rats« is often associated with some luteinisation. It is assumed that diminution of the blood oestrogen level by reduction of ovarian tissue in these animals may bring about a release of LH sufficient to cause formation of corpora lutea.


2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (2) ◽  
pp. H482-H490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Kolyva ◽  
Jos A. E. Spaan ◽  
Jan J. Piek ◽  
Maria Siebes

A novel single-point technique to calculate local arterial wave speed ( SPc) has recently been presented and applied in healthy human coronary arteries at baseline flow. We investigated its applicability for conditions commonly encountered in the catheterization laboratory. Intracoronary pressure (Pd) and Doppler velocity ( U) were recorded in 29 patients at rest and during adenosine-induced hyperemia in a distal segment of a normal reference vessel and downstream of a single stenosis before and after revascularization. Conduit vessel tone was minimized with nitroglycerin. Microvascular resistance (MR) and SPc were calculated from Pd and U. In the reference vessel, SPc decreased from 21.5 m/s (SD 8.0) to 10.5 m/s (SD 4.1) after microvascular dilation ( P < 0.0001). SPc was substantially higher in the presence of a proximal stenosis and decreased from 34.4 m/s (SD 18.2) at rest to 27.5 m/s (SD 13.4) during hyperemia ( P < 0.0001), with a concomitant reduction in Pd by 20 mmHg and MR by 55.4%. The stent placement further reduced hyperemic MR by 26% and increased Pd by 26 mmHg but paradoxically decreased SPc to 13.1 m/s (SD 7.7) ( P < 0.0001). Changes in SPc correlated strongly with changes in MR ( P < 0.001) but were inversely related to changes in Pd ( P < 0.01). In conclusion, the single-point method yielded erroneous predictions of changes in coronary wave speed induced by a proximal stenosis and distal vasodilation and is therefore not appropriate for estimating local wave speed in coronary vessels. Our findings are well described by a lumped reservoir model reflecting the “windkesselness” of the coronary arteries.


1944 ◽  
Vol 132 (867) ◽  
pp. 164-188 ◽  

The response of the bovine ovary to single subcutaneous injections of pregnant mares’ serum (P. M. S.) and horse pituitary extract has been studied both quantitatively and qualitatively. For the former both time-response and dose-response data were obtained, for the latter time-response data only. Quantitative changes were measured by the following ovarian indices: mean follicular diameter (M. D.); percentage of follicles M. D. ≥ 10 mm.; number of follicles M. D. ≥ 4 mm.; number of follicles M. D. ≥ 10 mm.; total follicular volume, and weight. Only the first two criteria were found to have more than a rough relationship with the duration and magnitude of the treatment given. The threshold dose of P. M. S. for quantitative effects was between 1000 and 2000 i. u. For higher doses the ovarian response was most pronounced, but there was evidence that the maximal rate of stimulation had been reached with doses of 3000-4000 i. u. For both gonadotrophins the stage of the oestrous cycle at which injections were given had no differentiating effect upon the quantitative response obtained. In particular, the total number of follicles stimulated to growth, an index that ranged widely, showed no correla­tion with this variable. Qualitative changes observed included multiple ovulation, anovulatory luteinization, the formation of abnormally small corpora lutea (P. M. S. only), and the occurrence of haemorrhagic follicles. An effect caused by horse pituitary injections only was the rupture of a single follicle within 1-2 days of treatment (‘shock’ effect). Ovulation following treatment with P. M. S. only occurred when the injection was given in the last, or follicular, phase of the oestrous cycle. With horse pituitary injections ovulation followed treatment given at all stages of the cycle. The differences in the biological properties of these two gonadotrophic preparations have been discussed in the light of the new evidence arising from this study.


1975 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Olof Janson ◽  
Ivan Albrecht ◽  
Kurt Ahrén

ABSTRACT In the search for data supporting the hypothesis that the luteolytic effect of prostaglandins (PG) is initiated by a vascular mechanism, some haemodynamic parameters including ovarian blood flow and vascular resistance were measured in pseudopregnant anaesthetized rabbits before and after exogenous administration of PGF2α. The measurements were performed on days 5–10 of pseudopregnancy induced by 500 IU HCG iv. Infusion of 50 μg/kg PGF2α iv over a one-minute period caused significant falls in cardiac output, heart rate and blood pressure after 1–3 min. Blood pressure and cardiac output were normalized after 16–49 min. Blood flow in the ovarian vein (direct measurements) decreased and returned to initial values parallel to the blood pressure and no change in resistance in the vascular bed drained by the vein was noted. Total ovarian blood flow and resistance, as measured in surgically intact ovaries before and after PG infusion, using 35 or 15 μm 169Yb and 46Sc-labelled microspheres, changed and remained constant respectively, according to the same pattern as in the direct measurements. The distribution of blood flow between the corpora lutea and the interstitial tissue of the ovary measured by 15 μm radioactive microspheres. PGF2α caused an interstitial vasodilation whereas no significant change in luteal vascular resistance was noted. Since luteal blood flow represented a predominant part of total ovarian flow in the type of ovary studied, the interstitial vasodilatation caused only negligible changes in blood flow to the whole ovary. The present study does not support the hypothesis of a PG-induced luteal blood flow reduction preceding luteolysis. The possible significance of the interstitial vasodilatation for luteal function remains to be elucidated.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
N. A. Castro ◽  
C. E. Leonardi ◽  
E. M. Zwiefehofer ◽  
J. Singh ◽  
G. P. Adams

Treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) has been used to induce ovulation in prepubertal heifers. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether peripubertal heifers will continue to ovulate at regular intervals (i.e. attain puberty) after GnRH treatment. Prepubertal crossbred Hereford heifers, 11.0 ± 0.5 months of age, 344 ± 26 kg of body weight, and at random stages of ovarian follicular wave status, were assigned to 2 groups (age- and weight-matched) and given GnRH (n = 24) or no treatment (Control, n = 22) on Day 0. Ovarian ultrasonography was performed every second day from Day 0 to 44 to record the size of 2 largest follicles and the corpus luteum (CL). Thereafter, examinations were done every 4 days until the third ovulation or Day 100, whichever came first. The first and second interovulatory intervals (IOI) were categorized as short (<12 days), normal (16-24 days), or long (>24 days), and the onset of the puberty was defined by the occurrence of 2 consecutive short or normal IOI (i.e. 3 uninterrupted ovulations). Proportional data were compared among groups by chi-squared test. Single-point measurements were compared by analysis of variance and multiple comparisons were made using Tukey’s test. Two heifers (one in each group) failed to ovulate during the experiment. The diameter of the largest follicle on Day 0 did not differ (P = 0.31) between the GnRH and Control groups (12.6 ± 0.37 mm and 13.1 ± 0.29 mm, respectively). The proportion of heifers that ovulated by Day 4 after treatment was higher in the GnRH than in the Control group (9/24 v. 1/22; P < 0.01). However, the proportion of heifers in the GnRH v. Control groups that ovulated twice (19/24 v. 18/22; P = 0.60) or 3 times (9/24 v. 9/22; P = 0.81) did not differ. The age at first ovulation tended to be younger in the GnRH group than in the Control (12 ± 0.97 v. 13 ± 0.90 months; P = 0.07), but the effect was attributed only to those heifers that ovulated in response to GnRH treatment (n = 9). The age at first ovulation was 11.2 ± 0.50, 12.7 ± 0.73, and 12.6 ± 0.90 months in GnRH-responders, non-responders, and the control group, respectively (P < 0.0001). One heifer that ovulated in response to GnRH treatment failed to ovulate again during the study period (Day 100). In 87.5% (7/8) of the heifers that responded to GnRH treatment and ovulated at least twice, the first IOI was long (55.5 ± 8.3 days). When data were combined between the GnRH non-responders and the control group (n = 35), the first IOI was short (8.9 ± 0.4 days) in 77% of the heifers, and the second IOI was of normal length (18.8 ± 0.9 days) in 93% of heifers. The age at the second ovulation in GnRH responders (12.7 ± 0.3 months) was similar (P = 0.82) to the age at first ovulation in GnRH non-responders (12.9 ± 0.1 months) and the control group (12.7 ± 0.2 months), indicating that GnRH treatment did not hasten the onset of continuous cyclicity. In conclusion, although GnRH treatment induced first ovulation in some peripubertal heifers, treatment did not hasten the onset of puberty. Research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.


Author(s):  
Oliver Garbrecht ◽  
José Zapata ◽  
Reinhold Kneer

The shape of an installed solar concentrator (e.g. a heliostat) may differ from its original design due to manufacturing defects, structural/wind loads and thermal expansion. By measuring the shape of a solar concentrator, it is possible to account for the deviation in optical performance from its original design point. A method to measure concentrator shape needs to be fast, accurate, and not involve contact or interference with the reflective surface of the concentrator. State-of-the-art techniques include flux mapping, photogrammetry, and deflectometry using conventional cameras. This paper presents a study to characterise solar concentrator shapes using light-field imaging. Conventional cameras capture the light intensity of a point in a scene at a single point in the sensor, creating a two-dimensional image. A light field camera features multiple micro-lenses placed between the main lens and the sensor, providing many small images from slightly different angles in a single shot. This information is used to reconstruct the position of a light source in space. The advantage of this new technique to the ones mentioned above is that the light field camera is robust and self-contained, which allows easy-to-use application in heliostat fields. In this study, light-field camera measurements were performed with flat mirrors and a curved mirror under laboratory conditions. In order to resolve the surface of the mirror surfaces, several methods to impose contours of the mirror surface have been studied, including dirt, small water droplets, scattering of low-power laser light, and paper-marks. A wide range of camera-to-mirror distances between 43 cm and 5 m have been studied. Greater distances allow the capture of the entire surface, but decrease the precision of depth measurements. In order to obtain high precision measurements while being able to capture the entire surface, a compositing strategy has been developed, combining several light-field image measurements. The overall accuracy of the system was improved further by averaging measurements over several image frames. Subsequently, the reconstructed surface points have been fed to a ray-tracing algorithm realized in Matlab/Python. Results in this study are able to resolve the shape of small concentrators to sub-millimetre precision when taking pictures at a distance of 0.4 m.


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