The relationship between endometrial cytology during estrous cycle and cutoff points for the diagnosis of subclinical endometritis in grazing dairy cows

Adipokines emerged as regulators of metabolism and inflammation in several scenarios. This study evaluated the relationship between adipokines (adiponectin, chemerin and visfatin) and cytological (subclinical) endometritis, by comparing healthy (without), transient (recovered by 45 days postpartum (DPP)) and persistent (until 45 DPP) endometritis cows (n = 49). Cows with persistent endometritis had higher adiponectin concentrations in plasma (at 21 DPP, P < 0.05 and at 45 DPP, P < 0.01) and in uterine fluid (at 45 DPP, P < 0.001), and higher chemerin concentrations in plasma (P < 0.05) and uterine fluid (P < 0.01) at 45 DPP than healthy cows. Cows with persistent endometritis had higher gene transcription in the cellular pellet of uterine fluid and protein expression in the endometrium of these adipokines and their receptors than healthy cows. Adiponectin plasma concentrations allowed to discriminate healthy from persistent endometritis cows, in 87% (21 DPP) and 98% (45 DPP) of cases, and adiponectin and chemerin uterine fluid concentrations at 45 DPP allowed for this discrimination in 100% of cases. Cows with concentrations above the cutoff were a minimum of 3.5 (plasma 21 DPP), 20.4 (plasma 45 DPP), and 33.3 (uterine fluid 45 DPP) times more at risk of evidencing persistent endometritis at 45 DPP than cows with concentrations below the cutoff. Overall, results indicate a relationship between adipokine signalling and the inflammatory status of the postpartum uterus of dairy cows, evidencing that adipokines represent suitable biomarkers of subclinical endometritis, able to predict the risk of persistence of inflammation.

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Relationship between Protein Oxidation Biomarkers and Uterine Health in Dairy Cows during the Postpartum Period

Antioxidants ◽

10.3390/antiox8010021 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 21 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gianfranco Gabai ◽

Elisabetta De Luca ◽

Giovanni Miotto ◽

Gianni Zin ◽

Annalisa Stefani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Protein Oxidation ◽

Protein Concentration ◽

Low Fertility ◽

Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil ◽

Pharmacological Treatments ◽

Inflammatory Status ◽

Uterine Health ◽

Subclinical Endometritis ◽

The Relationship

High neutrophil (PMN, Polymorphonuclear neutrophil) counts in the endometrium of cows affected by endometritis, suggests the involvement of oxidative stress (OS) among the causes of impaired fertility. Protein oxidation, in particular, advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), are OS biomarkers linked to PMN activity. To test this hypothesis, the relationship between protein oxidation and uterus health was studied in thirty-eight dairy cows during the puerperium. The animals were found to be cycling, without any signs of disease and pharmacological treatments. PMN count was performed either through a cytobrush or a uterine horn lavage (UHL). Cows were classified into four groups, based on the uterine ultrasonographic characteristics and the PMN percentage in the uterine horns with a higher percentage of high neutrophil horn (HNH). They were classified as: Healthy (H); Subclinical Endometritis (SCE); Grade 1 Endometritis (EM1); and Grade 2 Endometritis (EM2). AOPP and carbonyls were measured in plasma and UHL. UHL samples underwent Western blot analysis to visualize the carbonyl and dityrosine formation. Plasma AOPP were higher (p < 0.05) in EM2. AOPP and carbonyl group concentrations were higher in the HNH samples (p < 0.05). Protein concentration in the UHL was higher in the EM2 (p < 0.05). Carbonyl and dityrosine formation was more intense in EM1 and EM2. Protein oxidation observed in the EM2 suggests the presence of an inflammatory status in the uterus which, if not adequately hindered, could result in low fertility.

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Short-term studies on the response of grazing dairy cows to dietary supplementation

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea9760445 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 16 (81) ◽

pp. 445 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

H Jeffery ◽

RF Buesnel ◽

GH O'Neill

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Milk Composition ◽

Short Term ◽

Production Stage ◽

Stage Of Lactation ◽

Grazing Dairy Cows ◽

The Relationship ◽

Widespread View

Milk production of grazing dairy cows receiving 3 kg per day of wheat, sorghum, maize, oats or barley was measured. In general, only small differences were observed in the yield and composition of milk produced from cows consuming the different grains. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the relationship between the milk response of grazing dairy cows to 3 kg supplement and their level of production, stage of lactation, and age. Similar mean responses to supplementation were found in both experiments but no consistent relationship between response and either level of production, stage of lactation or age was found. A further experiment examined the response of grazing dairy cows, grouped into four groups according to their level of production, to 3, 4.1/3 5.2/3, 7 or 8.5 kg supplement per day. These treatments had a non-significant effect on milk composition; as the rate of supplementation increased, the yield of milk and its constituents first increased then commenced to decrease. The response obtained from both low and high producing cows was similar. It was thus concluded that in the short-term neither the type of grain fed, the cow's age, level of production nor stage of lactation affected its response to supplementation. The dichotomy between this conclusion and the widespread view that high producers respond better to supplementation is discussed.

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Comparison of a leukocyte esterase test with endometrial cytology for diagnosis of subclinical endometritis in postpartum dairy cows

Theriogenology ◽

10.1016/j.theriogenology.2012.09.014 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. 103-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

G.B. Couto ◽

D.H. Vaillancourt ◽

R.C. Lefebvre

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Subclinical Endometritis ◽

Endometrial Cytology

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The relationship between milk production potential and herbage intake of grazing dairy cows

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1357729800059087 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 77 (2) ◽

pp. 343-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

S.T. Butler ◽

G.K. Stakelum ◽

J.J. Murphy ◽

L. Delaby ◽

M. Rath ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Live Weight ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Sward Height ◽

Herbage Intake ◽

Holstein Friesian ◽

Grazing Dairy Cows ◽

The Relationship

AbstractThe objective of this trial was to examine the daily herbage requirement and grass dry matter intake (DMI) of dairy cows of different levels of milk production with rotational grazing and optimum grazing conditions. The daily herbage allowance (DHA) that was required was defined as the allowance that permitted the herds to graze to a post-grazing sward height (SHA) of 70 mm. Four herds of 15 primiparous Holstein-Friesian cows were assembled with similar characteristics but different milk production potentials. The herds grazed separately and were offered a DHA such that the SHA was 70 mm for all herds. The daily yield per cow, for the 4 weeks prior to the start of the experiment (PMY), was 17·4, 19·8, 21·8 and 24·3 kg milk (s.e.0·20, P < 0·001), 0·72, 0·78, 0·87 and 0·93 kg fat (s.e. 0·021, P < 0·001), 0·59, 0·66, 0·71 and 0·77 kg protein (s.e. 0·009, P < 0·001) for herds 1 to 4, respectively. The experiment began on 30 June and finished on 16 August. The swards offered were 18-day re-growths following a previous defoliation by grazing. Herbage mass pre- and post-grazing was 2143 (s.e.33·3) and 622 (s.e.18·2) kg dry matter (DM) per ha above 40 mm, respectively and were similar for the four herds. The DHA was 21·2, 21·9, 22·9 and 23·9 (s.e. 0·13, P < 0·001) kg DM per cow above 40 mm. Individual cow grass DMI was determined once during the experimental period using the alkane technique. Experimental milk yield (EMY) was 15·1, 17·4, 18·6 and 20·8 (s.e. 0·33, P < 0·001) kg per cow per day. DMI was 14·5, 15·4, 15·5 and 16·1 (s.e. 0·47, P > 0·05). Variations in DMI were best described by the relationship: DMI = 0·85 (s.e. 3·038) + 0·32 (s.e. 0·082) ✕ EMY + 0·012 (s.e. 0·0054) ✕ experimental live weight + 2·10 (s.e. 0·738) ✕ weight gain + 0·020 (s.e. 0·0085) ✕ days in milk (residual s.d. = 1·477 and r = 0·75). EMY was linked to DMI and PMY according to the expression: EMY = –0·64 (s.e. 1·532) + 0·256 (s.e. 0·0865) ✕ DMI + 0·705 (s.e. 0·0620) ✕ PMY (residual s.d. = 1·204 and r = 0·872). It is concluded that higher yielding herds require higher DHA and this is associated with higher DMI of those herds.

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The effect of severity of grazing on milk production of grazing dairy cows

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) ◽

10.1017/s0308229600013854 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 1984 ◽

pp. 20-20

Author(s):

C.S. Mayne ◽

R.D. Newberry ◽

S.C.F. Woodcock

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Dairy Cow ◽

Rapid Decline ◽

Rotational Grazing ◽

Herbage Intake ◽

Grazing System ◽

Grazing Dairy Cows ◽

The Relationship

Hodgson (1975) has shown that herbage intake of the grazing dairy cow is maximised when the daily herbage allowance on offer is equivalent to four times the amount eaten, with a rapid decline in intake when herbage allowance falls below 40g organic matter/kg liveweight/day. This relationship between herbage intake and allowance results from the increasing difficulty of prehending herbage as the sward is grazed closer to the ground. Under a rotational grazing system, the height to which grass is grazed (residual herbage height) is a useful estimate of the amount of herbage available to the grazing animal. The present study was designed to establish the relationship between residual herbage height and milk production.

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