A Critical Overview on Prostaglandin Inhibitors and Their Influence on Pregnancy Results after Insemination and Embryo Transfer in Cows

Effect of strategies to increase progesterone levels on fertility of bovine embryo transfer recipients - A meta-analysis

The pregnancy rate following embryo transfer (ET) is a very important factor in the success of embryo production programs. Different strategies were therefore developed to increase pregnancy rates. The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effects of hormone treatments used to increase the success of embryo transfer programs on pregnancy rates. A meta-analysis was performed of 46 trials from 39 publications involving treated (n = 7856) and control (n = 6663) cattle. The meta-analysis explained the effect size with its 95 % confidence interval (CI) for pregnancy per embryo transfer (P/ET) after hormonal treatment under different moderators. Hormonal support was found to increase P/ET compared to the control group (P < 0.05). However, GnRH treatment was found to increase P/ET by approximately 4.3 % and hCG treatment by 8.0 %. Progesterone supplementation was not found to have a statistically significant effect on P/ET. In addition, GnRH treatment significantly increased P/ET when used to transfer in vitro or frozen-thawed embryos or in studies using cows as recipients. It was observed that hCG treatment had a positive effect on P/ET according to all moderators. Progesterone supplementation significantly increased P/ET when frozen embryos were transferred and reduced P/ET, especially in publications where fresh or in vitro produced embryos were transferred or cows were used as recipients. The results of this meta-analysis showed that the use of GnRH, and hCG, in bovine embryo transfer programs increased P/ET, whereas the use of progesterone had no effect on P/ET. However, it was found that P/ET could increase/decrease depending on the moderator.

N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids as a Nutritional Support of the Reproductive and Immune System of Cattle-A Review

This paper focuses on the role of n-3 fatty acids as a nutrient crucial to the proper functioning of reproductive and immune systems in cattle. Emphasis was placed on the connection between maternal and offspring immunity. The summarized results confirm the importance and beneficial effect of n-3 family fatty acids on ruminant organisms. Meanwhile, dietary n-3 fatty acids supplementation, especially during the critical first week for dairy cows experiencing their peripartum period, in general, is expected to enhance reproductive performance, and the impact of its supplementation appears to be dependent on body condition scores of cows during the drying period, the severity of the negative energy balance, and the amount of fat in the basic feed ration. An unbalanced, insufficient, or excessive fatty acid supplementation of cows' diets in the early stages of pregnancy (during fetus development) may affect both the metabolic and nutritional programming of the offspring. The presence of the polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 family in the calves' ration affects not only the performance of calves but also the immune response, antioxidant status, and overall metabolism of the future adult cow.

Contemporary Knowledge on the Assessment of Temperament in Cattle and Its Impact on Production and Reproduction Including Some Immunological, Genetic and Metabolic Parameters

Temperament is associated with the well-being, health, production and reproduction of cattle. In order to increase the population of individuals with the desired temperament, its evaluation should be standardized and be made one of the obligatory elements of breeding and veterinary examination. A number of different tests are used for temperament assessment. In this article, the importance of temperament correlation with some metabolic, genetic, immunological, production and reproductive parameters have been shown, pointing at its influence on the economy and cattle handling. The most common methods for assessing the temperament of cattle are presented, including long-time scales of temperament assessment. At the same time, the relationship of the temperament of cattle with production efficiency, immunity and reproductive indicators has been shown, indicating that its correct assessment is an important aspect of the proper development of the herd and the associated economic growth.

Post-mating Diclofenac vs. Carprofen treatment on serum progesterone levels and reproductive outcomes in Hungarian-Merino ewes during the non-breeding season

The maternal recognition process is crucial for establishment of healthy pregnancy. In this process, anti-luteolitic applications are one of the main reproductive strategies to manage the embryonic losses and maximize reproductive profitability in farm animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of post-mating NSAID treatments on reproductive parameters (pregnancy rate, lambing rate, multiple birth rate, litter size) and serum progesterone levels in ewes stimulated with progesterone outside of the breeding season. For this purpose, two different experiments (diclofenac and carprofen) were conducted in the same ewe flock induced with short-term progestagen based protocol in the non-breeding season of two consecutive years. In experiment 1 (n=85), 42 ewes were injected with 2.5 mg/kg Diclofenac on the 9th and 10th days post-mating and the rest were not treated and served as control. In experiment 2 (n=82), 40 ewes were injected with 1.4 mg/kg Carprofen on the 9th days post-mating and the rest were not treated as control. In both experiments, blood samples were collected from all ewes on days 9, 12 and 13 post-mating to measure serum progesterone levels. In both experiments, there were no differences both reproductive parameters and serum progesterone levels when compared to the control groups. It was concluded that post-mating diclofenac and carprofen treatments in the critical period have no significant effects on both reproductive parameters and serum progesterone levels in ewes in the non-breeding season.