201 USING THE TRANSCRIPTOME SIGNATURE TO PREDICT PREGNANCY SUCCESS IN BEEF COWS AT 6 DAYS AFTER ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

Pregnancy success is critical to the profitability of cattle operations. Attempts to reduce high rates of early embryonic loss mainly focus on the critical phase of embryo recognition by maternal tissue. However, the molecular events driving the uterine tissue toward a favourable stage, facilitating the maternal receptivity, are poorly understood. This study aimed to characterise the endometrial transcriptome profiles of pregnant versus nonpregnant beef cows during early pregnancy and attempted to define a potential set of marker genes that can be valuable for predicting pregnancy outcome. Therefore, pluriparous, cyclic Nellore (Bos indicus) cows were synchronized (n = 51) and artificially inseminated (n = 36) at detected oestrus using semen from a single high-fertility bull. Six days after AI (Day 6), jugular blood samples and an endometrial biopsy from the uterine horn contralateral to the ovary containing the CL were collected. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by ultrasonography on Days 22 and 30. Based on pregnancy outcome, samples were retrospectively allocated to the following groups: pregnant (P; n = 6) and nonpregnant (NP; n = 5). Both groups had similar plasma progesterone concentrations on Day 6 (less than 1 ng mL–1 between lowest and greatest concentrations). Endometrial biopsies were submitted to RNA-Seq analysis in an Illumina single flow cell line (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA). The 272 685 768 million filtered reads were mapped to the Bos taurus UMD3.1 reference genome and 14 654 genes were effectively analysed for differential expression between groups. Transcriptome data showed that 216 genes are differently expressed when comparing P v. NP endometrial tissue (adjusted P < 0.1). More specifically, 36 genes showed a significantly up-regulated expression for pregnant cows and 180 are up-regulated for non-pregant cows. Functional enrichment and pathway analyses revealed enriched expression of genes associated with extracellular matrix remodelling in NP cows and nucleotide binding, microsome, and vesicular fraction in P cows. From the 40 top-ranked genes, six that were down- and three that were up-regulated in pregnant cows were further analysed by qRT–PCR in an additional 26 cows. Subsequent quantitative expression data were evaluated using multivariate statistics. Both principal component analysis (PCA; R2 = 0.82 and Q2 = 0.40) and orthogonal projections to latent structures analysis (OPLS), using pregnancy as the dependent variable (R2Y = 0.95 and Q2 = 0.86), efficiently separated P from NP animals. In conclusion, this study characterizes a unique set of genes, expressed in the endometrium as early as 6 days after AI, that indicate a receptive state leading to pregnancy success. Furthermore, expression of such genes can be used as potential markers to efficiently predict pregnancy success.

114 THE LIPID COMPOSITION OF THE FOLLICULAR FLUID ON DAY 6 POST-AI MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE GESTATIONAL SUCCESS IN NELORE COWS

The follicular fluid (FF) microenvironment consists of serum components and follicular cell secretions, which are essential for oocyte maturation, preparing it for fertilization. Although very important, the biochemical composition of the follicular fluid is still poorly characterised. The hypothesis is that the lipid composition of the follicular fluid on Day 6 post-artificial insemination (AI) is different between cows diagnosed as pregnant (P) or not pregnant (NP) on Day 30 post-AI. The objectives were to (1) evaluate the influence of follicle aspiration procedure performed on Day 6 post-AI on pregnancy rates and (2) characterize the lipid profile of the FF collected on Day 6 in pregnant (P) and nonpregnant (NP) cows, in order to associate the amount of molecules in the FF with the probability of conception. Eighty-two multiparous Nelore cows, between 40 and 45 days post-partum and body condition score between 4 and 6 (1 to 9 scale) were used. Fixed-time AI was performed in all the animals and 6 days post-AI the animals were divided in control group, in which animals were not manipulated (CG, n = 41), and aspiration group (AG, n = 41) from which follicular fluid was aspirated from the largest follicle present in either one of the ovaries. The FF was centrifuged and stored at –80°C. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by ultrasonography 30 days post-AI. Results showed pregnancy rates of 53% for the AG and 56% for the CG, suggesting no detrimental effect of the follicle aspiration procedure on the success of pregnancy (Kruskal-Wallis test). A pool of the FF samples from the P and NP cows was analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS), using the high-resolution shotgun lipidomics (HRSL) approach in order to compare the lipid profile between groups. Despite the fact that HRSL is not quantitative but qualitative, the general levels of the different lipid classes can be compared between groups of study and the differences in the abundance of the ions of each lipid class can be expressed as percentage. Taking this into account, in negative mode MS, the NP group showed an increase of 300% in the levels of free fatty acids such as palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids compared to the P group as well as an increase of 50% in the levels of phospholipids and two new species of phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine) could be observed. Furthermore, animals from the P group showed an increase of 130% in the content of structural fatty acids such as ceramids and triacylglycerols. Our findings suggest that there is a difference between the amount of lipid classes and in the lipid species origins present in the follicular fluid of cows that were P or NP on Day 30 post-AI.

41 DETERMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VULVAR SKIN TEMPERATURES AND TIME OF OVULATION IN SWINE USING DIGITAL INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY

Accurate estrus detection is an essential component of a successful AI program in modern swine operations. It is necessary to establish efficacious means of estrus detection and optimize reproductive performance in the herd. Measurement of physiological traits such as body temperature, vaginal electrical resistance, and vulva reddening have been investigated as methods to aid in estrus detection in swine. The relationship between vulvar skin temperature (VST) and ovulation has not been previously investigated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess changes in VST that occur during the periovulatory period using digital infrared thermography (IRT). The experiment group consisted of a total of 25 gilts and 27 multiparous sows, and the control group consisted of 30 sows that were 60 days of gestation. All Yorkshire-Landrace females were housed individually in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. VST were measured twice daily at 8-h intervals using the infrared digital thermocamera (Fluke IR FlexCam® Thermal Imager, Fluke Corporation, Everett, WA) while the animals were standing and eating prior to estrus detection. Estrus detection was performed twice daily (at 8-h intervals) with the aid of an adult boar. Once standing estrus was observed, transrectal real-time ultrasound was performed twice daily at 8-h intervals to monitor follicle development and determine the time of ovulation. Ovaries were visualized using an Aloka 500 V ultrasonics machine (Aloka Inc., Tokyo, Japan) fitted with a transrectal 7.5-MHz linear transducer, which was fitted into a rigid, fixed-angle PVC adapter. Average VST and hours were reported in mean ± SEM and compared using an ANOVA and Student’s t-test using SAS software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Additionally, pairwise comparisons were performed to compare VST at different times during estrus. Significant differences were reported at P ≤ 0.05. Evidence of CL formation and ovulation was detected at 38 ± 9.3 h after onset of estrus in gilts, and 43 ± 12 h in sows. The mean VST of sows during estrus was significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) than that of gilts. During estrus, the mean VST of gilts reached a peak of 35.6 ± 0.24°C and then decreased significantly to 33.9 ± 0.32°C 12 h prior to ovulation. This marked change in mean VST was detected between 36 and 12 h prior to ovulation. There was a similar trend in sows with a peak mean VST of 36.1 ± 0.25°C at 24 h prior to ovulation and then dropping to 34.6 ± 0.31°C 12 h prior to ovulation. There was no significant difference (P ≥ 0.05) between VST in gilts and sows at the time of ovulation. This study demonstrated that VST of sows and gilts measured by IRT change significantly during the periovulatory period. Additionally, there are distinct times that VST rises and then falls precipitously in sows compared with gilts. Digital IRT as a predictor for ovulation in swine appears to be a promising tool. Further studies involving predictor models and hormonal assays need to be performed.

[Disability and rehabilitation outcome in hemiplegia with global aphasia and neglect]

PURPOSE

Global aphasia and neglect are considered to be the neuropsychological disorders mostly affecting the hemiplegia outcome. The aim of this study is to examine which of the two disorders is making worse the recovery from hemiplegia.

METHODS

The study was conduced on 45 patients suffering from hemiplegia: 15 subject with global aphasia, 15 with neglect and 15 without neuropsychological disorders (control group). All patients were subject to rehabilitation treatment. Before and after rehabilitation, the assessment of patients was made using neuropsychological tests, Fugl-Meyer scale and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). At admission, all patients were not self-sufficient.

RESULTS

At the end of the rehabilitation period the recovery of motor function was poor in both groups. The damage on limbs motion was severe in 93.4% and marked in 6.6% of both patients with global aphasia and neglect. At discharge, the FIM motor score of patients with global aphasia (44.6 +/- 13) was higher than in those with neglect (37.2 +/- 10) and was not statistically different from control group (51.2 +/- 18) (p = 0.493). The FIM motor score of patients with neglect was significantly lower than control group (p = 0.036). In patients with global aphasia effectiveness was 35.5% and efficiency 0.40 while in patients with neglect effectiveness was 18% and efficiency 0.22. The final disability was lower in patients subject to global aphasia than neglect.

CONCLUSIONS

The study showed that neglect limits the recovery from stroke more than global aphasia.e.

Eye movement abnormalities in myotonic dystrophy

We studied saccade and smooth pursuit eye movements in 31 patients suffering from myotonic dystrophy (MD). On the basis of mean value comparisons, saccades were slower and hypometric and smooth pursuit eye movements performed worse in MD patients than in controls. On an individual basis, saccade duration was prolonged in 67.7%, saccades were hypometric in 19.4%, saccade latency was delayed in 9.7%, and the smooth pursuit performance index was decreased in 9.7% of patients. Eye movement abnormalities did not correlate with those detectable by visual, brain-stem auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials. We attempted to classify eye movement abnormalities as myogenic or neurogenic on the basis of differences in combination of eye movement abnormalities and the occurrence of D5/D35 dissociation; the latter consists of a prolonged duration for large (35 degrees) but not for small (5 degrees) saccades. Since D5/D35 dissociation occurred in 26/33 multiple sclerosis patients with increased saccade duration, we considered it to be a neurogenic pattern attributable to a central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. A prolonged duration without dissociation especially in combination with saccade hypometria, is interpreted as a myogenic pattern, although the lack of dissociation may also occur with CNS impairment in case of a marked increase in saccade duration. Accordingly we classified the oculomotor abnormalities detected as neurogenic in 11 MD patients and as myogenic in another 10, but in some subjects belonging to the second group concomitant CNS impairment is not to be excluded.