This study was designed to test the treatment with prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) plus equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) and GnRH 48 h later (PEG protocol) followed by fixed-time AI (FTAI) in dairy cows with silent ovulation (cows with a mature corpus luteum and no signs of estrus detected in the preceding 21 ...

Abstract OBJECTIVE: No data exists on the frequency and intensity of the fetal, intraamniotic and maternal inflammation in preterm-gestations with inflammation restricted to chorio-decidua, early stage of ascending intrauterine infection. The objective of the study is to examine this issue. STUDY-DESIGN: The frequency and intensity of fetal (cord blood C-reactive ...

Maternal obesity during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of obesity and cardiometabolic disease in the offspring, a phenomenon attributed to developmental programming. Programming effects may be transmissible across generations through both maternal and paternal inheritance, although the mechanisms remain unclear. Using a mouse model, we explored the ...

The aim of this study was to relate placental transfer, quantified by the cord to maternal serum concentration ratio (C/M), of five organochlorine pesticides (OCP) hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH) , p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE and 15 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners (28, 52, 101, 105, 114, 118, 123(+149), 138(+163), 153, 156(+171), ...

The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of the stage of estrous cycle on the percentage of endometrial polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) obtained by cytobrush to determine cutoff values for the diagnosis of subclinical endometritis under pastoral conditions, to measure the prevalence of subclinical endometritis 21 to 62 ...

AIMS: To estimate the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and maternal hyperglycaemia (post-load glucose concentration ≥ 7.5 mmol/l). METHODS: Pregnant women (n = 429; 61% black, 36% obese, 45% smokers) enrolled in a cohort study at <16 weeks gestation. Non-fasting blood samples were assayed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D at ...

This study was conducted to assess the effects of dietary energy in late pregnancy and hormone therapy at weaning on plasma metabolite profile, litter performance, reproductive parameters, and embryo viability in the second pregnancy. A total of 23 first-parity sows at 75 d of pregnancy were randomly allocated to 4 ...

To compare a) a new injectable progesterone (MAD-4) with an intravaginal progesterone-releasing device, and b) natural oestradiol 17β (O17) with a synthetic oestradiol salt (OB: oestradiol benzoate) in a modified HeatSynch protocol, 51 cows were divided into four groups, each treated with one of the two sources of progesterone and ...

Although melatonin supplementation is known to influence numerous physiological functions, little is however known of its effects on pregnancy outcome. This study investigated the effects of melatonin supplementation on pregnancy outcome in Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats aged 12-13 weeks. Upon confirmation of proestrus, each female rat was housed ...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:Animal models have demonstrated that maternal overnutrition during pregnancy influences offspring adiposity. Few human studies of normal pregnancy have replicated these findings. We examined the association between child body mass index at age 5 years and maternal nutrient intake during pregnancy and 5 years postpartum.SUBJECTS/METHODS:Five-year-old children (n=585) and their mothers ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate relationship between maternal serum PAPP-A in first trimester of pregnancy and the development of preeclampsia (PE), early PE, small for gestational age (SGA) and preterm delivery (PD). METHOD: Retrospective study of 12355 pregnant women that delivered between 2008 and 2011. We define first, third and fifth percentile ...

Maternal plasma contains circulating cell-free (ccf) DNA fragments originating from both the mother and the placenta. The proportion derived from the placenta is known as the fetal fraction. When measured between 10 and 20 gestational weeks, the average fetal fraction in maternal plasma is 10 to 15%, but can range ...

Human and guinea pig fetuses are completely dependent on an adequate maternal vitamin C (vitC) intake. Shortage of micronutrients can have negative implications for fetal health and pregnancy outcome; however, knowledge of maternal vitC deficiency's impact on fetal development is sparse and reports of pregnancy outcome have been divergent. The ...

Rationale. Innate immune responses marked by increases in TNF-α have been associated with asthma but whether such alterations are evident prior to symptoms is not yet clear. Objectives: To determine if prevalence of childhood asthma or asthma-related traits are predicted by perinatal innate immune status and if maternal factors related ...

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate whether full-term neonatal birthweight is decreasing or not. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Subjects were selected from the registration database of full-term singletons from a single local practitioner at two time-points, 1991 (n = 750) and 2011 (n = 442). Maternal age, parity, and smoking habits were ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of gestational age and maternal weight on percent fetal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in maternal plasma and the change in fetal cfDNA amounts within the same patient over time. METHODS: cfDNA was extracted from maternal plasma from 22,384 singleton pregnancies of at least 10 weeks gestation undergoing ...

The relationship between maternal intrinsic factors and placental traits was investigated on three Southern Mediterranean breed of sheep; Cukurova Assaf (CA), Cukurova (C) and Cukurova Meat Sheep (CMS). The effect of parity and birth type were also considered in the study as a potential influencing factor. Our hypothesis was to ...

Pregnancy invokes a doubling of intestinal calcium absorption while lactation programs skeletal resorption to provide calcium to milk. Post-weaning bone formation restores the skeleton's bone mineral content (BMC), but the factors that regulate this are not established. We used Pth null mice to test whether parathyroid hormone (PTH) is required ...

Studies of treatment of postpartum endometritis in dairy cows indicate that prostaglandin (PGF2α) might result in similar outcomes as intrauterine antibiotics, but the effect might depend on the presence of a CL. The objective was to compare reproductive performance in cows with purulent vaginal discharge treated on the basis of ...

Objectives were to investigate progesterone concentrations and fertility comparing 2 different intervals from PGF2α treatment and induced ovulation in an estrogen-based ovulation synchronization protocol for timed artificial insemination (TAI) or timed embryo transfer (TET) in lactating dairy cows. A total of 1,058 lactating Holstein cows [primiparous (n = 371) and ...

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of calf removal (CR) on pregnancy rate (PR) and calf performance in suckled beef cows. Cows in both experiments were synchronized with the 7-day CO-Synch + CIDR protocol (i.e., 100 μg injection of GnRH at CIDR insertion [d -7] with 25 mg ...

Objective: To examine the possible relationship between maternal and fetal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes on fetal and maternal cell-free (cf) DNA in maternal plasma at 11-13 weeks' gestation. Methods: cfDNA was extracted from maternal plasma of 1,949 singleton pregnancies and chromosome-selective sequencing was used to determine the proportion of cfDNA ...

To identify herd management and cow characteristics associated with the reproductive success of cow-calf herds in Western Canada, 33,391 beef cows were followed from the beginning of the breeding season in 2001 through pregnancy testing in 2002. Breeding management and cow-level risk factors such as age, body condition score (BCS), ...

In modern swine production failure of sows to become pregnant within the expected time after weaning results in major economic loss and culling of sows. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of duration of farrowing on subsequent repeat breeding rate. The study was performed in a ...

RATIONALE: Use of antidepressants during pregnancy has been associated with an increased rate of children small for gestational age (SGA), but it is unclear whether this is due to an effect of the underlying depressive disorder. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effect of antidepressants on SGA in a ...

This study assessed the effect of feeding level on progesterone concentration in the caudal vena cava during early pregnancy in gilts. Twenty-four Landrace gilts were allocated to either a high (2.8±0.02) or a low (1.5±0.01kg day) feeding level at Day 0 of pregnancy. Serial blood samples were collected every 15min ...

Objective: To determine if maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is associated with increased levels of internalizing and externalizing symptomatology in offspring throughout childhood and adolescence, and if these links persist after adjusting for the confounders of these associations. Method: We examined links between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and internalizing and ...

OBJECTIVE: To present prenatal diagnosis and molecular cytogenetic characterization of a de novo interstitial duplication of 11q (11q22.3→q23.3) in a pregnancy associated with abnormal maternal serum biochemistry. CASE REPORT: A 33-year-old woman underwent amniocentesis in the second trimester because of abnormal maternal serum biochemistry. Her husband was 33 years old. ...

OBJECTIVE: To present prenatal diagnosis and molecular cytogenetic characterization of a de novo interstitial duplication of 14q (14q31.3→q32.12) in a pregnancy associated with abnormal maternal serum biochemistry. CASE REPORT: A 19-year-old woman underwent amniocentesis in the second trimester because of abnormal maternal serum biochemistry. Her husband was 33 years old. ...

A 37-yr-old Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) started parturition after 640 days of pregnancy but no fetal parts entered the birth canal. Despite veterinary intervention, the calf was not delivered. After 13 mo calving resumed and a full-term dead calf advanced into and lodged within the vagina. With standing xylazine tranquilization, ...

Reproductive management programs that synchronize ovulation can ovulate a smaller than normal follicle, potentially resulting in inadequate progesterone (P4) concentrations after artificial insemination (AI). Ovulation of the dominant follicle of the first follicular wave with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) treatment can produce an accessory corpus luteum and increase circulating P4 ...

Background/Objectives:Maternal fish consumption during pregnancy might influence the fetal immune system through anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids, and might affect the risks of childhood asthma and atopy. In Generation R, a prospective cohort study in the Netherlands, we examined the associations of first trimester fish consumption with childhood wheezing ...

The objective of the present work was to determine the optimal protocol for timed AI on high-yield dairy cows. The pregnancy per AI (pregnancy/AI) arising from 7805 first timed artificial inseminations on 27 dairy farms in eastern Spain was examined after use of the Double Ovsynch (DOv; N = 6783) ...

Hypothesis:There are fetal sex-associated differences in the circulating maternal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in early pregnancy. METHODS: Plasma prorenin, angiotensin (Ang) II, Ang 1-7 and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) concentrations were measured at 15 weeks' gestation in 131 women with uncomplicated pregnancies from the Adelaide SCOPE cohort. Uterine and umbilical artery Doppler ...

Objectives were to compare circulating progesterone (P4) profile and pregnancies per AI (P/AI) of two commercial intravaginal P4 devices (PRID-Delta(®) vs CIDR(®)). In Experiment 1, ovariectomized dairy cows (PRID-Delta, n=6 vs CIDR, n=6) were sampled throughout 7 days to measure circulating P4. In Experiment 2 (PRID-Delta, n=399 vs CIDR, n=375), ...

The objectives of this study were to investigate heterogeneity in the variance of and the association between milk yield (MY) and pregnancy outcome (PO) in dairy cows, formally separating the within-herd (i.e., cow-level residual effects) from the between-herd (i.e., herd-level random effects) components. Based on a recently developed extension to ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Pregnant women consume caffeine daily. The aim of this study was to examine the association between maternal caffeine intake from different sources and (a) gestational length, particularly the risk for spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD), and (b) birth weight (BW) and the baby being small for gestational age (SGA). ...

During pregnancy, changes occur in the maternal calcium homeostasis to fulfill fetal demand. We hypothesized that the fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) system and Wnt signaling pathway are important for normal skeletal development in the offspring. Circulating α-klotho, FGF23, sclerostin, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) at the fetal and maternal sides ...

BACKGROUND: The potential effects of binge drinking during pregnancy on child motor function have only been assessed in a few, small studies. We aimed to examine the effects of binge alcohol consumption during early pregnancy, including number of binge episodes and timing of binge drinking, on child motor function at ...

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of supplemental progesterone on fertility in lactating dairy cows lacking a corpus luteum (CL) at the initiation of the timed artificial insemination (AI) program. Holstein cows were subjected to the 5-d timed AI program (d -8 GnRH, d -3 and ...

Context:Normal maternal thyroid function is important for fetal development. No knowledge exists on how maternal thyroid function and thyroid antibodies during early pregnancy affect thyroid function of the offspring.Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between maternal and adolescent thyroid function parameters.Design, Setting, and Participants:A total of ...

Objective: To determine the impact of cytologically determined endometritis (CE) diagnosed according to three different cytological thresholds in the 4th and 6th week postpartum (p. p.) on the subsequent reproductive performance in dairy cows. Material and methods: Dairy cows (n = 222) were clinically examined in the 4th week (Exam I) and in the ...

The objective was to validate the performance under field conditions of a novel commercially available ELISA for confirmation of pregnancy using measurement of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins in milk samples from dairy cows. The target population was cows previously diagnosed pregnant by veterinary examination and ≥60 d of gestation. On 8 farms ...

In this study, 53 crossbred beef heifers were used to test the hypotheses that administration of exogenous FSH 2 days following CIDR insertion and administration of estradiol would increase the pregnancy rate in heifers synchronized for FTAI and that plasma leptin concentrations in beef heifers would be higher for heifers ...

Recent recognition of the early onset and high prevalence of wasting (30%) and stunting (20%) among infants 0-5 months in India draws attention to the need to understand the causes and develop prevention strategies. Such growth failure has dire consequences in the short (increased mortality) and long-term (loss of human ...

The objective was to determine the effect of plasma progesterone concentration and the duration of proestrus during growth of the ovulatory follicle on fertility in beef cattle. Heifers (N = 61) and postpartum cows (N = 79) were assigned randomly to four groups in a two-by-two design involving luteal-phase versus ...

Maternal vitamin D deficiency is not uncommon. The lack of vitamin D during pregnancy may result in poor fetal growth and altered neonatal development that may persist into later life. Recognition of risk factors and early detection of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is important in order to prevent neonatal ...

The benefits of iodine supplements during pregnancy remain controversial in areas with a mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of improving iodine intakes, with iodised salt (IS) or iodine supplements, in pregnant Spanish women. A total of 131 pregnant women in their ...

One of the causes of poor fertility in high producing dairy cows is inadequate progesterone. Therefore, we determined the efficacy of an intravaginal insert containing 1.55 g of progesterone (PRID) given before and/or after timed AI (TAI) on ovarian response, plasma progesterone concentrations, pregnancy per AI (P/AI) and pregnancy losses. ...

What is already known about this subject There is an association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and higher body mass index (BMI) and overweight in childhood. What this study adds The association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood overweight develops with age, starting with a lower birth weight, followed ...