PTH-related protein (PTHrP) has been implicated in calcium regulation during fetal life. In this study the ontogeny of PTHrP was examined in ovine parathyroid glands. Immunohistochemical techniques, Western blot analysis, and a RIA with antisera raised against synthetic fragments of human (h) PTHrP (i.e. 1-34, 1-40, 50-69, and 107-141) were ...

Fifty pregnant goats, inoculated intramuscularly at different gestational stages with a non-cytopathic ovine pestivirus or a cytopathic bovine pestivirus, all developed pestivirus-neutralizing antibodies within 5 weeks of inoculation. The incidence of reproductive failure was similar for the two agents. Parturition at term with only healthy kids occurred in 13 (26 ...

Ropivacaine is a new amide local anesthetic structurally related to bupivacaine and mepivacaine. Its potency and duration of action are similar to those of bupivacaine but its therapeutic index may be greater. Since pregnancy enhances the cardiotoxicity of bupivacaine, the current study was devised to compare the toxicity of ropivacaine ...

Although cocaine use during pregnancy is an important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, there are no reports of its effect on maternal and fetal carbohydrate metabolism. Six pregnant ewes and their fetuses were instrumented under halothane general anesthesia at 113-119 days' gestation. Between 124-135 days' gestation, the ewes received ...

Twin-pregnant ewes underwent unilateral fetectomy (Fetx) at 50 days of gestation and were studied at 136 days. Aspects of conceptus growth and placental cellularity and metabolism in vitro were compared to those of unoperated control groups of twin-pregnant or single-pregnant ewes. Mean fetal weight in Fetx ewes tended to be ...

A comparison was made of the relative effectiveness of subcutaneous ear implants containing 2 mg Norgestomet or vaginal pessaries containing 60 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP) to induce estrus and conception in dry anestrous ewes. Groups of ewes were treated with one of the two progestogens for 14 d, and 500 ...

Booroola Merino (BM) and Finnsheep (FS) rams were mated to FS and crossbred (CO) ewes to compare their effects on the productivity of their mates and the performance of their progeny. Effects of breed of ram and the interaction of breed of ram X breed of ewe were no significant ...

To determine the placental transfer of methamphetamine, its subsequent fetal disposition, and its hemodynamic effects, we administered methamphetamine intravenously to 15 pregnant ewes 3 days after placement of maternal and fetal vascular catheters. Methamphetamine crossed the placenta within 30 seconds of its administration. Although the ewes had higher peak concentrations, ...

The adrenocortical response and open field behavior of a random sample of 37 individually confined gestating sows in different parities were tested around day 85 of pregnancy. The sows were classified as stereotyped [S] and nonstereotyped [N] based on 8-h individual behavioral observations during daytime. Behavioral analysis from time-lapse video ...

The effects of treating ovariectomised nulliparous and multiparous ewes with progesterone and estrogen on maternal behavior with or without vagino-cervical stimulation were investigated. Following 48 h of estrogen treatment there was neither evidence for stimulation of maternal behavior, nor a reduction in aggressive behavior, towards lambs by either multiparous or ...

Sheep affected with ovine GM1 gangliosidosis are normal at birth and develop clinical signs, initially ataxia, commencing at approximately 5 months of age, which progresses rapidly to recumbency. Superovulation and embryo transfer techniques were applied to a flock of carrier sheep of ovine GM1 gangliosidosis to increase the numbers of ...

Milk production and lamb growth were characterized in 118 multiparous, 3- to 7-yr-old Rambouillet, Columbia, Polypay, and Suffolk ewes under spring sage range and high mountain meadow grazing from 28 to 98 d postpartum. Daily milk yield as measured by the lamb suckling weight differential technique did not differ (P ...

Of 111 variable age, pedigree ewes subjected to a range of superovulatory regimens and then submitted to embryo recovery by laparoscopy, nine had adhesions corresponding to a mid-line laparotomy (presumably from a previous attempt to recover embryos) and could not have their embryos recovered by the laparoscopic technique. Of the ...

The aim of this study was to measure the peripheral concentrations of immunoreactive inhibin (ir-inhibin) and progesterone (P) during pregnancy and parturition in the ewe and to relate the concentrations of ir-inhibin to P and to the number and sex of the fetuses. P increased across pregnancy with higher levels ...

Progesterone is delivered locally via the oviductal vein to the cranial uterine horn ipsilateral to the ovary bearing the corpus luteum. Removal of the oviductal vein reduces this local delivery of progesterone. The objective of this experiment was to determine if local delivery of progesterone via the oviductal vein is ...

Fetal malformations are detected early in pregnancy by means of ultrasound challenging fetal therapy. While open fetal surgery has been preformed during preliminary clinical trials we evaluated fetoscopic therapy avoiding laparotomy and uterotomy. We used a laser fibre (900 mu) which was introduced into the uterus by an endoscope. During ...

Performance of 1/2-Suffolk, 1/2-Rambouillet (Western) and 1/2-Suffolk, 1/4-Rambouillet, 1/4-Finnsheep (1/4-Finn) ewes was compared in three different lamb production systems over 3 yr. System 1 (56 ewes) involved late fall lambing over 84 d. System 2 (51 ewes) involved January and February lambing for 60 d. System 3 (47 ewes) involved ...

We describe a new experimental model of fetal hydrocephalus in the lamb. 14 sheep were operated on at 100-120 days gestation for the insertion of a catheter into the fetal aqueduct of Sylvius to block cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. After the operation the intracranial pressure (ICP) was measured daily from ...

Real-time ultrasound evaluation of small ruminants offers an unparalleled range of information regarding pregnancy status, number of fetuses, and gestational age. The advantages of real-time ultrasonography are its sensitivity and accuracy of various diagnoses, its speed, and its safety. Overall flock reproductive management is facilitated through the timely acquisition of ...

One hundred ewes were utilized to determine the effects of interferon supplementation on the number of ewes pregnant and embryonic survival. Ewes were checked twice daily (0700 and 1600) for estrus using fertile rams. On d 12 through 16, ewes received twice-daily i.m. injections of either recombinant bovine interferon alpha ...

Fetal glucose kinetics were measured using a combination of isotope-dilution and Fick-principle methodology in single-pregnant ewes which were either well-fed throughout, or fed at 0.3-0.4 predicted energy requirement for 7-21 d during late pregnancy. All ewes were studied while standing at rest and then while walking on a treadmill at ...

Estimates of additive direct heritability (h2a) for traits such as litter size may be biased by maternal effects. The size of these effects was estimated using a derivative-free restricted maximum likelihood procedure under an animal model. First-parity records from Yorkshire (Y) and Landrace (L) gilts were obtained from the Quebec ...

This study examines the effect of pregnancy on the quantity and isotype of antibody in ewes immunised with a novel primary antigen. The primary and secondary antibody levels to bovine serum albumin (BSA) in alum adjuvant, were compared between non-pregnant ewes and ewes immunised at different stages of pregnancy. Anti-BSA ...

Erythrocyte insulin binding in 8 ewes in late pregnancy was studied. The main purpose was to study the influence of pregnancy and starvation of the insulin binding capacity of the erythrocytes and compare it with the capacity of erythrocytes in newborn lambs. Results from the present study indicate that erythrocytes ...

The effects of year of lambing, age of ewe and litter size on lamb survival and birthweight, and the effects of ewe mating weight and pregnancy wastage (ovulation rate minus litter size) on birthweight were examined in Booroola Merino x South Australian Merino ewes. Year of lambing, litter size and ...

A model of posterior urethral valves in fetal lambs was developed in order to evaluate the effect of intrauterine urinary obstruction on the developing kidney. Complete urethral obstruction was induced in five fetal lambs at 43 to 45 days of gestation. Two control fetal lambs underwent sham operations. At full ...

The daily rumination time (DRT) and the nycterohemeral pattern of rumination were recorded in six ewes before mating and during late pregnancy and in one unmated ewe. The mean DRT was shorter during pregnancy (mean: 329 min/day) than before mating (mean: 435 min/day). The DRT of the unmated ewe remained ...

An outbreak of congenital biliary atresia and jaundice is described, in which approximately 300 crossbred lambs and 9 crossbred calves died. The affected animals failed to thrive, developed jaundice and white scours and died within 4 weeks of birth. A common feature of this outbreak and a similar occurrence 24 ...

Two experiments were performed to determine whether arginine vasotocin (AVT) stimulates synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs) in reptilian oviducts. Homogenized oviducal tissue from female Sceloporus jarrovi in early and late pregnancy were cultured with radiolabeled (14C) prostaglandin precursor, arachidonic acid (AA). In late pregnancy, oviducts exposed to AVT exhibited a greater ...

This study assessed the response of the preejection period during hypoxemia with and without acidemia. In five pregnant ewes, hypoxemia was created during 1 hour followed by fetal infusion of lactic acid during 2 hours. A micromanometer catheter positioned above the fetal aortic valve, an endocavitary phonocardiogram, and a fetal ...

Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH)-like immunoactivity has been identified in cotyledonary extracts prepared from pregnant ewes. This activity displayed similar physico-chemical properties as synthetic LHRH, as determined by reverse-phase HPLC and size-exclusion HPLC. Under reverse-phase conditions, cotyledonary LHRH-like immunoactivity displayed a retention time (10.5 +/- 0.1 min) which was not ...

Pregnant ewes were chronically exposed to thermoneutral (TN; 20 degrees C, 30% relative humidity) or hot (H; 40 degrees C 9 h/d, 30 degrees C 15 h/d, 40% relative humidity) environments between d 64 and 136 to 141 of pregnancy. They were sampled for blood at 14-d intervals during this ...

This paper describes the production and calibration of a miniature psychrometer treated with a specially developed porous coating. The investigation was conducted to determine localized patterns of rapidly changing temperature and relative humidity in dynamic flowing gas environments (e.g., with particular attention to future applications to the human respiratory system). ...

Simultaneous maternal indirect blood pressure measurements, electronic fetal heart rate monitoring, and ultrasonographic biophysical profile testing were used to assess maternal-fetal homeostasis in gravid ewes during gestational days 127 to 134 (term 146), during a 72-hour fast, and during treatment with thromboxane synthetase inhibitors CGS13080 and CGS12970. Seventy-five percent of ...

Sheep fetuses, near term, were studied to test the influence of a tocolytic beta agonist, terbutaline, on fetal responses to hypoxia. After fetal exteriorization the drug was administered intravenously to the mother in three different doses: The max group comprised 11 ewes receiving 67-134 micrograms min-1. Seven ewes were given ...

Only a small proportion of ewes at estrus have been found to respond maternally to newborn lambs, and this low maternal responsiveness may be partially attributable to the absence of the genital stimulation which occurs at parturition. Therefore, the effect of artificial genital stimulation on maternal behavior of estrous ewes ...

Endothelin was tested on isolated ductus arteriosus preparations from mature fetal lambs. At low PO2 (18-24 Torr; 1 Torr = 133.3 Pa), the compound constricted the vessel dose-dependently over the range from about 10(-10) to 10(-7) M. The contraction was sustained and did not subside even after an extended period ...

In a multi-parity sow experiment the effect of very restricted late pregnancy feeding on the incidence of agalactia was studied. A daily allowance of 1.0 kg was compared with 3.4 kg per day of a conventional cereal based sow diet. All sows were allowed free access to straw. The occurrence ...

Ewes were treated with a medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP) sponge for 8 d followed, at sponge removal, with 500 IU pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) at d 30, 40 or 50 (d 0 = lambing) to induce estrus. Dry and lactating ewes were divided into equal numbers at each postpartum day ...

A computer spreadsheet was developed to predict the economic impact of a management decision to use B-mode ultrasonographic ovine pregnancy diagnosis. The spreadsheet design and spreadsheet cell formulas are provided. The program used the partial farm budget technique to calculate net return (NR) or cash flow changes that resulted from ...

After lambing in late November, oestrus and ovulation were induced by using a CIDR device and PMSG in early weaned (N = 13) or lactating (N = 14) Border Leicester x Scottish Blackface ewes between 23 and 29 days after parturition. Ewes were intrauterine inseminated under laparoscopic visualization 54-55 h ...

Infusion of the prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor 4-aminoantipyrine at a rate of 20 mg/min via the fetal tarsal vein during normothermic conditions (ambient temperatures = 24 degrees C) significantly decreased the concentrations of prostaglandins E2 and F2 alpha in maternal and fetal arterial plasma and in uterine and umbilical vein plasma. ...

Thirty groups of Merino ewes in 6 districts of south-west Queensland were studied between 1976 and 1985 to determine the magnitude of reproductive wastage to lamb making. Relatively high pregnancy rates (77 to 100%, mean 93%) and a wide range of lamb marking percentages (10 to 115%, mean 78%) were ...

The effect of ethanol on maternal and fetal blood gases and acid-base balance was determined in six conscious instrumented near-term pregnant ewes for maternal intravenous infusion of 3 g ethanol/kg total body weight administered as six doses of 0.5 g ethanol/kg total body weight over 8 h. Maternal and fetal ...

The objective of this study was to compare rebreeding activities of spring- vs fall-lambing Polypay, Dorset, St. Croix and Targhee ewes that either suckled their lambs for 40 d or had lambs weaned at birth. Seasonal effects of male fertility were reduced by utilizing an excess number of fertile rams ...

No pathogenic effect was detected in lambs when 10(4) oocyts of each species were inoculated before 72 h of age. At 4 weeks of age the combined inoculum caused diarrhoea and weight loss, the severity being roughly proportional to the size of the inoculum. Even 1000 oocysts of each species ...

We studied the biosynthesis of two proteins, p70 (Mr 70,000; pI 4.0) and p15 (Mr 15,000; pI 5.7), by endometrial tissues from ewes between Days 12 and 24 of pregnancy and between Days 12 and 16 of the oestrous cycle to determine whether production of the two was correlated with ...

The number of Border Leicester ewes ovulating and their ovulation rate at 4 to 6 week intervals over 1 year and again after a further year were determined. The proportion of these ewes expressing estrus from autumn to spring and then in late summer/autumn was also determined. None of the ...

Corticotropin-releasing factor-like immunoreactivity (CRF-LI), arginine vasopressin-like immunoreactivity (AVP-LI) and ACTH-releasing bioactivity of hypothalamic tissue from 63- to 143-day-old ovine fetuses and from 7- and 150-day-old lambs have been assessed. CRF-LI and AVP-LI contents and concentrations increased steadily between 63 and 138 days of gestation, decreased at day 143 then rose ...

Prophylaxis of threatened premature labor with ritodrine may lead to prolonged fetal exposure to the drug. To investigate the direct consequences of this, 11 fetal lambs were given ritodrine hydrochloride for periods of 2-4 days by continuous intravenous infusion at 5 or 10 micrograms/minute (1-3 micrograms/minute/kg estimated fetal weight). These ...