F. N. Thompson

Comparison of serum testosterone and androstenedione responses to weight lifting in men and women

SummaryTo determine if a sex difference exists in the androgen response to heavy-resistance exercise, serum testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A) concentrations were measured in 20 men and 20 women before and during a 2-h period following 30 min of weight lifting. Hormone concentrations from venous blood samples were determined by radioimmunoassay. Prior to weight lifting, T for men (3.51±0.24 ng·ml−1) was approximately 10 times that for women (0.36±0.04 ng·ml−1), whereas A for women (1.26±0.07 ng·ml−1) was 43% higher than for men (0.88±0.07 ng·ml−1). Immediately following weight lifting, T was increased significantly (p<0.01) in men (0.76 ng·ml−1, 21.6%), but nonsignificantly in women (0.06 ng·ml−1, 16.7%). Resting T levels were restored within 30 min. Serum A levels decreased significantly (p<0.01) below pre-exercise levels at 2 h post-exercise for both men and women. It was concluded that men have a greater absolute T response to weight lifting than women, whereas the absolute A response to weight lifting is similar in men and women.

Effects of progesterone or estradiol on uterine tubal transport of ova in the cow.

An experiment was designed to determine the effect of progesterone (P) or estradiol benzoate (EB) on uterine tubal transport of ova in the cow. Intramuscular injections of P, EB, or corn oil (C) were administered to heifers 24 hours after the end of estrus. The heifers were euthanatized 60 hours after the end of estrus and the location of the ovum or zygote was determined. Venous serum levels of progesterone and estradiol-17beta were measured by radioimmunoassay. The mean uterine tube (UT) length was 23.9 cm. An ovum or zygote was recovered from 11 of 14 heifers. Serum levels of progesterone and estradiol-17beta were above normal bovine levels following the P and EB treatments, respectively. The mean UT ovum transport rates were 0.42, 0.21 and 0.23 cm/hour in the P, EB and C treatment groups, respectively. The UT ovum transport rate was increased (P<0.05) by the P treatment and EB treatment had no effect (P > 0.05) when compared with the C treatment.

Effect of nutrition on the LH response to calf removal and GnRH

Ten primiparous crossbred cows were assigned to two dietary groups at calving. One group received 120% and the other group received 80% of the National Research Council (NRC) recommended allowance of dietary energy for primiparous cows. At 60 days postpartum, calves were removed from their dams. Blood samples were collected from the cows at 15-min intervals for 8 hr beginning at the time of calf removal and again 24 hr, 48 hr and 72 hr after calf removal. At 72 hr after calf removal, all cows were given 200 ug GnRH intravenously. At calf removal, serum LH concentrations were higher (P<0.01) for cows on 120% (0.9 +/- 0.03 ng/ml) compared to cows on 80% (0.5 +/- 0.03 ng/ml) of recommendations. Serum LH concentrations increased (1.6 +/- 0.1 ng/ml, P<0.01) by 24 hr in cows on the highenergy diet. In contrast, a similar increase was not observed in cows on the low-energy diet until 48 hr after calf removal (1.4 +/- 0.2 ng/ml, P<0.01). These contrasting patterns in serum LH concentrations resulted in a diet by time interaction (P<0.01). Serum LH concentrations increased in both dietary energy groups following GnRH injection, but the response was greater (P<0.01) in cows on the low-energy diet compared to the cows fed the high-energy diet. These results indicate that inadequate dietary energy delays the LH response to calf removal and increases the LH response to exogenous GnRH.

Naloxone infusion increases pulsatile luteinizing hormone release in postpartum beef cows

The limiting factor in the return to cyclicity in the postpartum cow appears to be the lack of pulsatile luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion. To test the role of endogenous opioids in regulating pulsatile LH release, naloxone, an opioid antagonist, was infused into postpartum cows. Eight cows (39.3 ± 2.1 d postpartum) received either a constant infusion of saline or 50 mg/hr of naloxone dissolved in saline for eight hr. Blood samples were taken at 15 min intervals for determination of serum LH concentrations and to determine frequency and amplitude of the LH pulses. Frequency of LH pulses was greater (P .05). Mean serum LH concentrations were greater (P<.01) in the naloxone infused group (2.7 ± .3 ng/ml) compared to the saline infused group (1.9 ± .4 ng/ml). These data indicate that endogenous opioids inhibit pulsatile LH secretion in the anestrous postpartum beef cow and that naloxone infusion increases mean serum LH concentrations by increasing the frequency of LH pulses.

Urinary Alkaloid Excretion as a Diagnostic Tool for Fescue Toxicosis in Cattle

Fescue toxicosis research studies have often included serum prolactin as a physiologic index of the disorder. Serum prolactin has not been used as a clinical measure of fescue toxicosis because of variation associated with sex and physiologic condition of the animal and climatic and seasonal factors. The primary excretory route of the alkaloids responsible for this toxicosis is the urine. Three pasture experiments were conducted to examine serum prolactin and urinary ergot alkaloid variability among steers continuously grazing endophyte-infected (E+) or endophyte-free (E-) tall fescue and among steers that were switched from one pasture form to the other. A fourth grazing experiment was used to examine how to best to manage the steers prior to sampling for urinary ergot alkaloid excretion. Coefficients of variability for urinary alkaloid excretion were consistently lower (46–65%) than serum prolactin (64–142%). Urinary alkaloid excretion patterns changed within 12 hours following switching steers from E+ to E- pasture or visa versa, but serum prolactin was recalcitrant to change. Because it is less variable and more dynamic than serum prolactin, urinary alkaloid excretion can be used for health assessment of steers grazing E+ and E- pastures. Regression analysis established a quadratic relationship between alkaloid excretion and average daily weight gain, with a regression coefficient of 0.86. Urinary alkaloid analysis was useful in determining whether cattle were consuming toxic tall fescue.

Efficacy of a prostaglandin analogue in reproduction in the cycling mare

Abstract A prostaglandin F analogue caused luteolysis in normal cycling non-lactating mares, and lactating mares (treated after the foal estrus). Effective doses ranged from 1.0 to 4.0mg given as a single subcutaneous injection 8–10 days after ovulation. A dose of 0.5mg was ineffective, hence the dose-response relationship was steep, indicative of a quantal type of response. Mares usually returned to estrus within 2–4 days and ovulated by 7 days after treatment. Mares bred naturally or by artificial insemination at the induced estrus and ovulation were fertile. The compound was without side-effects, and hence should be of value in manipulating the estrous cycle of the mare.

Effect of calf removal on serum luteinizing hormone and cortisol concentrations in postpartum beef cows

Serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and cortisol concentrations were measured in ten fall calving, Angus cows averaging 38 +/- 8 days postpartum. Calves from five cows were weaned at the beginning of the study. Blood samples were collected at 20 min. intervals for 48 h after weaning and for 8 h on day 4 and day 6 postweaning. Mean serum LH concentrations increased (P<0.01) in weaned cows (W) from 0.55 +/- 0.01 ng/ml at time of calf removal to 1.3 +/- 0.04 ng/ml 48 h afterwards. Comparable LH concentrations for suckled cows (S) were 0.65 +/- 0.08 ng/ml and 0.62 +/- 0.03 ng/ml respectively. Average serum LH concentrations at 48 h after weaning were greater (P<0.01) for W cows than S cows and a treatment by time interaction occurred (P<0.01) with serum LH concentrations increasing (P<0.01) from time of calf removal to 48 h after calf removal in W cows. Frequency of LH peaks increased (P<0.01) in W cows and by 48 h after weaning was greater (P<0.01) in W cows than in S cows. Magnitude of LH peaks did not differ between the two groups. Serum cortisol concentrations were not different between W and S cows except for a transient elevation (P<0.01) in W cows from 7.6 +/- 0.9 ng/ml to 11.9 +/- 1.0 ng/ml 9 to 12 h after calf removal. Since serum LH concentrations were increased in W cows but not in S cows at 48 h and serum cortisol concentrations increased transiently in W cows we suggest that circulating cortisol levels may not be a physiological inhibitor of LH secretion in the suckled postpartum beef cow.

Serum progesterone concentrations in pregnant and nonpregnant heifers and after gonadotropin releasing hormone in luteal phase heifers

Abstract Serum progesterone (P4) concentrations were quantitated in 18 Holstein heifers from days 5 to 16 after estrus in an effort to ascertain the effects of pregnancy on circulating levels of this hormone. The P4 concentration rose faster between days 5 and 10 in the pregnant heifers compared to P4 levels in both the non-pregnant heifers and the killed sperm inseminated group. It was found that serum P4 levels were significantly (P The administration of 250μg gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) to 10 Holstein heifers on day 7 after estrus resulted in a significant (P

THYROIDAL AND PROLACTIN SECRETION IN AGALACTIC MARES

A study was designed to examine serum concentrations of prolactin (PRL) and iodothyronines before and after thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) administration to agalactic (n = 26) and normally (n = 8) lactating mares. Two mg TRH was given intramuscularly (i.m.) twice daily on Day 1 (day of delivery) through Day 5. Jugular venous blood was collected on Days 1 and 5 before TRH (time 0) and at 1 and 3 h post-TRH. Basal serum concentrations of thyroxin (T(4)) were different (P < 0.05) on Day 1 (1.87 vs 1.37 mug/dl) and Day 5 (1.72 vs 1.13 mug/dl) in the normal mares and agalactic mares, respectively. There was no difference in the T(4) response to TRH. While basal serum concentrations of triiodothyronine (T(3)) were not different, agalactic mares responded with greater (P < 0.05) serum concentrations T(3) to TRH on Day 1. Following linear regression of the PRL response to TRH, slope of the lines between groups did not differ; however, elevations were significantly (P < 0.05) greater (1.79 vs 1.28 ng/ml) in control mares compared with agalactic mares, respectively, on Day 1.at 1 h post-TRH. A similar difference existed at time 0 and 1 h on Day 5. Consequently, agalactic mares had reduced basal serum T(4) values; the PRL data leads us to suggest that secretion of this hormone may be insufficient in agalactic mares.

Induction of luteolysis in the mare with a prostaglandin analogue

Abstract Five mares were administered 0.5 to 2.0 mg of a prostaglandin analogue, RS 9390 (Syntex), during nine estrous cycles in February and March. Luteolysis as measured by peripheral plasma progesterone occurred in four cycles, transitory luteolysis following 0.5 mg RS 9390 in two cycles, while functional corpora lutea were not present in three cycles. In 8 out of 9 of these cycles the mares returned to estrus 1.5 to 5 days following treatment. It appears that RS 9390 can be used as a regulator of cycle length in mares.