Ticiana Franco Pereira da Silva

Favoring the birth of female puppies after artificial insemination using chilled semen diluted with powdered coconut water (ACP-106c)

The objective was to determine the effect of powdered coconut water extender (ACP-106c) on the proportion of female puppies born. Twenty French Bulldog bitches were subjected to natural mating (NM) and, during the subsequent two estrus periods, were bred by intravaginal artificial insemination (AI), using chilled semen (from the same males) diluted in Tris-egg yolk (AI-Tris) or ACP-106c (AI-ACP-106c). Fresh semen was cooled to 5 °C and maintained at that temperature for 6 h, rewarmed (37 °C for 30 s), and used for AI. Pregnancy and whelping rates following NM were both 100% and were both 90.0% following AI with either extender. Litter size (mean ± SD) was 5.4 ±1.1, 4.7 ± 2.0, and 5.1 ± 2.0 (P > 0.05) for NM, AI-Tris, and AI-ACP-106c, respectively. Furthermore, for these groups, the number of female vs. male puppies born were 2.6 ± 0.6 vs. 2.8 ± 1.0, 2.2 ± 1.0 vs. 2.5 ± 1.1, and 3.4 ± 1.6 vs. 1.8 ± 1.2 (P < 0.05 for AI-ACP-106c only). In conclusion, our hypothesis was supported; AI of semen in ACP-106c extender resulted in a significantly higher proportion of female puppies. Furthermore, this extender yielded acceptable litter size and rates of pregnancy and whelping.

Ultrassonografia Doppler ovariana e uterina em cadelas

Este trabalho teve como objetivo descrever as caracteristicas ultrassonograficas uterinas e ovarianas, e dopplervelocimetricas das suas arterias nos dias periovulatorios em cadelas. Quinze ciclos estrais em 10 animais foram avaliados. As caracteristicas ultrassonograficas, indices de resistencia (IR) e indices de pulsatilidade (IP) do utero e dos ovarios em cada animal foram registrados 5 dias antes e depois da ovulacao (D0). Os dados foram analisados estatisticamente e os resultados foram expressos em media ± erro padrao da media (P<0,05). Como resultados as caracteristicas ultrassonograficas uterinas foram semelhantes em todos os ciclos e dias avaliados, tendo o corpo uterino um diâmetro medio de 0,85±0,02cm. Foi observado um aumento no volume dos ovarios e nos diâmetros dos foliculos, tendo os ovarios um volume de 0,64±0,06cm3, e a cavidade dos foliculos um diâmetro de 0,46±0,01cm no dia da ovulacao. Apos a ovulacao, foi observado colapso dos foliculos somente em alguns ciclos. A perfusao sanguinea uterina diminuiu dois dias antes da ovulacao e permaneceu inalterada ate a ovulacao. Apos a ovulacao, houve um aumento gradual na perfusao das arterias uterinas e ovarianas, direcionando o fluxo de sangue para os ovarios e aumentando a perfusao da arteria intra-ovariana um dia apos a ovulacao. Conclui-se que caracteristicas especificas sao observadas na imagem ultrassonografica uterina e ovariana, e dopplervelocimetricas de suas arterias nos dias periovulatorios, e quando associadas permitem estimar com mais precisao o dia da ovulacao.

Assessment of uterine involution in bitches using B-mode and Doppler ultrasonography

The aim of this study was to measure the uterine diameter by B-mode and Doppler velocimetry patterns of uterine arteries in postpartum female dogs after normal delivery or cesarean section (c-section). Ten female dogs were assessed on weeks 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 postpartum. Only at week 0, bitches submitted to c-section presented higher body diameters and uterine horns when compared to normal delivery. It was observed a reduction in uterine diameters over the weeks in both groups. In general, bitches submitted to c-section presented lower uterine perfusion. Each group presented distinct Doppler velocimetric characteristics. It was concluded that the B-mode ultrasound and Doppler are important tools for assessing puerperal uterine with distinct characteristics influenced by the type of delivery.

Vitrification of testicular tissue from prepubertal cats in cryotubes using different cryoprotectant associations

Protocols for the cryopreservation of testicular tissue are not yet established. In cats, few studies have been conducted on testicular vitrification using different cryoprotectant associations (CPAs). Thus, the objective of this study was to compare the effect of different CPAs on the vitrification of testicular tissue from prepubertal cats in cryotubes. We used 10 pairs of testicles, with each pair divided into 8 fragments that were distributed into different experimental groups. Two of these fragments were allocated into the control group (CG) and the other six were distributed according to the CPAs to be tested (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/glycerol (GLY), ethylene glycol (EG)/GLY, or DMSO/EG). The cryoprotectants were used at a final concentration of 5.6 M. The fragments were subjected to vitrification in cryotubes and after 1 week, they were warmed and processed for histomorphologic assessment, quantification of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs), and determination of cell viability. The DMSO/EG and EG/GLY groups presented the greatest cell separation from the cell basement membrane and the highest degrees of retraction of the basal membrane. In these aspects, DMSO/GLY did not differ from the CG and both were significantly superior to the other groups. In terms of cell distinction, visibility of the nucleus, and nuclear condensation, all the vitrified groups had significantly lower values than the CG, while the DMSO/GLY and EG/GLY groups did not differ between themselves. Through the quantification of NORs, the potential for cell proliferation of the CG was found to have a mean of 3.80, while DMSO/GLY presented a mean of 3.60, and thus there was no significant difference between these two groups. The proliferation potentials of both groups were significantly superior to that of the DMSO/EG (mean: 2.07) and EG/GLY (mean: 1.98) groups. In the CG and DMSO/GLY group, 91.8% and 64.2% of cells, respectively, were found to be viable. The cell viabilities of both groups were significantly superior to those of DMSO/EG (52.5%) and EG/GLY (57.10%). Vitrification in cryotubes combined with the use of the DMSO/GLY association was effective in maintaining the histomorphology, cell proliferation potential, and cell viability of testicular tissue from prepubertal cats after cryopreservation.