A total of 137 cycling Zebu cows, each receiving a single dose of prostaglandin PGF 2a were used in an oestrus synchronization programme on three different farms. Of the cows on the three farms, 60.6 and 90.5 percent showed over oestrus and luteolysis, respectively. Pregnancy rate to fixed time inseminations following single injection of PGF 2a was 61.4 percent for farm 1, significantly higher than the values of 45.7 and 46.9 percent for farms 2 and 3, respectively. The pregnancy rates to second service of rebred cows were 53.3, 50.0 and 50.0 percent for the three farms, respectively, with no significant differences between each. Fertility classification of the cows based on progesterone (P4) concentration showed that 6.6 percent of cows on the three farms were incorrectly diagnosed as having corpora lutea; 2.9 percent of them had incomplete luteolysis and 5.1 percent may have lost their embryos between days 21 and 45 post-insemination. The pregnancy rate was 10 percent higher in the rainy season than in the dry season. Cows with body condition scores of 3 and 4 had a higher overall pregnancy rates than those with a body condition score of 2. The findings of this study further confirm the luteolytic efficacy of prostaglandin in inducing oestrus in Zebu cattle and indicate that the nutritional status of the cows must be satisfactory before embarking on oestrus synchronization programmes.

A retrospective case-control study was conducted on 6718 sheep of two breeds (2772 Horro and 3946 Menz) on risk factors for mortality associated with respiratory disease (MARD) in Ethiopia, based on data collected between October 1993 and December 1997. Potential risk factors examined were breed, gender, age, month, and air temperatures. Fifty-four per cent of total deaths in the flock could be attributed to respiratory disease and the annual MARD rate ranged between 6.3 and 19.0%. There was significant breed (P<0.0001) and gender (P<0.0001) difference in MARD. The Horro breed had a higher (P<0.0001) annual MARD than the Menz breed (16.5±0.18 vs. 12.4±0.15%). A higher (P<0.0001) proportion of males suffered than females (15.1±0.23% vs. 13.8±0.13%). Age was also an important risk factor for MARD: there was a strong polynomial relationship (R2=0.91, P<0.0001) between MARD and age; the risk of being young if a sheep was a MARD case was high. MARD was high between October and March but relatively low between the months of April and September. There was a significant (P<0.05) negative cubic relationship (R2=0.49) between monthly MARD and monthly average minimum air temperatures. There was also a significant (P<0.01) positive exponential relationship (R2=0.61) between monthly MARD and average monthly daily deviation between maximum and minimum air temperatures. Timely health and management interventions focusing on these factors are necessary to alleviate losses from MARD. Understanding variations in MARD risk within a population can enhance early response to potential outbreaks, reducing losses.

The temporomandibular joint is found bilaterally in all mammalian species, but its morphology and function are very different among different groups of mammals. In addition to chewing, this joint plays an important role in swallowing, oral health, nutrition and animal survival. The temporomandibular joint structure is formed by the connection between the condylar process of the mandible and the mandibular fossa of the squamous part of the temporal bone. Dysplasia is a rare abnormality of temporomandibular joint which can be congenital or developmental and it has been reported sporadically in a series of dog breeds, and the occurrence of this disorder is less in cats. Dysplasia often results in luxation or subluxation of the joint associated with locking of the open jaw. The current study is a case report of an 11.5 year old male terrier dog, which clinically had a history of pain in the mouth, difficulty in chewing, and reduced the ability of mouth movements. In this study, CT scan was used to evaluate the temporomandibular joint dysplasia. After performing a CT-scan and examining the images, temporomandibular joint dysplasia was diagnosed bilaterally with more severely in the right joint. In CT images, deformation of the retroarticular process, elimination of smooth joint surfaces, deformation of the joint surfaces of the mandibular condyle with S- shaped appearance, and the ambiguous joint space were observed which indicated temporomandibular joint dysplasia. Also, flattening of the retroarticular process was observed in the CT-scan images in reconstructed sagittal plane.

Computed tomography (CT) is an accurate diagnostic imaging technique used to evaluate the vertebral column in exotic and small animals. The present study aimed to investigate the morphology and morphometric of the normal lumbosacral vertebrae in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) using CT scan images. This cross-sectional descriptive study utilized 10 healthy adult guinea pigs (Cavia Porcellus) (5 males and 5 females) with a mean age of 12 ± 1.20 months and an average weight of 1.04 ± 0.15 kg. Following anesthetization with a cocktail of xylazine (4 mg/kg) and ketamine (60 mg/kg), CT scans of the lumbosacral vertebrae were performed in the sagittal, transverse, and dorsal planes, from the cranial part of the first lumbar vertebra to the caudal extremity of the sacrum. Based on the results of this study, all parts of the lumbosacral vertebrae and intervertebral joints of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) can be observed and evaluated in computed tomography images. The spinous process of the lumbar vertebrae in the sagittal plane and the cranial and caudal articular processes in the sagittal and transverse reconstruction planes were more identifiable. The mammillary processes and the cranial and caudal vertebral notches were better observed in the dorsal plan. Two lateral recesses were visible in the caudal vertebral foramina of L6 at the junction of the pedicle and the vertebral body, a feature reported here for the first time. The interarcuate spaces of guinea pig lumbar vertebrae were very narrow, but this space was wide and large between the L6 and S1 vertebrae. For epidural anesthesia, surgeons can perform cerebrospinal fluid puncture and anesthetic drugs injection from this location. In this study, morphometric measurements of different parts of the lumbosacral vertebrae were subjected to statistical analysis. The results of this research can be employed in teaching computed tomographic anatomy of lumbosacral vertebrae, interpretation of CT scan images, as well as in clinical and treatment decisions of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus).

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most important endocrine disorders affecting about 5-10% of women in reproductive age. Betaine is a bioactive peptide that has an anti-inflammatory activity. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of betaine on insulin resistance indices and inflammatory cytokines markers and histology alteration in rat ovary with experimental PCOS. This experimental study was performed on 48 female Wistar rats (170-200 g). PCOS was induced by administration of testosterone enanthate (1 mg/100g/day during 35 days). PCOS rats were treated with betaine (1% in drinking water) for 30 days. At the end of the experimental period, the insulin resistance markers (serum insulin and glucose concentrations the homeostasis model assessment of basal insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), serum estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4) and inflammatory cytokines were measured. The ovaries were also processed for histological study. PCOS induction resulted in insulin resistance, impaired E2, P4 production and elevation of tissue TNF-α, IL-1β levels. Moreover, a significant increase of ovarian cysts and atretic follicles and also a significant reduction in the early corpus luteum were observed in the ovarian tissue of the PCOS groups. Betaine treatment could reduce the inflammatory cytokines and improve steroid productions in PCOS rats. Betaine also restored normal Folliculogenesis by reducing atretic and cystic follicles. Our findings showed the beneficial effects of betaine in PCOS rats by improvement of folliculogenesis, suppression of inflammation in ovary.

Agricultural by-products are frequently used to feed livestock, but they often have low nutritional value. This study was conducted to improve nutritional value of wheat straw using cellulolytic bacteria isolated from the foregut of dromedary camel. Rumen fluid was collected from four fistulated camels. The cellulose-hydrolytic bacteria were isolated by using medium amended with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The activity of carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) was determined by measuring the release of reducing sugars. The optimum pH and temperature for growth and CMCase activity of the isolates were determined. Three isolates (SH13, SH2, and SH22) showed maximum hydrolysis capacity and were selected for further investigation. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences of these isolates showed that the isolates possessed 99, 94 and 98% similarity with Escherichia coli, and Enterobacteriaceae, respectively. Wheat straw was incubated with the isolated bacteria in liquid medium for 6 weeks. The results showed inoculation with SH22 isolates resulted in the highest disappearance of dry matter and crude protein content, and the lowest amount of neutral detergent fibre (NDF), iNDF and acid detergent fibre (ADF). Treatment with SH13 isolate had the highest digestibility of NDF and ADF, and treatment with SH2 had the highest truly degraded organic matter (TDOM) and partitioning factor (PF). Our data suggest that maybe bacteria isolated from camel foregut can increase digestibility and enhancing nutrition value of wheat straw.

Stanozolol and nandrolone decanoate hormones are mainly used in dogs and horses to strengthen muscle growth, increase of body weight, treatment of anemia and stimulation of appetite; nevertheless, some side effects have been reported, including testicular atrophy, and decrease of spermatozoid count in dogs. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the histopathological changes of testicular and epididymal tissues in dogs treated with stanozolol and nandrolone decanoate. The present survey was performed on sixtheen male dogs. The studied animals were divided into two equal groups of eight. Stanozolol was administered to dogs in group A with dosage of 50 mg per dog intramuscularly for 6 continuous weeks. Group B was similar to group A, but instead of stanozolol, nandrolone decanoate was injected with dosage of 1 mg/kg. To evaluate the possible side effects on the testicles, one of them was surgically removed before the investigation and the second testicle was removed on days 28 (four dogs in each group) and 42 (the remaining four of each group). Before the testes were placed in 10% formalin buffer, sperm quality in the epididymis was evaluated for indicators such as motility, morphology and number in times zero, 28 and 42 days. The results showed that destructive effects were obtained such as hyperplasia of interstitial Leydig cells, vacuolation, the presence of multinucleated cells and different stages of spermatogonia in testicular tissue; also, the destruction of duct covering cells and the detachment of cilia in the epididymal epithelium was observed. These changes were significantly greater in the stanozolol group than nandrolone decanoate. The quantitative changes were more pronounced in the stanozolol group and the qualitative changes in the nanderlone decanoate group. Although both drugs had side effects on testicular and epididymal tissues; the side effects of stanozolol were greater than nandrolone decanoate; therefore, it is recommended minimum dose of nandrolone decanate for therapeutic purposes.

Ornithobacterium rhinotracheal (ORT) is a Gram-negative pathogen that is one of the causes of respiratory diseases in birds. Co-infection of Ornithobacterium rhinotracheal with other pathogens can cause serious health problems in bird species and also lead to financial losses in the poultry industry. Serological methods are among the most important techniques for rapid infection diagnosis, farm monitoring, infection control and prevention. The purpose of this study was to design an ELISA test to assess the prevalence of ORT and track the amount of ORT-specific antibody in serum collected from turkeys.  After immunizing three pieces of turkey and obtaining the immunization serum, antibody purification was performed using ion exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography methods. The purified antibodies were then used in a homemade ELISA reaction as a standard sample to determine the quantity of specific antibodies against ORT. A total of 244 serum samples were collected from turkeys slaughtered in the poultry slaughterhouse of Khuzestan province. ELISA testing revealed the significant presence of antibodies against ORT in 141 (57.78%) of the samples. The average concentration of antibodies in positive samples was 467.72 ± 124.128 micrograms per milliliter of serum, while in negative samples it was 262.97 ± 37.263 micrograms per milliliter. This study revealed the prevalence of ORT infections in Khuzestan province. Therefore, due to the lack of a reliable vaccine against O. rhinotracheal, it is necessary to implement good disease management and biosecurity measures in order to effectively control the disease.

Periodontal disease is one of the most common disorders seen in small animal practices. Oral bacteria play an important role in periodontitis. Fusobacterium spp. is one of the important bacterial agents in the progression of periodontitis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the presence of fadA and leukotoxin genes in Fusobacterium spp. isolated in dogs with or without gingivitis/ periodontitis in districts of Tehran and Ahvaz. One hundred and fifty samples (75 dogs from Tehran and 75 from Ahvaz district), between 2 to 11 years old, 78 males and 72 females, were studied during ten months. The studied major breeds included White Terrier, Poodle, Pomeranian, Shih Tzu, Yorkshire terrier, Pug, Spitz, Maltese and the rest were other breeds. They were fed with dry, homemade or mixed food. Twenty samples had healthy gums (13.33 %), 32 cases periodontitis grade 1 (21.33%), 47 other cases periodontitis grade 2 (31.33%) and 51 samples periodontitis grade 3 (34%). Twenty-seven out of 150 samples were infected with Fusobacterium (18.0%; 95% CI: 11.8%-24.1%). The percentages of the relative frequency of these bacteria were 21.3% (95% CI: 12.0%-30.6%) and 14.6% (95% CI: 6.6%-22.6%) in Tehran and Ahvaz, respectively. Survey of leukotoxin gene in 18 samples of Fusobacterium necrophorum showed that 11 samples (61.11%) (9 cases from Tehran and 2 other cases from Ahvaz) had this gene; the observed difference in the presence of this gene, was not statistically significant (p-value=0.43; df=1; X2=0.62). samples (34.61%) had fadA virulence gene and the relationship between the presence of fadA gene and periodontitis grades was not statistically significant (p-value=0.41; df=1; X2=0.68). Multivariable logistic regression showed that age, gender, breed, periodontitis, district, and type of food explained 97.6% of the infection and only gender and periodontitis had a significant effect on infection. The presence of fadA gene in Fusobacterium nucleatum isolated from dental plaques of dogs suffering from periodontitis and leukotoxin gene in Fusobacterium necrophorum subspecies necrophorum were not significant in periodontitis in related to two different districts of Tehran and Ahvaz. In conclusion, the prevalence of Fusobacterium was 16% and 2% in periodontitis grade 3 and healthy gums, respectively.