Induction Of Multiple Ovulations Research Articles

Development and characterization of a novel variant of long-acting bovine follicle-stimulating hormone (brscFSH)

Assisted reproduction is a key aspect of modern animal breeding, providing valuable assistance in improving breeding programs. In this field, the administration of exogenous hormones, such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), plays a crucial role in the induction of multiple ovulations. However, commercial FSH used in veterinary practice has been derived primarily from pituitary glands, obtained mostly from pigs for nearly four decades. Although these hormones have contributed significantly to the advancement of assisted reproductive techniques, they have certain limitations that warrant further improvements. These limitations include contamination with luteinizing hormone (LH), the potential risk of pathogen contamination, the potential to trigger an immune response in non-pig species, and the short half-life in circulation, requiring the implementation of complex 8-dose superovulation schedules. Our research team has developed and characterized a new variant of bovine follicle-stimulating hormone (bscrFSH) to address these limitations. The new hormone is produced recombinantly in CHO cell cultures, with a specific productivity of about 30 pg/cell/day. The bscrFSH can be purified to a high purity of 97 % using a single step of immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). N-glycan analysis of bscrFSH showed that approximately 74 % of the glycans corresponded to charged structures, including mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-sialylated glycans. Superovulation trials conducted in cattle revealed that bscrFSH, administered at a total dose of about 0.5 μg per kg of body weight, using a decrescent schedule of 4 doses with 24-h intervals, resulted in an average yield of 8–12 transferable embryos per animal. Further research is required; however, the preliminary findings indicate that bscrFSH, currently packaged under the provisional brand name of Cebitropin B, holds potential as a commercial product for assisted reproduction in ruminants.

Successful Pregnancy in Morbidly Obese Women of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome With Various Treatment Options With Individual Consequences: Case Series

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the effectiveness of different treatment options in the management of infertility across three cases in morbidly obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Case study & results: The first case is 30 years old with secondary infertility for two years with two abortions and a body mass index (BMI) is 69, she tried all lifestyle modifications with no response to weight reduction and she was conceived spontaneously without fertility treatment and subsequent antenatal care progressed without any complications until 36 weeks complicated with raised blood sugar beyond the normal level but not so high and intrauterine fetal death one week later ended by spontaneous normal vaginal delivery. The second case is 24 years old with BMI 66 is undergone weight reduction, ovulation induction with clomiphene citrate and gonadotropin injections with good ovulation response but no pregnancy, in vitro fertilization was performed but aborted at 8 weeks gestation, one year later after the use of metformin and ovulation induction with injections patient conceived and her pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes treated with insulin and preterm delivery. The third case is 40 years old with primary infertility for 5 years with BMI 70, she is known case diabetes mellitus 10 years back controlled with insulin, and hypertension on treatment, undergone bariatric surgery and one year later IVF was done after the failure of multiple ovulation induction, her diabetes mellitus and hypertension control well with treatment and delivered at 39 weeks by elective cesarean section with a birth weight of 4.5 kg. Discussion: PCOS is a genetic condition, worsened by obesity. The prevalence of obesity in PCOS women is up to 80%. There is a strong relationship between PCOS and obesity making the condition more complex. The majority of women with PCOS are either overweight or obese and the pathogenesis of obesity in PCOS has not yet been exactly identified. Obesity has adverse effects on fertility through anovulation, poor implantation, and quality oocyte. Conclusion: The ideal treatment of infertility in morbidly obese PCOS women has not been defined, but generally, before deciding which treatment option is preferred, proper weight loss and control of the metabolic state are carried out for successful pregnancy

Case report of partial empty sella syndrome: A challenging cocktail for the anesthesiologist

Background: Eventhough panhypopituitarism is a rare endocrine system disease, the clinical manifestation can vary from subclinical to life threatening myxoedema coma. It could be due to either primary pituitary dysfunction/stalk dysfunction/hypothalamic dysfunction.A 32 year old young female who presented with bilateral hip joint pain was diagnosed to have bilateral avascular necrosis of femoral head. On ellicting a detailed clinical history, she underwent treatment for infertility for 7 long years which comprised of multiple ovulation induction agents and finally conceived following in utero insemination. Although the gestational and peripartum period were uneventful, she had agalactorrhea, a warning sign of impending hormonal dysfunction which didn’t seek much attention. Five years down the lane, on evaluation for dyslipidemia, she was found to have hypothyroidism, hypocalcemia, low serum calcitriol levels. A detailed brain imaging studies showed partially emptysella with small remnant pituitary tissue and was started on treatment as a case of panhypopituitarism.

Review on Potential of Reproductive Technology to Improved Ruminant Production in Ethiopia

DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/10-8-02 Publication date: April 30 th 2020 INTRODUCTION Reproductive technology encompasses all current and anticipated uses of technology in human and animal reproduction, including assisted reproductive technology, contraception and others (Mapletoft and Hasler, 2005). Research into physiology and embryology has provided a basis for the development of technologies that increase productivity of farm animals through enhanced control of reproductive function. Animal Biotechnology represents an expanding collection of rapidly developing disciplines in science and information technologies. The livestock provides many opportunities to utilize these disciplines and evolving competencies. Individually, these are powerful tools capable of providing significant improvements in productivity. Combinations of these technologies coupled with information systems and data analysis will provide even more significant changes in the next decade. Various techniques have been developed and refined to obtain a large number of offspring from genetically superior animals or obtain offspring from infertile (or sub fertile) animals (Naqvi et al ., 2001; Blackburn, 2004). Based on the progress in scientific knowledge of endocrinology, reproductive physiology, cell biology and embryology during the last fifty years new bio techniques have been developed for and introduced into animal breeding and husbandry (Wrathall et al ., 2004). Among them are estrus synchronization/induction, artificial insemination, Multiple Ovulation Induction and Embryo Transfer (MOET), in vitro embryo production (IVP) and cloning by Nuclear Transfer (NT) all are components of the tool box for present and future applications (Betteridge, 2003). Techniques are now available to get genetically improved farm animals in large numbers. This involves collection of the fertilized egg from genetically superior female which ovulate spontaneously or are induced to super ovulate (Wolf et al . , 2000). The current efficiency for producing transgenic animals particularly farm animals, is low and the cost is high. Success in the production of transgenic farm animals requires an adequate animal facility and dedicated teams of embryologists, veterinarians, animal scientists and molecular biologists. Ethiopia has over 57.83 million indigenous cattle, and about 13.5million are breeder cows and 28.89 million sheep out of which about 14 Million are kept for breeder and 29.7 million goats out of this 12.6 million are kept for breeder (CSA, 2015/16). Average milk production from local cows is also low, estimated at 1.37 liters/cow per day (CSA, 2014). This result in a total annual milk production of 3.81 billion liters and about 50% of this goes to calves Per capita milk consumption is low and stands at 19 kg/year FAO (2011). Therefore, Ethiopia needs to work hard on improving the work of productive and reproductive performance improvements of cattle through appropriate breeding and related activities (CSA, 2006). In spite, of the presence of large and diverse animal genetic resources, the productivity (meat and milk) of livestock remains low in many developing countries including Ethiopia for various reasons, such as inadequate nutrition, poor genetic potential, inadequate animal health services and other management related problems (Lobago, 2007). Cattle breeding are mostly uncontrolled in Ethiopia making genetic improvement difficult and an appropriate bull selection criteria have not yet been established applied and controlled which makes genetic improvement difficult (Webb,2003; Abraham ,2014). Given the considerable potential for smallholder income and employment generation from high-value dairy products, development of the dairy sector can contribute significantly to food security and nutrition of the country (Desalegn et al., 2009). On the other hand, artificial insemination (AI), the most commonly used and valuable biotechnology has been in operation in Ethiopia for over 30 years. Nevertheless, the efficiency and impact of the AI operation has not been well-documented (Engida, 2012). This paper is review status of reproductive technology to improved ruminant production in Ethiopia.

Induction of Multiple Ovulation In mares Following Multiple Treatment With Low Dose Buserelin

Induction of Multiple Ovulation In mares Following Multiple Treatment With Low Dose Buserelin

Embryo transfer in the mare was introduced 30 years ago.

Its application improves the reproduction rate, creates experimental models for the study of physiology and pathology of reproduction, while it promotes genetic improvement of the species. The method includes the following stages: 1) Selection of the donor and recipient mares. 2) Induction of multiple ovulation in the donor-mare. A reliable method that could be applied commercially has not been developed yet. 3) Synchronization of donor and recipient mares' estrus. Recipients are usually used during the breeding season, but can be used during anestrus or after surgical removal of their ovaries as well. Non-synchronized recipients may also be used after proper treatment. 4) Artificial insemination of the donor mare. 5) Collection, evaluation and washing of the embryo. Embryo is usually collected by non-surgical and rarely surgical methods. Embryo evaluation involves the assessment of its developmental stage in relation with the day of selection and its quality evaluation. Embryo washing is accomplished by its successive passage through three different dilutions of culture medium. 6) Embryo transfer in the uterus of the recipient mare. Surgical (midventral laparotomy, flank laporotomy, laparoscopic and transvaginal method) or nonsurgical (unguarded and guarded methods) transcervical methods are used.

Induction of multiple ovulation in rabbits using PMSG and hCG

In the present study, the feasibility of the effective use of a simplified method for multiple ovulation and for the collection of oocytes-zygotes-embryos (O-Z-E) was investigated. The relationship between the number and quality of O-Z-E and the color of the mucosa of the vulva was also studied. Thirty five New Zealand does and 5 California bucks were used. Does were given one dose of 20 IU/Kg BW of PMSG i.m. Artificial insemination (AI) and administration of a dose of 120 IU/animal of hCG i.v. were carried out 3 days later. Does were sacrificed 19h after AI and the O-Z-E were collected by flushing of the oviducts. 54,24% of the does presented multiple ovulation (Group A), 40,00% did not present the expected (< 10 corpora lutea) reaction (group B) and 5,71% presented no reaction at all to hormone administration. The mean values of O-Z-E collected was 18,53±10,77 in group A and 6,69±5,49 in group Β (P<0,05). However, the mean values of O-Z-E in each group were similar in does presenting different color of the mucosa of the vulva. The color of the mucosa of the vulva was not related to multiple ovulation rates in both groups. In group A, the highest (P<0,05) percentage of O-Z-E was collected from does presenting red color of the mucosa of the vulva (96,20%) and the lowest from does presenting purple color (66,08%). However, the color of the mucosa of the vulva did not affect the percentage of zygotes-embryos (Z-E) that were appropriate for use and ranged from 65,71 to 72,67%. In group B, the color of the mucosa of the vulva did not affect the percentage of O-Z-E, that ranged from 84,00 to 96,43%. However, the percentage of Z-E that were appropriate for further use (a Z-E) was significantly different (P<0,05) and ranged from 33,30% in does presenting rosy color to 84,38% in does presenting purple color of of the mucosa of the vulva. We conclude that, the results of this method are satisfactory and the color of the mucosa of the vulva may be used as a factor in the selection of donors.

The use of multiple ovulation, embryo cryopreservation and embryo transfer techniques to facilitate movement of genetic material between countries

The objective of the study was to evaluate the use multiple ovulation and embryo transfer techniques in an indigenous Greek dairy breed of sheep. We stimulated selected donor ewes of the Karagouniko breed to produce large numbers of embryos after the induction of multiple ovulations by gonadotropin treatment (superovulatory response). A total of 50 Greek Karagouniko ewes were synchronised into oestrus using progestagen pessaries and superovulated for embryo transfer using ovine FSH. Six days following laparoscopic insemination with fresh semen ewes were flushed surgically and embryos collected. Subsequently, the embryo recovery, along with embryo cryopreservation, embryo survival and quality were assessed. The Karagouniko donor ewes achieved a mean ovulation rate of 11.9 (SE. 0.89). The ova Recovery rate was 80,9% and 87,6% of the ova recovered being fertilised. A total of 327 (77,5%) of the viable embryos were assessed as being of sufficient quality for cryopreservation. The embryos ranged from late morulae to expanded blastocyst and were frozen via a 3-step process in 1.5 M ethylene glycol following repeated washing and trypsination. Cryopreserved embryos were frozen and then transported to Scotland, UK. There, embryos were thawed rapidly and re-hydrated via a 2 step sucrose/ethylene glycol gradient. A total of 92.4% of embryos frozen remained suitable for transfer semi-surgically into synchronized Scottish Blackface ewes. 183 embryos were transferred in total with a 66.1% survival rate. The survival rate of frozen thawed blastocysts(75%) was significantly greater than (P<0.01) that for morulae (48%). It was concluded that MOET could be successfully applied in Greek dairy breeds of sheep as a means for genetic improvement. Frozenembryos could be a successful medium for the transportation of ovine genetic material from and to Greece, however, most likely the choice of embryonic stage for cryopreservation is crucial.

Curent state and futyre of using the biotechnological methods of reproduction in sheeps breeding

The analysis of publication related to the usage of embryo transplantation method in breeding sheep had been conducted. It is proved that the theoretical basis of the method of embryo transplantation is the large number of germ cells in the ovaries of females, most of which during the usual method of reproduction does not participate in these processes, and the high probability of inheriting genetic characteristics of embryos after transplantation by recipient. On this basis, from females throughout her life we can get a few dozen of descendants. The main aspects of embryos transplantation technology is to development of new methods that will ensure obtaining of the greatest number of good-quality embryos with desirable genotypes, both by the induction of multiple ovulation and by cultivation of follicular oocytes outside the body. It has been defined, that its usage is limited by a number of factors that are not well studіed and many of them are contradictional, in particular unpredictable results of the multiple ovulation induction. The development of the method of predicting the results of polyovulation will significantly increase the efficiency of embryos transplantation and significantly reduce the cost of labor and financial resources. It has been shown, that one of the main factors of making transplantation more practical is to develop the methods of embryos cryopreservation. This will simplify the selection of recipients and donors by the sexual cycle, will further long distance transportation and will enable the transplantation in the planned breeding herds. The further of the method, along with modern advances of genetics, embryology, endocrinology, will in the near future lead to develop a comprehensive method for the accelerated creation in sheep breeding flocks of high performance animals.

Induction of multiple ovulation via modulation of angiotensin II receptors in in vitro ovarian follicle culture models.

In vitro culture of ovarian follicles is a promising bioengineering technique for retrieving fertilizable oocytes from preserved ovarian tissues of cancer survivors. However, current in vitro follicle culture techniques are labour-intensive and of low efficiency, as only single follicle culture (SFC) has been possible to date. The present study investigated the feasibility of multifollicular cluster culture (MFCC) system using angiotensin II receptor (ATII-Rc) analogues. Ovarian pre-antral follicles isolated from 2-week-old C57BL6 mice were cultured with ATII-Rc agonist or antagonist and their maturation outcomes were compared with control group. When single follicles were cultured, the ovulation and maturation rates were similar in all three groups. When three-follicle clusters were cultured, up to three follicles were ovulated in the ATII-Rc agonist group while none or one follicle ovulated in control or antagonist groups (p<0.0001). Significantly higher numbers of mature oocytes were obtained in the agonist group (three-follicle 28.2±4.9 vs. SFC 11.0±1.3, per 25 cultured droplets) (p<0.0001), and the development of each fertilized oocytes was comparable to those from SFC. It is therefore concluded that this novel MFCC system can significantly improve the efficiency of in vitro mature oocyte retrieval via ATII-Rc modulation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Efficacy of multiple ovulation induction by modulating angiotensin II receptor during in vitro maturation of murine ovarian follicle

Efficacy of multiple ovulation induction by modulating angiotensin II receptor during in vitro maturation of murine ovarian follicle

Induction of multiple ovulations in mares using low doses of GnRH agonist Deslorelin Acetate at 48 hours after luteolysis

Univ Fed Rural Pernambuco, Dept Vet Med, Lab Biotecnol Aplicada Reprod Anim, BR-50010 Recife, PE, Brazil

249 AN EFFICIENT AND REPEATABLE IN VITRO FERTILIZATION TECHNIQUE IN THE EQUINE FOR PRESERVATION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES

Most wild equids are currently endangered or threatened, as mentioned in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List, and several domestic horse breeds are at risk of extinction. Genome resource banking requires cryoconservation of semen, oocytes, and/or embryos. Embryo production in equids is limited in vivo because routine induction of multiple ovulation is still ineffective. Embryo production in vitro allows the production of several embryos per cycle that could easily be frozen because of their small size. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection has been widely adopted to generate horse embryos in vitro; however, intracytoplasmic sperm injection is time-consuming and requires expensive equipment and expertise in micromanipulation. Several attempts to establish an efficient IVF technique in the equine were performed, but reported IVF rates remain quite low and no repeatable equine IVF technique was available. Our objective was to develop an efficient and repeatable IVF technique in the equine. Immature cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were collected either from slaughtered mares in a local slaughterhouse or from our experimental mares by ovum pick up (OPU). The COC were cultured for 26 h in an in vitro maturation (IVM) medium or in preovulatory follicular fluid (FF) collected by OPU, pre-incubated for 30 min in oviducal fluid collected from slaughtered females, co-incubated for 18 h with fresh spermatozoa treated with procain, and cultured in SOF for 30 h. They were fixed and analysed either after 18 h IVF (experiment 1) or after 30 h in vitro development (experiment 2). In experiment 1, COC were collected from slaughtered mares and analysed after 18 h IVF. Zygotes with 2 pronuclei were observed. The IVF rate was similar for oocytes matured in IVM medium (22/33, 67%) or FF (24/42, 57%; chi-square test, P &gt; 0.05). In experiment 2, COC were collected from slaughtered mares and from experimental mares and analysed after 30 h of in vitro development. We observed zygotes with 2 highly decondensed pronuclei, pronuclei decondensation being the first step of embryo development. For oocytes collected from slaughtered mares, the percentage of zygotes was similar for oocytes matured in IVM medium (8/11, 73%) or FF (10/15, 67%). For oocytes collected by ovum pickup, the percentage was similar for IVM medium (3/5, 60%) or FF (6/8, 75%). We also observed some embryonic structures with several nuclei, but the quality of these embryos was poor. In conclusion, we have established an efficient IVM-IVF technique that allows the first step of embryo development. Because we obtained similar results for 4 years, we consider that this efficient technique is repeatable. Further experiments are in progress to improve the quality of the embryos.

The guidelines issued by the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine regarding the induction of ovulation with metformin in patients with the polycystic ovary syndrome potentially require reconsideration

In 2007, the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) issued guidelines in Thessaloniki regarding the use of metformin and clomiphene for the induction of ovulation in patients with anovulatory polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). According to these guidelines, the use of metformin should be limited to patients with impaired glucose tolerance and should be interrupted well before the administration of clomiphene, thus restricting the use of metformin to a minority of patients with PCOS. More recent data suggest that these guidelines potentially require reconsideration. Indeed, metformin appears to be useful in patients with PCOS who have a body mass index within the normal range and present with infertility due to anovulation. Moreover, the combination of metformin with clomiphene appears to be the best treatment choice in patients with PCOS who are resistant to clomiphene, i.e. it should precede the administration of gonadotropins. In addition, the administration of metformin reduces the incidence and severity of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome when given to patients with PCOS who undergo multiple ovulation induction for in vitro fertilization and have a high risk for this syndrome. However, it should be emphasized that more studies are needed to support the above arguments and, more importantly, to determine the factors that predict the success of ovulation induction.

Breeding or Assisted Reproduction? Relevance of the Horse Model Applied to the Conservation of Endangered Equids

Many wild equids are at present endangered in the wild. Concurrently, increased mechanization has pushed back the numbers of some old native horse breeds to levels that are no longer compatible with survival of the breed. Strong concerns arose in the last decade to preserve animal biodiversity, including that of rare horse breeds. Genome Resource Banking refers to the cryostorage of genetic material and is an approach for ex situ conservation, which should be applied in combination with in situ conservation programmes. In this review, we propose that, owing to the great reproductive similarity among the different members of the genus Equus, the domestic horse can be used to optimize cryopreservation and embryo production protocols for future application in wild equids. We will give this hypothesis a scientific underpinning by listing successful applications of epididymal sperm freezing, embryo freezing, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, oocyte vitrification and somatic cell nuclear transfer in domestic horses. Some ART fertilization methods may be performed with semen of very low quality or with oocytes obtained after the death of the mare.

Wild-Derived Inbred Mice No Longer ART-Resistant1

Wild-Derived Inbred Mice No Longer ART-Resistant1

Folliculogenesis, embryo parameters and post-transfer recipient pregnancy rate following equine follicle-stimulating hormone (eFSH) treatment in cycling donor mares

Induction of multiple ovulations, or superovulation, may potentially increase the efficiency of equine embryo transfer programs. Our objective was to investigate the effects of equine follicle-stimulating hormone (eFSH) treatment on the success rate of embryo transfer programs in mares. In the research facility of the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, we studied 12 donor mares and 37 recipient mares during the physiological breeding season. Donor mares were used in two consecutive oestrous cycles: the first served as the control cycle and in the second an eFSH regimen was applied (eFSH cycle). In the control cycle, mares were administered human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to induce ovulation when a follicle ≥35 mm in diameter was detected by transrectal ultrasonographic examination. In the second oestrous cycle, twice-daily eFSH treatment was initiated when a follicle ≥25 mm was detected and treatment ceased when a follicle ≥35 mm was present, at which time hCG was administered. All donor mares were artificially inseminated while in oestrus using fresh semen collected from a stallion of proven fertility. At 8 days post-ovulation, embryos were recovered transcervically and transferred individually to the uterus of a synchronised recipient mare. The eFSH treatment stimulated the ovary and resulted in greater numbers of ovulations and recovered embryos; however the recovered embryos tended to have a lower morphological grade than the control embryos, and the recipient pregnancy rate per transferred embryo was lower than anticipated. The numbers of recipient pregnancies and foals born that resulted from eFSH treatment were not different from the control.

323 EFFICIENCY OF CLOPROSTENOL-INDUCED LUTEOLYSIS IN SUPEROVULATED COWS

The induction of multiple ovulations is a key procedure for in vivo embryo production. Many corpora lutea (CL) are developed, resulting in abnormally high progesterone concentrations. Luteolysis induction by prostaglandin F2α and its analogues is well described in cows bearing one or few, but not multiple, CL, as occurs after superovulation. The objective of the first experiment was to compare the efficacy of a single prostaglandin F2α treatment on inducing luteolysis in embryo donors immediately after flushing (D7, N = 24) or 4 days later (D11, N = 22). Holstein cows were superovulated with 400 IU of FSH following standard procedures. Embryo flushing was performed 7 days after AI, and cows were randomly allocated into 2 groups to receive either a 0.5 mg of sodium cloprostenol IM treatment immediately after flushing (D7 group) or the same treatment 4 days later (D11 group). Occurrence of luteolysis was monitored by plasma progesterone concentrations (P4), measured by radioimmunoassay in blood samples taken at 4-h intervals. There was no difference in P4 before treatment between D7 and D11 groups (28.6 ± 5.2 v. 36.4 ± 7.4 ng mL–1, respectively; P &gt; 0.05). Although cloprostenol caused a remarkable decline in P4 48 h after treatment in both groups (1.8 ± 0.3 and 1.6 ± 0.4 ng mL–1 for D7 and D11 groups, respectively; P &lt; 0.05), P4 continued decreasing in D11 cows thereafter, remaining smaller than 1 ng mL–1 up to 196 h after treatment, whereas in D7 cows, there was no further reduction in P4. Luteolysis (P4 &lt;1 ng mL–1) was observed in all D11 cows, but failed in 11 of 20 (55%) D7 cows, in which P4 increased after the initial cloprostenol-induced decrease. The second experiment compared luteolysis in superovulated v. nonsuperovulated cows. Non-superovulated (control group, CG, N = 8) and superovulated cows (SOV, N = 6) received a single dose of sodium cloprostenol IM (0.5 mg) on day 11 after oestrus. Morphological and functional luteolysis were monitored daily by ovarian ultrasonography and P4 analysis; also, plasma LH was measured in blood samples taken every 20 min for 1 h, during 5 days. Individual CL size was smaller (1.8 ± 0.1 v. 3.5 ± 0.4 cm2) but total luteal tissue was greater (29.8 ± 7.0 v. 3.5 ± 0.4 cm2; P &lt; 0.05) in SOV than in CG. A considerable decrease in P4 occurred in both groups 24 h after treatment (from 51.1 ± 12.9 to 5.1 ± 0.9 ng mL–1 in SOV and from 5.9 ± 0.6 to 1.1 ± 0.1 ng mL–1 in CG); however, SOV cows did not reach P4 values similar to CG until 96 h after treatment (0.9 ± 0.3 v. 0.4 ± 0.2 ng mL–1, respectively; P &gt; 0.05). There was no difference in initial LH values between SOV and CG (1.5 ± 0.1 and 1.5 ± 0.1 ng mL–1; P &gt; 0.05), but the slower decrease in P4 in the SOV group prevented LH from increasing up to 96 h after luteolysis induction, whereas mean LH values increased (P &lt; 0.05) in CG after 24 h. In conclusion, luteolysis failure may occur when cloprostenol is given at the day of flushing (7 days after AI) in superovulated cows. In addition, luteolysis induction on day 11 after SOV is efficient, but the initial high progesterone concentration results in a slower rate of P4 decrease to basal levels. The authors acknowledge CNPq and FAPEMIG Project CVZ AQP 01654/09.

Variable Response to Hormonal Induction of Multiple Ovulation in Quail

Studies were conducted to induce multiple ovulation in Japanese quail. Laying quail were injected with 20I.U./quail of PMSG once a day for 5 successive days followed by a single treatment with 50μg/quail of oLH about 24hr after the last PMSG injection. The hens were decapitated 8 to 9hr later. Other quail received only oLH or vehicle 12hr before the predicted time of ovulation. All quail in the vehicle-injected control group ovulated at the expected time. The injection of oLH resulted in premature oviposition and ovulation. Within the PMSG-primed and oLH injected group, 10 out of 19 quail were induced to ovulate single or several follicles (ovulation rate, 53%), whereas 9 quail failed to ovulate. Daily egg laying during PMSG administration was without relationship with rate of multiple ovulation. Most of the PMSG-primed and oLH injected quail had heavier ovaries with many yellow follicles arranged in non-hierarchical way in contrast to ovaries of control and only oLH-treated birds. The results showed very variable responses of quail to oLH treatment in the PMSG-primed birds. Our method is not recommendable for common use because of inefficiency of egg collection after low rate of multiple ovulation which requires expense and labour.

Another two cases of ovarian tumours in women who had undergone multiple ovulation induction cycles

Many questions have been raised recently about the possible association between ovulation induction and ovarian cancer. In order to contribute to the limited literature on this important issue, two cases of ovarian cancer in women who had multiple ovulation induction are presented here. In the first case the patient had ovarian induction by clomiphene citrate while she already had an ovarian cyst. The cyst enlarged under induction. During laparoscopy, the cyst was removed. Histological examination showed a borderline and invasive sero-papillary cystadenoma. In the second case, the patient underwent ovulation induction and intrauterine insemination. During the first ultrasound in the beginning of the cycle, an ovarian cyst was discovered. Laparoscopy was performed and the cyst removed. Histological examination showed a borderline and invasive mucinous cystadenoma.