• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.287-295
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• 1983

Sprague Dawley pregnant rats were fed the hydrogenated coconut oil (P/S 0.02), corn-oil plus beef tallow (P/S 1.0), and corn-oil(P/S 4.0)diet during the 14 days of gestation and through lactation. At weaning, offsprings from each group were divided into two and corn- oil diet was switched to coconut and vice versa, while the other corresponding groups continud the same diet. Body, brain, and liver weights were measured on pups and the brains were analyzed for DNA and vitamin E. Serum and liver vitamin E levels were alse measured. Body weight of coconut group was significantly low throughout the 7 week period, but brain weight was significantly depressed before weaning. Liver weight showed similar pattern with the body weight. Serum vitamin levels increased before weaning, while tissue vitamin E increased after weaning. Serum vitamin E levels of switched groups were similar to that of P/S 1.0 group. Brain vitamin E levels per DNA of switched groups were also similar to that of P/S 1.0 group. And the effect of different dietary essential fatty acid levels on vitamin E in the brain during lactation found to be insignificant.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.242-248
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• 1985

Weanling female Sprague Dawley rats were fed diets containing 22mg pyridoxine HCI/kg diet(control diet) and 1.2mg pyridoxine HCI/kg diet(deficient diet). One deficient group and one control group were fed their diets throughout the period of growth, gestation and lactation. After the pups were born and weaned, the deficient group was divided into two groups. Therefore, one(DC) switched to control diet and the other continued the same deficient diet until 10 week-old. Analysis of chemical composition of fatty acid in the total brain lipid was conducted in the pups of 5, 10, 15, 21, 35, 50 days of age. Arachidonic acid content was significantly decreased in the deficient group at 5 days compared to the control, but at almost all ages, there were no significant differences in fatty acid contens among all the groups. The fatty acid compositions of the brain phospholipids were determined on pups at 1, 14, 21, 35, 70 days of age. The content of $C_{20}\;_{4}$ in the brain phosphatidylcholine birth and contents of $C_{22}\;_{4}$ and $C_{22}\;_{5}$ at birtd, and $C_{22}\;_{5}$ and $C_{22}\;_{6}$ at 14 days in the phosphatidylethanolamine were depressed in the deficient group. These changes were not consistent with ages. Therefore, it may reflect that the major part of the changes occuring in the pyridoxine depleted rats depends, not so much on the pyridoxine depletion itself, as on the age or development of the rats.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1495-1503
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• 2009

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary supplementation with BCAA (branched-chain amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine) on improving the growth of rats in a malnutritional IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Retardation) model, which was established by feeding restriction. In the experimental treatment, rats were fed purified diets supplemented with BCAA (mixed) during the whole gestation period, while arginine and alanine supplementation were set as the positive and negative control group, respectively. The results showed that, compared to the effect of alanine, BCAA reversed IUGR by increasing the fetus weights by 18.4% and placental weights by 18.0% while fetal numbers were statistically increased. Analysis of gene and protein expression revealed that BCAA treatment increased embryonic liver IGF-I expression; the uterus expressed higher levels of estrogen receptor-$\alpha$ (ER-$\alpha$) and progesterone receptor (PR), and the placenta expressed higher levels of IGF-II. Amino acid analysis of dam plasma revealed that BCAA supplementation effectively enhanced the plasma BCAA levels caused by the feed restriction. BCAA also enhanced the embryonic liver gluconeogenesis by augmenting the expression of two key enzymes, namely fructose-1,6-biphosphatase (FBP) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK). In conclusion, supplementation of BCAA increased litter size, embryonic weight and litter embryonic weight by improving the dam uterus and placental functions as well as increasing gluconeogenesis in the embryonic liver, which further provided energy to enhance the embryonic growth.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.785-792
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• 2003

This study is conducted to determine the effects of dietary source of $\omega$3 fatty acids on preneoplastic foci and the glutathione dependent enzymes in rat hepatocarcinogenesis initiated by diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed one of three diets containing 10% (w/w) fats fixed p/s = -1.0 and $\omega$6/$\omega$3 ratio = -0.4 or 4.0 ; fish oil-com oil blended (FC), com oil-beef tallow-fish oil blended (CF), com oil-beef tallow-perilla oil blended (CP), from gestation period. At 10 weeks, animals of experimental groups were injected intraperitoneally with DEN (200 mg/kg body weight) and two-thirds partial hepatectomy was carried out 3 weeks later and were sacrificed 8 weeks after DEN initiation. The area and number of glutathione S-transferase placenta (GST-P) positive foci were significantly decreased in rats fed diets containing fish oil (FC and CF) than those fed perilla oil diet (CP). Fish oil feeding significantly increased the activities of glutathione dependent enzymes. Rats fed diets containing fish oil (FC and CF) significantly increased the glutathione (GSH) content and the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione S-transferase (GST). Glutathione dependent enzymes had significantly negative correlation with GST-P positive foci. Glucose 6-phosphatase (G6Pase) was increased in rats feeding fish oil. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were not different among groups. Therefore, the preventive effect against hepatocarcinogenesis might be explained by induction of the glutathione dependent enzymes and G6Pase. (Korean J Nutrition 36(8): 785∼792, 2003)

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.1492-1497
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• 2005

The goal of the trial was to evaluate the effects of ractopamine (20 ppm in the ration) given pregnant sows during three different pregnancy stages (T1: 25 to 50 d; T2: 50 to 80 d; T3: 25 to 80 d of gestation, and T4: control-no ractopamine) on fetal muscle development (through counts of the number of fibers of the semitendinosus muscle), on the growth and carcass characteristics of the progeny. Forty eight weaned piglets (12 per treatment) were assessed for number of muscle fibers, while performance and carcass characteristics were evaluated on a separate 48 animals (12 per treatment) grown to 100 kg. Animals produced by sows treated from 25 to 50 d of pregnancy (T1) resulted in non-significant increase of 6.85% in the number of muscle fibers in the semitendinosus muscle when compared to animals from the control group. Performance results were significantly different (p<0.05), and animals produced by sows from the T1 group gained more weight during the growth I stage (25 to 50 kg) and during the total period (6 to 100 kg) (991 vs. 903 grams, and 844 vs. 772 grams, respectively) when compared to controls. For carcass characteristics, results showed that animals produced by the T1 group of sows were heavier at slaughter (p<0.05) when compared to the controls (T4) (100.17 vs. 93.09 kg). There was a positive correlation between number of muscle fibers and bodyweights, carcass weights, Longissimus dorsi muscle depth and dressing out (0.80, 0.86, 0.67, and 0.50, respectively). Sows treated with ractopamine between 25 to 50 d of pregnancy produced piglets that performed better and had superior carcass characteristics than those produced by untreated sows. The ractopamine used for pregnancy sows (25 to 50 d) can be indicated as a device to increase the progeny performance.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.139-143
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• 2014

Different with other fishes, the guppies (Poecilia reticulata) is ovoviviparity, which retain their fertilized eggs within the follicle throughout gestation. The synchronously growing diplotene oocytes store nutrients in droplets and yolk, before their maturation and fertilization. The lecithotrophic strategy of development entails the provisioning of embryos with resources from the maternal yolk deposit rather than from a placenta, it allows the extracorporeal culture of guppy embryo. Studies on their early development of live bearers like the guppy including lineage tracing and genetic manipulations, have been limited. Therefore, to optimize conditions of embryo in vitro culture, explanted embryos from pregnant females were incubated in embryo medium (L-15 medium, supplemented with 5, 10, 15, 20% fetal bovine serum, respectively). We investigated whether the contents of FBS in vitro culture medium impact the development of embryos, and whether they would hatch in vitro. Our study found that in 5% of FBS of the medium, although embryos developed significantly slower in vitro than in the ovary, it was impossible to exactly quantify the developmental delay in culture, due to the obvious spread in developmental stage within each batch of eggs, and embryos can only be maintained until the early-eyed. And although in culture with 20% FBS the embryos can sustain rapid development of early stage, but cannot be cultured for the entire period of their embryonic development and ultimately died. In the medium with 10% and 15% FBS, the embryos seems well developed, even some can continue to grow after follicle ruptures until it can be fed. We also observed that embryonic in these two culture conditions were significantly different in development speed, in 15% it is faster than 10%. But 10% FBS appears to be more optimizing condition than 15% one on development process of embryos and survival rate to larvae stage.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.137-150
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• 2008

Sexually mature male and female rats were orally intubated with the organophosphorus insecticide, Pestban at a daily dosage of 7.45 or 3.72 mg/kg bwt, equivalent to 1/20 and 1/40 $LD_{50}$, respectively. Male rats were exposed for 70 days, while the female rats were exposed for 14 days, premating, during mating and throughout the whole length of gestation and lactation periods till weaning. The results showed depressed acetylcholinesterase(AChE) activity in the brain of parents, fetuses and their placentae in a dose-dependent manner. The fertility was significantly reduced with increasing the dose in both treated groups, with more pronounced suppressive effects in the male treated group. The number of implantation sites and viable fetuses were significantly reduced in pregnant females of both treated groups. However, the number of resorptions, dead fetuses, and pre-and postimplantation losses were significantly increased. The incidence of resorptions was more pronounced in treated female compared to male group and was dose dependant. The behavioral responses as well as fetal survival and viability indices were altered in both treated groups during the lactation period. The incidence of these effects was more pronounced in the treated female group and occurred in a dose-related manner. The recorded morphological, visceral, and skeletal anomalies were significantly increased with increasing the dose in fetuses of both treated groups, with more pronounced effects on fetuses of treated females. In conclusion, the exposure of adult male and female rats to Pestban would cause adverse effects on fertility and reproduction.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.348-351
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• 2012

A vaginal speculum examination of a 17-month-old Holstein heifer with a history of repeated artificial insemination (AI) failures via the cranial vagina revealed the presence of an intact hymen (imperforate hymen) beyond the external urethral orifice, which resembled the vaginal wall. An ultrasonographic examination detected hypoechoic fluid within the vaginal cavity between the intact hymen and the cervix, indicating the presence of hydrocolpos. After sedation and epidural anesthesia, the intact hymen was incised using a scalpel and scissors and removed, while the incised portions were sutured using a simple interrupted method. The heifer became pregnant after three consecutive estruses with the intervals of approximately 20 days and concomitant AIs. The heifer gave birth to a healthy male calf with no complications after a 291-day gestation period. This case reports the presence of an imperforate hymen with hydrocolpos in a Holstein heifer, followed by successful insemination, conception and delivery after removal of the imperforate hymen.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.333-339
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• 1991

Eighty-two ewes of Balochi breed, two to four years of age were used in a completely randomized design to study the effect of winter supplementation on their performance in Kalat area of Balochistan and randomly divided into two groups of 40 and 42 animals. Two treatments (T1 and T2) studied were : 250 gm/animal/day of a 50 : 50 mixture of cottonseed cake and barley grain fed from Oct. 20 to Dec. 18, 1988 plus grazing and 500 gm/animal/day of the same feed mixture fed from Oct. 9 to Dec. 18, 1988 in addition to grazing. Lucerne hay and wheat straw in a 50 : 50 ratio were provided to all the ewes for a period of one month from Jan. 6, 1989 @ 320 gm/animal/day to sustain them in severe winter. Same feeding levels to the same ewe groups were again fed from Mar. 1 to May 27, 1989. Three breeding rams stayed with the flock from Nov. 1 to Dec. 13, 1988. Lambing took place from Apr. 2 to May 12, 1989. Conception, lambing and mortality percentage was found different (P<.05) between T1 and T2 (12.5 vs 14.8 kg). The ewes on T2 maintained higher body weights throughout winter than the ewes on T1. The results are suggestive of improvement in conception rate with winter supplementation (flushing) and decrease in ewe mortality. Late-gestation and early-lactation supplemental feeding of ewes results in increases in weaning weights of their lambs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.486-495
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• 2012

Twenty four periparturient cows were used to determine the effects of DCAD on acid-base balance, plasma and urine mineral concentrations, health status, and subsequent lactation performance. Each group of 12 cows received either a diet containing -100 DCAD or +100 DCAD for 21 d prepartum. Both anionic and cationic groups were divided into two groups, one received a +200 DCAD and the other +400 DCAD diet for 60 d postpartum. Prepartum reduction of DCAD decreased DMI, urinary and blood pH, urinary concentrations of Na or K and increased plasma and urinary Ca, Mg, Cl and S. Also cows fed -100 DCAD diet consumed the most dry matter in the first 60 d after calving. Postpartum +400 DCAD increased milk fat and total solid percentages, urinary and blood pH and urinary Na and K concentrations, but urinary Ca, P, Cl and S contents decreased. Greater DMI, FCM yields were observed in cows fed a diet of +400 DCAD than +200 DCAD. No case of milk fever occurred for any diets but feeding with a negative DCAD diet reduced placenta expulsion time. In conclusion, feeding negative DCAD in late gestation period and high DCAD in early lactation improves performance and productivity of dairy cows.