Using pregnancy associated glycoproteins (PAG) for pregnancy detection at day 24 of gestation in beef cattle

The objective of this experiment was to determine if circulating concentrations of pregnancy associated glycoproteins (PAG) on day 24 of gestation can be utilized to diagnose pregnancy and embryo viability in beef cattle. Postpartum beef cows (n = 677) and heifers (n = 127) were exposed to a 7-day CO-Synch + CIDR estrus synchronization protocol followed by fixed-time AI (FTAI) on day 0. Blood samples were collected at day 24 after TAI to assess circulating concentrations of PAG utilizing an in-house ELISA. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed 30 and 100 days after FTAI via transrectal ultrasonography. Mean circulating PAG concentration at day 24 differed (P < 0.001) between animals diagnosed pregnant and non-pregnant at day 30 (1.69 ± 0.10 ng/mL vs 0.30 ng/mL ± 0.07 ng/mL; mean ± SEM; respectively). Pregnant heifers had increased PAG concentration at day 24 compared with pregnant cows (P < 0.01; 3.29 ± 0.36 ng/mL vs 1.39 ± 0.10 ng/mL, respectively). Based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, serum concentration of PAG at day 24 ≥ 0.33 ng/mL in cows and ≥0.54 ng/mL in heifers was 95% accurate at determining pregnancy status at day 30. Heifers that experienced late embryonic mortality between day 30 and 100 of gestation had decreased circulating concentrations of PAG on day 24 (2.02 ng/mL ± 0.73) compared with heifers that maintained an embryo until day 100 (3.69 ng/mL ± 0.39; P = 0.02). However, there was no difference in day 24 PAG concentration (P = 0.39) between cows that maintained or lost a pregnancy (1.31 ng/mL ± 0.25 vs 0.92 ng/ml ± 0.50). In summary, circulating PAG concentration on day 24 of gestation may be a useful marker for early pregnancy detection in beef cattle, and might be a potential marker for predicting embryonic loss.

125 Effect of Complexed Trace Minerals on Oocyte and Embryo Production

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the impact of trace mineral supplementation on reproductive performance in lactating beef cows. Thirty days before AI (Day –30), 68 postpartum cows were stratified by weight, body condition score, and parity before being equally and randomly assigned to either a treatment or a control group. Each group received a weekly mineral supplement allotment of 1.2 kg/week per cow-calf pair for 15 weeks. Cows in the treatment group received a mineral supplement that contained zinc, copper, and manganese amino acid complexes as well as cobalt glucoheptonate (Availa® Plus; Zinpro Corp., Eden Prairie, MN, USA), whereas cows assigned to the control group received a mineral supplement that contained the same concentrations of these trace minerals from inorganic sources. All cows were submitted to a 7-day CO-Synch + CIDR protocol on Day –10 and bred using fixed time AI on Day 0. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed via transrectal ultrasound on Day 28. Cows diagnosed as nonpregnant were then removed from the experiment. Pregnant cows were divided into 10 groups of 3 or 4 cows per group: 5 treatment groups (20 total cows) and 5 control groups (18 total cows). On Day 52 and 67, all pregnant cows were subjected to an ovum pick-up (OPU). Collected oocytes were evaluated before performing in vitro fertilization. Number of oocytes cleaving (dividing into more than one cell) and developing to blastocyst stage was recorded. Analysis of variance was conducted using PROC GLIMMIX (SAS 9.4; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA) to determine differences between treatment and control, and group was the experimental unit. Mineral consumption did not differ (P = 0.48) between treatments (average of 1.16 ± 0.065 v. 1.09 ± 0.065 kg/week per cow-calf pair, for treatment and control, respectively). Pregnancy per AI was numerically higher in mineral-supplemented cows versus controls (64.7% v. 52.9%, respectively; P = 0.33). Consumption of the complexed trace mineral supplement increased (P = 0.06) total oocyte yield (22.6 ± 1.44 mean ± SEM v. 16.4 ± 2.04 oocytes/group for treatment and control, respectively). Moreover, groups receiving the complexed trace minerals had more (P = 0.05) culturable oocytes (grades A through C) compared with control groups (15.9 ± 1.6 mean ± SEM v. 11.8 ± 1.01 oocytes/group, respectively). In addition, production of transferable embryos (grades 1 through 3) was greater (P = 0.04) for groups receiving complexed trace minerals than inorganic trace minerals (4.2 ± 0.64 mean ± SEM v. 2.6 ± 0.65 embryos/group, respectively). In summary, supplementing with zinc, manganese, and copper amino acid complexes plus cobalt glucoheptonate improved oocyte production and embryo development in pregnant beef cows when compared with cows supplemented with inorganic forms of these trace minerals.

Knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy among primary, secondary and tertiary level teachers

The attitudes toward people with epilepsy are influenced by the degree of knowledge of the condition. Teachers usually do not receive any formal instruction on epilepsy during their training. This study was done to access three hundred teachers' knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy by answering a questionnaire in order to quantify their knowledge, attitude and practice toward epilepsy. Almost all the teachers had heard about epilepsy yet could not demonstrate discrimination among the students. Some teachers still thought that epilepsy was contagious. A few others either objected to having epileptic children in their classes or did not think that an epileptic child could achieve higher studies. The knowledge about the clinical characteristics and initial procedures to attend a person during a seizure was unsatisfactory. We conclude that schools should offer some kind of knowledge or assistance in health services and physicians must ensure that these teachers have sufficient knowledge of epilepsy. Also general public education campaigns should be encouraged in this field.

Clinical and EEG analysis of mesial and lateral temporal lobe seizures

The analysis of the temporal lobe seizures through video-EEG systems shows that they often consist of a sequence of clinical and EEG features which may suggest the localization and the lateralization of the epileptogenic lobe. We analyzed clinical and EEG features of 50 temporal lobe seizures which were separated in group 1 with 25 patients (related to mesial temporal sclerosis) and group 2 with 25 patients (other neocortical temporal lesions). Among the auras, the epigastric type was the most frequent and predominated in group 1. There were differences between the two groups, considering dystonic and tonic posturing and versive head and eye movements. Dystonic posturing was always contralateral to the ictal onset and was considered the most useful lateralizing clinical feature. Ictal speech, spitting and blinking automatisms, prolonged disorientation for place and a greatest percentage of postictal language preservation occurred in right temporal seizures. Postictal aphasia and global disorientation predominated in left temporal seizures. EEG was important for lateralizing the epileptogenic lobe, specially considering rhythmic ictal activity and postictal findings.