Regulation by gonadal steroids of estrogen and progesterone receptors along the reproductive tract in female lambs.

The regulation of estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER, PR) expression by estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) in the oviduct, uterus and cervix of female lambs was studied. The animals received three intramuscular injections of E2, P4 or vehicle with an interval of 24 h and they were slaugthered 24 h after the third injection. Determinations of ER and PR were performed by binding assays and mRNAs of ER alpha and PR by solution hybridization. High levels of ER and PR in both cervix and oviduct were found in the female lamb, differing from other mammalian species. No significant effects by either E2 or P4 treatment on ER and PR levels in the cervix and oviduct could be observed. E2 treatment increased the mRNA levels of ERa and PR more than 3-fold in the cervix, while P4 treatment increased the mRNA levels of ERa and PR in the uterus. The results show differential effects of gonadal steroids on sex steroid receptor expression along the reproductive tract in female lambs, suggesting that steroid target tissues can modulate responses to the same circulating levels of steroid hormones.     

Epizootiological examination of a respiratory disease associated with mycoplasma infection in horse

The authors examined 585 samples from 92 mares of 2 studs and 346 nasal swabs taken from their foals for the presence of mycoplasmas. The positive rates of mares and foals were 81.5% and 71.7%, respectively, with positivity of samples being variable. Clinical symptoms developed in 2-4 waves and lasted 3-7 days, with intervals of 7-12 days. The disease started in April among foals born in February, at an average age of 88 days. Later on, the average age of the affected foals decreased. There was a correlation between presence of mycoplasmas in nasal cavity and disease of foals.     

CO2-stunning of swine for slaughter from the anesthesiological viewpoint

For investigations of CO2-stunning of feeder- and slaughter-pigs parameters of behaviour, blood-gas-analyses and electroencephalograms were chosen. The following results were obtained: 1. Blood-gas-analyses proved that the CO2-stunning does not produce unconsciousness due to a lack of oxygen. 2. The criterias of general anaesthesia: unconsciousness, muscle-relaxation and analgesia with total reversibility could be confirmed. 3. The violent convulsive symptoms were evaluated as reactions identical with the stage II of GUEDEL's scheme of anaesthesia. 4. Muscular agitation, which sometimes appeared a few seconds before the stage of excitation, was judged to belong either to the start of the excitation phase or to the end of Guedel's stage of analgesia, during which the sensitivity is decreased. Neither study of behavior nor objective measurements showed, during the first 10 to 20 seconds of exposure to the CO2, any sign of pain or suffering related to the Act for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and accordingly such suffering should not be ascribed to the CO2 stunning method.