Superfoetation following artificial insemination in a ewe (author's transl)

A case of superfoetation following artifical insemination in a ewe is reported. Estimation of the age of the lambs was based on the maturity of the liver, lung, kidney, brown adipose tissue and skin, showing a difference in gestational age of approximately thirty-six days. The possibility of spontaneous superfoetation as well as that of a second fertilization after artificial insemination is discussed.     

An allergic reaction following intrauterine insemination

Intrauterine insemination is a common procedure used for the treatment of different causes of infertility. Adverse reactions associated with this procedure are very rare and usually the procedure is well tolerated by the patient. We report a case of an allergic reaction after intrauterine insemination. The patient developed fever, difficulty breathing and wheezing in both lung fields. Although a low concentration of penicillin in the medium was used, it caused a significant allergic reaction. When intrauterine insemination was performed in subsequent cycles with an antibiotic-free medium, no allergic reaction occurred, and the procedure was well tolerated by the patient. A careful allergy history is essential in patients pursuing infertility treatment where antibiotics are utilized. Patients who are known to be allergic to penicillin should have semen prepared by an antibiotic-free medium.     

Multi-level modelling of conception in artificial insemination by donor

Data on insemination with donor's sperm have a crossed hierarchical structure due to the coexistence of female factors (ovulatory cycles within pregnancy attempt within women) and male factors (inseminations within donations within donors). A crossed random multi-level logistic model, taking account of this structure, permits an improved estimation of the fixed effects and provides insights into their influence at each level in the hierarchy. We present an efficient algorithm for fitting such models using alternating EM steps. We further discuss the inclusion of compositional covariates to determine what information the quality of a donation conveys regarding the donor basal fecundability and on the specific sperm donation.     

Importance of oviduct relaxation in artificial insemination of turkeys

This experiment was designed to determine whether or not relaxation of the turkey oviduct prior to the release of the semen was necessary for optimal fertilization to occur with artificial insemination. A total of 96 large type turkey caged laying hens were inseminated with 0.025 ml. of pooled semen near the area of the uterovaginal junction while the oviduct was still everted or after pressure on the hen was released and the oviduct returned to its non-everted position with the insemination tube in place. The difference in fertility of 9% between the non-everted (87.4%) and everted (78.5%) group was significant (P less than 0.01). The embryonic mortality of the non-everted group (10.6%) was significantly lower (P less than 0.01) than in the everted group (13.2%).     

Isolated retrograde amnesia following viral encephalitis

We describe a patient who presented with isolated retrograde amnesia of 2-year duration after recovery from viral encephalitis. The patient was a 29-year-old right-handed male dentist and was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of generalized convulsion. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed mononuclear pleocytosis. Neuroradiological examinations (X-ray CT, MRI and 123I-IMP SPECT) revealed no significant abnormality. Immunological method showed no specific increase of viral antibody titers. However, with a tentative diagnosis of viral encephalitis, administration of acyclovir was started. After 3 weeks he became comprehensive, and several kinds of neuropsychological tests were performed. His intelligence and immediate memory were normal, and his procedural memory of dentist was intact. On the other hand, he could not recall any information about events, both personal and public, occurred within 2 years before the onset of present illness. His autobiographical memory disorder was also demonstrated using a series of weekly comic. In isolated retrograde amnesia following viral encephalitis like this case, memory of relatively short time duration, acquired prior to the onset of present illness, tend to be disturbed.     

Polymicrobial sepsis following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Cholangitis with polymicrobial sepsis followed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in a patient without biliary tract obstruction. Inadequately disinfected endoscopy equipment was strongly implicated as the source of infection. Results with a new method of disinfection using gluteraldehyde are given.     

The effect of artificial insemination once versus twice per day

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of inseminating Jersey cows and heifers once per day or according to the a.m.-p.m. rule. A total of 337 artificial inseminations (AI) were completed by three technicians at the University of Tennessee Dairy Experiment Station at Lewisburg for 6 mo. Cows and heifers were inseminated at estrus using the a.m.-p.m. rule on even days of the month. On odd days of the month, AI were once daily between 0800 and 1200 h. Estrus detection was conducted two to three times daily. Pregnancy was confirmed by rectal palpation 60 to 80 d after AI. Herd DHIA averages were a 12.2-mo calving interval, 76 d to first AI, 83% observed estruses, and a 50% conception rate during the trial. Pregnancy data were analyzed with a model including treatment, AI, lactation number, parity, technician, and group. This study grouped cows and heifers according to when they were in estrus and inseminated (a.m.-a.m., a.m.-p.m., or p.m.-a.m.); means were 43.7, 57.9, and 59.0%, respectively. The a.m.-p.m. AI versus once per day AI yielded a pregnancy rate of 55.6% versus 51.3%. These results show no difference among Jersey cows or heifers that were inseminated artificially once daily in the a.m. However, those cows and heifers inseminated in the a.m. of first estrus detection had a lower pregnancy rate.     

Microencapsulation of bovine spermatozoa for use in artificial insemination: a review

A technique for microencapsulation of bovine spermatozoa has been developed with minimal spermatozoal injury and thus of potential use in artificial insemination. The polymers poly-l-lysine, polyvinylamine and protamine sulfate have proven best for membranes. Encapsulation has been successful with capsules ranging in size from 0.75 to 1.5 mm, and with sperm concentrations from 45 to 180 x 10(6) cells mL-1. Successful extenders include CUE, CAPROGEN, and egg yolk-citrate-glycerol (maximum 10% v/v egg yolk for normal capsular shape). Capsule fragility (ability to rupture under ageing and physical stress) is negatively related to membrane thickness which ranges from 1.92 to 5.32 microns (depending on the concentration of polymer used) and positively related to concentration of sperm encapsulated. Heterospermic studies have shown that encapsulated sperm are capable of fertilization in vivo, but are at a disadvantage to unencapsulated sperm when cows are inseminated at conventional times. Uterine retention of inseminates is favoured by capsules having a 'sticky' membrane. Using current procedures, preliminary homospermic fertility studies indicate that sperm encapsulated with poly-l-lysine or protamine sulfate may achieve normal fertility.     

Radiologic diagnosis of retrograde jejunogastric invagination following gastrectomy

Retrograde jejunogastric invagination is a rare late complication of operations on the stomach. Clinically signs and symptoms (colic-like upper abdominal pain, cyclindrical resistance and hematemesis) resemble that of high ileus. This complication, when wrongly interpreted or unknown, has a high mortality. One case following delivery shows the radiologic signs.     

Sexual repercussions of prostatic adenoma surgery for the man and his partner. Role of retrograde ejaculation

Very few patients complain of the sexual repercussions of surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia (one or two per year in a very active Parisian Urology department). However, when the patient presents such complaints, they are always dramatic and the patient is particularly critical of the surgeon who operated on him. In order to more clearly understand the importance of these exceptional complaints, associated with marked anxiety, the authors reviewed an IFOP survey concerning sexuality in the elderly: at the age when most prostatectomies are performed, orgasm is no longer considered to be essential. It is essential to always make sure that the patient has clearly understood the explanations given to him, which is particularly difficult in foreign patients. Prostatectomy is obviously an urological indication, but when it does not constitute an emergency, the urologist should defer the operation if his patient still has an active sex life (sexual intercourse once a week, for example).     

Successful intrauterine insemination of Eld's deer (Cervus eldi thamin) with frozen-thawed spermatozoa

This study tested the efficacy of assisted reproduction (synchronization of oestrus and intrauterine artificial insemination (AI)) in contributing to the captive propagation of an endangered species, the Eld's deer (Cervus eldi thamin). Semen was collected from males preselected on the basis of under-represented genotype. Motility of spermatozoa after thawing from ejaculates diluted with BF5F extender (8% glycerol), frozen on dry ice in 0.5 ml straws and stored in liquid nitrogen was 60-70%. Intravaginal progesterone-releasing devices (controlled internal drug release, CIDR-type G) were inserted into 20 adult Eld's deer hinds for 14 days. In all hinds, semen (7.5-10 x 10(6) motile spermatozoa per uterine horn) was deposited by laparoscopy performed 70 h after removal of the CIDR device. Ovarian activity, before and after AI, was monitored by analysing pregnanediol-3 alpha-glucuronide (PdG) concentrations in voided urine collected three to seven times per week. During the period of CIDR device insertion, urinary PdG profiles were equal to, or above, normal luteal phase concentrations in all hinds. Within 48 h of device withdrawal, PdG concentrations returned to baseline values in 17 of the 20 females, and the onset of behavioural oestrus occurred at this time in 12 hinds. On the basis of sustained increases in urinary PdG, 9 of the 20 hinds were diagnosed as pregnant by 90 days after AI, all of which delivered offspring after a mean gestation of 241.1 days (range, 235-245). Seven singletons (two females, five males) were born alive and survived, and one singleton and one set of twins were stillborn (three females).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Partial replacement of chicken semen by turkey semen in artificial insemination of chickens

Chicken semen undiluted, diluted with a diluent containing fructose and/or mixed with turkey semen was used to inseminate Leghorn hens. In two of three experiments there was an improvement in fertility from insemination by mixed semen as compared to semen diluted to the same extent with the diluent.     

Successful revascularization of mesenteric infarction following aortography

Two cases of bowel infarction following abdominal aortography are presented. In both patients, two of the three major arteries supplying the bowel were occluded before the study. The superior mesenteric artery in one and the inferior mesenteric artery in the other were the only arteries supplying the bowel and their lumens were reduced. After the aortogram, the residual lumen clotted, leading to bowel necrosis. Survival was made possible in these two cases by revascularizing the superior mesenteric artery and resecting the necrotic bowel.     

Health status and somatic and psychomotor development of children born after heterologous artificial insemination

Amniotic fluid of sickle cell disease patients past the thirty-seventh week of pregnancy contained 63.4%, 71.7%, and 48.6% less total lipids, total nonpolar lipids, and total phospholipids, respectively, as compared with amniotic fluid of normal patients. No remarkable variation in the composition of nonpolar lipids was noticed between the two groups. However, the phospholipid composition was significantly varied. For example, the percentage amounts of choline glycerophospholipids (lecithin) was low and the percentage amounts of other phospholipids was high in sickle cell pregnancy as compared with normal pregnancy. Furthermore, increased levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids and fluorescent lipid pigments were found in amniotic fluids of sickle cell patients.     

Sperm motility is a major determinant of pregnancy outcome following intrauterine insemination

The presence and the distribution of neuroendocrine cells in the gastrointestinal tract of adult wild boar were investigated. The endocrine cells have been identified by means of immunocytochemical techniques using antibodies against serotonin, gastrin, somatostatin, cholecystokinin (CCK), met-enkephalin (MET-ENK), gastric-inhibitory peptide (GIP) and glucagon. The number of positive cells for each antiserum in each region was evaluated. Results were compared with data present in the literature and obtained previously by us and other authors in swine and domestic mammals (Ceccarelli et al., 1985, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1995; Capella and Solcia, 1972; Domeneghini and Castaldo, 1981; Peranzi and Lehy, 1984; Krause et al., 1985).     

The effect of vitamin A and beta-carotene on the vitamin E status, ejaculation parameters and health of boar used for insemination

In this study consequences of vitamin A-supplementation to the vitamin E-status was investigated in the boar. Three groups of boars, each with 9 animals were fed over a period of seven month with 30000 I.E. Vit. A/kg concentrate (group A), 90 mg b-carotene + 1000 I.E. Vit. A/kg (group B) and 1000 I.E. Vit. A/kg (group C). Every boar was given 100 mg Vit. E/kg plus 50 ml soybean oil/kg to induce oxidative stress. After four month group C showed a higher amount of tocopherol in serum (p < 0.05). The amount of tocopherol in serum of the group B were exactly between group A and C. The amount of retinol in serum of the group C began to decrease after three month due to the high reserve capacity of the liver (p < 0.01). The retinyl ester in serum reflected the state of supply. 90 mg b-carotene led to an efficiency of 15000 I.E. Vit. A. The vitamin antagonism between Vit. A and Vit. E is not based on an antagonism of the intestinal resorption. There was no influence on the daily sperm production caused by different supplementations. The sperm quality was lowered in group C; the number of defective sperm increased (p < 0.001). The supplementation of soybean oil lead to an increase of the saturated fatty acids in the fatty acid pattern of the sperm cells. The increase of saturated fatty acids was the lowest in group C that showed the highest amount of tocopherol in serum.