The objective of the experiment was to determine the effects of fat supplementation on cyclicity, progesterone concentration, follicular development, conception rate, embryo mortality, and plasma concentrations of prostalglandin F metabolite (PGFM) in cattle. The hypothesis of this experiment was that feeding flaxseed, which is a source rich in C18:3, would increase conception rate of dairy cow...

In female rats, food intake is reduced during the period in the estrous cycle when the rat is sexually receptive and ovulation is imminent (Wade and Gray, 1979). By contrast, food intake is increased during lactation in the postpartum period (Linden et al, 1990) and sexual behaviour and ovulation are inhibited (Sodersten et al, 1983). There are several examples demonstrating that the neuroendoc...

Lactation in the rat is characterized by the suppression of pulsatile LH secretion, a large increase in food intake, and changes in energy balance due to the metabolic drain of milk production. The change in energy balance may be a major component in altering reproductive function. A number of factors may contribute to changing energy balance of a lactating animal; one is leptin, the product of...

In surrogate pregnancies genetic parents have little opportunity for early bonding with their infants either prenatally (in utero) or during the immediate postnatal period. Procedures commonly used to induce lactation include both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic methods often in combination. Studies reporting induced lactation are sparse due to the rarity of augmented lactation. Here we repo...

The aim of the present study was to compare the occurrence and duration of clinical mastitis in different seasons, stages of lactation period and parities in a Holstein dairy farm in Iran. A retrospective epidemiological survey from April 2005 to March 2008 was conducted on 884 clinical mastitis cases of 7437 lactations. Data of each case including calendar-date of mastitis onset, days in milk ...

Environmental influences on lactation efficiency are frequently associated with reductions in milk output. Heat stress, for example, leads to depressed feed intake and, subsequently, losses in production. Conversely, cold stress may limit nutrients available for milk synthesis. Fortunately, one environmental factor, photoperiod, can exert a positive effect on dairy performance when managed prop...

Human milk contains an unexpected abundance and diversity of complex oligosaccharides apparently indigestible by the developing infant and instead targeted to its cognate gastrointestinal microbiota. Recent advances in mass spectrometry-based tools have provided a view of the oligosaccharide structures produced in milk across stages of lactation and among human mothers. One postulated function ...

BACKGROUND Medications used to augment lactation increase prolactin secretion but can have intolerable side effects. We examined the biological activity of recombinant human prolactin (r-hPRL) as preliminary data for its use to augment lactation. METHODS Healthy, non-postpartum women (n = 21) with regular menstrual cycles underwent a seven day randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled tria...