An experiment was conducted to determine whether exogenous estradiol-17beta (E2) could restore sexual behavior in castrated rams. The protocol consisted of three sequential 6-wk periods during which rams were studied while 1) intact, 2) bilaterally castrated, or 3) implanted s.c. with two 7.6-cm silastic implants each containing 309+/-16 mg of E2. Rams (classified as female-oriented [FOR, n = 7...

Cattle are noted carriers of the foodborne pathogen Salmonella enterica. The perceived need to decrease the potential human health risk posed by excretion of this pathogen has resulted in numerous studies examining the factors that influence Salmonella shedding in cattle. Fecal grab (FG) samples have been the predominant method used to identify cattle colonized or infected with Salmonella; howe...

Fecal culture for Escherichia coli O157:H7 was compared to rectoanal mucosal swab (RAMS) culture in dairy heifers over a 1-year period. RAMS enrichment culture was as sensitive as fecal culture using immunomagnetic separation (IMS) (P = 0.98, as determined by a chi-square test). RAMS culture is less costly than fecal IMS culture and can yield quantitative data.

In trial 1, Coastal bermudagrass pellets were fed for 63 d to 21 growing rams of Barbados Blackbelly (B), Dorset (D) and Blackbelly X Dorset (B X D) breeding to determine the effect of breed on voluntary intake (VI) and total gain. Initially, each breed group consisted of seven rams with mean weights of 18.6, 31.0 and 26.4 kg, respectively. At the end of the intake and growth phase, digestibili...

Testosterone-filled Silastic capsules were implanted into mature rams at the time of castration (wethers). After 6 weeks, a tonic pattern of FSH secretion was observed in rams, wethers and wethers implanted with testosterone. Castration caused serum concentrations of FSH to increase 4\p=n-\5-fold. Relatively low serum concentrations of testosterone (25\p=n-\50% of intact ram values) did not sig...

BACKGROUND Optical coherence tomography angiography is a novel imaging technique that allows dyeless in vivo visualization of the retinal and choroidal vasculature. The purpose of this study was to describe optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography findings in patients with retinal arterial macroaneurysms (RAMs). METHODS Three eyes of three patients with RAMs were retrospectively include...

BACKGROUND Contagious Epididymitis (CE) due to Brucella ovis (B. ovis) is a contagious disease that impairs rams' fertility due to epididymis, testicle and accessory sexual gland alterations. An increased incidence of CE has been observed in South Eastern France ("PACA" region) since the Rev.1 vaccination against B. melitensis has been stopped in 2008. The objective of this study was to evaluat...

Changes in profiles of serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone and in mating performance and ejaculate volume have been determined in Finnish Landrace (F inn)and Managra Synthetic (Line-M) rams during the ovine breeding season. In early August, mid-September, early November and mid-December four rams of each breed were bled by venipuncture from the ju...

OBJECTIVES We developed a radical multiple synovectomy (RaMS) procedure designed to reduce disease activity in refractory RA patients involving the excision of all inflamed synovial tissues. In this study we examined the long-term outcome of RaMS in terms of disease activity and articular destruction. METHODS Forty-two patients with refractory RA underwent RaMS and were followed up for an ave...

We are using the domestic ram as an experimental model to examine the role of aromatase in the development of sexual partner preferences. This interest has arisen because of the observation that as many as 8% of domestic rams are sexually attracted to other rams (male-oriented) in contrast to the majority of rams that are attracted to estrous ewes (female-oriented). Our findings demonstrate tha...