Erratum to "Reproductive performance of early- and late-calving dairy cows artificially inseminated after ovulation synchronization and estrous resynchronization or artificially inseminated after observed estrus" (JDS Commun. 2:80-85).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3168/jdsc.2020-0035.].

Reproductive performance of early- and late-calving dairy cows artificially inseminated after ovulation synchronization and estrous resynchronization or artificially inseminated after observed estrus.

Within seasonal dairy systems, cows that calve late in the calving season are less likely to become pregnant and maintain a yearly calving interval. Very few studies have examined effective strategies for reproductive management of these late-calving cows. The objectives were to evaluate the reproductive performance of early- and late-calving dairy cows that were either inseminated after observed estrus (control) or enrolled in a timed AI and resynchronization protocol [progesterone (P4) Ovsynch Resynch)]. Early-calving cows calved during the first week of the calving season, whereas late-calving cows calved after 6 wk but were at least 10 d in milk at study commencement. Three dairy herds participated in the study with 391 cows total. Within each calving group, cows were randomly assigned to P4 Ovsynch Resynch or control (no treatment) in a 2 × 2 experimental design. Artificial insemination continued for 6 wk after mating start date (MSD) and was followed by 6 wk of natural service. The interval from MSD to AI was shorter (11.7 vs. 14.7 d) and the 3-wk pregnancy rate (49.5 vs. 21.2%) and the 6-wk pregnancy rate (60.8 vs. 42.4%) were greater in the early-calving compared with the late-calving control cows. By design, synchronized cows received timed AI on MSD and were not included in the statistical analysis of submission rate and interval from MSD to AI. The proportion of cows that received a second AI was not increased by the progesterone-based resynchronization strategy but was greater in early-calving compared with late-calving cows. The 12-wk pregnancy rate was greater (64.5 vs. 45.0%) in the early-calving synchronized cows compared with the late-calving synchronized cows. The interval from MSD to pregnancy was 6 and 12.6 d shorter for synchronized compared with control cows in the early- and late-calving groups, respectively. The results demonstrated reduced reproductive performance of late-calving cows compared with early-calving cows. Nonetheless, a major improvement to reproductive performance was achieved by targeting late-calving cows with a synchronization program, even when cows were only 20 to 50 DIM at first AI. Resynchronization of estrus with a progesterone device only, however, was not sufficient to increase the proportion of nonpregnant cows that received a second AI.

Ovarian function and the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in dairy cows with and without evidence of postpartum uterine disease.

Uterine disease early postpartum reduces fertility during the breeding period. One potential mechanism involves the reduced functional capacity of the uterus to support pregnancy. A second potential mechanism involves damage to ovarian follicles associated with systemic inflammation. We categorized lactating Holstein cows into healthy (n = 63) and diseased (n = 39) uterus groups based on the percentage of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in the uterine lumen during the second and third month postpartum and evaluated the functionality of their ovaries and their capacity to establish and maintain pregnancy. Cows were enrolled in a timed artificial insemination protocol (Presynch Ovsynch) so that the first artificial insemination was approximately 75 d postpartum. Ovarian follicles and corpora lutea were counted and measured using transrectal ultrasound, ovulatory responses were assessed, and luteal phase progesterone concentrations were measured. Pregnancy was detected on d 18, 20, 22, 25, 32, and 45 through chemical (d 18 to 25) or ultrasonographic methods (d 32 and 45). The percentage of cows ovulating during the Presynch period; the number, diameter, and ovulatory capacity of follicles during the Ovsynch period; and plasma progesterone concentrations following ovulation were similar for healthy and diseased cows. The initial period of pregnancy establishment (d 18 to 22) appeared to be unaffected by disease because a similar percentage of healthy and diseased cows were pregnant during this period. Embryonic loss occurred in both healthy and diseased cows after d 22. Based on a relatively small number of pregnancies (n = 30 healthy and n = 17 diseased), the cumulative embryonic loss after d 22 was greater in diseased compared with healthy cows. In short, uterine disease as defined in this study did not affect cyclicity, ovarian follicular growth, or plasma progesterone concentrations. Percentages of healthy and diseased cows that were pregnant were similar from d 18 to 22 after artificial insemination. Greater embryonic loss was observed after d 22 in diseased compared with healthy cows, but this observation was based on a small number of pregnancies and should be studied further in larger trials with greater statistical power.

Undiscovered Pulsar in the Local Bubble as an Explanation of the Local High Energy Cosmic Ray All-Electron Spectrum.

Cosmic ray electrons and positrons are tracers of particle propagation in the interstellar medium (ISM). A recent measurement performed using the High Energy Stereoscopic System extends the all-electron (electron+positron) spectrum up to 20 TeV, probing very local sources and transport due to the ∼10 kyr cooling time of these particles. An additional key local measurement was the recent estimation of the ISM diffusion coefficient around Geminga performed using the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory. The inferred diffusion coefficient is much lower than typically assumed values. It has been argued that if this diffusion coefficient is representative of the local ISM, pulsars would not be able to account for the all-electron spectrum measured at Earth. Here we show that a low diffusion coefficient in the local ISM is compatible with a pulsar wind nebula origin of the highest energy electrons, if a so-far-undiscovered pulsar with spin-down power ∼10^{33-34} erg/s exists within 30-80 pc of Earth. The existence of such a pulsar is broadly consistent with the known population and may be detected in near future survey observations.

Desenvolvimento do UMELISA-TSH neonatal para dosagem de TSH em sangue coletado em papel filtro / Development of the ultramicroelisa for determination of neonatal TSH from blood spots on filter paper

O hipotireoidismo congênito, causado pela ausência anatômica ou funcional da glândula tireóide, apresenta freqüência mundial de aproximadamente 1:4000 recém-nascidos. A principal implicação da doença, o retardo mental, somente pode ser evitada se o tratamento se iniciar nas primeiras semanas de vida. Por isso, o diagnóstico precoce constitui a chave de êxito no tratamento da enfermidade. O Umelisa – TSH neonatal é um ensaio heterogêneo imunoenziomático tipo sanduíche, cuja fase sólida são micropoços de 10mL em tiras/placas pré-sensibilizadas com anticorpos policlonais anticadeia Beta do TSH. As amostras de sangue são eluídas com um conjugado anti_TSH policlonal/fosfatase alcalina e transferidas para placas de reação. A reação é revelada com substrato fluorigênico e a intensidade da fluorescência emitida é proporcional à concentração de TSH presente na amostra. A leitura é realizada automaticamente por um leitor fluorímetro-fotômetro computadorizado. A curva padrão validada contra ao padrão 80 558 da OMS varia dentro de uma faixa de 10-200 µUI/L, com limite de detecção de 2 µUI/L. Posteriormente, a curva foi ajustada para medir valores a partir de 0,1 µUI/L. A avaliação analítica mostrou uma precisão intra e inter-ensaio no ponto de corte (25 µUI/L) de 6,2 e 7,4 por cento, respectivamente. A correlação entre o Umelisa – TSH neonatal e o Delfia neonatal TSH foi boa (r = 0,99), além de não ser detectadas interferências significativas com outros hormônios hipofisários e proteínas séricas. A recuperação do teste foi de 101,1 +/- 3,7 por cento. Na prova de paralelismo, as concentrações calculadas de 3 amostras, após a correção com o fator de diluição, foi de +/- 6,4 por cento da concentração original da amostra pura. O Umelisa- TSH neonatal mostrou-se um método rápido e sensível, podendo ser utilizado como uma opção para programas de rastreamento em massa, já que permite operar com grandes quantidades de amostras garantindo eficiência e custo compatível com a tabela de exames complementares do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS).