Women’s views on anxiety in pregnancy and the use of anxiety instruments: a qualitative study

Objective: To explore women’s experience of anxiety in pregnancy and views on the use of anxiety instruments in antenatal care. Background: Anxiety in pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes, developmental and behavioural problems in infants and postnatal depression. Despite recommendations for routine psychological assessment in pregnancy the optimal methods to identify anxiety in pregnancy have not been confirmed. Methods: A qualitative study using two focus group discussions was undertaken. Focus group one included women in a community setting and focus group two included women in a hospital clinic setting who had received additional support for anxiety in pregnancy. Participants were women who had given birth within the past nine months and considered themselves to have been anxious during their pregnancy. Results: Three main themes were identified using template analysis: sources of support, administration of anxiety instruments and the use of instruments to prompt discussion. Women stated anxiety instruments could help them to identify their anxious feelings and prompt a discussion around those feelings. However they expressed concerns surrounding the administration of anxiety instruments and questioned how useful they would be in helping women access help and support. Conclusions: The introduction of anxiety instruments in antenatal care may present an opportunity to discuss women’s emotional health and anxieties. Providing women with sufficient time to discuss their anxious feelings, identified by such instruments, could facilitate access to additional support

Boar Seminal Microbiota in Relation to Sperm Quality under Tropical Environments

The present study was carried out to determine the seminal microbiota of boars and their correlation with sperm quality. A total of 17 ejaculates were collected from 17 Duroc boars and were classified according to sperm quality into two groups: low-quality (n = 8) and high-quality (n = 9). Each ejaculate was subjected to (i) semen evaluation, (ii) bacterial culture and MALDI-TOF identification, and (iii) 16S rRNA gene sequencing and bioinformatic analyses. No difference in the total bacterial count, alpha diversity, and beta diversity between the high-quality group and the low-quality group was detected (p > 0.05). While Globicatella sanguinis was negatively correlated with sperm quality (

Case Report. Diagnosis and treatment of equine ascending placentitis: compilation of 17 case reports

Placentitis (inflammation of the placenta) most commonly occurs during the last trimester of pregnancy, frequently due to bacterial entry via the vulva. The outcome of the pregnancy, i.e., prevention of abortion or the birth of a compromised foal, depends on when treatment is initiated, the appropriate medication, and surgical correction of the vulva to ensure an effective seal. In this study, during the period 2012–2024, 17 mares were referred to the clinic, presenting with signs of placentitis, most commonly premature udder activity and/or discharge from the vulva. All mares maintained the pregnancy after treatment, ultimately producing live foals that survived. The earliest cases involved mares with the most pronounced clinical signs; these mares received treatment with poor perfusion into the placenta and delivered septicaemic foals. The remaining foals born exhibited only minor clinical signs or appeared healthy. For later cases, treatment with drugs providing good uterine perfusion continued until foaling, including trimethoprim sulphate twice a day and acetylsalicylic acid, a COX-1 anti-inflammatory drug, administered twice a day until parturition, if necessary. In addition, for 16 mares, a vulvoplasty (Caslick’s operation) was performed, or was extended if the mare had already undergone surgery

Colloids: Applications in Sperm Preparation for Assisted Reproduction

Colloids have been used for several decades to prepare spermatozoa for assisted reproduction, initially for in vitro fertilization but, with the development of scaled‐up techniques, increasingly for artificial insemination and cryopreservation as well. The colloids usually consist of coated silica particles. Using colloid centrifugation, it is possible to select sperm subpopulations consisting of motile spermatozoa with intact membranes, stable DNA and normal morphology and to separate them from the rest of the ejaculate. This review explains why different protocols for colloid centrifugation are needed for different species, as well as species‐specific colloid formulations, to match the physical characteristics of the semen. The advantages and disadvantages of sperm preparation by this technique will be outlined. An emerging area of interest is the ability to separate spermatozoa from the bacteria that contaminate semen during collection. Thus, colloid centrifugation represents an alternative to using antibiotics in semen extenders. Since there is a worldwide movement to restrict the use of antibiotics, the possibility of physically removing the bacteria is of considerable interest. Moreover, it may be possible to use colloids to reduce viruses in semen. Transmission of viruses through semen is an emerging problem as more and more viruses are being identified that can potentially be spread in this manner

Nanotechnolgy in reproductive biotechnologies: colloid centrifguation for the diagnosis and treatment of fertility in animals

Nanotechnology is employed in sperm preparation for assisted reproduction in animals, in the form of colloid centrifugation using coated-silica nanoparticles. The sperm sample is layered on top of the colloid; robust spermatozoa pass through the colloid whereas less robust spermatozoa are retained the colloid/semen interface or within the colloid layer. This method appears to be one of the most suitable sperm preparation techniques for animal semen since it is possible to process large volumes of semen without losing too many spermatozoa, producing highly fertile samples. Robust spermatozoa, with good motility, intact membranes, an unreacted acrosome, and intact chromatin, can be separated from the rest of the ejaculate, thus enhancing fertility when used in reproductive biotechnologies. These spermatozoa tend to produce less hydrogen peroxide than unselected samples, thus enhancing their quality and extending their shelf-life in storage. Furthermore, sperm cryopreservation is enhanced by selection prior to freezing. Sperm samples for artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection can be prepared with this method. The method can also be used therapeutically, as an indicator of fertility, to treat fertility issues and for conservation breeding. Furthermore, spermatozoa can be separated from viruses and bacteria in the ejaculate, thus improving biosecurity and potentially reducing the use of antibiotics. The latter can contribute to slowing the development of antimicrobial resistance

Animal Welfare Assessment Protocols for Bulls in Artificial Insemination Centers: Requirements, Principles, and Criteria

During the last 70 years, the bull semen industry has been trying to maximize reproduction efficiency to meet demands. Changes in public attitudes towards the conditions under which domestic animals are kept have led to questions being raised about animal husbandry and its impact on animal welfare. Protocols for bull welfare assessment in artificial insemination centers and how welfare disturbances can reflect on bull productivity have not previously been taken into consideration. Welfare is important for the bull industry because, apart from the known consequences of stress on reproductive parameters and performance, stress can also influence the onset of puberty and cause other health problems. Therefore, it would be useful to have an early indicator of an incipient welfare problem so that countermeasures could be taken in time to prevent such long-term effects on the animals. Different protocols have been developed for specific animal species and production groups/systems based on their biology, husbandry, management, and breeding, and care guidelines formulated. Different housing conditions, poor feeding during rearing and production, as well as poor health status have all been shown to affect bulls negatively and are reflected in sperm quality and animal fertility.Animal welfare is a complex subject; as such, it requires a multidimensional approach with the main aim of providing the animals with the "five freedoms". The violations of any one of these freedoms could have an influence on animal wellbeing on different levels. Over the years, many welfare quality protocols were developed in the EU thanks to the Welfare Quality((R)) project. Unfortunately, there is a lack of such summarized information about bull welfare assessment in artificial insemination stations or about how disturbed welfare can be reflected in their productivity. Animal reproduction is the basis for the production of meat and milk; therefore, factors contributing to reduced fertility in bulls are not only indicators of animal welfare but also have implications for human health and the environment. Optimizing the reproductive efficiency of bulls at an early age can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this review, welfare quality assessment will be evaluated for these production animals using reproduction efficiency as a key area, focusing on stress as a main effect of poor animal welfare and, thereby, reduced fertility. We will address various welfare aspects and possible changes in resources or management to improve outcomes

Testicular length as an indicator of the onset of sperm production in alpacas under Swedish conditions

Background: The popularity of alpacas (Vicugna pacos) is increasing in Sweden as well as in other countries; however, knowledge about optimal management practices under Swedish conditions is still limited. The wide age range reported when the onset of puberty can occur, between 1 and 3years of age, makes management decisions difficult and may be influenced by the conditions under which the alpacas are kept. The aim of this study was to find out when Swedish alpacas can be expected to start producing sperm, by using testicular length and body condition score as a more precise indirect indicator than age. Results: This study suggests that animals with a testicular length ≥3.8cm would be producing sperm; however, if it is crucial to know that there is no sperm production for management purposes, the threshold level for testicular length used to differentiate between sperm-producing and non-sperm producing animals should be ≤1.6cm instead. If only one variable is considered, testicular length appears to better than age alone to predict sperm production. Body condition score together with testicular length explains the individual onset of puberty and better guide management recommendations. Conclusions: Using a combination of these parameters (testicular length, body condition score and age) as a tool for decision making for alpaca husbandry under Swedish conditions is suggested

Effect of centrifugation of stallion semen through a low density colloid prior to freezing on sperm cryosurvival

Sperm quality is adversely affected by cryopreservation due to the increased production of reactive oxygen species, which affects the integrity of sperm membranes, motility, and DNA fragmentation. Three methods for removing seminal plasma, washing (centrifuging extended semen at 800× g for 10 min) and Single Layer Centrifugation with high or low density Equicoll, were used to prepare 29 ejaculates from ten stallions for freezing. Sperm quality parameters (kinematics, plasma membrane integrity, superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production, mitochondrial membrane potential, and DNA fragmentation) were evaluated before and after freezing using kinematic and flow cytometric analysis. The parameters for fresh samples were within the normal range for stallion semen but were lower after thawing. There were few differences between the three preparation methods. Interestingly, DNA fragmentation was affected most by the sperm preparation method, being lowest for SLC through high density Equicoll, although SLC through low density Equicoll was effective for some stallions. Some differences were observed in the proportions of live or dead spermatozoa positive for hydrogen peroxide. In conclusion, all of these methods would be suitable for the preparation of semen prior to cryopreservation, but Single Layer Centrifugation through high density Equicoll was the most effective in removing spermatozoa with damaged DNA