Carolynne Joone

The contraceptive efficacy of a self‐assembling intra‐uterine device in domestic mares

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 18-01-2021

DOI: 10.1111/AVJ.13055

Sustained‐release deslorelin acetate implants disrupt oestrous cyclicity in the mare

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 16-04-2023

DOI: 10.1111/AVJ.13244

Abstract: There is a need for a safe, effective and practical method of oestrus suppression in the mare. The aim of this study was to monitor ovarian activity in mares exposed to either 9.4 or 28.2 mg deslorelin acetate, a GnRH agonist, in the form of a sustained‐release implant. Following oestrus synchronisation, mares were randomly assigned to one of three groups ( n = 4 per group) and administered either one (Des1 group 9.4 mg) or three (Des3 group 28.2 mg) implants of deslorelin acetate (Suprelorin‐12, Virbac Australia) or one blank implant (Control group Virbac Australia). Mares underwent weekly blood s ling for 12 weeks following implant placement (Day 0–Day 84), with transrectal palpation and ultrasonography of the reproductive tract at all s ling timepoints except Days 56, 70 and 77. All mares showed baseline serum progesterone concentrations (SPC ≤1.3 nmol/L or 0.4 ng/ml) on Day 0. Cycling Control mares showed typical oestrous cyclicity characterised by peaks and troughs in SPC over time. Four of eight treated mares demonstrated a sustained elevation in SPC after the initial ovulation after implant placement SPC declined to baseline levels (Des1 group 2 mares) or remained elevated (Des3 group 2 mares) at the final s ling timepoint on Day 84. Oestrous cyclicity was erratic in three of the remaining four treated mares. In total, 87.5% (7 of 8) of treated mares showed atypical oestrous cyclicity after implant placement. These results suggest that deslorelin acetate disrupts oestrous cyclicity in the mare, which warrants further research.

Physical fitness of Latin America children and adolescents: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Publisher: BMJ

Date: 05-2021

DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2020-047122

Abstract: Physical fitness (PF) is an important indicator of health in children and adolescents. Internationally, test batteries have been used to assess overall PF. In Latin America, however, while PF has been widely measured, there is no accepted test battery, making it difficult to monitor and/or compare the PF levels of Latin children. The aim of this study, therefore, is to systematically review and potentially meta-analyse the peer-reviewed literature regarding the assessment of PF in Latin American children and adolescents. This systematic review and meta-analysis will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols statement. The systematic literature search will be performed in MEDLINE, Scopus, SciELO, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, LILACS and Latindex (Spanish) to locate articles published up to April 2021. Eligible studies will include both descriptive and analytic study designs. Meta-analyses are planned for sufficiently homogeneous PF outcomes with regard to statistical and methodological characteristics. Narrative syntheses are planned for PF outcomes that are considered to be too heterogeneous. The statistical program STATA V.15 will be used for meta-analyses, with subgroup analyses performed according to the characteristics of included studies. This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol is designed to provide updated evidence on the PF of Latin American children and adolescents. Findings from this review may be useful for teachers, researchers and other professionals responsible for paediatric fitness and health promotion/surveillance. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific publications, conferences, educational talks and infographics. CRD42020189892.

The first case of genetically confirmed monozygotic twinning in the dog

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 22-08-2016

DOI: 10.1111/RDA.12746

Abstract: Monozygotic twinning has not previously been genetically confirmed in the dog. This case report describes the finding of two viable male monozygotic foetuses within one placental site during caesarean section. Their umbilical cords attached to a single placenta. Genetic profiling using a total of 38 microsatellite markers, as well as amelogenin and SRY for sex determination, revealed identical DNA profiles, whether derived from blood or tissue (buccal swabs) s les. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of monozygotic twinning in the dog confirmed using DNA profiling.

The carrier prevalence of severe combined immunodeficiency, lavender foal syndrome and cerebellar abiotrophy in Arabian horses in South Africa

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 18-11-2013

DOI: 10.1111/EVJ.12177

Abstract: The carrier prevalence of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), lavender foal syndrome (LFS) and cerebellar abiotrophy (CA) in Arabian foals in South Africa was determined in order to quantify the potential impact of these conditions locally. Furthermore, the carrier prevalence of SCID prior to and following the introduction of a genetic test was compared to evaluate the effect of testing in the population. To estimate the carrier prevalence of SCID, LFS and CA in registered purebred Arabians born in South Africa in the 2004/5 and 2009/10 foaling seasons and compare the changes in prevalence in these disorders between the 2 groups of foals. Cross-sectional survey. S les were collected from in iduals randomly selected from 2 populations of purebred Arabian foals born during the 2004/5 and 2009/10 foaling seasons. Genetic testing for SCID, LFS and CA was performed on DNA extracts using specific polymerase chain reactions, with the products being analysed using fragment analysis on a genetic analyser. The carrier prevalence of LFS and CA for the 2009/10 season was 11.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.6-17.0%) and 5.1% (95% CI 2.5-9.1%), respectively, with no statistically significant change in prevalence between the 2004/5 and 2009/10 foaling seasons. However, the carrier prevalence of SCID was found to have decreased significantly from 6.4% (95% CI 4.8-8.3%) in the 2004/5 foals to 3.4% (95% CI 2.2-5.1%) in the 2009/10 foals (P = 0.009). The results of this study indicate that genetic screening of Arabian horses for SCID may have played a role in significantly reducing the carrier prevalence within the breeding population and thereby reducing the birth of clinically affected in iduals. This study provides an indication of the positive effect of genetic screening for specific conditions in horses.

Missense Mutation in the Ligand-Binding Domain of the Horse Androgen Receptor Gene in a Thoroughbred Family with Inherited 64,XY (SRY+) Disorder of Sex Development

Publisher: S. Karger AG

Date: 2016

DOI: 10.1159/000444991

Abstract: Disorders of sex development (DSD) have long been documented in domestic animal species including horses. However, there is only a single report of an androgen receptor i (AR) /i mutation causative of such a DSD syndrome in a horse pedigree. Here, we present a new familial i AR /i mutation in horses. A missense mutation (c.2042G C) at i AR /i exon 4 explains the segregation of the DSD in a Thoroughbred horse pedigree. The mutation, expected to affect the ligand-binding domain of the AR protein, led to complete androgen insensitivity of 64,XY SRY+, testicular DSD in iduals. Additionally, the design of a PCR-RFLP technique provided an accurate molecular test for the identification of horses carrying the mutation.

Use of serum progesterone and prostaglandin F_2α metabolite levels to predict onset of parturition in the bitch

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 07-03-2022

DOI: 10.1111/RDA.14104

Abstract: The prediction of time to onset of parturition in a preparturient bitch is of great clinical value, particularly for bitches at high risk of dystocia and those lacking relevant clinical data from the time of breeding. In a previous study, four cut‐offs for plasma progesterone levels, measured by radioimmunoassay, were shown to be useful for predicting the likelihood of a bitch entering stage one of parturition within defined time intervals. The first aim of the current study was to evaluate these cut‐offs in a clinical setting, using serum progesterone s les drawn from preparturient bitches 12‐hourly instead of 6‐hourly and assessed using chemiluminescence immunoassay. Furthermore, the use of 13,14‐dihydro‐15‐keto‐prostaglandin F 2α, (PGFM), a metabolite of prostaglandin F 2α , in predicting the time to onset of parturition was evaluated. Forty bitches carrying two or more foetuses were admitted to a specialist veterinary reproduction hospital 53 d after the onset of cytological dioestrus when that date was known, or 57 d after the last mating. Vaginal speculum examinations were performed every 6 hr until cervical dilatation was visualized (time of cervical dilatation TCD). Serum s les were collected at 08h00 and 18h00 daily until TCD. All bitches underwent elective caesarean section at TCD. Results of this study show that approximately 5% and 10% of preparturient bitches will reach TCD within 12 hr despite a serum progesterone level of at least 15.8 nmol/L and 8.7 nmol/L respectively. In addition, there is a 95% probability that a preparturient bitch will reach TCD within 48 hr if her serum progesterone level is below 8.7 nmol/L, and a 91% probability of her reaching TCD within 24 hr if her serum progesterone level is below 3.18 nmol/L. Approximately 90% of bitches that demonstrate a 20% increase in PGFM over a 12‐hr period are likely to be within 36 hr of TCD. These results provide useful benchmarks for the management of canine parturition.

Serum anti-Müllerian hormone dynamics in mares following immunocontraception with anti-zona pellucida or -GnRH vaccines

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.THERIOGENOLOGY.2017.10.004

Abstract: Circulating anti-Müllerian hormone concentration (AMH) is positively correlated to the number of small growing follicles in the mare and may reflect ovarian function. Dynamics of AMH during immunocontraception have not previously been investigated. This study aimed to compare serum AMH in mares following treatment with native porcine zona pellucida (pZP), recombinant pZP3 and pZP4 (reZP) or gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccines, and saline-treated controls. Stored sera collected during two previous studies examining ovarian activity in mares during zona pellucida (ZP) or GnRH immunocontraception were analysed for serum AMH. Data were compared among treatment groups using mixed-effects linear regression and one-way ANOVA with post hoc testing. Correlations between AMH and previously reported clinical variables were estimated using Spearman's rho. Mares immunized against GnRH showed variable but detectable AMH throughout successive breeding and non-breeding seasons that were not significantly different to unvaccinated control mares. Mares treated with pZP demonstrated marked, reversible suppression of AMH. Mares immunized using reZP showed an intermediate effect. In the ZP study, AMH was positively correlated to serum progesterone concentrations, mean ovarian volumes and antral follicle counts, whereas no correlations between AMH and serum progesterone concentrations, mean ovarian volumes, or the presence of one or more follicles ≥20 mm in diameter were detected in the GnRH study. In conclusion, marked suppression of AMH during pZP immunocontraception, but not during GnRH immunocontraception, suggested enhanced suppression of ovarian follicular development and, or follicular function during pZP immunocontraception. Serum AMH concentrations may provide a novel tool for the assessment of ovarian function during ZP-based immunocontraception.

Dizygotic monochorionic canine fetuses with blood chimaerism and suspected freemartinism

Publisher: CSIRO Publishing

Date: 2017

DOI: 10.1071/RD15174

Abstract: Two full-term canine fetuses were found to share a placenta during Caesarean section. The fetuses were of discordant gender, with apparently normal male and female external genitalia. Genetic analysis of whole-blood s les obtained from each fetus revealed identical DNA profiles, with more than two alleles detected at six loci. Subsequent genetic analysis of myocardial tissue s les revealed dissimilar DNA profiles, with at most two alleles detected per locus. Superimposition of the tissue-derived profiles matched that derived from the blood s les exactly, except for two loci failing to lify, and hence demonstrated blood chimaerism. Dissection of the abdomen of the male fetus revealed delayed descent of the testes towards the inguinal canals. Macroscopically, the gonads, uterus and vagina were not identifiable on dissection of the female fetus, although vestigial ovarian tissue and a vagina were detected microscopically. The hypoplastic internal reproductive tract of the female fetus was suggestive of freemartinism and is believed to be the first report of this condition in the canine.