Nicolae Tiberiu Constantin

In broiler breeder flocks, mating may cause traumatic skin lesions in hens, yet their biological significance remains insufficiently understood. This study aimed to investigate associations between mating-related lesions and physical and physiological status in broiler breeder hens, focusing on lesion severity and anatomical location. At 40 weeks, 39 hens were examined, including 29 with mating-related lesions and 10 lesion-free controls. Birds underwent clinical examination, body weight and plumage assessment, serum corticosterone measurement, and ultrasonographic evaluation of ovarian activity. Affected hens had lower body weight than controls, and 58.6% showed ovarian inactivity. Within affected hens, body weight was positively associated with plumage score and ovarian activity. Gross lesion severity was not consistently associated with body weight, plumage condition, or ovarian activity, whereas lesion location provided additional information on these indicators. Hens with cephalic lesions had lower body weight, poorer plumage condition, and lower ovarian activity than hens with trunk lesions, despite less severe lesions macroscopically. Serum corticosterone concentrations did not differ between groups or vary with lesion severity or location. These findings suggest that mating-related lesions may reflect more than superficial injury and that lesion location, particularly cephalic involvement, may provide useful information on the biological status of affected hens.

This study evaluated key reproductive and productive parameters of the Romanian buffalo reared under temperate-continental conditions. Data collected over a 30-year period (1990–2020) from 310 female buffaloes raised at the Şercaia Buffalo Research and Development Station (Brașov County, Romania) were analyzed. Only animals that completed their first gestation and calving within the herd and had complete lifetime records were included. Buffaloes were monitored longitudinally from first calving until the end of their productive life, regardless of the reason for exit. The evaluated traits included age at first calving, number of lactations, milk yield, milk fat content, and the effect of calf sex on milk production. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, group comparisons, and linear regression. Mean age at first calving was 51.6 ± 14.0 months, and females completed an average of 7.8 ± 3.0 lactations, indicating good reproductive longevity. Buffaloes calving male offspring produced significantly more milk per lactation (1272 ± 267 L) than those calving female offspring (1099 ± 244 L; p < 0.01). Milk fat content averaged approximately 7% and did not differ significantly between females giving birth to female offspring and those giving birth to male offspring (p > 0.05). Overall, the results indicate good productive stability and reproductive durability of the Romanian buffalo under semi-intensive management and confirm its adaptability to temperate environments.

Despite the widespread use of cryopreserved dog semen, reliable predictors of individual semen freezability are still not available. This study investigated the relationship between post-ejaculatory blood plasma concentrations of canine prostate-specific esterase (CPSE) and semen quality following cryopreservation. The CPSE levels were quantified using a canine-specific sandwich-type immunoassay, and sperm quality was evaluated in fresh and frozen–thawed samples using motility, kinematic, and morphological sperm parameters. Cryopreservation resulted in a significant decline in sperm motility and morphology, with marked variability in the magnitude of post-thaw changes among individuals. CPSE showed significant correlations with several morpho-functional parameters in both fresh and frozen–thawed sperm (p ≤ 0.05). However, its strongest predictive value for freezability was observed for total motility (p = 0.004), with a minimum threshold of 53 ng/mL identifying dogs showing a ≥20% post-thaw motility decline (AUC = 0.785, p = 0.010). These findings suggest that post-ejaculatory CPSE levels in blood plasma may reflect sperm cryoresilience and serve as a potential biomarker of canine sperm freezability.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition in intact male dogs, often progressing from subclinical to symptomatic stages with increasing clinical and structural impact. This study evaluated canine prostate-specific esterase (CPSE) as a biomarker for BPH progression, focusing on clinical severity, complexity, and ultrasonographic features. Seventy-one dogs were included: subclinical-BPH (n = 14), clinical-BPH (n = 26), BPH-prostatitis (n = 9), and controls (n = 22). CPSE levels, measured using a canine-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were significantly correlated with clinical severity (ρ = 0.800, p ≤ 0.001) and complexity (ρ = 0.818, p ≤ 0.001). CPSE predicted mild (OR = 1.260, B = 0.231, p ≤ 0.001) and moderate severity (OR = 1.300, B = 0.262, p ≤ 0.001), as well as low (OR = 1.225, B = 0.203, p ≤ 0.05), moderate (OR = 1.235, B = 0.211, p ≤ 0.01), and high (OR = 1.346, B = 0.297, p ≤ 0.001) clinical complexity. CPSE showed a trend toward predicting structural alterations (OR = 1.227, B = 0.204, p = 0.069) and was associated with larger stippled areas, increased prostatic volume, and larger cysts/abscesses (all p ≤ 0.001). CPSE appears to be a promising marker for BPH progression.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition in intact male dogs and a leading cause of subfertility. While surgical and chemical castration are effective treatments for BPH, managing this condition in breeding dogs is challenging due to the desire to preserve reproductive function. This study systematically reviews medical treatments for BPH that maintain breeding potential. Thus, a comprehensive literature search was conducted across four databases (CAB Direct, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science) to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024, following PRISMA guidelines. Specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and a risk of bias assessment was performed using a modified Cochrane tool. A total of 35 studies were included, evaluating therapies such as finasteride, osaterone acetate, tamoxifen, and others, with outcomes including prostate size, sperm quality, hormonal levels, and tissue morphology. Evidence suggests that osaterone acetate and finasteride are acceptable treatments for BPH in breeding dogs, in spite of a still debatable effect on some sperm characteristics. Therapies like tamoxifen and acyline should be excluded due to their detrimental effects on reproductive function. Further research is required for apparently promising approaches concerning tadalafil, anastrazole, mepartricin, and U. fissa.

Introduction: The increasing prevalence of infertility in male dogs in clinical practice mirrors current trends seen in human medicine. Acquired infertility is notably more common in dogs compared to congenital causes, with conditions such as testicular degeneration leading to irreversible loss of fertility. Current diagnostic methods for testicular degeneration, such as histopathological and cytological examinations, rely on testicular biopsy or fine needle aspiration, making them less feasible for routine use. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), produced by Sertoli cells, has emerged as a potential alternative biomarker for testicular health, which can be measured in serum. This study evaluates AMH as a potential marker for testicular degeneration, using cryptorchid dogs as models for impaired fertility and altered testicular histology.Methods: The relationship between serum AMH levels and AMH tissue expression with impaired spermatogenesis and altered histology was investigated. Serum AMH levels were determined in intact, cryptorchid, and castrated individuals using an immuno-enzymatic ELISA kit and compared between subgroups based on testicular location. Tissue AMH immuno-expression was differentially quantified in two regions of interest (ROIs), the interstitial space and the seminiferous tubule, in both descended and retained gonads. Furthermore, testicles were analyzed using histomorphometric analysis in seminiferous tubules, while spermatogenesis was evaluated using the Johnsen score.Results: Serum AMH levels were positively correlated with AMH expression assessed in both interstitial space (ρ = 0.494, p ≤ 0.01) and seminiferous tubules (ρ = 0.610, p ≤ 0.001). Conversely, serum AMH levels showed a negative correlation with the seminiferous tubule area (ρ = −0.435, p ≤ 0.05). Smaller seminiferous tubule areas were linked to increased AMH reactivity in both seminiferous tubules (ρ = −0.774, p ≤ 0.001) and interstitial space (ρ = −0.725, p ≤ 0.001). Additionally, lower Johnsen scores were associated with higher serum AMH levels (ρ = −0.537, p ≤ 0.01) and elevated AMH expression in both seminiferous tubules (ρ = −0.756, p ≤ 0.001) and interstitial space (ρ = −0.679, p ≤ 0.001).Discussion: Our results suggest that higher serum levels and tissue expression of AMH are linked to smaller seminiferous tubules and poorer Johnsen scores, reflecting degenerative changes and Sertoli cell dysfunction in retained testicles. Given the similarities in the mechanisms that increase AMH levels in both cryptorchid and non-cryptorchid testicles affected by testicular degeneration, this study recommends using AMH as a marker for diagnosing testicular degeneration in dogs.

Progesterone (P4), a steroid hormone, is widely recognized for its vital function in maintaining pregnancy across various animal species. Its functions extend beyond pregnancy management, encompassing the determination of pregnancy, optimal reproductive timing, anticipation of parturition, scheduling of elective cesarean sections, and identification of conditions like growth hormone disorders, insulin-dependent diabetes, and infertility. Its versatility extends to involvement in bone marrow trophication, stress response assessment, and neuroprotection following traumatic brain injuries or fetal hypoxia. Although the aforementioned are mostly directed toward females, it is important to note that progesterone is also used clinically in males. Monitoring blood progesterone levels in animals is essential in both healthy and pathological states, as emphasized in this chapter.

This chapter covers welfare issues observed worldwide in dairy cattle farms and outlines as its main objective, welfare indicators, including animal as well as resource-based concerns. Appropriate microclimate conditions and some useful indicators that can be numerically evaluated are highlighted e.g., body hygiene score, gait score, and dairy cow pain scale. As in other species, the ultimate goal of welfare auditing in cows is to use integrative systems or protocols, including those most relevant to the aforementioned indicators, and in particular numerical integrative ones, allowing even for the comparison of different farm conditions or husbandry systems in terms of overall herd welfare. Future challenges for improving cows’ welfare are the expansion of publicly available databases resulting in different in-field assessments worldwide, the widespread use of environmental enrichment and smart farming technologies such as automated monitoring systems and virtual fencing, as well as refining the assessment protocols and using dedicated apps to make implementation faster.