Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of treating osmotic diarrhea and dehydration in calves with hypertonic saline solution (HSS) IV, isotonic electrolyte solution (IES) PO, and a combination of these 2 solutions (HSS + IES).Experimental Design: Eighteen male calves 8-30 days of age were used to evaluate the efficacy of 3 methods of fluid therapy after induction of osmotic diarrhea and dehydration. The diarrhea and dehydration were induced by administration of saccharose, spironolactone, and hydrochlorothiazide for 48 hours. The animals were randomly divided into 3 experimental groups: Group 1: 7.2% hypertonic saline solution-HSS (5 mL/kg IV); Group 2: oral isotonic electrolyte solution IES (60 mL/kg PO); or Group 3: HSS+IES. Clinical signs and laboratory finding observed 48 hours post-induction (Time 0) included diarrhea, dehydration, lethargy, and metabolic acidosis.Results: Calves treated with HSS + IES experienced decreases in hematocrit, total protein concentration, albumin concentration, urea nitrogen concentration, and plasma volume as well as increases in blood pH, blood bicarbonate concentration, and central venous pressure between 1 and 3 hours post-treatment. These findings also were observed in animals treated with IES, however, at a slower rate than in the HSS + IES-treated animals. Animals treated with HSS continued to display signs of dehydration, lethargy, and metabolic acidosis 24 hours post-treatment.Conclusion: Treatment with a combination of HSS and IES produced rapid and sustainable correction of hypovolemia and metabolic acidosis in calves with noninfections diarrhea and dehydration.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of fetal calf serum (FCS) on the quality of in vitro produced bovine embryos. Cumulus oocyte-complexes (COCs, n = 2 449) recovered by ovum pick-up from Bos taurus indicus donors were randomly assigned to experimental groups. Sperm selected by Percoll gradient was used for in vitro fertilization (insemination = Day 0). In Experiment 1 (n = 1 745 COCs), zygotes were cultured in vitro in Synthetic Oviduct Fluid + 4 mg/mL of bovine serum albumin (BSA), or BSA + 2% FCS (BSA+FCS). In Experiment 2 (n = 704 COCs), the COCs were cultured in SOF + BSA, BSA + 2% FCS, or BSA + 2% FCS on D4 (BSA + FCSD4). In Experiment 1, blastocyst yield (51%) and Quality I blastocysts (41%) at Day 7 were higher (P < 0.05) in the BSA + FCS treatment than in BSA (42 and 30%, respectively). In Experiment 2, blastocyst yield was higher (P < 0.05) in the BSA+FCS (47%) treatment. Quality I blastocyst yield was higher (P < 0.05) for BSA + FCS (34%) and BSA+FCSD4 (32%) compared to the BSA treatment (20%). A total of 820 embryos were transferred, with no significant differences among groups in pregnancy rates. In conclusion, in vitro culture in SOFaaci + BSA + FCS enhanced blastocyst yield and Quality I blastocysts; adding FCS to the culture medium increased the efficiency of IVP of bovine embryos.

In vitro embryo production (IVP) is an attractive technique because of the low-cost production of numerous bovine embryos, use in somatic cell and embryo cloning, production of transgenic cows, as well as for basic research. Protein in the culture media appeared to be one of the most significant limiting factors in the different steps of this technology. These protein sources are represented mostly by biological materials which provide nutrients and other poorly understood factors for the embryos. This study evaluated the possibility of using mare´s serum obtained at different stages during oestrus for bovine in vitro production. Complexes cumulus-oocytes (CCO) from slaughtered cows ovaries were matured in a controlled incubator (39ºC, 5%CO 2 , saturated humidity) for 22-24h in TCM-199 + HEPES + bLH + hFSHr + 10% mare serum collected at the 1 st day of oestrus (T1), 24-48h before ovulation (T2) and 24-48h after ovulation (T3) and a control group (C), using the same medium added 10% oestrus cow serum. In vitro fertilization (IVF) was performed in TALP-FERT under the same conditions and in vitro culture (IVC) on synthetic oviduct fluid (SOF)+5% of T1, T2, T3 or C serum, during 8 days under mineral oil. Cleavage rates were similar between treatments. Blastocyst rates at D7 were higher (T1=21%, T2=21% and T3=20%; P <0.05) than the controls (12%). Hatching rates in T1 (9,8%-47/477) were higher (P<0.05) than T2 (3.1%-15/477), T3 (4.2%-21/505) and C (4.1%-20/486). Hatched blastocysts of T3 had a lower (P<0.05) number of cells than those of T1 and Control. Considering it´s heterologous nature, the possibility of preventing disease transmission and the higher blastocyst rates at D7 reported here, the use of oestrus mare´s serum can be used for the IVP of bovine embryos.