The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for repeat breeder dairy cows and their impact on reproductive performance. The characteristics of 1,504 cows, including their peripartum health, nutrition, production, and reproduction, were collected. Cows with metabolic disorder were significantly more likely (odds ratio [OR], 2.47; p < 0.001) and cows with clinical endometritis tended to be more likely (OR, 1.35; p < 0.1) to become repeat breeders than cows without metabolic disorder and clinical endometritis, respectively. Cows initially inseminated > 80 days after calving were less likely (OR, 0.78; p < 0.05) to become repeat breeders than cows initially inseminated ≤ 80 days after calving. As a result, repeat breeding in dairy cows resulted in a 90 day longer (p < 0.0001) mean interval from calving to pregnancy. In conclusion, postpartum metabolic disorder, clinical endometritis, and a short interval from calving to initial insemination were risk factors for repeat breeder dairy cows, resulting in a severely impaired reproductive performance.

Osteoporosis represents reduced amount of bone mass per unit volume as compared with controls of the same age and sex. The purpose of this study was to show how bone mineral densities of spine and intertrochanteric area decrease with aging, to investigate the relationship between the bone mineral densities (BMD) of the two areas, and to obtain fracture threshold values. We measured BMD of lumbar vertebrae and intertrochanteric areas by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) from 241 postmenopausal women. 190 normal postmenopausal women comprised non-fracture group and there were 50 fresh thoracolumbar fracture patient and 31 intertrochanteric fracture patients in whom the fractures were not caused by high energy trauma. The mean bone mineral density values of non-fracture group were significantly higher than those of fracture groups and significant correlation held between bone density of spine and that of intertrochanteric area in non-fracture group and fracture groups. The fracture threshold was 0.837 g/cm3 in spine fracture group and 0.792 g/cm3 in the intertrochanteric fracture group.
Absorptiometry, Photon* ; Aging ; Bone Density* ; Female ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Osteoporosis ; Spine

Delayed conception is defined as an interval of greater than 90 days postpartum before a cow becomes pregnant again. In this study, the risk factors for delayed conception in Korean dairy herds were determined by evaluating several reproductive factors in individual cows. The following data was recorded from 1,012 pregnancies in eight dairy herds (designated A-H) from July 2001 to June 2006: herd, cow parity, repeated animal (cows included 2, 3, or more times), calving season, calving condition (abnormal partus), postpartum disorders (retained placenta, metabolic disorders, metritis and ovarian cysts) and conception. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the effects of these factors on delayed conception. A stepwise procedure was used to obtain the appropriate model (alpha = 0.05), which revealed the herd, metritis and ovarian cysts to be significant risk factors for delayed conception. The odds ratio showed that the likelihood of delayed conception increased by 3.3 and 2.0 fold for each incidence of metritis and ovarian cysts, respectively. Delayed conception was significantly more likely in 2 herds, in herd A by 2.0 fold and in herd B by 2.4 fold, compared with herd H. These results suggest that the prevention of postpartum metritis and ovarian cysts, as well as improved herd management, will be needed to maintain a short interval between calving and conception in Korean dairy herds.
Animals ; Cattle/*physiology ; Female ; Fertilization/*physiology ; Korea ; Postpartum Period/*physiology ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of parity on milk production, body condition change, periparturient health, and culling in Korean dairy herds. The data utilized included; milk yield, body condition score, cow parity, calving condition, periparturient disorders, culling, and reproductive status, which were recorded from 1290 calvings in eight dairy herds. The mean milk yield in cows over 305 days increased with increasing parity (p < 0.01). Cows with parities of 3, 4, and 5 or higher lost more body condition than those with a parity of 1 during month 1 of lactation (p < 0.01), and body condition recovery by cows with parities of 4 and 5 or higher was slower (p < 0.01) than recovery by cows with parities of 1, 2, or 3 until month 3 of lactation. The risk of retained placenta, metabolic disorder, and endometritis also increased with advancing parity (p < 0.05). Moreover, the incidence of ovarian cysts was lower in cows with a parity of one than in cows with greater parities (p < 0.01). Culling rate due to reproductive failure also increased with advancing parity (p < 0.01). These results suggest that parity increases milk yield, body condition loss during early lactation, the risk of periparturient disorders, and culling due to reproductive failure in dairy herds.
Animals ; Body Composition/*physiology ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/*epidemiology/physiopathology ; Cesarean Section/veterinary ; *Dairying ; Dystocia/epidemiology/veterinary ; Female ; Korea/epidemiology ; Lactation/*physiology ; Parity/*physiology ; Pregnancy

The objectives of this study were to determine the risk factors for retained placenta by evaluating several reproductive factors in individual cows, and to determine the effects of retained placenta on the occurrence of postpartum diseases and subsequent reproductive performance in dairy herds. The health status, cow parity, calving, and breeding dates were recorded from 805 calvings in nine dairy herds from October 2000 to March 2004. We used logistic regression to evaluate the effects of these factors on the incidence of retained placenta. A stepwise procedure, used to obtain the appropriate model with alpha = 0.05, revealed that abnormal partus and gestation length were important risk factors for retained placenta. The occurrence of endometritis and metabolic disorders was greater (p<0.01) in the group with retained placentas than in the control group. The mean intervals from calving to first service and conception were prolonged (p<0.05) by 7 and 18 days, respectively, in the group with retained placentas compared to the control group. These results suggest that abnormal partus and gestation length are strongly correlated with the development of retained placenta, which increases the occurrence of postpartum diseases and subsequently decreases reproductive performance in dairy herds.
Animals ; Cattle ; *Cattle Diseases/epidemiology/physiopathology ; Dairying ; Female ; Korea/epidemiology ; Logistic Models ; Obstetric Labor Complications/veterinary ; Parity ; Parturition ; Placenta, Retained/physiopathology/*veterinary ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Puerperal Disorders/epidemiology/*veterinary ; Reproduction ; Risk Factors

This study investigated the effects of the herd, cowparity, the insemination protocol and season on the incidenceof pregnancy loss (PL) in dairy herds. Furthermore, wedetermined the downstream effects of PL on reproductiveperformance and its economic impact. The overallincidence rate of PL was 6.9% in 1,001 pregnant cows andits incidence peaked (p<0.01) during the second trimesterof gestation. GLIMMIX analysis revealed that cow paritywas the important risk factor for the PL. The odds ratioshowed that the likelihood of PL in cows with parities of 1or 2 was decreased by 0.6 or 0.5 fold compared to the cowswith a parity of 3 or higher. Following PL, the mean rateof endometritis was 23.2% and endometritis was morecommon (p<0.05) when PL occurred during the thirdtrimester than during the first and second trimesters. Themean culling rate was 46.4% and this did not differ withthe period of PL. The overall mean intervals from PL tothe first service and conception were 63.4 and 101.8 days,respectively. The mean interval from PL to first servicewas longer (p<0.01) for cows with PL during the thirdtrimester than for the cows with PL during the first andsecond trimesters. The economic loss resulting from eachPL was estimated at approximately $2,333, and this waslargely due to an extended calving interval and increasedculling. These results suggest that cow parity affects theincidence of PL, which extends calving interval and causessevere economic loss of dairy herds.
Abortion, Veterinary/economics/*epidemiology ; Animals ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/economics/*epidemiology ; Dairying/methods ; Endometritis/epidemiology ; Female ; Incidence ; Insemination ; Korea/epidemiology ; Parity ; Pregnancy

A Hanwoo cow with a delayed gestation and abdominal distension was delivered following PGF2α injection. There was excessive amniotic fluid, and a male calf was delivered but died immediately. The calf had no eyes and nose, and a cleft palate on the upper jaw. Gross appearance and computed tomography image showed that upper teeth were spread out on both sides due to cleft palate in the upper jaw, and lower jaw and teeth were positioned upward. There were no other brain parts except cerebellum. These findings show a rare case of hydramnios related to fetal congenital deformity in a Hanwoo cow.

OBJECTIVE: This study was to evaluate the association of the G1691A mutation of factor V gene with preeclamptic patients in Korea. METHODS: Factor V genotype were determined in 113 preeclamptic patients and 100 normotensive pregnant women. A 267 base-pair DNA fragment of the factor V gene that includes nucleotide 1691 was amplified by PCR. PCR product was digested with MnlI restriction enzyme and the fragments were analysed by electrophoresis using 2% agarose gel. RESULTS: The difference of genetic and allelic frequencies between two groups could not be mentioned because all women were G1691G homozygotes. There was no individuals with mutant allele among preeclamptic patients and control women. CONCLUSION: There was no evidence of association between preeclampsia and factor V gene polymor- phism in Korean population.
Alleles ; DNA ; Electrophoresis ; Factor V* ; Female ; Genotype ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Korea* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnant Women ; Sepharose

This study investigated the effects of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) administration (Experiment 1) and a controlled internal drug-releasing (CIDR) insert (Experiment 2) after timed artificial insemination (TAI) on the pregnancy rates of dairy cows. In Experiment 1, 569 dairy cows that underwent TAI (day 0) following short-term synchronization with prostaglandin F(2α) were randomly allocated into two groups: no further treatment (control, n = 307) or injection of 100 µg of gonadorelin on day 5 (GnRH, n = 262). In Experiment 2, 279 dairy cows that underwent TAI (day 0) following Ovsynch were randomly allocated into two groups: no further treatment (control, n = 140) or CIDR insert treatment from days 3.5 to 18 (CIDR, n = 139). The probability of pregnancy following TAI did not differ between the GnRH (34.4%) and control (31.6%, p > 0.05) groups. However, the probability of pregnancy following TAI was higher (odds ratio: 1.74, p < 0.05) in the CIDR group (51.1%) than in the control group (39.3%). Overall, CIDR insert treatment at days 3.5 to 18 increased pregnancy rates relative to non-treated controls, whereas a single GnRH administration on day 5 did not affect the pregnancy outcomes of dairy cows.
Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Insemination, Artificial* ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy Rate* ; Pregnancy*

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between the blood pressure level and their sexual maturity and physical growth in the children at puberty. For this purpose, we estimated the blood pressure, physical growth and sexual maturity of the boys of 335 and girls of 373 who are in the middle schools which are located in Kang-wha County, KyungKi-Do. Both systolic and diastolic pressure were measured twice. Such physical growth as height, body weight, skin fold thickness, waist circumference, hip circumference and arm circumference were measured. The sexual maturity was estimated according to the classification of Tanner's 5-phase-sexual-maturity; in boys, their pubic hair development phase; in girls, their pubic hair and breast development phase and the menstrual experience. In the phase of the pubic hair development, the boy's sexual maturity was distributed into this; the 1 st 56.4%, the 2nd 29.3%, the 3rd 9.9%, the 4th 4.1% and the 5th 0.3%. While the girls sexual maturity was distributed into this : the 1 st 20.5%, the 2nd 34.9%, the 3rd 30.6% the 4th 12.6% and the 5th 1.3% in the phase of the pubic hair development, and the 1 st 0.8%, the 2nd 13.7%, the 3rd 36.2%, the 4th 18.8% and the 5th 30.5% in the phase of the breast development. This indicated that the girls sexual maturity was higher than those of the boys. The girls menstrual experience rate accounted to the 58.2%. In order to see the relationship between the children's sexual maturity and blood pressure level, we regress blood pressure level on physical growth(i.e., height, BMI) and sexual maturity. Sexual maturity in treats as dummy variables. As the result of this analysis, the boys' sexual maturity has nothing to do with the blood pressure either systolic or diastolic. But the girl's systolic pressure was statistically significant; the 9% of the physical growth, the 5% of the pubic hair development and the 4% of the breast development in sexual maturity was explained. In the girls' diastolic pressure, only their pubic hair development was statistically significant; the 7% of the physical growth and the 7% of the pubic hair development in the diastolic was explained and the 5% of the physical growth in the diastolic Korotokoff phase was explained, especially, the girls experienced menstruation, their systolic and diastolic pressure were significantly high(P<0.01). Conclusively, in the first grade children attending middle schools who are in the early process of the sexual development, the sexual maturity was not related to blood pressure level, on the other hand, the blood pressure level of the girls who are more sexual development than those of the boys' have something to do with sexual maturity and physical growth.
Adolescent ; Arm ; Blood Pressure* ; Body Height ; Breast ; Child* ; Classification ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hair ; Hand ; Hip ; Humans ; Menstruation ; Puberty* ; Sexual Development ; Skin ; Waist Circumference