Effect of Systemic Cortisol on Pregnancy Rate in Repeat Breeding Cows during Early Pregnancy

Author(s):  
K. Rajamanickam ◽  
M. Sameer Ali ◽  
V. Leela

Background: The effect of systemic cortisol on pregnancy rate during early pregnancy in repeat breeding cows was estimated.Methods: Oestrus synchronisation was done in 20 repeat breeders and samples were collected on different days of post-insemination to estimate cortisol.Result: Trans-rectal ultrasonography on 26th day of post insemination revealed a pregnancy rate of 45%. When two groups were compared, serum, salivary and urinary cortisol level of non-pregnant animals were significantly (P less than 0.05) increased than that of pregnant animals on different days of post-insemination. Within non-pregnant animals, serum, salivary and urinary cortisol levels showed a significant (P less than 0.05) variation between different days of post insemination, but this variation was not observed in pregnant animals. Spearman rho correlation revealed positive association (P less than 0.05) of systemic cortisol with pregnancy rate. In non-pregnant animals, salivary and urinary cortisol levels were observed to be positively correlated (P less than 0.05) with serum cortisol. The results indicate that systemic cortisol has influence on pregnancy rate in repeat breeding cows, this may be due to its effect on embryo implantation and hormonal balance, which requires further validation. Association of salivary and urinary cortisol with serum cortisol indicates their use as non-invasive samples to monitor the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in repeat breeders.

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 452-455
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Hollman ◽  
David B. Allen

Inhaled corticosteroids have become an important therapeutic option in the treatment of childhood asthma. The preparations currently available for pediatric use (beclomethasone dipropionate and triamcinolone acetonide) do not, in general, cause significant hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression and physical signs of glucocorticoid excess have not been described with their use. We report an 8-year-old girl with asthma in whom obesity, hirsutism, and growth retardation developed during treatment with inhaled triamcinolone acetonide alone. Laboratory studies showed suppression of endogenous cortisol production but did not demonstrate suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Cessation of inhaled triamcinolone acetonide therapy resulted in resolution of obesity and hirsutism, resumption of normal growth, and a return to normal of serum cortisol levels and urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroid excretion. Careful monitoring of growth velocity and (if clinically indicated) morning serum cortisol levels in asthmatic children using inhaled corticorsteroids will detect the rare instance of glucocorticoid excess resulting from systemic absorption of these drugs.


1995 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
U Knutsson ◽  
P Stierna ◽  
C Marcus ◽  
J Carlstedt-Duke ◽  
K Carlström ◽  
...  

Abstract Glucocorticoids are among the most potent anti-inflammatory agents that can be used in the treatment of rhinitis. Their mechanisms of action are multiple and complex and a number of reports describe significant systemic effects of locally administered glucocorticoids. In order to evaluate the short-term systemic effects of intranasally administered glucocorticoids, 14 normal healthy subjects were treated with two doses of either budesonide (BUD) or fluticasone propionate (FP) for 2 weeks. Before treatment, at regular intervals during the treatment, 1 week and finally 6 weeks after termination of treatment, the effects on glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and methallothionein (MTIIa) mRNA expression levels were examined in peripheral lymphocytes using a solution hybridization assay. Serum cortisol, osteocalcin and urinary cortisol levels were also determined. An insulin tolerance test (ITT) was performed at the end of the second week of treatment and at the end of the 6-week washout period with no statistically significant change in cortisol response. In peripheral lymphocytes, GR mRNA levels were significantly down-regulated. MTIIa mRNA levels increased significantly. Serum osteocalcin decreased significantly during treatment with both BUD and FP. Serum cortisol decreased after 1 week of treatment whereas urinary cortisol was not affected until the second week of treatment. In conclusion, intranasal glucocorticoids at clinically recommended doses have not only significant systemic effects on adrenal function, but also have an effect on specific gene expression in peripheral lymphocytes. These effects are receptor-dependent, reversible, and according to serum and urinary cortisol levels and ITT, leave the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function intact. Finally, these short-term systemic effects were not associated with any of the noticeable side-effects usually observed during long-term treatment with glucocorticoids. Journal of Endocrinology (1995) 144, 301–310


Author(s):  
Ga-Young Lim ◽  
Tae-Won Jang ◽  
Chang-Sun Sim ◽  
Yeon Soon Ahn ◽  
Kyoung Sook Jeong

(1) Study Objectives: By investigating the change of cortisol levels during shift cycles among professional firefighters in Korea, this study aims to evaluate the difference between individuals’ stress response and the recovery of their circadian rhythm after working night shifts. (2) Methods: A total of 325 shift firefighters, who were working in 3, 6, 9, or 21 day cycles, participated in the study. Their urinary and serum cortisol levels were measured during the day (09–18), during the night (18–09), and every 24 h (09–09) per shift cycle, and adjustments were made for confounding factors. (3) Results: Serum cortisol levels were significantly increased after working during the night or for 24 h compared with that of working throughout the day. However, whether working night or 24 h shifts, the serum cortisol levels were undoubtedly different based on the 3, 6, 9, or 21 day cycles. In all shift cycles, the urinary cortisol level decreased during the night or throughout the 24 h shifts compared with sleeping during this time, but this was considered to be significantly applicable only to those working in 21 day cycles. Additionally, in serial measurements, the recovery of urinary cortisol secretion after a night or 24 h shift was successful for individuals working in 9 day cycles, but the recovery was delayed for those working in 6 or 21 day cycles. (4) Conclusions: After analyzing the urine cortisol levels, the study indicates that only subjects working in 9 day cycles fully recovered their circadian rhythm while those working in 6 day or 21 day cycles did not completely recover. Therefore, it is important to recognize how stressful night shifts can be, and it is crucial to enhance firefighters’ current shift cycles in order to allow sufficient recovery of their circadian rhythm as well as the prevention of disrupting their circadian rhythm after working at night. Further research is necessary to take into account the amount of work load, the challenges of being sleep deprived, and the individual’s capacity to overcome sleepiness.


2010 ◽  
Vol 163 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z Karaca ◽  
F Tanriverdi ◽  
H Atmaca ◽  
C Gokce ◽  
G Elbuken ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe aims of this study were to evaluate the validity of preoperative basal serum cortisol levels measured in predicting preoperative adrenal insufficiency and also the validity of basal serum cortisol levels and early postoperative insulin tolerance test (ITT) in predicting postoperative adrenal insufficiency.MethodsThe study was prospectively designed and included 64 patients who underwent pituitary surgery for conditions other than Cushing's disease. An ITT was performed preoperatively, on the 6th postoperative day and at the 1st postoperative month. Basal serum cortisol levels were measured on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th postoperative days.ResultsPatients with a preoperative basal cortisol level of <165 nmol/l (6 μg/dl) showed insufficient cortisol response and those with levels higher than 500 nmol/l (18 μg/dl) had sufficient cortisol response to the preoperative ITT. The positive predictive value of the ITT performed on the 6th postoperative day was 69.7%, and the negative predictive value in predicting adrenal insufficiency at the 1st postoperative month was 58%. Patients were considered to have an insufficient cortisol response to ITT at the 1st postoperative month if their basal cortisol levels were <193 nmol/l (7 μg/dl) or 220 nmol/l (8 μg/dl) or 193 nmol/l (7 μg/dl) or 165 nmol/l (6 μg/dl) or 83 nmol/l (3 μg/dl) on the 2nd–6th postoperative days respectively.ConclusionSerum basal cortisol levels may be used as the first-line test in the assessment of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis both preoperatively and postoperatively. Dynamic testing should be limited to the patients with indeterminate basal cortisol levels.


Author(s):  
Rukmani Vaishnav ◽  
Enugala Ravi Kiran ◽  
Vikas Saxena

Introduction: Cortisol is a hormone of immense importance in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis & it has got paramount effects on the metabolism of lipid, glucose & protein. With reference to stroke, a stress response implies rise in the levels of catecholamines & cortisol during the 1st week after the acute episode. Such kind of response is evident in infarction of cerebrum & bleeding in the cerebral cortex. There is ample amount of evidence from past studies that raised levels of serum cortisol levels are associated with volume of ischemic lesion. Patients and methods: Subjects included were patients who were admitted in the hospital within six hours after the stroke episode. Every patient was monitored for Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS) after the admission. This test was conducted per two hours in first twenty four hours, then per four hours in the next 48 hours & then every day up-to seventh day. Blood samples were extracted for the estimation of serum cortisol. Time duration of 01:00 AM to 07:00 AM was excluded for sample extraction. Results: Serum cortisol level was significantly higher in subjects with insular involvement (635 nmol/l) as compared to patients without insular involvement. Conclusion: It’s quite clear from our study that raised cortisol levels are highly associated with bad outcome & poor response in patients with stroke. Keywords: Serum Cortisol, hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, Stroke.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2071
Author(s):  
Julia Schütz ◽  
Jürn Rudolph ◽  
Adrian Steiner ◽  
Esther Rothenanger ◽  
Jürg Hüsler ◽  
...  

Precocious puberty in beef heifers can result in unwanted pregnancies due to accidental breeding by farm bulls. Inbreeding, premature calving followed by dystocia and a high stillbirth rate or slaughtering of pregnant heifers are the consequences of this behaviour. The aim of the study was to postpone puberty by using Improvac®, an anti-GnRH vaccine. Therefore, n = 25 calves were twice vaccinated, once at the age of 5 and then at 6.5 months. n = 24 calves served as unvaccinated case controls. The onset of puberty was assigned if progesterone analysis in the blood exceeded 1 ng/mL. Progesterone values were excluded if the corresponding serum cortisol levels were ≥60 nmol/L. Our target was met, as in the vaccinated group none of the calves exceeded a progesterone value >1 ng/mL until the scheduled age of slaughter at 11 months and only 12.5% of the animals exceeded a progesterone value of 1 ng/mL over the whole measuring period (>400 days) compared with 56.5% of the calves in the control group. In conclusion, the favourable results from our study using the vaccine Improvac® represent an animal-friendly, non-invasive and reliable way to avoid early pregnancy in heifers as well as the slaughter of pregnant cattle.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Gunter ◽  
Erica N. Feuerbacher ◽  
Rachel J. Gilchrist ◽  
Clive D.L. Wynne

One of the greatest stressors for dogs living in animal shelters is social isolation. Many studies have demonstrated that human interaction reduces cortisol in shelter dogs, with the possibility that longer periods of interaction may yield greater effects. These types of interventions are contingent upon removing the dog from the kennel and any such reductions in cortisol are often lost when the dog returns to the kennel. More recently, animal shelters are utilizing short-term fostering programs to provide relief from the perceived stresses of kennel life; however the effects of these programs are not well understood. This study assessed the impacts of one- and two-night fostering programs on the urinary cortisol levels, resting pulse rates, longest bout of uninterrupted rest, and proportion of time spent resting of dogs awaiting adoption. Five animal shelters, open and limited-admission facilities, from across the United States participated in the study. During the study, dogs’ urine was collected in the morning before, during, and after fostering stays for cortisol: creatinine analysis. Non-invasive health monitors were worn by the dogs, which collected heart rates and activity levels, in the shelter and in foster homes. In total, 207 dogs participated in the study, and 1,076 cortisol values were used in our analysis. Across all shelters, we found that dogs’ cortisol: creatinine ratios dropped significantly during their fostering stay, but returned to baseline levels after return to the shelter. However, the observed reduction in cortisol varied in magnitude across shelters. We found that dogs of greater weight, age, and average resting pulse rate had higher cortisol levels; and dogs with longer bouts of uninterrupted rest had lower cortisol levels. Dogs had their longest bouts of rest during sleepovers, followed by in the shelter after their sleepovers. Lastly, significant differences were found when comparing in-shelter cortisol values at our five shelters, differences that were in some cases greater than the impact of the fostering intervention itself. Considering the diversity of facilities that participated in this study, it is possible that as yet unstudied, shelter-specific, environmental factors could be contributing to the overall welfare of shelter dogs. Thus while a reprieve from the shelter is impactful for dogs awaiting adoption, mitigating the stressors present in kenneling conditions should also be addressed to improve the lives of shelter dogs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Levente Kovács ◽  
Fruzsina Luca Kézér ◽  
Szilárd Bodó ◽  
Ferenc Ruff ◽  
Rupert Palme ◽  
...  

AbstractThe intensity and the magnitude of saliva cortisol responses were investigated during the first 48 h following birth in newborn dairy calves which underwent normal (eutocic, EUT, n = 88) and difficult (dystocic, DYS, n = 70) calvings. The effects of parity and body condition of the dam, the duration of parturition, the time spent licking the calf, the sex and birth weight of the calf were also analyzed. Neonatal salivary cortisol concentrations were influenced neither by factors related to the dam (parity, body condition) nor the calf (sex, birth weight). The duration of parturition and the time spent licking the calf also had no effect on salivary cortisol levels. Salivary cortisol concentrations increased rapidly after delivery in both groups to reach their peak levels at 45 and 60 min after delivery in EUT and DYS calves, respectively supporting that the birth process means considerable stress for calves and the immediate postnatal period also appears to be stressful for newborn calves. DYS calves exhibited higher salivary cortisol concentrations compared to EUT ones for 0 (P = 0.022), 15 (P = 0.016), 30 (P = 0.007), 45 (P = 0.003), 60 (P = 0.001) and 120 min (P = 0.001), and for 24 h (P = 0.040), respectively. Peak levels of salivary cortisol and the cortisol release into saliva calculated as AUC were higher in DYS than in EUT calves for the 48-h of the sampling period (P = 0.009 and P = 0.003, respectively). The greater magnitude of saliva cortisol levels in DYS calves compared to EUT ones suggest that difficult parturition means severe stress for bovine neonates and salivary cortisol could be an opportunity for non-invasive assessment of stress during the early neonatal period in cattle.


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