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The study of phagocytosis in the bovine uterus requires the collection of large numbers of uterine leukocytes. A method of stimulating polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) invasion into the bovine uterus with oyster glycogen was tested. Following glycogen treatment, uterine aspirates contained large numbers (10(6)-10(9)) of viable uterine PMN. In Experiment 1, six cows were treated at one-week intervals by intrauterine infusion with 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0% oyster glycogen, respectively. Uterine lumens were lavaged at 0, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours post-infusion with each concentration of glycogen. The mean peak response for PMN was at 12 hours post-infusion of glycogen. In Experiment 2, uterine and peripheral blood PMN were collected from each of 12 cows. Phagocytosis was measured as the percent of (32)Phosphorus-labeled Staphylococcus aureus ingested by PMN during a one-hour incubation. Mean (+/- standard deviation) percent phagocytosis was not statistically different between blood (53.6 +/- 11.0%) and uterine (43.8 +/- 13.0%) PMN. This indicates that phagocytic activity was similar for PMN collected either from the uterine lumen or peripheral blood.

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Blood samples were taken once per week for 4-7 weeks from 59 buffalo calves in 14 age groups, 1-2 months apart. Hormones were quantified by validated radioimmunoassays. Values of androstenedione and testosterone were low at birth (141.3 +/- 33.5 pg/ml and 18.0 +/- 2.9 pg/ml, respectively; mean +/- s.d.). Serum androstenedione concentrations gradually increased from birth until 8 months of age and declined (P less than 0.05) thereafter, whereas mean testosterone values were low up to 8 months and then significantly (P less than 0.05) increased as age advanced. LH concentrations averaged 2.12 +/- 0.47 ng/ml at birth. Thereafter, a decline in LH values was followed by an increase between 6 and 15 months of age. We conclude that, in buffalo bull calves, the pubertal period occurs from about 8 to 15 months of age. For pubertal buffalo bulls 15-17 months of age, serum concentrations of androstenedione, testosterone and LH were 156.9 +/- 54.6 pg/ml, 208.4 +/- 93.8 pg/ml and 2.10 +/- 0.70 ng/ml, respectively.

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Growth and iodine content of the thyroid glands in relation to body weight, length [total (BCVRT), crown-rump (CR), and curved crown-rump (CVR)], chest circumference (CC), and age were investigated in 83 camel foetuses from 70 to 355 days of gestation (mean gestation length 390 days). Weight and iodine content of the dam's thyroid were also studied. Highly significant (P less than 0.01) correlations of 0.883, 0.797, 0.798, 0.792, and 0.813 were obtained between foetal thyroid weights on the one hand and body weight, BCVRT, CR, CVR, and CC on the other hand. A significant (P less than 0.05) correlation of 0.345 was obtained between weights of the foetal thyroid and dam's thyroid. The relative weight of the foetal thyroid to body weight was 0.045% at 70-99 days of gestation, but decreased to 0.028 (0.023 to 0.036%) in the subsequent stages. Iodine trapping by the foetal thyroid was first detected at 100-129 days of gestation. Total iodine then increased until 310 days, but decreased thereafter. The foetal thyroid has 4 to 25 times higher avidity to iodine accumulation than that of the dam.

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Dutculi efferentes were studied by microdissection and histologic methods in 2 boar, 6 goat, 5 ram, 25 bull, and 19 stallion epididymides. On the basis of the present findings and the data of others and relating them to the total number of specimens examined in each species, an estimate (narrow range) was made of the minimal-maximal numbers of efferent ductules as follows: dog 13 to 15; cat 14 to 17; boar 14 to 16; goat 18 to 19; ram 17 to 20; bull 13 to 16; and stallion 14 to 17. The histologic appearance of the efferent ductules of the bull, including measurements of their diameter, lumen, and epithelium, was briefly described. Attention was focused on the presence of blind-ending ductules, because it was thought that they might be a factor in the cause of spermiostasis. Blind-ending ductules were found in 1 of 2 porcine, 1 of 6 caprine, 2 of 5 ovine, 8 of 25 bovine, and 13 of 19 equine ductules per affected male were 4 in the boar, 1 in the goat, 2 to 3 in the ram, 1 to 5 in the bull, and 1 to 14 in the stallion. From our work, it appears that in the bull and stallion at least, blind-ending ductules were present in sufficient numbers to be considered a factor in spermiostasis and the infertility resulting from it.

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