Veterinary Medicine

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https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/100118

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is becoming a leader among research-intensive North American veterinary colleges for the quality of our research programs and their engagement of undergraduate and graduate students. We continue to support a broad base of research excellence across disciplines with areas of strength in cattle health, infectious disease, pain and animal welfare, equine health, wildlife heath, reproduction and regenerative medicine, and veterinary education. Our programs align with the University of Calgary's Eyes High strategy to become a top 5 research-intensive university that graduates global leaders infused with research.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

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Browsing Veterinary Medicine by Subject "cattle"

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    Identifying research gaps regarding the influence of maternal stress on bovine female offspring’s Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations: A scoping review protocol
    (2023-06-06) Birkenhagen, Brian; Ganshorn, Heather; Hernandez-Medrano, Juan
    Introduction: Farmers consistently aim to increase cattle longevity in their herds to improve sustainability of cattle production. However, infertility or low fertility is one of the reasons for culling healthy dairy and beef cows with a negative impact on longevity. In dairy cattle, around 14.2% in Canada and 26.7% in the U.S. (CDIC, 2022; USDA, 1996) of cattle are culled due to fertility issues, with a similar percentage for beef cattle (US, 27.2%; USDA, 1999). Fertility in these animals shows a progressive decline which points to a long-term effect that could start during ovarian development (Wathes et al., 2014 ). The ovaries in cattle develop in utero (30-90 d of pregnancy) with heifers having their lifetime supply of follicles at birth (i.e., ovarian reserve, OR; Hernandez-Medrano et al., 2012). Any disruption in the development of the OR may result in fertility complications and decreased reproductive longevity (Hernandez-Medrano et al., 2012; Mossa et al., 2015; Akbarinejad et al., 2017). Maternal stress, such as thermal or nutritional, are some of those disruptions that have a long-lasting effect on offspring health and productive potential. The exact mechanisms for these effects are still elusive. Growing follicles produce the dimeric glycoprotein hormone, Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), which has been reported as a marker for the antral follicular population in cows and their reproductive potential (Alward & Bohlen, 2019). This review will identify publications that have studied the link between maternal stress and gonadal development, ultimately resulting in a breakdown of what’s known regarding the influence of maternal stress during gestation on AMH concentrations in female offspring. Objective: The objective of this review is to identify the published literature discussing how AMH concentrations in bovine female offspring are influenced by nutritional or thermal stress experienced by the dam during gestation. The results will highlight areas of consensus and propose research approaches to fill the gaps in knowledge. The overall goal of this scoping review is to evaluate the feasibility to implement AMH as an early marker of reproductive potential and help producers improve the sustainability of their farms. Methods: A scoping review reported according to the PRISMA scoping review extension will be carried out with a total of five databases being used for the study (CAB Abstracts, MEDLINE, BIOSIS Previews, the Web of Science, and SciELO). Concepts to be considered in the primary search include cattle, pregnancy, nutritional or thermal stress, and offspring outcomes. Article screening will consist of two stages: title and abstract, and full text. Articles will be included in the review if they discuss AMH concentrations, bovine female offspring, and are peer-reviewed academic journal articles or conference proceedings. Articles will then be excluded from the study if they are non-English or non-Spanish. The articles that meet this criterion will then be charted in an Excel spreadsheet.
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    Rotational grazing in beef cattle pasture-based systems as a soil health practice to support climate change mitigation and biodiversity: protocol for a systematic review
    (2023-06-26) Sanguinetti, Lucia Ines; Tang, Minfeng; Ganshorn, Heather; Lhermie, Guillaume
    Background: The rise in population and industrial practices are causing negative impacts on our environment, leading to climate change. This phenomenon triggers extreme weather events, increasing soil evaporation and lowering water availability for plants. It requires the attention of every economic sector, and agriculture has the potential to mitigate its effects. The Canadian government has recently launched the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy plan, which goal is to encourage the use of eco-friendly practices and the implementation of new technologies. One of the strategies promoted is rotational grazing, for supporting soil health. Rotational grazing is a practice that involves residency and rest periods of pastures for grazing cattle. This study aims to conduct a systematic review to identify the current rotational grazing systems used worldwide and their impact on GHG emissions, biodiversity, soil health, and productivity. Our findings will inform the value of rotational grazing in beef systems in Canada. Evaluating the cost/benefit relationship of implementing recommended rotational grazing systems with different levels of intensification. Focusing on semi-arid and continental climates, considering both tame and native grassland that pre-exist in Canada. Methods: This systematic review will include all types of rotational grazing studies under beef grazing operations. As well as: articles that estimate GHG emissions (IPCC methodology), native and tame pastures (Poaceae and Fabaceae) with any type of intensification, the climate of interest (continental, semi-arid), relevant plant species to Canada, biodiversity and Bos Taurus cattle population. If possible, articles will be included in a meta-analysis examining the impacts of the different rotational practices.