This study aims to determine serum neopterin, procalcitonin, total sialic acid (TSA), paraoxonase-1 (PON1), and some haematological indices in calves with aspiration pneumonia (ASP). The patient group consisted of 30 calves of the Simmental breed, 0–28 days old, diagnosed with ASP upon clinical examination, anamnesis, auscultation examination, and radiographic results. The control group consisted of 10 healthy calves, otherwise with the same characteristics. A significant difference was found between calves with ASP and the control group of calves in serum iron (Fe, P < 0.001), total iron-binding capacity (TIBC, P < 0.05), PON1, TSA, procalcitonin, neopterin, and total leukocyte count (WBC) indices as a result of the analyses ( P < 0.001). Serum procalcitonin concentration was found to be 285.71 ng/ml in the ASP group and 30.34 ng/ml in the control group. Serum neopterin concentration was found to be 37.68 nmol/l in the ASP group and 15.14 nmol/l in the control group. Serum procalcitonin, neopterin, and TSA concentrations were found to be significantly higher in the ASP group compared to the control group. It was concluded that biomarkers such as serum procalcitonin, neopterin, and TSA are high in calves with ASP, and as a result, these markers provide diagnostically and prognostically important information.

This study was aimed at determining the effect of barium selenate injections on the fertility of Pirlak ewes which had been subjected to progesterone-assisted estrus synchronization during the non-breeding season. A total of 150 Pirlak ewes between the ages of 2 and 5 years were used in the study. Sponges containing progesterone were inserted into the vaginas of the ewes for 11 (groups I and III) or 14 days (groups II and IV) for the purpose of estrus synchronization, and 500 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) was administered on the day of sponge removal. In addition, barium selenate was injected s.c. immediately before estrus synchronization protocol in groups I and III. After the sponges had been removed, estrus was observed for four days. The ewes were mated with fertile rams. The pregnancy was determined by transrectal ultrasonography 30 days after mating. It was observed that the estrus rate, pregnancy rate, conception rate, lambing rate, twinning rate, and litter size were not statistically different (P > 0.05) between the groups, but estrus onset was different (P < 0.001). In conclusion, barium selenate injections did not affect the fertility parameters before progesterone-assisted synchronization was applied to the Pirlak ewes during the non-breeding season

Studies to determine the physiological effects and functions of progesterone started in the twentieth century. Progesterone is a steroid-structured hormone with 21 carbon atoms originating from cholesterol. The corpus luteum, formed after ovulation in ruminants, secretes progesterone, which plays a role in the continuity of the pregnancy. Progestagens can be used for estrus synchronization in cows and heifers. Similarly, they are used for estrus synchronization during the breeding season or outside the breeding season by taking advantage of the negative feedback effect of progesterone in small ruminants. It is applied for the treatment of embryonic deaths due to luteal insufficiency in cows with high milk yield. In anovulatory anestrus, exogenous progesterone applications can be very useful. Progesterone treatment contributes to the resolution of the anestrus by rearranging hypothalamic functions in cattle with follicular cysts. The oxidative stress index in the luteal phase, when progesterone is high in ruminants, is higher than in the follicular phase. In the critical period of pregnancy, a high index of oxidative stress-induced progesterone causes embryonic death. Factors that cause stress in high milk-yielding cows can affect the amount of progesterone synthesis by inhibiting luteal cell function due to excessive free radical production.