الفهرس 
Variations in testicular echotexture, hemodynamics and seminal attributes during pubertal age in goats
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Abstract
licle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol 17β (E2), testosterone (T), and serum nitric oxide metabolites (NOMs) in Baladi bucks at prepubertal and postpubertal stages. Baladi bucks (n=5) weighting (13-15 kg) and aging (4 months with a body condition score of 3.5 ± 0.01) were examined once a week from week 16 till week 26 of age then examined once a month till 10 months. Buck’s body weight, scrotal circumference, testicular volume, mediastinum thickness, semen analysis, Doppler, and image analyses were evaluated. Also, blood sampling for hormonal determination was performed. In the prepubertal stage, both scrotal circumference and testicular volume were increased (P<0.05) especially in buck 4 followed by buck 2. Both testicular echogenicity (TE) and pixel heterogeneity (PH) showed an increase (P<0.05) in buck 4 then buck 2. The plexus-colored area showed a pattern of an abrupt increase either toward or away from the probe (P<0.05) from week 23 of age without marked differences being shown between all buck testes. Both pulsatility (PI) and resistance indices (RI) showed a marked significant (P<0.05) decrease in buck 4 followed by buck 2 from week 23. There was a positive correlation between TE and PH and both indices. At a pubertal stage, the first semen was collected at a mean age of 7.2 months, while the first spermatozoa appeared at 8.3 months, and the mean age of sexual maturity was 9.4 months. The highest semen volume (1.02 ± 0.09 mL), motility (mass score = 88.00±4.32 and individual = 78.00 ± 1.58%), morphology (94.74 ± 1.99%), live/dead ratio (85.21 ± 1.32), and semen concentrations (5.24 ± 0.32*109/mL) were noted in buck 4 (9.5 months; 25.0 kg) followed by others. Testicular width (TW) and MT were positively correlated (r = 0.71; P = 0.03) and increased from 8–10 months (P ≤ 0.05). Testicular flow expressed by colored area/pixels was positively correlated with age (r = 0.855), accompanied by increased testosterone levels. Semen characteristics and Doppler parameters were not significantly correlated, except Doppler indices negatively correlated with progressive motility percentage. Hormonal alterations were observed in the allover period of examination from 4-10 months as FSH level was elevated (P<0.05) firstly from 5-months to 6.5-months-old, and then a second elevation was reported at 9.5-months-old, both E2 and NOMs levels were increased significantly (P<0.05) from 8-months to 10-months-old. Testosterone level showed a significant (P<0.05) increase from 8.5-months to 10-months-old, while LH level was elevated from 6.5-months to 7.5-months-old. Both Doppler indices; resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) were negatively correlated with PSV (r=-0.52 and -0.68; P<0.05 ), FSH (r=-0.88 and -0.64), E2 (r=-0.82 and -0.71; P<0.001), LH (r=-0.74 and -0.84), testicular width (r=-0.55 and -0.71), and testicular colored area with blue color (r=-0.85 and -0.75; P<0.001) for both RI and PI, respectively, while there was a positive significant correlation between both indices and T (r=0.66 for RI and 0.85 for PI; P<0.05). NOMs was correlated positively with FSH (r=0.74), E2 (r=0.88), LH (r=0.82; P<0.001), and testicular colored area away probe before puberty (r=0.61), while after puberty, there was a positive significant correlation between both Doppler indices and testicular colored area toward probe with red color (r=0.74 and 0.66), FSH (r=0.69 and 0.64), LH (r=0.51 and 0.54) for both RI and PI, respectively. In conclusion, the assessment of testicular hemodynamics and assisted analysis has added power to the pre-pubertal bucks’ reproductive performance, the testicular Doppler indices are useful for evaluating testicular function and selecting bucks for breeding but these values should be assessed cautiously since many alterations could lead to the elevation or decline of testicular Doppler parameters. Pituitary hormones (FSH and LH) and steroids (E2 and T) were changed around the age of puberty that likely reflecting their roles in the regulation of spermatogenesis with the attainment of bucks sexual developmental capacity. The post-pubertal stage in Baladi bucks was associated with changes in testicular width, length, mediastinum thickness, RI, scrotal circumference, echogenicity, pixel heterogeneity, a testicular colored area away and toward the probe, end-diastolic point, testosterone, nitric oxide, and estradiol levels