There are various ways to diagnose intraperitoneal undescended testis （UDT）. One of the endocrinological methods is measurement of serum anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH） concentration. High serum AMH concentration in calves aged 6 months indicates the presence of intraperitoneal UDT, but this association is unclear in younger calves. In this study, we measured serum AMH and testosterone （T） concentrations in seven 3- to 5-month-old male Holstein calves confirmed to have intraperitoneal UDT （6 unilateral, and 1 bilateral）. In addition, we assessed the usefulness of serum AMH concentration for the diagnosis of this condition and compared the diagnostic utility of serum AMH concentration with serum T concentration. The calves with unilateral intraperitoneal UDT were castrated by removing the descended testis at 3 to 5 months old, followed by removal of the intraperitoneal UDT through an incision in the groin after 14 or 15 days. The calf with bilateral intraperitoneal UDT underwent removal of both UDTs by a paramedian incision approach. Serum AMH and T concentrations were measured at the time of UDT removal and again 2 weeks post-orchiectomy. To establish a cutoff value, a receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was generated, determining a value that balanced sensitivity and specificity effectively. The mean serum AMH concentration was 88.6 ± 18.0 ng/mℓ at the time of UDT removal and decreased to 0.11 ± 0.030ng/mℓ at 2 weeks post-removal. On the other hand, the mean serum T concentration was 0.084 ± 0.045 ng/mℓ at the time of UDT removal （with 2 cases below the detection limit） and was below the detection limit of 0.03 ng/mℓ at 2 weeks after removal in all cases. The cutoff value for serum AMH concentration was determined to be 66.1 ng/mℓ, demonstrating 100% sensitivity and specificity. In contrast, the cutoff value for serum T concentration was 0.03 ng/mℓ with sensitivity of 71% and specificity of 100%. Thus, serum AMH concentrations decreased significantly after intraperitoneal UDT removal in the present study, likely reflecting the loss of Sertoli cells, as AMH is expressed in testicular Sertoli cells. Serum AMH concentration exhibited 100% sensitivity and specificity in discerning the presence or absence of intraperitoneal UDT, suggesting that it is useful for evaluating this condition in Holstein male calves at 3 to 5 months old. In 2 out of 7 cases, the serum T concentration at the time of testicular removal fell below the detection limit of 0.03 ng/mℓ, rendering intraperitoneal UDT undetectable through serum T concentration assessment. The diagnosis based on serum AMH proved more effective, particularly for cases where intraperitoneal UDT remains undetectable through serum T concentration. In conclusion, serum AMH concentration is an effective diagnostic tool for discerning the presence or absence of intraperitoneal UDT in Holstein male calves at 3 to 5 months old, and its diagnostic sensitivity surpasses that of serum T concentration.

Early detection and treatment of locomotor diseases in milking cows will lead to fewer morbidities and mortalities and thus lower cull rates. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical examination findings and their locomotor status, locomotor diseases and rearing conditions, including their hock scores （HS） in milking cows maintained in tie stalls. The study included 59 Holstein milking cows housed in tie stalls at two dairy farms. Parameters recorded for each individual were: HS; body condition score （BCS） ; rumen fill score （RFS） ; feces score （FS） ; cattle hygiene score （CS） ; and locomotion score （LS）. Hoof disease history was evaluated and scored 1 if a lesion was recognized and treated at the time of hoof trimming two days earlier and scored 0 if no hoof disease was detected. The mean HS was 2.36 ± 0.11. The mean HS, LS and CS in the group with history of hoof disease were significantly （HS and CS, p<0.01, LS, p<0.05） than those of the group without hoof disease. The BCS of the group with hoof disease history was significantly lower than that of the group without hoof disease（p<0.01）. Significant positive correlations （r=0.63, r=0.46） were found between HS and LS and between HS and CS（p<0.01）. Multiple regression analysis showed a significant　causal relationship between HS vs BCS, CS and history of hoof disease（F=14.700, p<0.0001）. This study suggests that observation of HS may be useful for early detection of locomotor diseases such as hoof disease.

Carbazochrome sodium sulfonate （AC-17） has been used in human medicine as a therapeutic agent for hemorrhagic diseases. In the present study, AC-17 was administered to Holstein dairy cows before calving to investigate its effectiveness in preventing post-calving hemolactia. As a result, the incidence of hemolactia was 15.3% （9/59 cows） in the untreated control group, whereas it was 2.0% （1/51 cows） in the AC-17 group. These results indicate that administration of AC-17 before calving is effective in preventing the onset of hemolactia that occurs after calving.