TY - JOUR TI - Extruded canola meal: is it worth it? AU - Heyer, C.M.E. AU - Beltranena, E. AU - Wang, L.F. AU - Zijlstra, R.T. T2 - Canadian Hog Journal DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// VL - 43 IS - 2 SP - 46-50 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Energy and amino acid digestibility of raw, steam-pelleted and extruded red lentil in growing pigs AU - Hugman, J. AU - Wang, L.F. AU - Beltranena, E. AU - Htoo, J.K. AU - Vasanthan, T. AU - Zijlstra, R.T. T2 - Animal Feed Science and Technology AB - Lentil is an alternative feedstuff providing both starch and protein with a lower energy and amino acid (AA) digestibility in pigs than conventional feedstuffs. However, heat processing may increase the digestibility of energy and AA and thereby increase the nutritive value of lentil. Therefore, a study was conducted to test effects of steam-pelleting and extrusion of lentil on digestible energy (DE) and calculated net energy (NE) values and AA digestibility in growing pigs. Three diets containing 956 g/kg of either raw, steam-pelleted (80–85 °C) or extruded (115 °C) lentil were fed to 9 ileal-cannulated growing pigs (initial body weight = 69.0 ± 6.7 kg) at 2.8 × maintenance DE in a triplicate 3 × 3 Latin square with 3 periods. An N-free diet was fed to all pigs to measure basal endogenous losses of AA at the start of the trial. Each 9-day period comprised sequentially of a 5-day adaptation, 2-day faecal collection and 2-day ileal digesta collection. Steam-pelleting and extrusion increased (P < 0.05) the coefficient of apparent total tract digestibility (CATTD) of dry matter (DM), gross energy (GE) and crude protein (CP) of lentil, and increased (P < 0.05) the calculated NE values of lentil grain. Steam-pelleting or extrusion increased (P < 0.05) the coefficients of standardised ileal digestibility (CSID) of CP and AA. In conclusion, heat processing can increase the digestibility of AA and the energy value of lentil in growing pigs that may increase the use of lentil as alternative feedstuff for pigs. Among heat processing methods, steam pelleting would be sufficient to achieve increased DE and calculated NE values and CSID of AA of lentil. DA - 2021/5// PY - 2021/5// DO - 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2021.114838 VL - 275 SP - 114838 J2 - Animal Feed Science and Technology LA - en OP - SN - 0377-8401 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2021.114838 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effect of feeding acidified or fermented barley using Limosilactobacillus reuteri with or without supplemental phytase on diet nutrient digestibility in growing pigs AU - Heyer, Charlotte M E AU - Wang, Li F AU - Beltranena, Eduardo AU - Gänzle, Michael G AU - Zijlstra, Ruurd T T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract Fermentation of cereal grains may degrade myo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakis (dihydrogen phosphate) (InsP6) thereby increasing nutrient digestibility. Effects of chemical acidification or fermentation with Limosilactobacillus (L.) reuteri with or without phytase of high β-glucan hull-less barley grain on apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients and gross energy (GE), standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AAs), and standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P were assessed in growing pigs. Pigs were fed four mash barley-based diets balanced for water content: 1) unfermented barley (Control); 2) chemically acidified barley (ACD) with lactic acid and acidic acid (0.019 L/kg barley grain at a ratio of 4:1 [vol/vol]); 3) barley fermented with L. reuteri TMW 1.656 (Fermented without phytase); and 4) barley fermented with L. reuteri TMW 1.656 and phytase (Fermented with phytase; 500 FYT/kg barley grain). The acidification and fermentation treatments occurred for 24 h at 37 °C in a water bath. The four diets were fed to eight ileal-cannulated barrows (initial body weight [BW], 17.4 kg) for four 11-d periods in a double 4 × 4 Latin square. Barley grain InsP6 content of Control, ACD, Fermented without phytase, or Fermented with phytase was 1.12%, 0.59%, 0.52% dry matter (DM), or not detectable, respectively. Diet ATTD of DM, CP, Ca, and GE, digestible energy (DE), predicted net energy (NE) value, and urinary excretion of P were greater (P &lt; 0.05) for ACD than Control. Diet ATTD of DM, CP, Ca, GE, DE and predicted NE value, urinary excretion of P was greater (P &lt; 0.05), and diet AID of Ca and ATTD and STTD of P tended to be greater (P &lt; 0.10) for Fermented without phytase than Control. Diet ATTD of GE was lower (P &lt; 0.05) and diet ATTD and STTD of P, AID and ATTD of Ca was greater (P &lt; 0.05) for Fermented with phytase than Fermented without phytase. Acidification or fermentation with/without phytase did not affect diet SID of CP and AA. In conclusion, ACD or Fermented without phytase partially degraded InsP6 in barley grain and increased diet ATTD of DM, CP, and GE, but not SID of CP and most AA in growing pigs. Fermentation with phytase entirely degraded InsP6 in barley grain and maximized P and Ca digestibility, thereby reducing the need to provide inorganic dietary P to meet P requirements of growing pigs. DA - 2021/5/20/ PY - 2021/5/20/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab165 VL - 99 IS - 7 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab165 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - PSIII-17 Extrusion Enhances Nutrient and Energy Digestibility of Pulse Grain-based Diets Fed to Growing Pigs AU - Zannatta, Joaquin J Sanchez AU - Wang, L F AU - Beltranena, Eduardo AU - Zijlstra, Ruurd T T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract Heat processing may enhance nutrient digestibility of diets based on pulse grains. The objective of this study was to determine nutrient and energy digestibility of extruded lentil-based diets containing either supplemental plant or animal protein source in growing pigs. Two diets were formulated to provide 2.4 Mcal NE/kg and 4.35 g standardized ileal digestible Lys/Mcal NE: 1) soybean meal diet (SBM), containing 50% lentil, 31% wheat, and 12.8% soybean meal; and 2) fish meal diet (FM), containing 40% lentil, 45% wheat, and 10% fish meal. Following mixing, each diet was divided into 2 parts: one part remained mash while the other part was extruded using a single-screw extruder (105°C, 400 rpm, 5 kg water/h). The 2 extruded and 2 non-extruded diets were tested in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Eight ileal-cannulated barrows (32.3 kg) were fed the 4 diets at 2.8 times maintenance DE (110 kcal per kg of BW0.75) for four 9-d periods in a double 4 × 4 Latin square. The FM diets had greater (P &lt; 0.05) AID of DM, GE, and most AA, and ATTD of CP, but lower apparent hindgut fermentation of DM and GE than the SBM diets. The AID of CP and AA were 3.2 and 4.7%-units greater (P &lt; 0.05), respectively, and the ATTD of GE and DE values were 2.1 and 3.1%-units greater (P &lt; 0.05), respectively, for the extruded diets than the non-extruded diets. Interactions between protein source and extrusion were not observed. In conclusion, FM diets had greater ileal digestibility of DM, energy, and AA than SBM diets. Extrusion increased the AID of CP and most AA, and DE value of both plant- and animal-protein diets based on lentil grain, indicating that extrusion can increase the energy and protein value of pulse-grain based diets fed to growing pigs. DA - 2021/5/1/ PY - 2021/5/1/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab054.298 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_1 SP - 176-177 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab054.298 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - PSIV-B-28 Effect of feeding acidified or fermented barley grain using Limosilactobacillus reuteri with or without supplemental phytase on diet nutrient digestibility in growing pigs AU - Heyer, Charlotte M E AU - Wang, Li F AU - Beltranena, Eduardo AU - Gänzle, Michael G AU - Zijlstra, Ruurd T T T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract Fermentation of cereal grains may degrade myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6) thereby increasing nutrient digestibility. Effects of chemical acidification or fermentation with Limosilactobacillus (Lm.) reuteri TMW 1.656 with or without phytase on nutrient digestibility of diets composed of high β-glucan hull-less barley grain were assessed in growing pigs. Four mash diets contained 50% barley grain: 1) unfermented barley (Control); 2) chemically-acidified barley (ACD) with lactic and acidic acid [0.02 L/kg barley grain, 4:1 (v/v)]; 3) barley fermented with Lm. reuteri (Fermented without phytase); and 4) barley fermented with Lm. reuteri and phytase (Fermented with phytase; 500 FYT/kg barley grain). The 4 diets were fed to 8 ileal-cannulated barrows (initial BW, 17.4 kg) for four 11-d periods in a double 4 × 4 Latin square. The InsP6 content of barley grain in Control, ACD, Fermented without phytase, or Fermented with phytase was 1.12, 0.59, 0.52% dry matter, or not detectable, respectively. Diet apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of crude protein (CP), Ca, gross energy and digestible energy and predicted net energy values were greater (P &lt; 0.05) for ACD and Fermented without phytase than Control. Diet apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of Ca and standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P tended to be greater (P &lt; 0.10) for Fermented without phytase than Control. Diet STTD of P, AID and ATTD of Ca was greater (P &lt; 0.05) for Fermented with phytase than Fermented without phytase. Acidification or fermentation with/without phytase did not affect diet standardized ileal digestibility of CP and AA. In conclusion, fermentation with phytase completely degraded InsP6 in barley grain and maximized P and Ca digestibility, thereby reducing the need to provide inorganic P to meet P requirements of growing pigs. DA - 2021/10/8/ PY - 2021/10/8/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab235.713 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_3 SP - 391-392 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab235.713 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - PSIII-18 Super Dose Phytase and Carbohydrase Cocktail Enhance Ileal Nutrient and Energy Digestibility of Corn-soybean Diets in Nursery Pigs AU - Le Thanh, B V AU - Bergstrom, J R R AU - Hahn, J D AU - Wang, L F AU - Beltranena, E AU - Zijlstra, R T T T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract Feed enzymes may ameliorate reduced nutrient and energy digestibility in nursery pigs. The objective was to test effects of super-dosing phytase and fiber-degrading enzymes on digestibility of DM, GE, CP, AA, and Ca. We tested supplementing a super dose (added 1,500 FYT/kg) of phytase (Ronozyme Hi-Phos) with or without carbohydrase cocktail that contained 85 FXU β-xylanase/kg, 587 U/g endo-1,4-β-glucanase, 513 U/g endo-1,3(4)-β-glucanase, 15,000 U/g hemicellulases, and 3,000 U/g pectinases in corn-soybean meal diets in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Diets included 68% corn, 17% SBM, and a basal level of 500 FTU/kg of phytase, and were formulated to contain 2.50 Mcal/kg NE and 5.10 gSID Lys/Mcal NE. Eight ileal-cannulated nursery pigs (initial BW 10 kg) were fed 4 diets at 3.0 × maintenance DE (110 kcal per kg of BW0.75) for four 9-day periods in a double 4 × 4 Latin square. Apparent hindgut fermentation (AHF) was calculated as apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) minus apparent ileal digestibility (AID). Interactions between super-dosing phytase and carbohydrase cocktail were observed. Supplementing either carbohydrase cocktail or super dose phytase, but not their combination, increased (P &lt; 0.05) diet AID of DM, GE, CP, and most AA by 4–5%-units. Supplementing super dose phytase increased (P &lt; 0.05) AID of P by 16%-units and ATTD of P by 10%-units. Supplementing super dose phytase or carbohydrase cocktail did not affect AID of Ca and ATTD of GE, CP, and Ca, and diet DE value. Supplementing carbohydrase cocktail without super dose phytase decreased (P &lt; 0.05) diet AHF of DM, GE, and CP. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of super dose phytase or carbohydrase cocktail increased ileal digestibility of nutrients in nursery pigs, and thereby reduced protein entering the large intestine. Additive or synergistic effects of carbohydrase cocktail and super dose phytase were not detected. DA - 2021/5/1/ PY - 2021/5/1/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab054.297 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_1 SP - 176-176 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab054.297 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - 262 Fiber and Co-product Utilization in Pigs AU - Zijlstra, R T T AU - Beltranena, E T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract Fiber is one of the four macronutrients that yield dietary energy for pigs (others are starch, fat, and protein). To yield energy, fiber must be fermented (primarily in the hindgut) by microbes producing volatile fatty acids (VFA). Price increases for traditional feedstuffs such as cereal grains and protein meals have stimulated the pork industry to consider dietary inclusion of fibrous co-products that are produced when grain is processed into human food, fuel, and bio-industrial products. High fiber co-products include distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), oilseed meal, expeller, and cake, and co-products from flour milling. As omnivores, pigs are ideally suited to convert these non-human edible co-products into high quality food animal protein. Thereby, co-products can partially offset increases in feed cost provided their price is competitive per unit of net energy or digestible lysine, but also present risks and feeding challenges. Effects of feeding high fiber co-product may depend on diets being balanced for energy value or not. In weaned pigs, high fiber diets were thought to reduce feed intake, and thereby hinder energy intake during the energy-dependent phase of growth. However, such a relation is not solid across the spectrum of dietary fiber. Fiber characteristics play a role in gut health and early development. High fiber diets have lower energy digestibility and concurrent lower feed efficiency, but increased feed intake may maintain growth. In growing-finishing pigs, high fiber diets increase viscera mass, and thereby reduce dressing percentage. In restricted-few sows, fiber and produced VFA play a role in reaching satiety responses. In conclusion, depending on the price of high fiber co-products, high fiber diets may be part of a range of solutions to reduce the feed cost, and may thereby support economically-sustainable pork production. DA - 2021/5/1/ PY - 2021/5/1/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab054.170 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_1 SP - 105-105 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab054.170 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - PSIII-16 Growth Performance of Weaned Pigs Fed Barley Differing in Fermentable Starch and Fiber Profile AU - Zannatta, Joaquin J Sanchez AU - Wang, L F AU - Beltranena, Eduardo AU - Beattie, Aaron D AU - Newkirk, Rex N AU - Zijlstra, Ruurd T T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract Barley grain containing more fermentable starch or fiber might be an attractive energy source in weaned pig diets due to benefits on gut health. Barley rapidly-fermentable carbohydrates may serve as prebiotic and slowly-fermentable fiber may decrease diarrhea in weaned pigs. Steam-explosion processing may disrupt the fiber matrix of hulls, increasing slowly-fermentable fiber of barley. To explore, 220 pigs were fed 1 of 5 diets containing 60% cereal grain: 1) low-fermentable hulled barley (LFB); 2) LFB steam-exploded (LFB-E; 1.2 MPa, 120 s); 3) high β-glucan (10% DM) hull-less barley (HFB); 4) high amylose (17% DM) hull-less barley (HFA); or 5) low-fermentable wheat (LFW). Diets were fed starting 1-week post-weaning and formulated to provide 2.4 and 2.3 Mcal net energy (NE)/kg, 5.5 and 5.1 g standardized ileal digestible lysine/Mcal NE for phase 1 (day 1–14) and phase 2 (day 15–35), respectively. For the entire trial (day 1–35), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG) of pigs did not differ among diets. Gain:feed (G:F) did not differ between LFB and LFW diets, but steam-explosion of hulled barley reduced (P &lt; 0.05) G:F. Feces consistency did not differ between LFB and LFW diets, but was better (P &lt; 0.05) for LFB than HFB, HFA and LFB-E diets. For phase 1, G:F of pigs was lower (P &lt; 0.05) for LFB-E diet than LFW diet. For days 22–28, LFB-E diet had greater (P &lt; 0.01) ADFI than HFA diet and tended (P = 0.09) to have a greater ADG than HFB diet. In conclusion, hulled or hull-less barley grain replaced wheat grain without affecting growth performance in weaned pigs. Hulled barley increased feces consistency. Steam-explosion of hulled barley did not increase growth performance of weaned pigs. Barley grain is an attractive energy source for weaned pigs for managing growth and feces consistency. DA - 2021/5/1/ PY - 2021/5/1/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab054.296 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_1 SP - 175-176 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab054.296 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Nutrient digestibility of heat-processed field pea in weaned pigs AU - Hugman, J. AU - Wang, L.F. AU - Beltranena, E. AU - Htoo, J.K. AU - Zijlstra, R.T. T2 - Animal Feed Science and Technology AB - Field pea grain can be included in growing-finishing pig diets as an alternative starch and protein source without affecting growth performance. However, for weaned pigs, there is a concern to include field pea grain in diets because of lower energy digestibility compared with soybean meal and corn grain and the presence of trypsin inhibitors that may affect protein digestion. Processing using heat and friction may reduce trypsin inhibitor activity in field pea grain and increase both energy and protein digestibility; however, its effect on weaned pigs remains unknown. To explore, field pea grain was cold-pelleted (70–75 °C), steam-pelleted (80–85 °C) or single-screw extruded (115 °C). The raw and 3 processed field pea grain samples were included in 4 test diets at 956 g/kg and fed to 8 ileal-cannulated weaned barrows (initial body weight, 11.6 ± 1.2 kg) in a double 4 × 4 Latin square. A N-free diet was also fed to pigs to measure basal endogenous losses of amino acids. Cold-pelleting and extrusion reduced trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) by 0.8–1.1 mg/g in field pea grain. Cold-pelleting increased (P < 0.05) the coefficient of apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter and gross energy, but not crude protein of field pea grain. Cold-pelleting increased (P < 0.05) digestible energy and calculated net energy values of field pea grain, and the coefficient of apparent ileal digestibility of dry matter, gross energy and starch. Extrusion increased (P < 0.05) the coefficient of standardised ileal digestibility of threonine, tryptophan, valine, serine and tyrosine of field pea grain. In conclusion, cold-pelleting reduced TIA and increased the energy value of field pea grain, and extrusion reduced TIA and increased ileal digestibility of some amino acids compared with raw field pea grain fed to weaned pigs. DA - 2021/4// PY - 2021/4// DO - 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2021.114891 VL - 274 SP - 114891 J2 - Animal Feed Science and Technology LA - en OP - SN - 0377-8401 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2021.114891 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Feeding different cultivars and quality levels of faba bean to broiler chickens AU - Smit, Miranda N AU - He, Liangfei AU - Beltranena, Eduardo T2 - Translational Animal Science AB - Abstract A concern of both pulse growers and poultry producers is how frost damage around harvest time affects the nutritional quality of faba bean for broiler chickens. To investigate, two zero-tannin cultivars (Snowbird, Snowdrop) and one low vicine and convicine cultivar (Fabelle) sourced from seed growers were spring planted 3 weeks later than recommended (mid-May) and harvested late October to purposely increase frost damage. Parent, certified seed (high quality), and harvested frost damaged beans (low quality) of the three cultivars were fed to 740 chickens housed in 64 floor pens in a 2 × 3 factorial plus control (9 pens of 11 or 12 birds per treatment). Starter (d 0 to 11), grower (d 12 to 24), and finisher (d 25 to 40) diets included 15%, 30%, and 45% faba bean in partial (starter, grower) or total replacement of soybean meal (SBM; control). Harvested Snowbird, Snowdrop, Fabelle averaged 52%, 62%, 17% blackened hull and 35%, 43%, 51% immature beans, respectively. There was a cultivar × quality interaction (P &lt; 0.05) on daily feed disappearance (ADFI) and gain-to-feed (G:F). Broilers fed low-quality Snowdrop consumed 10 g/d more finisher and 6 g/d more feed overall than those fed low-quality Snowbird or Fabelle; broilers fed parent seed were intermediate. Feeding low-quality Fabelle resulted in best overall G:F (0.646) versus high-quality Snowbird (0.611), high-quality Fabelle (0.624), or low-quality Snowdrop (0.624). Average daily weight gain (ADG) and bird body weight (BW) at the end of each growth phase were not affected by cultivar or quality level. Controls fed SBM only grew 2.75 g/d faster overall and were 113.5 g heavier at the end of the trial than broilers fed faba bean (P &lt; 0.05). Controls fed SBM only had 0.024 g/g better overall G:F than broilers fed faba bean (P &lt; 0.05). Feeding low-quality beans or high-quality seed had no effect on antemortem BW, chilled carcass weight (WT), dressing percentage or yield of saleable cuts except that broilers fed Snowbird or Snowdrop had 0.8%-unit larger thighs than those fed Fabelle. Controls fed SBM only were 110 g heavier at slaughter, had 72 g heavier chilled carcass WT, and 0.5%-unit greater dressing percentage than broilers fed faba bean (P &lt; 0.05). These results indicate that feeding frost damaged and(or) immature faba bean, to the extent observed in this trial, did not negatively affect growth performance or carcass attributes of broiler chickens compared to feeding parent, certified, high-quality seed of these cultivars. DA - 2021/6/4/ PY - 2021/6/4/ DO - 10.1093/tas/txab094 VL - 5 IS - 3 LA - en OP - SN - 2573-2102 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/tas/txab094 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Nutrient digestibility of extruded canola meal in ileal-cannulated growing pigs and effects of its feeding on diet nutrient digestibility and growth performance in weaned pigs AU - Heyer, Charlotte M E AU - Wang, Li F AU - Beltranena, Eduardo AU - Zijlstra, Ruurd T T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Canola meal (CM) contains less crude protein (CP) and more fiber and anti-nutritional factors such as glucosinolates than soybean meal (SBM) and consequently has a lower nutrient digestibility. Therefore, processing strategies that may increase the feeding value of CM warrant study. In two experiments, the effects of extrusion of Brassica napus CM on apparent (AID) and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA), apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE) in growing pigs, and growth performance and diet digestibility in weaned pigs were assessed. Solvent-extracted CM was extruded using a single-screw extruder at three screw speeds: 250 (CM-250), 350 (CM-350), or 450 (CM-450) rpm. In exp. 1, in a double 4 × 4 Latin square, eight ileal-cannulated barrows (initial body weight [BW], 68.1 kg) were fed corn starch-based diets containing 50% CM or extruded CM. The CM sample contained 43.2% CP, 33.2% total dietary fiber (TDF), and 8.9 µmol of total glucosinolates/g on a dry matter (DM) basis. Extrusion increased (P < 0.05) the AID of CP, reduced (P < 0.05) apparent hindgut fermentation of CP, and decreased (P < 0.05) predicted net energy (NE) value of diets. Extrusion increased diet AID and CM SID of most indispensable AA by 3.1 to 5.3%-units. In exp. 2, 200 weaned pigs (initial BW, 8.3 kg) were fed diets containing 20% SBM, CM, or extruded CM starting 2 wk postweaning for 3 wk. The CM sample contained 42.7% CP, 28.3% TDF, and 5.3 µmol total glucosinolates/g DM. Wheat-based diets provided 2.3 Mcal NE/kg and 5.1 g SID Lys/Mcal NE. Dietary inclusion of extruded CM replacing SBM decreased (P < 0.05) diet ATTD of DM, GE and CP, and DE value. Average daily feed intake, average daily gain (ADG), and gain:feed (G:F) of pigs did not differ between extruded CM and SBM diets and were not affected by extrusion, but increasing extruder screw speed linearly increased (P < 0.05) ADG for day 1 to 7 and G:F for the entire trial. In conclusion, extrusion increased diet AID and CM SID of AA but not DE and predicted NE values of CM. However, increasing extruder speed did not further increase the SID of most of the AA of CM in growing pigs. Dietary inclusion of 20% CM or extruded CM did not affect the growth performance in weaned pigs. DA - 2021/5/1/ PY - 2021/5/1/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab135 VL - 99 IS - 5 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab135 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Dietary energy level, feeder space, and group size on growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing-finishing barrows and gilts AU - Smit, Miranda N AU - Zhou, Xun AU - Landero, José L AU - Young, Malachy G AU - Beltranena, Eduardo T2 - Translational Animal Science AB - Abstract To benefit from feeding low net energy (NE) diets, growing-finishing pigs must be able to increase feed intake to compensate for lower caloric density, but this might be difficult in pens with a high stocking density. Access to the feeder, trough space, and(or) floor area may limit voluntary feed intake. The objective of this study was to clarify the relationships among dietary NE level, feeder space, group size, sex, and interactions in growing-finishing pigs. In a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design, 1,920 pigs (33 kg) housed in 96 fully slatted floor pens (6.1 × 2.4 m) with 2 or 3 feeder spaces, and 18 or 22 barrows or gilts per pen, were fed either low (9.2 MJ/kg) or high (9.85 MJ/kg) NE diets over 5 growth phases (Grower 1: day [d] 0 to 20, Grower 2: d 21 to 41, Grower 3: d 42 to 62, Finisher 1: d 63 to 80, Finisher 2: d 81 to slaughter). Pen body weight (BW) and average daily feed disappearance (ADFD) were measured for each growth phase, biweekly from the start of shipping and at slaughter. Warm carcasses were weighed and graded (Destron). For the entire trial, pigs fed low versus (vs.) high NE diets had 0.119 kg/d greater (P &lt; 0.001) ADFD, but 0.556 MJ/d lower (P &lt; 0.050) average daily caloric disappearance (ADCD), and 0.017 kg/kg lower (P &lt; 0.001) gain-to-feed (G:F). Pens with 18 vs. 22 pigs had 0.062 kg/d greater (P &lt; 0.001) ADFD, 0.730 MJ/d greater (P &lt; 0.010) ADCD, and 0.029 kg/d greater (P &lt; 0.001) average daily weight gain (ADWG). Pigs in pens with 3 vs. 2 feeding spaces had 0.051 kg/d greater (P &lt; 0.010) ADFD, 0.511 MJ/d greater (P = 0.050) ADCD but 0.004 kg/kg lower (P &lt; 0.050) G:F. Pigs fed low vs. high NE diets had 0.6 kg lower (P &lt; 0.050) carcass weight and 0.9 mm lower (P &lt; 0.050) loin depth. Pens with 18 vs. 22 pigs took 2.8 days less (P &lt; 0.001) to reach 130 kg slaughter BW. Pens with 18 vs. 22 pigs had a 0.4 %-point decrease (P &lt; 0.050) in dressing percentage. Feeding low vs. high NE diets reduced (P &lt; 0.001) feed cost by Can$21.87/tonne, $3.34/pig, $0.03/kg gain, and increased (P &lt; 0.05) gross income subtracting feed cost by $1.82/pig. Housing 18 vs. 22 pigs per pen increased (P &lt; 0.010) ISFC by $1.98 per pig. Lack of interactions between NE level, feeder space, and group size for ADFD indicate that low NE diets can be fed to pigs even if they have lower than recommended floor area allowance during part of the finishing phase. DA - 2021/7/1/ PY - 2021/7/1/ DO - 10.1093/tas/txab122 VL - 5 IS - 3 LA - en OP - SN - 2573-2102 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/tas/txab122 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Resistant starch: Implications of dietary inclusion on gut health and growth in pigs: a review AU - Tan, Felina P. Y. AU - Beltranena, Eduardo AU - Zijlstra, Ruurd T. T2 - Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology AB - Starch from cereal grains, pulse grains, and tubers is a major energy substrate in swine rations constituting up to 55% of the diet. In pigs, starch digestion is initiated by salivary and then pancreatic α-amylase, and has as final step the digestion of disaccharides by the brush-border enzymes in the small intestine that produce monosaccharides (glucose) for absorption. Resistant starch (RS) is the proportion of starch that escapes the enzymatic digestion and absorption in the small intestine. The undigested starch reaches the distal small intestine and hindgut for microbial fermentation, which produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) for absorption. SCFA in turn, influence microbial ecology and gut health of pigs. These fermentative metabolites exert their benefits on gut health through promoting growth and proliferation of enterocytes, maintenance of intestinal integrity and thus immunity, and modulation of the microbial community in part by suppressing the growth of pathogenic bacteria while selectively enhancing beneficial microbes. Thus, RS has the potential to confer prebiotic effects and may contribute to the improvement of intestinal health in pigs during the post-weaning period. Despite these benefits to the well-being of pigs, RS has a contradictory effect due to lower energetic efficiency of fermented vs. digested starch absorption products. The varying amount and type of RS interact differently with the digestion process along the gastrointestinal tract affecting its energy efficiency and host physiological responses including feed intake, energy metabolism, and feed efficiency. Results of research indicate that the use of RS as prebiotic may improve gut health and thereby, reduce the incidence of post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) and associated mortality. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the effects of RS on microbial ecology, gut health and growth performance in pigs. DA - 2021/11/16/ PY - 2021/11/16/ DO - 10.1186/s40104-021-00644-5 VL - 12 IS - 1 J2 - J Animal Sci Biotechnol LA - en OP - SN - 2049-1891 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40104-021-00644-5 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Hindgut fermentation of starch is greater for pulse grains than cereal grains in growing pigs AU - Tan, Felina P Y AU - Wang, Li Fang AU - Gao, Jun AU - Beltranena, Eduardo AU - Vasanthan, Thava AU - Zijlstra, Ruurd T T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - The nutritive value of starch, the major source of dietary energy in pigs, varies depending on its susceptibility for digestion. The botanical origin of starch determines starch structure, and therefore, digestibility. To compare digestibility of starch, fiber, gross energy (GE), crude protein, and amino acid (AA), and to characterize undigested starch of grains in growing pigs, seven ileal-cannulated barrows (initial body weight, 30 kg) were fed six diets containing 96% of one of six test ingredients (three pulse grains: zero-tannin faba bean, green field pea, or mixed-cultivar chickpea; three cereal grains: hulled barley, hard red spring wheat, or hybrid yellow, dent corn), or a N-free diet in a 7 × 7 Latin square at 2.8 × maintenance digestible energy. Grain samples were ground with a hammer mill through a 2.78-mm screen. Amylose content ranged from 29% to 34% for pulse grains and from 22% to 25% for cereal grains. The apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of starch was greater (P < 0.05) in cereal (94% to 97%) than pulse grains (85% to 90%) and was lowest (P < 0.05) in faba bean (85.3%) followed by field pea (87.2%) and chickpea (90.1%). However, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of starch of all tested grains was close to 100%. Apparent hindgut fermentability (AHF, as ATTD - AID) of starch was greater (P < 0.05) in pulse grains (9.9% to 15%) than cereal grains (3.3% to 4.8%). The AHF of total dietary fiber tended to be the greatest (P < 0.10) for corn (43.5%) and lowest for wheat (25.3%). The AHF of GE was greater (P < 0.05) in pulse grains (17% to 20%) than in cereal grains (9% to 11%) and resulted in greater (P < 0.05) digestible energy (DE) contribution from hindgut fermentation for pulse grains than cereal grains (0.9 vs. 0.5 Mcal/kg). Wheat had the greatest standardized ileal digestibility of total AA (90.2%; P < 0.05). Confocal laser scanning microscopy images revealed that 20% to 30% of starch granules of pulse grains were entrapped in protein matrixes. In scanning electron microscopy images, starch granules were larger in faba bean and field pea than cereal grains. Digesta samples revealed pin holes and surface cracks in starch granules of corn and wheat, respectively. In conclusion, hindgut fermentation of starch and fiber was greater in pulse grains than cereal grains resulting in a greater DE value despite lower ileal DE for pulse grain than cereal grains. Defining the digestible and fermentable fractions of starch may enhance the accuracy of equations to predict the net energy value of these feedstuffs. DA - 2021/10/21/ PY - 2021/10/21/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab306 VL - 99 IS - 11 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab306 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Ileal digestibility of energy and amino acids in three faba bean cultivars (Vicia faba L.) planted and harvested early or late in broiler chickens AU - Smit, Miranda N. AU - Ketelaar, Robin F. AU - He, Liangfei AU - Beltranena, Eduardo T2 - Poultry Science AB - A concern of both pulse growers and poultry producers is how the timing of planting and harvesting affect the nutritional quality of faba bean for broiler chickens. To investigate, half of the seed of 2 zero-tannin cultivars (Snowbird and Snowdrop) and 1 low vicine and convicine cultivar (Fabelle) were planted at a single site either in early May and harvested in late September (EARLY) or planted in late May and harvested in late October (LATE). Diets of the 3 EARLY or LATE cultivars (95% inclusion) were fed to 756 broiler chickens (Ross 708) from d 15. Chickens were housed in 56 floor pens (13–14 birds/pen) in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement (7 pens/diet). A nitrogen-free diet to correct for endogenous amino acid ( AA ) losses was fed to broilers in 14 pens from d 20. Ileal digesta was collected after euthanizing birds on day 23 or 24. Planting and harvesting LATE vs. EARLY increased the proportion of immature beans from 5 to 64% for Snowbird, 7 to 79% for Snowdrop, and 22 to 80% for Fabelle. Planting and harvesting LATE vs. EARLY increased the proportion of frost-damaged beans from 20 to 83% for Snowbird, 36 to 88% for Snowdrop, and 5 to 29% for Fabelle. Planting and harvesting LATE vs. EARLY increased ( P < 0.001) apparent ileal digestibility ( AID ) of gross energy ( GE ) by 45% and standardized ileal digestibility ( SID ) of CP by 13%. Planting and harvesting LATE vs. EARLY increased ( P < 0.001) SID of AA by 11% except Cys. Snowbird and Snowdrop had greater ( P < 0.05) SID of AA by 4.5% except Thr and Trp compared with Fabelle. Fabelle had 13% greater ( P < 0.001) SID of Trp compared with Snowbird or Snowdrop. Results indicate that planting and harvesting LATE vs. EARLY increased GE, CP, and AA digestibility possibly by frost interrupting bean ripening on the field. Hull tannin content may have reduced the AA digestibility of Fabelle compared with Snowbird or Snowdrop. DA - 2021/9// PY - 2021/9// DO - 10.1016/j.psj.2021.101332 VL - 100 IS - 9 SP - 101332 J2 - Poultry Science LA - en OP - SN - 0032-5791 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2021.101332 DB - Crossref ER - TY - CONF TI - Microbiome and genetic contribution to the phenotypic variation of digestive efficiency in pig. 72 AU - Déru, Vanille AU - Tiezzi, F. AU - Carillier-Jacquin, C. AU - Blanchet, B. AU - Cauquil, L. AU - Zemb, O. AU - Maltecca, C. AU - Bouquet, A. AU - Gilbert, H. T2 - Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science C2 - 2021/// C3 - Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) CY - Davos, Switzerland DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// VL - 27 SP - 571 PB - Wageningen Academic Publishers ER - TY - CONF TI - Unpacking the Yield Effects of Major Heading Date Alleles in Wheat through Joint Analysis of Historic Breeding Panels and Their Climates AU - DeWitt, N. AU - Guedira, M. AU - Lyerly, J. AU - Ward, B.P. AU - Murphy, J.P. AU - Marshall, D. AU - Santantonio, N. AU - Griffey, C.A. AU - Boyles, R.E. AU - Mergoum, M. AU - Johnson, J. AU - Harrison, S. AU - Babar, M.A. AU - Mason, R.E. AU - Ibrahim, A.M.H. AU - Van Sanford, D.A. AU - Tiwari, V.K. AU - Kuraparthy, V. AU - Kolb, F.L. AU - Sneller, C.H. AU - McKendry, A.L. AU - Mohammadi, M. AU - Maltecca, C. AU - Tiezzi, F. AU - Brown-Guedira, G. T2 - ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting C2 - 2021/// C3 - ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting CY - Salt Lake City, UT DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/11/7/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - 53 Awardee Talk: Implications of the Gut Microbiome for Genetic Improvement of Swine AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Tiezzi, Francesco T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract With the universal adoption of genomic selection as a breeding standard, livestock farming is about to enter a new chapter in which deep phenotyping and multi-omics technologies will enhance the use of molecular data in the selection process. Microbiome composition represents a promising tool in this arena, serving simultaneously as a benchmark of environmental challenge, a predictor of animal physiological status, and a direct target for host selection. Our group has been researching the application of the gut microbiome in swine production, with a particular focus on growth and feed efficiency. We investigated how the microbiome is shaped in different production systems by comparing the microbiome composition of growing/finishing pigs raised in bio-secure nucleus farms and commercial facilities. Results suggested a strong impact of gut microbiome composition on pork production efficiency and a consistent effect of several microbial features across different systems. We found that microbial features associated with animal growth are heritable and identified host genomic markers contributing to their relative abundance. We have found that the microbiota composition is different across breeds but stable within breeds (Duroc, Large White, Landrace). Taxa differently represented among the breeds are also associated with feed efficiency and behavior. We estimated the ‘microbiability’ of meat and carcass quality traits. We found that the gut microbiome composition leaves an identifiable ‘footprint’ on the animal tissue deposition. Following these findings, we elucidated the complex relationship between genomic and microbial variation using structural equation modeling to test a causal path between the host genotype, the gut microbiome composition, and fat deposition. We identified direct and mediated (through microbiome) genomic variants affecting host trait expression, highlighting the potential for the ‘second genome’ to contribute to the recovery of genetic variance. DA - 2021/10/8/ PY - 2021/10/8/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab235.049 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_3 SP - 29-29 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab235.049 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - 25 Gut Microbiome Information Enables Additional Discovery in Genome-wide Association Studies in Swine AU - Tiezzi, Francesco AU - Maltecca, Christian T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract Several studies have highlighted the relevance of gut microbiome composition in shaping fat deposition in mammals. In contrast, other studies have highlighted how the host genome can control the abundance of individual species in the gut microbiota’s make-up. There is the need to incorporate the different ‘-omics’ data (host genome, gut microbiome, high-throughput phenotyping) in a model that allows to extract information beyond the simple sum of each component’s contribution. We propose a systematic approach to detect host genomic variants that control the gut microbiome, which in turn contributes to the host fat deposition, when this latter is based on multiple phenotypic measures. Using a dataset that included longitudinal records of fat deposition on 1,180 pigs, we implemented a mediation test to describe how fat deposition in swine (Sus scrofa) is affected by the host genotype and the gut microbiome. The phenotypic outcome was described both by measured and latent variables, taking advantage of structural equation modeling. We also implemented a ‘traditional’ genome-wide association analysis, testing the (total) effect of host genomic variants on the phenotype. Results for all models were validated using both bootstrapping and permutation tests. The models identified several host genomic features having microbiome-mediated effects on fat deposition. Our work demonstrates how the host genome can affect the phenotypic trait by inducing a change in gut microbiome composition that leads to a change in the phenotype. The host genomic features identified through the mediation analysis do not entirely overlap the group of features identified by traditional GWAS. Microbiome-mediated analyses can help understand the genetic determination of complex phenotypes. The host genomic features that exert a mediated effect could not be identified by traditional genome-wide association analysis. These can contribute to filling the missing heritability gap and provide further insights into the host genome – gut microbiome interplay. DA - 2021/10/8/ PY - 2021/10/8/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab235.018 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_3 SP - 10-10 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab235.018 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - 29 Effects of Recent and Ancient Inbreeding on Growth in American Angus Cattle AU - Lozada-Soto, Emmanuel A AU - Tiezzi, Francesco AU - Lu, Duc AU - Miller, Stephen P AU - Cole, John B AU - Maltecca, Christian T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract The accumulation of inbreeding can lead to an unfavorable change in the phenotypic value of individuals for traits related to fitness, also known as inbreeding depression. However, inbreeding accumulated at a more distant past (ancient inbreeding) is expected to have a smaller depressive effect than that accumulated more recently due to the loss of detrimental alleles caused by purifying selection. Therefore, the aim of this study was to quantify the inbreeding depression caused by recent and ancient inbreeding for birth weight, weaning weight, and post-weaning gain. Pedigree and genomic information were obtained from Angus Genetics, Inc. (St. Joseph, MO) for 569,364 individuals from the American Angus breed. Pedigree inbreeding and genomic inbreeding based on runs of homozygosity (ROH) were estimated using the SNP1101 software. Model-based genomic inbreeding based on the probability a marker is part of a homozygous-by-descent segment (HBD) was estimated using the RZooROH in R. The generational cutoffs for designating inbreeding as recent was that acquired 5 generations ago or sooner for pedigree, 6.25 generations ago or sooner for ROH, and 8 generations ago or sooner for HBD inbreeding. The effect of a 1% increase in inbreeding was modeled in males and females using a linear mixed model approach. Recent pedigree inbreeding was found to decrease birth weight by 0.04 and 0.03 kg, decrease weaning weight by 0.50 and 0.48 kg, and decrease post-weaning gain by 0.62 and 0.32 kg, in males and females respectively. Ancient pedigree inbreeding was generally found to have no effect on growth. For genomic inbreeding, when both recent and ancient inbreeding had a detrimental effect on growth, recent inbreeding generally had a larger effect. The results of this study demonstrate that inbreeding accumulated recently should be quantified and managed in beef cattle populations to avoid economic losses. DA - 2021/10/8/ PY - 2021/10/8/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab235.023 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_3 SP - 14-14 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab235.023 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - PSXII-12 Partitioning direct and maternal genetic effects into additive and non-additive components for growth and maternal traits in Yorkshire pigs AU - Jiang, Jicai AU - O’Neill, Shauneen AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Fix, Justin AU - Crum, Tamar AU - Schwab, Clint AU - Tiezzi, Francesco T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract This study investigates how much direct and maternal non-additive genetic effects contribute to growth and maternal traits in swine. We analyzed a sample of 19,475 genotyped Yorkshire pigs from Acuity Ag Solutions, LLC (Carlyle, IL). Approximately 50K SNPs were kept after quality control, and missing genotypes were then imputed using findhap.f90. The genotypes were used to construct genomic relationship matrices (GRMs) corresponding to additive (A), dominance (D), and additive-by-additive epistasis (E) effects for both direct and maternal effects. The GRMs were subsequently employed as covariance structure matrices in a linear mixed model consisting of eight random components, namely three direct genetic effects (Ad, Dd, and Ed), three maternal genetic effects (Am, Dm, and Em), maternal environmental effect, and common litter environmental effect. We estimated these variance components (VCs) for six growth traits (birth weight, average daily gain, back fat, and loin area) and six maternal traits of a sow (total number of piglets born, number of piglets born alive, average weight of piglets at birth, average weight of piglets weaned) using REML in MMAP (https://mmap.github.io/). As shown in Table 1, we found significant (P&lt; 0.05) direct dominance and epistasis VCs for all six growth traits. Additionally, direct epistasis effects explained a larger proportion of phenotypic variation than direct dominance for all growth traits (0.04–0.12 vs. 0.01–0.04). In contrast, direct non-additive VCs were not significant for any maternal trait except for epistasis in average weight of piglets weaned. As for maternal non-additive effects, we only discovered significant additive VC in birth weight and average daily gain and significant epistasis VC in back fat (P&lt; 0.05). Other maternal genetic VCs were largely negligible. In summary, direct dominance and epistasis effects play a prominent role in growth traits of Yorkshire pigs. DA - 2021/10/8/ PY - 2021/10/8/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab235.459 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_3 SP - 251-252 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab235.459 DB - Crossref ER - TY - CONF TI - 65  Survey regarding the perception of prebiotics/probiotics amongst North Carolina horse owners or leasers AU - Gluck, C. AU - Pratt-Phillips, S. AB - A survey was conducted to evaluate how prebiotics and probiotics are used and perceived among horse owners or leasers in North Carolina. This survey was deemed exempt from full review by the NCSU Institutional Review Board. Qualtrics was used to develop the survey and it allowed for multiple horses to be represented by one owner. There were 14 questions in the survey and these included information about if the respondent resided in North Carolina and their county, number of horses owned, information about the feed offered to their horses and the owner's use and perception of supplemental prebiotics and probiotics. The survey was shared to 7 different Facebook groups representing horse owners and equestrians of North Carolina, potentially reaching up to 63,300 members, though it is likely that many horse owners were members of multiple groups or were inactive. Therefore, neither true reach nor the response rate could be accurately determined, though a total of 501 surveys were completed. Of these, 52.9% reported offering feeds containing prebiotics or probiotics while 22.0% were unsure if their feed contains them. In addition, 32.7% of respondents offered a supplemental prebiotic or probiotic. Gastric/hindgut ulcers (39.8%) and colic (28.1%) were the most common health concerns reported by the owners. The majority of responders (82.7%) believe prebiotics and/or probiotics benefit their horse's gut health. When respondents were asked to comment on their experience regarding the use of prebiotics and probiotics, common words used included “health,” “beneficial,” “difference,” “happy,” “ulcer” and “diarrhea,” implying that prebiotics and probiotics are perceived to be beneficial by these horse owners and may be helping manage some of their equine's conditions. Further, 68.2% of the respondents believe that horse owners should consider implementing prebiotics and/or probiotics into a horse's daily feeding program. In conclusion, the results of this survey indicate that these horse owners are frequently using prebiotics and/or probiotics and are seeing beneficial changes to their horse's gut health. Since most prebiotic/probiotic efficacy studies are conducted on research animals, more work is required to establish the use and effectiveness of prebiotics and probiotics in privately owned horses. C2 - 2021/5// C3 - Journal of Equine Veterinary Science DA - 2021/5// DO - 10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103528 VL - 100 SP - 103528 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103528 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Review: Perspective on high-performing dairy cows and herds AU - Britt, J.H. AU - Cushman, R.A. AU - Dechow, C.D. AU - Dobson, H. AU - Humblot, P. AU - Hutjens, M.F. AU - Jones, G.A. AU - Mitloehner, F.M. AU - Ruegg, P.L. AU - Sheldon, I.M. AU - Stevenson, J.S. T2 - Animal AB - Milk and dairy products provide highly sustainable concentrations of essential amino acids and other required nutrients for humans; however, amount of milk currently produced per dairy cow globally is inadequate to meet future needs. Higher performing dairy cows and herds produce more milk with less environmental impact per kg than lower performing cows and herds. In 2018, 15.4% of the world's dairy cows produced 45.4% of the world's dairy cow milk, reflecting the global contribution of high-performing cows and herds. In high-performing herds, genomic evaluations are utilized for multiple trait selection, welfare is monitored by remote sensing, rations are formulated at micronutrient levels, health care is focused on prevention and reproduction is managed with precision. Higher performing herds require more inputs and generate more waste products per cow, thus innovations in environmental management on such farms are essential for lowering environmental impacts. Our focus is to provide perspectives on technologies and practices that contribute most to sustainable production of milk from high-performing dairy cows and herds. DA - 2021/12// PY - 2021/12// DO - 10.1016/j.animal.2021.100298 UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100298 ER - TY - CONF TI - Increased concentration of progesterone prior to luteolysis affects uterine programming during the subsequent luteal phase in beef cattle AU - Silva, F.A.C.C. AU - Martins, T. AU - Sponchiado, M. AU - Pohler, K.G. AU - Penagaricano, F. AU - Binelli, M. T2 - SSR 54th Annual Meeting C2 - 2021/// C3 - SSR 54th Annual Meeting Reproductive Biology: Solutions for Adult Disease CY - St. Louis, MO DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/12/15/ PB - SSR ER - TY - CONF TI - PSXVI-12 Revolutionizing in vitro endometrial cell studies: A novel methodology to obtain bovine endometrial cells AU - Rocha, C.C. AU - Silva, F.A.C.C. AU - Martins, T. AU - Marrero, M. AU - Driver, J. AU - Bromfield, J. AU - Hansen, T.R. AU - Binelli, M. T2 - ASAS Annual 2021 Meeting AB - Abstract Cultured primary endometrial cells are used extensively to study uterine function in cattle. However, most protocols harvest endometrial cells from slaughtered animals at estimated stages of the estrous cycle. The goal of this study was to establish and validate an in vivo, minimally invasive, and estrous cycle stage-specific method to obtain endometrial cells for culture. In Experiment 1, the uterine body of Bos indicus-influenced cows was sampled using a cytology brush (cytobrush) 4 days post estrus (D4; n = 13). Brushes were transported in medium (DMEM/F12, 3% Penicillin/Streptomycin and 2% of Fungizone) to the laboratory at ambient temperature. Cells were cultured in medium containing 10% FBS at 5% of CO2 (38°C). Confluent cells (~7 days of culture) were sub-cultured for two subsequent passages. Pools (n = 4) of cells from 2–3 animals, were frozen, thawed, and re-plated (passage 3). The relative transcript abundance of PPIA, ACTB, KRT18, VIM, OXTR, PGR, ESR1 and IFNAR1 were analyzed by qPCR and compared among fresh cells and cells from each passage. Abundance of KRT18 and VIM transcripts was similar across passages, while PGR, ESR1, OXTR and IFNAR1 transcripts decreased by 90, 96, 84, and 82 %; respectively in cultured compared to fresh cells (P &lt; 0.05). In Experiment 2, passage 3 cells were cultured for 24 hours with 0 or 1ng/mL of recombinant bovine interferon-tau (rbIFNT; n = 3 replicates/treatment). The relative expression of a classical interferon stimulated gene, ISG15, was evaluated by qPCR. Expression of ISG15 was 6-fold greater (P &lt; 0.05) in the rbIFNT treated cells compared to controls. In conclusion, the culture of endometrial cells collected by cytobrush is feasible, generates a monolayer enriched in epithelial cells and may be used as a model for physiological studies involving IFNT signaling. Further experiments to ascertain the physiological relevance of this model are underway. C2 - 2021/11// C3 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/11// PY - 2021/7/14/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab235.598 VL - 99 SP - 325-326 M1 - S3 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Genetic Testing of Beef Cattle for Parentage, Inherited Traits, and Enhanced EPDs AU - Mayo, D. AU - Alves, F. AU - Gonella, A. AU - Mauldin, M. T2 - Panhandle Ag News DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// VL - 10 IS - 33 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Calf Performance of the University of Florida beef herds in the 2019-2020 calving season AU - Binelli, M. AU - Gonella-Diaza, A. AU - Martins, T. AU - Rocha, C.C. AU - Silva, F.A.C.C. AU - Rae, F.O. AU - Driver, J.D. AU - DiLorenzo, N. AU - Dubeux, J. AU - Thomas, D. T2 - The Florida Cattleman and Livestock Journal DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// VL - 85 IS - 8 SP - 32 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Florida yearling beef heifer reproductive performance benchmarks AU - Binelli, M. AU - Gonella-Diaza, A.M. AU - Martins, T. AU - Rocha, C.C. AU - Silva, F.A.C.C. AU - Rae, O.D. AU - Driver, D. AU - DiLorenzo, N. AU - Dubeux, J. AU - Thomas, D. T2 - The Florida Cattleman DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// VL - 85 IS - 12 SP - 59-60 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Reproductive Performance of the University of Florida beef herds in the 2019 breeding season AU - Binelli, M. AU - Gonella-Diaza, A. AU - Martins, T. AU - Rocha, C.C. AU - Silva, F.A.C.C. AU - Tarnonsky, F. AU - Roskopf, S. AU - Rae, O. AU - Driver, J.D. AU - DiLorenzo, N. AU - Dubeux, J. AU - Thomas, D. T2 - The Florida Cattleman and Livestock Journal DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// VL - 85 IS - 6 SP - 14 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Reproductive Tract Score: A Tool for Evaluating Beef Heifer Reproductive Potential AU - Binelli, Mario AU - Martins, Thiago AU - Rocha, Cecilia Constantino AU - Silva, Felipe A. C. C. AU - Bittar, João AU - Moriel, Philipe AU - Gonella-Diaza, Angela AU - Butler, Lauren AU - Sanders, Cindy T2 - EDIS AB - This publication explains the RTS methodology and suggests how it can be implemented in a cow-calf operation. Written by Mario Binelli, Thiago Martins, Cecilia C. Rocha, Felipe A. C. C. Silva, João Bittar, Philipe Moriel, Angela M. Gonella-Diaza, Lauren Butler, and Cindy Sanders, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Animal Sciences, October 2021. DA - 2021/11/12/ PY - 2021/11/12/ DO - 10.32473/edis-an370-2021 UR - https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-an370-2021 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Puberty attainment and reproductive performance of yearling Bos indicus-influenced heifers after two sequential treatments with progesterone AU - Martins, T. AU - Silva, F.A.C.C. AU - Soriano, G.A. AU - Pinto, L.M.F. AU - Rocha, C.C. AU - Gonella-Diaza, A.M. AU - DiLorenzo, N. AU - Rae, O. AU - Binelli, M. T2 - Animal Reproduction Science AB - Number of pubertal heifers at time of breeding season initiation is a primary determinant to pregnancy success during the breeding season. It was hypothesized that pre-breeding progesterone (P4) supplementation (induction) would increase the number of heifers pubertal at the time of imposing estrous synchronization treatment regimens and P/AI. Yearling, Bos indicus-influenced (n = 577) or Bos indicus (n = 174) heifers were or were not treated with P4 (CIDR and Non-CIDR, respectively) for 10 d starting on D-23 (D0 = TAI). Presence of a CL on D-33 or D-23 was considered to indicate heifers were pubertal. On D-13, there was a PGF analogue administered. On D-9, there was treatment with GnRH analogue, 6d-CIDR and PGF. There were inseminations based on estrus (D-2 to D0) or TAI on D0 for non-estrous animals. There were 5.2 % and 62.9 % purebred and crossbred heifers pubertal, respectively. Proportion of prepubertal crossbred than purebred heifers with CL on D-3 was greater as a result of imposing the pubertal induction regimen (P < 0.05 and P> 0.10, respectively). Regardless of puberty status, proportion of heifers in estrus prior to AI in the CIDR group was similar to the heifers of the Non-CIDR group for crossbreds and purebreds. Similarly, P/AI of CIDR group was similar to the Non-CIDR group for crossbreds and purebreds. In summary, imposing the pubertal induction regimen hastened attainment of puberty in yearling crossbred, but not purebred heifers. Puberty induction did not affect estrous response, neither fertility after imposing an estrous synchronization treatment regimen. DA - 2021/8// PY - 2021/8// DO - 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2021.106803 VL - 231 SP - 106803 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2021.106803 KW - Bos indicus KW - Puberty KW - Induction KW - RTS ER - TY - CONF TI - PSV-4 Peri-estrus ovarian, uterine, and hormonal variables influence the uterine luminal fluid metabolome in beef heifers AU - Silva, Felipe Alves Correa Carvalho AU - Silva, Gabriela AU - Vieira, Bruna AU - Neto, Adomar AU - Rocha, Cecilia Constantino AU - Junior, Gilmar Arantes AU - Silva, Amanda AU - Turco, Edson Lo AU - Nogueira, Guilherme D AU - Pugliesi, Guilherme AU - Binelli, Mario AB - Abstract In cattle, uterine luminal fluid (ULF) is the main source of molecules that support embryo development and survival during the peri-implantation period. Overarching hypothesis was that peri-estrus changes in ULF volume through accumulation and resorption mechanisms influence ULF composition during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. Objectives were (1) to characterize individual temporal and spatial changes in ULF volume, endometrial and luteal vascularity, endometrial and luteal size, and progesterone (P4) concentrations during the peri-estrus period in beef heifers and, (2) associate such changes with the metabolite composition in the ULF, four days after estrus. Fourteen Bos indicus heifers that presented a PGF2α responsive CL received 500 µg PGF2α analog i.m. and were examined daily by rectal B-mode and pulse-wave color-Doppler ultrasonography until the fifth day after estrus (estrus = d 0). Plasma P4 was measured daily. On d 4, the uterine body was sampled using a cytology brush for targeted metabolomic analysis by mass spectrometry. Multivariate analyses clustered heifers according to ovarian, uterine, and hormonal variables in clusters A (n = 5) and B (n = 8 heifers). Individual metabolite concentrations were compared between clusters A and B by univariate analysis using t-test after FDR correction. Concentrations of Pro, Ala, Leu, Gly, Val, Lys, Ile, Phe, Asp, Orn, Tyr, Arg, Trp, Suc, Cit, ADMA, the sum of essential Amino Acids (AA), sum of non-essential AA, sum of aromatic AA, and total AA were greater in cluster A (FDR ≤ 0.05). ULF volume dynamics and associated uterine, ovarian, and hormonal variables during the peri-estrus period presented a concerted variation among heifers, which was associated with the ULF composition four days after estrus. Potential implications for embryo receptivity and reproductive outcomes are the focus of the current investigation. C2 - 2021/10/8/ C3 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/10/8/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab235.568 VL - 99 SP - 309-310 M1 - Supplement_3 PB - Oxford University Press (OUP) UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab235.568 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Calculating Reproductive Performance in Beef Operations: The University of Florida Beef Herds' 2019 Breeding Season AU - Binelli, Mario AU - Gonella-Diaza, Angela Maria AU - Martins, Thiago AU - Rocha, Cecilia C. AU - Silva, Felipe A.C.C. AU - Tarnonsky, Federico AU - Roskopf, Sergio AU - Rae, Owen D. AU - Driver, Danny AU - DiLorenzo, Nicolas AU - Dubeux, Jose AU - Thomas, David T2 - EDIS AB - This publication reviews the basic calculations of reproductive performance and reports the reproductive performance of two University of Florida beef herds. Written by Mario Binelli, Angela M. Gonella-Diaza, Thiago Martins, Cecilia C. Rocha, Felipe A. C. C. Silva, Federico Tarnonsky, Sergio Roskopf, Owen Rae, Danny Driver, Nicolas DiLorenzo, Jose Dubeux, and David Thomas, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Animal Sciences, May 2021. DA - 2021/6/18/ PY - 2021/6/18/ DO - 10.32473/edis-an365-2021 VL - 2021 IS - 3 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.32473/edis-an365-2021 ER - TY - CONF TI - 49 The dynamic changes in uterine morphology and function during the proestrus-diestrus transition in beef cattle AU - Silva, F. A. C. C. AU - Silva, G. F. AU - Vieira, B. S. AU - Neto, A. L. AU - Junior, G. A. Arantes AU - Silva, A. G. AU - Nogueira, G. P. AU - Pugliesi, G. AU - Binelli, M. AB - In cattle, early development of the non-attaching embryo depends exclusively on the biochemical properties of the intrauterine milieu. As the embryo transitions from the oviduct to the tip of the uterine horn around 4 days after oestrus, little is known about uterine functions that modulate the milieu composition and potentially determine pregnancy success. The objective was to characterise changes in uterine luminal fluid (ULF) accumulation and absorption, endometrial vascularity, and endometrial thickness in response to progesterone fluctuations during the peri-ovulatory period in beef heifers. Fourteen Bos indicus heifers that presented a prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) responsive CL received 500µg of PGF2α analogue i.m. (PGF) and were examined daily by rectal B-mode and pulse-wave colour-Doppler ultrasonography until the fifth day after oestrus (oestrus=Day 0). Plasma progesterone (P4) concentrations were measured daily. Uterine luminal fluid score was given based on the accumulation of fluid throughout the entire organ (0, no fluid, to 4). Measurement of the main ovarian structures, endometrial thickness, uterine luminal fluid score, and luminal fluid area of the cranial portion of the uterine horn ipsilateral to the preovulatory follicle and subsequent CL were executed by B-mode ultrasonography and endometrial vascularity by colour Doppler. The fixed effect of day was analysed by ANOVA. There was an effect of day on endometrial vascularity, endometrial thickness, and uterine luminal fluid score (P≤0.01) as well as uterine luminal fluid area (P≤0.05). Endometrial vascularity and endometrial thickness increased after PGF injection to peak on Day −1, whereas uterine fluid score peaked on Day 0. Interestingly, cranial uterine luminal fluid area peaked twice, on Day −1 and Day 5. Vascularity, thickness, and fluid accumulation decreased gradually from Day 0 to Day 5. There was a negative correlation (r=−0.55) between the sum of daily P4 concentrations during proestrus (i.e. from PGF to oestrus) and the greatest ULF score measured (P=0.05). Length of proestrus was correlated negatively (r=−0.69) with the increase in uterine body thickness during proestrus (P=0.03). The sum of daily luminal fluid scores, from PGF injection to Day 5, was double for heifers grouped within the upper third for that variable compared with those grouped within the lower third. In conclusion, peri-ovulatory transformations in uterine morphology and function are dramatic and vary in duration and in intensity among animals. Temporal changes in intraluminal fluid accumulation and absorption at the site of embryo arrival may change its biochemical composition. Potential implications for embryo receptivity and reproductive outcomes deserve further investigation. C2 - 2021/// C3 - Reproduction, Fertility and Development DA - 2021/// DO - 10.1071/rdv33n2ab49 VL - 33 SP - 131 M1 - 2 PB - CSIRO Publishing UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rdv33n2ab49 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Peri-estrus ovarian, uterine, and hormonal variables determine the uterine luminal fluid metabolome in beef heifers AU - Silva, Felipe A C C AU - Silva, Gabriela F AU - Vieira, Bruna S AU - Neto, Adomar L AU - Rocha, Cecilia C AU - Turco, Edson G Lo AU - Nogueira, Guilherme P AU - Pugliesi, Guilherme AU - Binelli, Mario T2 - Biology of Reproduction AB - In cattle, uterine luminal fluid (ULF) is the main source of molecules that support embryo development and survival during the peri-implantation period. Our overarching hypothesis is that peri-estrus changes in uterine function, including ULF accumulation and absorption, are uneven among individuals, and affect ULF composition and fertility. Our objectives were (1) to characterize temporal and spatial changes in ULF volume, endometrial and luteal blood perfusion, endometrial and luteal size, and circulating progesterone concentrations during the peri-estrus period in beef heifers and (2) to associate such changes with the metabolite composition in the ULF, 4 days after estrus (d 0). Fourteen Bos indicus heifer that presented a PGF2α responsive CL received 500 μg PGF2α analog i.m. and were examined daily by rectal B-mode and pulse-wave color-Doppler ultrasonography until the fifth day after estrus (d 5). The composition of the ULF was analyzed by targeted mass spectrometry on d 4. Multivariate analyses clustered heifers according to ovarian, uterine, and hormonal variables in clusters A (n = 5) and B (n = 8 heifers). Concentrations of Pro, Ala, Leu, Gly, Val, Lys, Ile, Phe, Asp, Orn, Tyr, Arg, Trp, Suc, Cit, ADMA, the sum of essential Amino Acids (AA), sum of nonessential AA, sum of aromatic AA, and total AA were greater in cluster A (FDR ≤ 0.05). ULF volume dynamics and uterine, ovarian, and hormonal variables during the peri-estrus period presented a concerted variation among heifers within clusters, which was associated with the ULF composition 4 days after estrus. DA - 2021/8/5/ PY - 2021/8/5/ DO - 10.1093/biolre/ioab149 VL - 8 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioab149 KW - uterine luminal fluid metabolome KW - peri-estrus period KW - beef heifers ER - TY - JOUR TI - SARS-CoV-2: influence of phosphate and magnesium, moderated by vitamin D, on energy (ATP) metabolism and on severity of COVID-19 AU - Kempen, Theo A. T. G. AU - Deixler, Elisabeth T2 - American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism AB - The use of vitamin D to reduce the severity of COVID-19 complications is receiving considerable attention, backed by encouraging data. Its purported mode of action is as an immune modulator. Vitamin D, however, also affects the metabolism of phosphate and Mg, which may well play a critical role in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. SARS-CoV-2 may induce a cytokine storm that drains ATP whose regeneration requires phosphate and Mg. These minerals, however, are often deficient in conditions that predispose people to severe COVID-19, including older age (especially males), diabetes, obesity, and usage of diuretics. Symptoms observed in severe COVID-19 also fit well with those seen in classical hypophosphatemia and hypomagnesemia, such as thrombocytopenia, coagulopathy, dysfunction of liver and kidneys, neurologic disturbances, immunodeficiency, failure of heart and lungs, delayed weaning from a respirator, cardiac arrhythmia, seizures, and, finally, multiorgan failure. Deficiencies of phosphate and Mg can be amplified by kidney problems commonly observed in patients with COVID-19 resulting in their wastage into urine. Available data show that phosphate and Mg are deficient in COVID-19, with phosphate showing a remarkable correlation with its severity. In one experiment, patients with COVID-19 were supplemented with a cocktail of vitamin D 3 , Mg, and vitamin B 12 , with very encouraging results. We, thus, argue that patients with COVID-19 should be monitored and treated for phosphate and Mg deficiencies, ideally already in the early phases of infection. Supplementation of phosphate and Mg combined with vitamin D could also be implemented as a preventative strategy in populations at risk. DA - 2021/1/1/ PY - 2021/1/1/ DO - 10.1152/ajpendo.00474.2020 VL - 320 IS - 1 SP - E2-E6 UR - https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00474.2020 KW - COVID-19 KW - magnesium KW - phosphate KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - vitamin D ER - TY - JOUR TI - Vacuolar H(+)-ATPase is not restricted to clear cells of the epididymal epithelium in cattle T2 - Journal of Animal Science and Technology AB - Communication among epididymal epithelial cells creates the best luminal condition where spermatozoa mature, transport and are stored. Vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) and cytokeratin 5 (KRT5) have been used as signal indicators for clear and basal cells of the epididymal epithelium, respectively, in mice, rats, bats, and pigs; however, these two markers have not yet been described in the epididymis of bulls. Here, we examined the presence and distribution of the B1 subunit of V-ATPase (B1-VATPase) and KRT5 in the distinct regions of adult bovine epididymides, specifically, the caput, corpus, and cauda. Immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy showed that narrow shaped-clear cells were placed in the caput and corpus regions of the bovine epididymis; however, they were absent in the cauda epididymis. In addition, B1-VATPase was highly expressed in the cauda spermatozoa; however, it was rarely detected in the caput spermatozoa. On the other hand, KRT5-positive cells, basal cells, were maintained beneath the basal lamina and they had the traditional form with a dome-shaped morphology from the caput to cauda region of the bovine epididymis. The co-expression of B1-VATPase and KRT5 was confined to basal cells placed in the basal region of the epithelium. In summary, 1) clear cells were present with region-specific localization, 2) B1-VATPase was present in the corpus and cauda spermatozoa but absent in the caput, 3) co-expressed cells with B1-VATPase and KRT5 were present in the adult bovine epididymis, and 4) B1-VATPase was not a specific marker for clear cells in the bovine epididymis. Therefore, the perfect epididymal luminal condition created by the specific expression and localization patterns of B1-VATPase might be necessary to obtain fertilizing capacity of spermatozoa in the bovine epididymis. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.5187/JAST.2021.E32 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/46750706/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Transcriptome profiling of in vitro-matured oocytes from a korean native cow (hanwoo) after cysteamine supplementation T2 - Animal Biotechnology AB - This study elucidated the molecular markers that decrease oocyte quality during in vitro culture, restricting optimal developmental potential. Here, we evaluated the transcriptomic differences between cysteamine-treated and non-treated bovine cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) after 22 h of co-culture in the maturation media using RNA sequencing. In total, 39,014 transcripts were sequenced between cysteamine-treated and non-treated mature COCs. We evaluated the relative expression of 21,472 genes, with 59 genes showing differential expression between the two COC groups. The cysteamine-treated group had 36 up-regulated gene transcripts and 23 down-regulated gene transcripts. Moreover, gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that multiple biological processes were significantly enriched after cysteamine supplementation. Differentially expressed genes appeared to maintain normal oocyte physiology, regulation of apoptosis, differentiation, ossification or bone formation, cardiac and muscle physiology, hormonal secretion, and membrane construction for further embryonic development. In conclusion, cysteamine affects the mRNA level of COCs during oocyte maturation by upregulating potential molecular markers and downregulating genes that affect further embryonic development. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.1080/10495398.2019.1706545 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/40833710/ KW - Cysteamine KW - oocyte maturation KW - transcriptome KW - bovine embryo ER - TY - JOUR TI - Review of Factors Affecting IASCC Initiation of Stainless Steel in PWRs T2 - Corrosion Science and Technology-korea AB - To safely operate domestic nuclear power plants approaching the end of their design life, the material degradation management strategy of the components is important. Among studies conducted to improve the soundness of nuclear reactor components, research methods for understanding the degradation of reactor internals and preparing management strategies were surveyed. Since the IGSCC (Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking) initiation and propagation process is associated with metal dissolution at the crack tip, crack initiation sensitivity was decreased in the hydrogenated water with decreased crack sensitivity but occurrence of small surface cracks increased. A stress of 50 to 55% of the yield strength of the irradiated materials was required to cause IASCC (Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking) failure at the end of the reactor operating life. In the threshold-stress analysis, IASCC cracks were not expected to occur until the end of life at a stress of less than 62% of the investigated yield strength, and the IASCC critical dose was determined to be 4 dpa (Displacement Per Atom). The stainless steel surface oxide was composed of an internal Cr-rich spinel oxide and an external Fe and Ni-rich oxide, regardless of the dose and applied strain level. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.14773/CST.2021.20.4.210 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495237/ KW - Nuclear power plant KW - Stainless steels KW - IASCC initiation KW - Dissolved hydrogen KW - Threshold fluence ER - TY - JOUR TI - Supplemental effects of increasing levels of soy protein concentrate replacing animal protein supplements on growth performance and intestinal health of nursery pigs T2 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495229/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Supplemental effects of Bacillus sp. in prevention of post-weaning diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic F18+Escherichia coli in nursery pigs T2 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495228/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Supplemental effects of soy protein concentrate replacing animal protein supplements on growth performance and intestinal health of nursery pigs T2 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495221/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Supplemental effects of phytase on bone parameters, intestinal health, nutrient digestibility and growth performance on broiler chickens T2 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495218/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Supplemental effects of Lactobacillus extract postbiotics in prevention of postweaning diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic F18+Escherichia coli in nursery pigs T2 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495231/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Estrus synchronization and artificial insemination in Korean black goat (Capra hircus coreanae) using frozen-thawed semen T2 - Journal of Animal Science and Technology AB - Presently, there is an increased demand for livestock products all over the world which has led to more devotion on improving livestock population. Although goats have been bred for a long time in Korea, but there is not much research conducted on traditional Korean black goat (Capra hircus coreanae) compared to other livestock populations. Mutton consumption has been dramatically changing from medicinal use to edible meat and this trend directs the black goat populations declining and also mutton import quantities are increasing consistently. The present study introduced a new estrus synchronizing technique with subsequent artificial insemination (AI) for Korean black goats to enable crossbreeding with non-native breeds for the small or subsistent farmers. Our data highlighted that, the percentage of motile sperm from the electro-ejaculated samples declined significantly after freezing and melting. In addition, the sperm motility significantly declined with regard to sperm incubation period (0, 5, 60, and 120 min at 37°C) and was negatively correlated (64.2 ± 7.9%, 63.3 ± 5.8%, 49.9 ± 6.3%, and 35.9 ± 7.6%, respectively) in frozen-thawed sperm samples. Moreover, the E2 levels were unchanged even 24 h after controlled internal drug releas (CIDR) withdrawal. But, 48 h and 72 h after CIDR removal, E2 levels increased significantly. These data helps us to consider the two time points for AI; CIDR removal after 24 h, at which E2 decreases, and after 48 h, as the time at which progesterone increases. Additionally, the AI after 48 h of CIDR removal group exhibited significantly higher pregnancy and parturition rates (42.9%) compared to AI after 24 h after CIDR removal 28.6% group. In conclusion, these studies will propose an optimal estrus synchronisation process with subsequent timing of AI and also will promote the Korean black goat breeding industry. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.5187/JAST.2021.E10 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/43959590/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - He Generation Evaluation on Electrodeposited Ni After Neutron Exposure T2 - Corrosion Science and Technology-korea DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.14773/CST.2021.20.5.308 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495236/ KW - Nuclear power plant KW - Corrosion of RPV steel KW - Ni plating KW - Neutron effect KW - He generation ER - TY - JOUR TI - Failure Evaluation Plan of a Reactor Internal Components of a Decommissioned Plant T2 - Corrosion Science and Technology-korea AB - A technology for designing and licensing a dedicated radiation shielding facility needs to be developed for safe and efficient operation an R&D center. Technology development is important for smooth operation of such facilities. Causes of damage to internal structures (such as baffle former bolt (BFB) of pressurized water reactor) of a nuclear power reactor should be analyzed along with prevention and countermeasures for similar cases of other plants. It is important to develop technologies that can comprehensively analyze various characteristics of internal structures of long term operated reactors. In high-temperature, high-pressure operating environment of nuclear power plants, cases of BFB cracks caused by irradiated assisted stress corrosion cracks (IASCC) have been reported overseas. The integrity of a reactor’s internal structure has emerged as an important issue. Identifying the cause of the defect is requested by the Korean regulatory agency. It is also important to secure a foundation for testing technology to demonstrate the operating environment for medium-level irradiated testing materials. The demonstration testing facility can be used for research on material utilization of the plant, which might have highest fluence on the internal structure of a reactor globally. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.14773/CST.2021.20.4.189 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495239/ KW - Nuclear power plant KW - PWR KW - Reactor internals KW - Materials harvesting KW - IASCC ER - TY - JOUR TI - Exploring User Experience (UX) Design in North Korea T2 - The Design Journal AB - OVERVIEWLittle is known about North Korean user experience (UX). The advancement of information technology in North Korea is remarkable, and the spread of IT in North Koreans’ everyday lives exceeds our expectations. Considering that UX develops concurrently with IT, we can assume that UX design exists in the North Korean IT industry. This study explores three problems: What are the political UX factors inherent in North Korean IT products considering their highly ideology-oriented culture? How does North Korea cope with global UX design trends? What are the similarities and differences in UX between South and North Korea, which share the same historical and lingual roots yet have sociocultural gaps after more than 70 years of division? As part of my on-going research to build foundational knowledge about the North Korean industrial design and IT sectors, this study aims to grasp the current status and characteristics of North Korean UX design. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.1080/14606925.2021.1896078 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/44441930/ KW - UX KW - design KW - North Korea KW - information technology KW - IT ER - TY - JOUR TI - Efficacy and Safety of Treatment with Quadruple Oral Hypoglycemic Agents in Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Multi-Center, Retrospective, Observational Study T2 - Diabetes & Metabolism Journal AB - Only few studies have shown the efficacy and safety of glucose-control strategies using the quadruple drug combination. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of the quadruple combination therapy with oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).From March 2014 to December 2018, data of patients with T2DM, who were treated with quadruple hypoglycemic medications for over 12 months in 11 hospitals in South Korea, were reviewed retrospectively. We compared glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels before and 12 months after quadruple treatment with OHAs. The safety, maintenance rate, and therapeutic patterns after failure of the quadruple therapy were also evaluated.In total, 357 patients were enrolled for quadruple OHA therapy, and the baseline HbA1c level was 9.0%±1.3% (74.9±14.1 mmol/mol). After 12 months, 270 patients (75.6%) adhered to the quadruple therapy and HbA1c was significantly reduced from 8.9%±1.2% to 7.8%±1.3% (mean change, -1.1%±1.2%; P<0.001). The number of patients with HbA1c <7% increased significantly from 5 to 68 (P<0.005). In addition, lipid profiles and liver enzyme levels were also improved whereas no changes in body weight. There was no significant safety issue in patients treated with quadruple OHA therapy.This study shows the therapeutic efficacy of the quadruple OHA regimen T2DM and demonstrates that it can be an option for the management of T2DM patients who cannot use insulin or reject injectable therapy. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.4093/DMJ.2020.0107 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/37974779/ KW - Diabetes mellitus KW - type 2 KW - Drug therapy KW - combination KW - Hypoglycemic agents KW - Injections KW - Insulin ER - TY - JOUR TI - Influence of lactose and milk oligosac-charides in whey permeate on jejunal mucosa-associated microbiota in nursery pigs during 7 to 11 kg BW T2 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54171468/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effects of xylanase and its optimal supplementation level on viscosity of jejunal digesta, nutrient digestibility, intestinal health, and growth performance of nursery pigs T2 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495216/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effects of Reducing Crude Protein with Supplementation of Six Essential Amino Acids and Glutamate on Growth and Backfat of Finishing Pigs T2 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495214/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Dysregulation of the Acrosome Formation Network by 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) in Infertile Sperm: A Case Report with Advanced Techniques T2 - International Journal of Molecular Sciences AB - 8-Hydroxyguanine (8-oxoG) is the most common oxidative DNA lesion and unrepaired 8-oxoG is associated with DNA fragmentation in sperm. However, the molecular effects of 8-oxoG on spermatogenesis are not entirely understood. Here, we identified one infertile bull (C14) due to asthenoteratozoospermia. We compared the global concentration of 8-oxoG by reverse-phase liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (RP-LC/MS), the genomic distribution of 8-oxoG by next-generation sequencing (OG-seq), and the expression of sperm proteins by 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by peptide mass fingerprinting (2D-PAGE/PMF) in the sperm of C14 with those of a fertile bull (C13). We found that the average levels of 8-oxoG in C13 and C14 sperm were 0.027% and 0.044% of the total dG and it was significantly greater in infertile sperm DNA (p = 0.0028). Over 81% of the 8-oxoG loci were distributed around the transcription start site (TSS) and 165 genes harboring 8-oxoG were exclusive to infertile sperm. Functional enrichment and network analysis revealed that the Golgi apparatus was significantly enriched with the products from 8-oxoG genes of infertile sperm (q = 2.2 × 10−7). Proteomic analysis verified that acrosome-related proteins, including acrosin-binding protein (ACRBP), were downregulated in infertile sperm. These preliminary results suggest that 8-oxoG formation during spermatogenesis dysregulated the acrosome-related gene network, causing structural and functional defects of sperm and leading to infertility. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.3390/IJMS22115857 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/47724792/ KW - 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) KW - acrosome KW - sperm KW - infertility KW - bull ER - TY - JOUR TI - How to use ultrasonic cutter on frozen semen for multiple embryo production T2 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/52386477/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effects of Yarrowia Lipolytica Supplementation on Growth Performance and Apparent Ileal Digestibility of Diets Fed to Nursery Pigs T2 - Journal of Animal Science DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495227/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Evidence that pubertal status impacts kisspeptin/neurokinin B/dynorphin neurons in the gilt(dagger) AU - Harlow, KaLynn AU - Renwick, Allison N. AU - Shuping, Sydney L. AU - Sommer, Jeffrey R. AU - Lents, Clay A. AU - Knauer, Mark T. AU - Nestor, Casey C. T2 - BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION AB - Puberty onset is a complex physiological process, which enables the capacity for reproduction through increased gonadotropin-releasing hormone and subsequently luteinizing hormone secretion. While cells that coexpress kisspeptin, neurokinin B (NKB), and dynorphin in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus are believed to govern the timing of puberty, the degree to which kisspeptin/NKB/dynorphin (KNDy) neurons exist and are regulated by pubertal status remains to be determined in the gilt. Hypothalamic tissue from prepubertal and postpubertal, early follicular phase gilts was used to determine the expression of kisspeptin, NKB, and dynorphin within the arcuate nucleus. Fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed that the majority (>74%) of arcuate nucleus neurons that express mRNA for kisspeptin coexpressed mRNA for NKB and dynorphin. There were fewer arcuate nucleus cells that expressed mRNA for dynorphin in postpubertal gilts compared to prepubertal gilts (P < 0.05), but the number of arcuate nucleus cells expressing mRNA for kisspeptin or NKB was not different between groups. Within KNDy neurons, mRNA abundance for kisspeptin, NKB, and dynorphin of postpubertal gilts was the same as, less than, and greater than, respectively, prepubertal gilts. Immunostaining for kisspeptin did not differ between prepubertal and postpubertal gilts, but there were fewer NKB immunoreactive fibers in postpubertal gilts compared to prepubertal gilts (P < 0.05). Together, these data reveal novel information about KNDy neurons in gilts and support the idea that NKB and dynorphin play a role in puberty onset in the female pig. DA - 2021/12/20/ PY - 2021/12/20/ DO - 10.1093/biolre/ioab189 VL - 105 IS - 6 SP - 1533-1544 SN - 1529-7268 KW - kisspeptin KW - NKB KW - dynorphin KW - swine KW - puberty ER - TY - JOUR TI - Genetic diversity and population history of eight Italian beef cattle breeds using measures of autozygosity AU - Fabbri, Maria Chiara AU - Dadousis, Christos AU - Tiezzi, Francesco AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Lozada-Soto, Emmanuel AU - Biffani, Stefano AU - Bozzi, Riccardo T2 - PLOS ONE AB - In the present study, GeneSeek GGP-LDv4 33k single nucleotide polymorphism chip was used to detect runs of homozygosity (ROH) in eight Italian beef cattle breeds, six breeds with distribution limited to Tuscany (Calvana, Mucca Pisana, Pontremolese) or Sardinia (Sarda, Sardo Bruna and Sardo Modicana) and two cosmopolitan breeds (Charolais and Limousine). ROH detection analyses were used to estimate autozygosity and inbreeding and to identify genomic regions with high frequency of ROH, which might reflect selection signatures. Comparative analysis among breeds revealed differences in length and distribution of ROH and inbreeding levels. The Charolais, Limousine, Sarda, and Sardo Bruna breeds were found to have a high frequency of short ROH (~ 15.000); Calvana and Mucca Pisana presented also runs longer than 16 Mbp. The highest level of average genomic inbreeding was observed in Tuscan breeds, around 0.3, while Sardinian and cosmopolitan breeds showed values around 0.2. The population structure and genetic distances were analyzed through principal component and multidimensional scaling analyses, and resulted in a clear separation among the breeds, with clusters related to productive purposes. The frequency of ROH occurrence revealed eight breed-specific genomic regions where genes of potential selective and conservative interest are located (e.g. MYOG, CHI3L1, CHIT1 (BTA16), TIMELESS, APOF, OR10P1, OR6C4, OR2AP1, OR6C2, OR6C68, CACNG2 (BTA5), COL5A2 and COL3A1 (BTA2)). In all breeds, we found the largest proportion of homozygous by descent segments to be those that represent inbreeding events that occurred around 32 generations ago, with Tuscan breeds also having a significant proportion of segments relating to more recent inbreeding. DA - 2021/10/25/ PY - 2021/10/25/ DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0248087 VL - 16 IS - 10 SP - SN - 1932-6203 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85117913573&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - CONF TI - The pig -- A novel translational animal model for eosinophilic esophagitis AU - Brodsky, D. AU - Cortes, L.M. AU - Pridgen, T. AU - Schaaf, C. AU - McKinney, C. AU - Hazzard, A. AU - Odle, J. AU - Blikslager, A. AU - Gonzales, L. AU - Dawson, H. AU - Dellon, E.S. AU - Laster, S.M. AU - Kaeser, T. T2 - Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD) C2 - 2021/12/6/ CY - Chicago, IL DA - 2021/12/6/ PY - 2021/12/6/ ER - TY - CONF TI - Domestic pigs represent a novel translational animal model for eosinophilic esophagitis AU - Brodsky, D. AU - Cortes, L.M. AU - Pridgen, T. AU - Schaaf, C. AU - McKinney, C. AU - Hazzard, A. AU - Odle, J. AU - Blikslager, A. AU - Gonzales, L. AU - Dawson, H. AU - Dellon, E.S. AU - Laster, S.M. AU - Kaeser, T. T2 - European Veterinary Immunology Workshop C2 - 2021/8/30/ CY - (Virtual) DA - 2021/8/30/ PY - 2021/8/30/ ER - TY - CONF TI - Dietary Oligosaccharides Differentially Modulate Microbiome, Enteric Glia, and Epithelial Barrier Function in the Early Postnatal Period AU - Ziegler, A. AU - Deck, C. AU - Caldwell, M. AU - Pridgen, T. AU - Rose, E. AU - Sheridan, A. AU - Erwin, S. AU - Wieland, B. AU - Hattenhauer, A. AU - Van Landeghem, L. AU - Odle, J. AU - Blikslager, A. T2 - Gastrointestinal Tract XIX Conference: Making and Breaking a Gut (FASEB Science Research Conference) C2 - 2021/8/3/ CY - (Virtual) DA - 2021/8/3/ PY - 2021/8/3/ ER - TY - SOUND TI - Manuscript 101: Tips for preparing your research for publication AU - Odle, J. DA - 2021/11/18/ PY - 2021/11/18/ M3 - Workshop presentation ER - TY - SOUND TI - Understanding the peer review process AU - Odle, J. DA - 2021/6/7/ PY - 2021/6/7/ M3 - Meet the Editors session ER - TY - SOUND TI - Annual review and Evaluation of Current Developments in Nutrition AU - Odle, J. DA - 2021/5/18/ PY - 2021/5/18/ M3 - Editor-in-Chief Report ER - TY - SOUND TI - Nutritional Biochemistry of Bioactive Fatty Acids in the Neonatal Pig AU - Odle, J. DA - 2021/3/17/ PY - 2021/3/17/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Zinc alleviates the heat stress of primary cultured hepatocytes of broiler embryos via enhancing the antioxidant ability and attenuating the heat shock responses AU - Li, Tingting AU - He, Wengang AU - Liao, Xiudong AU - Lin, Xi AU - Zhang, Liyang AU - Lu, Lin AU - Guo, Yanli AU - Liu, Zongping AU - Luo, Xugang T2 - Animal Nutrition AB - Zinc (Zn) has been shown to attenuate the adverse effects of heat stress on broilers, but the mechanisms involving this process remain unclear. We aimed to investigate possible protective mechanisms of Zn on primary cultured hepatocytes of broiler embryos subjected to heat stress. Three experiments were conducted. In Exp. 1, hepatocytes were treated with 0, 50, 100, 200, or 400 μmol/L added Zn as inorganic Zn sulfate (iZn) for 12, 24 or 48 h. In Exp. 2, cells were exposed to 40 °C (a normal temperature [NT]) and 44 °C (a high temperature [HT]) for 1, 2, 4, 6, or 8 h. In Exp. 3, cells were preincubated with 0 or 50 μmol/L Zn as iZn or organic Zn lysine chelate (oZn) for 8 h under NT, and then incubated with the same Zn treatments under NT or HT for 4 or 6 h. The biomarkers of antioxidative status and heat stress in cells were measured. The results in Exp. 1 indicated that 50 μmol/L Zn and 12 h incubation were the optimal conditions for increasing antioxidant ability of hepatocytes. In Exp. 2, the 4 or 6 h incubation under HT was effective in inducing heat shock responses of hepatocytes. In Exp. 3, HT elevated (P < 0.01) malondialdehyde content and expressions of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) mRNA and protein, as well as HSP90 mRNA. However, Zn supplementation increased (P < 0.05) copper zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) activity and metallothionein mRNA expression, and effectively decreased (P < 0.05) the expressions of HSP70 mRNA and protein, as well as HSP90 mRNA. Furthermore, oZn was more effective (P < 0.05) than iZn in enhancing CuZnSOD activity of hepatocytes under HT. It was concluded that Zn (especially oZn) could alleviate heat stress of broiler hepatocytes via enhancing their antioxidant ability and attenuating heat shock responses. DA - 2021/9// PY - 2021/9// DO - 10.1016/j.aninu.2021.01.003 VL - 7 IS - 3 SP - 621-630 J2 - Animal Nutrition LA - en OP - SN - 2405-6545 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2021.01.003 DB - Crossref KW - Broiler hepatocyte KW - Zinc KW - Heat stress KW - Antioxidant ability KW - Heat shock response ER - TY - MGZN TI - Farrowing pen design is focus of precision farming study; Big data enables easier pig behaviour research AU - Anderson, F. AU - Leonard, S. T2 - Ontario Farmer DA - 2021/6// PY - 2021/6// ER - TY - MGZN TI - Effect of stall size, number of heat lamps during farrowing: Part 1 AU - Leonard, S.M. AU - Ramirez, B.C. T2 - National Hog Farmer DA - 2021/8// PY - 2021/8// ER - TY - MGZN TI - Effect of stall size, number of heat lamps during farrowing: Part 2 AU - Leonard, S.M. AU - Ramirez, B.C. T2 - National Hog Farmer DA - 2021/9// PY - 2021/9// PB - National Hog Farmer ER - TY - MGZN TI - Effect of stall size, number of heat lamps during farrowing: Part 3 AU - Leonard, S.M. AU - Ramirez, B.C. T2 - National Hog Farmer DA - 2021/10// PY - 2021/10// PB - National Hog Farmer ER - TY - CONF TI - Understanding and predicting sow behavior at farrowing AU - Fayne, B. AU - Hodges, R. AU - Leonard, S.M. T2 - NC State Annual Summer Research and Creativity Symposium C2 - 2021/// CY - (Virtual) DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// ER - TY - CONF TI - Automating ultrasound measurements of back fat and loin depth in swine AU - Peppmeier, Z. AU - Knauer, M. AU - Howard, J. AU - Leonard, S.M. T2 - National Swine Improvement Federation Annual Meeting C2 - 2021/// CY - St. Louis, MO DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// ER - TY - SOUND TI - Low protein formulation and functional amino acids for efficiency and gut health of nursery pigs AU - Jan, S.W.Kim DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// ER - TY - SOUND TI - Understanding intestinal health and its implication in animal growth AU - Jan, S.W.Kim DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effets des oligo-éléments chélatés remplaçant les oligo-éléments inorganiques dans l’alimentation des truies sur les la méthylation de l’ADN, l’acétylation des histones et l’expression des gènes dans les tissus musculaires et intestinaux de la progéniture AU - Jang, K.B. AU - Chen, J.X. AU - Huard, M. AU - Kim, S.W. T2 - Journées de la Recherche Porcine DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// ER - TY - CHAP TI - Feed formulation and feeding program AU - Kim, S.W. AU - Hansen, J.A. T2 - Sustainable Swine Nutrition A2 - Chiba, L. PY - 2021/// PB - Wiley-Blackwell ER - TY - CHAP TI - Nutrients for swine AU - Kim, S.W. T2 - Encyclopedia of Animal Science A2 - Bond, W.G. A2 - Bell, A.W. PY - 2021/// PB - Taylor & Francis Publication ER - TY - CONF TI - Animal science student perceptions on online delivery during COVID-19 transitions AU - Ange-van Heugten, K.D. T2 - North American College and Teachers of Agriculture Conference C2 - 2021/// DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/6// ER - TY - CONF TI - Effect of preservation method on gut microbiome diversity in Southern White Rhinoceros (Certaotherium simum simum) AU - Burnham, C. AU - Trivedi, S. AU - Ange-van Heugten, K. AU - Minter, L.J. T2 - Animal Science Program Research Poster Session C2 - 2021/// CY - NC State University, Raleigh, NC DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/4/30/ ER - TY - CONF TI - Migration and histological effects of visible implant elastomer (VIE) and passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in marine toads (Rhinella marina) AU - Cabot, M.L. AU - Troan, B.V. AU - Ange-van Heugten, K. AU - Schnellbacher, R.W. AU - Smith, D. AU - Ridgley, F. AU - Minter, L.J. T2 - 53rd annual American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) conference C2 - 2021/// CY - (Virtual) DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/10// ER - TY - CONF TI - Comparison of three microbiome preservation methods within managed southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) AU - Burnham, C. AU - Minter, L.J. AU - Ange-van Heugten, K. AU - Trivedi, S. T2 - 14th Biennial ZWNF/ NAG Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition C2 - 2021/// CY - (Virtual) DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/10/4/ ER - TY - CONF TI - Analysis of circulating fatty acid profiles in free-ranging and managed care marine toads (Rhinella marina) AU - Witt, M.L. AU - Minter, L.J. AU - Tollefson, T.N. AU - Ridgley, F.R. AU - Smith, D. AU - Bibus, D. AU - Troan, B.V. AU - Scott, H.S. AU - Ange-van Heugten, K.D. T2 - 14th Biennial ZWNF/ NAG Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition C2 - 2021/// CY - (Virtual) DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/10/4/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - 487 Student Opinions on Insect-based Protein Sources Within Companion Animal and Human Diets AU - Ange-van Heugten, Kimberly D AU - Aker, Savannah AU - Barbour, Hope AU - Horne, Destiny T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract The use of insect-based alternatives as protein sources for companion animal and human foods is a popular discussion area for university students. Many students are not familiar with industries that produce these protein sources or how they are included within diets. In the Spring 2021 semester, teaching assistants for Introduction to Companion Animals (ANS 105) and Companion Animal Management (ANS 400) surveyed students to determine their opinions on having their companion animals or themselves consume insect-based diets. The online survey required participants to watch one video and read one website briefly detailing the value of insect consumption. The survey focused on evaluating whether students in the freshman level ANS 105 class had different opinions on insect consumption from upperclassmen in ANS 400. ANS 105 enrollment was 50% animal science majors compared to 100% in ANS 400. When students were asked if they would consider feeding their companion animal an insect-based diet, the classes did not differ (P=0.843). For ANS 105 (n=96), 78 ± 4.2% would consider insect-based companion animal feeds versus 77±5.8% in ANS 400 (n=52). Similarly, the classes did not differ when asked if they would consider insect-based diet items for themselves (P=0.826). Only 42±5.0% of ANS 105 and 40±6.9% of ANS 400 would consider this option. However, student opinions differed (P=0.012) when asked if they would consider feeding their companion animal or themselves meat from domestic animals raised on insect-based diets. In ANS 105, 30±4.2% were less likely to purchase meat products raised with insect protein compared to traditional meats versus 12±5.8% in ANS 400. Students reported numerous reasons they were weary of insect protein including distaste, lack of research, perceived lack of nutrition, unknown GMO or organic status, and vegetarianism. Students within animal science classes would benefit from learning more about insect-based protein alternatives. DA - 2021/10/8/ PY - 2021/10/8/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab235.389 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_3 SP - 214–214 SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab235.389 ER - TY - CONF TI - Reduction of ruminal methanogenesis by alternative metabolic hydrogen sinks (nitrate, sulfate, and 3-nitro-1-propionate) and methane analog (bromochloromethane): investigation into hydrogen metabolism via treatments and dietary energy level manipulations AU - Tanaka, K. AU - Fellner, V. T2 - North Carolina Agriculture and Life Sciences (NCALS) Foundation Research Board C2 - 2021/// CY - (Virtual) DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/11/11/ ER - TY - CONF TI - Altering metabolic hydrogen disposal as an alternative to reducing methanogenesis, improving animal health and feed efficiency AU - Tanaka, K. AU - Fellner, V. T2 - Food Animal and Innovation Summit, Animal Health & Nutrition Symposium C2 - 2021/// CY - North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// ER - TY - CONF TI - Fiber: the prebiotic alternative to antimicrobials AU - Farricker, M. AU - Grant, R. AU - Darrah, J. AU - Fellner, V. T2 - Food Animal Innovation Summit, Animal Health & Nutrition Symposium C2 - 2021/// CY - North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// ER - TY - JOUR TI - Migration and Histologic Effects of Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) and Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags in the Marine Toad (Rhinella marina) AU - Cabot, Megan L. AU - Troan, Brigid V. AU - Ange-van Heugten, Kimberly AU - Schnellbacher, Rodney W. AU - Smith, Dustin AU - Ridgley, Frank AU - Minter, Larry J. T2 - Animals AB - Passive integrated transponder (PIT) and visible implant elastomer (VIE) tags are commonly used to identify reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Despite reports of good retention rates and little to no negative effect on survival time, migration remains a concern and histologic changes have not been widely evaluated. Fifty-six wild-caught marine toads (Rhinella marina) were marked with a PIT tag in the left caudal thigh and a VIE tag over the right gastrocnemius muscle prior to transport to the North Carolina Zoo. Fourteen toads were then humanely euthanized on day 9, 15, 32, and 62 for postmortem examination and histopathology which were compared to 10 control toads with no tags. All PIT tags were functional and 95% remained at the insertion site with minimal to no histologic changes. Externally, 48% of VIE tags were visible through the skin at the original site of injection under fluorescent or UV light. Upon gross examination of the tissues, VIE tags had an overall retention rate of 62% at the injection site, with similar retention rates across time points. Migrated VIE material was visible grossly and histologically in the kidneys of 98% of toads and along the right leg, proximally and distally, in 25% of toads. VIE material was also found sporadically in mesentery, colon, and free in the coelomic cavity. Histologically, VIE material in the skin was surrounded by minimal to mild granulomatous inflammation while in the kidney it was associated with dilation of the small vessels, edema, and granulomatous nephritis that progressed in severity over time. Based on these findings, the authors recommend the use of PIT tags over VIE tags for identification of adult anurans, when feasible. DA - 2021/11/14/ PY - 2021/11/14/ DO - 10.3390/ani11113255 VL - 11 IS - 11 SP - 3255 J2 - Animals LA - en OP - SN - 2076-2615 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11113255 DB - Crossref KW - marine toad KW - passive integrated transponder (PIT) KW - pathology KW - Rhinella marina KW - visible implant elastomer (VIE) ER - TY - JOUR TI - The Impact of COVID-19 on Pre-Veterinary Opportunities and Recommendations for DVM Admissions AU - Trivedi, Shweta AU - Clark, Jessica C. AU - Royal, Kenneth D. T2 - JOURNAL OF VETERINARY MEDICAL EDUCATION AB - During the summer of 2020, a survey-based study was conducted at North Carolina State University, a land-grant university, to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on pre-veterinary students' ability to gain experience hours for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) admissions. Of the 286 respondents (47% of the respondent pool), 92% reported losing at least one animal, veterinary, research, extracurricular, or work opportunity due to COVID-19, and 59% were not able to find a replacement. Of the lost experiences, 74 (20.8%) were for academic credit, resulting in 131 total academic credit hours lost, while only 12 credit hours were gained via alternative experiences. Of respondents, 30% (29.7%) identified as applicants of the 2020-2021 Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) cycle. More than half (52.6%) of the sample identified being concerned about the strength of their VMCAS experiences due to these lost opportunities. Many respondents reported considering delaying application submissions by taking a gap year (17.5%) or having had their intended graduation timeline affected (14.8%). Since the majority of veterinary colleges utilize a holistic review process, this study provides a basis for understanding the effects of COVID-19 on the duration, depth, and diversity of experiences gained by future DVM applicants. This article also provides recommendations for DVM admissions adaptations based on the outcomes of the data. DA - 2021/5/17/ PY - 2021/5/17/ DO - 10.3138/jvme-2020-0145 SP - SN - 1943-7218 KW - COVID-19 impact on admissions KW - DVM admissions KW - pre-professional advising KW - pre-veterinary KW - holistic review KW - experience hours ER - TY - JOUR TI - Maternal Supplementation of Clofibrate Stimulates Intestinal Fatty Acid Oxidation in Newborn Suckling Piglets AU - Pike, Brandon AU - Hicks, Julie AU - Zhao, Jinan AU - Liu, Hsiao-Ching AU - Odle, Jack AU - Xi, Lin T2 - Current Developments in Nutrition AB - To evaluate the effects of maternal feeding of clofibrate, a pharmaceutical PPARα agonist, on the development of intestinal fatty acid metabolism in offspring using the pig as a model. A total of 27 pregnant sows were randomly assigned into three treatment groups. Each group was fed a standard diet (3265 kcal ME/kg) supplemented with either 0, 0.25% or 0.5% clofibrate (w/w) from d 107 of gestation to d 7 of lactation. A piglet from each litter was sampled on 1, 7, 14 and 19 d of age. Fatty acid oxidation was examined in homogenates of ileum mucosa using 1 mM [1–14C] oleic acid as a substrate in the absence or presence of in vitro supplemented L-carnitine (1 mM), malonate (10 mM) or carnitine + malonate. The metabolism of [1–14C] oleic acid was modified by the maternal clofibrate, and the effects varied with the dose of clofibrate and postnatal age (p < 0.001). The 14C accumulation in 14CO2 increased by 2.4 fold at d7 (vs d1), but showed no difference after d7. Maternal clofibrate stimulated the 14CO2 accumulation from d1 to d19, but the stimulation decreased with postnatal age. The 14C accumulation in acid soluble products (14C-ASP) was reduced by 8.4 fold at d7 (vs d1), and no difference was observed after d7. Maternal clofibrate increased 14C-ASP at d1, and the effect was greater as maternal clofibrate was incremented from 0.25 to 0.5%. The 14C accumulation in esterified products (14C-ESP) was greater at d7 than d1, 14 and 19. Maternal clofibrate reduced the 14C-ESP and, again the reduction was stronger with increasing clofibrate dose. In vitro supplementation of carnitine increased 14CO2 by 60% and 14C-ASP by 120%, but reduced 14C-ESP by 39% compared to control incubations. Supplementation of malonate reduced 14CO2 by 95% and 14C-ESP by 44%, but no effect on 14C-ASP was detected. Maternal dietary supplementation of clofibrate increases intestinal fatty acid oxidation in suckling offspring, but the increase is attenuated after one week. Inhibition of the TCA cycle reduces CO2 production without affecting ASP. The availability of carnitine could be a key element to maintain a high rate of intestinal fatty acid oxidation during the neonatal period. Supported by Program of Animal Nutrition, Growth and Lactation [grant no. 2015–67015-23245/project accession no. 1005855] from the USDA NIFA. DA - 2021/6// PY - 2021/6// DO - 10.1093/cdn/nzab042_009 VL - 5 IS - Supplement_2 SP - 542-542 LA - en OP - SN - 2475-2991 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab042_009 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - MicroRNA and mRNA Sequencing Analyses Reveal Key Hepatic Metabolic Pathways Responsive to Maternal Malnutrition in Full-Term Fetal Pigs AU - Wang, Feng AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Wang, Xiaoqiu AU - Odle, Jack AU - Xi, Lin T2 - Current Developments in Nutrition AB - Maternal and infant undernutrition is highly prevalent in developing countries, leading to serious fetus/infant mortality, intrauterine growth restriction, stunting, and severe wasting. However, the effects of maternal undernutrition have generally focused on the reduced maternal nutrient supply to the fetus. The potential impairment of fetal metabolic pathways has not been well studied. Pregnant gilts (Landrace x Yorkshire x Duroc) received the NRC gestation diet with (n = 4) or without (n = 4) 50% intake restriction at insemination day and 70% for the following gestation period. Full term fetuses were obtained via C-section, two piglets were selected from each gilt in both groups and subject to hepatic tissue collection. MicroRNA and mRNA deep sequencing analysis was performed using the Illumina GAIIx system. The mRNA-miRNA correlation and associated signaling pathways were analyzed via CLC workbench, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis Software. A total of 42 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified between intake-restriction and full-nutrition group. Among of these, mir-206, mir-133b, mir-1246, mir-1843 and mir-7139 are the most downregulated and mir-10b, mir-708 and mir-222 are the most upregulated miRNAs. A total of 1215 mRNAs were identified to differentially expressed between two groups. Two metabolic pathways: retinol biosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation were significantly modified, and the modification was associated with the miRNA changes induced by the maternal feed restriction. Briefly, the retinol biosynthesis pathway was upregulated (p < 0.01), in which those differential expressed mir-221, mir-4492, mir-1281 and mir-4492 were predicted targeting genes AADAC, CES3, PNPLA3 and RDH13 in the pathway. The oxidative phosphorylation pathway was upregulated (p < 0.05), and those differential expressed mir-1843, mir-222 and mir-184 were predicted targeting genes ATP5F1C, NDUFA1, NDUFB10, and NDUFS7 in this pathway. These results provide the framework for further understanding of negative impact of maternal malnutrition on hepatic metabolic pathways via miRNA-RNA interactions in full-term fetal pigs. Supported in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (GCE OPP1061037) and by the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service. DA - 2021/6// PY - 2021/6// DO - 10.1093/cdn/nzab046_126 VL - 5 IS - Supplement_2 SP - 829-829 J2 - Current Developments in Nutrition LA - en OP - SN - 2475-2991 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab046_126 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Modulation of intestinal stem cell homeostasis by nutrients: a novel therapeutic option for intestinal diseases AU - Wang, Dan AU - Li, Pei AU - Odle, Jack AU - Lin, Xi AU - Zhao, Jiangchao AU - Xiao, Kan AU - Liu, Yulan T2 - Nutrition Research Reviews AB - Intestinal stem cells, which are capable of both self-renewal and differentiation to mature cell types, are responsible for maintaining intestinal epithelial homeostasis. Recent evidence indicates that these processes are mediated, in part, through nutritional status in response to diet. Diverse dietary patterns including caloric restriction, fasting, high-fat diets, ketogenic diets and high-carbohydrate diets as well as other nutrients control intestinal stem cell self-renewal and differentiation through nutrient-sensing pathways such as mammalian target of rapamycin and AMP-activated kinase. Herein, we summarise the current understanding of how intestinal stem cells contribute to intestinal epithelial homeostasis and diseases. We also discuss the effects of diet and nutrient-sensing pathways on intestinal stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, as well as their potential application in the prevention and treatment of intestinal diseases. DA - 2021/6/8/ PY - 2021/6/8/ DO - 10.1017/S0954422421000172 VL - 6 SP - 1-9 J2 - Nutr. Res. Rev. LA - en OP - SN - 0954-4224 1475-2700 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954422421000172 DB - Crossref KW - Intestinal stem cells KW - Self-renewal KW - Differentiation KW - Dietary patterns KW - Intestinal diseases ER - TY - JOUR TI - Intergenerational cycle of disease: Maternal mastitis is associated with poorer daughter performance in dairy cattle AU - Swartz, T.H. AU - Bradford, B.J. AU - Clay, J.S. T2 - Journal of Dairy Science AB - Adverse prenatal environments, such as maternal stress and infections, can influence the health and performance of offspring. Mastitis is the most common disease in dairy cattle, yet the intergenerational effects have not been specifically investigated. Therefore, we examined the associations between the dam's mammary gland health and daughter performance using somatic cell score (SCS) as a proxy for mammary health. Using data obtained from Dairy Records Management Systems (Raleigh, NC), we linked daughter records with their dam's records for the lactation in which the daughter was conceived. Linear and quadratic relationships of dam mean SCS with the daughter's age at first calving (AFC; n = 15,992 daughters, 4,366 herds), first- (n = 15,119 daughters, 4,213 herds) and second-lactation SCS (n = 3,570 daughters, 1,554 herds), first- and second-lactation mature-equivalent 305-d milk yield, and milk component yields were assessed using mixed linear regression models. We uncovered a phenomenon similar to those found in human and mouse models examining prenatal inflammation effects, whereby daughters born from dams with elevated SCS had poorer performance. Dam mean SCS was positively associated with daughter's AFC and first- and second-lactation mean SCS. Furthermore, for every 1-unit increase in dam mean SCS, daughter's first- and second-lactation mature-equivalent fat yield declined by 0.34% and 0.91% (−1.6 ± 0.49 kg, −4.0 ± 1.0 kg, respectively), although no effect was found on first- or second-lactation milk or milk protein yield. When accounting for genetics, daughter SCS, and AFC (first lactation only), dam mean SCS was associated with reduced second-lactation milk fat yield (−3.5 ± 1.8 kg/unit SCS), and a tendency was found for first-lactation milk fat yield (−1.9 ± 1.0 kg/unit SCS). Taken together, the association of greater dam mean SCS with lesser daughter milk fat yield is likely due to a few underlying mechanisms, in particular, a predisposition for mastitis and alterations in the epigenome controlling milk fat synthesis. As such, future studies should examine epigenetic mechanisms as a potential underpinning of this phenomenon. DA - 2021/4// PY - 2021/4// DO - 10.3168/jds.2020-19249 UR - https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-19249 KW - mastitis KW - developmental programming KW - epigenetics KW - dairy cattle ER - TY - CHAP TI - Seaweed as a potential protein supplement in animal feeds AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Seaweed and microalgae as alternative sources of protein A2 - Lei, Xin Gen T3 - Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science AB - With increasing demand for meat and dairy products but limited capacity for expanding crop production, there is need for alternative feed sources. Careful selection of seaweed species based on nutrient content and profiles could allow successful use of seaweed as an alternative protein supplement in animal feeds. This chapter introduces seaweed as a potential alternative protein supplement in animal feeds as well as current challenges in its use. PY - 2021/9/14/ DO - 10.19103/as.2021.0091.01 SP - 3-16 PB - Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing SN - 9781786766205 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.19103/as.2021.0091.01 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effects of Yarrowia lipolytica supplementation on growth performance, intestinal health and apparent ileal digestibility of diets fed to nursery pigs AU - Cheng, Yi-Chi AU - Duarte, Marcos Elias AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Animal Bioscience AB - The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of increasing supplementation of Yarrowia lipolytica (YL) up to 3.0% replacing 1.6% poultry fat and 0.9% blood plasma for growth performance, intestinal health and nutrient digestibility of diets fed to nursery pigs.Twenty-four pigs weaned at 24 d of age (initial body weight at 7.2±0.6 kg) were allotted to three dietary treatments (n = 8) based on the randomized complete block. The diets with supplementation of YL (0.0%, 1.5%, and 3.0%, replacing poultry fat and blood plasma up to 1.6% and 0.9%, respectively) were fed for 21 d. Feed intake and body weight were recorded at d 0, 10, and 21. Fecal score was recorded at every odd day from d 3 to 19. Pigs were euthanized on d 21 to collect proximal and distal jejunal mucosa to measure intestinal health markers including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-8, immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G. Ileal digesta was collected for apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of nutrients in diets. Data were analyzed using Proc Mixed of SAS.Supplementation of YL (1.5% and 3.0%) replacing poultry fat and blood plasma did not affect growth performance, fecal score and intestinal health. Supplementation of YL at 1.5% did not affect nutrient digestibility, whereas supplementation of YL at 3.0% reduced AID of dry matter (40.2% to 55.0%), gross energy (44.0% to 57.5%), crude protein (52.1% to 66.1%), and ether extract (50.8% to 66.9%) compared to diets without supplementation.Yarrowia lipolytica can be supplemented at 1.5% in nursery diets, replacing 0.8% poultry fat and 0.45% blood plasma without affecting growth performance, intestinal health and nutrient digestibility. Supplementation of YL at 3.0% replacing 1.6% poultry fat and 0.9% blood plasma did not affect growth performance and intestinal health, whereas nutrient digestibility was reduced. DA - 2021/10/29/ PY - 2021/10/29/ DO - 10.5713/ab.21.0369 VL - 10 J2 - Anim Biosci LA - en OP - SN - 2765-0189 2765-0235 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5713/ab.21.0369 DB - Crossref KW - Apparent Ileal Digestibility KW - Growth Performance KW - Intestinal Health KW - Nursery Pigs KW - Yarrowia lipolytica KW - Yeast ER - TY - JOUR TI - PSXIII-2 Effect of varying proportions of cereal rye and turnip on ruminal fermentation and methane output through in vitro batch culture AU - Cox-O’Neill, Jordan L AU - Fellner, Vivek AU - Franluebbers, Alan J AU - Harmon, Deidre D AU - Poore, Matt H AU - Eisemann, Joan AU - Pickworth, Carrie L T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract Ruminant animal performance has been variable in studies grazing annual cool-season grass and brassica monocultures and mixtures. There is little understanding of the fermentation mechanisms causing variation. The aim of this study was to determine apparent dry matter (DM) digestibility, methane, and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration from different proportions of cereal rye (Secale cereal; R) and turnip (Brassica rapa L.; T) (0R:100T, 40R:60T, 60R:40T, and 100R:0T) via in vitro batch fermentation. Freeze-dried forage samples from an integrated crop-livestock study was assembled into the four treatments with a 50:50 leaf to root ratio for turnip. Measurements were made following a 48 hr fermentation with 2:1 buffer and ruminal fluid inoculum. Data were analyzed using Mixed Procedure of SAS with batch (replicate) and treatment (main effect) in the model; differences were declared at P ≤ 0.05, with tendencies declared at &gt; 0.05 but &lt; 0.10. Rumen apparent DM digestibility (26.8%; overall mean) was not different among treatments. Methane production was less (P &lt; 0.01) with inclusion of turnip ranging from 774 nmol/ml for 0R:100T to 1416 nmol/ml for 100R:0T. Total VFA production, acetate to propionate ratio, acetate, and valerate were not affected by forage treatments (117 mM, 1.45, 39.84 mol/100 mol, and 7.86 mol/100 mol, respectively; overall mean). Propionate, isobutyrate, and isovalerate concentrations were greater and butyrate concentration less with greater (P &lt; 0.01) proportions of rye in the mixture. No effect of R:T ratio on digestibility or total VFA production along with the observed differences in individual VFA concentration do not explain variable response in grazing animals. Additionally, methane production results indicate that grazing turnips could potentially reduce methane production and thus reduce ruminant livestock’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. DA - 2021/10/8/ PY - 2021/10/8/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab235.818 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_3 SP - 461-461 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab235.818 DB - Crossref ER - TY - ER - TY - JOUR TI - Static and Dynamic Space Usage of Late-Gestation Sows AU - Leonard, Suzanne M. AU - Xin, Hongwei AU - Ramirez, Brett C. AU - Stinn, John P. AU - Dutta, Somak AU - Liu, Kai AU - Brown-Brandl, Tami M T2 - Transactions of the ASABE AB - Highlights A calibration procedure was conducted using a Kinect V2 to convert image pixels to physical measurements. A total of 61 sows were observed, and their static and dynamic space usage was measured from depth images. Equations were developed to predict the length, width, and height of sow space usage. Abstract . The amount of space provided to individually housed sows has both financial and animal welfare implications. Many U.S. swine producers use stall dimensions based on recommendations published in the 1980s (length × width × height: 2.13 m × 0.61 m × 1.00 m). Limited empirical data are available concerning the space allocation needed to accommodate modern sows housed in stalls during breeding, gestation, or farrowing. This study used a time-of-flight depth sensor to quantify static and dynamic space usage of 61 modern sows in late gestation. A calibration equation was developed to convert image pixels to physical dimensions. Statistical models were developed to relate the length, width, and height of sow space usage to body weight. The dimensions of sow space usage were then predicted. Results showed that free choice space usage of average (228 kg) sows was 1.96 m × 1.15 m × 0.93 m (length × width × height). For 95th percentile (267 kg) sows, space usage was 2.04 m × 1.12 m × 0.95 m. The width of space usage was primarily attributed to sow body depth when lying recumbent and the dynamic space used for transitioning between postures. These results help to inform future gestating and farrowing sow housing designs. Further work is needed to understand how restrictions on sow space usage may impact sow welfare and production performance, as well as the space needed to perform behaviors such as defecating, feeding, and turning around. Keywords: Animal welfare, Computer vision, Farrowing stall, Gestation stall, Kinect V2, Space allowance. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.13031/trans.14002 VL - 64 IS - 1 SP - 151-159 LA - en OP - SN - 2151-0040 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.13031/trans.14002 DB - Crossref KW - Animal welfare KW - Computer vision KW - Farrowing stall KW - Gestation stall KW - Kinect V2 KW - Space allowance ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effects of farrowing stall layout and number of heat lamps on sow and piglet behavior AU - Leonard, Suzanne M. AU - Xin, Hongwei AU - Brown-Brandl, Tami M. AU - Ramirez, Brett C. AU - Johnson, Anna K. AU - Dutta, Somak AU - Rohrer, Gary A. T2 - Applied Animal Behaviour Science AB - Farrowing stalls are used in the United States swine industry to reduce pre-weaning piglet mortality, enable efficient individual animal management, and decrease facility construction and operating costs. The quantity and quality of space provided for sows and piglets in farrowing stalls are important economic and welfare considerations. To further explore the impacts of farrowing stall space allocation, a large-scale field study was conducted to compare sow and piglet behavior when housed in three farrowing stall layouts (TSL – traditional stall layout, ECSL – expanded creep area stall layout, ESCSL – expanded sow and creep area stall layout) with either one or two heat lamps (1HL and 2HL, respectively). A computer vision system classified posture budgets and behaviors of 322 sows and piglet location for 324 litters. Linear mixed models were developed to compare behavior and piglet pre-weaning mortality metrics between experimental treatments. Results show sows in ESCSL spent more time lying compared to sows in ECSL (p = 0.028) and less time sitting compared to sows in TSL and ECSL (p < 0.01). Sows with the 2HL treatment had an increase in percentage lying (p = 0.017) and a decrease in percentage standing (p = 0.045) compared to sows with the 1HL treatment. Number of piglets, parity, and batch also influenced sow postural behavior (p < 0.05). Sow lying orientation was not impacted by HL treatment. Sow postures and behaviors were influenced by day of lactation (p < 0.001). Piglets with 2HL treatment spent more time in the heated region and less time in the creep and sow regions for all stall layouts on all days of lactation observed (p < 0.001). In the ESCSL, piglets had a greater percentage of time in the sow region compared to ECSL piglets (p < 0.004). Piglets did not spend equal percentages of time between the two creep or two HL regions (p < 0.001), and piglet location was correlated with sow lying orientation for most of the creep regions analyzed (p < 0.01). Increases in piglet pre-weaning mortality were correlated with increases in sow lying (p = 0.027) and decreases in standing (p = 0.025) and feeding (p < 0.001). However, correlations with sow posture were likely due to the impacts of day of lactation (p < 0.001). No correlations were found between piglet location and pre-weaning mortality (p> 0.05). Results can guide producers to consider wider sow areas in farrowing stalls to better meet sow behavioral needs and to include larger heated areas to meet piglet behavioral needs during lactation. DA - 2021/6// PY - 2021/6// DO - 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105334 VL - 239 SP - 105334 J2 - Applied Animal Behaviour Science LA - en OP - SN - 0168-1591 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105334 DB - Crossref KW - Creep KW - Drinking KW - Feeding KW - Location KW - Posture KW - Microclimate ER - TY - JOUR TI - On the Use of Z-Scores for Fine-Mapping with Related Individuals AU - Jiang, Jicai AB - Abstract Using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has been widely used for fine-mapping complex traits in humans. The statistical framework was largely developed for unrelated samples. Though it is possible to apply the framework to fine-mapping with related individuals, extensive modifications are needed. Unfortunately, this has often been ignored in summary-statistics-based fine-mapping with related individuals. In this paper, we show in theory and simulation what modifications are necessary to extend the use of summary statistics to related individuals. The analysis also demonstrates that though existing summary-statistics-based fine-mapping methods can be adapted for related individuals, they appear to have no computational advantage over individual-data-based methods. DA - 2021/10/13/ PY - 2021/10/13/ DO - 10.1101/2021.10.10.463846 VL - 10 UR - https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.10.463846 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Host Identity and Geographic Location Significantly Affect Gastrointestinal Microbial Richness and Diversity in Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) under Human Care AU - Eschweiler, Katrina AU - Clayton, Jonathan B. AU - Moresco, Anneke AU - McKenney, Erin A. AU - Minter, Larry J. AU - Suhr Van Haute, Mallory J. AU - Gasper, William AU - Hayer, Shivdeep Singh AU - Zhu, Lifeng AU - Cooper, Kathryn AU - Ange-van Heugten, Kimberly T2 - Animals AB - The last few decades have seen an outpouring of gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome studies across diverse host species. Studies have ranged from assessments of GI microbial richness and diversity to classification of novel microbial lineages. Assessments of the "normal" state of the GI microbiome composition across multiple host species has gained increasing importance for distinguishing healthy versus diseased states. This study aimed to determine baselines and trends over time to establish "typical" patterns of GI microbial richness and diversity, as well as inter-individual variation, in three populations of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) under human care at three zoological institutions in North America. Fecal samples were collected from 19 western lowland gorillas every two weeks for seven months (n = 248). Host identity and host institution significantly affected GI microbiome community composition (p < 0.05), although host identity had the most consistent and significant effect on richness (p = 0.03) and Shannon diversity (p = 0.004) across institutions. Significant changes in microbial abundance over time were observed only at Denver Zoo (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that individuality contributes to most of the observed GI microbiome variation in the study populations. Our results also showed no significant changes in any individual's microbial richness or Shannon diversity during the 7-month study period. While some microbial taxa (Prevotella, Prevotellaceae and Ruminococcaceae) were detected in all gorillas at varying levels, determining individual baselines for microbial composition comparisons may be the most useful diagnostic tool for optimizing non-human primate health under human care. DA - 2021/11/28/ PY - 2021/11/28/ DO - 10.3390/ani11123399 VL - 11 IS - 12 SP - 3399 J2 - Animals LA - en OP - SN - 2076-2615 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11123399 DB - Crossref KW - gastrointestinal (GIT) microbiome KW - feces KW - human managed populations KW - western lowland gorilla ER - TY - JOUR TI - Comparative effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at castration and tail-docking in neonatal piglets AU - Nixon, Emma AU - Carlson, Alexandra R. AU - Routh, Patricia A. AU - Hernandez, Liliana AU - Almond, Glen W. AU - Baynes, Ronald E. AU - Messenger, Kristen M. T2 - PLOS ONE AB - This study assessed the efficacy of meloxicam, flunixin, and ketoprofen in piglets undergoing routine castration and tail-docking. Six-day-old male piglets (8/group) received one of five randomized treatments: intramuscular saline (SAL PROC), meloxicam (MEL; 0.4 mg/kg), flunixin (FLU; 2.2 mg/kg), ketoprofen (KETO; 3.0 mg/kg) or sham (SAL SHAM; saline injection, no processing). Two hours post-dose, piglets were castrated and tail-docked. Plasma cortisol, interstitial fluid (ISF) prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and activity levels via Actical® monitoring were used to estimate pain. SAL SHAM and FLU exhibited lower cortisol concentrations than SAL PROC at the time of processing (p = 0.003 and p = 0.049, respectively), and all NSAIDs exhibited lower PGE2 than SAL PROC at 3.69 hours (MEL p = 0.050; FLU p = 0.043 and KETO p = 0.031). While not statistically significant, PGE2 was higher in SAL PROC piglets vs. other treatment groups at most time points. There was also a high degree of variability between piglets, especially for SAL PROC. Activity levels were significantly decreased at multiple time points in SAL PROC and MEL piglets following processing. However, FLU and KETO piglets had increased activity levels closer to that of the SAL SHAM group, suggesting that these NSAIDs are more effective than MEL in providing analgesia. These results demonstrate that management strategies including administration of intramuscular flunixin or ketoprofen to reduce pain associated with processing will likely improve piglet health and welfare in the United States. DA - 2021/11/30/ PY - 2021/11/30/ DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0254409 VL - 16 IS - 11 SP - SN - 1932-6203 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Comparative Evaluation of the Ileum Microbiota Composition in Piglets at Different Growth Stages AU - Lu, Chang AU - Liu, Yadan AU - Ma, Yijia AU - Wang, Shu AU - Cai, Chunbo AU - Yang, Yang AU - Zhao, Yan AU - Liang, Guoming AU - Cao, Guoqing AU - Li, Bugao AU - Kim, Sung Woo AU - Guo, Xiaohong AU - Gao, Pengfei T2 - FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY AB - Intestinal microbiota can affect the intake, storage, and absorption of nutrients in the body, thereby greatly impacting the growth and development of animals. In addition to diet, the breed and growth stages of pigs could also affect changes in the intestinal microbiota. However, research on the developmental changes in the ileum microbiota of piglets remains unclear. In this study, the ileum microbiota of Jinfen White and Mashen piglets at different developmental stages were investigated using 16S rRNA sequencing. Physiologically, the villus height of the ileum decreased, and the crypt depth increased during the development of the two pig breeds. Additionally, the serum antioxidant factors in the Jinfen White piglets were significantly higher than in the Mashen piglets at the end of the nursing stage. A total of 690 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to 21 phyla and 286 genera were identified, of which Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla during the development of both the Jinfen White and Mashen piglets, accounting for ∼90% of all OTUs. Further research revealed differences in dominant bacteria between the two breeds. With increasing age, the ileum microbial diversity increased, and in both the pig breeds, the proportion of Firmicutes increased, whereas the proportion of Proteobacteria decreased. Additionally, different samples were characterized by specific genera, and different Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were predicted at certain developmental stages. Finally, the correlation between the ileum microbiota and physiological features was analyzed, and it was suggested that the host and environmental factors play important roles in the formation of the microbial community structure in piglets. In summary, we delineated the structure, function, and differences in ileum microbiota between Jinfen White and Mashen piglets during different growth stages. This study helps to understand the development of the intestinal microbiota in local and hybrid pig breeds. DA - 2021/12/1/ PY - 2021/12/1/ DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2021.765691 VL - 12 SP - SN - 1664-302X UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495225/ KW - Jinfen White and Mashen piglets KW - 16S rRNA KW - ileum microbiota KW - intestinal microorganism KW - growth stage ER - TY - JOUR TI - URINARY CORTICOSTERONE CONCENTRATIONS IN FREE-RANGING AND MANAGED CANE TOADS (RHINELLA MARINA) AU - Freel, Tarra AU - Koutsos, Elizabeth AU - Minter, Larry J. AU - Tollefson, Troy N. AU - Ridgley, Frank AU - Brown, Janine L. AU - Smith, Dustin AU - Scott, Heather AU - Ange-van Heugten, Kimberly T2 - JOURNAL OF ZOO AND WILDLIFE MEDICINE AB - Approximately 40% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction. The welfare of amphibians maintained under managed care as assurance populations is of vital importance to guard against extinction and provide a viable source population for future reintroduction. To manage amphibian species properly ex situ, it is important to understand how stress levels change over time when animals are removed from the wild and placed into managed environments. Corticosterone was analyzed in urine samples from free-ranging cane toads (Rhinella marina, n = 55) in Miami, FL, and under managed care for 22 (n = 48), 50 (n = 11), 81 (n = 25), or 119 (n = 10) days. Concentrations of corticosterone in free-ranging toad urine averaged 1.74 ± 0.195 ng/ml urine specific gravity (sp. gr.), which was greater (P < 0.05) than other time points (day 22: 0.77 ± 0.114 L; day 81: 0.85 ± 0.191 ng/ml sp. gr.; day 119: 0.58 ± 0.093 ng/ml sp. gr.), except day 50 (0.91 ± 0.274 ng/ml sp. gr.), which was not different from free-ranging or managed care values. Thus, corticosterone was lower in cane toads under managed care compared with those sampled in the wild, suggesting that managed care is not a stressor for this species. DA - 2021/12// PY - 2021/12// DO - 10.1638/2020-0221 VL - 52 IS - 4 SP - 1234-1240 SN - 1937-2825 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Comparison of African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) fatty acid profiles in whole blood, whole blood dried on blood spot cards, serum, and plasma AU - Wood, Jordan AU - Minter, Larry J. AU - Bibus, Doug AU - Stoskopf, Michael K. AU - Fellner, Vivek AU - Ange-van Heugten, Kimberly T2 - PeerJ AB - African elephants in managed care have presented differences in the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, a situation primarily thought to be due to dietary differences between the managed animals and their free-ranging counterparts. Because of this, circulating fatty acid status is included in routine monitoring of elephant health. A method of blood collection that requires only a few drops of whole blood, dried on filter paper (DBS) and can be used for analyzing full fatty acid profiles offers advantages in clinical application.This study compared the use of whole blood, and whole blood DBS, serum or plasma for use in evaluating circulating fatty acid composition in African savannah elephants. Samples from six African elephants (two males and four females) were collected during the same week at the NC Zoo, Asheboro, NC.Results found only 2 of 36 individual fatty acids and none of the 10 fatty acid groupings were different when comparing the four blood fraction sample types to each other with Mann-Whitney U-Test pairwise comparisons. Myristic acid (14:0) was lower in the DBS samples than in whole blood, serum, and plasma and pentadecaenoic acid (15:1) was slightly more concentrated in DBS and whole blood.Results indicate that fatty acid profile of serum, plasma, whole blood, and DBS are comparable in African elephants. The DBS method offers advantages in acquisition and handling and may be preferable to other methods in both routine health assessment of captive animals and field research on free ranging animals. DA - 2021/12/14/ PY - 2021/12/14/ DO - 10.7717/peerj.12650 VL - 9 SP - e12650 LA - en OP - SN - 2167-8359 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12650 DB - Crossref KW - African elephant KW - Fatty acids KW - Blood fractions KW - Dried blood spots ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effects of Bacillus-based probiotics on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal health of weaned pigs AU - Mun, Daye AU - Kyoung, Hyunjin AU - Kong, Myunghwan AU - Ryu, Sangdon AU - Jang, Ki Beom AU - Baek, Jangryeol AU - Park, Kyeong, Ii AU - Song, Minho AU - Kim, Younghoon T2 - JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AB - Bacillus is characterized by the formation of spores in harsh environments, which makes it suitable for use as a probiotic for feed because of thermostability and high survival rate, even under long-term storage. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Bacillus-based probiotics on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, immune response, and intestinal microbiota of weaned pigs. A total of 40 weaned pigs (7.01 ± 0.86 kg body weight [BW]; 28 d old) were randomly assigned to two treatments (4 pigs/pen; 5 replicates/treatment) in a randomized complete block design (block = BW and sex). The dietary treatment was either a typical nursery diet based on corn and soybean meal (CON) or CON supplemented with 0.01% probiotics containing a mixture of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis (PRO). Fecal samples were collected daily by rectal palpation for the last 3 days after a 4-day adaptation. Blood, ileal digesta, and intestinal tissue samples were collected from one pig in each pen at the respective time points. The PRO group did not affect the feed efficiency, but the average daily gain was significantly improved (p < 0.05). The PRO group showed a trend of improved crude protein digestibility (p < 0.10). The serum transforming growth factor-β1 level tended to be higher (p < 0.10) in the PRO group on days 7 and 14. There was no difference in phylum level of the intestinal microbiota, but there were differences in genus composition and proportions. However, β-diversity analysis showed no statistical differences between the CON and the PRO groups. Taken together, Bacillus-based probiotics had beneficial effects on the growth performance, immune system, and intestinal microbiota of weaned pigs, suggesting that Bacillus can be utilized as a functional probiotic for weaned pigs. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.5187/jast.2021.e109 VL - 63 IS - 6 SP - 1314-1327 SN - 2055-0391 KW - Bacilus-based probiotics KW - Weaned pigs KW - Growth performance KW - Immune response KW - Intestinal health ER - TY - JOUR TI - Definition of Environmental Variables and Critical Periods to Evaluate Heat Tolerance in Large White Pigs Based on Single-Step Genomic Reaction Norms AU - Freitas, P. H. F. AU - Johnson, J. S. AU - Chen, S. AU - Oliveira, H. R. AU - Tiezzi, F. AU - Lazaro, S. F. AU - Huang, Y. AU - Gu, Y. AU - Schinckel, A. P. AU - Brito, L. F. T2 - FRONTIERS IN GENETICS AB - Properly quantifying environmental heat stress (HS) is still a major challenge in livestock breeding programs, especially as adverse climatic events become more common. The definition of critical periods and climatic variables to be used as the environmental gradient is a key step for genetically evaluating heat tolerance (HTol). Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to define the best critical periods and environmental variables (ENV) to evaluate HT and estimate variance components for HT in Large White pigs. The traits included in this study were ultrasound backfat thickness (BFT), ultrasound muscle depth (MDP), piglet weaning weight (WW), off-test weight (OTW), interval between farrowing (IBF), total number of piglets born (TNB), number of piglets born alive (NBA), number of piglets born dead (NBD), number of piglets weaned (WN), and weaning to estrus interval (IWE). Seven climatic variables based on public weather station data were compared based on three criteria, including the following: (1) strongest G×E estimate as measured by the slope term, (2) ENV yielding the highest theoretical accuracy of the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV), and (3) variable yielding the highest distribution of GEBV per ENV. Relative humidity (for BFT, MDP, NBD, WN, and WW) and maximum temperature (for OTW, TNB, NBA, IBF, and IWE) are the recommended ENV based on the analyzed criteria. The acute HS (average of 30 days before the measurement date) is the critical period recommended for OTW, BFT, and MDP in the studied population. For WN, WW, IBF, and IWE, a period ranging from 34 days prior to farrowing up to weaning is recommended. For TNB, NBA, and NBD, the critical period from 20 days prior to breeding up to 30 days into gestation is recommended. The genetic correlation values indicate that the traits were largely (WN, WW, IBF, and IWE), moderately (OTW, TNB, and NBA), or weakly (MDP, BFT, and NBD) affected by G×E interactions. This study provides relevant recommendations of critical periods and climatic gradients for several traits in order to evaluate HS in Large White pigs. These observations demonstrate that HT in Large White pigs is heritable, and genetic progress can be achieved through genetic and genomic selection. DA - 2021/11/23/ PY - 2021/11/23/ DO - 10.3389/fgene.2021.717409 VL - 12 SP - SN - 1664-8021 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85120846720&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - heat stress KW - heat susceptible KW - genotype-by-environment interaction KW - resilience KW - maternal-pig line ER - TY - JOUR TI - Evaluation of gastrointestinal transit times and pH in healthy cats using a continuous pH monitoring system AU - Telles, Naila J. AU - Simon, Bradley T. AU - Scallan, Elizabeth M. AU - Gould, Emily N. AU - Papich, Mark G. AU - He, Yuqing AU - Lee, Mu-Tien AU - Lidbury, Jonathan A. AU - Steiner, Jorg M. AU - Kathrani, Aarti AU - Tolbert, M. Katherine T2 - JOURNAL OF FELINE MEDICINE AND SURGERY AB - The aim of this study was to characterize gastrointestinal (GI) transit times and pH in healthy cats.GI transit times and pH were measured in six healthy, colony-housed, purpose-bred spayed female cats using a continuous, non-invasive pH monitoring system in a sequential order design. For the first period ('pre-feeding'), food was withheld for 20 h, followed by oral administration of a pH capsule. Five hours post-capsule administration, cats were meal-fed by offering them their daily allowance of food for 1 h. For the second period ('post-feeding'), food was withheld for 24 h and cats were fed for 1 h, after which a pH capsule was orally administered. Studies in both periods were repeated three times. GI transit times and pH were compared between the two periods.The median transit times for the pre- and post-feeding periods, respectively, were: gastric - 94 mins (range 1-4101) and 1068 mins (range 484-5521); intestinal - 1350 mins (range 929-2961) and 1534 mins (range 442-2538); and GI - 1732 mins (range 1105-5451) and 2795 mins (range 926-6563). The median GI pH values for the first and second periods, respectively, were: esophageal - 7.0 (range 3.5-7.8) and 4.5 (range 2.9-6.4); gastric - 2.7 (range 1.7-6.2) and 2.0 (range 1.1-3.3); intestinal - 8.2 (range 7.6-8.7) and 7.8 (range 6.7-8.5); first-hour small intestinal - 8.2 (range 7.4-8.7) and 8.3 (range 7.9-8.6); and last-hour large intestinal - 8.5 (range 7.0-8.9) and 7.8 (range 6.3-8.7). Gastric (P <0.0020) and intestinal pH (P <0.0059) were significantly increased in the pre-feeding period compared with the post-feeding period.Gastric and intestinal pH differed significantly when the capsule was administered 5 h prior to feeding compared with 1 h after feeding. Transit times for both periods showed high degrees of intra- and inter-individual variability. DA - 2021/12/8/ PY - 2021/12/8/ DO - 10.1177/1098612X211062096 SP - SN - 1532-2750 KW - Motility KW - residence time KW - gastric transit KW - intestinal transit ER - TY - JOUR TI - Nutritional and functional values of lysed Corynebacterium glutamicum cell mass for intestinal health and growth of nursery pigs AU - Cheng, Yi-Chi AU - Duarte, Marcos Elias AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract The objective was to determine the nutritional and functional values of lysed Corynebacterium glutamicum cell mass (CGCM) as a protein supplement and a source of cell wall fragments supporting the growth and intestinal health of nursery pigs. Thirty-two pigs (21 d of age) were allotted to four treatments (n = 8) based on the randomized block design with sex and initial body weight (BW) as blocks. The main effect was the dietary supplementation of lysed CGCM (0, 0.7, 1.4, and 2.1%) replacing blood plasma and fed in two phases (10 and 11 d, respectively). Feed intake and BW were measured at the end of each phase. Pigs were euthanized on day 21 to collect jejunal tissue and mucosa to evaluate intestinal health. Ileal digesta were collected to measure the apparent ileal digestibility of nutrients in diets. Data were analyzed using Proc Mixed and Reg of SAS. Increasing daily intake of CGCM increased (linear; P &lt; 0.05) ADG of pigs. Increasing CGCM supplementation affected (quadratic; P &lt; 0.05) the relative abundance of Lactobacillaceae (minimum: 26.4% at 1.2% CGCM), Helicobacteraceae (maximum: 29.3% at 1.2% CGCM), and Campylobacteraceae (maximum: 9.0% at 1.0% CGCM). Increasing CGCM supplementation affected (quadratic; P &lt; 0.05) the concentrations of immunoglobulin G (maximum: 4.94 µg/mg of protein at 1.0% CGCM) and protein carbonyl (PC; maximum: 6.12 nmol/mg of protein at 1.1% CGCM), whereas linearly decreased (P &lt; 0.05) malondialdehyde (MDA) in the proximal jejunal mucosa. Increasing CGCM supplemention affected (quadratic; P &lt; 0.05) intestinal enterocyte proliferation rate (maximum: 13.3% at 1.0% CGCM), whereas it did not affect intestinal morphology and the nutrient digestibility. In conclusion, supplementing 1.0% to 1.2%, reducing blood plasma supplementation by 0.7% to 0.9%, respectively, increased potential pathogenic microbiota associated in the jejunal mucosa resulting in increased immune response, enterocyte proliferation, and PC concentration. However, supplementing diets with 2.1% CGCM, replacing 1.5% blood plasma, improved growth performance, and reduced MDA without affecting nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, and microbiota in the jejunal mucosa. In this study, based on the polynomial contrast, supplementing 1.0% to 1.2% CGCM suppressed the benefits from blood plasma, whereas supplementing 2.1% CGCM showed functional benefits of CGCM with similar effects from blood plasma supplementation. DA - 2021/11/19/ PY - 2021/11/19/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab331 VL - 99 IS - 12 SP - LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab331 DB - Crossref KW - Corynebacterium glutamicum KW - growth performance KW - intestinal health KW - mucosa-associated microbiota KW - pigs KW - protein supplement ER - TY - JOUR TI - Metagenomic Analysis Reveals New Microbiota Related to Fiber Digestion in Pigs AU - Liu, Gensheng AU - Li, Pinghua AU - Hou, Liming AU - Niu, Qing AU - Pu, Guang AU - Wang, Binbin AU - Du, Taoran AU - Kim, Sung Woo AU - Niu, Peipei AU - Li, Qiang AU - Huang, Ruihua T2 - FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY AB - Making full use of high fiber and low-cost crop coproducts is helpful to alleviate the situation of people and livestock competing for crops. Digestion of dietary fibers in pigs is mainly through microbial fermentation in the large intestine. To reveal microbiota related to fiber digestion in pigs, fecal samples have been collected from 274 healthy female Suhuai pigs at 160 days of age under the same feeding conditions and have measured apparent neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) digestibility. Samples from Suhuai pigs with extreme high and low apparent NDF digestibility and extreme high and low apparent ADF digestibility were subjected to shotgun metagenomic sequencing. At the species level, 62 microbial species in H_NDF group and 54 microbial species in H_ADF group were related to high fiber digestibility. Among them, Lachnospiraceae bacterium 3-1 and Alistipes sp. CAG:514 may be new types of microorganisms associated with fiber digestion. In addition, we found that more abundant GH5 and GH48 family (contribute to cellulose degradation) genes, GH39 and GH53 family (contribute to hemicellulose degradation) genes in microorganisms may contribute to the higher apparent NDF digestibility of pigs, and more abundant GH3 and GH9 family (contribute to cellulose degradation) genes in microorganisms may contribute to the higher apparent ADF digestibility of pigs. The abundance of AA4 family (helps in lignin degradation) genes in H_NDF and H_ADF groups was significantly higher than that in L_NDF and L_ADF groups, respectively (P < 0.05). Three pathways in H_NDF group and four pathways in H_ADF group are important pathways associated with degradation of non-starch polysaccharides, and their relative abundance is significantly higher than that in L_NDF and L_ADF groups, respectively. Gut microbiota of Suhuai pigs with high apparent fiber digestibility had higher abundance of genes and microbiota related to fiber digestion and may have stronger fiber digestion potential compared with low apparent fiber digestibility group. This study revealed that the characteristics of gut microbiota and microbial gene functions of pigs with high fiber apparent digestibility, which provided a theoretical basis and reference for further understanding the impact of gut microbiota on fiber digestibility of pigs. DA - 2021/11/18/ PY - 2021/11/18/ DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2021.746717 VL - 12 SP - SN - 1664-302X UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495226/ KW - pig KW - apparent fiber digestibility KW - gut microbiota KW - shotgun metagenomic sequencing KW - high fiber coproducts ER - TY - JOUR TI - Assessing puberty in female cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) via faecal hormone metabolites and body weight AU - Maly, Morgan A. AU - Edwards, Katie L. AU - Farin, Charlotte E. AU - Koester, Diana C. AU - Crosier, Adrienne E. T2 - REPRODUCTION FERTILITY AND DEVELOPMENT AB - With fewer than 7500 cheetahs remaining in the wild, ex situ cheetah populations serve as an insurance policy against extinction and a resource to study species' biology. This study aimed to identify the age of pubertal onset in ex situ female cheetahs using non-invasive faecal steroid hormone monitoring and body weights. Faecal samples from nine female cheetahs were collected two to three times weekly from 2 to 36months of age and body weights were recorded every 3months. Faecal oestrogen metabolites (FOM) and faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) were analysed using enzyme immunoassays and samples were categorised into 6-month intervals to compare endocrine characteristics. Faecal hormone and body weight data were analysed using generalised linear mixed models. Age was a significant predictor of mean and baseline FOM concentrations, number of FOM peaks, mean and maximum FOM peak concentrations and the number of cycles. Female cheetahs aged 24-30months exhibited a marked rise in mean FOM concentration and the number of FOM peaks and cycles increased with age until 24-30months. Females attained adult body weight by 21months of age. Mean and baseline FGM concentrations were highest at the 0-6 and 12-18months of age groups and did not follow the same FOM patterns. Based on body weight data, the FOM concentrations and peak patterning, females were considered pubertal from 24 to 30months of age. Characterisation of cheetah puberty has direct and significant implications for the improvement of management and reproductive success of cheetahs under human care. This information is particularly informative for identifying important windows of development, littermate dispersal and breeding introductions. DA - 2021/11/30/ PY - 2021/11/30/ DO - 10.1071/RD21169 SP - SN - 1448-5990 KW - Acinonyx jubatus KW - cheetahs KW - development KW - endocrinology KW - glucocorticoid KW - growth KW - oestrogen KW - puberty ER - TY - JOUR TI - Implications of Nutritional Management on Fatty Acid Profiles of Southern White Rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum) Housed at Two Zoological Institutions AU - Wood, Jordan AU - Minter, Larry AU - Tollefson, Troy Neil AU - Bissell, Heidi AU - Bibus, Doug AU - Ange-van Heugten, Kimberly T2 - Animals AB - Southern white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum) are African megaherbivores that are considered near threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The fatty acid circulating values of these animals have not been thoroughly investigated. Fatty acids are critical for immune, heart, skin, and reproductive health, and may have a significant impact on the management and conservation of this species. Published data on fatty acids in this species is limited to incomplete profiles with very few animals in managed environments. The objectives of this research were to provide novel fatty acid percentage profiles for managed healthy southern white rhinoceroses, as well as to provide comparisons between two zoological institutions with differences in diet and climate during two distinct pasture growth periods. Whole blood samples were collected as dried blood spots from six rhinoceroses at the North Carolina Zoo (NC Zoo) and five rhinoceroses at Busch Gardens Tampa (BGT) in the low growth period (February to April) of 2019 and during the high growth period (July to September) of 2020. Fatty acid results indicated numerous differences when comparing the institutions within the same growth period and when comparing the same institution between its two growth periods. Most noteworthy were the higher levels of α-linolenic acid (18:3w3) and total omega-3 fatty acids and the lower linoleic acid (18:2w6), total omega-6 fatty acids, and omega-6 to omega-3 ratio found in the BGT population in both growth periods. This study provides novel percentages of fatty acids in managed southern white rhinoceroses and data on how fatty acid profiles may be altered between two housing locations via dietary differences in hay type and quantity, pasture availability via season, and pellet inclusion levels. DA - 2021/10/27/ PY - 2021/10/27/ DO - 10.3390/ani11113063 VL - 11 IS - 11 SP - 3063 SN - 2076-2615 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11113063 KW - fatty acid profiles KW - rhinoceros KW - whole blood ER - TY - JOUR TI - Comprehensive Evaluation of a Landscape Fabric Based Solar Air Heater in a Pig Nursery AU - Yu, Li AU - Shah, Sanjay B. AU - Knauer, Mark T. AU - Boyette, Michael D. AU - Stikeleather, Larry F. T2 - ENERGIES AB - Supplementing fossil fuels with solar air tempering for brooding young livestock could reduce energy use and improve indoor air quality. Metal transpired solar collectors (TSC) are effective but too expensive for heating livestock buildings. An inexpensive 12.7 m2 dark grey landscape-fabric-based transpired solar collector (fTSC) was evaluated in a swine nursery with two herds of pigs. A fraction of the fTSC area was underlain with phase change material (PCM) to store excess heat. The Test room with the fTSC was compared with an adjacent identical Control room, each with 120 piglets. The fTSC provided supplemental heating, e.g., with a suction velocity (Vs) of 0.027 m/s during a 9 h period, air temperature was increased by 11.6 °C (mean irradiance of 592 W/m2). Between 4 pm and 9 pm that same day, the PCM increased air temperature by 3.9 °C. The fTSC did not reduce propane use or improve pig performance. Higher Vs, operational changes and controller modifications could improve system performance and reduce cost. Modeling could be used to optimize PCM use. Hence, this very low-cost fabric-based solar air heater offers potential for considerable reduction in heat energy use in livestock barns. DA - 2021/11// PY - 2021/11// DO - 10.3390/en14217258 VL - 14 IS - 21 SP - SN - 1996-1073 KW - transpired solar collector KW - livestock KW - ventilation KW - microclimate control KW - heat storage ER - TY - JOUR TI - Supplemental Effects of Phytase on Modulation of Mucosa-Associated Microbiota in the Jejunum and the Impacts on Nutrient Digestibility, Intestinal Morphology, and Bone Parameters in Broiler Chickens AU - Moita, Vitor Hugo C. AU - Duarte, Marcos Elias AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - ANIMALS AB - This study aimed to determine supplemental effects of phytase on modulation of the mucosa-associated microbiota in the jejunum, intestinal morphology, nutrient digestibility, bone parameters, and growth performance of broiler chickens. Three hundred and sixty newly hatched broiler chickens (Ross 308) (44 ± 2 g BW) were randomly allotted in 6 treatments with 10 birds per cage based on a completely randomized design and fed for 27 d. The treatments consisted of one negative control (NC), diet formulated meeting the requirements suggested by Ross recommendations (2019), and without phytase supplementation. The other treatments consisted of a positive control diet (PC) formulated with 0.15% deficient Ca and P and split into 5 treatments with different phytase inclusion levels (0, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 FTU/kg feed). Titanium dioxide (0.4%) was added to feeds as an indigestible marker to measure apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of nutrients. On d 27, 3 birds were randomly selected from each cage and euthanized to collect samples for analyzing the mucosa-associated microbiota in the jejunum, oxidative stress status, AID, and bone parameters. Data were analyzed using the proc Mixed of SAS 9.4. Phytase supplementation tended to have a quadratic effect (p = 0.078) on the overall ADG (maximum: 41 g/d at 2833 FTU/kg of feed). Supplementation of phytase at 2,000 FTU/kg increased (p < 0.05) the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and reduced (p < 0.05) Pelomonas. Moreover, it tended to reduce Helicobacter (p = 0.085), Pseudomonas (p = 0.090) Sphingomonas (p = 0.071). Phytase supplementation increased (p < 0.05) the villus height and the AID of CP; and tended to increase (p = 0.086) the AID of P. Phytase supplementation increased (p < 0.05) breaking strength and P content in the tibia. In conclusion, phytase supplementation showed potential benefits on the modulation of the mucosa-associated microbiota in the jejunum by tending to reduce harmful bacteria (Pelomonas, Helicobacter, and Pseudomonas) and increase beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus). In addition, it showed positive effects increasing apparent ileal digestibility of CP and P, enhancing intestinal morphology (villus height), and improving the bone parameters (bone breaking strength, ash, and P content). Phytase supplementation at a range of 38 to 59 FTU/d or 600 to 950 FTU/kg of feed provided the most benefits related to nutrient digestibility. DA - 2021/12// PY - 2021/12// DO - 10.3390/ani11123351 VL - 11 IS - 12 SP - SN - 2076-2615 UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123351 KW - apparent ileal digestibility KW - bone breaking strength KW - broiler chickens KW - intestinal health KW - mucosa-associated microbiota KW - phytase ER - TY - JOUR TI - Impacts of weaning age on dietary needs of whey permeate for pigs at 7 to 11 kg body weight AU - Jang, Ki Beom AU - Duarte, Marcos Elias AU - Purvis, Jerry M. AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology AB - Abstract Background Whey permeate is an effective lactose source for nursery pigs and the most benefits are obtained when pigs are at 7 to 11 kg BW. Altering weaning ages could cause different length of early-weaner phases until 7 kg BW and thus it would influence the dietary need of whey permeate during 7 to 11 kg BW of pigs. This study aimed to evaluate if weaning ages would affect the dietary needs of whey permeate for optimum growth performance of pigs at 7 to 11 kg BW. Methods A total of 1,632 pigs were weaned at d 21 (d 21.2 ± 1.3) or d 25 (d 24.6 ± 1.1) after birth. All pigs had a common early-weaner feeds until they reached 7 kg BW. When pigs reached 7 kg BW within a weaning age group, they were allotted in a randomized complete block design (2 × 4 factorial). Two factors were weaning age groups (21 and 25 d of age) and varying whey permeate levels (7.50%, 11.25%, 15.00%, and 18.75%). Data were analyzed using the GLM and NLIN procedures of SAS for slope-ratio and broken-line analyses to determine the growth response to whey permeate and optimal daily whey permeate intake for the growth of the pigs weaned at different ages. Results Pigs weaned at 21 d of age had a common diet for 11 d to reach 7 kg BW whereas pigs weaned at 25 d of age needed 2 d. The G:F of pigs weaned at 25 d of age responded to increased daily whey permeate intake greater ( P < 0.05) than pigs weaned at 21 d of age. Breakpoints were obtained ( P < 0.05) at 88 and 60 g/d daily whey permeate intake or 17.0% and 14.4% of whey permeate for G:F of pigs weaned at 21 and 25 d of age, respectively. Conclusion Pigs weaned at an older age with a short early-weaner phase had a greater growth response to whey permeate intake compared with pigs weaned at a younger age with a long early-weaner phase. Altering weaning ages affected dietary needs of whey permeate for optimum growth performance of pigs from 7 to 11 kg BW. DA - 2021/11/16/ PY - 2021/11/16/ DO - 10.1186/s40104-021-00637-4 VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - J2 - J Animal Sci Biotechnol LA - en OP - SN - 2049-1891 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40104-021-00637-4 DB - Crossref KW - Growth performance KW - Nursery pigs KW - Weaning age KW - Whey permeate ER - TY - JOUR TI - Temporal and spatial expression of adrenomedullin and its receptors in the porcine uterus and peri-implantation conceptuses AU - Paudel, Sudikshya AU - Liu, Bangmin AU - Cummings, Magdalina J. AU - Quinn, Kelsey E. AU - Bazer, Fuller W. AU - Caron, Kathleen M. AU - Wang, Xiaoqiu T2 - BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION AB - Abstract Adrenomedullin (ADM) is an evolutionarily conserved multifunctional peptide hormone that regulates implantation, embryo spacing, and placentation in humans and rodents. However, the potential roles of ADM in implantation and placentation in pigs, as a litter-bearing species, are not known. This study determined abundances of ADM in uterine luminal fluid, and the patterns of expression of ADM and its receptor components (CALCRL, RAMP2, RAMP3, and ACKR3) in uteri from cyclic and pregnant gilts, as well as conceptuses (embryonic/fetus and its extra-embryonic membranes) during the peri-implantation period of pregnancy. Total recoverable ADM was greater in the uterine fluid of pregnant compared with cyclic gilts between Days 10 and 16 post-estrus and was from uterine luminal epithelial (LE) and conceptus trophectoderm (Tr) cells. Uterine expression of CALCRL, RAMP2, and ACKR3 were affected by day (P &lt; 0.05), pregnant status (P &lt; 0.01) and/or day x status (P &lt; 0.05). Within porcine conceptuses, the expression of CALCRL, RAMP2, and ACKR3 increased between Days 10 and 16 of pregnancy. Using an established porcine trophectoderm (pTr1) cell line, it was determined that 10−7 M ADM stimulated proliferation of pTr1 cells (P &lt; 0.05) at 48 h, and increased phosphorylated mechanistic target of rapamycin (p-MTOR) and 4E binding protein 1 (p-4EBP1) by 6.1- and 4.9-fold (P &lt; 0.0001), respectively. These novel results indicate a significant role for ADM in uterine receptivity for implantation and conceptus growth and development in pigs. They also provide a framework for future studies of ADM signaling to affect proliferation and migration of Tr cells, spacing of blastocysts, implantation, and placentation in pigs. DA - 2021/10// PY - 2021/10// DO - 10.1093/biolre/ioab110 VL - 105 IS - 4 SP - 876-891 SN - 1529-7268 KW - adrenomedullin KW - conceptus KW - uterine fluid KW - uterus KW - pigs ER - TY - JOUR TI - A novel career development course for animal science students pursuing veterinary college admissions AU - Trivedi, Shweta AU - Clark, Jessica C. AU - Deprospero, Dylan AU - Royal, Kenneth AU - See, Miles Todd T2 - TRANSLATIONAL ANIMAL SCIENCE AB - Abstract A one-credit hour, elective, professional development course was created at North Carolina State University to introduce pre-veterinary track students to the admissions process and the breadth of the veterinary profession. The course was designed to facilitate career exploration while building self-efficacy through vicarious learning, interacting with speakers in various veterinary subfields, and addressing misperceptions about veterinary admissions. To evaluate the student learning objectives and improve upon the current practices of the course, data from two pretest and posttest course surveys for 235 course participants between Spring 2014 and 2017 were analyzed. The results of the study showed that students experienced significant gains in self-appraisal (Cohen’s d ranged 1.88 to 2.53), gathering occupational information (Cohen’s d ranged 1.59 to 2.53), goal selection (Cohen’s d ranged 2.14 to 2.53), and planning and problem-solving (Cohen’s d ranged 1.88 to 2.77) as well as experienced a decrease in five misperceptions about veterinary admissions. This novel course is presented as a prospective course for other universities. DA - 2021/7// PY - 2021/7// DO - 10.1093/tas/txab106 VL - 5 IS - 3 SP - SN - 2573-2102 KW - career development course KW - pre-professional identity development KW - pre-veterinary advising KW - pre-veterinary curriculum KW - self-efficacy KW - vicarious experiences ER - TY - JOUR TI - Trace mineral source impacts rumen trace mineral metabolism and fiber digestion in steers fed a medium-quality grass hay diet AU - Guimaraes, Octavio AU - Jalali, Sam AU - Wagner, John J. AU - Spears, Jerry W. AU - Engle, Terry Eugene T2 - JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AB - Abstract Twelve Angus steers (BW 452.8 ± 6.1 kg) fitted with ruminal cannulae were used to determine the impact of trace mineral (TM) source on digestibility, ruminal volatile fatty acid (VFA) composition, ruminal soluble concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Mn, and relative binding strength of trace minerals located in the rumen insoluble digesta fraction. Steers were fed a medium-quality grass hay diet (DM basis: 10.8% CP, 63.1% neutral detergent fiber [NDF], 6.9 mg Cu/kg, 65.5 mg Mn/kg, and 39.4 mg Zn/kg) supplemented with protein for 21 d. Treatments consisted of either sulfate (STM) or hydroxy (HTM) sources (n = 6 steers/treatment) to provide 20, 40, and 60 mg supplemental Cu, Mn, and Zn/kg DM, respectively. Following a 21-d adaptation period, total fecal output was collected for 5 d. Dry matter (P &lt; 0.07) and CP (P &lt; 0.06) digestibility tended to be reduced, and NDF (P &lt; 0.04) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) (P &lt; 0.05) digestibility were reduced in STM- vs. HTM-supplemented steers. On day 6, ruminal fluid was collected at 0, 2, and 4 h post-feeding and analyzed for VFA. There were no treatment x time interactions for VFA. Steers receiving HTM had less (P &lt; 0.02) molar proportions of butyric acid and greater (P &lt; 0.05) total VFA concentrations than STM-supplemented steers. Steers were then fed the same diet without supplemental Cu, Zn, or Mn for 14 d. On day 15 steers received a pulse dose of 20 mg Cu, 40 mg Mn, and 60 mg Zn/kg DM from either STM or HTM (n = 6 steers/treatment). Ruminal samples were obtained at 2-h intervals starting at −4 and ending at 24 h relative to dosing. There was a treatment x time interaction (P &lt; 0.03) for ruminal soluble Cu, Mn, and Zn concentrations. Ruminal soluble mineral concentrations were greater (P &lt; 0.05) for Cu at 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 h; for Mn at 4 and 6 h; and for Zn at 4, 6, and 8 h post-dosing in STM compared with HTM-supplemented steers. Copper concentrations were greater (P &lt; 0.05) at 12 and 24 h and Zn concentrations in ruminal solid digesta were greater at 24 h in HTM-supplemented steers. Upon dialysis against Tris-EDTA, the percent Zn released from digesta was greater (P &lt; 0.05) at 12 h (P &lt; 0.03) and 24 h (P &lt; 0.05), and the percent Cu released was greater (P &lt; 0.02) at 24 h post-dosing in HTM steers when compared with STM-supplemented steers. Results indicate that Cu and Zn from HTM have low solubility in the rumen and appear to be less tightly bound to ruminal solid digesta than Cu and Zn from STM. The lower ruminal soluble concentrations of Cu and Zn in steers given HTM were associated with greater fiber digestibility. DA - 2021/9// PY - 2021/9// DO - 10.1093/jas/skab220 VL - 99 IS - 9 SP - SN - 1525-3163 KW - binding strength KW - copper KW - volatile fatty acids KW - zinc ER - TY - JOUR TI - Amino Acids in Cell Signaling: Regulation and Function AU - Paudel, Sudikshya AU - Wu, Guoyao AU - Wang, Xiaoqiu T2 - AMINO ACIDS IN NUTRITION AND HEALTH: AMINO ACIDS IN GENE EXPRESSION, METABOLIC REGULATION, AND EXERCISING PERFORMANCE AB - Amino acids are the main building blocks for life. Aside from their roles in composing proteins, functional amino acids and their metabolites play regulatory roles in key metabolic cascades, gene expressions, and cell-to-cell communication via a variety of cell signaling pathways. These metabolic networks are necessary for maintenance, growth, reproduction, and immunity in humans and animals. These amino acids include, but are not limited to, arginine, glutamine, glutamate, glycine, leucine, proline, and tryptophan. We will discuss these functional amino acids in cell signaling pathways in mammals with a particular emphasis on mTORC1, AMPK, and MAPK pathways for protein synthesis, nutrient sensing, and anti-inflammatory responses, as well as cell survival, growth, and development. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.1007/978-3-030-74180-8_2 VL - 1332 SP - 17-33 SN - 2214-8019 KW - Functional amino acids KW - Transceptor KW - Sensor KW - mTORC1 KW - AMPK KW - MAPK ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effects of supplemental zinc on ruminal fermentation in continuous cultures AU - Fellner, V. AU - Durosoy, S. AU - Kromm, V. AU - Spears, J.W. T2 - Applied Animal Science AB - Our objective was to determine the effect of dietary Zn supplementation on microbial fermentation. Five dual-flow continuous culture fermentors were offered 15 g of DM/d of a corn silage–based diet that supplied 64 mg of Zn/kg of diet DM. The source of supplemental Zn (30 and 120 mg/kg) was either analytical grade zinc oxide (ZnO) or a greater-purity potentiated zinc oxide (HiZox; Animine, Annecy, France). A total of 5 diets were fermented: (1) control (no supplemental Zn); (2) 30 mg/kg supplemental Zn from ZnO; (3) 120 mg/kg supplemental Zn from ZnO; (4) 30 mg/kg supplemental Zn from HiZox, and (5) 120 mg/kg supplemental Zn from HiZox. Diets were replicated (n = 3), and each replication lasted 8 d with 4 d for adjustment to diets followed by 4 d of data collection. Rumen soluble Zn (as-is basis) increased with supplemental Zn, and the increase tended to be greater with HiZox compared with ZnO. Total VFA concentrations were not affected by treatment. Molar percentage of acetate increased and propionate decreased with HiZox compared with ZnO; the effects were primarily due to the 120 mg/kg concentration. Zinc oxide decreased branched-chain fatty acids, isobutyrate and isovalerate, when compared with HiZox. Supplemental Zn increased culture pH before and after feeding compared with control; the increase was greatest with 30 mg/kg HiZox. Methane was similar between control and HiZox but significantly reduced with ZnO. Zinc supplementation reduced ammonia-N concentration when compared with control; the decrease was due primarily to ZnO, which resulted in much lower ammonia-N compared with HiZox. Both supplemental Zn sources increased rumen-soluble Zn (as-is basis), but their effect on fermentation was not similar. The divalent Zn2+ is known to combine with Cl− to form various Zn-Cl complexes (ZnCl+, ZnCl2, ZnCl3−), which may exert differing toxicities and explain the disparate effect on microbial fermentation. DA - 2021/2// PY - 2021/2// DO - 10.15232/aas.2020-02104 VL - 37 IS - 1 SP - 27-32 J2 - Applied Animal Science LA - en OP - SN - 2590-2865 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.15232/aas.2020-02104 DB - Crossref KW - zinc KW - rumen KW - microbes KW - fermentation ER - TY - JOUR TI - Kisspeptin, Neurokinin B, and Dynorphin Expression during Pubertal Development in Female Sheep AU - Aerts, Eliana G. AU - Harlow, KaLynn AU - Griesgraber, Max J. AU - Bowdridge, Elizabeth C. AU - Hardy, Steven L. AU - Nestor, Casey C. AU - Hileman, Stanley M. T2 - BIOLOGY-BASEL AB - The neural mechanisms underlying increases in gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion that drive puberty onset are unknown. Neurons coexpressing kisspeptin, neurokinin B (NKB), and dynorphin, i.e., KNDy neurons, are important as kisspeptin and NKB are stimulatory, and dynorphin inhibitory, to GnRH secretion. Given this, we hypothesized that kisspeptin and NKB expression would increase, but that dynorphin expression would decrease, with puberty. We collected blood and hypothalamic tissue from ovariectomized lambs implanted with estradiol at five, six, seven, eight (puberty), and ten months of age. Mean LH values and LH pulse frequency were the lowest at five to seven months, intermediate at eight months, and highest at ten months. Kisspeptin and NKB immunopositive cell numbers did not change with age. Numbers of cells expressing mRNA for kisspeptin, NKB, or dynorphin were similar at five, eight, and ten months of age. Age did not affect mRNA expression per cell for kisspeptin or NKB, but dynorphin mRNA expression per cell was elevated at ten months versus five months. Thus, neither KNDy protein nor mRNA expression changed in a predictable manner during pubertal development. These data raise the possibility that KNDy neurons, while critical, may await other inputs for the initiation of puberty. DA - 2021/10// PY - 2021/10// DO - 10.3390/biology10100988 VL - 10 IS - 10 SP - SN - 2079-7737 UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/biology10100988 KW - kisspeptin KW - neurokinin B KW - dynorphin KW - puberty KW - sheep KW - LH ER - TY - JOUR TI - Dietary enzymatically-treated Artemisia annua L. supplementation could alleviate oxidative injury and improve reproductive performance of sows reared under high ambient temperature (vol 94, pg 1, 2020) AU - Zhang, Wenfei AU - Heng, Jinghui AU - Kim, Sung Woo AU - Chen, Fang AU - Deng, Zixiao AU - Zhang, Shihai AU - Guan, Wutai T2 - JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY DA - 2021/8// PY - 2021/8// DO - 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2021.103035 VL - 100 SP - SN - 1879-0992 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495224/ ER - TY - JOUR TI - Identification of unique ROH regions with unfavorable effects on production and fertility traits in Canadian Holsteins AU - Makanjuola, Bayode O. AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Miglior, Filippo AU - Marras, Gabriele AU - Abdalla, Emhimad A. AU - Schenkel, Flavio S. AU - Baes, Christine F. T2 - GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION AB - Abstract Background The advent of genomic information and the reduction in the cost of genotyping have led to the use of genomic information to estimate genomic inbreeding as an alternative to pedigree inbreeding. Using genomic measures, effects of genomic inbreeding on production and fertility traits have been observed. However, there have been limited studies on the specific genomic regions causing the observed negative association with the trait of interest. Our aim was to identify unique run of homozygosity (ROH) genotypes present within a given genomic window that display negative associations with production and fertility traits and to quantify the effects of these identified ROH genotypes. Methods In total, 50,575 genotypes based on a 50K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and 259,871 pedigree records were available. Of these 50,575 genotypes, 46,430 cows with phenotypic records for production and fertility traits and having a first calving date between 2008 and 2018 were available. Unique ROH genotypes identified using a sliding-window approach were fitted into an animal mixed model as fixed effects to determine their effect on production and fertility traits. Results In total, 133 and 34 unique ROH genotypes with unfavorable effects were identified for production and fertility traits, respectively, at a 1% genome-wise false discovery rate. Most of these ROH regions were located on bovine chromosomes 8, 13, 14 and 19 for both production and fertility traits. For production traits, the average of all the unfavorably identified unique ROH genotypes effects were estimated to decrease milk yield by 247.30 kg, fat yield by 11.46 kg and protein yield by 8.11 kg. Similarly, for fertility traits, an average 4.81-day extension in first service to conception, a 0.16 increase in number of services, and a − 0.07 incidence in 56-day non-return rate were observed. Furthermore, a ROH region located on bovine chromosome 19 was identified that, when homozygous, had a negative effect on production traits. Signatures of selection proximate to this region have implicated GH1 as a potential candidate gene, which encodes the growth hormone that binds the growth hormone receptor. This observed negative effect could be a consequence of unfavorable alleles in linkage disequilibrium with favorable alleles. Conclusions ROH genotypes with unfavorable effects on production and fertility traits were identified within and across multiple traits on most chromosomes. These identified ROH genotypes could be included in mate selection programs to minimize their frequency in future generations. DA - 2021/8/30/ PY - 2021/8/30/ DO - 10.1186/s12711-021-00660-z VL - 53 IS - 1 SP - SN - 1297-9686 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85113777952&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - JOUR TI - Investigation of Dried Blood Spot Cards for Fatty Acid Analysis Using Porcine Blood AU - Wood, Jordan AU - Minter, Larry J. AU - Stoskopf, Michael K. AU - Bibus, Doug AU - Ange, Dempsy AU - Tollefson, Troy N. AU - Fellner, Vivek AU - Ange-van Heugten, Kimberly T2 - Veterinary Medicine International AB - Fatty acids, especially omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, are important for reproductive and cardiovascular health in animals. While monitoring fatty acids is traditionally conducted using frozen blood fractions such as serum and plasma, advancements in analytical technology have developed a method of collecting microsamples of dried whole blood on Ahlstrom 226 grade filter paper that can provide information on long-term fatty acid status of animals. Blood samples were collected from five male pigs in both the traditional frozen method and on dried blood spot cards (DBS). The DBS samples were collected with untreated syringes and tubes, and approximately 320 μL of blood was placed on each card with approximately 80 μL per spot (4 spots). Statistical analysis was performed to compare the two sample groups to each other using the Mann–Whitney U-test and determine if DBS samples were similar to traditional whole blood samples. Of the 30 fatty acids and fatty acid groups with measurable concentrations, only four individual fatty acids, behenic acid, omega-3 docosapentaenoic acid, nervonic acid, and adrenic acid, had statistical differences. Most of these differences were minor and could be due to analytical errors or contamination. Comparisons between sample types found similar concentrations of key omega fatty acids and PUFAs and support the use of DBS collection as a less invasive method of blood collection and fatty acid analysis. DA - 2021/8/28/ PY - 2021/8/28/ DO - 10.1155/2021/6624751 VL - 2021 SP - 1-4 J2 - Veterinary Medicine International LA - en OP - SN - 2042-0048 2090-8113 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6624751 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Two distinct trophectoderm lineage stem cells from human pluripotent stem cells AU - Mischler, Adam AU - Karakis, Victoria AU - Mahinthakumar, Jessica AU - Carberry, Celeste K. AU - San Miguel, Adriana AU - Rager, Julia E. AU - Fry, Rebecca C. AU - Rao, Balaji M. T2 - JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY AB - The trophectoderm layer of the blastocyst-stage embryo is the precursor for all trophoblast cells in the placenta. Human trophoblast stem (TS) cells have emerged as an attractive tool for studies on early trophoblast development. However, the use of TS cell models is constrained by the limited genetic diversity of existing TS cell lines and restrictions on using human fetal tissue or embryos needed to generate additional lines. Here we report the derivation of two distinct stem cell types of the trophectoderm lineage from human pluripotent stem cells. Analogous to villous cytotrophoblasts in vivo, the first is a CDX2- stem cell comparable with placenta-derived TS cells—they both exhibit identical expression of key markers, are maintained in culture and differentiate under similar conditions, and share high transcriptome similarity. The second is a CDX2+ stem cell with distinct cell culture requirements, and differences in gene expression and differentiation, relative to CDX2- stem cells. Derivation of TS cells from pluripotent stem cells will significantly enable construction of in vitro models for normal and pathological placental development. The trophectoderm layer of the blastocyst-stage embryo is the precursor for all trophoblast cells in the placenta. Human trophoblast stem (TS) cells have emerged as an attractive tool for studies on early trophoblast development. However, the use of TS cell models is constrained by the limited genetic diversity of existing TS cell lines and restrictions on using human fetal tissue or embryos needed to generate additional lines. Here we report the derivation of two distinct stem cell types of the trophectoderm lineage from human pluripotent stem cells. Analogous to villous cytotrophoblasts in vivo, the first is a CDX2- stem cell comparable with placenta-derived TS cells—they both exhibit identical expression of key markers, are maintained in culture and differentiate under similar conditions, and share high transcriptome similarity. The second is a CDX2+ stem cell with distinct cell culture requirements, and differences in gene expression and differentiation, relative to CDX2- stem cells. Derivation of TS cells from pluripotent stem cells will significantly enable construction of in vitro models for normal and pathological placental development. Specification of the trophectoderm and the inner cell mass is the first differentiation event during human embryonic development. The trophectoderm mediates blastocyst implantation in the uterus and is the precursor to all trophoblast cells in the placenta. Upon embryo implantation, the trophectoderm forms the cytotrophoblast (CTB), a putative stem cell that can differentiate to form the two major cell types in the placenta, the extravillous trophoblast (EVT) and the syncytiotrophoblast (STB) (1Bischof P. Irminger-Finger I. The human cytotrophoblastic cell, a mononuclear chameleon.Int. J. Biochem. Cel. Biol. 2005; 37: 1-16Crossref PubMed Scopus (125) Google Scholar, 2Benirschke Kurt. Baergen R.N. Burton G. Graham J. Pathology of the Human Placenta [electronic Resource]. Springer, Heidelberg2012Crossref Scopus (48) Google Scholar). The EVTs are involved in remodeling of uterine arteries, which is critical to ensure adequate perfusion of the placenta with maternal blood, whereas the multinucleated STB mediates the nutrient and gas exchange at the maternal–fetal interface (3Yabe S. Alexenko A.P. Amita M. Yang Y. Schust D.J. Sadovsky Y. Ezashi T. Roberts R.M. Comparison of syncytiotrophoblast generated from human embryonic stem cells and from term placentas.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2016; 113: E2598-E2607Crossref PubMed Scopus (68) Google Scholar, 4Moser G. Orendi K. Gauster M. Siwetz M. Helige C. Huppertz B. The art of identification of extravillous trophoblast.Placenta. 2011; 32: 197-199Crossref PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar). Abnormalities in trophoblast development are associated with pregnancy-related pathologies such as miscarriage, preeclampsia, and placenta accreta. Yet, despite its relevance to maternal and fetal health, constraints on research with human embryos and early fetal tissue impede mechanistic insight into early trophoblast development. Trophoblast stem (TS) cells derived from first-trimester human placental samples and blastocyst-stage embryos have emerged as an attractive in vitro model system for early human trophoblast (5Okae H. Toh H. Sato T. Hiura H. Takahashi S. Shirane K. Kabayama Y. Suyama M. Sasaki H. Arima T. Derivation of human trophoblast stem cells.Cell stem cell. 2018; 22: 50-63.e6Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (233) Google Scholar). However, restricted accessibility of embryos and placental samples from early gestation and low genetic diversity of existing cell lines limit the use of this model. In contrast, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are a more accessible source for generating in vitro models of human trophoblast. Of more importance, unlike early gestation primary samples where the projected pregnancy outcome is uncertain, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can potentially provide models of validated normal and pathological trophoblast development (6Sheridan M.A. Yang Y. Jain A. Lyons A.S. Yang P. Brahmasani S.R. Dai A. Tian Y. Ellersieck M.R. Tuteja G. Schust D.J. Schulz L.C. Ezashi T. Roberts R.M. Early onset preeclampsia in a model for human placental trophoblast.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2019; 116: 4336-4345Crossref PubMed Scopus (20) Google Scholar). However, whether bona fide trophoblast can be obtained from hPSCs has been a subject of intense debate (7Roberts R.M. Loh K.M. Amita M. Bernardo A.S. Adachi K. Alexenko A.P. Schust D.J. Schulz L.C. Telugu B.P.V.L. Ezashi T. Pedersen R.A. Differentiation of trophoblast cells from human embryonic stem cells: To be or not to be?.Reproduction (Cambridge, England). 2014; 147: D1-D12Crossref PubMed Scopus (45) Google Scholar). A rigorous head-to-head comparison between trophoblast derived from hPSCs and their in vivo counterparts has proven difficult owing to multiple reasons. Previous studies have used varying experimental protocols (8Roberts R.M. Ezashi T. Sheridan M.A. Yang Y. Specification of trophoblast from embryonic stem cells exposed to BMP4†.Biol. Reprod. 2018; 99: 212-224Crossref PubMed Scopus (22) Google Scholar); both primary placental samples and cultures of terminally differentiated trophoblast obtained from hPSCs exhibit heterogeneity and contain many cell types, and until recently self-renewing TS-like cells had not been derived from hPSCs (9Dong C. Beltcheva M. Gontarz P. Zhang B. Popli P. Fischer L.A. Khan S.A. Park K.-M. Yoon E.-J. Xing X. Kommagani R. Wang T. Solnica-Krezel L. Theunissen T.W. Derivation of trophoblast stem cells from naïve human pluripotent stem cells.eLife. 2020; 9: e52504Crossref PubMed Scopus (57) Google Scholar, 10Cinkornpumin J.K. Kwon S.Y. Guo Y. Hossain I. Sirois J. Russett C.S. Tseng H.W. Okae H. Arima T. Duchaine T.F. Liu W. Pastor W.A. Naive human embryonic stem cells can give rise to cells with a trophoblast-like transcriptome and Methylome.Stem Cell Rep. 2020; 15: 198-213Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (33) Google Scholar, 11Li Z. Kurosawa O. Iwata H. Development of trophoblast cystic structures from human induced pluripotent stem cells in limited-area cell culture.Biochem. Biophysical Res. Commun. 2018; 505: 671-676Crossref PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar, 12Gao X. Nowak-Imialek M. Chen X. Chen D. Herrmann D. Ruan D. Chen A.C.H. Eckersley-Maslin M.A. Ahmad S. Lee Y.L. Kobayashi T. Ryan D. Zhong J. Zhu J. Wu J. et al.Establishment of porcine and human expanded potential stem cells.Nat. Cell Biol. 2019; 21: 687-699Crossref PubMed Scopus (120) Google Scholar). In this study, we report the derivation and maintenance of two distinct trophectoderm lineage stem cell types from hPSCs, specifically human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and hiPSCs, in chemically defined culture conditions. The first is a CDX2- stem cell that is comparable with TS cells derived from early-gestation placental samples and similar to the villous CTB. The second is a CDX2+ cell type with distinct cell culture requirements, and differences in gene expression and differentiation, relative to CDX2- stem cells. Critically, the isolation of self-renewing stem cell populations allowed a direct comparison of placenta-derived TS cells with TS cells from hPSCs; genome-wide transcriptomic analysis and functional differentiation assays demonstrate very high similarity between placenta- and hPSC-derived CDX2- TS cells. The routine derivation of TS cells from hPSCs will provide powerful tools for mechanistic studies on normal and pathological early trophoblast development. Media formulations in previous studies on trophoblast differentiation of hESCs included components such as knockout serum replacement (KSR) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) that act as carriers for lipids. Albumin-associated lipids have been implicated in activation of G-protein–coupled receptor–mediated signaling (13Yu F.-X. Zhao B. Panupinthu N. Jewell J.L. Lian I. Wang L.H. Zhao J. Yuan H. Tumaneng K. Li H. Fu X.-D. Mills G.B. Guan K.-L. Regulation of the Hippo-YAP pathway by G-protein-coupled receptor signaling.Cell. 2012; 150: 780-791Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (974) Google Scholar, 14Mendelson K. Evans T. Hla T. Sphingosine 1-phosphate signalling.Development (Cambridge, England). 2014; 141: 5-9Crossref PubMed Scopus (165) Google Scholar). For instance, the phospholipid sphingosine-1 phosphate (S1P) present in KSR can activate YAP signaling. YAP plays a critical role in specification of the trophectoderm in mouse (15Yagi R. Kohn M.J. Karavanova I. Kaneko K.J. Vullhorst D. DePamphilis M.L. Buonanno A. Transcription factor TEAD4 specifies the trophectoderm lineage at the beginning of mammalian development.Development (Cambridge, England). 2007; 134: 3827-3836Crossref PubMed Scopus (353) Google Scholar, 16Knott J.G. Paul S. Transcriptional regulators of the trophoblast lineage in mammals with hemochorial placentation.Reproduction (Cambridge, England). 2014; 148: R121-R136Crossref PubMed Scopus (40) Google Scholar, 17Nishioka N. Yamamoto S. Kiyonari H. Sato H. Sawada A. Ota M. Nakao K. Sasaki H. Tead4 is required for specification of trophectoderm in pre-implantation mouse embryos.Mech. Dev. 2008; 125: 270-283Crossref PubMed Scopus (331) Google Scholar), as well as human trophoblast development (18Saha B. Ganguly A. Home P. Bhattacharya B. Ray S. Ghosh A. Rumi M.A.K. Marsh C. French V. Gunewardena S. Paul S. TEAD4 ensures postimplantation development by promoting trophoblast self-renewal: An implication in early human pregnancy loss.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2020; 117: 202002449Crossref Scopus (20) Google Scholar, 19Meinhardt G. Haider S. Kunihs V. Saleh L. Pollheimer J. Fiala C. Hetey S. Feher Z. Szilagyi A. Than N.G. Knöfler M. Pivotal role of the transcriptional co-activator YAP in trophoblast stemness of the developing human placenta.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2020; 117: 13562-13570Crossref PubMed Scopus (25) Google Scholar). We investigated the use of S1P in the context of trophoblast differentiation of hESCs under chemically defined culture conditions, by modifying our previous protocol that utilized KSR (20Sarkar P. Randall S.M. Collier T.S. Nero A. Russell T.A. Muddiman D.C. Rao B.M. Activin/nodal signaling Switches the terminal fate of human embryonic stem cell-derived trophoblasts.J. Biol. Chem. 2015; 290: 8834-8848Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar, 21Sarkar P. Mischler A. Randall S.M. Collier T.S. Dorman K.F. Boggess K.A. Muddiman D.C. Rao B.M. Identification of epigenetic factor proteins expressed in human embryonic stem cell-derived trophoblasts and in human placental trophoblasts.J. Proteome Res. 2016; 15: 2433-2444Crossref PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar). H1 and H9 hESCs cultured in E8 medium were differentiated for 6 days in E7 medium (E8 without transforming growth factor-beta1 [TGFβ1]) supplemented with S1P, by treatment with BMP4 and the activin/nodal inhibitor SB431542 (Fig. 1A). Under these conditions, we observed upregulation of the trophectoderm marker CDX2 and the CTB marker ELF5 (Fig. S1, A and B). Upregulation of TBX4 was observed after 6 days. However, overall there were no significant changes in markers associated with neural or mesodermal differentiation after 6 days suggesting that differentiation to these lineages did not occur (Fig. S1, A and B). Immunofluorescence analysis at day 6 confirmed expression of the pan-trophoblast marker KRT7, and CTB markers P63 and GATA3; expression of CDX2 was not observed (Figs. 1B and S1C). The putative CTB cells obtained at day 6 were investigated for their ability to differentiate to EVTs and STB, using protocols similar to those previously employed (20Sarkar P. Randall S.M. Collier T.S. Nero A. Russell T.A. Muddiman D.C. Rao B.M. Activin/nodal signaling Switches the terminal fate of human embryonic stem cell-derived trophoblasts.J. Biol. Chem. 2015; 290: 8834-8848Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar). We observed formation of mesenchymal cells from epithelial cells over a 6-day period when passaged into E8 medium supplemented with epidermal growth factor (EGF) and SB431542. Immunofluorescence analysis showed expression of KRT7 and the EVT markers VE-Cadherin and HLA-G (Figs. 1C, S1D). Alternatively, passaging CTB-like cells in E6 medium (E8 without TGFβ1 and fibroblast growth factor-2 [FGF2]) supplemented with activin and EGF resulted in the formation of KRT7+ multinucleate cells expressing the STB markers hCG and syncytin over an 8-day period (Figs. 1D, S1E). Removal of S1P from the medium during hESC differentiation to CTB-like cells abolished the formation of EVTs that express HLA-G and VE-Cadherin (Figs. 1E, S2A) under identical differentiation conditions (Fig. 1A). Differentiation to STB also did not occur in the absence of S1P, as evidenced by lack of expression of syncytin and KRT7 (Figs. 1F, S2B). Also, downregulation of the trophectoderm marker CDX2 and upregulation of transcripts of neural and mesoderm markers was observed in cells after 6 days of differentiation, upon removal of S1P (Fig. S2C). Taken together these results show that CTB-like cells, similar to those in previous studies utilizing more complex culture conditions (20Sarkar P. Randall S.M. Collier T.S. Nero A. Russell T.A. Muddiman D.C. Rao B.M. Activin/nodal signaling Switches the terminal fate of human embryonic stem cell-derived trophoblasts.J. Biol. Chem. 2015; 290: 8834-8848Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar), can be obtained by differentiation of hESCs in a chemically defined medium containing S1P. Furthermore, addition of exogenous S1P is necessary for hESC differentiation to trophoblast in our chemically defined culture medium. Rho GTPase signaling, downstream of G-protein–coupled receptors activated by S1P, has been implicated in nuclear localization of YAP (22Ohgushi M. Minaguchi M. Sasai Y. Rho-signaling-directed YAP/TAZ activity Underlies the long-term Survival and Expansion of human embryonic stem cells.Cell stem cell. 2015; 17: 448-461Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (100) Google Scholar, 23Mo J.-S. Yu F.-X. Gong R. Brown J.H. Guan K.-L. Regulation of the Hippo-YAP pathway by protease-activated receptors (PARs).Genes Dev. 2012; 26: 2138-2143Crossref PubMed Scopus (195) Google Scholar). Both Rho/RhoA associated kinase (ROCK) and nuclear YAP play a critical role in trophectoderm specification in the mouse (24Nishioka N. Inoue K. Adachi K. Kiyonari H. Ota M. Ralston A. Yabuta N. Hirahara S. Stephenson R.O. Ogonuki N. Makita R. Kurihara H. Morin-Kensicki E.M. Nojima H. Rossant J. et al.The Hippo signaling pathway components Lats and Yap pattern Tead4 activity to distinguish mouse trophectoderm from inner cell mass.Dev. Cel. 2009; 16: 398-410Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (657) Google Scholar, 25Kono K. Tamashiro D.A.A. Alarcon V.B. Inhibition of RHO-ROCK signaling enhances ICM and suppresses TE characteristics through activation of Hippo signaling in the mouse blastocyst.Dev. Biol. 2014; 394: 142-155Crossref PubMed Scopus (79) Google Scholar). Therefore, we investigated the role of Rho/ROCK signaling and YAP in trophoblast differentiation of hESCs. The Rho/ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 was included during differentiation of hESCs to CTB-like cells and subsequent differentiation to EVT and STB to investigate the role of Rho/ROCK signaling. Under these conditions, HLA-G expression was observed in cells obtained from H9 hESCs; however, VE-Cadherin expression was weak and observed in only a few cells (Fig. S3A). On the other hand, expression of EVT markers was not observed in cells derived from H1 hESCs. In addition, presence of ROCK inhibition abolished STB formation, as shown by the lack of expression of syncytin and KRT7 (Fig. S3B). To investigate the role of YAP signaling in CTB formation from hESCs, we used an hESC cell line (H9) that expresses an inducible shRNA against YAP (H9-YAP-ishRNA) or a scrambled shRNA control (26Hsiao C. Lampe M. Nillasithanukroh S. Han W. Lian X. Palecek S.P. Human pluripotent stem cell culture density modulates YAP signaling.Biotechnol. J. 2016; 11: 662-675Crossref PubMed Scopus (26) Google Scholar). YAP knockdown abolished differentiation to EVT and STB, as evidenced by lack of expression of the relevant markers. It is notable that high cell death was observed (Fig. S3, A and B). Gene expression analysis revealed a significant reduction in ELF5 upon YAP knockdown, relative to the scrambled shRNA control (Fig. S3C). Significant downregulation of the mesodermal genes TBX4 and LMO2 was observed, whereas T was upregulated, in H9-YAP-ishRNA, relative to the scrambled control. Taken together, these results show that Rho/ROCK signaling and YAP are necessary for differentiation of hESCs to functional CTB that can give rise to both EVTs and STB, in our chemically defined culture medium. S1P acts through both receptor-mediated and receptor-independent pathways (14Mendelson K. Evans T. Hla T. Sphingosine 1-phosphate signalling.Development (Cambridge, England). 2014; 141: 5-9Crossref PubMed Scopus (165) Google Scholar, 27Maceyka M. Harikumar K.B. Milstien S. Spiegel S. Sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling and its role in disease.Trends Cell Biol. 2012; 22: 50-60Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (695) Google Scholar). To investigate the specific mechanism of S1P action during hESC differentiation to trophoblast, we replaced S1P with D-erythro-dihydrospingosine-1-phosphate (dhS1P) in our protocol. dhS1P acts as an agonist for the S1P receptors (S1PRs) but does not mediate an intracellular effect (28Van Brocklyn J.R. Lee M.-J. Menzeleev R. Olivera A. Edsall L. Cuvillier O. Thomas D.M. Coopman P.J.P. Thangada S. Liu C.H. Hla T. Spiegel S. Dual actions of sphingosine-1-phosphate: Extracellular through the G i -coupled receptor Edg-1 and intracellular to regulate proliferation and Survival.J. Cell Biol. 1998; 142: 229-240Crossref PubMed Scopus (444) Google Scholar). Replacing S1P with dhS1P yielded similar results—CTB-like cells showed expression of CDX2, GATA3, P63, and TEAD4 (Figs. 2A and S4A). Upon further differentiation as previously described (Fig. 1A), STB expressing KRT7 and hCG, and EVT expressing HLA-G and VE-Cadherin were obtained (Fig. 2, B and C; Fig. S4, B and C). These results suggest that S1PR signaling mediates the effect of exogenous S1P during hESC differentiation to trophoblast in our chemically defined medium. S1P acts extracellularly through S1PR1-5 (14Mendelson K. Evans T. Hla T. Sphingosine 1-phosphate signalling.Development (Cambridge, England). 2014; 141: 5-9Crossref PubMed Scopus (165) Google Scholar, 27Maceyka M. Harikumar K.B. Milstien S. Spiegel S. Sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling and its role in disease.Trends Cell Biol. 2012; 22: 50-60Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (695) Google Scholar); however, TBs have been shown to only express S1PR1-3 (29Johnstone E.D. Chan G. Sibley C.P. Davidge S.T. Lowen B. Guilbert L.J. Sphingosine-1-phosphate inhibition of placental trophoblast differentiation through a G(i)-coupled receptor response.J. lipid Res. 2005; 46: 1833-1839Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (34) Google Scholar). We further used selective chemical agonists for S1PR1-3—CYM5442 hydrochloride, CYM5520, and CYM5541, respectively—to replace S1P in differentiation protocols previously discussed. Expression of CDX2, GATA3, P63, and TEAD4 was observed in CTB-like cells for all three agonists (Figs. 2A and S4A). Similarly, use of each agonist resulted in expression of the EVT markers HLA-G and VE-Cadherin and formation of multinucleate STB expressing KRT7 and hCG (Fig. 2, B and C; Fig. S4, B and C). However, we observed some variability between the agonists (Fig. S5). For instance, use of the S1PR2 agonist resulted in strong cytoplasmic expression of P63 and high heterogeneity in staining at day 6 relative to the other agonists. Formation of large multinucleated STB was more pronounced when the S1PR2 or S1PR3 agonists were used, as compared with the S1PR1 agonist. On the other hand, the S1PR1 and S1PR3 agonists enhanced the formation of mesenchymal EVTs, relative to the S1PR2 agonist. Taken together, our results further confirmed that S1PR signaling mediates effects of exogenous S1P during trophoblast differentiation of hESCs in our culture system. Since our qualitative observations showed that use of the S1PR3 agonist resulted in expression of CTB markers, and both multinucleate STB and mesenchymal EVTs could be obtained when the S1PR3 agonist was used, we chose the S1PR3 agonist for subsequent studies. We investigated whether CTB-like cells obtained by treatment of hESCs with BMP4 and SB431542 in E7 medium supplemented with the S1PR3 agonist CYM5541 for 6 days could be passaged and maintained under conditions used for culture of blastocyst- and placenta-derived primary TS cells (5Okae H. Toh H. Sato T. Hiura H. Takahashi S. Shirane K. Kabayama Y. Suyama M. Sasaki H. Arima T. Derivation of human trophoblast stem cells.Cell stem cell. 2018; 22: 50-63.e6Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (233) Google Scholar). Upon plating in trophoblast stem cell medium (TSCM) developed by Okae et al. (5Okae H. Toh H. Sato T. Hiura H. Takahashi S. Shirane K. Kabayama Y. Suyama M. Sasaki H. Arima T. Derivation of human trophoblast stem cells.Cell stem cell. 2018; 22: 50-63.e6Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (233) Google Scholar), hESC-derived CTB-like cells underwent differentiation and epithelial colonies could not be retained after a single passage. CDX2 expression is upregulated significantly in as little as 2 days after initiation of hESC differentiation but decreases by day 6 (Fig. S1, A and B). In addition, previous studies have reported differentiation of hESCs to CDX2+/p63+ cells upon treatment with BMP for 4 days (30Horii M. Li Y. Wakeland A.K. Pizzo D.P. Nelson K.K. Sabatini K. Laurent L.C. Liu Y. Parast M.M. Human pluripotent stem cells as a model of trophoblast differentiation in both normal development and disease.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. United States America. 2016; 113: E3882-E3891Crossref PubMed Scopus (66) Google Scholar). Therefore, we explored the use of a shorter differentiation step for obtaining CTB-like cells (Fig. 3A). After 3 days of differentiation, H9 and H1 hESCs expressed nuclear CDX2, P63, and TEAD4 uniformly (Fig. 3B). However, by day 6 most differentiated H1 and H9 hESCs lose expression of CDX2 (Fig. 3C). Quantitative image analysis showed that nearly all cells are CDX2+ at day 3, in contrast to CTB-like cells at day 6. Of note, use of a 6-day protocol resulted in a significantly reduced fraction of CDX2+ cells in the case of H1 hESCs in comparison with the 3-day protocol; on the other hand, a significant fraction of H9 cells retained CDX2+ at day 6 (Fig. 3D). Transcriptome analysis using RNA sequencing identified 291 genes with significantly higher expression levels and 330 genes with significantly lower expression levels in day 3 differentiated hESCs versus undifferentiated hESCs (Tables S1 and S2).Expression of other trophectoderm-associated markers such as HAND1, GATA3, and TFAP2A, in addition to CDX2, was upregulated in differentiated hESCs at day 3, whereas expression of pluripotency-associated NANOG was downregulated. Gene set enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes identified 567 and 202 gene ontology (GO) categories (of 9996 queried categories) associated with higher and lower gene expression in day 3 differentiated cells versus undifferentiated hESCs, respectively (Tables S3 and S4). Consistent with differentiation to epithelial trophoblast, genes associated with the GO terms for epithelium development, epithelial cell proliferation, and epithelial cell differentiation were upregulated in day 3 differentiated hESCs. CDX2+ cells at day 3 were passaged into a chemically defined medium containing four major components (denoted TM4), the S1PR3 agonist CYM5541, the GSK3β inhibitor CHIR99021, the TGFβ inhibitor A83-01, and FGF10. CHIR99021 and A83-01 are components of TSCM used for culture of primary TS cells; FGF10 was included because FGFR2b signaling is active in blastocyst- and placenta-derived TS cells and the early placenta (5Okae H. Toh H. Sato T. Hiura H. Takahashi S. Shirane K. Kabayama Y. Suyama M. Sasaki H. Arima T. Derivation of human trophoblast stem cells.Cell stem cell. 2018; 22: 50-63.e6Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (233) Google Scholar). Cells in TM4 could be maintained as epithelial colonies for 30+ passages over the course of 5 months. In TM4 medium, cells derived from H9 and H1 hESCs retained expression of the trophoblast markers CDX2, TFAP2C, YAP, TEAD4, and GATA3 (Figs. 3E and S6) (15Yagi R. Kohn M.J. Karavanova I. Kaneko K.J. Vullhorst D. DePamphilis M.L. Buonanno A. Transcription factor TEAD4 specifies the trophectoderm lineage at the beginning of mammalian development.Development (Cambridge, England). 2007; 134: 3827-3836Crossref PubMed Scopus (353) Google Scholar, 17Nishioka N. Yamamoto S. Kiyonari H. Sato H. Sawada A. Ota M. Nakao K. Sasaki H. Tead4 is required for specification of trophectoderm in pre-implantation mouse embryos.Mech. Dev. 2008; 125: 270-283Crossref PubMed Scopus (331) Google Scholar, 31Choi I. Carey T.S. Wilson C.A. Knott J.G. Transcription factor AP-2γ is a core regulator of tight junction biogenesis and cavity formation during mouse early embryogenesis.Development (Cambridge, England). 2012; 139: 4623-4632Crossref PubMed Scopus (40) Google Scholar, 32Home P. Saha B. Ray S. Dutta D. Gunewardena S. Yoo B. Pal A. Vivian J.L. Larson M. Petroff M. Gallagher P.G. Schulz V.P. White K.L. Golos T.G. Behr B. et al.Altered subcellular localization of transcription factor TEAD4 regulates first mammalian cell lineage commitment.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2012; 109: 7362-7367Crossref PubMed Scopus (113) Google Scholar, 33Ralston A. Cox B.J. Nishioka N. Sasaki H. Chea E. Rugg-Gunn P. Guo G. Robson P. Draper J.S. Rossant J. Gata3 regulates trophoblast development downstream of Tead4 and in parallel to Cdx2.Development (Cambridge, England). 2010; 137: 395-403Crossref PubMed Scopus (299) Google Scholar, 34Niwa H. Toyooka Y. Shimosato D. Strumpf D. Takahashi K. Yagi R. Rossant J. Interaction between Oct3/4 and Cdx2 determines trophectoderm differentiation.Cell. 2005; 123: 917-929Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (854) Google Scholar). In addition, cells expressed the pan-trophoblast marker KRT7 and low levels of P63. Of note, CDX2 expression has been strongly associated with the trophectoderm and is lost once placental villi are formed (30Horii M. Li Y. Wakeland A.K. Pizzo D.P. Nelson K.K. Sabatini K. Laurent L.C. Liu Y. Parast M.M. Human pluripotent stem cells as a model of trophoblast differentiation in both normal development and disease.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. United States America. 2016; 113: E3882-E3891Crossref PubMed Scopus (66) Google Scholar, 35Hemberger M. Udayashankar R. Tesar P. Moore H. Burton G.J. ELF5-enforced transcriptional networks define an epigenetically regulated trophoblast stem cell compartment in the human placenta.Hum. Mol. Genet. 2010; 19: 2456-2467Crossref PubMed Scopus (126) Google Scholar, 36Blakeley P. Fogarty N.M.E. del Valle I. Wamaitha S.E. Hu T.X. Elder K. Snell P. Christie L. Robson P. Niakan K.K. Defining the three cell lineages of the human blastocyst by single-cell RNA-seq.Development. 2015; 142: 3151-3165Crossref PubMed Scopus (262) Google Scholar, 37Knöfler M. Haider S. Saleh L. Pollheimer J. Gamage T.K.J.B. James J. Human placenta and trophoblast development: Key molecular mechanisms and model systems.Cell Mol. Life Sci. 2019; 76: 3479-3496Crossref PubMed Scopus (144) Google Scholar). To indicate that these cells are derived from hPSCs, and to distinguish these cells from TS cells that do not express CDX2, these cells are denoted as hPSC-TSCDX2 cells. We further evaluated the differentiation potential of hPSC-TSCDX2 cells using same protocols as those used by Okae et al. for differentiation of primary TS cells to EVTs and STB (5Okae H. Toh H. Sato T. Hiura H. Takahashi S. Shirane K. Kabayama Y. Suyama M. Sasaki H. Arima T. Derivation of human trophoblast stem cells.Cell stem cell. 2018; 22: 50-63.e6Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (233) Google Scholar). Cells were able to form multinucleate STB that expressed hCG and KRT7 (Fig. 3F). However, upon EVT treatment, cells did not form mesenchymal elongated cells but acquired a flattened morphology. Upon passage, cells showed no HLA-G and minimal VE-Cadherin expression (Fig. 3G). Furthermore, cells maintained an epithelial flattened morp DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100386 VL - 296 SP - SN - 1083-351X ER - TY - JOUR TI - Cane toad ( Rhinella marina ) vitamin A, vitamin E, and carotenoid kinetics AU - Freel, Tarra AU - Koutsos, Elizabeth AU - Minter, Larry J. AU - Tollefson, Troy AU - Ridgley, Frank AU - Smith, Dustin AU - Scott, Heather AU - Ange‐van Heugten, Kimberly T2 - Zoo Biology AB - Abstract Many amphibian species are threatened with extinction. Understanding their vitamin A (retinol), E (alpha‐tocopherol), and carotenoid requirements is vital, as normal levels of these nutrients have a known connection to breeding success with abnormal levels leading to disease. This research examined vitamins A, E, and carotenoids (apocarotenoid, beta‐carotene; beta‐cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and esters) concentration kinetics in the liver and plasma of 65 (57.8) cane toads ( Rhinella marina ) over 4 months supplemented with commercially available invertebrates in human care. Cane toads were opportunistically collected as part of a population control program for use as an amphibian model species. Toads were randomly assigned to one of two diets: treatment 1 was brown house crickets ( Acheta domesticus ) consuming Mazuri® Hi Calcium Gut Loading Diet without vitamin A or E supplement, plus fresh raw vegetables (carrot/sweet potato); Treatment 2 was the same diet except no vegetables. Ten toads were euthanized on Day 0 to analyze baseline free‐ranging liver and plasma metabolites. Six toads consuming each treatment were euthanized on Days 22, 50, and 81, and n = 7 on Day 119 for analysis. Regardless of dietary treatment, most liver and blood metabolites were substantially higher at time 0 than all time points thereafter ( p < .05); Ex: liver vitamin A at time 0 was 87.7 ± 16.12 µg/g while Day 119 for treatments 1 and 2 were 11.6 ± 1.19 and 8.2 ± 0.74, respectively. Few statistically significant differences between diets at the same time point were noted ( p < .05). The results from this study indicate that additional or alternative diet supplementation may be needed for cane toads (and potentially other amphibians) to mimic their free‐ranging diets. DA - 2021/8/29/ PY - 2021/8/29/ DO - 10.1002/zoo.21648 VL - 41 IS - 1 SP - 34-43 J2 - Zoo Biology LA - en OP - SN - 0733-3188 1098-2361 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21648 DB - Crossref KW - amphibian KW - free-ranging KW - nutrition ER - TY - JOUR TI - Comparative nutrient analysis of four species of cockroaches used as food for insectivores by life stage, species, and sex AU - Cerreta, Anthony J. AU - Smith, Dustin C. AU - Ange-Van Heugten, Kimberly AU - Minter, Larry J. T2 - ZOO BIOLOGY AB - A variety of insects are fed to insectivorous animals; however, nutritional analyses are often limited to adult life stages. Four species of nymph and adult female and male cockroaches (Blaberus giganteus, Blaptica dubia, Blatta lateralis, and Gromphadorhina portentosa) were analyzed for moisture, crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), fat, ash, and mineral content. The small sample size of this study precluded statistical analyses, however comparatively, CP in adult B. lateralis and B. dubia was greater than the CP in nymphs of the same species. Adult and nymph B. dubia had the greatest CP (96.6% and 65.3%, respectively) compared to the other three species. Inversely, fat content in adult B. lateralis and B. dubia was lower than that of nymphs of the same species. All adults contained similar levels of ADF, yet adult B. giganteus had greater ADF than nymphs; conversely, B. lateralis and B. dubia adults had less ADF than nymphs. There were differences noted in mineral parameters among the four species and life stages. Adult B. giganteus had less Ca than G. portentosa, and the lowest Ca content of the four species of nymphs and adults analyzed. This study underscores the differences in nutrient content with respect to life stage and species in previously understudied cockroaches to improve nutrient intake in captive insectivores. DA - 2021/8/21/ PY - 2021/8/21/ DO - 10.1002/zoo.21647 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - SN - 1098-2361 KW - age status KW - nutritional value KW - proximate composition KW - roach ER - TY - JOUR TI - Immune mechanisms of Texel sheep to adult and egg stages of Haemonchus contortus AU - Weaver, Andrew R. AU - Garza, Javier J. AU - Greiner, Scott P. AU - Bowdridge, Scott A. T2 - PARASITE IMMUNOLOGY AB - Experimental Haemonchus contortus (Hc) infections revealed that Texel sheep have faecal egg counts (FEC) comparable to parasite-resistant St. Croix but adult worm burden comparable to parasite-susceptible Suffolk sheep. The aim of these studies was to further investigate the mechanism causing this disparity. Cellular and humoral immune responses to adult- and egg stage Hc were compared amongst St. Croix, Texel and Suffolk sheep. Adult worms and eggs were exposed to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and serum from the three breeds in vitro. There was a greater IgA binding to eggs when treated with St. Croix and Texel serum (p < .05), and these eggs exhibited a lower hatch rate (p < .05) when exposed to serum and PBMC. Adult worms exposed to St. Croix and Texel-derived PBMC, and serum had greater binding around the head and reproductive structures than worms exposed to Suffolk-derived cells and serum. Consequently, egg release tended to be affected by breed (p = .09). To further examine differences, Suffolk and Texel lambs (n = 5/breed) were infected with 10,000 Hc L3 for 30 days. Suffolk sheep had greater egg release per worm than Texel (3.8 vs. 2.1 eggs/worm). Taken together, these data would indicate one of the mechanisms in Texel's targeting adult-stage Hc reducing worm fecundity. DA - 2021/8/21/ PY - 2021/8/21/ DO - 10.1111/pim.12876 SP - SN - 1365-3024 KW - Haemonchus contortus KW - parasite KW - peripheral blood mononuclear cells KW - ruminant ER - TY - JOUR TI - Understanding the impacts of feline epilepsy on cats and their owners AU - Henning, Julia AU - Nielson, Torben AU - Nettifee, Julie AU - Munana, Karen AU - Hazel, Susan T2 - VETERINARY RECORD AB - Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition reported in cats. Characterised by recurrent seizures, treatment involves the administration of anti-epileptic drugs up to multiple times a day. Epilepsy and its associated treatments may impact both cats and their owners. The present study aimed to assess factors associated with quality of life (QOL) in cats with epilepsy and the burden of care in their owners.An online survey was developed using demographic information and the following validated measures: cat QOL, Zarit burden interview (ZBI) and the cat owner relationship scale (CORS). Regression analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.Responses were completed by 141 owners from 22 countries. QOL was significantly higher in cats with controlled seizures, no adverse effects from medication and epilepsy onset before 5 years of age. ZBI was significantly lower in owners who felt supported by their veterinarian, who were over 55 and had cats with controlled seizures. Higher CORS was significantly correlated with both higher cat QOL and lower owner ZBI.Adequate seizure control and close cat-owner relationships may play an important role in mitigating the impact of epilepsy on cats and their owners. Further research into understanding cat-owner relationships and successfully controlling epilepsy in cats is needed. DA - 2021/8/23/ PY - 2021/8/23/ DO - 10.1002/vetr.836 VL - 8 SP - SN - 2042-7670 KW - burden of care KW - cat KW - cat owner relationship KW - feline epilepsy KW - human-animal interaction ER - TY - JOUR TI - Microbial composition differs between production systems and is associated with growth performance and carcass quality in pigs AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Dunn, Rob AU - He, Yuqing AU - McNulty, Nathan P. AU - Schillebeeckx, Constantino AU - Schwab, Clint AU - Shull, Caleb AU - Fix, Justin AU - Tiezzi, Francesco T2 - ANIMAL MICROBIOME AB - The role of the microbiome in livestock production has been highlighted in recent research. Currently, little is known about the microbiome's impact across different systems of production in swine, particularly between selection nucleus and commercial populations. In this paper, we investigated fecal microbial composition in nucleus versus commercial systems at different time points.We identified microbial OTUs associated with growth and carcass composition in each of the two populations, as well as the subset common to both. The two systems were represented by individuals with sizeable microbial diversity at weaning. At later times microbial composition varied between commercial and nucleus, with species of the genus Lactobacillus more prominent in the nucleus population. In the commercial populations, OTUs of the genera Lactobacillus and Peptococcus were associated with an increase in both growth rate and fatness. In the nucleus population, members of the genus Succinivibrio were negatively correlated with all growth and carcass traits, while OTUs of the genus Roseburia had a positive association with growth parameters. Lactobacillus and Peptococcus OTUs showed consistent effects for fat deposition and daily gain in both nucleus and commercial populations. Similarly, OTUs of the Blautia genus were positively associated with daily gain and fat deposition. In contrast, an increase in the abundance of the Bacteroides genus was negatively associated with growth performance parameters.The current study provides a first characterization of microbial communities' value throughout the pork production systems. It also provides information for incorporating microbial composition into the selection process in the quest for affordable and sustainable protein production in swine. DA - 2021/8/28/ PY - 2021/8/28/ DO - 10.1186/s42523-021-00118-z VL - 3 IS - 1 SP - SN - 2524-4671 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s42523-021-00118-z KW - Microbiome KW - Microbial diversity KW - Growth KW - Host genetics KW - Production system KW - Carcass quality KW - Swine ER - TY - JOUR TI - Panel: Recent Practical Advancements Related to On-farm Animal Welfare in the United States AU - Baysinger, Angela AU - Ayers, Paul AU - Wisdom, Stephanie AU - Holt, Jon P. T2 - JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AB - Abstract The purpose of this panel session is to highlight recent practical solutions and advancements to farm animal welfare challenges in the United States. Through a moderated discussion with session attendees, professionals and experts representing a variety of livestock industry and academic sectors will be given the opportunity to share their professional experiences in working to improve animal welfare by highlighting examples of practical solutions they have undertaken. Additionally, a discussion will be held on the future direction of farm animal welfare needs and barriers to implementation of animal welfare-related strategies. DA - 2021/5// PY - 2021/5// DO - 10.1093/jas/skab054.015 VL - 99 SP - 9-9 SN - 1525-3163 ER - TY - JOUR TI - PSIII-12 In vitro Evaluation of Purified Fiber Sources for Production of Short-chain Fatty Acids Using Pig Cecal Content as an Inoculum AU - Padilla, Gabriela E Martinez AU - Jha, Rajesh AU - Fellner, Vivek AU - van Heugten, Eric T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract This study evaluated short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production from purified fiber sources when fermented in vitro using pig cecal contents as an inoculum. Fiber sources of interest were inulin from chicory root (native and long-chain inulin with 90 and 98% fiber, respectively), pectin from citrus peel (high methoxyl pectin), resistant starch (native starch), potato starch (commercial grade), and β-glucan (β-1,3;β-1,6 yeast-derived). Cellulose and cornstarch were used as indigestible and highly digestible carbohydrates, respectively. Triplicate samples of substrates (2 g) were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis with pepsin and pancreatin for 6 h. Subsequently, hydrolyzed residues (200 mg) were incubated under anaerobic conditions at 39°C with 30 mL solution of cecal inoculum collected from 3 sows fed a standard commercial diet and buffered mineral solution. After 48 h of incubation, solutions from fermented samples were analyzed for pH, SCFA, and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) using gas-liquid chromatography. Enzymatic hydrolysis had no effect on digestion of β-glucan, but total SCFA concentration after fermentation was highest (26.13 mmol/g) followed by resistant starch (22.61 mmol/g) and potato starch (22.20 mmol/g) and was lowest for cellulose (13.91 mmol/g). In contrast, native inulin was highly digested during enzymatic hydrolysis, resulting in the lowest substrate available for fermentation (11.84% DM) and the highest pH (5.98). Enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of resistant starch increased (P&lt; 0.001) concentrations of acetate (0.60 mg/g), whereas potato starch and β-glucan yielded more butyrate (0.60 and 0.54 mg/g respectively), and β-glucan resulted in greater (P&lt; 0.001) propionate concentrations (0.69 mg/g). Pectin resulted in the highest fermentation (82.38% DM disappearance) and the lowest pH (4.03) compared to the other fiber sources (P&lt; 0.001) and yielded the lowest BCFA concentration (1.89 mM, P&lt; 0.001). Results suggest that fermentation of resistant starch, potato starch, and β-glucan produced higher SCFA concentrations, while pectin resulted in a decreased pH of fermentation solution. DA - 2021/5/1/ PY - 2021/5/1/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab054.299 VL - 99 IS - Supplement_1 SP - 177-177 LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab054.299 DB - Crossref KW - fiber KW - fermentation KW - cecal inoculum KW - in vitro model KW - swine ER - TY - JOUR TI - Impact of Replacing Soybean Meal with Corn DDGS and Crystalline Amino Acids on Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Growing Pigs AU - Anderson, Brooke E. AU - Holt, Jon P. AU - Boyd, R. D. AU - Heugten, Eric T2 - JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AB - Abstract This study evaluated the effect of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with DDGS and crystalline amino acids on growth and carcass lean. Pigs (n = 512; 38.51±0.13 kg BW) were blocked by BW and sex and placed in 64 pens (4 gilts and barrows per pen). Treatments were arranged as a 2×4 factorial with DDGS included at 0 or 25% and L-lysine-HCl (LYS) added at 0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6%. Dietary SBM inclusion declined as LYS increased from 32.06 to 13.14% (Phase 1) and 28.25 to 9.40% (Phase 2) for control diets. It declined from 27.85 to 8.89% (Phase 1) and 24.05 to 5.10% (Phase 2) for DDGS diets. Diets contained 1.00 (Phase 1, 21 days) and 0.90% (Phase 2, 18 days) SID lysine and were balanced for ideal protein and net energy. During Phase 1, DDGS decreased ADG (P = 0.06; 786 vs. 821 g/d). Increasing LYS increased (quadratic, P ≤ 0.05) ADG and ADFI with the greatest response at 0.4% LYS. G:F decreased (linear, P = 0.035) with increasing LYS. During Phase 2, increasing LYS in control, but not DDGS diets, decreased (linear, P &lt; 0.005) ADG and ADFI. G:F declined (P = 0.054) with DDGS inclusion (370 vs. 383 g/kg). Overall, ADG decreased (linear, P = 0.005) as LYS increased in control (959, 929, 908, 860 g/d), but not DDGS diets (863, 908, 931, 832 g/d). ADFI decreased (linear, P = 0.014) with increasing LYS in control (2270, 2198, 2186, 2130 g/d), but increased (quadratic, P = 0.039) in DDGS diets (2112, 2207, 2324, 2103 g/d). DDGS reduced (P≤0.03) ADG (883 vs. 914 g/d), G:F (405 vs. 417 g/kg) and LEA (34.5 vs. 35.3 cm2), while increasing LYS decreased (linear, P &lt; 0.005) G:F (417, 419, 409, 401 g/kg) and LEA (35.34, 35.17, 35.46, 33.64 cm2). Displacement of SBM with DDGS reduced growth and LYS addition negatively affected growth and G:F for diets with SBM, but not DDGS. DA - 2021/5// PY - 2021/5// DO - 10.1093/jas/skab054.119 VL - 99 SP - 72-72 SN - 1525-3163 KW - soybean meal KW - Corn DDGS KW - Crystalline amino acids ER - TY - JOUR TI - Evaluating the Performance of Grow-finish Pigs Supplemented with Butipearl (R) Z and Kemtrace (R) Chromium During Natural Heat Stress Exposure AU - Knauer, Mark AU - Mani, Venkatesh AU - Marsteller, Tom AU - Iseri, Vanessa AU - Kremer, Brian T2 - JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AB - Abstract Heat stress (HS) severely impacts swine leading to compromised barrier integrity, diminished intestinal health and decreased performance. ButiPEARL® Z (BPZ) is an encapsulated formulation of zinc and butyrate shown to alleviate the impact of HS by improving intestinal health. KemTRACE® Chromium (KTCr) is an organic trace mineral shown to decrease the impact of stress and improve glucose utilization, leading to muscle growth and improved performance. To test the efficacy of BPZ and KTCr on mitigating stress from natural heat exposure, a grow-finish trial was conducted from June-September. There were four treatments: negative control (NC), NC+.45kg BPZ, NC+.91kg BPZ and NC+1.82kg BPZ. Three BPZ treatments were also supplemented with 200ppb KTCr. Pigs (n=480) were randomly assigned to 96 pens at 22.5kg. Performance was measured at d0, 28, 56 and at marketing. From d56 to market, ADFI was greater (P&lt; 0.05) for 0.45kg and 0.91kg BPZ when compared to NC and 1.82kg BPZ (3.40 and 3.35 vs. 3.26 and 3.27kg, respectively). Therefore, relationships between ADFI day 56 to market and ADFI day 0 to market with BPZ level were curvilinear (P&lt; 0.05). Both market weight and overall ADG tended (P&lt; 0.10) to have curvilinear relationships with BPZ level. While not different, 0.45kg and .91kg BPZ supplemented pigs were .97kg and 1.25kg heavier, respectively, on marketing day compared to control. No differences (P &gt;0.10) were observed for Feed:Gain. Part of the negative effects of HS include decrease in feed intake which contributes to intestinal damage and decreased performance. Data from this study show that both treatment combinations were able to improve feed intake and decrease stress which might have led to the improved weight gain at the end. The data provides evidence that the combination of BPZ and KTCr may alleviate the negative effects of HS and help with the performance of grow-finish pigs during heat stress. DA - 2021/5// PY - 2021/5// DO - 10.1093/jas/skab054.294 VL - 99 SP - 174-174 SN - 1525-3163 KW - butyrate KW - chromium KW - heat stress ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effect of Substandard Teats on Piglet and Sow Performance AU - Knauer, Mark AU - Peppmeier, Zack T2 - JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AB - Abstract The objective of the study was to evaluate sow teat quality in relation to subsequent reproductive throughput. Data included one cohort of 42 Landrace × Large White second parity maternal line sows at the Tidewater Research Station (Plymouth, NC). Functional teats (FUNCTIONAL) were classified pre-farrow as acceptable (ACCEPTABLE) or substandard (SUBSTANDARD). Teats were categorized as SUBSTANDARD when teat size was ≤75% of ACCEPTABLE. At day 20 of lactation, ACCEPTABLE and SUBSTANDARD were assessed for the presence of a swollen mammary gland and piglets observed nursing SUBSTANDARD were recorded (24 piglets from 15 litters). Means for FUNCTIONAL, ACCEPTABLE and SUBSTANDARD were 15.07, 13.59 and 1.48 teats, respectively. Biological dam traits included birth weight (BWT), total number born (TNB), litter size at weaning (LSW) and piglet survival (LSW/TNB). Weaning weight (WWT) was considered a trait of the nurse dam. Means for TNB, LSW, litter BWT and litter WWT were 13.4, 10.9, 17.8 kg and 57.8 kg, respectively. Data was analyzed using a chi-square test for binary traits and linear mixed models for continuous traits. At weaning, a greater (P &lt; 0.01) proportion of ACCEPTABLE had a functional mammary gland when compared to SUBSTANDARD (76 vs. 47%). Within litters, piglets nursing SUBSTANDARD tended (em&gt;P = 0.09) to be 158 grams lighter at weaning in comparison to ACCEPTABLE. Yet BWT of SUBSTANDARD piglets did not differ (em&gt;P = 0.60) from piglets nursing ACCEPTABLE. Across litters, an increase in one SUBSTANDARD tended (em&gt;P = 0.07) to reduce litter WWT by 1.74 kilograms. An increase in one SUBSTANDARD tended (em&gt;P &lt; 0.07) to increase piglet survival by 3.5%. Results suggest substandard teats, identified pre-farrow, are less likely to have a functional mammary gland at weaning, impair piglet quality yet may enhance piglet survival. DA - 2021/5// PY - 2021/5// DO - 10.1093/jas/skab054.225 VL - 99 SP - 133-133 SN - 1525-3163 KW - lactation KW - sow KW - teat ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effects of a Functional Oils Blend on Intestinal Health and Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs AU - Moita, Vitor Hugo C. AU - Duarte, Marcos Elias AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AB - Abstract This study was to investigate the role of castor oil and cashew nutshell liquid (functional oil blend, FOB) on intestinal health and growth performance of nursery pigs and to determine an optimal supplemental level. Newly weaned pigs (20 barrows and 20 gilts at 25 d of age, 7.02 ± 0.58 kg BW) were randomly allotted to 5 treatments in a RCBD and fed in 2 phases (13 and 21 d respectively) with increasing levels (0, 0.050, 0.075, 0.100, and 0.150%) of FOB. Growth performance was measured by each phase. Titanium dioxide (0.4%) was added to phase 2 diets as an indigestible marker to measure AID. On d 34, all pigs were euthanized to collect jejunum to measure immune status, oxidative stress status, microbiota, morphology, and crypt cell proliferation. Data were analyzed using Proc Mixed of SAS. Supplementation of FOB did not affect the overall growth performance. Supplementation of FOB tended to decrease (P = 0.064) the concentration of jejunal protein carbonyl (3.11 to 2.45 nmol/protein) and tended to increase villus height (P = 0.098, 401 to 453 μm) and crypt depth (P = 0.070, 86 to 99 μm). Increasing FOB reduced (P &lt; 0.05) relative abundance of Helicobacteraceae (46.8 to 21.0%) and increased (P &lt; 0.05) relative abundance of Prevotellaceae (7.9 to 13.1%), Burkholderiaceae (6.3 to 10.8%) and Pseudomonadaceae (0.1 to 1.0%), and increased (P &lt; 0.05) alpha diversity of the jejunal mucosa-associated microbiota at the family level (Chao1 index 42.8 to 56.8%). In conclusion, FOB showed potential benefits on intestinal health of nursery pigs by increasing beneficial and reducing harmful bacteria reducing oxidative damages in the jejunal mucosa, and by enhancing villus structure, whereas without affecting the growth performance. The FOB at a range of 0.050% to 0.150% provided the most benefit for nursery pigs. DA - 2021/5// PY - 2021/5// DO - 10.1093/jas/skab054.081 VL - 99 SP - 47-47 SN - 1525-3163 UR - https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54495233/ KW - cashew nutshell liquid KW - castor oil KW - feed efficiency KW - gut health KW - microbiome KW - newly weaned pigs ER - TY - JOUR TI - Analysis of Blood Biochemistry of Free Ranging and Human-Managed Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) Using the i-STAT Alinity v® AU - Trivedi, Shweta AU - Burnham, Christina M. AU - Capobianco, Christian M. AU - Boshoff, Christiaan AU - Zheng, Yaxin AU - Pettiglio, Jordan Wood AU - Ange-van Heugten, Kimberly AU - Bissell, Heidi D. AU - Minter, Larry J. T2 - Veterinary Medicine International AB - Handheld point-of-care blood analyzers deliver rapid results for biochemical and hematologic parameters, making them very useful in veterinary clinics and in fieldwork applications. This study compared the biochemical and hematologic parameters generated by the novel point-of-care analyzer i-STAT® Alinity V CHEM8+ cartridge between human-managed and free ranging populations of southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum). In addition, a novel reference interval for ionized calcium (iCa), a parameter of diagnostic and prognostic importance, was established for southern white rhinoceros. Blood samples were obtained from 10 managed (6 at NC Zoo and 4 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 2019) and 30 free ranging white rhinoceros (collected in South Africa between 2018 and 2019) and analyzed using the i-STAT. Multiple parameters were higher ( P < 0.05 ) in free ranging versus managed animals including potassium, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, glucose, hematocrit, and hemoglobin. Conversely, iCa concentrations were higher ( P < 0.05 ) in the managed populations of white rhinoceros. The RI determined for iCa was 1.36–1.56 mmol/L, with a mean of 1.46 mmol/L, and was determined using the guidelines from the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology. There was no difference in anion gap, chlorine, total carbon dioxide, or sodium between the populations. Seasonality and locality of sampling as well as diet may be contributing factors to the higher iCa concentrations in managed rhinoceros. The six elevated parameters in free ranging rhinoceros are likely attributable to dehydration compounded by capture stress. This data provides insight into the state of several biochemical and hematologic parameters in southern white rhinoceros and will allow veterinarians to better assess the health of both managed and free ranging populations. DA - 2021/7/19/ PY - 2021/7/19/ DO - 10.1155/2021/2665956 VL - 2021 SP - 1-6 J2 - Veterinary Medicine International LA - en OP - SN - 2042-0048 2090-8113 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/2665956 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effect of Temperature and Maternal Age on Recombination Rate in Cattle AU - Shen, Botong AU - Freebern, Ellen AU - Jiang, Jicai AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Cole, John B. AU - Liu, George E. AU - Ma, Li T2 - FRONTIERS IN GENETICS AB - Meiotic recombination is a fundamental biological process that facilitates meiotic division and promotes genetic diversity. Recombination is phenotypically plastic and affected by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The effect of maternal age on recombination rates has been characterized in a wide range of species, but the effect’s direction remains inconclusive. Additionally, the characterization of temperature effects on recombination has been limited to model organisms. Here we seek to comprehensively determine the impact of genetic and environmental factors on recombination rate in dairy cattle. Using a large cattle pedigree, we identified maternal recombination events within 305,545 three-generation families. By comparing recombination rate between parents of different ages, we found a quadratic trend between maternal age and recombination rate in cattle. In contrast to either an increasing or decreasing trend in humans, cattle recombination rate decreased with maternal age until 65 months and then increased afterward. Combining recombination data with temperature information from public databases, we found a positive correlation between environmental temperature during fetal development of offspring and recombination rate in female parents. Finally, we fitted a full recombination rate model on all related factors, including genetics, maternal age, and environmental temperatures. Based on the final model, we confirmed the effect of maternal age and environmental temperature during fetal development of offspring on recombination rate with an estimated heritability of 10% ( SE = 0.03) in cattle. Collectively, we characterized the maternal age and temperature effects on recombination rate and suggested the adaptation of meiotic recombination to environmental stimuli in cattle. Our results provided first-hand information regarding the plastic nature of meiotic recombination in a mammalian species. DA - 2021/7/20/ PY - 2021/7/20/ DO - 10.3389/fgene.2021.682718 VL - 12 SP - SN - 1664-8021 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85111940376&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - recombination KW - maternal age KW - temperature KW - cattle KW - genetics ER - TY - JOUR TI - A combination of Lactobacillus buchneri and Pediococcus pentosaceus extended the aerobic stability of conventional and brown midrib mutants–corn hybrids ensiled at low dry matter concentrations by causing a major shift in their bacterial and fungal community AU - Romero, Juan J AU - Park, Jin AU - Joo, Younghoo AU - Zhao, Yuchen AU - Killerby, Marjorie AU - Reyes, Diana C AU - Tiezzi, Francesco AU - Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Eduardo AU - Castillo, Miguel S T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - We evaluated the effects of applying a combination inoculant to four corn hybrids harvested at high moisture on their nutritive value and microbial populations. The treatment design was the factorial combination of corn hybrids ensiled with (INO) and without (CON) inoculant. The hybrids were TMF2R737 (MCN), F2F817 (MBR), P2089YHR (PCN), and PI144XR (PBR), ensiled at dry matter (DM) concentrations of 30.5%, 26.3%, 31.1%, and 31.5%, respectively; MBR and PBR were brown midrib mutants (BMR). The inoculant contained Lactobacillus buchneri and Pediococcus pentosaceus (4 × 105 and 1 × 105 cfu/g of fresh corn). The experiment had a complete randomized design with treatments replicated six times. Corn was treated or not with inoculant, packed into 7.6 L bucket silos, and stored for 100 d. At d 0, the relative abundance (RA, %) of Enterobacteriaceae was lower in PBR vs. the other hybrids [51.3 vs. x¯ = (average of) 58.4] and in the case of fungi, incertae sedis (i.s.) Tremellales and Mucoraceae were more and less abundant, respectively, in conventional hybrids vs. BMRs (x¯= 25.8 vs. x¯ = 13.9 and x¯ = 3.64 vs. x¯ = 7.52; P < 0.04). After ensiling, INO had higher LAB (9.3 vs. 7.1 log cfu/g of fresh corn) and acetic acid (3.44% vs. 1.32% of DM) and lower yeast (3.1 vs. 4.6) and molds (1.5 vs. 3.0), and also extended the aerobic stability (582 vs. 111 h) but decreased DM recovery (95.6% vs. 97.4%) vs. CON (P < 0.02). Inoculation reduced bacterial phylogenetic diversity (6.75 vs. 14.4) but increased fungal observed taxonomical units (46 vs. 20) vs. CON (P < 0.01). Also, a higher relative abundance (RA) for Lactobacillaceae (99.2% vs. 75.7%) and lower for Enterobacteriaceae (0.28 vs. 9.93) was observed due to inoculation (P < 0.001). For fungi, INO had a lower RA compared to CON for Monascaceae (12.6 vs. 44.7) and increased i.s. Tremellales (8.0 vs. 1.2) and i.s. Saccharomycetales (6.4% vs. 0.3%; P < 0.006). Inoculation changed the diverse bacterial community found in the phyllosphere across hybrids to a taxonomically uneven one dominated by Lactobacillaceae. In the case of fungi, INO application increased the fungal diversity at d 100 mainly by reducing the dominance of Monascaceae vs. CON. In conclusion, the INO treatment overwhelmed the disparate microbial populations found across BMR and conventional hybrids ensiled at low DM concentrations and ensured a significant concentration of acetic acid that modified fungal populations and in turn extended the aerobic stability of all hybrids. DA - 2021/8/1/ PY - 2021/8/1/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab141 VL - 5 IS - 8 UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab141 KW - 16S and ITS sequencing KW - hybrid KW - inoculant KW - silage ER - TY - JOUR TI - Veterinary Professions Advising Center: an innovative approach to preveterinary advising for Animal Science students AU - Trivedi, Shweta AU - Clark, Jessica C. AU - See, M. Todd T2 - TRANSLATIONAL ANIMAL SCIENCE AB - Abstract Veterinary Professions Advising Center (VetPAC) is a unique undergraduate advising center that combines Career Center services with preprofessional advising for preveterinary students at North Carolina State University (NCSU). During the past 10 years, VetPAC has created five distinct internships, three annual study abroad courses, and a competitive annual high school summer camp, provided holistic advising, and hosted large-scale advising events that consistently provide resources to more than 800 students annually. The VetPAC provided outreach to an average of 13 local high schools per academic year and educated over 300 visiting students about VetPAC and preveterinary life at NCSU since 2015. NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine has had a minimum of 26% and a maximum of 45% DVM students in the incoming classes who accessed VetPAC resources and advising. This article presents the impact VetPAC has had on preveterinary student success at NCSU and provides an outline of VetPAC’s first 10 years of development as a model of combined career services and preprofessional advising for peer institutions. DA - 2021/4// PY - 2021/4// DO - 10.1093/tas/txab064 VL - 5 IS - 2 SP - SN - 2573-2102 KW - animal science advising KW - Career Center KW - experiential learning KW - holistic advising program KW - preprofessional advising KW - preveterinary program development ER - TY - JOUR TI - A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Association Study of Epistasis Effects of Production Traits and Daughter Pregnancy Rate in US Holstein Cattle AU - Prakapenka, Dzianis AU - Liang, Zuoxiang AU - Jiang, Jicai AU - Ma, Li AU - Da, Yang T2 - GENES AB - Epistasis is widely considered important, but epistasis studies lag those of SNP effects. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 76,109 SNPs and 294,079 first-lactation Holstein cows was conducted for testing pairwise epistasis effects of five production traits and three fertility traits: milk yield (MY), fat yield (FY), protein yield (PY), fat percentage (FPC), protein percentage (PPC), and daughter pregnancy rate (DPR). Among the top 50,000 pairwise epistasis effects of each trait, the five production traits had large chromosome regions with intra-chromosome epistasis. The percentage of inter-chromosome epistasis effects was 1.9% for FPC, 1.6% for PPC, 10.6% for MY, 29.9% for FY, 39.3% for PY, and 84.2% for DPR. Of the 50,000 epistasis effects, the number of significant effects with log10(1/p) ≥ 12 was 50,000 for FPC and PPC, and 10,508, 4763, 4637 and 1 for MY, FY, PY and DPR, respectively, and A × A effects were the most frequent epistasis effects for all traits. Majority of the inter-chromosome epistasis effects of FPC across all chromosomes involved a Chr14 region containing DGAT1, indicating a potential regulatory role of this Chr14 region affecting all chromosomes for FPC. The epistasis results provided new understanding about the genetic mechanism underlying quantitative traits in Holstein cattle. DA - 2021/7// PY - 2021/7// DO - 10.3390/genes12071089 VL - 12 IS - 7 SP - SN - 2073-4425 KW - epistasis KW - GWAS KW - milk production KW - fertility ER - TY - JOUR TI - Associations between dry period length and time to culling and pregnancy in the subsequent lactation AU - Pattamanont, P. AU - Galvao, K. N. AU - Marcondes, M. I. AU - Clay, J. S. AU - De Vries, A. T2 - JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE AB - The association between dry period length (DPL) and time to culling and pregnancy in the subsequent lactation may be important for the economically optimal length of the dry period. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) quantify the association between DPL and hazard of culling and pregnancy in the subsequent lactation; (2) develop continuous functions of DPL for the hazard ratios of culling and pregnancy; and (3) investigate the effect of a cause-specific hazards model and a subdistribution model to analyze competing events. The data used in this observational cohort study were from dairy herd improvement milk test lactation records from 40 states in the United States. After edits, there remained 1,108,515 records from 6,730 herds with the last days dry in 2014 or 2015. The records from 2 adjacent lactations (current, subsequent) were concatenated with the DPL of interest, 21 to 100 d, in between both lactations. We defined 8 DPL categories of 10 d each. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to show associations between DPL and time to culling or pregnancy for 3 lactation groups: lactation 1 and 2, lactation 2 and 3, and lactation 3 and greater. To control for confounding factors in Cox proportional models, we included 6 current lactation covariates and 3 time-dependent variables in the survival models. Hazard ratios of culling were estimated for 4 days in milk (DIM) categories from 1 to 450 DIM. Hazard ratios of pregnancy were estimated for 3 DIM categories from 61 to 300 DIM. Competing risk analysis of 8 disposal codes (i.e., farmer reported reasons) for culling and the culling event for pregnancy were conducted by a cause-specific hazards model and a subdistribution model. Hazard ratios were also estimated as quadratic polynomials of DPL. Compared with the reference DPL category of 51 to 60 d, hazard ratios of culling and pregnancy of the other 7 DPL categories ranged between 0.70 and 1.49, and 0.93 and 1.15, respectively. Short DPL were associated with lower risk of culling in the early lactation but not over the entire lactation. Short DPL were associated with greater hazard of pregnancy. Trends in hazard ratios over the ranges of the 8 DPL categories were not always consistent. Competing risk analysis with both models provided little differences in hazard ratios of culling and pregnancy. In conclusion, variations in DPL were associated with meaningful differences in the hazard ratios for culling and pregnancy and minor differences in the relative frequency of disposal codes. Subdistribution hazards models produced hazard ratios similar to cause-specific hazard models. The quadratic polynomials may be useful for decision support on customization of DPL for individual cows. DA - 2021/8// PY - 2021/8// DO - 10.3168/jds.2021-20119 VL - 104 IS - 8 SP - 8885-8900 SN - 1525-3198 UR - https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-20119 KW - dry period KW - survival analysis KW - reproduction KW - replacement ER - TY - JOUR TI - Whole Genome or Single Genes? A Phylodynamic and Bibliometric Analysis of PRRSV AU - Frias-De-Diego, Alba AU - Jara, Manuel AU - Pecoraro, Brittany M. AU - Crisci, Elisa T2 - FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE AB - Diversity, ecology, and evolution of viruses are commonly determined through phylogenetics, an accurate tool for the identification and study of lineages with different pathological characteristics within the same species. In the case of PRRSV, evolutionary research has divided into two main branches based on the use of a specific gene (i.e., ORF5) or whole genome sequences as the input used to produce the phylogeny. In this study, we performed a review on PRRSV phylogenetic literature and characterized the spatiotemporal trends in research of single gene vs. whole genome evolutionary approaches. Finally, using publicly available data, we produced a Bayesian phylodynamic analysis following each research branch and compared the results to determine the pros and cons of each particular approach. This study provides an exploration of the two main phylogenetic research lines applied for PRRSV evolution, as well as an example of the differences found when both methods are applied to the same database. We expect that our results will serve as a guidance for future PRRSV phylogenetic research. DA - 2021/6/24/ PY - 2021/6/24/ DO - 10.3389/fvets.2021.658512 VL - 8 SP - SN - 2297-1769 KW - bibliometrics KW - phylodynamics KW - pig KW - PRRSV KW - ORF5 KW - whole genome ER - TY - JOUR TI - A guide for authors and readers of the American Society for Nutrition Journals on the proper use of P values and strategies that promote transparency and improve research reproducibility AU - Sorkin, John D AU - Manary, Mark AU - Smeets, Paul A M AU - MacFarlane, Amanda J AU - Astrup, Arne AU - Prigeon, Ronald L AU - Hogans, Beth B AU - Odle, Jack AU - Davis, Teresa A AU - Tucker, Katherine L AU - Duggan, Christopher P AU - Tobias, Deirdre K T2 - The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition AB - Two questions regarding the scientific literature have become grist for public discussion: 1) what place should P values have in reporting the results of studies? 2) How should the perceived difficulty in replicating the results reported in published studies be addressed? We consider these questions to be 2 sides of the same coin; failing to address them can lead to an incomplete or incorrect message being sent to the reader. If P values (which are derived from the estimate of the effect size and a measure of the precision of the estimate of the effect) are used improperly, for example reporting only significant findings, or reporting P values without account for multiple comparisons, or failing to indicate the number of tests performed, the scientific record can be biased. Moreover, if there is a lack of transparency in the conduct of a study and reporting of study results, it will not be possible to repeat a study in a manner that allows inferences from the original study to be reproduced or to design and conduct a different experiment whose aim is to confirm the original study's findings. The goal of this article is to discuss how P values can be used in a manner that is consistent with the scientific method, and to increase transparency and reproducibility in the conduct and analysis of nutrition research. DA - 2021/7/13/ PY - 2021/7/13/ DO - 10.1093/ajcn/nqab223 VL - 114 IS - 4 SP - 1280-1285 LA - en OP - SN - 0002-9165 1938-3207 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab223 DB - Crossref KW - transparency KW - reproducibility KW - reliability KW - P value KW - strategies ER - TY - JOUR TI - Blood Fatty Acid Profiles of Neiritic Juvenile Wild Green Turtles (Chelonia Mydas) and Kemp's Ridleys (Lepidochelys Kempii) AU - Koutsos, Elizabeth A. AU - Minter, Larry J. AU - Ange-Van Heugten, Kimberly D. AU - Mejia-Fava, Johanna C. AU - Harms, Craig A. T2 - Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine AB - Blood fatty acid profiles can indicate an animal's wild-type diet composition and fatty acid status, but have not been reported in sea turtles. Newer technologies allow for fatty acid profiles from very small (less than three drops) samples of whole blood. This study examined whole blood fatty acid profiles of presumably healthy, neritic, juvenile, wild green (Chelonia mydas) (n = 9; 6 males, 3 females) and Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) (n = 8; 6 males, 2 females) turtles from North Carolina, USA. Saturated fatty acids, which can be synthesized de novo, consisted primarily of 16:0, although green turtle blood had a higher proportion of 18:0 (P < 0.001) than Kemp's ridleys, while Kemp's ridley blood had higher proportions of 17:0 (P = 0.007), 20:0 (P = 0.03), 22:0 (P= 0.002), and 24:0 (P < 0.001) as compared with green turtles. Total monounsaturated w7 fatty acids, which can be synthesized de novo or may be diet derived, were higher in Kemp's ridleys and predominantly in the form of 16:1 and 18:1w7 fatty acids. Kemp's ridley blood had more than double the relative proportion of 16:1w7 as compared with green turtles (P= 0.03). Green turtles had higher levels of 18:2w6 than Kemp's ridleys (P= 0.02). In both turtle species, 20:4w6 was detected, despite predicted low dietary proportions, suggesting bioconversion from precursors. Finally, green turtles had higher levels of 18:3w3 compared with Kemp's ridleys, while Kemp's ridleys had higher proportions of 20:5w3 compared with green turtles (P < 0.001, = 0.007, respectively). Whole blood fatty acid profiles generally correlate to previous work with lipid depots, supporting the use of this less invasive methodology to advance the understanding of fatty acid nutrition of sea turtles. These data can be used to assess and guide nutrition and health programs for sea turtles under human care. DA - 2021/6/11/ PY - 2021/6/11/ DO - 10.1638/2019-0173 VL - 52 IS - 2 SP - 610-617 SN - 1042-7260 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1638/2019-0173 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Trends in genetic diversity and the effect of inbreeding in American Angus cattle under genomic selection AU - Lozada-Soto, Emmanuel A. AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Lu, Duc AU - Miller, Stephen AU - Cole, John B. AU - Tiezzi, Francesco T2 - GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION AB - Abstract Background While the adoption of genomic evaluations in livestock has increased genetic gain rates, its effects on genetic diversity and accumulation of inbreeding have raised concerns in cattle populations. Increased inbreeding may affect fitness and decrease the mean performance for economically important traits, such as fertility and growth in beef cattle, with the age of inbreeding having a possible effect on the magnitude of inbreeding depression. The purpose of this study was to determine changes in genetic diversity as a result of the implementation of genomic selection in Angus cattle and quantify potential inbreeding depression effects of total pedigree and genomic inbreeding, and also to investigate the impact of recent and ancient inbreeding. Results We found that the yearly rate of inbreeding accumulation remained similar in sires and decreased significantly in dams since the implementation of genomic selection. Other measures such as effective population size and the effective number of chromosome segments show little evidence of a detrimental effect of using genomic selection strategies on the genetic diversity of beef cattle. We also quantified pedigree and genomic inbreeding depression for fertility and growth. While inbreeding did not affect fertility, an increase in pedigree or genomic inbreeding was associated with decreased birth weight, weaning weight, and post-weaning gain in both sexes. We also measured the impact of the age of inbreeding and found that recent inbreeding had a larger depressive effect on growth than ancient inbreeding. Conclusions In this study, we sought to quantify and understand the possible consequences of genomic selection on the genetic diversity of American Angus cattle. In both sires and dams, we found that, generally, genomic selection resulted in decreased rates of pedigree and genomic inbreeding accumulation and increased or sustained effective population sizes and number of independently segregating chromosome segments. We also found significant depressive effects of inbreeding accumulation on economically important growth traits, particularly with genomic and recent inbreeding. DA - 2021/6/16/ PY - 2021/6/16/ DO - 10.1186/s12711-021-00644-z VL - 53 IS - 1 SP - SN - 1297-9686 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85108104621&partnerID=MN8TOARS ER - TY - JOUR TI - Phytobiotics with Adsorbent to Mitigate Toxicity of Multiple Mycotoxins on Health and Growth of Pigs AU - Holanda, Debora Muratori AU - Kim, Young Ihn AU - Parnsen, Wanpuech AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Toxins AB - Phytobiotics with a mycotoxin adsorbent were used to mitigate negative effects of multiple mycotoxins in diets fed to pigs. In experiment 1, 120 pigs (11.6 kg body weight; BW) were assigned to five treatments (three pigs/pen) and fed for 28 days. Treatments were CON (control), MTD (CON + 2.5 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol), DP (MTD + phytobiotics at 0.1%), and DPA1 and DPA2 (MTD + phytobiotics and adsorbent at 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively). In experiment 2, 96 pigs (28.5 kg BW) were assigned to four treatments (three pigs/pen) and fed for 26 days. Treatments were CON, MTAF (CON + 0.19 mg/kg of aflatoxin and 8 mg/kg of fumonisins), AFP (MTAF + phytobiotics at 0.1%), and AFPA (MTAF + phytobiotics and adsorbent at 0.1%). Growth performance was measured weekly, and blood was sampled at the end of study to measure hepatic function and inflammatory status (TNF-α). Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure. In experiment 1, pigs fed MTD, DP, DPA1, and DPA2 had smaller (p < 0.05) BW than CON. Pigs fed DPA2 had greater (p < 0.05) BW than MTD. Pigs fed DP and DPA2 tended to have lower (p < 0.1) serum total protein than CON. Pigs fed MTD and DPA2 tended to have higher (p < 0.1) alanine aminotransferase than CON. Similarly, pigs fed MTD, DP, and DPA2 tended to have higher (p < 0.1) urea nitrogen/creatinine than CON. In experiment 2, pigs fed MTAF, AFP, and AFPA had smaller (p < 0.05) BW than CON. Pigs fed MTAF, AFP, and AFPA had smaller (p < 0.05) ADFI than CON. Pigs fed AFPA had higher (p < 0.05) aspartate aminotransferase than CON and MTAF. Pigs fed AFP and AFPA had higher (p < 0.05) alanine aminotransferase than CON. Pigs fed MTAF, AFP, and AFPA had lower (p < 0.05) urea nitrogen/creatinine than CON. Pigs fed AFPA had higher (p < 0.05) TNF-α than CON and MTAF. In conclusion, feeding an additional 2.5 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol or 0.19 mg/kg of aflatoxin with 8 mg/kg of fumonisins reduced the growth of pigs. Deoxynivalenol compromised the hepatic function of pigs. Phytobiotics with adsorbent could partly overcome the detrimental effects of mycotoxins. DA - 2021/6/26/ PY - 2021/6/26/ DO - 10.3390/toxins13070442 VL - 13 IS - 7 SP - 442 J2 - Toxins LA - en OP - SN - 2072-6651 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxins13070442 DB - Crossref KW - aflatoxin KW - deoxynivalenol KW - fumonisin KW - growth KW - health KW - phytobiotic KW - pig ER - TY - JOUR TI - Probiotics, Prebiotics and Epithelial Tight Junctions: A Promising Approach to Modulate Intestinal Barrier Function AU - Rose, Elizabeth C. AU - Odle, Jack AU - Blikslager, Anthony T. AU - Ziegler, Amanda L. T2 - International Journal of Molecular Sciences AB - Disruptions in the intestinal epithelial barrier can result in devastating consequences and a multitude of disease syndromes, particularly among preterm neonates. The association between barrier dysfunction and intestinal dysbiosis suggests that the intestinal barrier function is interactive with specific gut commensals and pathogenic microbes. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that probiotic supplementation promotes significant upregulation and relocalization of interepithelial tight junction proteins, which form the microscopic scaffolds of the intestinal barrier. Probiotics facilitate some of these effects through the ligand-mediated stimulation of several toll-like receptors that are expressed by the intestinal epithelium. In particular, bacterial-mediated stimulation of toll-like receptor-2 modulates the expression and localization of specific protein constituents of intestinal tight junctions. Given that ingested prebiotics are robust modulators of the intestinal microbiota, prebiotic supplementation has been similarly investigated as a potential, indirect mechanism of barrier preservation. Emerging evidence suggests that prebiotics may additionally exert a direct effect on intestinal barrier function through mechanisms independent of the gut microbiota. In this review, we summarize current views on the effects of pro- and prebiotics on the intestinal epithelial barrier as well as on non-epithelial cell barrier constituents, such as the enteric glial cell network. Through continued investigation of these bioactive compounds, we can maximize their therapeutic potential for preventing and treating gastrointestinal diseases associated with impaired intestinal barrier function and dysbiosis. DA - 2021/6/23/ PY - 2021/6/23/ DO - 10.3390/ijms22136729 VL - 22 IS - 13 SP - 6729 J2 - IJMS LA - en OP - SN - 1422-0067 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms22136729 DB - Crossref KW - probiotics KW - prebiotics KW - bioactive compounds KW - intestinal barrier function KW - tight junctions KW - toll-like receptors KW - intestinal microbiota ER - TY - JOUR TI - Gut microbiome contributions to altered metabolism in a pig model of undernutrition AU - Chang, Hao-Wei AU - McNulty, Nathan P. AU - Hibberd, Matthew C. AU - O’Donnell, David AU - Cheng, Jiye AU - Lombard, Vincent AU - Henrissat, Bernard AU - Ilkayeva, Olga AU - Muehlbauer, Michael J. AU - Newgard, Christopher B. AU - Barratt, Michael J. AU - Lin, Xi AU - Odle, Jack AU - Gordon, Jeffrey I. T2 - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences AB - The concept that gut microbiome-expressed functions regulate ponderal growth has important implications for infant and child health, as well as animal health. Using an intergenerational pig model of diet restriction (DR) that produces reduced weight gain, we developed a feature-selection algorithm to identify representative characteristics distinguishing DR fecal microbiomes from those of full-fed (FF) pigs as both groups consumed a common sequence of diets during their growth cycle. Gnotobiotic mice were then colonized with DR and FF microbiomes and subjected to controlled feeding with a pig diet. DR microbiomes have reduced representation of genes that degrade dominant components of late growth-phase diets, exhibit reduced production of butyrate, a key host-accessible energy source, and are causally linked to reduced hepatic fatty acid metabolism (β-oxidation) and the selection of alternative energy substrates. The approach described could aid in the development of guidelines for microbiome stewardship in diverse species, including farm animals, in order to support their healthy growth. DA - 2021/5/17/ PY - 2021/5/17/ DO - 10.1073/pnas.2024446118 VL - 118 IS - 21 SP - e2024446118 J2 - Proc Natl Acad Sci USA LA - en OP - SN - 0027-8424 1091-6490 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2024446118 DB - Crossref KW - gut microbiome KW - malnutrition KW - carbohydrate-active enzymes KW - metabolic regulation KW - feature selection/information theory ER - TY - JOUR TI - Potential Use of Gut Microbiota Composition as a Biomarker of Heat Stress in Monogastric Species: A Review AU - He, Yuqing AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Tiezzi, Francesco T2 - ANIMALS AB - Heat stress is a current challenge for livestock production, and its impact could dramatically increase if global temperatures continue to climb. Exposure of agricultural animals to high ambient temperatures and humidity would lead to substantial economic losses because it compromises animal performance, productivity, health, and welfare. The gut microbiota plays essential roles in nutrient absorption, energy balance, and immune defenses through profound symbiotic interactions with the host. The homeostasis of those diverse gut microorganisms is critical for the host’s overall health and welfare status and also is sensitive to environmental stressors, like heat stress, reflected in altered composition and functionality. This article aims to summarize the research progress on the interactions between heat stress and gut microbiome and discuss the potential use of the gut microbiota composition as a biomarker of heat stress in monogastric animal species. A comprehensive understanding of the gut microbiota’s role in responding to or regulating physiological activities induced by heat stress would contribute to developing mitigation strategies. DA - 2021/6// PY - 2021/6// DO - 10.3390/ani11061833 VL - 11 IS - 6 SP - SN - 2076-2615 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85108092136&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - elevated ambient temperatures KW - heat stress KW - gut microbiota KW - monogastric animal KW - biomarker KW - health KW - welfare ER - TY - JOUR TI - Modulation of jejunal mucosa-associated microbiota in relation to intestinal health and nutrient digestibility in pigs by supplementation of β-glucanase to corn–soybean meal-based diets with xylanase AU - Duarte, Marcos Elias AU - Sparks, Chris AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of β-glucanase on the modulation of jejunal mucosa-associated microbiota in relation to nutrient digestibility and intestinal health of pigs fed diets with 30% corn distiller’s dried grains with solubles and xylanase. Forty pigs at 12.4 ± 0.5 kg body weight (BW) were allotted in a randomized complete block design with initial BW and sex as blocks. Dietary treatments consisted of a basal diet with xylanase (1,500 endo-pentosanase units [EPU]/kg) and increasing levels of β-glucanase (0, 200, 400, and 600 U/kg) meeting nutrient requirements and fed to pigs for 21 d. Blood samples were collected on day 19. On day 21, all pigs were euthanized to collect intestinal tissues and digesta. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, and malondialdehyde were measured in the plasma and mid-jejunal mucosa. Viscosity was determined using digesta from the distal jejunum. Ileal and rectal digesta were evaluated to determine apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients. Mucosa samples from the mid-jejunum were utilized for microbiota sequencing. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure on SAS 9.4. Overall, increasing dietary β-glucanase tended to increase (linear; P = 0.077) the average daily gain of pigs. Increasing dietary β-glucanase affected (quadratic; P &lt; 0.05) the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, reduced (linear; P &lt; 0.05) Helicobacter rappini, and increased (linear, P &lt; 0.05) Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. β-Glucanase supplementation (0 vs. others) tended to increase (P = 0.096) the AID of crude protein in the diet, whereas increasing dietary β-glucanase tended to increase (linear; P = 0.097) the ATTD of gross energy in the diet and increased (linear; P &lt; 0.05) the concentration of IL-6 in the plasma of pigs. In conclusion, increasing β-glucanase up to 600 U/kg feed in a diet containing xylanase (1,500 EPU/kg) modulated mucosa-associated microbiota by increasing the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria and reducing potentially harmful bacteria. Furthermore, increasing β-glucanase up to 600 U/kg feed in a diet containing xylanase (1,500 EPU/kg feed) enhanced the status of the intestinal environment and nutrient utilization, as well as reduced systemic inflammation of pigs, collectively resulting in moderate improvement of growth performance. Supplementing β-glucanase at a range of 312 to 410 U/kg with xylanase at 1,500 EPU/kg feed showed the most benefit on jejunal mucosa-associated microbiota and reduced systemic inflammation of pigs. DA - 2021/6/14/ PY - 2021/6/14/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab190 VL - 99 IS - 7 SP - LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab190 DB - Crossref KW - beta-glucanase KW - growth performance KW - intestinal health KW - microbiota KW - nursery pigs KW - xylanase ER - TY - JOUR TI - Inhibition of post-surgery tumour recurrence via a hydrogel releasing CAR-T cells and anti-PDL1-conjugated platelets AU - Hu, Quanyin AU - Li, Hongjun AU - Archibong, Edikan AU - Chen, Qian AU - Ruan, Huitong AU - Ahn, Sarah AU - Dukhovlinova, Elena AU - Kang, Yang AU - Wen, Di AU - Dotti, Gianpietro AU - Gu, Zhen T2 - NATURE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AB - The immunosuppressive microenvironment of solid tumours reduces the antitumour activity of chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells). Here, we show that the release-through the implantation of a hyaluronic acid hydrogel-of CAR-T cells targeting the human chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4, polymer nanoparticles encapsulating the cytokine interleukin-15 and platelets conjugated with the checkpoint inhibitor programmed death-ligand 1 into the tumour cavity of mice with a resected subcutaneous melanoma tumour inhibits the local recurrence of the tumour as well as the growth of distant tumours, through the abscopal effect. The hydrogel, which functions as a reservoir, facilitates the enhanced distribution of the CAR-T cells within the surgical bed, and the inflammatory microenvironment triggers platelet activation and the subsequent release of platelet-derived microparticles. The post-surgery local delivery of combination immunotherapy through a biocompatible hydrogel reservoir could represent a translational route for preventing the recurrence of cancers with resectable tumours. DA - 2021/4/26/ PY - 2021/4/26/ DO - 10.1038/s41551-021-00712-1 SP - SN - 2157-846X ER - TY - JOUR TI - Vascular endothelial growth factor concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid of dogs with neoplastic or inflammatory central nervous system disorders AU - Mariani, Christopher L. AU - Niman, Zachary E. AU - Boozer, Lindsay B. AU - Ruterbories, Laura K. AU - Early, Peter J. AU - Munana, Karen R. AU - Olby, Natasha J. T2 - JOURNAL OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE AB - Abstract Background Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key molecular driver of angiogenesis and vascular permeability and is expressed by a wide variety of neoplasms. Although blood VEGF concentrations have been quantified in intracranial tumors of dogs, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) VEGF concentration might be a more sensitive biomarker of disease. Objective Concentrations of VEGF in CSF are higher in dogs with central nervous system (CNS) neoplasia compared to those with meningoencephalomyelitis and other neurologic disorders. Animals One hundred and twenty‐six client‐owned dogs presented to a veterinary teaching hospital. Methods Case‐control study. Cerebrospinal fluid was archived from dogs diagnosed with CNS neoplasia and meningoencephalomyelitis. Control dogs had other neurological disorders or diseases outside of the CNS. A commercially available kit was used to determine VEGF concentrations. Results Detectable CSF VEGF concentrations were present in 49/63 (77.8%) neoplastic samples, 22/24 (91.7%) inflammatory samples, and 8/39 (20.5%) control samples. The VEGF concentrations were significantly different between groups ( P < .0001), and multiple comparison testing showed that both neoplastic and inflammatory groups had significantly higher concentrations than did controls ( P < .05), but did not differ from each other. Gliomas and choroid plexus tumors had significantly higher VEGF concentrations than did the control group ( P < .05). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Cerebrospinal fluid VEGF concentrations may serve as a marker of neoplastic and inflammatory CNS disorders relative to other conditions. DA - 2021/6/9/ PY - 2021/6/9/ DO - 10.1111/jvim.16181 VL - 6 SP - SN - 1939-1676 UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16181 KW - biomarker KW - brain tumor KW - meningoencephalitis KW - meningomyelitis ER - TY - JOUR TI - Live Yeast or Live Yeast Combined with Zinc Oxide Enhanced Growth Performance, Antioxidative Capacity, Immunoglobulins and Gut Health in Nursery Pigs AU - Long, Shenfei AU - He, Tengfei AU - Kim, Sung Woo AU - Shang, Qinghui AU - Kiros, Tadele AU - Mahfuz, Shad Uddin AU - Wang, Chunlin AU - Piao, Xiangshu T2 - Animals AB - This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary LY or LY combined with ZnO supplementation on performance and gut health in nursery pigs. 192 Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire piglets (weaned on d 32 of the age with 9.2 ± 1.7 kg BW) were allocated into four treatments with eight replicate pens, six piglets per pen. The treatments included a basal diet as control (CTR), an antibiotic plus ZnO diet (CTC-ZnO, basal diet + 75 mg/kg of chlortetracycline + ZnO (2000 mg/kg from d 1 to 14, 160 mg/kg from d 15 to 28)), a LY diet (LY, basal diet + 2 g/kg LY), and a LY plus ZnO diet (LY-ZnO, basal diet + 1 g/kg LY + ZnO). The results showed that pigs fed LY or LY-ZnO had increased (p < 0.05) average daily gain, serum IgA, IgG, superoxide dismutase, fecal butyric acid, and total volatile fatty acid concentrations, as well as decreased (p < 0.05) feed conversion ratio and diarrhea rate compared with CTR. In conclusion, pigs fed diets with LY or LY combined with ZnO had similar improvement to the use of antibiotics and ZnO in performance, antioxidant status, immunoglobulins, and gut health in nursery pigs. DA - 2021/5/31/ PY - 2021/5/31/ DO - 10.3390/ani11061626 VL - 11 IS - 6 SP - 1626 J2 - Animals LA - en OP - SN - 2076-2615 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11061626 DB - Crossref KW - antioxidant status KW - growth performance KW - immunoglobulins KW - live yeast KW - nursery pigs ER - TY - JOUR TI - Physiological Effects of Deoxynivalenol from Naturally Contaminated Corn on Cerebral Tryptophan Metabolism, Behavioral Response, Gastrointestinal Immune Status and Health in Pigs Following a Pair-Feeding Model AU - Shen, Yan-Bin AU - Weaver, Alexandra C. AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Toxins AB - This study investigated the impact of deoxynivalenol (DON) from naturally contaminated feed on pig growth, immune status, organ health, brain serotonin (5-Hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and behavior. Sixteen individually housed pigs (25.57 ± 0.98 kg, age 9 weeks) were randomly allotted to two dietary treatments: without DON (CON) or with 3.8 mg/kg of DON (MT). Pigs were pair-fed to eliminate differences in feed intake (equal tryptophan (Trp) intake). Pigs fed CON received a daily ration based on the ad libitum feed consumption of their MT pair-mate. Performance was determined over 21 days and blood collected for immunological and oxidative stress parameters. Behavior was recorded for 12 h on days 0, 7, 14 and 21. After 21 days, pigs were euthanized to collect tissues for immune parameters, gut morphology and brain serotonin levels. Overall, pigs fed MT had greater weight gain compared with CON. Immunological and oxidative stress parameters were unaffected, but pigs fed MT had reduced villus height, crypt depth and villus-to-crypt ratio in the jejunum. Pigs consuming MT had reduced concentration of 5-HT and increased 5-HT turnover in the hypothalamus. Mycotoxin-fed pigs spent more time lying and sitting, and less time standing and drinking. In conclusion, consumption of DON impacted gastrointestinal tract structure, altered behavior and changed Trp metabolism through increasing 5-HT turnover in hypothalamus. DA - 2021/5/30/ PY - 2021/5/30/ DO - 10.3390/toxins13060393 VL - 13 IS - 6 SP - 393 J2 - Toxins LA - en OP - SN - 2072-6651 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxins13060393 DB - Crossref KW - behavior KW - deoxynivalenol KW - gut morphology KW - nursery pigs KW - serotonin KW - tryptophan ER - TY - JOUR TI - Supplemental Effects of Functional Oils on the Modulation of Mucosa-Associated Microbiota, Intestinal Health, and Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs AU - Moita, Vitor Hugo C. AU - Duarte, Marcos Elias AU - da Silva, Suelen Nunes AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Animals AB - This study aimed to investigate the effects of functional oils on modulation of mucosa-associated microbiota, intestinal health, and growth performance of nursery pigs. Forty newly weaned pigs (20 barrows and 20 gilts) with 7.0 ± 0.5 kg body weight (BW) were housed individually and randomly allotted in a randomized complete block design with sex and initial BW as blocks. The dietary treatments were a basal diet with increasing levels (0.00, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, and 1.50 g/kg feed) of functional oils (a blend of castor oil and cashew nutshell liquid; Oligo Basics USA LLC, Cary, NC) fed to pigs for 34 days divided in two phases (P1 for 13 days and P2 for 21 days). Growth performance was analyzed weekly. On day 34, all pigs were euthanized to collect jejunal mucosa for analyzing the mucosa-associated microbiota and intestinal health, and ileal digesta for analyzing apparent ileal digestibility. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.4. Supplementation of functional oils did not affect the overall growth performance. Increasing supplementation of functional oils reduced (p < 0.05) the relative abundance of Helicobacteraceae, whereas it increased (p < 0.05) Lactobacillus kitasatonis. Supplementation of functional oils tended (p = 0.064) to decrease protein carbonyl and increase the villus height (p = 0.098) and crypt depth (p = 0.070). In conclusion, supplementation of functional oils enhanced intestinal health of nursery pigs by increasing beneficial and reducing harmful bacteria, potentially reducing oxidative stress and enhancing intestinal morphology, without affecting overall growth performance of pigs. Supplementation of functional oils at 0.75–1.50 g/kg feed was the most beneficial to the jejunal mucosa-associated microbiota and intestinal integrity of nursery pigs. DA - 2021/5/28/ PY - 2021/5/28/ DO - 10.3390/ani11061591 VL - 11 IS - 6 SP - 1591 J2 - Animals LA - en OP - SN - 2076-2615 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11061591 DB - Crossref KW - cashew nutshell liquid KW - castor oil KW - intestinal health KW - microbiota KW - nursery pigs KW - phytobiotics ER - TY - JOUR TI - Characterization of hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis gene expression in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and ovarian follicles of turkey hens during the preovulatory surge and in hens with low and high egg production AU - Brady, Kristen AU - Long, Julie A. AU - Liu, Hsiao-Ching AU - Porter, Tom E. T2 - POULTRY SCIENCE AB - Dysregulation of the preovulatory surge (PS) leads to lowered egg production. The hypothalamo–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) axis has been shown to influence plasma progesterone levels and follicle ovulation. The presence of thyroid hormone receptors (THR) in the reproductive axis suggests possible effects of thyroid hormone. To further understand the potential role of thyroid hormone on the PS, HPT axis plasma hormone concentrations and gene expression were characterized surrounding the PS in average egg producing hens (AEPH), low egg producing hens (LEPH), and high egg producing hens (HEPH) (n = 3 hens/group). Data were analyzed using the mixed models procedure of SAS, with significance indicated at P < 0.05. Average egg producing hens and HEPH displayed lower levels of triiodothyronine (T3) and higher levels of thyroxine (T4) inside of the PS, whereas LEPH showed inverse T3 and T4 levels relative to the PS. Expression of mRNA for hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), pituitary thyrotropin (TSHB), and the main thyroid hormone metabolism enzyme (DIO2) were downregulated during the PS in AEPH and HEPH. Low egg producing hens displayed higher expression of mRNA for hypothalamic TRH as well as pituitary TSHB and DIO2 compared with HEPH. Average egg producing hens expression of THR mRNAs was upregulated during the PS in the hypothalamus but downregulated in the pituitary. High egg producing hens showed decreased expression of THR mRNAs in both the hypothalamus and pituitary when compared with LEPH. In ovarian follicles, THR mRNAs were more prevalent in the thecal layer of the follicle wall compared with the granulosa layer, and expression tended to decrease with follicle maturity. Minimal differences in follicular THR expression were seen between LEPH and HEPH, indicating that THR expression is unlikely to be responsible for steroid hormone production differences occurring between LEPH and HEPH. Generally, downregulation of the HPT axis was seen during the PS in AEPH and HEPH, whereas upregulation of the HPT axis was seen in LEPH. Further studies will be required to clarify the role of the HPT axis in the regulation of ovulation and egg production rates in turkey hens. DA - 2021/4// PY - 2021/4// DO - 10.1016/j.psj.2020.12.026 VL - 100 IS - 4 SP - SN - 1525-3171 KW - turkey KW - egg production KW - HPT axis KW - HPG axis KW - preovulatory surge ER - TY - JOUR TI - Metabolic Regulation of Intestinal Stem Cell Homeostasis AU - Wang, Dan AU - Odle, Jack AU - Liu, Yulan T2 - Trends in Cell Biology AB - The balance between self-renewal and differentiation of intestinal stem cells is essential for intestinal epithelial homeostasis, which can be regulated by dietary cues. Recent evidences indicate that metabolic pathways sense changes in nutritional status to control stem cell fate, which may provide new clues for the prevention of intestinal diseases. DA - 2021/5// PY - 2021/5// DO - 10.1016/j.tcb.2021.02.001 VL - 31 IS - 5 SP - 325-327 J2 - Trends in Cell Biology LA - en OP - SN - 0962-8924 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2021.02.001 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Predicting body weight in growing pigs from feeding behavior data using machine learning algorithms AU - He, Yuqing AU - Tiezzi, Francesco AU - Howard, Jeremy AU - Maltecca, Christian T2 - COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE AB - A timely and accurate estimation of body weight in finishing pigs is critical in determining profits by allowing pork producers to make informed marketing decisions on group-housed pigs while reducing labor and feed costs. This study investigated the usefulness of feeding behavior data in predicting the body weight of pigs at the finishing stage. We obtained data on 655 pigs of three breeds (Duroc, Landrace, and Large White) from 75 to 166 days of age. Feeding behavior, feed intake, and body weight information were recorded when a pig visited the Feed Intake Recording Equipment in each pen. Data collected from 75 to 158 days of age were split into six slices of 14 days each and used to calibrate predictive models. LASSO regression and two machine learning algorithms (Random Forest and Long Short-term Memory network) were selected to forecast the body weight of pigs aged from 159 to 166 days using four scenarios: individual-informed predictive scenario, individual- and group-informed predictive scenario, breed-specific individual- and group-informed predictive scenario, and group-informed predictive scenario. We developed four models for each scenario: Model_Age included only age, Model_FB included only feeding behavior variables, Model_Age_FB and Model_Age_FB_FI added feeding behavior and feed intake measures on the basis of Model_Age as predictors. Pearson’s correlation, root mean squared error, and binary diagnostic tests were used to assess predictive performance. The greatest correlation was 0.87, and the highest accuracy was 0.89 for the individual-informed prediction, while they were 0.84 and 0.85 for the individual- and group-informed predictions, respectively. The least root mean squared error of both scenarios was about 10 kg. The best prediction performed by Model_FB had a correlation of 0.83, an accuracy of 0.74, and a root mean squared error of 14.3 kg in the individual-informed prediction. The effect of the addition of feeding behavior and feed intake data varied across algorithms and scenarios from a small to moderate improvement in predictive performance. We also found differences in predictive performance associated with the time slices or pigs used in the training set, the algorithm employed, and the breed group considered. Overall, this study’s findings connect the dynamics of feeding behavior to body growth and provide a promising picture of the involvement of feeding behavior data in predicting the body weight of group-housed pigs. DA - 2021/5// PY - 2021/5// DO - 10.1016/j.compag.2021.106085 VL - 184 SP - SN - 1872-7107 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85104932146&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - Pigs KW - Feeding behavior KW - Body weight KW - Machine learning ER - TY - JOUR TI - Effects of dietary supplementation of nucleotides from late gestation to lactation on the performance and oxidative stress status of sows and their offspring AU - Tan, Chengquan AU - Ji, Yongcheng AU - Zhao, Xichen AU - Xin, Zhongquan AU - Li, Jiaying AU - Huang, Shuangbo AU - Cui, Zhiying AU - Wen, Lijun AU - Liu, Caihua AU - Kim, Sung Woo AU - Deng, Jinping AU - Yin, Yulong T2 - Animal Nutrition AB - Increased metabolic burdens in breeding sows, which are induced by elevated systemic oxidative stress, could increase the need for nucleotides to repair lymphocyte DNA damage; however, de novo synthesis of nucleotides may be insufficient to cover this increased need. This study investigated the effects of dietary nucleotides on milk composition, oxidative stress status, and the reproductive and lactational performance of sows. Forty multiparous sows were assigned to 2 dietary treatments (Control group, and 1 g/kg Nucleotides group) based on a randomized complete block design using their BW at 85 d of gestation as a block. Sows from 2 groups were fed a restricted diet during gestation and ad libitum during lactation. The experiment lasted from 85 d of gestation to 21 d of lactation. The reproductive performance of sows and the growth performance of suckling piglets were measured. Oxidative stress parameters and milk components were also analysed. Data were analyzed using contrasts in the MIXED procedure of SAS. Sows in the Nucleotides group consumed more feed during the first week (P < 0.01) and from 1 to 21 d (P < 0.05) of lactation than those in Control group. Correspondingly, the litter weight gain of piglets showed a tendency to increase from cross-fostering to 9 d (P = 0.09) and from cross-fostering to 20 d (P = 0.10) in the Nucleotides group relative to the Control group. Additionally, the Nucleotides group was higher (P < 0.01) than the Control group in the concentrations of uridine 5'monophosphate, guanosine 5'monophosphate, inosine 5'monophosphate, adenosine 5'monophosphate and total nucleotides in milk. Furthermore, the Nucleotides group was higher (P < 0.01) than the Control group in the serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.01) for sows at 109 d of gestation and glutathione peroxidase for weaning piglets, but lower at the levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (P < 0.05) in serum of weaning piglets. This study indicated that maternal dietary nucleotides could promote piglet growth, probably due to the higher lactational feed intake and higher concentration of nucleotides in the milk of sows, and lower oxidative stress for both sows and piglets. DA - 2021/3// PY - 2021/3// DO - 10.1016/j.aninu.2020.10.004 VL - 7 IS - 1 SP - 111-118 J2 - Animal Nutrition LA - en OP - SN - 2405-6545 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2020.10.004 DB - Crossref KW - Feed intake KW - Nucleotide KW - Oxidative stress KW - Piglet KW - Sow ER - TY - JOUR TI - Bacteriophage cocktail supplementation improves growth performance, gut microbiome and production traits in broiler chickens AU - Upadhaya, Santi Devi AU - Ahn, Je Min AU - Cho, Jae Hyoung AU - Kim, Jin Young AU - Kang, Dae Kyung AU - Kim, Sung Woo AU - Kim, Hyeun Bum AU - Kim, In Ho T2 - Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology AB - Abstract Background Effective antibiotic alternatives are urgently needed in the poultry industry to control disease outbreaks. Phage therapy mainly utilizes lytic phages to kill their respective bacterial hosts and can be an attractive solution to combating the emergence of antibiotic resistance in livestock. Methods Five hundred and four, one-day-old broilers (Ross 308) were allotted to 1 of 4 treatment groups in a completely randomized design. Treatments consisted of CON (basal diet), PC (CON + 0.025% Avilamax®), BP 0.05 (CON + 0.05% bacteriophage), and BP 0.10 (CON + 0.10% bacteriophage). Results A significant linear effect on body weight gain (BWG) was observed during days 1–7, days 22–35, and cumulatively in bacteriophage (BP) supplemented groups. The BWG tended to be higher ( P = 0.08) and the feed intake (FI) was increased ( P = 0.017) in the PC group over CON group. A greater ( P = 0.016) BWG and trends in increased FI ( P = 0.06) were observed in the experiment in birds fed PC than CON diet. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus was decreased in PC (65.28%), while it was similar in BP 0.05 and BP 0.10 (90.65%, 86.72%) compared to CON (90.19%). At the species level, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus salivarus was higher in BP 0.05 (40.15%) and BP 0.10 (38.58%) compared to the CON (20.04%) and PC (18.05%). A linear reduction in the weight of bursa of Fabricius ( P = 0.022) and spleen ( P = 0.052) was observed in birds fed graded level of BP and an increase (P = 0.059) in the weight of gizzard was observed in birds fed PC over BP diets. Linear and quadratic responses were observed in redness of breast muscle color in birds fed graded level of BP. Conclusions The inclusion of the 0.05% and 0.1% BP cocktail linearly improved broiler weight during the first 7 days, 22–35 days and cumulatively, whereas 0.05% BP addition was sufficient for supporting immune organs, bursa and spleen as well as enhancing gut microbiome, indicating the efficacy of 0.05% BP as a substitute antibiotic growth promoter in broiler diets. DA - 2021/4/16/ PY - 2021/4/16/ DO - 10.1186/s40104-021-00570-6 VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - J2 - J Animal Sci Biotechnol LA - en OP - SN - 2049-1891 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40104-021-00570-6 DB - Crossref KW - Bacteriophage KW - Broiler chickens KW - Gut microbiome KW - Performance ER - TY - JOUR TI - PORK PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN CHINA: A REVIEW OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS IN GREEN PRODUCTION AU - Zhang, Shuai AU - Wu, Xin AU - Han, Dandan AU - Hou, Yong AU - Tan, Jianzhuang AU - Kim, Sung Woo AU - Li, Defa AU - Yin, Yulong AU - Wang, Junjun T2 - Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering AB - •Large-scale industrial pork production enterprises are preferred in China in the future. •Challenges to green pork production include emissions, feed shortage and residues. •Potential solutions to green production include precise feeding and manure recycling. This paper reviews the changes in pork production in China, the largest pork producing and consuming nation in the world. The pork sector in China has changed dramatically since the 1990s, with large-scale intensive pork production systems replacing the former, exclusively family-based pork production systems. Modern breeding, feeding, vaccinating, and management technologies are widely used now. However, smallholders still account for a large proportion of the total production. The intensification and specialization of the pork sector is expected to continue in the future, but there is increasing awareness and pressure to develop more environmentally-sustainable production systems. The relative shortage of domestically produced feed, the low utilization efficiency of feed ingredients, the large emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus to the environment, the high use of antibiotics, and the presence of residual metals in manures are very large challenges for the pork sector nowadays. To solve these problems, techniques including new feed resource utilization, precise feeding, low-protein diets, alternatives to antibiotics and increased manure recycling are all important topics and research directions today. With new techniques and management approaches, it is possible to build more sustainable pork production systems in China. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.15302/J-FASE-2020377 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - 15 J2 - Front. Agr. Sci. Eng. LA - en OP - SN - 2095-7505 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.15302/J-FASE-2020377 DB - Crossref KW - China KW - feed KW - pork production KW - sustainability ER - TY - JOUR TI - Potential effects of hormonal synchronized breeding on genetic evaluations of fertility traits in dairy cattle: A simulation study AU - Oliveira Junior, G. A. AU - Schaeffer, L. R. AU - Schenkel, F. AU - Tiezzi, F. AU - Baes, C. F. T2 - JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE AB - About 30% of producers use hormone protocols to synchronize ovulation and perform timed artificial insemination (AI) in Canada. Days from calving to first service (CTFS) and first service to conception (FSTC) become masked phenotypes leading to biased genetic evaluations of cows for these fertility traits. The objectives of this study were to (1) demonstrate and quantify the potential amount of bias in genetic evaluations, and (2) find a procedure that could remove the bias. Simulation was used for both objectives. The proposed solution was to identify cows that have been treated by hormone protocols, make their CTFS and FSTC missing, and perform a multiple trait analysis including traits that have high genetic correlations with CTFS and FSTC, and which are not affected by the hormone protocols themselves. A total of 12 scenarios (S1–S12) were tested, changing the percentage of herds and cows that were randomly selected to be under timed AI. Cows that were given hormone protocols had CTFS of 86 d and FSTC of 0, which were used in genetic evaluation. Four criteria were used to indirectly measure the presence of bias: (1) the correlation between true (TBV) and estimated (EBV) breeding values (accuracy); (2) the differences in the mean EBV of top 25, 50, and 75 sires; (3) changes in correlation between TBV and EBV rankings; and (4) the changes in mean EBV over the simulated generations. All criteria changed unfavorably and proportionally to the increased use of timed AI. The accuracy within each class of animals (cows, dams, or sires) decreased proportionally with increased use of timed AI, varying from 0.32 (S12) to 0.52 (S1) for bull EBV for CTFS. The average EBV of the top sires (best 25, 50, 75, or 100 sires) approached population average EBV values when increasing the number of treated animals. The sire rank correlation between EBV and TBV within simulated scenarios was smaller for scenarios with more synchronized animals, going from 0.38 (S12) to 0.67 (S1). The long-term use of hormonal synchronized cows clearly decreased the mean EBV over generations in the population for CTFS and FSTC. The inclusion of genetically correlated traits in a multiple trait model was effective in removing the bias due to the presence of hormonal synchronized cows. However, given the constraints within the simulation, it is important that further investigation with real data is conducted to determine the true effect of including timed AI records within genetic evaluations of fertility traits in dairy cattle. DA - 2021/4// PY - 2021/4// DO - 10.3168/jds.2020-18944 VL - 104 IS - 4 SP - 4404-4412 SN - 1525-3198 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85101065741&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - bias KW - dairy cattle KW - fertility KW - genetics ER - TY - JOUR TI - Editorial: Nutritional Intervention for the Intestinal Health of Young Monogastric Animals AU - Jha, Rajesh AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Frontiers in Veterinary Science AB - EDITORIAL article Front. Vet. Sci., 18 March 2021Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism Volume 8 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.668563 DA - 2021/3/18/ PY - 2021/3/18/ DO - 10.3389/fvets.2021.668563 VL - 8 SP - J2 - Front. Vet. Sci. OP - SN - 2297-1769 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.668563 DB - Crossref KW - antimicrobial resistance KW - gut health KW - prebiotics KW - probiotics KW - pig KW - poultry ER - TY - JOUR TI - Purebreeding with sexed semen and crossbreeding with semen from double-muscled sires to improve beef production from dairy herds: Live and slaughter performances of crossbred calves AU - Bittante, Giovanni AU - Negrini, Riccardo AU - Bergamaschi, Matteo AU - Ni, Qianlin AU - Patel, Nageshvar AU - Toledo-Alvarado, Hugo AU - Cecchinato, Alessio T2 - JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE AB - The use of sexed semen to produce purebred replacement heifers allows a large proportion of dairy cows to be mated to beef sires, and quantitative and qualitative improvements to be made to beef production from dairy herds. The major dairy and beef breeds are undergoing rapid genetic improvement as a result of more efficient selection methods, prompting a need to evaluate the meat production of crossbred beef × dairy cattle produced using current genetics. As part of a large project involving 125 commercial dairy farms, we evaluated the combined use of purebreeding with sexed semen and crossbreeding with semen from beef sires, particularly double-muscled breeds. A survey of 1,530 crossbred calves revealed that, whereas purebred dairy calves are destined almost exclusively for veal production, beef × dairy crossbred calves are also destined for beef production after fattening on either the dairy farm of birth or by specialized fatteners. In veal production, compared with Belgian Blue–sired calves (taken as the reference), double-muscled INRA 95–sired calves had a lighter slaughter weight (303 vs. 346 kg), but a greater dressing percent (62.3 vs. 58.4%). Limousin (also known as Limousine)–sired calves had a smaller average daily gain (1.26 vs. 1.34 kg/d), and lighter slaughter (314 vs. 346 kg) and carcass weights (182 vs. 201 kg). Last, Simmental-sired calves had a similar growth rate, but lighter carcass weight (177 vs. 201 kg), smaller dressing percentage (55.3 vs. 58.4%), and smaller muscularity scores (3.25 vs. 3.72). In the case of young bulls and heifers fattened on the dairy farm of birth, Belgian Blue–, Piemontese (also known as Piedmontese)-, and Limousin-sired calves performed similarly; the only exception was that Piemontese-sired calves had a greater dressing percentage. Belgian Blue– and Limousin-sired calves performed similarly when fattened by specialized beef producers. In both veal and beef production, the effects of dam breed were less important than sire breed. Considering the entire project, we can conclude that the combined use of sexed semen for purebreeding and conventional beef semen for terminal crossbreeding improves meat production from dairy herds, especially when the sires are double-muscled beef breeds. DA - 2021/3// PY - 2021/3// DO - 10.3168/jds.2020-18436 VL - 104 IS - 3 SP - 3210-3220 SN - 1525-3198 KW - X-sorted semen KW - beef breed KW - dairy breed KW - carcass trait KW - carcass muscularity ER - TY - JOUR TI - Transcriptome Analysis During Follicle Development in Turkey Hens With Low and High Egg Production AU - Brady, Kristen AU - Liu, Hsiao-Ching AU - Hicks, Julie A. AU - Long, Julie A. AU - Porter, Tom E. T2 - FRONTIERS IN GENETICS AB - Low and high egg producing hens exhibit gene expression differences related to ovarian steroidogenesis. High egg producing hens display increased expression of genes involved in progesterone and estradiol production, in the granulosa layer of the largest follicle (F1G) and small white follicles (SWF), respectively, whereas low egg producing hens display increased expression of genes related to progesterone and androgen production in the granulosa (F5G) and theca interna layer (F5I) of the fifth largest follicle, respectively. Transcriptome analysis was performed on F1G, F5G, F5I, and SWF samples from low and high egg producing hens to identify novel regulators of ovarian steroidogenesis. In total, 12,221 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between low and high egg producing hens across the four cell types examined. Pathway analysis implied differential regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, particularly thyroid hormone transporters and thyroid hormone receptors, and of estradiol signaling in low and high egg producing hens. The HPT axis showed up-regulation in high egg producing hens in less mature follicles but up-regulation in low egg producing hens in more mature follicles. Estradiol signaling exclusively exhibited up-regulation in high egg producing hens. Treatment of SWF cells from low and high egg producing hens with thyroid hormone in vitro decreased estradiol production in cells from high egg producing hens to the levels seen in cells from low egg producing hens, whereas thyroid hormone treatment did not impact estradiol production in cells from low egg producing hens. Transcriptome analysis of the major cell types involved in steroidogenesis inferred the involvement of the HPT axis and estradiol signaling in the regulation of differential steroid hormone production seen among hens with different egg production levels. DA - 2021/3/18/ PY - 2021/3/18/ DO - 10.3389/fgene.2021.619196 VL - 12 SP - SN - 1664-8021 KW - turkey KW - RNA-seq KW - thyroid hormone KW - estradiol KW - HPT axis KW - HPG axis KW - steroidogenesis KW - egg production ER - TY - JOUR TI - Dietary inclusion of multispecies probiotics to reduce the severity of post-weaning diarrhea caused by Escherichia coli F18+ in pigs AU - Sun, Yawang AU - Duarte, Marcos E. AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Animal Nutrition AB - This study was aimed to determine the efficacy of multispecies probiotics in reducing the severity of post-weaning diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F18+ on newly weaned pigs. Thirty-two pigs (16 barrows and 16 gilts, BW = 6.99 ± 0.33 kg) at 21 d of age were individually allotted in a randomized complete block design with 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Pigs were selected from sows not infected previously and not vaccinated against ETEC. Pigs were fed experimental diets for 25 d based on 10 d phase 1 and 15 d phase 2. The factors were ETEC challenge (oral inoculation of saline solution or E. coli F18+ at 2 × 109 CFU) and probiotics (none or multispecies probiotics 0.15% and 0.10% for phase 1 and 2, respectively). Body weight and feed intake were measured on d 5, 9, 13, 19, and 25. Fecal scores were measured daily. Blood samples were taken on d 19 and 24. On d 25, all pigs were euthanized to obtain samples of digesta, intestinal tissues, and spleen. The tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), malondialdehyde (MDA), peptide YY (PYY), and neuropeptide Y (NPY) were measured in serum and intestinal tissue. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. The fecal score of pigs was increased (P < 0.05) by ETEC challenge at the post–challenge period. The ETEC challenge decreased (P < 0.05) jejunal villus height and crypt depth, tended to increase (P = 0.056) jejunal TNFα, increased (P < 0.05) ileal crypt depth, and decreased (P < 0.05) serum NPY. The probiotics decreased (P < 0.05) serum TNFα, tended to reduce (P = 0.064) jejunal MDA, tended to increase (P = 0.092) serum PYY, and increased (P < 0.05) jejunal villus height, and especially villus height-to-crypt depth ratio in challenged pigs. Growth performance of pigs were not affected by ETEC challenge, whereas the probiotics increased (P < 0.05) ADG and ADFI and tended to increase (P = 0.069) G:F ratio. In conclusion, ETEC F18+ challenge caused diarrhea, intestinal inflammation and morphological damages without affecting the growth performance. The multispecies probiotics enhanced growth performance by reducing intestinal inflammation, oxidative stress, morphological damages. DA - 2021/6// PY - 2021/6// DO - 10.1016/j.aninu.2020.08.012 VL - 7 IS - 2 SP - 326-333 J2 - Animal Nutrition LA - en OP - SN - 2405-6545 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2020.08.012 DB - Crossref KW - Escherichia coli KW - Growth performance KW - Gut health KW - Nursery pig KW - Post-weaning diarrhea KW - Probiotic ER - TY - JOUR TI - Dose–response and functional role of whey permeate as a source of lactose and milk oligosaccharides on intestinal health and growth of nursery pigs AU - Jang, Ki Beom AU - Purvis, Jerry M AU - Kim, Sung W T2 - Journal of Animal Science AB - Abstract Two experiments were conducted to evaluate dose–response and supplemental effects of whey permeate on growth performance and intestinal health of nursery pigs. In experiment (exp.) 1, 1,080 pigs weaned at 6.24 kg body weight (BW) were allotted to five treatments (eight pens/treatment) with increasing levels of whey permeate in three phases (from 10% to 30%, 3% to 23%, and 0% to 9% for phase 1, 2, and 3, respectively) fed until 11 kg BW and then fed a common phase 4 diet (0% whey permeate) until 25 kg BW in a 48-d feeding trial. Feed intake and BW were measured at the end of each phase. In exp. 2, 1,200 nursery pigs at 7.50 kg BW were allotted to six treatments (10 pens/treatment) with increasing levels of whey permeate from 0% to 18.75% fed until 11 kg BW. Feed intake and BW were measured during 11 d. Six pigs per treatment (1 per pens) were euthanized to collect the jejunum to evaluate tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-8 (IL-8), transforming growth factor-beta 1, mucin 2, histomorphology, digestive enzyme activity, crypt cell proliferation rate, and jejunal mucosa-associated microbiota. Data were analyzed using contrasts in the MIXED procedure and a broken-line analysis using the NLIN procedure of SAS. In exp. 1, increasing whey permeate had a quadratic effect (P &lt; 0.05) on feed efficiency (G:F; maximum: 1.35 at 18.3%) in phase 1. Increasing whey permeate linearly increased (P &lt; 0.05) average daily gain (ADG; 292 to 327 g/d) and G:F (0.96 to 1.04) of pigs in phase 2. In exp. 2, increasing whey permeate linearly increased (P &lt; 0.05) ADG (349 to 414 g/d) and G:F (0.78 to 0.85) and linearly increased (P &lt; 0.05) crypt cell proliferation rate (27.8% to 37.0%). The breakpoint from a broken-line analysis was obtained at 13.6% whey permeate for maximal G:F. Increasing whey permeate tended to change IL-8 (quadratic, P = 0.052; maximum: 223 pg/mg at 10.9%), to decrease Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes (P = 0.073, 1.59 to 1.13), to increase (P = 0.089) Bifidobacteriaceae (0.73% to 1.11%), and to decrease Enterobacteriaceae (P = 0.091, 1.04% to 0.52%) and Streptococcaceae (P = 0.094, 1.50% to 0.71%) in the jejunal mucosa. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of whey permeate increased the growth of nursery pigs from 7 to 11 kg BW. Pigs grew most efficiently with 13.6% whey permeate. Improvement in growth performance is partly attributed to stimulating intestinal immune response and enterocyte proliferation with positive changes in jejunal mucosa-associated microbiota in nursery pigs. DA - 2021/1/1/ PY - 2021/1/1/ DO - 10.1093/jas/skab008 VL - 99 IS - 1 SP - LA - en OP - SN - 0021-8812 1525-3163 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab008 DB - Crossref KW - growth performance KW - intestinal health KW - microbiome KW - nursery pig KW - whey permeate ER - TY - JOUR TI - Centennial Review: Metabolic microRNA- shifting gears in the regulation of metabolic pathways in poultry AU - Hicks, Julie A. AU - Liu, Hsiao-Ching T2 - POULTRY SCIENCE AB - Over 20 yr ago, a small noncoding class of RNA termed microRNA (miRNA) that was able to recognize sequences in mRNAs and inhibit their translation was discovered in Caenorhabditis elegans. In the intervening years, miRNA have been discovered in most eukaryotes and are now known to regulate the majority of protein-coding genes. It has been discovered that disruption of miRNA function often leads to the development of pathological conditions. One physiological system under extensive miRNA-mediated regulation is metabolism. Metabolism is one of the most dynamic of biological networks within multiple organs, including the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue, working in concert to respond to ever-changing nutritional cues and energy demands. Therefore, it is not surprising that miRNA regulate virtually all aspects of eukaryotic metabolism and have been linked to metabolic disorders, such as obesity, fatty liver diseases, and diabetes, just to name a few. Chickens, and birds in general, face their own unique metabolic challenges, particularly after hatching, when their metabolism must completely transform from using lipid-rich yolk to carbohydrate-rich feed as fuel in a very short period of time. Furthermore, commercial poultry breeds have undergone extensive selection over the last century for more desirable production traits, which has resulted in numerous metabolic consequences. Here, we review the current knowledge of miRNA-mediated regulation of metabolic development and function in chickens. DA - 2021/3// PY - 2021/3// DO - 10.1016/j.psj.2020.11.033 VL - 100 IS - 3 SP - SN - 1525-3171 KW - metabolism KW - microRNA KW - growth KW - next-generation sequencing ER - TY - JOUR TI - Evidence That Agouti-Related Peptide May Directly Regulate Kisspeptin Neurons in Male Sheep AU - Merkley, Christina M. AU - Shuping, Sydney L. AU - Sommer, Jeffrey R. AU - Nestor, Casey C. T2 - METABOLITES DA - 2021/3// PY - 2021/3// DO - 10.3390/metabol1030138 VL - 11 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Friend or Foe? Impacts of Dietary Xylans, Xylooligosaccharides, and Xylanases on Intestinal Health and Growth Performance of Monogastric Animals AU - Baker, Jonathan T. AU - Duarte, Marcos E. AU - Holanda, Debora M. AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Animals AB - This paper discusses the structural difference and role of xylan, procedures involved in the production of xylooligosaccharides (XOS), and their implementation into animal feeds. Xylan is non-starch polysaccharides that share a β-(1-4)-linked xylopyranose backbone as a common feature. Due to the myriad of residues that can be substituted on the polymers within the xylan family, more anti-nutritional factors are associated with certain types of xylan than others. XOS are sugar oligomers extracted from xylan-containing lignocellulosic materials, such as crop residues, wood, and herbaceous biomass, that possess prebiotic effects. XOS can also be produced in the intestine of monogastric animals to some extent when exogenous enzymes, such as xylanase, are added to the feed. Xylanase supplementation is a common practice within both swine and poultry production to reduce intestinal viscosity and improve digestive utilization of nutrients. The efficacy of xylanase supplementation varies widely due a number of factors, one of which being the presence of xylanase inhibitors present in common feedstuffs. The use of prebiotics in animal feeding is gaining popularity as producers look to accelerate growth rate, enhance intestinal health, and improve other production parameters in an attempt to provide a safe and sustainable food product. Available research on the impact of xylan, XOS, as well as xylanase on the growth and health of swine and poultry, is also summarized. The response to xylanase supplementation in swine and poultry feeds is highly variable and whether the benefits are a result of nutrient release from NSP, reduction in digesta viscosity, production of short chain xylooligosaccharides or a combination of these is still in question. XOS supplementation seems to benefit both swine and poultry at various stages of production, as well as varying levels of XOS purity and degree of polymerization; however, further research is needed to elucidate the ideal dosage, purity, and degree of polymerization needed to confer benefits on intestinal health and performance in each respective species. DA - 2021/2/26/ PY - 2021/2/26/ DO - 10.3390/ani11030609 VL - 11 IS - 3 SP - 609 J2 - Animals LA - en OP - SN - 2076-2615 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11030609 DB - Crossref KW - intestinal health KW - growth performance KW - poultry KW - prebiotics KW - swine KW - xylooligosaccharides ER - TY - JOUR TI - Investigation of the efficacy of mycotoxin-detoxifying additive on health and growth of newly-weaned pigs under deoxynivalenol challenges AU - Holanda, Debora Muratori AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Animal Bioscience AB - Objective: This study evaluated the effects of feeding diets naturally contaminated with deoxynivalenol (supplemental 2 mg/kg) on health, growth, and the effects of a mycotoxindetoxifying additive in newly-weaned pigs.Methods: Thirty-six pigs (27 day-old) were housed individually and assigned to 3 treatments for 5 weeks: CON (diet containing minimal deoxynivalenol), MT (diet with supplemental 1.9 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol), and MT+D (MT + mycotoxin-detoxifying additive, 0.2%, MegaFix, ICC, São Paulo, Brazil). The mycotoxin-detoxifying additive included bentonite, algae, enzymes, and yeast. Blood was taken at week 2 and 5. Jejunal tissue were taken at week 5. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS.Results: Pigs fed MT+D tended to have decreased (p = 0.056) averaged daily feed intake during week 1 than MT. At week 2, serum aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase in MT tended to be lower (p = 0.059) than CON, whereas it was increased (p< 0.05) for MT+D than MT, indicating hepatic damages in MT and recovery in MT+D. Pigs fed MT had lower (p<0.05) blood urea nitrogen/creatinine than CON, supporting hepatic damage. At week 5, pigs fed MT tended to have reduced (p = 0.079) glucose than CON, whereas it was increased (p<0.05) for MT+D than MT, indicating impaired intestinal glucose absorption in MT, which was improved in MT+D. Pigs fed CON tended to have increased (p = 0.057) total glutathione in jejunum than MT, indicating oxidative stress in MT. Pigs fed MT+D had a reduced (p<0.05) proportion of Ki-67-positive cells in jejunum than MT, indicating lower enterocyte proliferation in MT+D.Conclusion: Feeding supplemental 1.9 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol reduced growth and debilitated hepatic health of pigs, as seen in leakage of hepatic enzymes, impaired nitrogen metabolism, and increase in oxidative stress. The mycotoxin-detoxifying enhanced hepatic health and glucose levels, and attenuated gut damage in pigs fed deoxynivalenol contaminated diets. DA - 2021/3/1/ PY - 2021/3/1/ DO - 10.5713/ajas.20.0567 VL - 34 IS - 3 SP - 405-416 J2 - Anim Biosci LA - en OP - SN - 2765-0189 2765-0235 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5713/ajas.20.0567 DB - Crossref KW - Adsorbent KW - Deoxynivalenol KW - Enzyme KW - Gut Health KW - Pig KW - Probiotic ER - TY - JOUR TI - Understanding intestinal health in nursery pigs and the relevant nutritional strategies AU - Kim, Sung Woo AU - Duarte, Marcos E. T2 - Animal Bioscience AB - In the modern pig production, pigs are weaned at early age with immature intestine. Dietary and environmental factors challenge the intestine, specifically the jejunum, causing inflammation and oxidative stress followed by destruction of epithelial barrier and villus structures in the jejunum. Crypt cell proliferation increases to repair damages in the jejunum. Challenges to maintain the intestinal health have been shown to be related to changes in the profile of mucosa-associated microbiota in the jejunum of nursery pigs. All these processes can be quantified as biomarkers to determine status of intestinal health related to growth potential of nursery pigs. Nursery pigs with impaired intestinal health show reduced ability of nutrient digestion and thus reduced growth. A tremendous amount of research effort has been made to determine nutritional strategies to maintain or improve intestinal health and microbiota in nursery pigs. A large number of feed additives have been evaluated for their effectiveness on improving intestinal health and balancing intestinal microbiota in nursery pigs. Selected prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, and other bioactive compounds can be used in feeds to handle issues with intestinal health. Selection of these feed additives should aim modulating biomarkers indicating intestinal health. This review aims to define intestinal health and introduce examples of nutritional approaches to handle intestinal health in nursery pigs. DA - 2021/3/1/ PY - 2021/3/1/ DO - 10.5713/ab.21.0010 VL - 34 IS - 3 SP - 338-344 J2 - Anim Biosci LA - en OP - SN - 2765-0189 2765-0235 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5713/ab.21.0010 DB - Crossref KW - Inflammation KW - Intestinal Health KW - Microbiota KW - Nutritional Strategies KW - Nursery Pigs KW - Oxidative Stress ER - TY - JOUR TI - Mycotoxin Occurrence, Toxicity, and Detoxifying Agents in Pig Production with an Emphasis on Deoxynivalenol AU - Holanda, Debora Muratori AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Toxins AB - This review aimed to investigate the occurrence of mycotoxins, their toxic effects, and the detoxifying agents discussed in scientific publications that are related to pig production. Mycotoxins that are of major interest are aflatoxins and Fusarium toxins, such as deoxynivalenol and fumonisins, because of their elevated frequency at a global scale and high occurrence in corn, which is the main feedstuff in pig diets. The toxic effects of aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, and fumonisins include immune modulation, disruption of intestinal barrier function, and cytotoxicity leading to cell death, which all result in impaired pig performance. Feed additives, such as mycotoxin-detoxifying agents, that are currently available often combine organic and inorganic sources to enhance their adsorbability, immune stimulation, or ability to render mycotoxins less toxic. In summary, mycotoxins present challenges to pig production globally because of their increasing occurrences in recent years and their toxic effects impairing the health and growth of pigs. Effective mycotoxin-detoxifying agents must be used to boost pig health and performance and to improve the sustainable use of crops. DA - 2021/2/23/ PY - 2021/2/23/ DO - 10.3390/toxins13020171 VL - 13 IS - 2 SP - 171 J2 - Toxins LA - en OP - SN - 2072-6651 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxins13020171 DB - Crossref KW - aflatoxin KW - deoxynivalenol KW - mycotoxin detoxification KW - fumonisin KW - mycotoxin frequency KW - mycotoxin toxicity KW - pig ER - TY - JOUR TI - Intestinal Health of Pigs Upon Weaning: Challenges and Nutritional Intervention AU - Zheng, Lan AU - Duarte, Marcos Elias AU - Sevarolli Loftus, Ana AU - Kim, Sung Woo T2 - Frontiers in Veterinary Science AB - The primary goal of nursery pig management is making a smooth weaning transition to minimize weaning associated depressed growth and diseases. Weaning causes morphological and functional changes of the small intestine of pigs, where most of the nutrients are being digested and absorbed. While various stressors induce post-weaning growth depression, the abrupt change from milk to solid feed is one of the most apparent challenges to pigs. Feeding functional feed additives may be viable solutions to promote the growth of nursery pigs by enhancing nutrient digestion, intestinal morphology, immune status, and by restoring intestinal balance. The aim of this review was to provide available scientific information on the roles of functional feed additives in enhancing intestinal health and growth during nursery phase. Among many potential functional feed additives, the palatability of the ingredient and the optimum supplemental level are varied, and these should be considered when applying into nursery pig diets. Considering different stressors pigs deal with in the post-weaning period, research on nutritional intervention using a single feed additive or a combination of different additives that can enhance feed intake, increase weight gain, and reduce mortality and morbidity are needed to provide viable solutions for pig producers. Further research in relation to the feed palatability, supplemental level, as well as interactions between different ingredients are needed. DA - 2021/2/12/ PY - 2021/2/12/ DO - 10.3389/fvets.2021.628258 VL - 8 SP - J2 - Front. Vet. Sci. OP - SN - 2297-1769 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.628258 DB - Crossref KW - feed additives KW - intestinal health KW - newly weaned pigs KW - nutritional intervention KW - weaning stress ER - TY - JOUR TI - Expression Signatures of microRNAs and Their Targeted Pathways in the Adipose Tissue of Chickens during the Transition from Embryonic to Post-Hatch Development AU - Hicks, Julie A. AU - Liu, Hsiao-Ching T2 - GENES AB - As the chick transitions from embryonic to post-hatching life, its metabolism must quickly undergo a dramatic switch in its major energy source. The chick embryo derives most of its energy from the yolk, a lipid-rich/carbohydrate-poor source. Upon hatching, the chick’s metabolism must then be able to utilize a lipid-poor/carbohydrate-rich source (feed) as its main form of energy. We recently found that a number of hepatically-expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) help facilitate this shift in metabolic processes in the chick liver, the main site of lipogenesis. While adipose tissue was initially thought to mainly serve as a lipid storage site, it is now known to carry many metabolic, endocrine, and immunological functions. Therefore, it would be expected that adipose tissue is also an important factor in the metabolic switch. To that end, we used next generation sequencing (NGS) and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to generate miRNome and transcriptome signatures of the adipose tissue during the transition from late embryonic to early post-hatch development. As adipose tissue is well known to produce inflammatory and other immune factors, we used SPF white leghorns to generate the initial miRNome and transcriptome signatures to minimize complications from external factors (e.g., pathogenic infections) and ensure the identification of bona fide switch-associated miRNAs and transcripts. We then examined their expression signatures in the adipose tissue of broilers (Ross 708). Using E18 embryos as representative of pre-switching metabolism and D3 chicks as a representative of post-switching metabolism, we identified a group of miRNAs which work concordantly to regulate a diverse but interconnected group of developmental, immune and metabolic processes in the adipose tissue during the metabolic switch. Network mapping suggests that during the first days post-hatch, despite the consumption of feed, the chick is still heavily reliant upon adipose tissue lipid stores for energy production, and is not yet efficiently using their new energy source for de novo lipid storage. A number of core master regulatory pathways including, circadian rhythm transcriptional regulation and growth hormone (GH) signaling, likely work in concert with miRNAs to maintain an essential balance between adipogenic, lipolytic, developmental, and immunological processes in the adipose tissue during the metabolic switch. DA - 2021/2// PY - 2021/2// DO - 10.3390/genes12020196 VL - 12 IS - 2 SP - SN - 2073-4425 KW - chicken KW - development KW - adipose tissue KW - microRNA ER - TY - JOUR TI - Genetic Parameters for Tolerance to Heat Stress in Crossbred Swine Carcass Traits AU - Usala, Maria AU - Macciotta, Nicolo Pietro Paolo AU - Bergamaschi, Matteo AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Fix, Justin AU - Schwab, Clint AU - Shull, Caleb AU - Tiezzi, Francesco T2 - FRONTIERS IN GENETICS AB - Data for loin and backfat depth, as well as carcass growth of 126,051 three-way crossbred pigs raised between 2015 and 2019, were combined with climate records of air temperature, relative humidity, and temperature–humidity index. Environmental covariates with the largest impact on the studied traits were incorporated in a random regression model that also included genomic information. Genetic control of tolerance to heat stress and the presence of genotype by environment interaction were detected. Its magnitude was more substantial for loin depth and carcass growth, but all the traits studied showed a different impact of heat stress and different magnitude of genotype by environment interaction. For backfat depth, heritability was larger under comfortable conditions (no heat stress), as compared to heat stress conditions. Genetic correlations between extreme values of environmental conditions were lower (∼0.5 to negative) for growth and loin depth. Based on the solutions obtained from the model, sires were ranked on their breeding value for general performance and tolerance to heat stress. Antagonism between overall performance and tolerance to heat stress was moderate. Still, the models tested can provide valuable information to identify genetic material that is resilient and can perform equally when environmental conditions change. Overall, the results obtained from this study suggest the existence of genotype by environment interaction for carcass traits, as a possible genetic contributor to heat tolerance in swine. DA - 2021/2/4/ PY - 2021/2/4/ DO - 10.3389/fgene.2020.612815 VL - 11 SP - SN - 1664-8021 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85101217596&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - heat stress KW - fat and muscle growth KW - genotype by environment interaction KW - heritability KW - single-step genomic BLUP ER - TY - JOUR TI - Outcomes and prognostic indicators in 59 paraplegic medium to large breed dogs with extensive epidural hemorrhage secondary to thoracolumbar disc extrusion AU - Woelfel, Christian W. AU - Robertson, James B. AU - Mariani, Chris L. AU - Munana, Karen R. AU - Early, Peter J. AU - Olby, Natasha J. T2 - VETERINARY SURGERY AB - Abstract Objective To evaluate outcomes and prognostic factors after decompressive hemilaminectomy in paraplegic medium to large breed dogs with extensive epidural hemorrhage (DEEH) and thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion (TL‐IVDE). Study design Retrospective, cohort, descriptive study. Animals Fifty‐nine client‐owned dogs. Methods Medical records and advanced imaging were reviewed for paraplegic dogs with DEEH. Ambulatory status 6 months after surgery and postoperative complications were recorded. Multiple logistic regression models were constructed to explore prognostic factors. Results Records of 22 dogs with and 37 dogs without pelvic limb pain perception at presentation were included. Median age of dogs was 5 years (interquartile range, 4‐7), and mean weight was 26.9 kg (SD, ±9.71). Labradors and Labrador mixes were most common (17/59 [28.8%]). Recovery of ambulation occurred in 17 of 22 (77.3%) dogs with and in 14 of 37 (37.8%) dogs without pain perception prior to surgery. Progressive myelomalacia was recorded in three of 59 (5.1%) dogs, one with pain perception and two without pain perception at presentation. Postoperative complications (14/59 [23.7%]) were common. Factors independently associated with outcome included clinical severity (odds ratio [OR] 0.179, P = .005), number of vertebrae with signal interruption in half Fourier single‐shot turbo spin‐echo sequences (HASTEi; OR, 0.738; P = .035), and ratio of vertebral sites decompressed to HASTEi (OR, 53.79; P = .03). Conclusion Paraplegic medium to large breed dogs with DEEH have a less favorable outcome after surgical decompression than paraplegic dogs with TL‐IVDE. Clinical significance Dogs with DEEH can have severe postoperative complications. Loss of pain perception and increased HASTEi are associated with a poor outcome, while more extensive decompression improves outcome. DA - 2021/4// PY - 2021/4// DO - 10.1111/vsu.13592 VL - 50 IS - 3 SP - 527-536 SN - 1532-950X ER - TY - JOUR TI - Influence of weaning strategy on behavior, humoral indicators of stress, growth, and carcass characteristics AU - Freeman, S. AU - Poore, M. AU - Pickworth, C. AU - Alley, M. T2 - Translational Animal Science AB - Abstract Weaning is one of the most stressful events a calf experiences in our current beef production system. Its effects may include reduced feed intake, increased activity, slower growth, and increased susceptibility to disease. This study was designed to evaluate weaning after a 7-d placement of nose flaps at 7 mo (N, n = 40) and delaying weaning by 49 d relative to 7-mo weaning (D, n = 39) as alternatives to the industry standard; abrupt weaning at 7 mo of age (A, n = 39). The 4-yr trial utilized Angus and Angus X Senepol steer calves. Calves were randomly assigned to weaning strategy after being stratified by dam parity (heifer/cow), hair coat phenotype (normal/slick), and body weight. Behavioral observations were made on five steers per strategy group per year over the weeks surrounding weaning. Activity levels were determined by accelerometers worn on neck collars. Blood samples were obtained from the observed cattle during the last 2 yr to determine haptoglobin and cortisol concentration. Once weaned, the steers were followed through finishing and carcass characteristics obtained at harvest. Twelve of 38 steers in the N group had sores in their nostrils from the nose flaps when the flaps were removed at weaning of A/N (237 ± 3 d of age). The A and D calves were more active than N calves in the first 2 to 3 d after weaning but settled down to similar activity levels to N by the day 4. The A and D groups were more vocal than N during the same time frame. Cortisol and haptoglobin remained within normal reference ranges. Average daily body weight gain (ADG) was greater for D than A, who in turn had greater ADG than N during the first 42 d after A and N calves were weaned (0.69, 0.54, and 0.37 kg/d for D, A, and N, respectively; P &lt; 0.01). All treatment groups graded Low Choice at harvest and exhibited similar efficiency of gain during growth and finishing (P &gt; 0.2). Based on ADG during the 42 d after weaning, we recommend delaying weaning when available pasture and cow body condition support this strategy. When conditions do not permit delayed weaning, abrupt weaning may be the next viable option based on animal welfare concerns and increased handling to place and remove the flaps. Nose flaps reduced vocalization at weaning but resulted in less postweaning ADG. Based on our data, we suggest that abrupt weaning under the conditions of this study, is less stressful than we perceive it to be, based on calf behavior. DA - 2021/1// PY - 2021/1// DO - 10.1093/tas/txaa231 VL - 5 IS - 1 SP - txaa231 SN - 2573-2102 KW - activity KW - behavior KW - carcass characteristics KW - hormones KW - weaning strategy ER - TY - JOUR TI - Nutritive value of fall-stockpiled tall fescue pastures on southeastern US farms AU - Franzluebbers, Alan J. AU - Poore, Matt H. T2 - AGRONOMY JOURNAL AB - Abstract Stockpiling of tall fescue [ Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.] may be a useful strategy to avoid fescue toxicosis in autumn and to reduce winter hay feeding costs of beef cattle grazing systems. Typical recommendations are to fertilize with N prior to fall growth. However, little information is available on how soil and pasture conditions affect forage nutritive value responses to fall fertilization. We analyzed the nutritive value of fall‐stockpiled forage in response to N fertilization on 92 fields in North Carolina and neighboring states from 2015 to 2018. We hypothesized that inherent soil nutrient cycling might minimize the need for exogenous N fertilizer inputs. Increasing N fertilization led to (a) greater crude protein, macronutrient concentrations (i.e., K, Ca, and P), and relative feed value and (b) lower acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and lignin. However, changes were small, and effects were modified by surface soil properties. For example, crude protein increased from an average of 114 g kg –1 without N fertilization to 131 g kg –1 with 100 kg N ha –1 , but this significant N fertilization effect diminished with increasing total organic C and inorganic N of a field. Small changes in nutritive value may have been a consequence of trials conducted on well‐managed farms with relatively high soil‐test biological activity and net N mineralization potential. Therefore, a single recommendation for fall N fertilization may not always be appropriate for enhancing nutritive value. Stockpiled tall fescue had sufficient nutritive value for pregnant cows, and N fertilization may not always be necessary. DA - 2021/1// PY - 2021/1// DO - 10.1002/agj2.20517 VL - 113 IS - 1 SP - 610-622 SN - 1435-0645 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Soil nutrient distribution on cattle farms in three physiographic regions of North Carolina AU - Franzluebbers, Alan J. AU - Poore, Matt H. AU - Freeman, Sharon R. AU - Rogers, Johnny R. T2 - AGRONOMY JOURNAL AB - Abstract Beef cattle production systems are sometimes considered a source of nutrient enrichment due to alteration of botanical composition and excretion of nutrients in isolated zones of pastures. However, research on environmental effects from livestock grazing in the eastern United States has been scant. We conducted an intensive soil sampling campaign on six private farms in three physiographic regions of North Carolina to determine the impacts of landscape features, pasture management, and animal behavior on a suite of soil nutrients. Total and particulate organic C and soil‐test biological activity (STBA) increased with increasing elevation due to edaphic and climate factors. Within farms, fields with different management illustrated that: (a) swine and poultry manure application can favorably enrich soil with infrequent application, but lead to excessive soil‐test P and K with repeated application; (b) positive impacts on total and particulate organic C and STBA occur with grazed perennial forages compared with annual forages and previous cropping; and (c) enrichment of total and particulate organic C and STBA occurs with winter hay feeding, but excessive nutrient accumulation can occur if fed in the same location repeatedly. Aggregated enrichment of soil organic C, STBA, and soil‐test P and K occurred on 30% of fields near drinking water tanks, shade sources, gates, and hay feeding stations. Improved grazing management with rotational stocking and more year‐round grazing helped to minimize occurrence and magnitude of nutrient enrichment zones. We conclude that improved grazing management systems can have positive impacts on the environment, and likely on farm livelihoods. DA - 2021/1// PY - 2021/1// DO - 10.1002/agj2.20508 VL - 113 IS - 1 SP - 590-609 SN - 1435-0645 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Piecewise modeling of the associations between dry period length and milk, fat, and protein yield changes in the subsequent lactation AU - Pattamanont, P. AU - Marcondes, M. AU - Clay, J. S. AU - Bach, A. AU - De Vries, A. T2 - JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE AB - Our objective was to develop predictive models of 305-d mature-equivalent milk, fat, and protein yields in the subsequent lactation as continuous functions of the number of days dry (DD) in the current lactation. In this retrospective cohort study with field data, we obtained DHIA milk recording lactation records with the last DD in 2014 or 2015. Cows included had DD from 21 to 100 d. After editing, 1,030,141 records from cows in 7,044 herds remained. Three parity groups of adjacent (current, subsequent) lactations were constructed. We conducted all analyses by parity group and yield component. We first applied control models to pre-adjust the yields in the subsequent lactation for potentially confounding effects. Control models included the covariates mature-equivalent yield, days open, somatic cell score at 180 d pregnant, daily yield at 180 d pregnant, and a herd-season random effect, all observed in the current lactation. Days dry was not included. Second, we modeled residuals from control models with smooth piecewise regression models consisting of a simple linear, quadratic, and another simple linear equation depending on DD. Yield deviations were calculated as differences from predicted mature-equivalent yield at 50 DD. For validation, predictions of yield deviations from piecewise models by DD were compared with predictions from local regression for the DHIA field records and yield deviations reported in 38 experimental and field studies found in the literature. Control models reduced the average root mean squared prediction error by approximately 21%. Yield deviations were increasingly more negative for DD shorter than 50 d, indicating lower yields in the subsequent lactation. For short DD, the decrease in 305-d mature-equivalent milk yield ranged from 43 to 53 kg per DD. For mature-equivalent fat and protein yields, decreases were between 1.28 and 1.71 kg per DD, and 1.06 and 1.50 kg per DD, respectively. Yield deviations often were marginally positive and increasing for DD >50, so that the highest yield in the subsequent lactation was predicted for 100 DD. For long DD, the 305-d mature-equivalent milk yield increased at most 4.18 kg per DD. Patterns in deviations for fat and protein yield were similar to those for milk yield deviations. Predictions from piecewise models and local regressions were very similar, which supports the chosen functional form of the piecewise models. Yield deviations from field studies in the literature typically were decreasing when DD were longer, likely because of insufficient control for confounding effects. In conclusion, piecewise models of mature-equivalent milk, fat, and protein yield deviations as continuous functions of DD fit the observed data well and may be useful for decision support on the optimal dry period length for individual cows. DA - 2021/1// PY - 2021/1// DO - 10.3168/jds.2020-18363 VL - 104 IS - 1 SP - 486-500 SN - 1525-3198 UR - https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18363 KW - dry period KW - segmented KW - model KW - prediction ER - TY - JOUR TI - Gut microbiome mediates host genomic effects on phenotypes: a case study with fat deposition in pigs AU - Tiezzi, Francesco AU - Fix, Justin AU - Schwab, Clint AU - Shull, Caleb AU - Maltecca, Christian T2 - COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL AB - A large number of studies have highlighted the importance of gut microbiome composition in shaping fat deposition in mammals. Several studies have also highlighted how host genome controls the abundance of certain species that make up the gut microbiota. We propose a systematic approach to infer how the host genome can control the gut microbiome, which in turn contributes to the host phenotype determination. We implemented a mediation test that can be applied to measured and latent dependent variables to describe fat deposition in swine (Sus scrofa). In this study, we identify several host genomic features having a microbiome-mediated effects on fat deposition. This demonstrates how the host genome can affect the phenotypic trait by inducing a change in gut microbiome composition that leads to a change in the phenotype. Host genomic variants identified through our analysis are different than the ones detected in a traditional genome-wide association study. In addition, the use of latent dependent variables allows for the discovery of additional host genomic features that do not show a significant effect on the measured variables. Microbiome-mediated host genomic effects can help understand the genetic determination of fat deposition. Since their contribution to the overall genetic variance is usually not included in association studies, they can contribute to filling the missing heritability gap and provide further insights into the host genome – gut microbiome interplay. Further studies should focus on the portability of these effects to other populations as well as their preservation when pro-/pre-/anti-biotics are used (i.e. remediation). DA - 2021/// PY - 2021/// DO - 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.12.038 VL - 19 SP - 530-544 SN - 2001-0370 UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85098984285&partnerID=MN8TOARS KW - Causal effect KW - Gut microbiome KW - Fat deposition KW - Latent variables ER - TY - JOUR TI - Continuous rate infusion of midazolam as emergent treatment for seizures in dogs AU - Bray, Kathryn Y. AU - Mariani, Christopher L. AU - Early, Peter J. AU - Muñana, Karen R. AU - Olby, Natasha J. T2 - Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine AB - Midazolam delivered by continuous rate infusion (CRI) might be effective in dogs with cluster seizures (CS) or status epilepticus (SE).To describe the use and safety of midazolam CRI in dogs with CS or SE.One-hundred six client-owned dogs presenting to a veterinary teaching hospital with CS or SE.Retrospective review of medical records for dogs with CS or SE treated with a midazolam CRI.Seventy-nine dogs presented with CS and 27 dogs had SE. Seizure control was achieved in 82/106 dogs (77.4%) receiving a midazolam CRI. The median dose associated with seizure control was 0.3 mg/kg/h (range, 0.1-2.5 mg/kg/h). The median duration of CRI was 25 hours (range, 2-96 hours). Seizures were controlled in 34/40 dogs (85%) with idiopathic epilepsy, 32/43 dogs (74%) with structural epilepsy, 12/16 dogs (75%) with unknown epilepsy, and 4/7 dogs (57%) with reactive seizures (P = .20). Seizure control was achieved in 81% of dogs with CS and 67% in dogs with SE (P = .18). Dogs with idiopathic/unknown epilepsy were more likely to survive than those with structural epilepsy (87% vs 63%, P = .009). Adverse effects were reported in 24 dogs (22.6%) and were mild in all cases.Midazolam CRI is apparently safe and might be an effective treatment in dogs with CS or SE. DA - 2021/1// PY - 2021/1// DO - 10.1111/jvim.15993 UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15993 KW - acute repetitive seizures KW - anticonvulsant KW - benzodiazepine KW - canine KW - cluster seizures KW - epilepsy KW - status epilepticus ER - TY - JOUR TI - Fibre supplementation to pre-weaning piglet diets did not improve the resilience towards a post-weaning enterotoxigenic E. coli challenge AU - Hees, Hubert AU - Maes, Dominiek AU - Millet, Sam AU - Hartog, Leo AU - Kempen, Theo AU - Janssens, Geert T2 - JOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND ANIMAL NUTRITION AB - Dietary fibre (DF) is implicated in gastrointestinal health of weaned piglets, either through its physiochemical properties, through modulation of gut microbiota and (or) improved gut integrity. We aimed to study the effect of DF enriched supplemental diets fed to suckling piglets ('creep feed') on health and performance after weaning when challenged with an enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). Seventy-two piglets originating from 28 litters had been fed four creep diets, that is a low-fibre control (CON); a diet containing 2% long-chain arabinoxylans from wheat (lc-AXOS) or 5% purified cellulose (CELL) or a diet containing the high fermentable and the low-fermentable fibre source (i.e. 2% lc-AXOS and 5% CELL). Upon weaning, piglets were individually housed and all fed the same diet. On days 7, 8 and 9, animals received an oral dose of ETEC (5 ml containing 107 to 108 CFU/ml). Besides growth performance, faecal and skin scores were recorded daily. Gut permeability was assessed by urinary excretion of Co-EDTA prior and post-ETEC challenge. Repeated measures in time were statistically evaluated with generalized linear mixed models. We used a binominal distribution for evaluating the faecal and skin scores. Feed intake and body weight gain did not differ between treatments (p > .05). Piglets on CELL decreased gain:feed ratio in week 2 + 3 week compared to CON (p = .035). Prior to ETEC challenge, gut permeability tended to increase for lc-AXOS (p = .092). Moreover, lc-AXOS as main effect increased intestinal permeability before ETEC challenge (p = .013), whereas the low-fermentable fibre lead to elevated intestinal permeability after ETEC challenge (p = .014). The incidence of diarrhoea was higher for lc-AXOS + CELL compared with lc-AXOS (p = .036), while skin condition was unaffected. In conclusion, neither the high fermentable nor the low-fermentable fibre source improved post-weaning growth or gastrointestinal health of the piglets. DA - 2021/3// PY - 2021/3// DO - 10.1111/jpn.13475 VL - 105 IS - 2 SP - 260-271 SN - 1439-0396 KW - dietary fibre KW - ETEC KW - fermentability KW - intestinal permeability KW - weaned piglets ER - TY - JOUR TI - Increasing browse and social complexity can improve zoo elephant welfare AU - Lasky, Monica AU - Campbell, Jennifer AU - Osborne, Jason A. AU - Ivory, Erin L. AU - Lasky, Jacob AU - Kendall, Corinne J. T2 - ZOO BIOLOGY AB - Abstract While recent work has assessed how environmental and managerial changes influence elephant welfare across multiple zoos, few studies have addressed the effects of management changes within a single institution. In this paper, we examine how management changes related to social structure and diet affect the behavior of a group of zoo elephants over a 23‐month period while also considering underlying factors, such as time of day, hormonal cycle, and individual differences. We recorded individual behaviors using 2‐min scan samples during 60‐min sessions. We analyzed behavioral changes across several study variables using generalized linear mixed models. We found that increasing browse can improve opportunities for foraging throughout the day but may not be sufficient to reduce repetitive behaviors. We observed that increasing group size and integration of bulls with cows can lead to increased social interaction in African elephants. Our results highlight the importance of using multiple management alterations to address elephant welfare, and considering environmental factors, when making management decisions. DA - 2021/1// PY - 2021/1// DO - 10.1002/zoo.21575 VL - 40 IS - 1 SP - 9-19 SN - 1098-2361 KW - behavior KW - diet KW - ex situ KW - Loxodonta africana KW - management KW - social ER - TY - JOUR TI - Microbiability of meat quality and carcass composition traits in swine AU - Khanal, Piush AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Schwab, Clint AU - Fix, Justin AU - Tiezzi, Francesco T2 - Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics AB - Abstract The impact of gut microbiome composition was investigated at different stages of production (weaning, Mid‐test and Off‐test) on meat quality and carcass composition traits of 1,123 three‐way crossbred pigs. Data were analysed using linear mixed models which included the fixed effects of dam line, contemporary group and gender as well as the random effects of pen, animal and microbiome information at different stages. The contribution of the microbiome to all traits was prominent although it varied over time, increasing from weaning to Off‐test for most traits. Microbiability estimates of carcass composition traits were greater than that of meat quality traits. Among all of the traits analysed, belly weight (BEL) had a higher microbiability estimate (0.29 ± 0.04). Adding microbiome information did not affect the estimates of genomic heritability of meat quality traits but affected the estimates of carcass composition traits. Fat depth had a greater decrease (10%) in genomic heritability at Off‐test. High microbial correlations were found among different traits, particularly with traits related to fat deposition with a decrease in the genomic correlation up to 20% for loin weight and BEL. This suggested that genomic correlation was partially contributed by genetic similarity of microbiome composition. The results indicated that better understanding of microbial composition could aid the improvement of complex traits, particularly the carcass composition traits in swine by inclusion of microbiome information in the genetic evaluation process. DA - 2021/3// PY - 2021/3// DO - 10.1111/jbg.12504 VL - 138 IS - 2 SP - 223-236 UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.12504 KW - heritability KW - meat quality and carcass composition traits KW - microbiability KW - microbial diversity KW - microbiome ER - TY - JOUR TI - Evidence for recombination variability in purebred swine populations AU - Lozada‐Soto, Emmanuel A. AU - Maltecca, Christian AU - Wackel, Hanna AU - Flowers, William AU - Gray, Kent AU - He, Yuqing AU - Huang, Yijian AU - Jiang, Jicai AU - Tiezzi, Francesco T2 - Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics AB - Abstract This study aimed to investigate interpopulation variation due to sex, breed and age, and the intrapopulation variation in the form of genetic variance for recombination in swine. Genome‐wide recombination rate and recombination occurrences (RO) were traits studied in Landrace (LR) and Large White (LW) male and female populations. Differences were found for sex, breed, sex‐breed interaction, and age effects for genome‐wide recombination rate and RO at one or more chromosomes. Dams were found to have a higher genome‐wide recombination rate and RO at all chromosomes than sires. LW animals had higher genome‐wide recombination rate and RO at seven chromosomes but lower at two chromosomes than LR individuals. The sex‐breed interaction effect did not show any pattern not already observable by sex. Recombination increased with increasing parity in females, while in males no effect of age was observed. We estimated heritabilities and repeatabilities for both investigated traits and obtained the genetic correlation between male and female genome‐wide recombination rate within each of the two breeds studied. Estimates of heritability and repeatability were low ( h 2 = 0.01–0.26; r = 0.18–0.42) for both traits in all populations. Genetic correlations were high and positive, with estimates of 0.98 and 0.94 for the LR and LW breeds, respectively. We performed a GWAS for genome‐wide recombination rate independently in the four sex/breed populations. The results of the GWAS were inconsistent across the four populations with different significant genomic regions identified. The results of this study provide evidence of variability for recombination in purebred swine populations. DA - 2021/3// PY - 2021/3// DO - 10.1111/jbg.12510 VL - 138 IS - 2 SP - 259-273 UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.12510 KW - genetic variance KW - recombination rate KW - selection KW - swine ER -