Evaluation of bull fertility in Italian Brown Swiss dairy cattle using cow field data

Dairy bull fertility is traditionally evaluated using semen production and quality traits; however, these attributes explain only part of the differences observed in fertility among bulls. Alternatively, bull fertility can be directly evaluated using cow field data. The main objective of this study was to investigate bull fertility in the Italian Brown Swiss dairy cattle population using confirmed pregnancy records. The data set included a total of 397,926 breeding records from 1,228 bulls and 129,858 lactating cows between first and fifth lactation from 2000 to 2019. We first evaluated cow pregnancy success, including factors related to the bull under evaluation, such as bull age, bull inbreeding, and AI organization, and factors associated with the cow that receives the dose of semen, including herd-year-season, cow age, parity, and milk yield. We then estimated sire conception rate using only factors related to the bull. Model predictive ability was evaluated using 10-fold cross-validation with 10 replicates. Interestingly, our analyses revealed that there is a substantial variation in conception rate among Brown Swiss bulls, with more than 20% conception rate difference between high-fertility and low-fertility bulls. We also showed that the prediction of bull fertility is feasible as our cross-validation analyses achieved predictive correlations equal to 0.30 for sire conception rate. Improving reproduction performance is one of the major challenges of the dairy industry worldwide, and for this, it is essential to have accurate predictions of service sire fertility. This study represents the foundation for the development of novel tools that will allow dairy producers, breeders, and artificial insemination companies to make enhanced management and selection decisions on Brown Swiss male fertility.     

Capsiate Intake with Exercise Training Additively Reduces Fat Deposition in Mice on a High-Fat Diet,but Not without Exercise Training

While exercise training (ET) is an efficient strategy to manage obesity, it is recommended with a dietary plan to maximize the antiobesity functions owing to a compensational increase in energy intake. Capsiate is a notable bioactive compound for managing obesity owing to its capacity to increase energy expenditure. We aimed to examine whether the antiobesity effects of ET can be further enhanced by capsiate intake (CI) and determine its effects on resting energy expenditure and metabolic molecules. Mice were randomly divided into four groups (n = 8 per group) and fed high-fat diet. Mild-intensity treadmill ET was conducted five times/week; capsiate (10 mg/kg) was orally administered daily. After 8 weeks, resting metabolic rate and metabolic molecules were analyzed. ET with CI additively reduced the abdominal fat rate by 18% and solely upregulated beta-3-adrenoceptors in adipose tissue (p = 0.013) but did not affect the metabolic molecules in skeletal muscles. Surprisingly, CI without ET significantly increased the abdominal fat rate (p = 0.001) and reduced energy expenditure by 9%. Therefore, capsiate could be a candidate compound for maximizing the antiobesity effects of ET by upregulating beta-3-adrenoceptors in adipose tissue, but CI without ET may not be beneficial in managing obesity.     

The role of marine omega-3 in human neurodevelopment,including Autism Spectrum Disorders and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – a review

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are two increasingly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders. This rise may be associated with a higher dietary intake of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and lower of n-3 PUFAs. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a key nutritional n-3 PUFA, is crucial for an optimal offspring’s neurodevelopment through the last trimester of pregnancy. Recently, lower DHA levels have been reported in children with ASD and ADHD. The present review summarizes the main research achievements concerning the effect of DHA in children neurodevelopment, in order to elicit its role in the prevention and mitigation of ASD and ADHD. As main finding, a low DHA supply seems to negatively affect childhood neurodevelopment in specific conditions and increase the risk and the severity of ASD or ADHD. Higher DHA status at birth was associated with better childhood neurodevelopmental, but controversial results found in prenatal supplementation raised the hypothesis that the benefits of DHA may be influenced by other factors as socio-economic background and life-style. In conclusion, an optimal DHA provision through maternal diet or breastfeed may promote some neuronal protection in specific offspring’s populations, suggesting that DHA may act as a modifiable risk factor for ASD and ADHD.     

Dietary Supplementation of Tetracarpidium conophorum (African Walnut) Seed Enhances Muscle n‐3 Fatty Acids in Broiler Chickens

The influence of dietary Tetracarpidium conophorum (African Walnut) seed meal (TCSM) on fatty acids, productivity parameters, and physicochemical properties of breast and thigh muscles in broiler chickens are assessed. A total of 180, 28‐d‐old Arbor acre broiler chickens are randomly assigned to dietary treatments containing 0% (control), 2.5%, and 5% w/w TCSM, fed for 28 d, and euthanized. Dietary TCSM reduces (p < 0.05) feed intake, body weight gain (BWG), carcass weight, and abdominal fat. Diet does not affect feed efficiency and hematological parameters. The control birds have higher (p < 0.05) serum total cholesterol and triglycerides than do the supplemented birds. Diet has no effect on pH, water holding capacity, carbonyl and malondialdehyde contents, and organoleptic properties of breast and thigh muscles. The 5% TCSM has higher redness in breast muscle than do other treatments. Dietary TCSM improves (p < 0.05) the concentration of C18:3n‐3 (4.80–8.76% vs 1.56%), C20:5n‐3 (0.54–0.79% vs 0.39%), C22:5n‐3 (0.64–0.89% vs 0.18%), and C22:6n‐3 (0.75–0.97% vs 0.19%), and reduces (p <  0.05) the fat content (2.15–2.45% vs 3.15%) in breast and thigh muscles. Dietary TCSM enhances muscle n‐3 fatty acids without instigating oxidative deterioration, but reduces BWG in broiler chickens. Practical Application: Albeit that broiler meat is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), its omega 6 (n‐6)/omega 3 (n‐3) is >4. Elevated n‐6/n‐3 could have adverse effect on human physiology thereby promoting the pathogenesis of certain diseases. This heightens the need to enhance the n‐3 PUFA content of broiler meat. Dietary TCSM induced up to a fourfold increase in n‐3 PUFA content of the breast and thigh muscles in broiler chickens. Moreover, dietary TCSM induced up to a tenfold decrease in the n‐6/n‐3 of the breast and thigh muscles in broiler chickens. This finding assumes great significance because the health concerns regarding dietary fat are the foremost factors responsible for the bad image suffered by meat. These results provide insights on the potential of TCSM to improve the nutritional quality without compromising the oxidative shelf life, organoleptic traits, and physicochemical properties of broiler meat.     

Pregnancy by Assisted Reproductive Technology Is Associated with Shorter Telomere Length in Neonates

Telomere length (TL) influences the development of lifestyle-related diseases, and neonatal TL may influence their prevalence. Various factors have been reported to affect neonatal TL. Although the fetus is exposed to multiple conditions in utero, the main factors affecting the shortening of neonatal TL are still not known. In this study, we sought to identify factors that influence fetal TL. A total of 578 mother-newborn pairs were included for TL analysis. TL was measured in genomic DNA extracted from cord blood samples using quantitative PCR. The clinical factors examined at enrollment included the following intrauterine environmental factors: maternal age, assisted reproductive technology (ART) used, body mass index (BMI), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), maternal stress, smoking, alcohol consumption, preterm delivery, small-for-gestational-age, neonatal sex, and placental weight. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to verify the relationship between neonatal TL and these clinical factors. The median neonatal TL to single-copy gene ratio was 1.0. Pregnancy with ART was among the 11 factors associated with shorter neonatal TL. From multiple regression analysis, we determined that neonatal TL was significantly shorter for pregnancies in the ART group than in the other groups. We conclude that pregnancy with ART is associated with shorter neonatal TL.     

腹腔手术后重症患者心肌损伤的危险因素

目的探讨腹腔手术后重症患者心肌损伤的发生情况及可能的危险因素。方法回顾性分析北京大学人民医院2017年1月至2019年1月腹腔手术后重症患者的一般临床资料及心肌损伤情况,收集并观察基础病史、术中(手术时间、是否急诊手术、术中出血>800 ml和术中低血压等)及术后指标(改良氧合指数、血乳酸、急性肾损伤和术后24 h内使用升压药情况等)。根据术后是否发生心肌损伤,将患者分为心肌损伤组和非心肌损伤组,采用Logistic回归分析腹腔手术后重症患者心肌损伤的危险因素。结果在纳入的803例腹腔手术后重症患者中,心肌损伤发生率为17. 2%(138/803),而急性心肌梗死发生率仅为0. 9%(7/803)。单因素分析显示,慢性肾功能不全病史、手术时间、急诊手术、术中低血压、术后24 h内使用升压药、高APACHEⅡ评分及术后即刻急性肾损伤与术后重症患者心肌损伤相关(P<0. 05)。多因素回归分析显示,急诊手术(OR=3. 14,95%CI:1. 76～5. 60,P<0. 001)、术后24 h内使用升压药(OR=2. 26,95%CI:1. 23～4. 15,P=0. 008)、APACHEⅡ评分(OR=1. 05,95%CI:1. 01～1. 09,P=0. 008)和术后急性肾损伤(OR=3. 18,95%CI:1. 78～5. 69,P <0. 001)与腹腔手术后重症患者发生心肌损伤独立相关。结论重症患者腹腔手术后心肌损伤发生率高,急诊手术、术后24 h内使用升压药、高APACHEⅡ评分和术后急性肾损伤是导致腹腔手术后重症患者发生心肌损伤的独立危险因素。     

Adventitial Tertiary Lymphoid Organs as Potential Source of MicroRNA Biomarkers for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an inflammatory disease associated with marked changes in the cellular composition of the aortic wall. This study aims to identify microRNA (miRNA) expression in aneurysmal inflammatory cells isolated by laser microdissection from human tissue samples. The distribution of inflammatory cells (neutrophils, B and T lymphocytes, mast cells) was evaluated in human AAA biopsies. We observed in half of the samples that adventitial tertiary lymphoid organs (ATLOs) with a thickness from 0.5 to 2 mm were located exclusively in the adventitia. Out of the 850 miRNA that were screened by microarray in isolated ATLOs (n = 2), 164 miRNAs were detected in ATLOs. The three miRNAs (miR-15a-3p, miR-30a-5p and miR-489-3p) with the highest expression levels were chosen and their expression quantified by RT-PCR in isolated ATLOs (n = 4), M1 (n = 2) and M2 macrophages (n = 2) and entire aneurysmal biopsies (n = 3). Except for the miR-30a-5p, a similar modulation was found in ATLOs and the two subtypes of macrophages. The modulated miRNAs were then evaluated in the plasma of AAA patients for their potential as AAA biomarkers. Our data emphasize the potential of miR-15a-3p and miR-30a-5p as biomarkers of AAA but also as triggers of ATLO evolution. Further investigations will be required to evaluate their targets in order to better understand AAA pathophysiology.     

A randomized controlled trial on the effect of incomplete milking during the first 5 days in milk on reproductive performance of dairy cows

The main objective of the current study was to measure the effect of incomplete milking on luteal activity and on pregnancy hazard. We also aimed to study the effect of early-lactation hyperketonemia (i.e., β-hydroxybutyrate blood concentration ≥1.4 mmol/L during the first 3 wk in milk) on those reproductive outcomes. Multiparous Holstein cows (n = 853) from 13 commercial herds were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. Cows were assigned to a control or a treatment group, incompletely milked (10–14 L of milk collected/d) from 1 to 5 DIM. Blood samples were collected once a week during weeks in milk 1 to 3 for β-hydroxybutyrate blood concentration, and a threshold of 1.4 mmol/L was used to define hyperketonemia. During weeks in milk 5 and 7, cows were sampled for progesterone blood concentration, and a threshold of 1 ng/mL was used to define luteal activity. Reproductive information and culling dates were obtained through herd records. Logistic regression models and survival analyses were used to assess the effect of treatment on luteal activity and on pregnancy hazard, respectively. Analogous models were used to investigate the effect of early-lactation hyperketonemia on reproductive outcomes. The odds of luteal activity for incompletely milked cows were 1.1 (95% confidence interval: 0.72–1.7) times those of conventionally milked cows. The effect of treatment on pregnancy hazard varied as a function of time, parity, and start of the breeding period. In second-parity cows that started the breeding period <55 d in milk, the pregnancy hazard (95% confidence interval) in incompletely milked cows was 576.3 (240.0–1,383.7), 36.9 (18.9–72.1), 6.8 (3.3–13.8), 2.5 (1.0–5.9), and 0.13 (0.07–0.26) times that of conventionally milked cows at 1 to 21, 22 to 43, 44 to 65, 66 to 87, and >87 d after the voluntary waiting period, respectively. The treatment did not have an effect on pregnancy hazard in cows in third parity or greater or in those starting the breeding period ≥55 d in milk. Early-lactation hyperketonemia was not associated with any of the reproductive outcomes. In conclusion, the incomplete milking protocol had no effect on luteal activity and had a positive effect on pregnancy hazard in second-parity cows in herds with a short voluntary waiting period (<55 d). We did not observe an effect of early-lactation hyperketonemia on luteal activity or on pregnancy hazard.     

The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in the Interplay between a Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet and the Infant Gut Microbiota and Its Therapeutic Implications for Reducing Asthma

Gut microbiota is well known as playing a critical role in inflammation and asthma development. The very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) is suggested to affect gut microbiota; however, the effects of VLCKD during pregnancy and lactation on the infant gut microbiota are unclear. The VLCKD appears to be more effective than caloric/energy restriction diets for the treatment of several diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. However, whether adherence to VLCKD affects the infant gut microbiota and the protective effects thereof on asthma remains uncertain. The exact mechanisms underlying this process, and in particular the potential role of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), are still to be unravelled. Thus, the aim of this review is to identify the potential role of SCFAs that underlie the effects of VLCKD during pregnancy and lactation on the infant gut microbiota, and explore whether it incurs significant implications for reducing asthma.     

Quantifying the effects of mastitis on the reproductive performance of dairy cows: A meta-analysis

The objective of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to quantitatively characterize the effects of mastitis on the reproductive performance of dairy cows as well as to identify factors that interact with this relationship. A total of 29 publications were identified that contributed 24, 41, 27, 38, and 13 trial results to the meta-analysis of how mastitis is related to time to first service (TFS), days open (DO), services per conception (SPC), pregnancies per insemination at first service (FSP/AI) and pregnancy loss (PL), respectively. The meta-analyses were conducted using multilevel linear mixed-effects models. Overall, high levels of heterogeneity were present and meta-regression models only explained a small amount of heterogeneity. Results suggest that cows with mastitis pre-first insemination experience, on average, an additional 13.29 d to first service [95% confidence interval (CI): 6.64, 19.95] when compared with cows with no mastitis in the same time period. Moreover, in relation to cows with no mastitis in the same time period, 22.34 additional DO (95% CI: 12.89, 31.79) were estimated, on average, for cows with clinical mastitis at pre-insemination leading to conception. Additionally, 32.41 added DO (95% CI: 20.58, 44.25) were estimated, on average, for cows with clinical mastitis at pre- or post-insemination leading to conception compared with cows with no mastitis in the same time period. Finally, 20.03 additional DO (95% CI: 3.11, 36.95) were estimated, on average, for cows with subclinical mastitis pre- or post-insemination leading to conception compared with cows with no mastitis in the same time period. Effect size estimates from the meta-regression models for SPC, in relation to cows with no mastitis in the same time period, suggest that, on average, SPC increases by 0.46 inseminations (95% CI: 0.30, 0.62) for a cow experiencing mastitis pre-insemination leading to conception. When mastitis occurs either pre- or post-insemination leading to conception, SPC is expected to increase, on average, by 0.72 inseminations (95% CI: 0.48, 0.95) compared with cows with no mastitis in the same time period. The estimated effect sizes for FSP/AI suggest a risk ratio of conceiving at first insemination of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.82, 0.99) for cows with mastitis diagnosed pre-first insemination with respect to cows with no mastitis in the same time period, and a risk ratio of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.72, 0.86) for cows diagnosed with mastitis either pre- or post-first insemination with respect to cows with no mastitis in the same time period. Publication bias was identified in 4 of the meta-analysis models (TFS, DO, SPC, and FSCR), but no influential trials were identified in any models; the reliability of the meta-analysis results should be interpreted carefully keeping these limitations in mind. Further meta-regression analysis would be valuable as additional studies are published that report other potential sources of heterogeneity.