CON Animals Research Articles

Oral caffeine administered during late gestation increases gestation length and piglet temperature in naturally farrowing sows

Selection of sows for large litter size has adverse consequences including lesser and more variable birth weights, reduced piglet viability and greater peri- and post-natal piglet mortality. One approach to improve survival might be to feed caffeine to the sow, which improves piglet viability after induced farrowing, but has not been evaluated in sows which farrow naturally. Large White x Landrace sows were fed 0 (CON: n = 30) or 6 g/day caffeine (CAF: n = 34) with their daily feed from 3 days before expected parturition until farrowing. Numbers of piglets born alive and stillborn, as well as piglet vitality and meconium staining score were recorded at birth. Piglet rectal temperature was measured at 3 and 24 h and piglet survival was recorded through lactation. Compared with CON animals, sows of the CAF group had longer gestations (CON: 115.6 ± 0.3 days; CAF: 116.6 ± 0.3 days, P = 0.01) and piglets of CAF sows had greater rectal temperatures 3 h after birth (CON: 37.6 ± 0.2 °C, CAF 38.0 ± 0.2 °C, P<0.05). Although there was no difference in the stillborn numbers per litter fewer CAF sows delivered stillborn piglets when compared to CON sows (CON: 43.3%, CAF: 20.6%, P = 0.05). Piglet survival to day 18 of lactation was not altered by treatment (CON: 90.4 ± 3.2%, CAF: 92.0 ± 2.4%, P>0.05). The current data suggest that maternal supplementation with caffeine is a promising treatment to prevent premature farrowing and increase piglet temperature at birth, and may decrease the incidence of litters with stillborn piglets.

Resilience of three indigenous goat breeds to heat stress based on phenotypic traits and PBMC HSP70 expression.

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the influence of summer heat stress on physiological and behavioral responses of Osmanabadi, Salem Black, and Malabari goats. The study also evaluated the differences in heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression pattern between these breeds. The study was conducted over 45days during summer (April-May) using 36 1-year-old female goats by randomly allocating them into six groups with six animals in each group: Osmanabadi control (Osmanabadi CON), Osmanabadi heat stress (Osmanabadi HS), Malabari control (Malabari CON), Malabari heat stress (Malabari HS), Salem Black control (Salem Black CON), and Salem Black heat stress (Salem Black HS). The Osmanabadi CON, Malabari CON, and Salem Black CON animals were housed in a shed while the Osmanabadi HS, Malabari HS, and Salem Black HS groups were subjected to heat stress by exposing them to outside environment between 1000 and 1600h during the experimental period. All 36 animals were provided with ad libitum feed and water. The data generated were analyzed by general linear model (GLM) repeated measurement analysis of variance. Results indicated that the drinking frequency (DF) was higher (p < 0.01) in heat stress groups (12.58, 12.25, and 10.75 times for the Osmanabadi HS, Malabari HS, and Salem Black HS, respectively) as compared to their respective control groups (5.67, 6.25, 5.58 times for the Osmanabadi CON, Malabari CON, and Salem Black CON, respectively). Water intake (WI) also showed similar trend to DF. The urinating frequency also (UF) differed between breeds with lower value (p < 0.05) recorded in the Salem Black HS (1.5 times) compared to the Malabari HS (2.92 times). The highest (p < 0.05) rumination time (RuT) was recorded in the Malabari HS (48.00min) than both the Osmanabadi HS (20.91min) and Salem Black HS (23.67min). The heat stress increased (p < 0.05) all physiological variables at 1400h. The findings of this study suggest RR, RT, and PBMC HSP70 are reliable biological markers for evaluating thermo-tolerance capacity of indigenous goat breeds.

Altered regulation of Nur77 nuclear receptor gene expression in the mesocorticolimbic regions of rat brain by amphetamine sensitization

The mechanisms underlying psychostimulant drug-induced sensitization include long-term cellular and molecular adaptations in dopaminergic circuits. Nur77, a member of the Nur family of transcription factors, is expressed in brain regions receiving dopamine inputs and plays a role in activity-induced synaptic modification. Here we evaluated changes in Nur77 mRNA levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), dorsal striatum (Str) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats receiving a repeated, sensitizing regimen of amphetamine (AMPH). Results were compared to two groups of controls – animals receiving repeated injections of saline (Rp-SAL) or with no treatment (CON). Two weeks after the last injection, the effect of an acute challenge dose of AMPH on Nur77 expression was evaluated using in-situ hybridization. Repeated AMPH treatment (Rp-AMPH) increased the levels of Nur77 mRNA in the mPFC, NAc core and shell regions. However, the effects of an acute injection of AMPH in each of the three groups of animals was distinct. Whereas an acute AMPH led to a significant increase of Nur77 in all brain regions of the CON animals, it had no significant effect in Rp-SAL animals. Interestingly, in acute AMPH-injected Rp-AMPH animals, Nur77 mRNA levels in the mPFC, Str and NAc regions were significantly lower compared to CON and Rp-SAL animals treated with acute AMPH. There was a positive correlation between AMPH -induced locomotor activity and Nur77 mRNA expression in CON animals; however, this relationship was absent in Rp-SAL and Rp-AMPH animals. The data suggest that Nur77 is a part of neuroadaptive changes caused by either mild stress of repeated injections as well as AMPH-sensitization and may play a role in abnormal behaviors induced by the drug.

Alterations in Hepatic Protein Synthetic Signaling During the Progression of Cancer Cachexia

Cancer and its associated co‐morbidities remain a significant public health concern. Specifically, cancer‐associated muscle wasting (cancer cachexia) is a strong predictor of cancer‐associated mortality. Cachexia is thought to be partially mediated by increased energy expenditure, as the liver is the predominant regulator of whole body energy expenditure, it is plausible that alterations in liver physiology may contribute to cachexia. More so, liver hypertrophy is a common pathological hepatic manifestation of cachexia, which has been demonstrated to directly relate to energy expenditure. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying hepatic hypertrophy is critical for understanding hepatic pathologies of cachexia.PurposeTo examine alterations in hepatic protein synthetic pathways during the progression of cancer cachexia.MethodsC57BL/6J mice were injected with either phosphate buffered saline (CON) or 1×106 Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) cells in the hind flank. Cancer progressed for 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks, mice were then humanely euthanized, and livers collected for analysis (n=10–16/group). CON animals were age‐matched with 4 week animals. Subsets of each group (n=8/group) were analyzed by Western blot for measures of hepatic protein synthesis. Data were analyzed by oneway ANOVA with independent factors of cancer progression (CON, 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks). When significant F‐ratios were found, a Dunnett's post hoc was used to compare differences between experimental groups and control. Significance was denoted at p&lt;0.05.ResultsLivers from 4 week animals were 30% larger compared to CON with no other differences noted compared to CON (p&lt;0.05). Total Akt protein content was ~8.5‐fold greater in 4 week animals compared to control (p&lt;0.05). p‐AktSer473 was ~3.5‐fold greater in 4 week animals compared to control. However, p‐Akt Ser473/Akt ratio demonstrated a ~35–45% decrease in 1 week, 2 week, 3 week, and 4 week animals compared to control. There were no differences in total p70, p‐p70Thr389, or p‐p70Thr389/p70 content between groups. Total 4EBP1 was not different between groups, however, an apparent ~1.7‐fold greater p‐4EBP1Thr37/46 appeared in 4 week animals, approached statistical significance (p=0.08). There were no statistical differences on p‐4EBP1Thr37/46/4EBP1 ratio.ConclusionsCancer progression causes marked alterations in upstream signaling in hepatic protein synthesis, however these differences may not necessarily translate to alterations in downstream hepatic protein synthesis signaling. More research is necessary to identify the precise mechanisms of hepatic hypertrophy in the progression of cancer cachexia.Support or Funding InformationThis study was supported by The Arkansas Bioscience Institute and National Institutes of Health R15AR069913.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Persistent Adult Neuroimmune Activation and Loss of Hippocampal Neurogenesis Following Adolescent Ethanol Exposure: Blockade by Exercise and the Anti-inflammatory Drug Indomethacin.

Alcohol abuse and binge drinking are common during adolescence, a developmental period characterized by heightened neuroplasticity. Animal studies reveal that adolescent ethanol exposure decreases hippocampal neurogenesis that persists into adulthood, but the mechanism remains to be fully elucidated. Using a rodent model of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE; 5.0 g/kg, i.g., 2-days on/2-days off from postnatal day [P]25 to P55), we tested the hypothesis that AIE-induced upregulation of neuroimmune signaling contributes to the loss of hippocampal neurogenesis in adulthood. We found that AIE caused upregulation of multiple proinflammatory Toll-like receptors (TLRs), increased expression of phosphorylated NF-κB p65 (pNF-κB p65) and the cell death marker cleaved caspase 3, and reduced markers of neurogenesis in the adult (P80) hippocampus, which is consistent with persistently increased neuroimmune signaling reducing neurogenesis. We observed a similar increase of pNF-κB p65-immunoreactive cells in the post-mortem human alcoholic hippocampus, an effect that was negatively correlated with age of drinking onset. Voluntary wheel running from P24 to P80 prevented the AIE-induced loss of neurogenesis markers (i.e., nestin and doublecortin) in the adult hippocampus that was paralleled by blockade of increased expression of the cell death marker cleaved caspase 3. Wheel running also prevented the AIE-induced increase of hippocampal pNF-κB p65 and induction of neuroimmune NF-κB target genes, including TNFα and IκBα in the adult brain. Administration of the anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin during AIE prevented the loss of neurogenesis markers (i.e., nestin and doublecortin) and the concomitant increase of cleaved caspase 3, an effect that was accompanied by blockade of the increase of pNF-κB p65. Similarly, administration of the proinflammatory TLR4 activator lipopolysaccharide resulted in a loss of doublecortin that was paralleled by increased expression of cleaved caspase 3 and pNF-κB p65 in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of CON animals that mimicked the AIE-induced loss of neurogenesis. Taken together, these data suggest that exercise and anti-inflammatory drugs protect against adolescent binge ethanol-induced brain neuroimmune signaling and the loss of neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus.

Evaluation of oral sugar test response for detection of equine metabolic syndrome in obese Crioulo horses

Owing to the high prevalence of obesity in Crioulo horses, information allowing early diagnosis of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and prevention of the associated laminitis is of great value. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of EMS and the response to an oral sugar test (OST) in obese Crioulo horses. Twenty-two Crioulo horses were allocated into 3 groups according to their body condition score (BCS out of 9) and presence or absence of laminitis as follows: CON (6/22), BCS < 7; OB (8/22), BCS ≥ 7; and LAM (8/22), BCS ≥7 with clinical and/or radiographic signs of laminitis. A complete clinical history was obtained, followed by a physical examination, morphometric measurements, radiographic evaluation of front feet, and ultrasonography measurements of subcutaneous body fat. For the OST, animals were fasted overnight, and blood samples were collected for glucose and insulin concentration before and after sugar administration. Morphometric and metabolic differences (P < 0.05) were observed between CON animals and obese ones, with horses from the LAM group presenting the highest morphometric measurements and insulin plasma concentrations. A delayed peak glucose response for OST was observed in the majority of obese animals, indicating that sampling between 60 and 90 min after sugar administration without glycemic curve follow-up, as previously used for hyperinsulinism detection, can be inadequate. The observed delay in the return to glucose baseline levels, combined with high insulin levels, supports the diagnosis of insulin dysregulation. These results indicate that there are clear obesity-related differences in the glucose and insulin responses of Crioulo horses to an OST.

451 Effects of maternal nutrient restriction during either the first or second trimester on bovine fetal adipose tissue microRNA at the end of mid-gestation

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of early or mid-gestation maternal nutrient restriction on adipose tissue development and expression of microRNAs. Primiparous Angus-cross cows (n = 22) were synchronized and inseminated with sexed semen (time of AI= d0) from a single Angus sire. Animals were fed at 1.2 × (Control [CON]) or 0.55 × (Nutrient Restricted [NR]) of maintenance energy and protein requirements based on BW (NRC 1996). Animals were blocked into groups by BCS and BW then fed CON (n = 8) from d 30-190 of gestation, NR (n = 7) from d 30-110 followed by CON from d 110-190, or CON (n = 7) from d 30-110 followed by NR from d 110-190. Cows were harvested and fetuses collected on d 190 of gestation. Isolation of total RNA was performed using flash frozen fetal perirenal adipose tissue samples (3 subsamples/treatment) using the mirVana microRNA isolation kit and analyzed using a previously validated bovine miRNA microarray containing 1636 probes. Fetal weights tended to be reduced (P = 0.07) in NR/CON and CON/NR vs. CON fetuses (9.05 ± 0.48, 8.91 ± 0.48 vs. 10.34 ± 0.45 kg, respectively). Perirenal adipose weight tended to be increased (P = 0.09) in CON fetuses compared to NR/CON and CON/NR fetuses (34.3 ± 1.7 vs 28.3 ± 1.9, and 30.8 ± 1.9 g, respectively). Fetal perirenal adipose tissue from the CON group had bta-miR-376b and PC-5p-8838_20 unregulated (P < 0.05) and fourteen down regulated miRNAs (P < 0.05) vs NR/CON and CON/NR adipose tissue. The miRNA, mmu-miR-6236-p3 was upregulated (P < 0.05) in NR/CON group and no other microRNAs independently down regulated (P > 0.05) vs CON/NR and CON animals. Animals in the CON/NR group exhibited 3 upregulated (P < 0.05) miRNAs, with bta-miR-361 and bta-miR-2904-3-p5 down regulated (P < 0.05) vs. CON and NR/CON fetal perirenal adipose. Nine miRNA were similarly upregulated (P < 0.05) in the NR/CON and CON/NR tissues compared to the CON fetuses. Five microRNAs were upregulated (P < 0.05) in the CON and NR/CON fetal adipose tissue compared to the CON/NR fetal adipose tissue. Hence, maternal nutrient restriction during early or mid-gestation tends to cause alterations in fetal growth and affects miRNA regulation differently depending on the time of gestation in which the restriction occurs. Interestingly, a majority of miRNA expression patterns are similarly upregulated between the two NR treatments compared to the CON fetuses.

α4βδ-GABAA receptors in dorsal hippocampal CA1 of adolescent female rats traffic to the plasma membrane of dendritic spines following voluntary exercise and contribute to protection of animals from activity-based anorexia through localization at excitatory synapses.

In hippocampal CA1 of adolescent female rodents, α4βδ-GABAA receptors (α4βδ-GABAA Rs) suppress excitability of pyramidal neurons through shunting inhibition at excitatory synapses. This contributes to anxiolysis of stressed animals. Socially isolated adolescent female rats with 8 days of wheel access, the last 4 days of which entail restricted food access, have been shown to exhibit excessive exercise, choosing to run instead of eat (activity-based anorexia [ABA]). Upregulation of α4βδ-GABAA Rs in the dorsal hippocampal CA1 (DH), seen among some ABA animals, correlates with suppression of excessive exercise. We used electron microscopic immunocytochemistry to show that exercise alone (EX), but not food restriction alone (FR), also augments α4βδ-GABAA R expression at axospinous excitatory synapses of the DH (67%, P = 0.027), relative to socially isolated controls without exercise or food restriction (CON). Relative to CON, ABA animals' synaptic α4βδ-GABAA R elevation was modestly elevated (37%), but this level correlated strongly and negatively with individual differences in ABA vulnerability-i.e., food restriction-evoked hyperactivity (Pearson R = -0.902, P = 0.002) and weight changes (R = 0.822, P = 0.012). These correlations were absent from FR and EX brains or ventral hippocampus of ABA brains. Comparison to CON of α4βδ-GABAA R location in the DH indicated that ABA induces trafficking of α4βδ-GABAA R from reserve pools in spine cytoplasm to excitatory synapses. Pair-housing CON animals reduced cytoplasmic α4βδ-GABAA R without reducing synaptic α4βδ-GABAA R. Thus, exercise induces trafficking of α4βδ-GABAA Rs to excitatory synapses, while individual differences in ABA vulnerability are linked most strongly to trafficking of α4βδ-GABAA Rs in the reverse direction-from excitatory synapses to the reserve pool during co-occurring food restriction. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dairy cows affected by ketosis show alterations in innate immunity and lipid and carbohydrate metabolism during the dry off period and postpartum

The objective of this investigation was to search for alterations in blood variables related to innate immunity and carbohydrate and lipid metabolism during the transition period in cows affected by ketosis. One hundred multiparous Holstein dairy cows were involved in the study. Blood samples were collected at −8, −4, week of disease diagnosis (+1 to +3weeks), and +4weeks relative to parturition from 6 healthy cows (CON) and 6 cows with ketosis and were analyzed for serum variables. Results showed that cows with ketosis had greater concentrations of serum β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), serum amyloid A (SAA), and lactate in comparison with the CON animals. Serum concentrations of BHBA, IL-6, TNF, and lactate were greater starting at −8 and −4weeks prior to parturition in cows with ketosis vs those of CON group. Cows with ketosis also had lower DMI and milk production vs CON cows. Milk fat also was lower in ketotic cows at diagnosis of disease. Cows affected by ketosis showed an activated innate immunity and altered carbohydrate and lipid metabolism several weeks prior to diagnosis of disease. Serum IL-6 and lactate were the strongest discriminators between ketosis cows and CON ones before the occurrence of ketosis, which might be useful as predictive biomarkers of the disease state.

Runx2 modified dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) enhance new bone formation during rapid distraction osteogenesis (DO)

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) remains a major challenge in orthopedic and craniofacial surgery. The transplantion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could reduce the treatment period and the associated complications by increasing new bone formation during long-bone DO. Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) encodes a nuclear protein that is a pivotal regulator of osteoblast differentiation. It significantly stimulates calcium accumulation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). In this study, we investigated the effects of gene therapy using Runx2 on new bone formation during tibia DO of rabbits. The distraction gap of the rabbits was injected with adenovirus (Adv)-Runx2-green fluorescent protein (GFP)-transfected DPSCs (overexpression group, Group OE) or Adv-GFP-transfected DPSCs (negative control group, Group NC). Rabbits in the control group (Groups CON) were injected with physiologic saline. The generation of new bone tissue in the distraction gap was studied by radiographic examination, micro-computed tomography (CT) evaluation, histological analyze, and Mechanical testing at weeks 8 in the consolidation period. Excellent bone formation in the distracted callus was observed in Group OE and Group NC. Moreover, the OE group showed better bone formation and the highest bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC). Group CON animals showed inadequate bone formation in the distracted callus compared to the other groups. The results suggest that gene therapy using Runx2-modified DPSCs was more effective during bone deposition and new bone formation in tibia DO.

Effect of chronic intake of liquid nutrition on stomach and duodenum morphology

Changes in the quantity and/or quality of food intake have been shown to be associated with morphological and functional alterations of the gastrointestinal system. To examine this, we investigated the effect of chronic liquid nutrition intake (Fresubin) on stomach and duodenum morphology in Wistar rats fed liquid nutrition during different developmental periods. We used four groups of rats: a) control group (CON) fed pelleted chow for 130days; b) liquid nutrition group (LN) fed liquid nutrition for 130days; c) liquid nutrition juvenile group (LNJ) fed liquid nutrition for 70days and then pelleted food for 60days; d) liquid nutrition adult group (LNA) fed pelleted chow for 70days and then liquid nutrition for 60days. We found that LN and LNA rats showed a significant reduction of empty stomach mass compared to CON animals, while stomach and duodenal longitudinal muscle layer thickness did not differ between groups. Villus height was increased only in LNA animals, while villus width was increased in both LN and LNA rats. Crypt depth was reduced in LNJ. However, liquid nutrition intake did not affect villus height/crypt depth ratio, nor number of goblet cells. We found that chronic intake of liquid nutrition affects some morphological parameters of the stomach and duodenum but these changes were not homogenous between experimental groups. Interestingly, transition from liquid nutrition to solid food reversed the alterations of stomach weight as well as villus width induced by intake of liquid nutrition in LNA rats. Our data indicate that morphological and functional changes in the gastrointestinal system induced by qualitative and quantitative changes in food intake are at least partially reversible. Therefore, specific diets may be used potentially as adjuvant treatment for modulating the progression of gastrointestinal diseases by affecting stomach and small intestine morphology.

Occurrence of retained placenta is preceded by an inflammatory state and alterations of energy metabolism in transition dairy cows.

BackgroundFailure to expel fetal membranes within 24 h of calving is a pathological condition defined as retained placenta (RP). The objective of this investigation was to evaluate whether there are alterations in several selected serum variables related to innate immunity and carbohydrate and lipid metabolism that precede occurrence of RP in transition Holstein dairy cows.MethodsOne hundred multiparous Holstein dairy cows were involved in the study. Blood samples were collected from the coccygeal vein during the −8 to +4 wks around parturition, once per week before the morning feeding. Six healthy control cows (CON) and 6 cows with RP were selected and serum samples at −8, −4, time of diagnosis of disease, and +4 wks relative to parturition were used for analyses. All samples were analyzed for lactate, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), haptoglobin (Hp), and serum amyloid A (SAA).ResultsCows with RP had greater concentrations of serum lactate, IL-1, IL-6, TNF, and SAA in comparison with CON cows. Intriguingly, elevated concentrations of all five variables were observed at −8 and −4 wks before the occurrence of RP compared to healthy cows. Cows with RP also had lower DMI and milk production vs CON animals; however milk composition was not affected by RP.ConclusionsCows with RP showed an activated innate immunity 8 wks prior to diagnosis of disease. Overall results suggest that serum IL-1, IL- 6, and TNF, and lactate can be used as screening biomarkers to indicate cows that might have health issues during the transition period.

Investigation of possible pumpkin seeds and ginger effects on gastrointestinal nematode infection indicators in meat goat kids and lambs

In four experiments, 77 naturally-infected Boer crossbred kids and 28 artificially-inoculated Katahdin lambs were used to evaluate the effect of pumpkin seeds (Exp 1; 21 kids), ginger or pumpkin seed drench (Exp 2; 30 kids) and pumpkin seed oil (Exp 3 and 4: 28 lambs and 26 kids, respectively) on gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) indicators. In all experiments, kids and lambs were placed in individual pens and received pre-weighed rations of a commercially pelleted meat goat or sheep diet daily. In Exp 1, kids were supplemented with ground pumpkin seeds (PUM; n=10) mixed into feed daily at a rate of 5g/kg body weight (BW) or were not supplemented (CON; n=11) for 21 days. In Exp 2, kids were orally drenched with water (CON; n=10), 5g pumpkin seed/kg BW (PUM; n=10) or 3g ginger/kg BW (GIR; n=10) every other day for 42 days. In Exp 3, lambs were orally drenched with 2ml/kg water (CON; n=7), 2.0ml/kg BW pumpkin seed oil once every 7 days (PUM1; n=10), or 2.0ml/kg BW pumpkin seed oil daily for 3 out of every 7 days (PUM2; n=11) for 28 days. In Exp 4, kids were orally drenched with 2ml/kg water (CON; n=13), or 2.0ml/kg BW pumpkin seed oil (PUM; n=13) every other day for 35 days. In all experiments, BW, daily feed intake and blood and fecal samples were collected every 7 days. All animals in Exp 2 were harvested at a USDA-inspected abattoir and abomasal and small intestinal contents were collected for total worm counts. The FEC were similar for treatments in all experiments. Treatment influenced PCV (P<0.05) only in Exp 1 and 4. In Exp 2, at harvest, there was a tendency (P=0.08) for CON animals to have a higher number of total GIN than GIR-treated animals, but PUM-treated animals were intermediate. BW were similar for treatments in Exp 1, 2 and 3 while CON animals in Exp 4 had a greater BW than PUM-treated animals on day 7 only and were similar thereafter (treatment by day interaction, P<0.05). In these studies, pumpkin and ginger treatments administered were not effective in reducing FEC in meat goat kids or lambs.

The effect of parturition induction treatment on interval to calving, calving ease, postpartum uterine health, and resumption of ovarian cyclicity in beef heifers

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two parturition induction protocols with a nontreated control group, on interval to calving, calving ease, postpartum uterine health, and ovarian cyclicity in beef heifers. At Day 285 of gestation, 81 crossbred recipient beef heifers carrying purebred Simmental fetuses, were blocked by live-weight, body condition score, expected calving date and fetal sex, and assigned to one of three groups: (1) control (CON; no induction treatment, n = 29); (2) induction with corticosteroids (CORT; n = 27); or (3) induction with corticosteroids plus prostaglandin (CORT + PG; n = 25). Interval from induction to calving in hours and calving ease on a scale of 1 to 5 were recorded. Vaginal mucus samples were collected on Day 21 and Day 42 after calving (Day 0) by means of a Metricheck and scored on a scale of 0 to 3. Reproductive tract examinations were conducted on Day 21 and Day 42 after calving, and uterine cytology samples were obtained on Day 21. A positive cytologic sample was defined as greater than 18% neutrophils in the sample obtained via a cytobrush technique. Cows were considered to have resumed ovarian cyclicity if the presence of the CL was confirmed. Data were analyzed using the Mixed (normally distributed data) and Genmod (nonparametric data) procedures of SAS (v. 9.3). The interval from treatment to calving was longer (P < 0.0001) for CON (161.9 ± 15.12 hours) animals compared with CORT (39.7 ± 11.64 hours) or CORT + PG (32.6 ± 12.10 hours), which did not differ. Treatment did not affect calving difficulty score. There was also no difference in incidence of retained placenta between the three groups. At Day 21 postpartum, cytology score tended to be higher for both induced groups (48%) compared with the control animals (24%), but this was not the case for vaginal mucus score (CON 52%, CORT 70%, and CORT + PG 52%). A higher proportion of CON had an involuted uterus by Day 21 postpartum (69%) compared with both induced groups (CORT 48%, CORT + PG 32%). Day 21 ovarian cyclicity was higher in both CON (52%) and CORT (59%) compared with CORT + PG (29%). By Day 42, there was no difference in ovarian cyclicity or uterine involution between CON and CORT; however, a positive relationship was observed between uterine involution score on Day 21 and return to cyclicity on Day 42 in these two groups. There was a negative relationship between uterine involution score and return to cyclicity in the CORT + PG group, and these animals were slower (P < 0.05) to resume cyclicity by Day 42 with a larger proportion animals having evidence of having resumed postpartum ovarian cyclicity in both CON (P = 0.03) and CORT compared with CORT + PG on Day 42. In conclusion, the use of corticosteroid-based treatments is an effective strategy to advance parturition in full term dams and does not have a negative effect on calving progress or dam health. However, when prostaglandin is also included in the protocol, these treatments may lead to greater delay in uterine involution with increased chance of uterine infection and slower resumption of ovarian cyclicity.

Modelling maternal obesity: the effects of a chronic high-fat, high-cholesterol diet on uterine expression of contractile-associated proteins and ex vivo contractile activity during labour in the rat.

Maternal obesity is associated with prolonged and dysfunctional labour and emergency caesarean section, but the mechanisms are unknown. The present study investigated the effects of an adiposity-inducing high-fat, high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet on uterine contractile-associated protein (CAP) expression and ex vivo uterine contractility in term non-labouring (TNL) and term labouring (TL) rats. Female rats were fed either control chow (CON n=20) or HFHC (n=20) diet 6weeks before conception and during pregnancy. On gestational day 21 (TNL) or day 22 (TL) CON and HFHC (n=10) rats were killed to determine plasma cholesterol, triacylglycerol and progesterone concentrations and collection of myometrium for contractility studies and expression of CAPs caveolin-1 (Cav-1), connexin-43 (CX-43) and it's phosphorylated form (pCX-43), oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). HFHC feeding increased visceral fat (P≤0.001), plasma cholesterol (P≤0.001) and triacylglycerol (P=0.039) concentrations. Stage of labour effected uterine expression of CAV-1 (P<0.02), pCX43 and COX-2 (both P<0.03). CAV-1 and pCX43 decreased but COX-2 increased with parturition. Significant diet- and labour-stage interactions were evident for CX-43 and pCX43 (P<0.03 and P<0.004 respectively). CX-43 decreased with TL in HFHC animals but was unaltered in CON. pCX-43 fell with labour in CON but remained high in HFHC. OXTR expression was significantly higher in HFHC compared with CON animals (P<0.03). Progesterone was higher in HFHC rats at term (P<0.014) but fell significantly with labour to similar concentrations as CON. Contractility studies identified synchronous contractions of stable amplitude in lean animals, but unstable asynchronous contractions with obesity. Uterine dose response to oxytocin was blunted during labour in HFHC rats with a log EC50 of -8.84 compared with -10.25M in CON for integral activity (P<0.05). In conclusion, our adiposity model exhibits adverse effects on contractile activity during labour that can be investigated further to unravel the mechanisms causing uterine dystocia in obese women.

Effect of urea supplementation on performance and safety indiets of Dorper crossbred sheep.

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dietary urea in sheep rations having a 50:50 concentrate:roughage ratio. Sixty-four Dorper×thin-tailed Han crossbred ram lambs with an average body weight of 30.8 (±0.02) kg were randomly divided into four groups of 16 sheep each, and each group was fed one of the following diets: a basal diet (CON), or CON supplemented with 0.5% (0.5UTM), 1.5% (1.5UTM) or 2.5% (2.5UTM) urea. Growth performance, carcass characteristics, non-carcass offals, meat quality and peptic tissue lesions were assayed. The average daily weight gains for CON, 0.5UTM, 1.5UTM and 2.5UTM were 216, 218, 200 and 170g, respectively, with the CON and 0.5UTM groups higher than 2.5UTM group (p<0.05). Sheep from the 2.5UTM treatment had a significantly lower dry matter intake (1.29kg/day) than those from the CON and 0.5UTM treatments (1.42 and 1.43kg/day, p<0.05), and the feed conversion ratio in the 2.5UTM group was the highest (p<0.05). Carcass characteristics, including shrunk body weight, empty body weight, hot carcass weight, dress percentage, and the absolute or relative weight (% body weight) of heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney, were not altered by the treatments (p>0.05). The muscular pH of 2.5UTM was higher than that of CON (5.68 vs. 5.52, p<0.05), and shear force in 0.5UTM was lower compared with CON and 2.5UTM (p<0.05). The anatomical structure lesions in kidneys became more serious with the increasing dietary urea concentrations, with the 2.5UTM animals showing the most severe lesions compared with CON animals. Therefore, supplementary urea as a non-protein nitrogen source for sheep should not exceed 1.5% of ration having a 50:50 concentrate:roughage ratio to ensure efficacy and safety.

Lavandula angustifolia extract improves deteriorated synaptic plasticity in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease.

Neurodegenerative Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with profound deficits in synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. Long-term potentiation (LTP), an experimental form of synaptic plasticity, is intensively examined in hippocampus. In this study we evaluated the effect of aqueous extract of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) on induction of LTP in the CA1 area of hippocampus. In response to stimulation of the Schaffer collaterals the baseline or tetanized field extracellular postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were recorded in the CA1 area. The electrophysiological recordings were carried out in four groups of rats; two control groups including the vehicle (CON) and lavender (CE) treated rats and two Alzheimeric groups including the vehicle (ALZ) and lavender (AE) treated animals. The extract inefficiently affected the baseline responses in the four testing groups. While the fEPSPs displayed a considerable LTP in the CON animals, no potentiation was evident in the tetanized responses in the ALZ rats. The herbal medicine effectively restored LTP in the AE group and further potentiated fEPSPs in the CE group. The positive effect of the lavender extract on the plasticity of synaptic transmission supports its previously reported behavioral effects on improvement of impaired spatial memory in the Alzheimeric animals.

Short- and long-term effects of forage supplementation of calves during the preweaning period on performance, reproduction, and milk yield at first lactation

Sixty female Holstein calves [body weight (BW)=39.5±3.76kg] were fed a ground starter concentrate [19% crude protein, 19% neutral detergent fiber (NDF)] during the preweaning period. Furthermore, oats hay (68% NDF) was supplemented only during the postweaning period (CON) or during both pre- and postweaning periods (OH) to evaluate performance until first breeding, diet digestibility after weaning, reproductive performance, and milk yield at first lactation. Calves were individually housed and bedded with wood shavings. All calves were offered 6 L/d of milk replacer (MR) at 12% dry matter (DM) in 2 feedings until 28d of age, 3 L/d of MR at 12% DM in 2 feedings from 29 to 44d of age calves, and 1.5 L of MR at 12% DM in 1 feeding from 45 to 51d of age. Animals were weaned at 52d of age. Starter concentrate and forage intake were recorded daily and BW weekly until 65d of age. Two weeks after weaning, total-tract apparent digestibility was determined in 6 calves per treatment. Heifer BW was recorded at 10 mo of age. Breeding and milk yield at first lactation were also recorded. Starter concentrate intake was greater in OH compared with CON animals during the preweaning period. As a result, calves in the OH treatment had greater average daily gain (ADG) than CON animals during the preweaning period. After weaning, OH calves consumed more forage than CON animals, but we found no differences between treatments in ADG and starter concentrate intake. Similarly, total-tract apparent digestibility did not differ between treatments, and BW and ADG from 2wk after weaning to 10mo of age did not differ between treatments. Moreover, no differences in reproductive performance [age at first artificial insemination (AI), age at fertile insemination, conception rate at first AI, and number of AI] or milk yield at first lactation were observed between treatments, although a positive relationship between growth rate early in life and future energy-corrected milk yield was found. We conclude that offering forage to young calves early in life allows improvements in growth before weaning and could help in the transition to mixed diets, but the improvement in growth achieved early in life was not maintained at 10mo of age.

Effects of high‐fat diet intake and endurance training on CLOCK gene in rat skeletal muscle

【Objective】Excess caloric intake is associated with the development of obesity. A number of recent studies suggest that attenuation of CLOCK gene amplitude by high‐fat diet causes obesity. Normalizing to the CLOCK gene amplitude can be considered to contribute for the prevention of obesity. Also endurance training has the effect for prevention of obesity, but influence on the disorder of CLOCK gene by high‐fat diet intake is not clear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of high‐fat diet intake and endurance training on CLOCK gene in rat skeletal muscle.&#x0D; 【Methods】Adult male Wistar rats (∼260 g) were used. Animals were randomly divided into three groups; control diet (CON), high‐fat diet (HF) and high‐fat diet+ training (HF+Tr). The CON animals were received a standard diet. HF and HF+Tr animals were received high‐fat diet containing of 62% fat as calories. All animals were feeding two times per day. The rats of each group were provided equal food volume per day for six weeks. HF+Tr animals were exercised on treadmill (90 min/day and 5 days a week). The mRNA expression of CLOCK genes (Bmal1, Clock, and Per2 ) in skeletal muscle were tested at four points (ZT2, ZT8, ZT14 and ZT20) .&#x0D; 【Results and Conclusion】 The body weight of HF was heavy significantly compared with CON and HF+Tr. In skeletal muscle Bmal1 and Per2 gene expressions were not affected by high‐fat diet. On the other hand, the amplitude of Clock expression was attenuated in the HF and HF+Tr. In the present study, we consider the attenuation of Clock expression in skeletal muscle might be caused by lipid metabolism abnormality. Therefore, high‐fat diet intake was suggested to become obesity.

Effects of Branched‐Chain Amino Acids and Low‐Iron Containing Diet on Non‐Heme Iron and Muscle Mass of Aging Rats

The increased iron status of aging skeletal muscle was previously shown to be associated with the development of sarcopenia. Thus, lowering muscle iron status by administering a low‐iron containing diet may attenuate muscle mass loss with advancing age. Moreover, iron homeostasis and protein synthesis may be influenced by mTOR signaling, which might be altered by branched‐chain amino acids (BCAA). The purpose of this study was to determine how chronic administration of BCAA and/or low‐iron containing diet affects muscle iron status and mass in aging rats. Male F344BN rats (aged 29 months) were fed one of the following diets for 12 weeks: Control (CON: AIN‐93M; iron 35 ppm; n=7), BCAA (control + 2×BCAA; n=6), Low‐iron (LID: control diet with iron 2‐6 ppm; n=5), and Combined (CBM: control + 2×BCAA with iron 2‐6 ppm; n=6). Gastrocnemius muscles were removed, weighed, and analyzed for non‐heme iron (NHI). After 12 weeks, all groups increased body mass but there was no difference between groups (p&gt;0.05). Although the LID group displayed ~23% lower muscle NHI compared to CON animals (1387 ± 251.0 vs. 1823 ± 309.6 nmol/gww), the differene was not stastically significant (p&gt;0.05). Moreover, BCAA and Combo diets also showed no effect (2083 ± 239.9 and 2123 ± 250.3 nmol/gww, respectively; p&gt;0.05) on muscle NHI levels compared to CON animals. Muscle mass was similar (p&gt;0.05) between all dietary intervention groups: CON, 2.60 ± 0.28 mg/g body mass (BM); BCAA, 2.75 ± 0.15 mg/g BM; LID, 2.93 ± 0.09 mg/g BM; CMB, 2.87 ± 0.11 mg/g BM. These preliminary results suggest that long term administration of low dietary iron, BCAA, or a combined diet of BCAA with low iron to aging rats does not reduce uscle NHI or alter muscle mass. Funding provided by Syracuse University Office of Research.