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Accumulating data has shown a contribution of the renin‐angiotensin system in COVID‐19 pathogenesis. The role of angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphism as a risk factor in developing COVID‐19 disease comes from epidemiological data and is controversially discussed. We conducted a retrospective case‐control study and assessed the impact of ACE I/D genotype in COVID‐19 disease prevalence and severity. In 81 COVID‐19 patients explicitly characterized and 316 controls, recruited during the first wave of COVID‐19 pandemic, ACE I/D genotype, and ACE activity were determined. A generalized linear model was used and Poisson regression analysis estimated the risk ratios (RRs) of alleles and genotypes for disease severity. DD patients had almost 2.0‐fold increased risk (RR: 1.886, confidence limit [CL] 95%: 1.266–2.810, p = 0.0018) of developing a more severe disease when contrasted to ID and II individuals, as did D allele carriers compared to I carriers (RR: 1.372; CL 95%: 1.051–1.791; p = 0.0201). ACE activity (expressed as arbitrary units, AU/L) was lower in patients (3.62 ± 0.26) than in controls (4.65 ± 0.13) (p

Does are usually fed ad libitum during pregnancy, a fact that can result in intrauterine overfeeding and can have detrimental effects on embryonic programming with permanent changes in the physiology and behavior of the offspring. An experiment was therefore conducted to examine the effect of does' overfeeding during two different periods of pregnancy on the behavior of kits after weaning. Fifteen does were allocated into three groups: control (M) (100% of maintenance energy requirements [MER] throughout pregnancy), O1 (129% of MER between the 7th and 19th of pregnancy), and O2 (138% of MER between the 20th and 27th day of pregnancy). At the ages of 50 and 65 days, the behavior of 24 randomly selected rabbits in home cages was recorded for three consecutive days, while an open field test that constitutes a good indicator of locomotion score and stress was conducted for another 24 rabbits. Rabbits in O1 and O2 groups had more meals in shorter duration and moved and explored their environment less than the controls ( P P P

The aim of the present study was to identify ovine genomic regions and candidate genes impacting on milk traits i.e. milk yield, fat content, protein content and lactose content in the Frizarta dairy sheep. A total number of 481 ewes genotyped with the OvineSNP50 BeadChip were used. Haplotype regression analysis along with multi-locus mixed model analysis was employed to detect genomic markers associated with the traits. A total number of 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms were found to be associated with the traits under study. Four out of the 9 significant markers resided in genomic areas previously associated with milk traits according to the SheepQTLdb ( http://www.animalgenome.org/cgi-bin/QTLdb/OA/search ). A total number of 29 positional candidate genes located within a maximum distance of 250 kb upstream and downstream of 5 significant markers were identified. Gene prioritization analysis of the positional candidate genes based on the guilt-by-association principle suggested eleven genes i.e. ITGB4, H3F3B, ACOX1, WBP2, HTR1A, GPC5, GALR2, UNC13D, PRPSAP1, SRP68 and CDK3 as the most plausible functional candidate genes for milk traits in the Frizarta dairy sheep.

Background and Aim: Canine degenerative myelopathy (CDM) is an adult-onset fatal disorder associated with a point mutation of the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene (SOD1:c.118G>A). This study aimed to determine the allele and genotype frequencies of this mutation in a group of Belgian Malinois dogs in Greece. Materials and Methods: Samples (n=72) of whole blood were collected from 72 purebred dogs of the Hellenic Armed Forces; these samples were processed for DNA isolation, polymerase chain reaction, and digestion with the restriction endonuclease AcuI. Sample testing was conducted in compliance with ISO17025 accreditation requirements. Results: The observed relative genotype frequencies were 71% for the homozygous (GG), 25% for the heterozygous (AG), and 4% for the homozygous mutant (AA) alleles. These frequencies were close to those expected, indicating no significant departure from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE, p=0.395). The frequency of heterozygous animals indicates that a high risk of developing CDM in forthcoming generations exists in the tested population because mating among carriers would result in 25% AA progeny. The medical record of the group of study animals indicated selection against leishmaniosis, as applied throughout generations by owners and breeders. The potential association of this selection with the HWE status of the study population was discussed. Conclusion: The SOD1:c.118G>A mutation was common in the tested group of dogs; thus, they are suitable for a follow-up investigation on the development and progression of CDM. A case-control study on animals with evidence of sensitivity to infectious myelopathy could provide new insights into disease pathogenesis.

Background Aim of the present study was first to identify genetic variants associated with egg number (EN) in female broilers, second to describe the mode of their gene action (additive and/or dominant) and third to provide a list with implicated candidate genes for the trait. A number of 2586 female broilers genotyped with the high density (~ 600 k) SNP array and with records on EN (mean = 132.4 eggs, SD = 29.8 eggs) were used. Data were analyzed with application of additive and dominant multi-locus mixed models. Results A number of 7 additive, 4 dominant and 6 additive plus dominant marker-trait significant associations were detected. A total number of 57 positional candidate genes were detected within 50 kb downstream and upstream flanking regions of the 17 significant markers. Functional enrichment analysis pinpointed two genes (BHLHE40 and CRTC1) to be involved in the ‘entrainment of circadian clock by photoperiod’ biological process. Gene prioritization analysis of the positional candidate genes identified 10 top ranked genes (GDF15, BHLHE40, JUND, GDF3, COMP, ITPR1, ELF3, ELL, CRLF1 and IFI30). Seven prioritized genes (GDF15, BHLHE40, JUND, GDF3, COMP, ELF3, CRTC1) have documented functional relevance to reproduction, while two more prioritized genes (ITPR1 and ELL) are reported to be related to egg quality in chickens. Conclusions Present results have shown that detailed exploration of phenotype-marker associations can disclose the mode of action of genetic variants and help in identifying causative genes associated with reproductive traits in the species.

This Research Communication addresses the hypothesis that fat, protein, lactose and total solids content can be predicted using daily milk yield (DMY), pH, electrical conductivity (MEC) and refractive index (RI) of milk as predictors. It also addresses the possibility of these measurements being used for on-farm benchmarking activities towards selecting the highest yielding animals and flocks regarding milk quality traits (MQT). A total of 308 purebred Frizarta ewes were used for the study. From each individual ewe, a composite milk sample was collected. pH, MEC and RI of milk were measured and the samples were assayed for fat, protein, lactose and total solids content, using an automatic infrared milk analyser. The predictive value of DMY, pH, MEC and RI of milk on its MQT was assessed using multiple linear regression analysis. Significant regression equations were produced for all of the studied traits. RI and MEC were significant and reliable predictors for all studied MQT, whereas DMY was a significant predictor for most MQT with the exception of protein content. pH was a marginally significant predictor for some of the MQTs at the initial development of the equations but proved unreliable after bootstraping. Using these equations a number of ewes varying from 75 (for fat) to 97 (for protein) out of the 100 highest MQT yielders were correctly predicted, whereas, none of the ewes out of the 100 lowest MQT yielders was mispredicted as a high yielder for protein-, lactose- and total solids- content. Three out of 100 lowest fat-yielders were mispredicted as high fat-yielders. Similar equations can be used for benchmarking activities towards selecting the highest protein-, fat-, lactose- and total solids- yielding animals and flocks in cases where laboratories for MQT analyses are not readily available or the cost of chemical analyses is high. The method can be regarded as a handy tool for the dairy industry to readily assess milk quality at the farm level.

Additional file 3: Supplementary Table 2. Genes obtained by previous GWASs for egg and reproductive traits in Gallus gallus.

In the present study, we used genomic data, generated with a medium density single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) array, to acquire more information on the population structure and evolutionary history of the synthetic Frizarta dairy sheep. First, two typical measures of linkage disequilibrium (LD) were estimated at various physical distances that were then used to make inferences on the effective population size at key past time points. Population structure was also assessed by both multidimensional scaling analysis and k-means clustering on the distance matrix obtained from the animals' genomic relationships. The Wright's fixation F ST index was also employed to assess herds' genetic homogeneity and to indirectly estimate past migration rates. The Wright's fixation F IS index and genomic inbreeding coefficients based on the genomic relationship matrix as well as on runs of homozygosity were also estimated. The Frizarta breed displays relatively low LD levels with r 2 and |D'| equal to 0.18 and 0.50, respectively, at an average inter-marker distance of 31 kb. Linkage disequilibrium decayed rapidly by distance and persisted over just a few thousand base pairs. Rate of LD decay (β) varied widely among the 26 autosomes with larger values estimated for shorter chromosomes (e.g. β=0.057, for OAR6) and smaller values for longer ones (e.g. β=0.022, for OAR2). The inferred effective population size at the beginning of the breed's formation was as high as 549, was then reduced to 463 in 1981 (end of the breed's formation) and further declined to 187, one generation ago. Multidimensional scaling analysis and k-means clustering suggested a genetically homogenous population, F ST estimates indicated relatively low genetic differentiation between herds, whereas a heat map of the animals' genomic kinship relationships revealed a stratified population, at a herd level. Estimates of genomic inbreeding coefficients suggested that most recent parental relatedness may have been a major determinant of the current effective population size. A denser than the 50k SNP panel may be more beneficial when performing genome wide association studies in the breed.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential associations between polymorphisms of microsatellite markers and various traits in the Lesvos dairy sheep. In total, 350 individuals using 11 microsatellite markers were genotyped and various traits including six body anatomical measurements as well as milk yield and litter size were considered. The adaptive Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator method was employed to detect significant associations between markers’ alleles and the various phenotypic traits. In all but one microsatellite loci, rare alleles were detected. Markers OARJMP29, OARFCB128 and OARCP38 were found to be associated with milk yield. Marker OARJMP29 was also associated with body weight, girth circumference and horn length. Marker OARFCB128 was also significant for tail length, tail width and girth circumference while marker OARCP38 was significant for body length, as well. Current results shed more light in the associations between marker polymorphisms with various phenotypic traits in dairy sheep, including traits of economic importance that could potentially be implemented in a marker assisted selection program for increasing production efficiency in the Lesvos breed.

Various specific human glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) gene polymorphisms have been described in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and correlated with disease progression, susceptibility and aggressiveness. Herein, we investigated the presence of gene alterations in the entire coding region of the NR3C1 in MS patients of variable clinical status (CIS, RRMS and SPMS) and the association(s) of these alterations with severity of disease (EDSS), response to glucocorticoid (GC) treatment and clinical improvement. Sixty Caucasian Greek MS patients were included. Sequencing the coding sequences and intron-exon boundaries of the NR3C1 did not reveal the presence of mutation(s) in any of the MS patients. Three previously described polymorphisms were detected: p.N363S (rs6195), p.N766N (rs6196) and c.1469-16G>T (rs6188). None of the identified alleles/genotypes were found to be associated with the severity of disease, response to glucocorticoids and disease subtypes. Known polymorphism, such as ER22/23EK that has been previously detected in MS patients, was not detected. There is a considerable ethnicity-related variation in the frequency of the NR3C1 polymorphisms. Although a genetic basis of the glucocorticoid sensitivity exists in healthy population, in the presence of chronic inflammation and abundance of cytokines--such in MS patients--other factors appear to play a more important role in GC sensitivity.

Traditionally, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) require maximum numbers of genotyped and phenotyped animals to efficiently detect marker-trait associations. Under financial constraints, alternative solutions should be envisaged such that of performing GWAS with fractioned samples of the population. In the present study, we investigated the potential of using random and extreme phenotype samples of a population including 6,700 broilers in detecting significant markers and candidate genes for a typical complex trait (body weight at 35 days). We also explored the utility of using continuous vs. dichotomized phenotypes to detect marker-trait associations. Present results revealed that extreme phenotype samples were superior to random samples while detection efficacy was higher on the continuous over the dichotomous phenotype scale. Furthermore, the use of 50% extreme phenotype samples resulted in detection of 8 out of the 10 markers identified in whole population sampling. Putative causative variants identified in 50% extreme phenotype samples resided in genomic regions harboring 10 growth-related QTLs (e.g. breast muscle percentage, abdominal fat weight etc.) and 6 growth related genes (CACNB1, MYOM2, SLC20A1, ANXA4, FBXO32, SLAIN2). Current findings proposed the use of 50% extreme phenotype sampling as the optimal sampling strategy when performing a cost-effective GWAS.

The objective of the present experiment was to investigate the implications of mild maternal undernutrition on the post-weaning behaviour of rabbits. Twenty-six dams were randomly assigned to two groups: the control group (C) that was fed ad libitum throughout pregnancy and the undernourished group (U) that was fed 75% of the recommended maintenance requirements between the 6th and 26th day of pregnancy. At the age of 50 and 65 days old, behaviour of rabbits in cages was recorded and rabbits were further subjected to an open-field test; a paradigm used as an indicator of fear and emotional distress. There were only limited differences between the examined groups in the exhibition of behaviour in the cages; values for frequencies of eating and drinking were higher in the controls compared to the prenatally undernourished rabbits (P < 0.05). Duration of drinking appeared to be higher in the group of rabbits born from undernourished does at the age of 50 days compared to the other groups (P < 0.05). Duration of resting and comfort behaviours was significantly increased at the age of 65 days in both groups (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). In both groups, a decreased activity of rabbits during the light period was observed (as expected), whereas a reduction in frequencies of eating and drinking, and duration of locomotory and investigatory behaviours was observed at the age of 65 days (P < 0.05). Rabbits born to undernourished does displayed reduced rates of the sitting still and standing stretched behaviours compared to the controls during the implementation of the open-field test (P < 0.05). No other significant differences in the exhibition of the examined behaviours were found between the treatment groups. Although some differences were found in specific behavioural patterns, it is concluded that mild maternal undernutrition (75% of ad libitum intake) during pregnancy has generally only little effect on rabbits’ post-weaning behaviour.

One hundred and sixty-six lactating Makui breed sheeps (2–6 years old) were used to investigate the effects of two milking methods (milking with oxytocin (OT) and milking without oxytocin (HT)), ewes age and stage of lactation on milk yield and composition during 168 days of lactation and to estimate shape of lactation curve using Wood's model. Oxytocin treatment (OT) had a significant effect on the average daily milk yield (ADMY) and total milk yield (TMY) ( P P P P P P b ) parameter, ( a ) and ( c ) parameters of Wood's model were significantly ( P P P > 0.05) whereas peak time (PT), peak yield (PY) and persistency ( P ) were significant ( P P P > 0.05). In both methods, stages of lactation had a highly significant effect on milk fat, protein and SNF percentage ( P

Maniatis, G., Demiris, N., Kranis, A., Banos, G. and Kominakis, A. 2013. Model comparison and estimation of genetic parameters for body weight in commercial broilers. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 93: 67–77. The availability of powerful computing and advances in algorithmic efficiency allow for the consideration of increasingly complex models. Consequently, the development and application of appropriate statistical procedures for model evaluation is becoming increasingly important. This paper is concerned with the application of an alternative model determination criterion (conditional Akaike Information Criterion, cAIC) in a large dataset comprising 203 323 body weights of broilers, pertaining to 7 (BW7) and 35 (BW35) days of age. Seven univariate and seven bivariate models were applied. Direct genetic, maternal genetic and maternal environmental (c2) effects were estimated via REML. The model evaluation criteria included conditional Akaike Information Criterion (cAIC), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) and the standard Akaike Information Criterion (henceforth marginal; mAIC). According to cAIC the best-fitting model included direct genetic, maternal genetic and c2 effects. Maternal heritabilities were low (0.10 and 0.03) compared to the direct heritabilities (0.17 and 0.21), while c2 was 0.05 and 0.04 for BW7 and BW35, respectively. BIC and mAIC favoured a model that additionally included a direct-maternal genetic covariance, resulting in highly negative direct-maternal genetic correlations (−0.47 and −0.64 for BW7 and BW35, respectively) and higher direct heritabilities (0.25 and 0.28 for BW7 and BW35, respectively). Results suggest that cAIC can select different animal models than mAIC and BIC with different biological properties.

Background Body size in sheep is an important indicator of productivity, growth and health as well as of environmental adaptation. It is a composite quantitative trait that has been studied with high-throughput genomic methods, i.e. genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in various mammalian species. Several genomic markers have been associated with body size traits and genes have been identified as causative candidates in humans, dog and cattle. A limited number of related GWAS have been performed in various sheep breeds and have identified genomic regions and candidate genes that partly account for body size variability. Here, we conducted a GWAS in Frizarta dairy sheep with phenotypic data from 10 body size measurements and genotypic data (from Illumina ovineSNP50 BeadChip) for 459 ewes. Results The 10 body size measurements were subjected to principal component analysis and three independent principal components (PC) were constructed, interpretable as width, height and length dimensions, respectively. The GWAS performed for each PC identified 11 significant SNPs, at the chromosome level, one on each of the chromosomes 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20, 23 and two on chromosome 25. Nine out of the 11 SNPs were located on previously identified quantitative trait loci for sheep meat, production or reproduction. One hundred and ninety-seven positional candidate genes within a 1-Mb distance from each significant SNP were found. A guilt-by-association-based (GBA) prioritization analysis (PA) was performed to identify the most plausible functional candidate genes. GBA-based PA identified 39 genes that were significantly associated with gene networks relevant to body size traits. Prioritized genes were identified in the vicinity of all significant SNPs except for those on chromosomes 10 and 12. The top five ranking genes were TP53, BMPR1A, PIK3R5, RPL26 and PRKDC. Conclusions The results of this GWAS provide evidence for 39 causative candidate genes across nine chromosomal regions for body size traits, some of which are novel and some are previously identified candidates from other studies (e.g. TP53, NTN1 and ZNF521). GBA-based PA has proved to be a useful tool to identify genes with increased biological relevance but it is subjected to certain limitations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12711-017-0316-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Vitamin E supplementation, when combined with high blood α-tocopherol (6.25 μg/mL) at dry off, has been reported to unexpectedly increased the risk for clinical mastitis in dairy cows. Furthermore, higher levels of oxidative stress in the postpartum period were related to higher risk of mastitis. The objective of the present study was to determine the relationship between various serum biomarkers of oxidative status, incidence of mastitis, and blood α-tocopherol concentrations at dry off and at calving. A total of 146 dairy cows from a commercial farm were used in an observational field study. All cows were supplemented with 3,000 and 50 IU/cow per day of all-rac-α-tocopherol during the dry period and lactation, respectively. Blood samples were collected at dry off and at calving. Serum was analyzed for α-tocopherol, levels of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM), thiol groups (SH), and ferric-reducing ability. Three α-tocopherol groups at calving were created: high (3 μg/mL), medium (2-3 μg/mL), and low (2 μg/mL). Three α-tocopherol groups at dry off were created: high (6.25 μg/mL), medium (4.25-6.25 μg/mL), and low (4.25 μg/mL). All cases of clinical mastitis that occurred during the dry period and the entire subsequent lactation were verified by a veterinarian. No differences were observed in the incidence of mastitis between the 3 α-tocopherol groups based on the serum levels at dry off. Incidence of mastitis was 4 times lower in the high and medium groups when compared with the corresponding value for the low-α-tocopherol group based on the serum levels at calving. Lower levels of ROM and SH at dry off and at calving were found in the group of cows with the highest α-tocopherol values at dry off when compared with the corresponding values in the low-α-tocopherol group. The ROM values at dry off but not at calving were lower in the group of cows with the highest α-tocopherol values at calving when compared with the corresponding values in the low-α-tocopherol group. No differences were observed in ferric-reducing ability values between the 3 α-tocopherol groups at dry off or calving. No differences were observed in all biomarkers of oxidative status between healthy cows and those with mastitis. Thus, blood α-tocopherol is inversely related to certain biomarkers of oxidative stress in the postpartum period and incidence of mastitis. However, reduction in the incidence of mastitis is not mediated through a reduction in the levels of various biomarkers of oxidative stress.

The aim of the present study was to assess the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Growth Differentiating Factor 9 (GDF9) and Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 (BMP15) genes, in two Greek sheep breeds i.e. Chios and Karagouniki, with high and moderate litter size (LS) i.e. number of lambs born, respectively. An examination of association(s) between the polymorphisms and LS, within breeds, was also conducted. Blood samples from 92 Chios and 96 Karagouniki ewes were collected, while repeated records on LS, were also available ( n = 239 and 259, respectively). Detection of SNPs was performed on the DNA products by PCR-RLFP analysis. Data analysis included examination of allelic and genotypic differentiation between the breeds, testing for Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) and association analysis between polymorphisms and LS. Genetic analysis showed that the G1 and G8 mutations of the GDF9 gene were significantly over-presented only in the highly prolific breed (Chios). The B4 mutation of the BMP15 gene was significantly over-presented only in the low prolific breed (Karagouniki). Both breeds were in Hardy–Weinberg disequilibrium (HWD), possibly due to selection pressure, population sub-structure and genetic drift. Certain polymorphisms of the G1, G4 and G8 sites of the GDF9 gene in the Chios breed were found to show heterozygote advantage with no evidence of infertility for the homozygous females. A similar trend was observed in the BMP15 gene although at no statistically significant level. In the Karagouniki breed, no significant associations between the studied polymorphisms and LS were detected.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary probiotic inclusion level on mucin composition (monosaccharide ratio), mucosal morphometry, mucus layer staining intensity, and mucus layer thickness along the broiler intestinal tract. One-day-old male Cobb broilers were administered maize-soybean meal basal (BD) diets for 42 d and depending on the feed additive used, broilers were allocated into the following 5 experimental treatments: control C (BD, no additive), treatment P1 (10(8) colony forming units of probiotic/kg of BD), treatment P2 (10(9) cfu of probiotic/kg of BD), treatment P3 (10(10) cfu of probiotic/kg of BD), and treatment A (2.5 mg avilamycin/kg of BD). Intestinal samples from duodenum, ileum, and cecum of 14- and 42-d-old broilers were collected and analyzed. Mannose (Man) decreased linearly with increasing probiotic level in duodenum (P=0.015) and ileum (P=0.042) of 14-d-old broilers. N-Acetyl-glucosamine and galactose decreased linearly (P=0.012 and P=0.001, respectively), while fucose increased linearly (P

The effect of a dietary phytogenic feed additive (PFA) inclusion level in mucin monosaccharide composition, mucosal morphometry and mucus histochemistry along the broiler intestinal tract was studied. Cobb male broilers (n = 525) were allocated into five experimental treatments that, depending on the type of addition in the basal diet (BD), were labeled as follows: C (BD based on maize–soybean meal with no other additions), E1 (80 mg PFA/kg BD), E2 (125 mg PFA/kg BD), E3 (250 mg PFA/kg of BD) and A (2.5 mg avilamycin/kg BD). Samples from duodenum, ileum and cecum of 14- and 42-day-old broilers were collected and analyzed. In 14-day-old broilers, treatments E2 and E3 had higher (P < 0.01) duodenal mannose than treatments C, E1 and A. Ileal mannose was lower (P < 0.05) in treatment C compared with PFA treatments, and ileal galactose (Gal) was higher (P < 0.01) in treatments E2 and E3 compared with C and A. Polynomial contrast analysis with respect to PFA inclusion level showed that in 14-day-old broilers there was a linear increase (P = 0.001) in duodenal mannose and a quadratic effect (P = 0.038) in duodenal N-acetyl-galactosamine with increasing PFA level. Ileal Gal and mannose increased linearly (P = 0.002 and P = 0.012, respectively) with PFA inclusion level. There were no significant differences between treatments in mucin monosaccharide molar ratios of 42-day-old broilers. However, increasing PFA inclusion level resulted in a linear decrease of ileal fucose (P = 0.021) and cecal N-acetylgalactosamine (P = 0.036). Experimental treatments did not differ (P > 0.05) regarding duodenal villus height (Vh), crypt depth (Cd) and Vh/Cd ratio, irrespective of broiler age and the intestinal segment examined. However, increasing dietary PFA inclusion level showed a pattern of linear increase of duodenal Vh/Cd ratio in 14-day-old broilers and ileal Vh in 42-day-old broilers (P = 0.039 and P = 0.039, respectively). Alcian Blue–Periodic Acid-Schiff (pH 2.5) staining of neutral and acidic mucins showed that the staining intensity of mucus layer in villi was fragment (i.e. tip, midsection and base) dependent, whereas in crypts it was dependent both on intestinal segment (i.e. duodenum, ileum and cecum) and fragment. Finally, mucus layer thickness did not differ (P > 0.05) between treatments, yet a pattern of linear increase (P < 0.05) with PFA inclusion level was observed in the duodenum of 42-day-old broilers. In conclusion, the dietary inclusion level of PFA modulated broiler intestinal mucin composition and morphology. Further studies are required to elucidate the physiological implications of such changes in host–microflora interactions.

Summary A two-trial experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of caponization on fat metabolism-related biochemical characteristics of broilers. Male Redbro broilers were purchased, caponized at 3 weeks and reared until either the 18th (Trial 1) or the 24th (Trial 2) week. In Trial 1, five slaughters were performed at 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 weeks of age while in Trial 2 one slaughter at the end of the experiment (24 weeks). In each slaughter, the abdominal adipose tissue cellularity, the NADP dehydrogenase activity in the liver and some serum lipoproteins concentrations were assessed. Caponization had a marked effect on the adipocyte volume and NADP-malate dehydrogenase activity in the liver at 24 weeks but it did not affect adipocyte number or the activity of NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase activity at any age (p

An experiment was conducted with the objective to study the interaction between breed and diet on conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and fatty acids profile (FA) content of milk fat of four pure of dairy sheep breeds (Awassi, Lacaune, Friesland and Chios). All sheep used in this study were kept in one flock under the same management. During the winter months (from October to March) all sheep were kept indoors and fed with alfalfa hay and concentrates without any grazing and from April onwards were grazing native pastures without any supplementary feed. A total of 160 individual milk samples were taken from the four breeds at two sampling times: in January (n = 80) and in May (n = 80), when the ewes were in average, on 62 and 185 days in milk. These milk samples were analyzed for FA profile. The results of this experiment showed that the sheep breed had no effect on milk FA profile or on atherogenicity index (AI). The only significant effect was on Δ−9 desaturase activity index expressed as C18:1/C18:0. On the contrary, the diet affected significantly the FA profile of all ewes milk fat, with pasture to cause lower proportions of saturated and higher proportions of unsaturated FA, compared with those of sheep kept and fed indoors. The interaction between breed and diet was significant for the FA C10:0, C14:0, C15:0, C16:0, C17:1, C18:1, C18:2n6c, C18:2n6t, C18:3n6 and CLA and for FA groups SCFA, MCFA, LCFA and MUFA. The S/U FA ratio and the Δ−9 desaturase indexes (C14:1/C14:0 and C18:1/C18:0) were also affected by the breed × diet interaction. In conclusion, pasture feeding when compared with supplementary diet, induce large variation in the milk FA profile. In addition pasture increases FA in milk fat which has potential interest for human health. Breed has small effect on milk FA profile, but it can be ignored as it is shown from the interaction breed × diet.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether immunosuppression occurs in 3 different Greek dairy sheep breeds during the periparturient period. A total of 33 ewes from 3 breeds [i.e., the low-producing Boutsiko breed (n = 11), which is highly adaptable to harsh environments; the high-producing but environmentally fragile Chios breed (n = 11); and an intermediate synthetic breed (50% Boutsiko, 25% Arta, and 25% Chios, n = 11)] were used. Blood samples were collected at 18 and 2 d before parturition and at 15 d after parturition. Total cell-associated and membrane-bound urokinase plasminogen activator (U-PA) activity, free U-PA binding sites on cellular membranes, and superoxide anion (SA) production by activated phagocytes were determined. Results indicated that all immune parameters measured remained constant during the periparturient period for the Boutsiko breed. In contrast, there were reductions in total cell-associated and membrane-bound U-PA activity by both monocytes-macrophages and neutrophils and in SA production by monocytes-macrophages at d 2 before parturition for the Chios breed. In the synthetic breed, there were reductions in total cell-associated and membrane-bound U-PA activity by monocytes-macrophages and in SA production by both monocytes-macrophages and neutrophils at d 15 after parturition. Thus, mild immunosuppression during the periparturient period was observed in the 2 breeds with the highest milk production.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of breed, stage of lactation, and health status of the udder on the plasmin-plasminogen system in ovine milk. A total of 38 ewes were used from 3 breeds [Boutsiko (n = 12), Chios (n = 12), and a synthetic breed (50% Boutsiko, 25% Arta, and 25% Chios, n = 14)] with major differences in their genetic potential with respect to milk yield. Milk samples were collected every 2 wk throughout the lactation period and were analyzed for fat, protein, lactose, and somatic cell count (SCC). In addition, milk plasmin (PL), plasminogen (PG), and plasminogen activator (PA) activities were determined. The Chios breed had the greatest average daily milk yield, the synthetic breed had an intermediate milk yield, and ewes of the Boutsiko breed had the lowest milk yield. Milk samples obtained from the Boutsiko breed had similar PL and PA activities, compared with those obtained from the other 2 breeds. The ratio of PG:PL was less in milk samples from the Boutsiko breed compared with the other 2 breeds, indicative of an increased rate of conversion of PG to PL for this breed. There was no correlation between PL activity and daily milk yield in ewes from all 3 breeds. Activities of PL, PG, and PA were greater in ovine milk with elevated SCC (>300,000/mL) compared with activities in milk with low SCC (

Objective: Due to the crucial role of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), nuclear factor ĸB (NFĸB), activator protein-1 (AP-1) and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in regulating inflammatory mediators and immune responses, we investigated their potential role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Patients and Methods: Whole cell and nuclear extracts from peripheral blood lymphocytes, isolated from 25 SLE patients and 25 controls, were immunoblotted using GR, p65/NFĸB, c-fos and JNK1 antibodies. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) assessed GR, NFĸB and AP-1-DNA binding in nuclear aliquots. Associations with the disease state and the doses of corticosteroids administered were studied. Results: (i) SLE patients had lower GR-DNA binding (p < 0.001), NFĸB-DNA binding (p < 0.001) and whole cell c-fos (p < 0.01) but higher nuclear NFĸB (p < 0.01). (ii) SLE patients and controls had similar AP-1-DNA binding, nuclear c-fos, GR and JNK, whole cell GR, NFĸB and JNK. (iii) No differences were detected between active and non-active SLE or high- and low-dose corticosteroid patients. (iv) In SLE, increases in GR-DNA binding were associated with increases in NFĸB-DNA binding (p < 0.0001), and increases in nuclear JNK were associated with increases in AP-1-DNA binding (p < 0.01). (v) In controls, increases in GR-DNA binding were associated with increases in AP-1-DNA binding (p < 0.001). Conclusion: We suggest disturbed GR, NFĸB, AP-1 and JNK signaling in SLE, characterized by a reduced GR- and NFĸB-DNA binding, a significant association between GR-mediated and NFĸB-driven pathways, and a significant correlation between nuclear JNK- and AP-1-driven pathways. These disturbances may contribute to abnormal cytokine production and the etiopathogenesis of SLE.

Estrogens and their receptors may play a role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Genetic alterations in the exon 8-coding region of the estrogen receptor alpha alter the intracellular signalling of estrogens, leading in enhanced or diminished activity. We investigated whether genetic alterations in exon 8 of ERa gene are associated with the occurrence and clinical features of lupus disease. The coding region of ERa exon 8 was subjected to mutation analysis using the polymerase chain reaction, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and sequence analysis, using DNA isolated from whole blood of 36 female patients and 38 healthy females. Clinical and laboratory parameters were available from the patients’ files. We identified the codon 594 polymorphism either in homozygous for the wild type gene (ACG/ACG) or heterozygous (ACG/ACA), both in patients and healthy females. Statistical analysis of the genotype and allele distribution revealed that there was a significant difference (ϰ2 test, P = 0.02 and P = 0.04, respectively) between patients and healthy women. Odds ratio estimate revealed that carriers of ACG/ACA genotype have three-fold higher risk of developing lupus disease (OR = 3.129, 95% CI 1.181-8.292). Moreover, in patients the heterozygous genotype was associated with rash, mouth ulcers and serositis (Fisher’s exact test, P = 0.055, P = 0.083, P = 0.065, respectively). The heterozygous patients were associated significantly with an early age at disease onset (ANOVA test, P, 0.05). We conclude that estrogen receptor alpha codon 594 genotype may influence the development of systemic lupus erythematosus at a younger age, as well as a certain disease clinical pattern.

Heritability coefficients as well as animals’ breeding values (BVs) were estimated on an average information algorithm for raw milk yield (MY), log transformed (LMY), square root transformed (SMY), adjusted for mean (CM) and adjusted for standard deviation (CSD) heterogeneity of the herd–year–lactation (HYL) classes, MY. The data included 4100 lactation records from 2551 ewes of the Lesbos dairy sheep kept in 44 herds on the homonymous island. Employment of data transformation (log or square root) and adjustment for mean heterogeneity did not result in homogenous variances across the HYL classes. Only adjustment of records by regressing the standard deviation (S.D.) of the HYLi class on population mean S.D. resulted in homogenous variances. Heritability estimates (h2) for MY, LMY and SMY were found to be of same magnitude (h2=0.19) while h2 for CM was higher (h2=0.20). Adjustment of MY for heterogeneous S.D. decreased the heritability estimate (h2=0.16), as a result of proportionally higher reduction of the additive genetic than of the residual variance. Heritability coefficient has also been estimated for two production (low and high) and two S.D. (low and high) levels of the HYL classes. Heritability estimates between low and high production levels were found of comparable magnitude (0.18 vs. 0.22, respectively) while they were clearly discriminated between low and high S.D. level (0.09 vs. 0.29, respectively). Product–moment (Pearson) and rank (Spearman) correlations and proportion of animals selected before and after adjustment were also estimated between estimated BVs on MY, CM and CSD records. Correlation estimates were generally high (r=0.88–0.98) when all sires and all ewes of the population were considered. Heterogeneity of variance had, however, a remarkable impact on ranking and thus of animals selected in 5% top sires and dams. Correction for heterogeneity of S.D. caused a great proportion, i.e. 25% and 32% of top sires and dams, respectively, to be excluded from selection when compared to the homogenous variance scenario. However, selection on a wider basis, e.g. sires with positive BVs and 20% of best dams, resulted in lower proportions of animals excluded. This was also the case for the effect of mean heterogeneity on the proportions of top sires and ewes selected. Investigation of the sources of heterogeneity of the HYL S.D.s showed that factors such as herd, lactation number, number of observations and production level are associated with heterogeneity of variance. Production year as well as genetic level did not significantly affect heterogeneity of variance (P>0.05). These above factors explained about 53% of the variation of S.D.s of the HYL classes.

Summary A data set of n = 67 pairs of genetic and phenotypic correlation estimates for various milk traits, constructed from an exhaustive survey of published estimates in dairy sheep and goats, was used to test whether the phenotypic correlation (rP) may be a suitable replacement of the genetic correlation (rG). Various criteria to assess the closeness of the two estimates were used: Pearson-, Spearman- and bootstrapped- correlations, paired sample t-test and non-parametric tests. Correlations between paired genetic and phenotypic correlation estimates were generally found to be high (from 0.87 to 0.95) and not statistically different between the two species. Employment of a paired sample t-test showed that the average difference between the genetic and phenotypic correlation estimates (d = rG − rP) was significantly (p

Background : The vasoprotective effects of estrogens are known to be mediated by their respective estrogen receptors (ER) alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ), which are present on the vascular wall. The amino-terminal part of the ERα appears to be important; genetic alterations in this region have been associated with arterial hypertension. This region has not been studied in atherosclerotic disease. In the present study, we examined the association between coronary artery disease (CAD) and alterations of the NH 2 -terminal part of ERα coding region. Methods : Genomic DNA was isolated from 50 healthy men and 40 men with CAD confirmed by coronary angiography. The coding sequences of exons 1 and 2 were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analyzed by either denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) or single stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP), or both, sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), as appropriate. In the same subjects, biochemical and vascular parameters were also determined by using the appropriate methodology. Results : In exon 1, the codon 10 polymorphism was detected in both patients and healthy men either in heterozygous or homozygous form. The codon 87 polymorphism was detected mainly in homozygous form and only five individuals were heterozygotes. No mutations were found in exon 2. Statistical analysis of the allele distribution for either codon 10 or 87 between patients and healthy men showed no significant difference. In patients, the biochemical parameters were not statistically significantly different between ERα codon 10 genotypes or alleles. However, there was a clear effect of the TCT/TCT genotype and TCT allele on the vascular parameters whereas the right internal carotid artery (RICA) intima-media thickness was significantly associated with TCT/TCT genotype and TCT allele. Conclusions : We conclude that ERα genotypes play no role in the incidence of CAD disease, however, ERα codon 10 may be a genetic factor controlling some vessels' angiographic complications.

A total of 4466 monthly test day records of 555 Greek Sfakia dairy ewes were used to estimate heritabilities as well as genetic and phenotypic correlations for udder score (US), average daily milk yield (MY), fat percentage (FC) and protein percentage (PC) of milk. Genetic parameters were estimated with a multitrait animal model with correlated residuals. Heritabilities were between 0.17 and 0.24, 0.41 and 0.47, 0.32 and 0.52 and 0.44 and 0.55, for test day US, MY, FC and PC, respectively. Within traits, genetic correlations between test days were between 0.54 and 0.57, 0.71 and 0.96, 0.79 and 0.99 and 0.85 and 0.99 for US, MY, FC and PC, respectively. Genetic correlations between milk traits and US were negative and of very low magnitude (−0.04 to −0.06). Genetic correlations between MY – FC and MY – PC were negative and of varying magnitude, from −0.37 to −0.52 and from −0.44 to −0.50, in the four test days, respectively. Fat and protein percentages were found to be highly, positively, correlated.

The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for predicting lactation as well as test-day milk yield(s) in Chios dairy sheep on the basis of a few (2–4) available test-day records at the beginning of a lactation period. The ANN employed was a neural network-like system with some advantages over other ANNs. No selection of learning coefficients, of the number of hidden layers or of the number of neurons in the layers was required. The effect on the network's predictive ability of the number of records used in the training phase, the number of input variables (i.e. test-day records) and data preprocessing was investigated. Input variables were the county, herd, lactation, lambing month, litter size, milk yield recorder, test day and days in milk (after lambing) when the first milk sample was obtained. Various criteria of goodness of prediction of lactation as well as of test-day yields were used, including Pearson and rank correlations between observed and predicted yields; the average difference between observed and predicted yields; the difference between their standard deviations; the standard deviation of differences between observed and predicted yields, and the ratio between it and the observed mean value. The average difference between observed and predicted yields was generally statistically non-significant (P

Test-day records (n=13677) sampled from 896 ewes in 5-9 (μ=7.5) monthly test-days were used to estimate genetic and phenotypic parameters of test-day yields, lactation milk yield (TMY), length of the milking period (DAYS)and three measures of persistency of milk yield in Boutsico dairy sheep. The measures of persistency were the slope of the regression line (β), the coefficient of variation (CV) of the test-day milk yields and the maximum to average daily milk yield ratio (MA). The estimates of variance components were obtained under a linear mixed model by restricted maximum likelihood. The heritability of test-day yields ranged from 0.15 to 0.24. DAYS were found to be heritable (h 2 =0.11). Heritability estimates of β, CV and MA were 0.15, 0.13, 0.10, respectively. Selection for maximum lactation yields is expected to result in prolonged milking periods, high rates of decline of yields after peak production, variable test-day yields and higher litter sizes. Selection for flatter lactation curves would reduce lactation yields, increase slightly the length of the milking period and decrease yield variation as well as litter size. The most accurate prediction of TMY was obtained with a linear regression model with the first five test-day records.

In the present work an attempt to apply graph analysis on visual representations of animals' pedigrees is presented. Analysis of pedigree networks of moderate size (tens or hundreds of points) can substantially contribute to revealing the relational structures between animals. Partitioning graphic representations of pedigree networks to smaller parts (blocks) by means of network decomposition methods resulted in better handling and understanding of horse genealogical data. Analysis of pedigree networks could be used to estimate shortest kinship paths among animals, determinate all predecessors and successors of selected animals and finally to estimate inbreeding coefficients of selected individuals. Detection of families and animals with major gene contribution could substantially be facilitated. Graphic representation of pedigree networks provide simultaneous, dynamic and parsimonious representation of kinship, interrelations and constituent structures.

Production and reproduetive traits in Danish Landrace (LD) and Large White (LW) swine were analysed by restricted maximum likelihood methods to obtain heritabilities as well as genetic and phenotypic correlations. Production traits were: age, backfat thickness (BT), muscle depth (MD) and the ratio BT/MD, adjusted to Standard bodyweight of 85 kg. Reproduction traits were: number of pigs born (NB) and number of pigs weaned (NW) per sow and parity. Heritabilities for age, BT, MD and BT/MD were 0.60, 0.44, 0.51 and 0.42 for LD and 0.36, 0.44, 0.37 and 0.45 for LW, respectively. Genetic correlations between age and BT were −0.22 in LD and – 0.44 in LW. The genetic correlation between age and MD was close to zero in both breeds. Genetic correlation between BT and MD were −0.36 and −0.25 in LD and LW, respectively. Heritabilities for NB were 0.25 in LD and 0.13 in LW while heritabilities for NW were close to zero in both breeds. Genetic correlation between NB and NW was 0.46 and 0.70 in LD and LW, respectively.

Lactation records of the Skopelos dairy goat population were used to assess the importance of various environmental effects and to estimate genetic parameters for 90-day milk yield (9OMY) and total milk yield (TMY) on untransformed and on log scale. Average 9OMY, TMY and days of milking were 164.7, 239.2 kg and 187 days, respectively. Herd, production year, lambing month, birth type, lactation number, the herd by year, year by month, year by lactation number interactions and days of milking were found statistically significant for TMY. Heritability estimates were 0.15 and 0.14 for 9OMY and TMY, respectively. Higher heritabilities of 0.24 and of 0.28 were estimated on the log scale for 90MY and TMY, respectively. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between 9OMY and total milk yield were found high, of 0.95 and 0.80, respectively.

The effects on genetic and economic responses of adding faecal egg count (FEC) in the aggregate genotype of dairy sheep in Greece were investigated. The extra responses obtained in the full aggregate genotype were expressed as a percentage change of the responses in terms of genetic gain, profit and selection response of single traits before adding the trait. The initial aggregate genotype included the traits milk fat yield (FY) and number of lambs weaned per ewe per year (NLW). Inclusion of FEC in the aggregate genotype resulted always in increased genetic gain and profit. The extra responses from adding the FEC in the index selection were variable and often very large, depending on the parameters varied i.e. the economic weight of FEC and the genetic correlation of FEC with the other production traits. For a wide range in the size of the genetic correlations between FEC and other traits, gains of FEC and no appreciable losses of responses for FY and NLW were predicted when FEC accounted proportionately for 0·10 to 0·20 of the total monetary genetic deviation. While FEC showed a wide range of change, selection responses of FY and NLW remained remarkably insensitive under various weightings of FEC and different genetic correlations of FEC with the production traits. The genetic and economic efficiency of alternative selection schemes were also evaluated. A two-stage selection procedure involving preliminary selection of rams on dam’s FEC, FY, NLW and on their own FEC and final culling on progeny’s FEC, FY and NLW was predicted to be the most efficient in both genetic and economic terms. Female replacements should be selected on dam’s FEC, FY and NLW (first stage) and their own FEC, FY and NLW (second stage). When repeated measurements of FEC are taken, the recommended number of FEC measurements was found to be 4.

Lactation and litter size records (n = 2553) of Boutsico dairy sheep were used to estimate direct additive, maternal genetic, maternal and animal's permanent environmental variance components for milk yield and litter size by restricted maximum likelihood under a repeated records animal model. Raw milk yield data were transformed by log and Box–Cox (BC) transformations. Heritability estimates of direct additive effects were between 0.21 and 0.30, 0.18 and 0.24 and 0.21 and 0.27 for untransformed, log transformed and BC transformed data, respectively. Only maternal and animal's environmental effects were important for milk yield. Direct-maternal genetic covariance did not significantly (P > 0.05) influence milk yield. Repeatability for milk yield ranged from 0.32 to 0.38. Only additive genetic effects were important for litter size. Heritability and repeatability for litter size were 0.07 and 0.11, respectively. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between yield and litter size were 0.13 and 0.19, respectively. Key words: Sheep, milk yield, litter size, heritability, correlation

The objective of the present experiment was to investigate the implications of severe maternal undernutrition on the post-weaning behavior of rabbits. Thirty two does were randomly assigned to four groups: the control group (C) that was fed 100% of the recommended energy maintenance requirements throughout pregnancy and lactation and the U1, U2 and U3 groups that were fed 50% of the recommended energy maintenance requirements between the 6th and the 19th day of pregnancy, between the 20th and the 27th day of pregnancy and between the 3rd and the 10th day of lactation, respectively. At the age of 50 and 65 days, behavior of rabbits in cages was recorded and rabbits were further subjected to an open-field test; a paradigm used as an indicator of fear and emotional distress. Significant differences were found between the U2 and the other experimental groups for the duration of eating and drinking, and duration of locomotory and investigatory behaviors (P0.05). At the age of 65 days, duration of comfort behaviors was also lower in the U2 compared to the other groups (P0.05). On the other hand, duration of resting appeared to be the highest in the group of rabbits born from undernourished does between the 20th and the 27th day of pregnancy (P0.05). Duration of resting was significantly increased, although frequency and duration of eating and drinking were significantly decreased at the age of 65 days (P0.05). Male rabbits had greater values for locomotory and investigatory behaviors, and duration of eating and drinking compared to the females (P0.01). A decreased activity of rabbits during the light period was observed (as expected), whereas an increase in duration of locomotory and investigatory behaviors was observed during the first four and the last 4h of the light and dark periods, respectively (P0.05). Rabbits born from the U1 and U2 group of does displayed increased rates of latency to leave the start position compared to the other groups during the implementation of the open-field test (P0.05). No other significant differences in the exhibition of the examined behaviors were found between the treatment groups, with the exception of 'moving forelegs' activity that had the lowest value in the U3 group of rabbits. It is concluded that severe maternal undernutrition (50% of the recommended maintenance requirements) especially between the 20th and the 27th day of pregnancy has significant effects on the exhibition of rabbits' post-weaning behavior, since the offspring from the U2 undernourished does were significantly less active compared to the other experimental groups.

The genetic and economic efficiency of alternative selection schemes and breeding objectives for the Karagouniki dairy sheep in Greece was investigated by model calculations. Criteria of efficiency were the annual genetic gain for the aggregate breeding value, the profit per ewe in the population and the annual selection responses for single traits. The introduction of a two-tier selection scheme, where the recorded ewes are separated into a nucleus and a pre-nucleus, was found superior in both genetic and economic terms for a breeding objective comprising the traits milk yield and number of lambs weaned per ewe per annum. Highest rates for annual genetic gain and selection responses were obtained when the nucleus size was proportionately 0·05 of the population (200 000 ewes), the size of the test matings 0·50 to 0·60 of the size of the pre-nucleus unit (0·10 of the population) and the number of daughters per test ram 40. Opening the nucleus to replacement ewes from the lower tier did not affect positively the annual genetic gain and the selection responses. Furthermore, a breeding objective comprising the traits fat yield and number of lambs weaned per ewe and per annum was found very efficient in both genetic and economic terms while selection on growth and carcass traits did not seem to be justified.

Variation in sexual dimorphism (SD) is particularly marked in meat-type chickens. This paper investigates the genetic basis of SD in an important economic trait, i.e. body weight (BW) at 35 days of age, in broilers by applying quantitative genetic analysis. A large dataset comprising 203,323 BW records of a commercial line of broiler chicken was used. First, a bivariate approach was employed treating BW as a sex-specific trait. During this approach, seven bivariate models were applied and variances due to direct additive genetic, maternal genetic and maternal environmental effects were estimated via the restricted maximum likelihood method. The best-fitting model included direct additive genetic, maternal genetic and maternal environmental effects with a direct–maternal genetic covariance. Differences between male and female direct heritabilities were non-significant (0.28 vs. 0.29 for males and females, respectively), implying no need for sex-specific selection strategies. The direct–maternal genetic correlation was more strongly negative in males than in females (−0.72 vs. −0.56), implying a more profound antagonism between direct additive and maternal genetic effects in this particular gender. The direct genetic correlation of BW between the two sexes was as high as 0.91, i.e. only slightly lower than unity. Second, variance components and genetic parameters of two measures of SD, i.e. the weight difference (Δ) and the weight ratio (R), between the genders were estimated. Direct heritabilities for both measures were significantly different to 0 but of low magnitude (0.04). Apart from the additive–maternal covariance, no other random effects were found to be of importance for Δ and R. The results of the present study suggest that only minimal selection responses due to the selection of Δ and/or R and a small capacity for amplifying or reducing the BW differences between the sexes are to be expected in this specific population. Furthermore, selection pressure on BW is expected to amplify SD.

A two-trial experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of caponization on fat metabolism-related biochemical characteristics of broilers. Male Redbro broilers were purchased, caponized at 3 weeks and reared until either the 18th (Trial 1) or the 24th (Trial 2) week. In Trial 1, five slaughters were performed at 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 weeks of age while in Trial 2 one slaughter at the end of the experiment (24 weeks). In each slaughter, the abdominal adipose tissue cellularity, the NADP dehydrogenase activity in the liver and some serum lipoproteins concentrations were assessed. Caponization had a marked effect on the adipocyte volume and NADP-malate dehydrogenase activity in the liver at 24 weeks but it did not affect adipocyte number or the activity of NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase activity at any age (p 0.05). Regarding the lipoproteins, cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were elevated in capon serum at 18 weeks of age while no difference was detected in the triglyceride concentration at any age. In conclusion, a relationship between fat deposition at the phenotypic level and the level of lipogenic enzymes and lipoproteins capons was established but not as pronounced as expected as some parameters displayed a constant increasing pattern while others did not.

A 2-trial experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of caponization on growth performance, carcass composition, and meat quality of medium growing broilers. Male chicks were caponized at 3 wk of age and reared until either 18 (trial 1) or 24 (trial 2) wk of age. In trial 1, the experimental groups included intact males, sham-operated chickens, and capons, whereas trial 2 comprised only intact males and capons. The concentration of testosterone was drastically reduced by caponization but remained detectable (trial 1). In both trials, BW was lower for capons during 4 to 9 or 10 wk of age when contrasted to intact males (P0.05). In trial 1, capons had heavier livers than intact males and sham-operated chickens. In addition, they had lighter hearts than sham-operated chicks (P0.05). In trial 2, capons displayed smaller drumstick and heart weights (P0.05). There was a tendency for increased fat pad weight in capons (P0.10). Caponization resulted in increased skin-fat weights of the thigh and the breast of 24 wk of age. This was also valid for carcass fat, when expressed as a percentage of the cold carcass weight, and intramuscular fat. Caponization had no effect on pH 24 h postmortem and cooking loss. Capons' breasts had lower shear values and displayed lighter, more yellow, and less red meat than that of intact males. Conclusively, caponization, without affecting growth performance, altered meat quality characteristics, resulting in special quality chicken meat.

It is well established that genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, a common condition characterized by reduced bone mass and increased fracture risk. The major histocompatibility complex in humans, known as human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region, is the most polymorphic human genetic system and it is known as a cluster of genetic markers, associated with several diseases. In order to evaluate the contribution of HLA alleles in bone mass loss, polymorphisms in the HLA class I (-A, -B and -Cw) and class II (-DR and -DQ) antigens were studied in 126 postmenopausal women of Greek origin. It was found that HLA-B7 (P= 0.069), -DR15 (P= 0.019) and -DQ6 (P= 0.026) were associated with a lower bone mineral density measured at the forearm. This study shows a significant association between HLA alleles and bone mass loss in the population studied.

Objectives: The first-line treatment for lupus nephritis is the administration of glucocorticoids (GC) that mediate their effects via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of GR protein in the cortical area of renal parenchyma of normal and diseased renal biopsies from treated and untreated patients. Design and methods: The immunohistochemical EnVision/HRP technique was performed on renal tissue to detect GR protein. Statistical analysis was performed by SAS (2001). Results: The antigen was mainly detected in glomerular podocytes and in tubules. The number of GR-positive podocytes of the controls was significantly higher than in the untreated patients, which was accordingly higher than in patients who were under medication. Conclusions: The lower number of GR-positive cells in the diseased kidney compared to controls is possibly linked to tissue-specific GC resistance, whereas the decreased GR expression in podocytes of treated compared to untreated patients may be due to a down-regulation effect after GCs' administration.

A total of 124 blood samples were collected from 92 sheep and 32 goats from 21 randomly selected herds located in two regions of Greece. Data on the characteristics of the animals (species, gender, age, tick burden, presence of haemoglobinuria, prior treatment for babesiosis) and the herd (location, size, species of animals, dogs associated with the herds, tick burden of dogs associated with the herds) were collected through questionnaires. Nineteen animals (15%) produced the DNA fragment specific for Babesia of which 16 were sheep and three were goats. Nucleotide sequence of PCR products revealed 100% homology with Babesia ovis 18S rRNA gene. Nine farms (43%) were found positive for B. ovis. The percentage of positive animals in each farm varied between 10 and 61%. The relative risk of the presence of ticks in sheep and goats (p < 0.01) and farm dogs (p < 0.01) for PCR-positive results for B. ovis in sheep and goats was found 6.63 and 4.14, respectively.

The objectives of the present study were to study the fauna of fleas infesting dairy goats in Greece, the spectrum of hosts each flea species infests, identify risk factors in the environment, and goat management practices that favour flea infestation of goats, and describe the seasonal variation of infestation in goats. For this purpose, a total of 64 herds, with a history of flea infestation in goats, were visited during June and July of 2002 for data collection on flea burdens, species of fleas on goats, and other farm or pet animal species in the farm. Also data were collected on herd characteristics and management along with the flea infestation status of the village where it was located through a questionnaire survey. Data on elevation and climatic characteristics of the villages where the herds were located were also used in the study. All fleas collected from goats, sheep, pigs, and cattle were identified as being Pulex irritans. All fleas collected from cats were identified as being Ctenocephalides felis. Dogs were infested either with P. irritans, C. canis, or C. felis, or with both C. canis and C. felis. Kids had a significantly higher flea burden than goats and the Skopelos breed had the highest flea burden of all breeds followed in diminishing order by the breeds Capra prisca, Saanen cross mix, and Alpine cross mix (p < 0.05). The gender of the animal had no significant effect on flea burden. Factors significantly affecting the flea burden of goats were duration of flea infestation in the herd, type of flea control, and manure imported prior to the appearance of fleas in the herd (p < 0.05). The flea burden of goats was highest during summer and lowest during winter (p < 0.01), with complete an absence of infestation in January and February. Finally, a significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between the average annual temperature of villages with flea infestation (15.59 degrees C) and villages without flea infestation (17.14 degrees C). It was concluded that P. irritans was a true infestation of goats in Greece.

Estrogens are important determinants of bone mineral density (BMD) mediating their effects via estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and beta (ERbeta). The strong genetic predisposition to osteoporosis, and the fact that alterations in the aminoterminal region of ERalpha have been linked to bone disturbances, prompted us to identify genetic alterations in exon 1 and exon 2 of ERalpha in osteoporotic individuals. Sixty-two unrelated normal subjects (age 46.1+/-9.5 years) and 72 unrelated osteoporotic subjects (age 52.3+/-7.9 years) were studied. Their menopausal status was pre- and perimenopausal. We also included 30 related osteoporotic individuals (mother-daughter or sister-sister relationship) (age 46.2+/-12.8 years) belonging to 14 families who where also pre- and perimenopausal. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood, exons 1 and 2 were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and were further submitted to denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), single stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequence analysis. Bone turnover markers were also determined. Two polymorphisms were identified in exon 1 (codons 10 and 87) in both normal and osteoporotic women. Statistical analysis revealed no difference (P0.05) in the ERalpha genotype frequencies within osteoporotic families as compared with the same genotypes in the unrelated normal or osteoporotic subjects. Codon 10, codon 87 polymorphisms were not related to BMD or bone turnover markers. No other mutations were found in exons 1 and 2 in all subjects studied. Genetic alterations in exons 1 and 2 of ERalpha are not associated to osteoporosis and familial osteoporosis. Moreover, the codon 10 and codon 87 polymorphisms do not seem to be correlated with BMD and bone turnover markers.