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Chosen indicators of meat performance of 98 bulls of Czech Spotted cattle bred in elevation above 720 m above sea-level in the mountain region of Šumava are presented in the article. The fattening was realized in a barn with a deep litter. The feed ration consisted of haylage throughout the year. The bulls were divided into three groups according to their genotype - C100, C75-85R (CxR) and C75-85A (CxA). The highest live weight at slaughter was achieved in the group C100 with 650 kg with the average age of 726 days and the weight of the carcasses of 363.8 kg. On the other hand, the worst results were achieved in the group CxA. For comparison a group of 14 bulls of the Holstein breed was created (H100), which was fattened in the same conditions. The bulls achieved their highest live weight before slaughter (664.6 kg), but at the highest age (743 days). Statistically significant differences were proven in the meat performance after individual fathers – the best results were documented with the offspring of the bull BO-837. After the separation of the set of bulls according to live weight at the end of fattening, the highest results were achieved by the group above 700 kg. The best class using the SEUROP method was achieved by the group with slaughtering live weight between 650 kg and 700 kg.

In this article the results of rearing purebred meat breeds of cattle in the system without commercial milk production on a private farm situated at the foot of the mountains in South Bohemia are shown. The herd of dams consisted of 149 pcs. of the breed Charolaise (CH), Meat Simmental (MS), Blonde d´Aquitaine (BA), Limousine (LI) and Belgian Blue (BM). The average age at first calving was the lowest in the breed MS (941 days) and the highest in the breed CH (1087 days). The average length of the Between-calving interval of the herd was 442.6 days. The highest birth weight was achieved by the calves of the breed BA (51.2 kg) and the lowest by the breed MS (42.4 kg at P≤0.001). At the age of 120 and 210 days the highest live weight was proved in the breed CH (193.8 kg resp. 316.5 kg). The calves of the breed ET showed a significantly higher live weight only in the age of 120 days (difference of 12.8 kg at P≤0.01). The influence of bulls on the growth parameters of calves was proved within the breed CH in live weight at the age of 210 days.

BACKGROUND:Amniotic fluid is clinically accessible via amniocentesis and its protein composition may correspond to birth timing. Early changes in the amniotic fluid proteome could therefore be associated with the subsequent development of spontaneous preterm delivery. OBJECTIVE:The main objective of this study was to perform unbiased proteomics analysis of the association between mid-trimester amniotic fluid proteome and spontaneous preterm delivery and gestational duration, respectively. A secondary objective was to validate and replicate the findings by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a second independent cohort. METHODS:Women undergoing a mid-trimester genetic amniocentesis at Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Östra between September 2008 and September 2011 were enrolled in this study, designed in three analytical stages; 1) an unbiased proteomic discovery phase using LC-MS analysis of 22 women with subsequent spontaneous preterm delivery (cases) and 37 women who delivered at term (controls), 2) a validation phase of proteins of interest identified in stage 1, and 3) a replication phase of the proteins that passed validation using a second independent cohort consisting of 20 cases and 40 matched controls. RESULTS:Nine proteins were nominally significantly associated with both spontaneous preterm delivery and gestational duration, after adjustment for gestational age at sampling, but none of the proteins were significant after correction for multiple testing. Several of these proteins have previously been described as being associated with spontaneous PTD etiology and six of them were thus validated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Two of the proteins passed validation; Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, but the results could not be replicated in a second cohort. CONCLUSIONS:Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 are potential biomarkers of spontaneous preterm delivery and gestational duration but the findings could not be replicated. The negative findings are supported by the fact that none of the nine proteins from the exploratory phase were significant after correction for multiple testing.