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This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary humic acid (HA) supplementation on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass characteristics, blood metabolites, and caecal fermentation activity in growing rabbits. Six-week-old New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits (n = 63) with an initial body weight of 726.32 ± 42.85 g, were randomly allocated to three groups of 21 rabbits each. Rabbits were fed on the basal diet with 0 (HA0, control), 5 (HA5) and 10 (HA10) gram/kilogram diet for 70 days in a completely randomised experimental design. A significant heavier (P

Myogenic factor 5 plays actively roles in the regulation of myogenesis. The aims of this study are to identify the evolution information of MYF5 protein among 10 domestic and mammalian animals, to uncover the expression patterns of MYF5 gene in calves and adults of Qinchuan cattle, and to expose the genetic variants of the MYF5 gene and explore its effect on cattle growth traits and beef quality traits in Qinchuan cattle. The bioinformatics results showed that the MYF5 proteins highly conserved in different mammalian or domestic animals apart from chicken. The expression level of MYF5 gene in the heart, muscle, lung, large intestine and liver was greater than that of other tissues. PCR amplicons sequencing identified four novel SNPs at g.5738AG, g.5785CT and g.5816AG in the 3rd exon region and g.6535AG in the 3' UTR. Genotypic frequencies of g.5785CT was harshly deviated from the HWE (P .05). Genetic diversity was low or intermediate for the four SNPs and those SNPs were in the weak linkage disequilibrium. Association analysis results indicated g.5785CT, g.5816AG and g.6535AG significant effect on growth performance and beef quality traits of Qinchuan cattle. H1H3 diplotype had greater body size and better beef quality. All the results implicate that the MYF5 gene might be applied as a promising candidate gene in Qinchuan cattle breeding.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a viral infection caused by PRRS virus (PRRSV) can result in severe reproductive failure, and respiratory disease in the pigs thus causing enormous economic losses to the global swine industry. Although the cellular receptors for PRRSV have been identified, but mechanisms underlying PPRSV replication remain obscure. Here, we have performed a genome-scale CRISPR/Cas9 knockout screen in the pig kidney cells with PRRSV. Several genes were found to be highly enriched post-PRRSV selection, just like KxDL Motif Containing 1(KXD1), Proteasome 26S Subunit, Non-ATPase 3 (PSMD3) and Galectin 2 (LGALS2) and soon on. Importantly, we have identified that loss of KXD1 resulted in the restricted autophagy and inhibited replication of PRRSV. Therefore, our study demonstrates that CRISPR/Cas9 system can be effectively used for the screening of pig factors responsible for PRRSV replication.

Ovsynch is a widely accepted estrus synchronization protocol for improving the reproductive performance of water buffaloes who manifest low reproductive efficiency. Recently, some modified protocols based on Ovsynch such as 2 injections of prostaglandin 14 days apart following the Ovsynch are also introduced to enhance the reproductive potential of this species. In the present study, a meta-analytical assessment was performed with the objective to evaluate the reproductive performance of water buffaloes synchronized with Ovsynch or modified Ovsynch programs. Meta-analysis of the fixed or random effects model was determined by the heterogeneity among the studies. Reproductive outcome of interest was pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI) measured on day 25 (25–100). A total of 32 articles including 4003 buffaloes using either Ovsynch or modified Ovsynch protocol were reviewed. In the random effects model for buffaloes, the overall proportion of P/AI was 42.55% [95% confidence interval (CI): 37.48–47.70; n = 3,089] and 46.44% (95% CI: 39.63–53.31; n = 914) on day 25 after AI for Ovsynch and modified Ovsynch, respectively. Results for P/AI were then categorized by ovarian activity, where P/AI was available for 3575 cyclic buffaloes and 320 non-cyclic buffaloes. For cyclic buffaloes, the overall proportion of P/AI was 47.54% (95% CI: 42.72–52.38; n = 2911) and 57.97% (95% CI: 54.12–61.77; n = 664) on day 25 after AI for Ovsynch and modified Ovsynch, respectively. In the fixed effects model for non-cyclic buffaloes, the overall proportion of P/AI was 19.68% (95% CI: 13.48–26.58; n = 167) and 33.01% (95% CI: 25.50–40.94; n = 153) on day 25 after AI for Ovsynch and modified Ovsynch, respectively. In conclusion, a benefit for P/AI is detected in buffaloes with the modified Ovsynch protocol. Besides, whichever estrus synchronization protocols (Ovsynch or modified Ovsynch), cyclic buffaloes have higher P/AI compared with non-cyclic buffaloes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different feed restriction regimens on performance, behavioral patterns, blood cortisol, and carcass parameters in Sasso broilers. Sixty healthy 1-day-old unsexed Sasso chicks were randomly assigned to three groups (20 chicks per group) and each group was divided into 4 replicates with 5 chicks each based on feed restriction program during the rearing period (60 days). The first group (G1) is control in which birds were fed ad libitum had free access to feed (no restriction). The second group (G2) was subjected to temporary feed restriction at the first 2 weeks as birds had access to feed for 12 h only after that they had free access to feed until the end of the experimental period. The third one (G3) was subjected to continuous feed restriction as birds had free access to feed for 12 h only throughout the rearing periods. During the study period, growth performance and behavioral patterns were estimated. At the end of the study, blood samples for cortisol testing were taken. Three birds from each group were slaughtered at the end of the study to see how the feed restriction affected carcass parameters. Feed restriction had a substantial impact (P ≤ 0.05) on final body weight and carcass parameters. Feed restriction elevated blood cortisol significantly (P = 0.004). Feed restriction showed a significant impact on some behaviors as feeding, stretching, preening, and aggression. Overall, different feed restriction programs had a wide effect on growth performance, behaviors, cortisol concentration, and carcass parameters of Sasso broilers.

Simple Summary Some studies have confirmed the variation in milk profiles when dairy cows show estrus. However, only a few milk components, such as fat, protein, and lactose, have been investigated so far, and thus any changes in the many other parts of milk’s composition due to estrus are unknown. Milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectra consist of wavenumbers, which provide insight into the chemical composition of milk. The MIR spectrum reflects the global composition of milk, but this information is currently underused. In this study, we considered MIR wavenumbers as traits, and directly studied the spectral information as a way to study the estrus of dairy cows linked to milk composition. This research provides a deeper understanding of the milk MIR spectrum and may lead to new approaches for estrus detection in dairy cows from routine milk analysis, thereby guiding an opportune insemination time. Abstract Milk produced by dairy cows is a complex combination of many components. However, at present, changes in only a few milk components (e.g., fat, protein, and lactose) during the estrus cycle in dairy cows have been documented. Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy is a worldwide method routinely used for milk analysis, as MIR spectra reflect the global composition of milk. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the changes in milk MIR spectra and milk production traits (fat, protein, lactose, urea, total solids (TS), and solid not fat (SnF)) due to estrus. Cows that were successfully inseminated, leading to conception, were included. Cows confirmed to be pregnant were considered to be in estrus at the day of insemination (day 0). A general linear mixed model, which included the random effect of cows, the fixed classification effects of parity number, days in relation to estrus, as well as the interaction between parity number and days in relation to estrus, was applied to investigate the changes in milk production traits and 1060 milk infrared wavenumbers, ranging from 925 to 5011 cm−1, of 371 records from 162 Holstein cows on the days before (day −3, day −2, and day −1) and on the day of estrus (day 0). The days in relation to estrus had a significant effect on fat, protein, urea, TS, and SnF, whose contents increased from day −3 to day 0. Lactose did not seem to be significantly influenced by the occurrence of estrus. The days in relation to estrus had significant effects on the majority of the wavenumbers. Besides, we found that some of the wavenumbers in the water absorption regions were significantly changed on the days before and on the day of estrus. This suggests that these wavenumbers may contain useful information. In conclusion, the changes in the milk composition due to estrus can be observed through the analysis of the milk MIR spectrum. Further analyses are warranted to more deeply explore the potential use of milk MIR spectra in the detection of estrus.

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of parity and days in milk on milk yield and milk production traits and their correlation with β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations in milk of Chinese tropic Holstein dairy cows which are adapted to a humid subtropical climate in central China. About 3055 milking records of Holstein cows were obtained from three farms in the hot region in the center of China. The records were classified according to parity to 4 categories: first parity, second parity, third parity, and greater than third parity. According to days in milk, there were 4 groups, first group from (1-100 days), second group from (101-200 days), third group from (201-305 days), and fourth group (>305 days). Milk samples collected between April and November 2019 from the three farms were routinely checked for milk components including BHB using mid-infrared spectroscopy a MilkoScan FT+ (Foss, Hillerod, Denmark). Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (generalized linear model, GLM). Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to measure the correlation between SCC and BHB with milk yield and milk production traits. Results showed the significant effect of parity and days in milk on milk yield and milk production traits. There was a negative effect of parity and days in milk on milk quality, with increasing parity and days in milk being associated with higher somatic cell count (SCC) (P

This study aimed to investigate the effects of polymorphisms in growth hormone 1 (GH1) gene on the growth traits in Chinese indigenous yak. Using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-PFLP) approach, one novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), termed as g.1721G>A, was identified in the exon 4 of GH1 gene in 423 individuals of yak population. Based on the chi-square (χ2) test, the frequencies of g.1721G>A alleles agreed with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) (P < 0.05). A significant association was observed between this SNP and several growth traits (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), in which the genotype GG exhibited the best values. The present study suggested that the identified SNP was a useful genetic marker for the improvement of growth traits in Chinese indigenous yak.

Ovsynch is a widely accepted estrus synchronization protocol for improving the reproductive performance of water buffaloes who manifest low reproductive efficiency. Recently, some modified protocols based on Ovsynch such as 2 injections of prostaglandin 14 days apart following the Ovsynch are also introduced to enhance the reproductive potential of this species. In the present study, a meta-analytical assessment was performed with the objective to evaluate the reproductive performance of water buffaloes synchronized with Ovsynch or modified Ovsynch programs. Meta-analysis of the fixed or random effects model was determined by the heterogeneity among the studies. Reproductive outcome of interest was pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI) measured on day 25 (25-100). A total of 32 articles including 4003 buffaloes using either Ovsynch or modified Ovsynch protocol were reviewed. In the random effects model for buffaloes, the overall proportion of P/AI was 42.55% [95% confidence interval (CI): 37.48-47.70; n = 3,089] and 46.44% (95% CI: 39.63-53.31; n = 914) on day 25 after AI for Ovsynch and modified Ovsynch, respectively. Results for P/AI were then categorized by ovarian activity, where P/AI was available for 3575 cyclic buffaloes and 320 non-cyclic buffaloes. For cyclic buffaloes, the overall proportion of P/AI was 47.54% (95% CI: 42.72-52.38; n = 2911) and 57.97% (95% CI: 54.12-61.77; n = 664) on day 25 after AI for Ovsynch and modified Ovsynch, respectively. In the fixed effects model for non-cyclic buffaloes, the overall proportion of P/AI was 19.68% (95% CI: 13.48-26.58; n = 167) and 33.01% (95% CI: 25.50-40.94; n = 153) on day 25 after AI for Ovsynch and modified Ovsynch, respectively. In conclusion, a benefit for P/AI is detected in buffaloes with the modified Ovsynch protocol. Besides, whichever estrus synchronization protocols (Ovsynch or modified Ovsynch), cyclic buffaloes have higher P/AI compared with non-cyclic buffaloes.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of polymorphisms in growth hormone 1 (GH1) gene on the growth traits in Chinese indigenous yak. Using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-PFLP) approach, one novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), termed as g.1721GA, was identified in the exon 4 of GH1 gene in 423 individuals of yak population. Based on the chi-square (χ

Background Peribulbar Anesthesia (PBA) is a relatively safe method for cataract surgery. The anesthetic volume should be adjusted according to the axial eyeball length. Thus, using Minimum Effective Volume (MEV) of local anesthetic helps avoiding unnecessary volumes, preventing increases in intra-ocular pressure, and producing satisfactory conditions for cataract surgery. This study aims to determine the MEV90 of local anesthetics in relation to eye globe axial length in peribulbar blocks for cataract surgery. Methods Patients scheduled for cataract extraction under local anesthesia were divided according to their axial eyeball length; Group 1 included those with axial length from 22 to 24 mm, Group 2 included patients with axial length from 24.1 to 26 mm. The initial volume used was 7 mL of a solution of bupivacaine 0.5% (3 mL) + lidocaine 2% (3 mL) + hyaluronidase 150 IU (1 mL). The subsequent volumes were dependent on the response of the previous patient, by using a Bias Coin Design (BCD) and Up and Down Method (UDM) for MEV-90 determination. Results The study was concluded with 119 patients. Sixteen patients needed supplemental volume of local anesthetic in Group 1 and thirteen in Group 2. The MEV90 for Group 1 was approximately 5.82 mL (95% CI 5.6 to 5.87 mL) and 5.45 mL for Group 2 (95% CI 5.38 to 5.91 mL). No major complications were noted. There was a negative correlation between the effective volume of LA and eye globe axial length in both groups (p = 0.001). Conclusion The MEV90 of local anesthetics for peribulbar block show a strong and inverse correlation with eye globe axial length. This may help achieving an effective block with minimum complications.

Milk composition always serves as an indicator for the cow&rsquo, s health status and body condition. Some non-genetic factors such as parity, days in milk (DIM), and calving season, which obviously affect milk performance, therefore, need to be considered in dairy farm management. However, only a few milk compositions are used in the current animal selection programs. The mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy can reflect the global composition of milk, but this information is currently underused. The objectives of this study were to detect the effect of some non-genetic factors on milk production traits as well as 1060 individual spectral points covering from 925.92 cm&minus, 1 to 5011.54 cm&minus, 1, estimate heritabilities of milk production traits and MIR spectral wavenumbers, and explore the genetic correlations between milk production traits and 1060 individual spectral points in a Chinese Holstein population. The mixed models procedure of SAS software was used to test the non-genetic factors. Single-trait animal models were used to estimate heritabilities and bivariate animal models were used to estimate genetic correlations using the package of ASReml in R software. The results showed that herd, parity, calving season, and lactation stage had significant effects on the percentages of protein and lactose, whereas herd and lactation stage had significant effects on fat percentage. Moreover, the herd showed a significant effect on all of the 1060 individual wavenumbers, whereas lactation stage, parity, and calving season had significant effect on most of the wavenumbers of the lactose-region (925 cm&minus, 1 to 1200 cm&minus, 1), protein-region (1240 cm&minus, 1 to 1600 cm&minus, 1), and fat-regions (1680 cm&minus, 1 to 1770 cm&minus, 1 and 2800 cm&minus, 1 to 3015 cm&minus, 1). The estimated heritabilities for protein percentage (PP), fat percentage (FP), and lactose percentage (LP) were 0.08, 0.05, and 0.09, respectively. Further, the milk spectrum was heritable but low for most individual points. Heritabilities of 1060 individual spectral points were 0.04 on average, ranging from 0 to 0.11. In particular, heritabilities for wavenumbers of spectral regions related to water absorption were very low and even null, and heritabilities for wavenumbers of specific MIR regions associated with fat-I, fat-II, protein, and lactose were 0.04, 0.06, 0.05, and 0.06 on average, respectively. The genetic correlations between PP and FP, PP and LP, FP, and LP were 0.78, &minus, 0.29, and &minus, 0.14, respectively. In addition, PP, FP, and LP shared the similar patterns of genetic correlations with the spectral wavenumbers. The genetic correlations between milk production traits and spectral regions related to important milk components varied from weak to very strong (0.01 to 0.94, and &minus, 0.01 to &minus, 0.96). The current study could be used as a management tool for dairy farms and also provides a further understanding of the genetic background of milk MIR spectra.

Melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) was considered as an essential modifiers in feelings intake, the regulation of metabolism and body weight. This study aimed at identifying polymorphisms in MC4R gene that might associate with carcass quality traits in Chinese indigenous beef cattle breed. qPCR analysis showed that the MC4R gene was widely expressed in various tissues, with predominantly expression levels in heart. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, including a mutation (g.85A > G) in 5’untranslated regions (UTR) and two mutations (g.927C > T and g.1069C > G) in exon 1. Based on the χ2 test, both g.927C > T and g.1069C > G loci fitted with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P > .05). Population genetic analysis showed that except for g.85A > G, the other detected SNPs strongly affected the bovine back fat thickness and intramuscular fat content (P

This study examined the sedative, analgesic, behavioral, and clinical effects of a combination of xylazine (XY) and nalbuphine-xylazine (NA-XY) in camels. A total of five adult camels were used in a prospective randomized cross-over design with a wash out period of two weeks. Camels were allocated randomly to two treatment groups: the XY group (xylazine, 1.1mL/100 kg IV) and the NA-XY group (xylazine, 1.1mL/100 kg IV and nalbuphine, 1 mg/kg IV). The sedative, analgesic, behavioral, and clinical effects of XY and NA-XY combination were evaluated prior to administration (baseline) and at 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 120 minutes post-administration. The results showed that the NA-XY combination accelerates the onset of sedation and analgesia and prolongs the durations of both sedation (p < 0.001) and analgesia (p < 0.01). The behavioral parameters showed higher scores with a NA-XY combination than xylazine alone. Although a XY injection resulted in a significant decline in the heart and respiratory rate, the NA-XY combination group revealed a non-significant change in both clinical parameters compared to the baseline. In conclusion, the use of a NA-XY combination in camels improved the sedative and analgesic onset and duration with an improved outcome in the behavioral scores, as well as in both the heart and respiratory rates compared to XY alone.

Studying the behavioural patterns of animals in their house may help to understand their needs, but there has been a little investigation of home-cage behaviours in commonly used inbred strains of mice such as C57BL/6 and DBA/2. Therefore, understanding behavioural patterns in these mice is important for neuroscience research. For the first time, this experiment was carried out to investigate the long-term effects of housing conditions (single vs. group) on home cage behaviour of C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice, in order to reveal differences between C57BL/6 and DBA/2 in home-cage behaviours and in response to single-housing. Sixty-four mice (32 mice/strain) were housed either singly (SH) (n= 32) or in four groups, each group contained 8 animals. Home cage behavioural patterns were recorded weekly using ethogram-based instantaneous sampling for 5 consecutive weeks. Regardless of strain, single housed (SH) mice displayed higher levels of grooming and bedding directed-behaviours and were more frequently seen in-the-crawl ball, and had lower levels of feeding behaviour compared to their group housed (GH) conspecifics. There were significant strain differences in anxiety-related behaviours with the DBA/2 strain demonstrating higher levels of sleep, feeding and grooming behaviour and frequent presence in-the-crawl ball, and lower levels of exploration, locomotion and bedding-directed behaviour compared to the C57BL/6 strain. The results therefore suggest that different housing systems influence home cage behaviours of laboratory mice with the mice of the DBA/2 strain appearing more anxious. These findings may also have great implications for researchers to decide the most appropriate phenotype to use in measuring neural response–relevant behaviours in novel animal/human models. Key words: anxiety; behaviour; C57BL/6; DBA/2; ethogram; home-cage

The effects of shearing on behavioral patterns, antioxidants, and inflammatory and stress biomarkers was investigated in Ossimi sheep. Clinical parameters and behavioral patterns were recorded, and serum samples were collected pre-shearing and 1, 5, 10 and 15 days post-shearing from 60 Ossimi sheep. The results revealed that grooming and standing idle frequencies were significantly (P

The database of biomechanical variables gained from healthy camels was needed to investigate the main characters of normal gait in one-humped camel and changes of velocity and displacement as well as the anatomical changes of the carpal joint during walking. Nine healthy camels of three different sizes were selected for gait analysis by using Motion track program and four carpal joints cadavers obtained from four healthy dromedary camels of both sex were used for three dimension reconstruction computed tomography (CT). Gait analysis of camel’s carpus during walking yielded some data as step length, stride length, stride time, stride frequency, angular change and displacement of the carpal joint. Our results revealed that different sizes of camels had a significant effect on gait parameter as step length, stride length, and stride frequency. Meanwhile, small camels increased their velocity during walking by significant decreased the stride time. Large sized camels showed a significant higher degree of extension of the carpal joint than small camel, especially right carpal joint. Additionally, hyperextension of camel’s carpus occasionally occurred. On the other hand, horizontal and vertical displacement of the carpal joint during walking was a significant difference of medium sized camel than small and large camel. The present findings will be a helpful method in lameness diagnosis to recognize between the normal and diseased gait and surviving the inhabitant environment.

It is expected that dromedary camel’s tarsus plays a crucial role in survivals in the arid and semiarid regions. These regions are open and the dromedary camel is tall with long legs. Thus, databases of biomechanical variables are needed to investigate the changes of velocity, displacement, angular changes as well as anatomical consideration of tarsal joint during walking and stance phase. Nine healthy camels of three different sizes and ages were selected for gait analysis using motion track program. Moreover, five tarsal joints cadavers obtained for 3D reconstruction computed tomography. The present study stated that, tarsal joint is a hinge biaxial joint, primarily allowing flexion, extension and small amount of rotation and gliding movement. The gait analysis during walking revealed some data of hind limb velocity, angular change and displacement of tarsal joint. Different sizes of camel had no significant effect on average and minimum value of velocity of hind limb during walking. Medium sized camel showed higher degree of extension of tarsal joint than small and large one. Medium and large camel showed significant higher vertical (p=0.01) and horizontal (p=0.05) displacement of right tarsal joint than small camel during walking. We anticipate our findings can be a useful tool in lameness investigation to discriminate between the normal and diseased gait as expecting the nature of the inhabitant environment as well as add promising evidence in the field of forensic biomechanics to avoid legal violations in racing camels.

A study was carried out to evaluate the effect of group size on some behavioral patterns, body weight, body measurements and hematological parameters of domestic goat. Adult female Shiba goats (Carpa hircus) (n=12) were divided randomly to 2 groups according to the group size. The first group contains 4 animals (small size group) while the second one contains 8 animals (large size group). Behavior was recorded by using contentious focal sampling throughout the period of the study, growth parameters were measured every two weeks along the whole period of the study and blood samples were collected monthly to estimate the effect of group size on blood picture. Results revealed that group size affected significantly on some behavioral patterns of goat (P 0.05) affected by the group size.