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Copyright of Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinaria e Zootecnia is the property of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinaria e Zootecnia is the property of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Several factors that contribute to variation in production and quality of ewe milk have been described, such as environment, breed, age of ewe, lactation stage, number of lambs or milking techniques, sanitary condition and udder infections, herd management and nutritional level during gestation and lactation. The objective of this project was to evaluate two milk production systems and their effect on milk chemical composition using 87 Bergamasca ewes. Ewes in one group were separated from their lambs 48 h after birth, while ewes in the second group were kept with their lambs until the lambs were weaned at 60 days of age. All ewes were machine-milked for a period of 90 days. Milk samples were collected once a week for analyses of lactose, protein, fat and total solids using infrared. The analyses were carried out at the Milk Cattle Breeding Management Technology Center, ESALQ/USP, Piracicaba, São Paulo. The data were statistically analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS. Differences in production of fat, protein, lactose and total solids contents during the whole lactation were observed between the two systems (P<.05). Fat content of the milk from the ewe group without lambs was higher (5.51%) than the ewe group with lambs (3.74%). Differences in protein content of the milk were also found; however, average protein values were within levels reported in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known in Brazil about milk production of ewes. As wool and meat production have become important activities in the country, an increasing interest in milk production is observed. Thus, the objective of the present work is to evaluate the effect of the use of bypass fat in the diet of Bergamasca dairy ewes on milk production. Eighty ewes were divided into 2 blocks according to parturition and age. Within each block, half of the animals received either one of two treatments: A - balanced diet (concentrate + corn silage) without bypass fat; and B - same diet as in A with added bypass fat (35g/ewe/day). In both blocks, the lambs were kept with their mothers in pasture during daytime and were separated at night. The lambs were returned to their mothers after the morning milking and were weaned at 45 days of age. The ewes were machine-milked starting 48 hours after parturition, once a day, at 7h A.M., for 60 days. Diets were isoenergetic and isonitrogenous, containing 22% CP and 66% TDN on a dry-matter basis. The statistical analysis was performed by means of SAEG 9.0 (System for Statistical and Genetic Analyses). Statistical differences were not observed (P>.05) between treatments for average daily milk production until 45 days; however, after 45 days, treatment B showed a higher (P<.05) milk yield in comparison to A (540 vs 502 g/ewe/day). This result may be attributed to the use of diet with bypass fat, which supposedly provided better absorption of unsaturated fatty acids in the small intestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of dietary bypass fat on milk composition of Bergamasca dairy ewes. The experiment was carried out at the Ewe Milk Production Research Unit of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of São Paulo State University. Eighty Bergamasca ewes were divided into two groups and fed one of two diets: A - balanced diet (concentrate + corn silage); or B - same diet as A, with bypass fat (35 g/ewe/day) added to the concentrate. Lambs were kept with their mothers on pasture during daytime and were separated at night. After the morning milking, the lambs were returned to their mothers and weaned at 45 days of age. The ewes were machine-milked for 60 days. Milk samples were collected once weekly for analysis of lactose, protein, fat and total solids. The data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. For the first 45 days of lactation, significant differences (P<.05) were observed for protein and lactose, with ewes fed diet B having higher means, whereas differences were not observed (P>.05) for fat and total solids. After 45 days of lactation, significant differences (P<.05) were found only for fat and lactose, which may be explained by the higher milk production of ewes fed diet B because some researchers have reported a negative correlation between production and concentration of milk constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of Brazilian breeds present capability for meat or wool production, but it is possible to find animals with dairy properties. Bergamasca ewes, for example, introduced in Brazil in 1940, are raised in the Northeast for meat production. Considering their Italian origin, they could be used for milk production; however, the amount of milk produced by lactation and its characteristics are not well known. In view of this, the objective of the present work, carried out at the Ewe Milk Production Research Unit of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the São Paulo State University (UNESP), is to evaluate the effect of the different management systems on milk production of Bergamasca ewes. Eighty seven ewes were used and submitted to two milk production systems. In the group without lambs, these were separated from their mothers 48h after birth, while, in the mixed group, lambs were kept with their mothers until to 60 days of age, when they were weaned. Both ewes from the group without lambs and from the mixed group were machine-milked for a period of 90 days and milk production was daily measured during the whole experimental period. The statistical analysis was performed by means of the GLM procedure of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS, 1985). Ewes managed in the group without lamb presented higher (P<.05) daily average milk production in comparison to the mixed group. This difference may be explained, in part, by milk injection inhibition during machine-milking. In the beginning of lactation, the absence of a proper sign during machine-milking, which is usually present when females are nursing their lambs, inhibits the release of ocytocin and milk ejection reflex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty nine multiparous Santa Inês ewes, all of them at the same reproductive age, were submitted to two nutrition levels over the last gestation month and lactation (corn silage diet and corn silage plus concentrate diet) and two weaning ages (45 and 70 days). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of these treatments on ewe and lamb performance and on the incidence of subclinical mastitis. Treatments 1 (corn silage and weaning age 45 days) and 3 (corn silage and weaning age 70 days) diets were composed of corn silage (7.43 % CP; 69.65 % TDN; 28.97 % DM; 22.45% CF; 4.37% FC and 3.73% ash) which simulated pasture condition. The animals in treatment 2 and 4 were fed corn silage plus concentrate, in a 65:35 ratio. The whole diet composition was 13.4% CP and 65% TDN, according to NRC (1985) requirements for lactation. Milk production was determined weekly, starting in the second week after parturition, according to Susin et al. (1995). Subclinical mastitis diagnostic was performed by California Mastitis Test (CMT), microbiological culture and somatic cell count. Corn silage plus concentrate diet treatments presented the best parturition weight, milk production and lamb performance from birth to weaning (P<.05). Regardless nutrional levels and weaning age, subclinical mastitis was reported in 37.93% of the ewes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty nine multiparous Santa Inês ewes, all of them at the same reproductive age, were submitted to four treatments in the last gestation month and during lactation. A factorial delineation (two nutrition levels and two weaning ages), was used as follows: treatment 1: corn silage diet and weaning at the age of 45 days; treatment 2: corn silage plus concentrate diet and weaning at the age of 45 days; treatment 3: corn silage diet and weaning at the age of 70 days; treatment 4: corn silage plus concentrate diet and weaning at the age of 70 days. Colostrum samples were collected after parturition, 24 and 48 hours later, to determine immunoglobulin concentration by Faey & Mc Kelvey (1965) method. Milk samples were collected weekly, starting in the second week after parturition to somatic cell count. It were analyzed both in colostrum and milk, the contents of protein, fat, lactose and total solids. There was diet effect (P<.05) for colostrum protein, fat and total solids. The ewe group fed with corn silage plus concentrate presented the lowest values of colostrum contents. For milk fat percentage the higher result (P<.05) was obtained only for weaning at 70 versus 45 days of age (5.51 and 4.32 respectively). The milk chemical composition was similar to the values obtained by other authors for milk production breeds. Somatic cell count (1,535,138 cell/ml) did not affect milk quality (5.26 % for lactose, 4.83 % for fat, 4.78 % for protein and 16.03 % for total solids). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haemonchus contortus is an economic problem in sheep farms worldwide, mainly in the tropics and subtropics. A vaccine against haemonchosis, called Barbervax ® , was evaluated in ewes under two nutritional status, naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes. Ewes were divided into four groups: Supplemented Diet - Vaccine; Supplemented Diet - No vaccine; Basal Diet - Vaccine and Basal Diet - No vaccine. Their lambs were divided in Vaccinated and No vaccine. Ewes were immunised six times starting about 1 month of pregnancy with the first three doses at 3 week intervals and the last three shots at 4 week intervals. Supplemented ewes had higher body weight, body score and packed cell volume compared with those fed a basal diet. Both groups of vaccinated ewes showed a similar response in circulating anti-vaccine antibodies but the vaccine had no discernible effect on either body weight, body score and packed cell volume. There was a marked group difference in the number of ewes that received precautionary treatments with anthelmintic. All 14 Basal Diet - No vaccine ewes required treatment. In contrast only 7 ewes, in the Supplemented Diet - Vaccine group required anthelmintic treatment. In the Basal Diet - Vaccine and in the Supplemented Diet - No Vaccine groups, 12 and 13 ewes needed anthelmintic treatment, respectively. Vaccinated lambs showed much higher antibody titres resulting in 80% less Haemonchus spp. egg counts comparing with no vaccine lambs. Taken together these results clearly suggest that in pregnant and lactating ewes a combined protective effect between vaccination and improved nutrition resulted in fewer precautionary anthelmintic treatments. Thus, it was possible to achieve a more sustainable level of control of the haemonchosis, less dependent on anthelmintic drugs., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A vaccine containing integral membrane glycoproteins from the intestine of Haemonchus contortus was evaluated in three groups of grazing sheep each containing 13 ewes and their 16 lambs naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes. Two groups were vaccinated with either 5 or 50μg of the antigen per immunisation, while the third, the control group, received adjuvant alone. The sheep were immunised six times at 3week intervals, partly because the vaccine antigens are hidden and thus no immunological boost would be delivered by subsequent infection and partly because the level of Haemonchus spp. challenge was expected to be high. The vaccinated ewes, first immunised approximately 1month before lambing, showed a circulating antibody response but no signs of reduced anaemia or Haemonchus spp. egg counts, compared with control ewes. Several ewes with severe haemonchosis in all three groups had to be given precautionary treatment with anthelmintic drugs. In contrast, vaccinating their lambs with either 5 or 50μg of the antigen per immunisation resulted in 10 fold higher antibody titres. In the case of the lower antigen dose this was associated with significantly less anaemia, 72% reduction in the overall number of Haemonchus spp. eggs produced and significantly fewer worms compared with control lambs. It is hypothesised that the heavily pregnant or lactating ewes did not have sufficient physiological reserves to mount a protective response following vaccination in the tropical weather and high challenge conditions that prevailed. Nevertheless, the vaccine could afford useful protection for lambs against H. contortus., (Copyright © 2014 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Obtaining sexed sperm from previously frozen doses (reverse-sorted semen [RSS]) provides an important advantage because of the possibility of using the semen of bulls with desired genetic attributes that have died or have become infertile but from whom frozen semen is available. We report the efficiency of RSS on the pregnancy rate and birth rate of calves in a large-scale program using ovum pick-up and in vitro embryo production (IVEP) from Bos indicus, Bos indicus-taurus, and Bos taurus cattle. From 645 ovum pick-up procedures (Holstein, Gir, and Nelore), 9438 viable oocytes were recovered. A dose of frozen semen (Holstein, Nelore, Brahman, Gir, and Braford) was thawed, and the sperm were sex-sorted and cooled for use in IVF. Additionally, IVF with sperm from three Holstein bulls with freeze-thawed, sex-sorted (RSS) or sex-sorted, freeze-thawed (control) was tested. A total of 2729 embryos were produced, exhibiting a mean blastocyst rate of 29%. Heifers and cows selected for adequate body condition, estrus, and health received 2404 embryos, and 60 days later, a 41% average pregnancy rate was observed. A total of 966 calves were born, and 910 were of a predetermined sex, with an average of 94% accuracy in determining the sex. Despite the lower blastocyst rate with freeze-thawed, sex-sorted semen compared with sex-sorted semen, (P < 0.05), the pregnancy rate (bull I, 45% vs. 40%; II, 35% vs. 50%; and III, 47% vs. 48% for RSS and control, respectively; P > 0.05) and sex-sorted efficiency (bull I, 93% vs. 98%; II, 96% vs. 94%; and III, 96% vs. 97% for RSS and control, respectively; P > 0.05) were similar for each of the three bulls regardless of the sperm type used in the IVF. The sexing of previously frozen semen, associated with IVEP, produces viable embryos with a pregnancy rate of up to 40%, and calves of the desired sex are born even if the paternal bull has acquired some infertility, died, or is located a long distance from the sexing laboratory. Furthermore, these data show the feasibility of the process even when used in a large-scale IVEP program., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the main cause of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. The risk for the development of HCC increases with the severity of liver inflammation and fibrosis. The hepatic inflammation caused by HCV involves host regulatory immune response, which is mediated by cytokines with anti-viral role upon the interaction of viral polypeptides with innate and adaptive immunity. Two cytokines; tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) play key roles in the regulation of cellular immune response in HCV infection. The aim of the present study was to determine the levels of IL-10 and TNF-α, as well as the ratio of TNF-α and IL-10 serum levels in patients with HCV and HCC caused by HCV (HCC-HCV). The study included 173 patients with chronic HCV. TNF-α and IL-10 serum levels were measured by ELISA (R&D Systems, Inc.). In the present study, 54 patients presented liver mild fibrosis, 68 had severe fibrosis and 51 patients had HCC. After adjustment in the multivariate regression analysis, the following variables remained significantly associated with HCC-HCV occurrence: diabetes (p=0.012 OR 10.44 CI 1.66-65.60), IL-10 lower levels (p<0.0001 OR 0.83 CI 0.78-0.89) and TNF-α higher levels (p<0.0001 OR 1.19 CI 1.11-1.28). Individuals with HCC presented higher TNF-α/IL-10 ratio than those with fibrosis grade F4, F3 or F0+F1+F2 (p=0.0003, p<0.0001, p<0.0001, respectively). Patients with HCC were associated to higher index TNF-α/IL-10 ratio, suggesting that the unbalanced production of these cytokines may represent progression to the liver disease severity in HCV infected patients., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the direct effect of HCV on cardiovascular risk and correlate it with pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines in patients with HCV. HCV monoinfected patients, genotype 1, naive, non-obese (BMI<30) and non-diabetics were included and compared to controls (blood donors). Patients with prior diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, chronic renal failure, cancer and chronic use of lipid-lowering drugs or immunosuppressants were excluded. Age, BMI, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic (DBP), fasting glucose and lipid levels were determined. Serum cytokines (IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α) and Framingham score were also evaluated. 62 HCV patients, 34 (54.8%) were males and none of them was smoking. The Framingham scores (median and 25th and 75th percentiles) were 12% (6.5-14%), showing an intermediate cardiovascular risk in patients with HCV. There was significant direct correlation between Framingham and total cholesterol (p=0.043) and DBP (p=0.007). HDL-C (p=0.002) was inversely correlated with the Framingham score. HCV patients had higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) compared to controls (p<0.0001) and the relation of proinflammatory/anti-inflammatory TNF-α/IL10 and IL-6/IL10 were higher in HCV patients (p<0.01). The Framingham score was directly correlated to IL-6 and TNF-α, but differences were not statistically significant. Patients with HCV monoinfected, nonobese, naïve and non diabetic have an intermediate cardiovascular risk, as measured by the Framingham score and high levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF)., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)