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Heat stress (HS) damages health and decreases performance variables in pigs, and if severe enough, causes mortality. However, metabolic changes under HS and recovery following HS are poorly understood. Therefore, this study was aimed to expose the essential mechanisms by which growing pigs respond to HS and the temporal pattern of plasma concentrations (PC) of amino acids (AAs) and metabolites. Crossbred male growing pigs were penned separately and allowed to adapt to thermal-neutral (TN) conditions (20°C and 80% relative humidity; TN[-1D]). On the first day, all pigs were exposed to HS for 24 h (36°C and 60% relative humidity), then to TN conditions for 5 days (TN[2D] to TN[5D]). All pigs had ad libitum access to water and 3 kg feed twice daily. Rectal temperature (RT) and feed intake (FI) were determined daily. HS pigs had higher RT (40.72°C) and lower (50%) FI than TN(-1D) pigs (p < 0.01). The PC of indispensable (threonine, valine, and methionine) and dispensable (cysteine and tyrosine) AAs were higher (p < 0.05) in HS than TN(-1D) pigs and remained increased during recovery time. Nonprotein α-aminobutyric acid and β-alanine concentrations were higher (p < 0.05) in HS than TN(-1D) pigs. The metabolite concentration of creatinine was higher (p < 0.01) under HS treatment than other treatments, but that of alanine and leucine remained increased (p < 0.05) through 5 d of recovery. In summary, some major differences were found in plasma AA profiles and metabolites between HS- and TN-condition pigs. This indicates that the HS pigs were forced to alter their metabolism, and these results provide information about mechanisms of acute HS responses relative to the recovery time.

Heat stress (HS) causes adverse impacts on pig production and health. A potential biomarker of HS is required to predict its occurrence and thereby better manage pigs under HS. Information about the saliva metabolome in heat-stressed pigs is limited. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the effects of acute HS on the saliva metabolome and identify metabolites that could be used as potential biomarkers. Growing pigs (n = 6, 3 boars, and 3 gilts) were raised in a thermal neutral (TN; 25°C) environment for a 5-d adaptation period (CON). After adaptation, the pigs were first exposed to HS (30°C; HS30) and then exposed to higher HS (33°C; HS33) for 24 h. Saliva was collected after adaptation, first HS, and second HS, respectively, for metabolomic analysis using 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Four metabolites had significantly variable importance in the projection (VIP > 1; p < 0.05) different levels in TN compared to HS groups from all genders (boars and gilts). However, sex-specific characteristics affected metabolites (glutamate and leucine) by showing the opposite results, indicating that HS was less severe in females than in males. A decrease in creatine levels in males and an increase in creatine phosphate levels in females would have contributed to a protective effect from protein degradation by muscle damage. The results showed that HS led to an alteration in metabolites related to energy and protein. Protection from muscle damage may be attributed to the alteration in protein-related metabolites. However, energy-related metabolites showed opposing results according to sex-specific characteristics, such as sex hormone levels and subcutaneous fat layer. This study had shown that saliva samples could be used as a noninvasive method to evaluate heat-stressed pigs. And the results in this study could be contributed to the development of a diagnostic tool as a noninvasive biomarker for managing heat-stressed pigs.

Objective: Deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) are mycotoxins that frequently contaminate maize and grain cereals, imposing risks to the health of both humans and animals and leading to economic losses. The gut microbiome has been shown to help combat the effects of such toxins, with certain microorganisms reported to contribute significantly to the detoxification process.Methods: We examined the cecum contents of three different dietary groups of pigs (control, as well as diets contaminated with 8 mg DON/kg feed or 0.8 mg ZEN/kg feed). Bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons were acquired from the cecum contents and evaluated by next-generation sequencing.Results: A total of 2,539,288 sequences were generated with ~500 nucleotide read lengths. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla, occupying more than 96% of all three groups. Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, Megasphaera, and Campylobacter showed potential as biomarkers for each group. Particularly, Lactobacillus and Bacteroides were more abundant in the DON and ZEN groups than in the control. Additionally, 52,414 operational taxonomic units were detected in the three groups; those of Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, Campylobacter, and Prevotella were most dominant and significantly varied between groups. Hence, contamination of feed by DON and ZEN affected the cecum microbiota, while Lactobacillus and Bacteroides were highly abundant and positively influenced the host physiology.Conclusion: Lactobacillus and Bacteroides play key roles in the process of detoxification and improving the immune response. We, therefore, believe that these results may be useful for determining whether disturbances in the intestinal microflora, such as the toxic effects of DON and ZEN, can be treated by modulating the intestinal bacterial flora.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of exogenous emulsifier supplementation on growth performance, energy digestibility, and meat quality in broilers. A total of 60 Ross 308 broilers were treated for two weeks. The three dietary treatments were: (CON) basal diet; (T1) basal diet + 0.1% exogenous emulsifier, and (T2) basal diet + 0.2% exogenous emulsifier. In Period 1 (0–7 days), broilers in the T2 group showed significantly higher body weight gain (BWG) (p < 0.05) and broilers in the T1 and T2 treatment groups had significantly lower feed conversion ratios (FCR) (p < 0.05). In Period 2 (8–14 days), broilers in the T2 treatment group had significantly higher feed intake (FI) (p < 0.05). Therefore, in this experiment (from days 0 to 19), BWG and FCR were affected (p < 0.05) by the T1 and T2 treatments. Additionally, the T1 and T2 treatments with added exogenous emulsifier in the broiler feed showed significantly higher energy digestibility (p < 0.05) than the CON treatment. Broilers fed the T2 diet had higher water-holding capacity (WHC) (p < 0.05) and cooking loss than the broilers fed the CON and T1 diets. Moreover, the shearing force in the meat was decreased (p < 0.05) in broilers fed the T2 diet. In conclusion, supplementation with exogenous emulsifier to broiler diets improved growth performance, energy digestibility, and meat quality. The optimal amount of exogenous emulsifier supplementation requires further investigation.

The pre-treatment condition affects on the element analysis of inductively coupled plasma (ICP). In this study the pre-treatment condition of ICP has been studied to quantify elements in dog’s hair. The hair samples were collected from twelve female Beagles by clipping them into 1 or 2 cm at the back neck. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of elements in hairs were performed by using ICP. By ICP nine elements were qualitatively detected and quantitatively analyzed (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na, P, Se, Zn). The measured amounts of elements were compared between 3 step and 2 step procedures which were with and without the acetone based washing step. The quantitative analysis showed that the concentrations of K, Na, P, and Se were significantly decreased in hair samples with acetone-based washing (p < 0.005 or 0.001) unlike those without the acetone-based washing. It implied that some minerals are lost by the acetone based washing during the sample preparation step. Therefore, the acetone based washing process is not suitable for quantifying elements in dog’s hair. In addition, the results of qualitative and quantitative analysis were compared. Although there was a difference in absolute values of elemental contents in hair, the results of qualitative and quantitative analysis were significantly correlated each other. This finding suggested that the results of qualitative analysis can be used to monitor elemental contents in dog’s hair.

The gut microbiome influences the health and well-being of dogs. However, little is known about the impact of breed on the fecal microbiome composition in dogs. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the differences in the fecal microbiome in three breeds of dog fed and housed under the same conditions, namely eight Maltese (8.0 ± 0.1 years), eight Miniature Schnauzer (8.0 ± 0.0 years), and nine Poodle dogs (8.0 ± 0.0 years). Fresh fecal samples were collected from the dogs and used to extract metagenomic DNA. The composition of the fecal microbiome was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing on the MiSeq platform. A total of 840,501 sequences were obtained from the 25 fecal samples and classified as Firmicutes (32.3-97.3% of the total sequences), Bacteroidetes (0.1-62.6%), Actinobacteria (0.2-14.7%), Fusobacteria (0.0-5.7%), and Proteobacteria (0.0-5.1%). The relative abundance of Firmicutes was significantly lower in the Maltese dog breed than that in the other two breeds, while that of Fusobacteria was significantly higher in the Maltese than in the Miniature Schnauzer breed. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Streptococcus, Fusobacterium, Turicibacter, Succinivibrio, and Anaerobiospirillum differed significantly among the three dog breeds. These genera had no correlation with age, diet, sex, body weight, vaccination history, or parasite protection history. Within a breed, some of these genera had a correlation with at least one blood chemistry value. This study indicates that the composition of the fecal microbiome in dogs is affected by breed.

Overweight and obesity induce serious health problems that exert negative effects on dog’s welfare. Body condition score (BCS) is a common method to evaluate the body fat mass in animals. By palpating and observing fats under the skin it is possible to predict animal’s body fat accumulation condition. BCS is also a useful tool to estimate body fat composition in dogs. However, BCS can be subjective when it was performed by non-professionals like pet’s owners. To develop a method to avoid the misevaluation of BCS twenty-four Beagles were enrolled and performed BCS evaluation. In addition, the length of chest and abdominal girths were measured. In correlation analysis, the sizes of chest and abdominal girth were significantly correlated with BCS. Especially, the difference and ratio of the chest and abdominal length were highly correlated with the BCS. With that, we suggested that this simple measurement of chest and abdominal girths by a measuring tape would be an effective method to estimate BCS scores in dogs that helps non-professionals to manage their own dog’s nutritional condition by monitoring body fat accumulation condition.

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of heat stress on the status of physiological responses, blood parameter, serum T3 and cortisol, and heat shock proteins (HSP 27, 70, and 90) of Hanwoo cattle. Six Hanwoo steers (242.8 ± 7.2 kg of BW) were housed in the climate-controlled respiration chambers. The experiment consisted of 7 days (control; 0 day) at thermoneutral (air temperature (Ta) of 15°C and relative humidity (RH) of 60%; temperature-humidity index (THI) = 64), and by 3 and 6 days (treatment groups) at heat stress (Ta of 35°C and RH of 60%; THI = 87). Body temperature of each parts (frank, rump, perineum and foot) and rectal temperature elevated in heat stress groups (3 days and 6 days) than the control group (0 day). Respiration rates increased in 3 days and 6 days (88.5 ± 0.96 bpm and 86.3 ± 0.63 bpm, respectively) from 0 days (39.5 ± 0.65 bpm). Feed intake significantly decreased in heat stress groups (3 days and 6 days, 3.7 ± 0.14 kg and 4.0 ± 0.15 kg, respectively) than the control group (0 day, 5.0 ± 0.00 kg). In addition, final BW significantly decreased in heat stress groups (3 days and 6 days, 211.8 ± 4.75 kg and 215.5 ± 3.50 kg, respectively) than the control group (0 day, 240.0 ± 25.00 kg). However, heat stress has no significant effect on blood parameter, serum T3 and cortisol. Nevertheless, heat stress increased HSPs mRNA expression in liver tissue, and serum concentration of HSPs. Despite Hanwoo cattle may have high adaptive ability to heat stress, our results suggested that heat stress directly effect on body temperature and respiration rate as well as serum and tissue HSPs. Therefore, we are recommended that HSPs could be the most appropriate indicators of Hanwoo cattle response to heat stress.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges in Kyrgyzstan. There have been negative spillover effects in agriculture. This study aims to assess the climate change impacts on cropland suitability in Kyrgyzstan. We used the random forest algorithm to develop a model that captures the effects of multiple climate and environment factors at a spatial resolution of 1 km2. The model was then applied in the scenario analysis for an understanding of how climate change affects cropland distribution. The potential high-quality cropland was found to be included in existing croplands, while the remaining were distributed around the Chu-Talas valley, the Issyk-kul area, and the Fergana valley. These potential high-quality croplands comprise grasslands (47.1%) and croplands (43.7%). In the future, the potential high-quality cropland exhibited inland trends at the periphery of original cropland category, with grassland and cropland as the primary land components. Due to climate change, potential high-quality cropland is expected to gradually reduce from the 2050s to the 2070s, exhibiting the largest reduction in potential high-quality areas for the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 scenario. Therefore, the short- and long-term adaptation strategies are needed for prioritizing the croplands to ensure food security and agricultural resilience.

The present study was conducted to investigate the impact of a 42 d period of heat stress on laying hens with respect to rectal temperature, body-surface temperature, heart rate, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (H/L ratio), corticosterone (CORT) in plasma and yolk samples, and video-assessed behaviors. A total of one hundred twenty 56-week-old ISA-brown laying hens were continuously exposed to one of three temperature regimes: optimal (LT; 22 °C), moderate (MT; 27 °C), and high (HT; 32 °C). The relative humidity was maintained at 50% in all treatments. HT vs. MT and LT increased rectal temperature, heart rate, and body-surface temperature on all days (P 0.05). HT vs. LT raised (P 0.05) the H/L ratio in blood at day 42 following heat exposure. On the other hand, both HT- and MT-exposed laying hens had higher (P 0.05) plasma CORT compared with those on LT group only at 28 and 42 d following heat treatment. Yolk CORT was elevated (P 0.05) in the HT vs. MT and LT groups at 3 and 14 d following heat treatment. Panting and wing elevation were the most relevant behaviors in laying hens exposed to HT vs. MT and LT. The study shows that rectal and body-surface temperature, heart rate, and behavior, but not CORT or H/L ratio, are the reliable indicators for assessing the stress status of laying hens over extended period of heat stress.

Objective The Fusarium mycotoxins of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zerolenone (ZEN) cause health hazards for both humans and farm animals. Therefore, the main intention of this study was to reveal DON and ZEN effects on the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and other immune related genes in the liver of piglets. Methods In the present study, 15 six-week-old piglets were randomly assigned to the following three different dietary treatments for 4 weeks: control diet, diet containing 8 mg DON/kg feed, and diet containing 0.8 mg ZEN/kg feed. After 4 weeks, liver samples were collected and sequenced using RNA-Seq to investigate the effects of the mycotoxins on genes and gene networks associated with the immune systems of the piglets. Results Our analysis identified a total of 249 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which included 99 upregulated and 150 downregulated genes in both the DON and ZEN dietary treatment groups. After biological pathway analysis, the DEGs were determined to be significantly enriched in gene ontology terms associated with many biological pathways, including immune response and cellular and metabolic processes. Consistent with inflammatory stimulation due to the mycotoxin-contaminated diet, the following Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathways, which were related to disease and immune responses, were found to be enriched in the DEGs: allograft rejection pathway, cell adhesion molecules, graft-versus-host disease, autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), type I diabetes mellitus, human T-cell leukemia lymphoma virus infection, and viral carcinogenesis. Genome-wide expression analysis revealed that DON and ZEN treatments downregulated the expression of the majority of the DEGs that were associated with inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 10 receptor, beta, chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 9), proliferation (insulin-like growth factor 1, major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2, lipase G, and salt inducible kinase 1), and other immune response networks (paired immunoglobulin-like type 2 receptor beta, Src-like-adaptor-1 [SLA1], SLA3, SLA5, SLA7, claudin 4, nicotinamide N-methyltransferase, thyrotropin-releasing hormone degrading enzyme, ubiquitin D, histone H2B type 1, and serum amyloid A). Conclusion In summary, our results demonstrated that high concentrations DON and ZEN disrupt immune-related processes in the liver.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of freeze dried placenta supplementation on reproductive performance, colostrum and plasma biochemical composition in pregnant sows. Eleven Landrace × Large white sows were fed with corn-soybean meal diets supplemented with or without 1% freeze dried placenta powder from 10 days before their expected farrowing dates until 10 days postpartum. The colostrum protein content was significantly higher(P=0.043) in the treatment group than in the control group. Compared to the control group, the immunoglobulin G(IgG) concentration in the colostrum was significantly higher(P=0.004) in the treatment. In day 25 piglets plasma, the IgG concentration was higher(P=0.184) in the treatment than the control. The mortality rate was lower(P=0.102), and the piglet weight gain was higher(P=0.35) in the treated group. Overall, the treatment group showed greater levels of protein and IgG concentration in the colostrum, when compared to control group. Therefore, the freeze dried placenta supplementation on pregnant sows can enhance its colostrum composition, hence decrease the mortality and increase the growth rate of piglets.

The present study investigated the effects of relative humidity (RH) on the laying performance, egg quality, and stress indicators of laying hens raised at high ambient temperatures. A total of 180 Hy-Line Brown laying hens (68-wk-old) were randomly allotted to one of the following three RH conditions for 12 h a day (9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.) over four weeks: low RH (LRH; 25% RH), moderate RH (MRH; 50% RH), and high RH (HRH; 75% RH); ambient temperature was 30 °C under all treatments. None of the RH treatments affected hen-day egg production, egg weight, or egg mass (P 0.05). However, feed intake was lower in the HRH group than in the LRH group (P 0.05). Plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentration on day 21, yolk CORT concentration on day 3, and albumen CORT concentration on day 7 following RH exposure were higher in the HRH group than in the LRH group (P 0.05). Moreover, plasma HDL-cholesterol concentration on day 14 was higher in the HRH group than in the LRH group (P 0.05). On days 3 and 14, the Haugh unit decreased (P 0.05) in the LRH group compared with that in the MRH and HRH groups. The HRH-exposed laying hens showed the lowest (P 0.05) eggshell thickness on day 14. The absolute weights of eggshell, yolk, and albumen decreased in the HRH group compared with those in the MRH and LRH groups. Overall, high RH lowered feed intake and egg quality except for the Haugh unit, and induced stress response as manifested by elevated plasma, yolk, and albumen CORT concentrations. To our best knowledge, the present study is the first to demonstrate the role of RH in triggering temperature stress responses in laying hens.

This study was conducted to develop a screening method using Colilert-18 and a device for the detection of E. coli from agri-food production environments and fresh vegetables. The specificity and sensitivity of Colilert-18 by temperature (37°C and 44°C) were evaluated with 38 E. coli and 78 non-E. coli strains. The false-positive rate was 3.8% (3/78) and 0% (0/78) at 37°C and 44°C, respectively. The detection limit of E. coli at 37°C at

This experiment was performed to evaluate the optimal proportion of dietary standardized ileal digestible lysine (SID Lys) to net energy (NE) proportion in growing to finishing pigs. A total of seventy-two pigs were used at phase 1 (initial body weight 37.23 ± 0.23 kilogram, for 42 d) and at phase 2 (initial body weight 54.16 ± 0.20 kilogram, for 77 d). They were arbitrarily assigned to three treatments groups consisting of four duplicates per treatment (six pigs in duplicates, respectively). Diet treatments were as follows: CON = basal diets (phase 1, crude protein (CP): 19.1%; SID Lys: 0.94%; SID Lys: NE proportion: 0.91 g/MJ / phase 2, CP: 17.0%; SID Lys: 0.84%; SID Lys: NE proportion: 0.79 g/MJ), TRT1 (phase 1, CP: 18.0%; SID Lys: 0.92%; SID Lys: NE proportion: 0.89 g/MJ / phase 2, CP: 15.8%; SID Lys: 0.8%; SID Lys: NE proportion: 0.75 g/MJ), TRT2 (phase 1, CP: 17.3%; SID Lys: 0.82%; SID Lys: NE proportion: 0.79 g/MJ / phase 2, CP: 14.8%; SID Lys: 0.7%; SID Lys: NE proportion: 0.65 g/MJ). In phase 1 and 2, growth performance did not meaningfully be affected when SID Lys: NE proportion decreased with reducing CP content. In phase 2, the nitrogen digestibility of CON group in 11 week was higher (p < 0.05) than other treatments. Also, marbling and firmness scores of TRT2 group diets increased (p < 0.05) compared with those of CON group, but dissimilarities of other meat qualities did not be detected among treatments. In conclusion, introduction of NE system can reduce negative problems introduced when dietary CP decreased. Also, 0.79 and 0.65 g/MJ of SID Lys: NE proportion is the optimal Lys: NE proportion to achieve improved pork quality without impairing the growth performance in growing-finishing pigs, respectively.

Heat stress negatively affects cattle productivity by reducing feed intake. In the present study, we assessed if the rumen microbiome composition of Hanwoo steers was altered by exposure to heat stress. Rumen samples were collected from four Hanwoo steers that were individually housed in climate-controlled chambers with 60% humidity and environmental temperatures of: 1) 15°C (0-day group), 2) 35°C for 3 days (3-day group), and 3) 35°C for 6 days (6-day group). The total community DNA of samples was extracted, and 997,843 bacterial and 1,508,770 archaeal sequences were analyzed using next-generation sequencing. Assessment of the relative abundances revealed 15 major phyla of which Bacteroidetes was found to be the most dominant. After 3 days of heat stress exposure there were no significant changes in the rumen microbiome composition, except for a decrease in the Planctomycetes. However, after 6 days of heat stress exposure, we found that the relative abundance of fibrolytic Ruminococcaceae had decreased while that of lactate-producing Lactobacillaceae and amylolytic Prevotella and Ruminobacter had increased. The normal rumen microbiome of Hanwoo cattle was shown to be disrupted after 6 days of heat stress, which led to the decrease in fibrolytic bacteria that are sensitive to low pH and the increase in both lactate-producing and amylolytic bacteria. We have demonstrated that the microbiome composition of the rumen is affected by acute heat stress. Our findings may contribute to the development of different feeding strategies to restore heat stress-induced disruption of the rumen microbiome.

Microorganism residing in the gut has been known to have important roles in the animal body. Microbes and host microenvironment are highly related with host’s health including energy metabolism and immune system. Moreover, it reported that gut microbiome is correlated with diseases like obesity in human and dogs. There have been many studies to identify and characterize microbes and their genes in human body. However, there was little information of microbiome in companion animals. Here, we investigated microbiota communities in feaces from twenty - four Beagles (aged 2 years old) and analyzed the taxonomy profile using metagenomics to study the difference among gut microbiome based on body condition score (BCS). gDNA was isolated from feaces, sequenced and clustered. Taxonomy profiling was performed based on the NCBI database. BCS was evaluated once a week according to the description provided by World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Firmicutes phylum was the most abundant followed by Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. That main microbiota in gut were differently distributed based on the BCS. Fusobacteria has been known to be associated with colon cancer in human. Interestingly, Fusobacteria was in the third level from the top in healthy dog’s gut microbiome. In addition, Fusobacteria was especially higher in overweight dogs which had 6 scales of BCS. Species Fusobacterium perfoetens was also more abundant when dogs were in BCS 6. It implied that F. perfoetens would be positively related with overweight in dogs. These finding would contribute to further studies of gut microbiome and their functions to improve dog’s diets and health condition.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of replacing corn with soy hulls on nutrient digestibility of growing pigs. Three experimental diets were tested using a 3 × 3 Latin square design using three barrows per group (Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc, average initial body weight of 36.9 ± 4.0 kg) in individual metabolic cages. The dietary treatments were the control (CON) basal diet (corn-soybean meal based diet), whereas in the test diets, soy hulls were included at 5% (H1), 10% (H2), gradually replacing corn. The daily feed allowance was adjusted to 2.7 times the maintenance requirement for digestible energy (DE) (2.7 × 110 kcal of DE/kg BW0.75). Intake of crude fiber (CF) was different among treatments (p < 0.05). Pigs fed with H2 diet excreted higher concentrations of dry matter (DM), and CF than pigs fed with H1 diet and basal diet (p < 0.05). Pigs fed with H1 and H2 diets excreted higher concentrations of crude protein (CP) than pigs fed with CON diet (p < 0.05). The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of CF from H1 and H2 diets were higher than CON diet (p < 0.05). Pigs fed with H2 diets were significantly lower (p < 0.05) the ATTD of CP than the pigs fed with CON and H1 diets. The current data suggest that 10% inclusion soy hulls can slightly decrease CP digestibility. However, soy hulls considerably increased CF digestibility.It is concluded that 5% soy hulls may be a usable alternative to corn in growing pig diets.

Early weaning (EW) of calves using a high energy diet to encourage a higher carcass yield through early postnatal metabolic imprinting events may be used as a feeding strategy to improve beef quality. To better understand the importance of nutritional feeding in EW calves, 2-week-old Korean calves were fed with different diets for 10 weeks. After this period, all calves were fed with the same diet for 22 months and then biopsied. We used the RNA-seq technique to investigate the genes and gene networks involved in these treatments. A total of 32,226 fragments were sequenced among the treatments. Overall, 102, 181, and 191 genes showing differential expression levels for T1 (milk replacement + concentrate), T2 (milk replacement + concentrate + roughages), and T3 (milk replacement + concentrate +30% starch) treatments were identified, respectively (FDR

Heat stress (HS) negatively impacts pig production and swine health. Therefore, to understand the genetic and metabolic responses of pigs to HS, we used RNA-Seq and high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR analyses to compare the transcriptomes and metabolomes of Duroc pigs (n = 6, 3 barrows and 3 gilts) exposed to heat stress (33 &deg, C and 60% RH) with a control group (25 &deg, C and 60% RH). HS resulted in the differential expression of 552 (236 up, 316 down) and 879 (540 up, 339 down) genes and significant enrichment of 30 and 31 plasma metabolites in female and male pigs, respectively. Apoptosis, response to heat, Toll-like receptor signaling and oxidative stress were enriched among the up-regulated genes, while negative regulation of the immune response, ATP synthesis and the ribosomal pathway were enriched among down-regulated genes. Twelve and ten metabolic pathways were found to be enriched (among them, four metabolic pathways, including arginine and proline metabolism, and three metabolic pathways, including pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis), overlapping between the transcriptome and metabolome analyses in the female and male group respectively. The limited overlap between pathways enriched with differentially expressed genes and enriched plasma metabolites between the sexes suggests a sex-specific response to HS in pigs.

The experiment was conducted to determine the effects of graded dietary selenium (Se) on organ weight and Se concentrations in tissues and to develop equations for estimating dietary Se intake in pigs. Sixteen barrows (initial body weight = 30.0 ± 2.6) were allotted to four dietary treatments including graded Se supplementations with 0, 1, 5, and 50 mg/kg of diet. The experimental diets fed to the pigs for 30 d, and then the pigs were euthanized, and the organs, muscle, and urine samples were collected. The hair and blood samples of pigs were collected on d 15 and 30. Equations were developed for predicting daily Se intake using the Se concentration in plasma, hair, liver, kidneys, muscle, or urine. For graded dietary Se concentrations, linear and quadratic effects on the final body weight, weight and relative weight of liver and kidneys were not observed. The Se concentration in plasma, hair, liver, kidneys, muscle, and urine were linearly and quadratically increased as dietary Se concentration increased (P r > 0.81,P P

Deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) can seriously affect animal health, with potentially severe economic losses. Previous studies have demonstrated that gut microbiota plays a significant role in detoxification. We analyzed the colon contents from three groups of pigs (fed either a standard diet, or a diet with 8 mg/kg DON or ZEN). Bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons were obtained from the colon contents, and sequenced using next-generation sequencing on the MiSeq platform. Overall, 2,444,635 gene sequences were generated, with &ge, 2000 sequences examined. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla in all three groups. The sequences of Lactobacillus, Megasphaera, and Faecalibacterium genera, and the unclassified Clostridiaceae family, represented more than 1.2% of the total, with significantly different abundances among the groups. Lactobacillus was especially more abundant in the DON (7.6%) and ZEN (2.7%) groups than in the control (0.2%). A total of 48,346 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified in the three groups. Two OTUs, classified as Lactobacillus, were the most dominant in the DON and ZEN groups. The abundances of the remaining OTUs were also significantly different among the groups. Thus, the mycotoxin-contaminated feed significantly affected the colon microbiota, especially Lactobacillus, which was the most abundant. Therefore, we speculate that Lactobacillus plays a major role in detoxification of these mycotoxins.

Background: Deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) are common food contaminants produced by Fusarium sp. Mycotoxins are a potential health hazard because of their toxicological effects on both humans and farmed animals. Methods: We analyzed three groups of pigs: a control group (fed a standard diet), and the DON and ZEN groups, fed a diet containing 8 mg/kg DON and 0.8 mg/kg ZEN respectively, for four weeks. Results: DON and ZEN exposure decreased body weight (BW), average daily feed intake (ADFI), food conversion rate (FCR), and the serum levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgM. The total antioxidant levels significantly decreased in serum and increased in urine samples of both treatment groups. Additionally, DON and ZEN exposure increased serotonin levels in urine. Hematological parameters were not affected by the investigated toxins. Microscopic lesions were evident in sections of kidneys from either treatment group: we found sporadic interstitial nephritis in the DON group and renal glomerulus atrophy in the ZEN group. The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokine marker genes were reduced in tissues from DON- and ZEN-exposed pigs. Conclusions: chronic ingestion of high doses of DON and ZEN alters the immune response and causes organs damage, and might be associated with various diseases in pigs.

The objectives of this experiment were to determine the effects of graded dietary lead (Pb) concentrations on body weight and Pb concentrations in blood, hair, soft tissues, and urine from pigs and to generate equations for estimating daily Pb intake. Sixteen barrows with initial body weight 36.3 kg (standard deviation = 2.3) were allotted to four dietary treatments that consisted of graded supplemental Pb concentrations (0, 10, 25, and 250 mg/kg of diet). Daily feed allowances for each pig were 1 kg for first two weeks and 2 kg for last two weeks. The hair and blood of pigs were collected on d 14 and 28. At the end of experiment, the pigs were euthanized, and the liver, kidneys, muscle, and urine samples were collected. The prediction equations for estimating daily Pb intake of pigs were generated using Pb concentration of blood, hair, tissues, or urine as an independent variable. The Pb concentrations in the blood, hair, liver, kidneys, muscle, and urine linearly increased (P P r > 0.83;P P r2(>0.83), except the equation using Pb concentration in the muscle as an independent variable. In conclusion, the dietary Pb concentration was highly correlated with Pb concentrations in the blood, hair, soft tissues, and urine of pigs. The total dietary Pb intake can be estimated from the Pb concentrations in the blood, hair, soft tissues, or urine for pigs.