Prediction of some milk production traits using udder and teat measurements with a spotlight on their genetic background in Friesian cows.

The aggregate udder shape (Bowl, Round, Cup), udder measurements (udder width, UW, udder front depth, UFD, udder rear depth, URD, udder levelness, ULV, udder heights, UH) and teat measurements (teat diameters, TD, front teat length, FTL, rear teat length, RTL, distance between front teats, DFT and distance between rear teats, DRT) were measured on 1300 Friesian cows located in a commercial farm under subtropical conditions (Egypt) to appraise udder and teats status and to evaluate the possible relationships with some milk production characteristics in conjunction with udder shape, age at first calving, sire and inbreeding effects on udder morphological traits and milk production ability. For such an available sample size, parity had affected (P < 0.01) UFD, TD, FTL and RTL. In addition, udder shape affected (P < 0.01) UW, UFD, URD, ULV and DFT. None of the other studied factors affected milk production traits. The bowl udder shape (P < 0.01) yielded a high total milk yield (3267.19 kg), adjusted milk yield (2443.01 kg) and lactation length (480.70 d) compared to other udder shapes. The genetic correlations of UW with total milk yield and persistency were strongly positive (0.86 and 0.93, respectively). However, strong negative genetic correlations were found between UW with peak milk yield and lactation length (- 0.92 and - 0.80, respectively), between RTL with peak milk yield (- 0.92) and DRT with persistency (- 0.79). As found from the stepwise multiple regression, UW and URD can be used as good indicators for predicting milk yield and lactation length. Additionally, this study spotlights the genetic background of udder characteristics based on reliable studies and the QTL database for cattle as a first step toward applying this knowledge side by side with phenotypic traits to improve the productivity of the Holstein breed under subtropical conditions.

The Different MRI Features of Hepatocellular Adenoma and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular adenomas (HCAs) are benign tumours that may be broken down into three different molecular pathogenic categories: catenin activator, hepatic cell nuclear agent 1 (HNF- 1) that has been inactivated, and Inflammatory hepatic adenomas are a genetic and pathological subtype of hepatic adenoma. Methodology: An analysis of 50 HCA cases was conducted to identify the magnetic resonance imaging characteristics that were specifically related to each HCA subtype IV. This method included 50 patients in total for the study, with 30 of them being new cases. Four cases involving medicine, pathology, surgery, and radiology were gathered and examined. Results: As per these analyses for inactivated HNF-1, the sure predictive esteem about homogeneous indicator spillage on the compound shift pictures could have been as high as 100%, negative predictive quality could have been as high as 94.7%, affectability could have been as high as 86.7%, and specificity could have been as high as 100%. Enhancement of the solid blood vessels to support the ongoing and future stages of the portal vein change. It took a certain predictive quality of 88.5%, a negative predictive worth of about 84%, an affectability of about 85.2%, and more specificity of about 87.5% to diagnose incendiary HCA from the predominant signs seen for T2W successions linked with late constant upgrades. Conclusions: Both HNF-1-mutated HCAs and incendiary HCAs need to be associated with specific magnetic resonance imaging phenotypes characterized independently as having diffused lipid repartition and sinusoidal expansion.

Embryo production and transplantation in non-breeding season of meat sheep breeds by stimulating superovulation with different follicle-stimulating hormone preparations.

The objective of this study was to investigate the response of Charolais and Ile-de-France meat sheep breeds to stimulate superovulation with various follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) preparations. A total of 14 adult ewes of meat sheep breeds were used in our study as donors, including Charolais breed (n = 8) and Ile-de-France breed (n = 6). Donors ewes were randomly divided into two groups in equal numbers (first group, n = 7; second group, n = 7), every group included Charolais breed (n = 4) and Ile-de-France breed (n = 3). Ewes in the first group were treated with Folltropin-V (total dose of 200 mg per ewe, seven injections), and ewes in the second group were treated with FSH-P (total of 280 IU per ewe, six injections). Thirty-seven ewes of Edilbay breed used as recipients were divided into two groups (first group, n = 20; second group, n = 17). Our results showed that the number of corpora lutea in donor groups treated with Folltropin-V was significantly higher than in donor groups treated with FSH-P (p < .01). A greater number of embryos recovery and embryos suitable for transplantation were found in the first group compared with the second group of donors. After 30 days from transplantation, transabdominal ultrasonography showed that the presence of pregnancy in recipients groups was found in 16 recipient ewes (43.2%), in the first group of recipients were registered nine pregnant ewes of 20 recipient ewes (45.0%), and in the second group of recipients were registered seven pregnant ewes of 17 recipient ewes (41.2%). In conclusion, using Folltropin-V in Charolais and Ile-de-France meat sheep breeds is a more effective scheme for stimulating superovulation than using FSH-P.

Identification of Genomic Regions and Candidate Genes Associated with Body Weight and Body Conformation Traits in Karachai Goats.

The objective of this study was to identify the SNPs and candidate genes related to body weight and seven body conformation traits at the age of 8 months in the Russian aboriginal Karachai goats (n = 269) by conducting genome-wide association studies (GWAS), using genotypes generated by Goat SNP BeadChip (Illumina Inc., USA). We identified 241 SNPs, which were significantly associated with the studied traits, including 47 genome-wide SNPs (p < 10−5) and 194 suggestive SNPs (p < 10−4), distributed among all goat autosomes except for autosome 23. Fifty-six SNPs were common for two and more traits (1 SNP for six traits, 2 SNPs for five traits, 12 SNPs for four traits, 20 SNPs for three traits, and 21 SNPs for two traits), while 185 SNPs were associated with single traits. Structural annotation within a window of 0.4 Mb (±0.2 Mb from causal SNPs) revealed 238 candidate genes. The largest number of candidate genes was identified at Chr13 (33 candidate genes for the five traits). The genes identified in our study were previously reported to be associated with growth-related traits in different livestock species. The most significant genes for body weight were CRADD, HMGA2, MSRB3, MAX, HACL1 and RAB15, which regulate growth processes, body sizes, fat deposition, and average daily gains. Among them, the HMGA2 gene is a well-known candidate for prenatal and early postnatal development, and the MSRB3 gene is proposed as a candidate gene affecting the growth performance. APOB, PTPRK, BCAR1, AOAH and ASAH1 genes associated with withers height, rump height and body length, are involved in various metabolic processes, including fatty acid metabolism and lipopolysaccharide catabolism. In addition, WDR70, ZBTB24, ADIPOQ, and SORCS3 genes were linked to chest width. KCNG4 was associated with rump height, body length and chest perimeter. The identified candidate genes can be proposed as molecular markers for growth trait selection for genetic improvement in Karachai goats.

Genetic parameters of production and reproduction traits of Egyptian buffaloes under subtropical conditions.

This research was aimed to investigate the production and reproduction traits and their genetic parameters of Egyptian buffaloes under subtropical environment. Heritability, phenotypic, and genetic parameters were estimated for productive and reproduction traits of first parity This study revealed the averages TMY, 305-dMY, LL, BW, DP, SP, CI, and AFC were 2260, 2150 kg, 271 days, 38.63 kg, 210.50 days, 195.20 days, 586.86 days, and 36.61 months, respectively. The heritability estimates for productive traits of the first lactation were 0.61, 0.52, 0.47, 0.20, and 0.23 for TMY, 305-dMY, LL, DP, and BW, respectively. Heritability estimates for reproductive traits SP, CI, and AFC were 0.07, 0.09, and 0.35, respectively. Genetic correlations of most of the investigated first parity traits were positive, with an exception of DP. The genetic correlation was negative between SP and BW, and between AFC and LL. Phenotypic correlations of the first parity among all investigated traits were positive except between DP and TMY, 305-dMY, LL, BW, and AFC. High and moderate heritability estimates indicated that the opportunity of genetic upgrading of these parameters could be achieved owing to sire selection. Selection for high milk yield will be associated with genetic improvement in lactation period and birth weight.

Diagnostic role of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in differentiating breast lesions.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic role of perfusion weighted image (DCE-PWI) to differentiate benign from malignant breast lesions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study comprised 32 women who had mammography and/or breast ultrasonography findings that were clinically questionable. All patients were fasting during the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test to avoid nausea or dynamic contrast-enhanced vomiting from the contrast medium. RESULT: In this study, we observed the form of the dynamic curve (time and signal intensity curve) type I (persistent curve) was noted in 12 lesions (37.5%): 10 lesions were benign and two lesions were malignant; type II (plateau curve) was noted in eight lesions (25%): three lesions were benign and five lesions were malignant, and type III (washout curve) noted in 12 lesions (37.5%): one lesion was benign and 11 lesions were malignant. CONCLUSIONS: The dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) perfusion technique plays an important role in differentiating benign and malignant tumors in breast cancer.

Fructooligosaccharide Supplementation Boosts Growth Performance, Antioxidant Status, and Cecal Microbiota Differently in Two Rabbit Breeds.

The present study examined the effects of fructooligosaccharide (FOS) supplementation in drinking water on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, hematological and biochemical parameters, antioxidant status, and cecal microbiota of New Zealand White (NZW) and APRI rabbits. A total of 180 male NZW and APRI rabbits (aged five weeks; average live body weight 700 ± 39 g) were divided into six groups (30 rabbits/group; 5 replicates/group) in a two × three factorial arrangement. Rabbits of each breed were randomly assigned to one of three treatments of FOS (control; 0.00, FOS-0.5, and FOS-1.0). Results showed that rabbits' final body weight, FBWG, and carcass traits were considerably enhanced compared to those in the control group. The interaction effect of the supplement with the rabbit breed increased the growth, carcass traits, and hematobiochemical and antioxidant parameters with increasing FOS levels. In the cecum of both rabbit breeds, the total bacterial count and Escherichiacoli population were considerably low, with a substantial increase in the number of Lactobacilli supplemented by FOS. In conclusion, FOS supplementation enhanced growth and carcass traits by improving the hematobiochemical parameters and antioxidant status and reducing cecal pathogenic bacteria in both breeds.

RNA-Seq reveals the potential molecular mechanisms of bovine KLF6 gene in the regulation of adipogenesis.

Marbling influences the taste and tenderness of meat and is the main determinant of carcass quality in many countries. This study aims to investigate the influence of KLF6 (Kruppel Like Factor 6) and associated molecular mechanisms on lipid metabolism in bovine adipocytes. In the current study, KLF6 gene expression was down regulated via siRNA (small interfering RNA) in bovine adipocytes in vitro. Subsequently, adipogenic cells were collected from the culture media after 9 days, and subjected to fluorescent imaging and RNA sequencing. After confirming that KLF6 was down regulated in bovine adipocytes by siRNA, differential gene expression analysis was used to characterize the infuence of KLF6 on gene expression profiles in bovine adipocytes. A total of 10,812 genes were characterized as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of which, 109 were up-regulated and 62 were down-regulated genes. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway analysis identified that the DEGs were associated with lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, cell growth and death, cancer, and the signaling pathways for calcium, AMPK (Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase), PI3K-Akt (Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase), PPAR (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors), MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase), cAMP (Cyclic adenosine monophosphate), and Wnt (Wingless-related integration site). Similarly, gene ontology analysis indicated that down-regulation of KLF6 gene significantly up regulated the genes that regulate adipogenesis, differentiation and regulation of adipocytes and homeostasis of bovine adipocytes, specifically regulating the cell-type specific apoptotic action, negative regulation of apoptotic pathways, programmed cell death, and growth. Results indicate that KLF6 has a role in regulating lipid metabolism in bovine adipocytes. These findings provide evidence that may inform further investigations into molecular mechanisms that underlie the role of bovine KLF6 gene in regulating adipogenesis.

Impact of Fennel Essential Oil as an Antibiotic Alternative in Rabbit Diet on Antioxidant Enzymes Levels, Growth Performance, and Meat Quality.

In the current study, fennel essential oil was used as an antibiotic alternative compared to gentamycin for enhancing the expression of apoptosis genes and antioxidant enzymes in weaned rabbits as well as meat quality and growth performance. The gene expression of the cell lymphoma 2 (BAX and BCL2), caspase3 (CASP3), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX1) were estimated in the liver tissue using qRT-PCR. A total of 45 Moshtohor weaned male rabbits aged four weeks were randomly allocated to control, T1, and T2 treatment groups; each consisted of 15 weaned male rabbits with five replicates. Rabbits in the T1 and T2 groups were orally supplied with 1 mL fennel oil and 1 mL gentamycin, respectively. Weaned rabbits under different treatments showed increased body weight (BW) at 8 and 12 weeks of age and average daily gain (ADG) at 4-8 and 4-12 weeks of age compared to the control group. Compared to the controls, the weaned rabbits supplemented with fennel oil and gentamycin had lower total cholesterol, triglyceride, and MDA. In addition, villus length, mRNA of BAX, BCL2, Casp3, and GPX were increased in the different treatments compared to the control. Furthermore, the meat of these rabbits was less tender, had a lower aerobic plate count (APC), pH, and was brighter and redder in color than the control. Under the conditions of the present study, the supplementation of weaned Moshtohor rabbits with fennel oil as a natural alternative for gentamycin enhanced feed conversion and daily gain through enhancing villus length and mucus thickness. Additionally, fennel essential oil reduces oxidative stress by increasing the antioxidant enzymes.

CEBPß binding directly to the promoter region drives CEBPɑ transcription and improves FABP4 transcriptional activity in adipose tissue of yak (Bos grunniens).

Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) was crucial to fatty acid uptake and intracellular transport. However, the mechanisms regulating yak (Bos grunniens) FABP4 transcription were not determined. In the current study, predominant expression levels of yak FABP4 were identified in subcutaneous fat and longissimus dorsi muscles by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions (qPCR). The CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (CEBPα) and myocyte enhancer factor 2A (MEF2A), as transcriptional activator or repressor in the promoter region of FABP4, were confirmed by both site-directed mutagenesis experiment and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Additionally, molecular mechanisms of CEBPɑ regulation were analyzed to explore the transcriptional regulatory property of FABP4, which indicated that transcriptional activity of CEBPɑ depended on CCAAT/ enhancer binding protein beta (CEBPß) transcription factor. Our results demonstrated that CEBPß binding directly to the promoter region drove CEBPɑ transcription, improving yak FABP4 transcriptional activity in adipocytes. This mechanism expanded the information on the transcriptional regulatory network of adipogenesis.

The role of forskolin as a lipolytic stimulator during in vitro oocyte maturation and the in vitro embryo production of livestock.

Cryopreservation is a modern technique which assists in the preservation of genetic material from oocytes and embryos for a long time. However, elevated vulnerability to cryopreservation due to the large accumulation of intracellular lipids within oocytes or embryos avoids success of this method. These lipids remain the main crucial factor limiting survival rates of oocytes and embryos after thawing. Lipid ingathering in the oocyte cytoplasm augments lipid peroxidation (LPO) and oxidative stress increases the apoptosis process, declines the viability after thawing, declines cytoskeleton actin filament injuries, lowers the blastocyst rates and reduces cryotolerance in the early stages of embryo development. There have been several attempts to reduce the ingathering of intracellular lipids in oocytes or embryos during the cryopreservation process, in that way enhancing the competence of cryopreserved oocytes or embryos and increasing their viability. One of the most applied agents for chemical delipidation is forskolin. Forskolin exhibited a possible part in improving the oocytes cryopreservation through stimulating cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production. The main purpose of cAMP modulation is to provide energy to sustain the mammalian oocytes´ meiotic arrest. The purpose of the existing article is to assess and offer more evidence concerning the forskolin utilization as a modulator of cAMP during the cryopreservation of oocytes and its influence on meiosis completion and the reorganization of cytoplasm, which are prerequisites for the development of oocytes in addition to the contribution to fertilization and subsequently, the development of embryos.

Experimental measurements and modelling of viscosity and density of calcium and potassium chlorides ternary solutions.

Measured viscosity and density data for ternary aqueous solutions of CaCl2 and KCl are presented at temperatures between 293 and 323 K with 5 K increment. A modified Jones-Dole was introduced by adding extra terms and proved to be suitable for modelling of the viscosity data. Goldsack and Franchetto, Hu and Exponential models are used to correlate the viscosity data, too. Al models are correlated as a function of temperature and concentration. All models had successfully predicted the viscosity with high precision reaching a maximum average absolute deviation (AAD) of less than 2.3%. The modified Jones-Dole showed the best results among other models. Viscosity of the ternary solution is higher than the viscosity of water by about 15% at low concentrations and reaches about 270% at the highest concentrations. The amount of CaCl2 has more significant effect on the ternary mixture viscosity compared to KCl. This has created difficulty in measuring the viscosity and consequently the challenge in finding the different models parameters. Ternary solution densities were successfully correlate with Kumar's model with AAD of less than 0.4%. Comparison of the ternary solution density and viscosity with the few available data literature showed a good agreement.

Diagnostic value of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in discriminating between metastatic and non-metastatic pelvic lymph nodes in endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: Researchers have recently focused on assessing the accuracy of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) in predicting pelvic lymph node metastases in gynecological malignancies. PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of DW-MRI in discriminating between metastatic and non-metastatic pelvic lymph nodes in endometrial cancer patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective database study was conducted with 33 women aged 30-84 years with pathologically proven endometrial cancer that had been assessed by DW-MRI before their first treatment initiation at our referral hospital from March 2016 to April 2019. The diffusion technique (b = 50, 400, and 1000 mm2/s) was used in the imaging, and continuous apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) metrics (ADCmin, ADCmax, ADCmean, ADCSD, and rADC) were compared between the metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes. RESULTS: In total, 48 lymph nodes from 33 patients were assessed. All metastatic lymph nodes were restricted, while among the non-metastatic lymph nodes, only 19.3% were restricted. Considering pathological reports of metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes as the gold standard, DWI-related restricted and non-restricted features had a sensitivity of 80.6%, a specificity of 100%, and an accuracy of 87.5% to discriminate between a metastatic and non-metastatic pattern. ADC metrics of ADCmin, ADCmax, ADCmean, ADCSD, and rADC showed high values enabling differentiation between metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes. The best cut-off values were 0.7 × 10-3, 1.2 × 10-3, 1.01 × 10-3, 123, and 0.78, respectively. CONCLUSION: DW-MRI is a useful quantitative tool for differentiating between metastatic and benign lymph nodes in endometrial cancer patients.

Energy recovery and nutrients recycling from municipal sewage sludge.

Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) could be a promising and better alternative to other techniques for energy recovery from municipal sewage sludge (MSS). However, the nutrients (i.e., N, and P) recovery potential from the byproducts, generated in the HTL of MSS, needs to be studied so that a comprehensive sludge management practice could be adopted. In this study, HTL process temperature (275-400 °C), and reaction time (30-120 min) were first investigated for biocrude yield and release of the nutrients to the aqueous phase liquid (APL) and biochar. The maximum energy recovery (i.e., 59%) and maximum energy return on investment (i.e., 3.5) were obtained at 350 °C and 60 min of holding time. With the increase in HTL reaction time, the concentration of nitrogen in the APL increased (5.1 to 6.8 mg/L) while the concentration of phosphorus decreased (0.89 to 0.22 mg/L); the opposite was observed for the biochar. The nutrient recycling efficiency from the APL using microalgae was found to be strain-specific; nitrogen recycling efficiency by Picochlorum sp. and Chlorella sp. were 95.4 and 58.6%, respectively. The APL, derived from 1 kg MSS, could potentially produce 0.49 kg microalgal biomass. Since the concentrations of various metals in the biochar samples were substantially lower compared to their concentrations in raw MSS, the application of biochar as a soil conditioner could be very promising. Overall, net positive energy could be recovered from MSS using the HTL process, while the nutrients in the APL could be used to cultivate specific microalgae, and biochar could be applied to enhance the soil quality.

The potential impact data of Tylosin and Enrofloxacin veterinary antibiotics on germination and accumulation in barley seed as a forage crop and good dietary sources using LC/MS-MS.

In this study, the phytotoxic effects caused by the exposure to five different concentrations of two veterinary antibiotics (Tylosin, and Enrofloxacin) that are commonly used for the treatment of farm animals as antibacterial agents were considered. The impact of antibiotic residues was evaluated on the germination percentage, accumulation, and seedling elongation of the barley seeds using Petri dishes under controlled environmental conditions. The treatments were distributed randomly using Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The germination percentage was significantly inhibited with the increasing Enrofloxacin dose concentrations, while, it was to some extent on the contrary in the case of Tylosin, where seed germination was enhanced as a result of increasing Tylosin concentrations. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry LC/MS-MS was used to detect and quantify the uptake dosage after drying and extracting the antibiotic compounds from the seedling.