RESUMO
Background and Aim: Pregnancy affects maternal hemodynamics. The changes in autonomic nervous system activity for hemodynamics adaptation in pregnant horses are still unclear. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effect of pregnancy on electrocardiographic, vasovagal tonus index, and echocardiographic variables in horses. Materials and Methods: A total of 23 Thai native crossbred mares without any cardiac abnormalities were included in this study. The animals were assigned into two groups, a non-pregnant mare group (n =12) and a pregnant mare group (n = 11). Electrocardiogram recordings (paper speed = 25 mm/s and calibration = 10 mm/mV) were performed to obtain six limb leads (leads I, II, III, aVR, aVL, and aVF). The vasovagal tonus index (VVTI) was calculated to assess variability in heart rate over short periods using just 20 consecutive beats. Cardiac structure and function were evaluated by echocardiography. Results: Heart rate, P wave duration, PR interval, QRS duration, QT interval, and T wave duration were significantly different between non-pregnant and pregnant horses (p < 0.05). Pregnant horses had significantly lower VVTI than non-pregnant (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in cardiac structures including % interventricular septum (IVS), % left ventricular posterior wall (LVPW), IVS in diastole, left ventricular internal diameter at end-diastole, LVPW thickness at end-diastole, IVS in systole, left ventricular internal diameter at end-systole, LVPW thickness at end-systole, and left atrium/aortic roots ratio between the two groups. However, the pregnant horses had a significantly higher cardiac output and % ejection fraction than non-pregnant horses (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study provided the first evidence that hemodynamic adaptations during pregnancy modified cardiac conduction, vasovagal tonus index, and echocardiographic variables in horses.
RESUMO
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are transmembrane proteins important for directing immune responses. Their primary role is to recognize pathogens based on single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) characteristics. TLR2 is categorized as a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) that is important for the recognition of pathogens. Nucleotide variation in the coding region determines the conformation of the TLR protein, affecting its protein domain efficiency. This study aimed to identify SNPs in the coding region of TLR2 to enhance available genetic tools for improving health and production in swamp buffalo. A total of 50 buffaloes were randomly sampled from the northeastern part of Thailand for genomic DNA extraction and sequencing. Nucleotide sequences were aligned and compared with cattle and river buffalo based on the database. The results showed, there were 29 SNP locations in swamp buffalo and 14 different locations in both cattle and buffaloes. Haplotype analysis revealed that 27 haplotypes occurred. Swamp buffalo were identified from 13 SNPs based on biallelic analysis, which found eight synonymous and five nonsynonymous SNPs. Nucleotide diversity (π) was 0.16, indicating genetic diversity. Genetic diversity (haplotype diversity; HD) was high at 0.99 ± 0.04. This indicates a high probability that the two sample haplotypes are different. The π and HD values are important indicators of the genetic diversity of the swamp buffalo population. In summary, the Thai swamp buffalo population detected a polymorphism of the coding region of the TRL2 gene. Therefore, further, in-depth study of the relationship between these genes in the immune system and disease resistance should be recommended.
RESUMO
The objective of this study was to investigate the milk protein profiles of normal milk and those of milk during the course of subclinical mastitis, caused by natural Streptococcus agalactiae infection. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry were used to assess protein profiles and to identify the proteins. The results showed that S. agalactiae subclinical mastitis altered the protein profiles of milk. Following Mascot database matching, 11 and 12 protein types were identified in the milk collected from healthy and S. agalactiae subclinical mastitic udders, respectively. The distinct presence of the antibacterial protein cathelicidin-1 was detected in infected milk samples, which in turn was highly correlated to the severity of subclinical mastitis as represented by the milk somatic cell count (r = 0.616), but not the bacterial count. The protein profile of milk reveals changes in the host response to S. agalactiae intramammary infection; cathelicidin-1 could therefore serve as a biomarker for the detection of subclinical mastitis in dairy cows.
