Determination of double-and single-stranded DNA breaks in bovine sperm is predictive of their fertilizing capacityOA

Background: The analysis of chromatin integrity has become an important determinant of sperm quality. In frozenthawed bovine sperm, neither the sequence of post-thaw injury events nor the dynamics of different types of sperm DNA breaks are well understood. The aim of the present work was to describe such sperm degradation aftermath focusing on DNA damage dynamics, and to assess if this parameter can predict pregnancy rates in cattle.Results: A total of 75 cryopreserved ejaculates from 25 Holstei...     

Role of functional fatty acids in modulation of reproductive potential in livestockOA

Fatty acids are not only widely known as energy sources,but also play important roles in many metabolic pathways.The significance of fatty acids in modulating the reproductive potential of livestock has received greater recognition in recent years.Functional fatty acids and their metabolites improve follicular development,oocyte maturation and embryo development,as well as endometrial receptivity and placental vascular development,through enhancing energy supply and precursors for the synthesis ...     

Effects of drinking water supplementation with Lactobacillus reuteri,and a mixture of reuterin and microcin J25 on the growth performance,caecal microbiota and selected metabolites of broiler chickensOA

Background: Since the overuse of antibiotics in animal production has led to a selection of antibiotic-resistant pathogens that affect humans and animals as well. Scientists are therefore searching for novel natural alternatives to antibiotics. In this study Lactobacillus reuteri and a combination of reuterin and microcin J25(RJ) were evaluated as promoters of growth and modulators of the cecal microbiota and metabolite profiles in broiler chickens. Oneday-old Cobb 500 male broilers were distrib...     

Sperm cryodamage occurs after rapid freezing phase:flow cytometry approach and antioxidant enzymes activity at different stages of cryopreservation

Background: In order to improve the efficiency of bovine sperm cryopreservation process, it is important to understand how spermatozoa respond to differences in temperature as well as the ability to recover its own metabolism. The combination between flow cytometry approach and antioxidant enzymes activity allows a more sensible evaluation of sperm cell during cryopreservation. The aim of this study was to evaluate sperm attributes and antioxidant enzymes activity during different stages of cryopreservation process. Semen samples from Holstein bulls(n = 4) were separated in 3 treatments: fresh(37 °C); cooled(5 °C); and thawed. Evaluation occurred at 0 h and2 h after incubation. Membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP) and DNA damages were evaluated by flow cytometry; activities of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase and gluthatione peroxidase were measured by spectrofotometry.Results: There was an increase in the percentage of sperm with DNA damage in the thawed group, compared to fresh and cooled, and for 2 hs of incubation when compared to 0 h. Considering MMP, there was an increase in the percentage of cells with medium potential in thawed group when compared to fresh and cooled groups. Opposingly,a decrease was observed in the thawed group considering high mitochondrial potential. Also in the thawed group,there was an increase on cells with damaged acrosome and membrane when compared to fresh and cooled groups.Significant correlations were found between antioxidant enzymes activity and membrane or mitochondrial parameters.Conclusion: Based on our results, we conclude that cryopreservation affects cellular and DNA integrity and that the critical moment is when sperm cells are exposed to freezing temperature. Also, our study indicates that intracellular antioxidant machinery(SOD and GPX enzymes) is not enough to control cryodamage.     

Unveiling how vitrification affects the porcine blastocyst: clues from a transcriptomic studyOA

Background: Currently, there is a high demand for efficient pig embryo cryopreservation procedures in the porcine industry as well as for genetic diversity preservation and research purposes. To date, vitrification(VIT) is the most efficient method for pig embryo cryopreservation. Despite a high number of embryos survives in vitro after vitrification/warming procedures, the in vivo embryo survival rates after embryo transfer are variable among laboratories. So far, most studies have focused on c...     

Quantitative comparisons of select cultured and uncultured microbial populations in the rumen of cattle fed different diets

Background: The number and diversity of uncultured ruminal bacterial and archaeal species revealed by 16S rRNA gene (rrs) sequences greatly exceeds that of cultured bacteria and archaea. However, the significance of uncultured microbes remains undetermined. The objective of this study was to assess the numeric importance of select uncultured bacteria and cultured bacteria and the impact of diets and microenvironments within cow rumen in a comparative manner. Results: Liquid and adherent fractions were obtained from the rumen of Jersey cattle fed hay alone and Holstein cattle fed hay plus grain. The populations of cultured and uncultured bacteria present in each fraction were quantified using specific real-time PCR assays. The population of total bacteria was similar between fractions or diets, while total archaea was numerically higher in the hay-fed Jersey cattle than in the hay-grain-fed Holstein cattle. The population of the genus Prevotella was about one log smaller than that of total bacteria. The populations of Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, the genus Butyrivibrio, and R. albus was at least one log smaller than that of genus Prevotella. Four of the six uncultured bacteria quantified were as abundant as F. succinogenes, R. flavefaciens and the genus Butyrivibrio. In addition, the populations of several uncultured bacteria were significantly higher in the adherent fractions than in the liquid fractions. These uncultured bacteria may be associated with fiber degradation. Conclusions: Some uncultured bacteria are as abundant as those of major cultured bacteria in the rumen. Uncultured bacteria may have important contribution to ruminal fermentation. Population dynamic studies of uncultured bacteria in a comparative manner can help reveal their ecological features and importance to rumen functions.     

Expression of miR-138 in cryopreserved bovine sperm is related to their fertility potential

Background Micro RNAs(miRNAs) are small, single-stranded, non-coding RNA molecules of 22–24 nucleotides that regulate gene expression. In the last decade, miRNAs have been described in sperm of several mammals, including cattle. It is known that miRNAs can act as key gene regulators of early embryogenesis in mice and humans; however, little is known about the content, expression, and function of sperm-borne miRNAs in early bovine embryo. In this study, total sperm RNA was isolated from 29 cryopr...     

Hatching egg polyunsaturated fatty acids and the broiler chickOA

Transgenerational effects of certain nutrients such as essential fatty acids are gaining increased attention in the field of human medicine and animal sciences as a new tool to improve health and animal performance during perinatal life.Omega-3(n-3) and omega-6(n-6) fatty acids are denoted by the position of the first double bond from methyl end of the hydrocarbon chain.Alpha-linolenic acid(18:3 n-3) and linoleic acid(18:2 n-6) are essential n-3 and n-6 fatty acids and cannot be synthesized by t...     

Progresses on Personalized Nutritional Evaluation and Recommendation

Health is maintained by a state of dynamic homeostasis in which nutrient intake and ex- penditure are of good balance. Therefore, it is important to know exactly the nutritional value of food sources, as well as the nutritional requirements of individuals, in order to achieve optimal nutrition. Considering the interaction between diet and individual back- ground, nutritional evaluation and recommendation has become a complicate issue needing further investigations. While traditional nutrition research has made significant progress in population nutrition, modern nutrition research is now becoming possible to focus on personalized nutrition in health promotion, disease prevention, performance improvement, and risk assessment of individual with the development of emerging omics technologies. This review tried to summarize the methods used in nutritional evaluation and recom- mendation as well as their applications. Though personal nutrition evaluation and recommendation are still not well-established, utilization of these advanced technologies may expand our knowledge in bioavailability and bioefficacy of diet ingredients, pathophysiological changes in response to dietary intervention, as well as nutrition-associated disease biomarkers discovery, and thus contributing to personalized nutrition.     

Sperm chromatin condensation as an in vivo fertility biomarker in bulls:a flow cytometry approach

Background:Genetic selection in cattle has been directed to increase milk production.This,coupled to the fact that the vast majority of bovine artificial inseminations(AI)are performed using cryopreserved sperm,have led to a reduction of fertility rates over the years.Thus,seeking sensitive and specific sperm biomarkers able to predict fertility rates is of vital importance to improve cattle reproductive efficiency.In humans,sperm chromatin condensation evaluated through chromomycin A3(CMA3)has recently been purported to be a powerful biomarker for sperm functional status and male infertility.The objectives of the present study were:a)to set up a flow cytometry method for simultaneously evaluating chromatin condensation and sperm viability,and b)to test whether this parameter could be used as a predictor of in vivo fertility in bulls.The study included pools of three independent cryopreserved ejaculates per bull from 25 Holstein males.Reproductive outcomes of each sire were determined by non-return rates,which were used to classify bulls into two groups(highly fertile and subfertile).Results:Chromatin condensation status of bovine sperm was evaluated through the combination of CMA3 and Yo-Pro-1 staining and flow cytometry.Sperm quality parameters(morphology,viability,total and progressive motility)were also assessed.Pearson correlation coefficients and ROC curves were calculated to assess their capacity to predict in vivo fertility.Sperm morphology,viability and total motility presented an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.54,0.64 and 0.68,respectively(P>0.05),and thus were not able to discriminate between fertile and subfertile individuals.Alternatively,while the percentage of progressively motile sperm showed a significant predictive value,with an AUC of 0.73(P=0.05),CMA3/Yo-Pro-1 staining even depicted superior results for the prediction of in vivo fertility in bulls.Specifically,the percentage of viable sperm with poor chromatin condensation showed better accuracy and precision to predict in vivo fertility,with an AUC of 0.78(P=0.02).Conclusions:Chromatin condensation evaluated through CMA3/Yo-Pro-1 and flow cytometry is defined here as a more powerful tool than conventional sperm parameters to predict bull in vivo fertility,with a potential ability to maximising the efficiency of dairy breeding industry.     

Insights into the role of major bioactive dietary nutrients in lamb meat quality: a reviewOA

Feed supplementation with α-linolenic acid(ALA) and linoleic acid(LA) increases their content in muscle, ALA increases n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and decrease n-6/n-3 ratio in muscle, and LA increases rumenic acid.However, high LA supplementation may have negative effects on lambs’ lipid oxidative stability of meat. When the sources of ALA and LA are fed as fresh forage, the negative effects are counterbalanced by the presence of other bioactive compounds, as vitamin E(mainly α-tocopherol) ...     

A new device for deep cervical artificial insemination in gilts reduces the number of sperm per dose without impairing final reproductive performance

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproductive performance of a new artificial insemination(AI) device specifically designed for gilts(Deep cervical AI, Dp-CAI) by means of which the sperm is deposited deeply in the cervix(8 cm more cranial than in traditional cervical insemination-CAI). New AI techniques have arisen in recent decades in the porcine industry, such as post-cervical artificial insemination(PCAI), which involves depositing the sperm in the body of the uterus [through a catheter(outer tube)-cannula(inner tube)] rather than by CAI. Although the PCAI method has been successfully applied in farm conditions to reduce sperm doses without impairing the reproductive performance, this technique has limitations in gilts mainly because of the difficulty involved in introducing the inner cannula through the cranial part of the cervix. For this reason, the Dp-CAI method described herein may be considered as an alternative to CAI and PCAI methods in gilts.Results: Gilts were divided in two experimental groups: 1) Dp-CAI: gilts(n = 1166) inseminated using 1.5 × 109 sperm/45 m L; 2) CAI(as a control group): gilts(n = 130) inseminated using 2.5 × 10~9 sperm/85 mL. The Dp-CAI method was successfully applied in 88.90% of the gilts, with no differences detected between gilts with 1 or 2 previous oestrus cycles, although the catheter could be introduced more deeply in 2 oestrus gilts(P 0.05). As the length of the insemination device that could not be introduced increased(at the moment of insemination), so the success rate of the Dp-CAI device fell, as did the total number of piglets born. When the reproductive output in CAI and Dp-CAI was compared, none of the parameters analysed [pregnancy and farrowing rates(%), and number of piglets born(total and live)] showed significant differences.Conclusions: The use of the Dp-CAI technique provides a new AI method as an alternative to CAI and PCAI for pigs. The device, especially designed for gilts, was used with a high degree of success reducing conventional sperm doses without impairing reproductive parameters.     

GSTM3, but not IZUMO1, is a cryotolerance marker of boar sperm

Background: Cryopreservation is currently the most efficient method for long-term preservation of mammalian gametes and is extensively used in swine artificial insemination(AI) centres. However, it is well-known that cryopreservation procedures induce changes in the water phase in both intra and extracellular compartments,which alter the content and localisation of several proteins and ends up curtailing the structural integrity of functional sperm(i.e., cryoinjuries). Alterations and deficiencies of sperm-oocyte binding proteins during gamete recognition are one of the causes of reproductive failure both in vitro and in vivo. In this sense, characterisation of cryopreservation effects upon oocyte-binding proteins of sperm, such as IZUMO1 and GSTM3, is essential when assessing the impact of this technique in swine reproduction.Results: Cryopreservation was found to induce changes in the localisation of IZUMO1 and GSTM3 in boar sperm.However, the relative content of both proteins was not altered after thawing. Furthermore, whereas IZUMO1 content was found not to be related to the cryotolerance of boar sperm, GSTM3 content was observed to be higher in poor(PFE) than in good(GFE) freezability ejaculates in both pre-frozen(1.00 INT·mm~2± 0.14 INT·mm~2 vs.0.72 INT·mm~2± 0.15 INT·mm~2; P 0.05) and post-thawed(0.96 INT·mm~2± 0.20 INT·mm~2 vs. 70 INT·mm~2± 0.19 INT·mm~2; P 0.05) samples. Moreover, GSTM3 levels were found to be higher in those spermatozoa that exhibited low mitochondrial activity, high reactive oxygen species(ROS) production, and high membrane lipid disorder postthaw(P 0.05).Conclusions: The difference in GSTM3 content between GFE and PFE, together with this protein having been found to be related to poor sperm quality post-thaw, suggests that it could be used as a cryotolerance marker of boar spermatozoa. Furthermore, both IZUMO1 and GSTM3 relocate during cryopreservation, which could contribute to the reduced fertilising capacity of frozen-thawed boar sperm.     

Nanotechnology-based approach for safer enrichment of semen with best spermatozoa

Background: Advances in nanotechnology have permitted molecular-based targeting of cells through safe and biocompatible magnetic nanoparticles(MNP). Their use to detect and remove damaged spermatozoa from semen doses could be of great interest. Here, MNP were synthesized and tested for their ability to target apoptotic(annexin V) and acrosome-reacted(lectin) boar spermatozoa, for high-throughout retrieval in a magnetic field(nanoselection). The potential impacts of nanoselection on sperm functions and performance of offspring sired by sperm subjected to nanoselection were determined. Fresh harvested and extended boar semen was mixed with various amounts(0, 87.5, and 175 μg) of MNP-conjugates(Annexin V-MNP or Lectin-MNP) and incubated(10 to15 min) for 37 °C in Exp. 1. In Exp. 2, extended semen was mixed with optimal concentrations of MNP-conjugates and incubated(0, 30, 90, or 120 min). In Exp. 3, the synergistic effects of both MNP-conjugates(87.5 μg– 30 min)on spermatozoa was evaluated, followed by sperm fertility assessments through pregnancy of inseminated gilts and performance of neonatal offspring. Sperm motion, viability, and morphology characteristics were evaluated in all experiments.Results: Transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and hyperspectral imaging techniques were used to confirm attachment of MNP-conjugates to damaged spermatozoa. The motility of nanoselected spermatozoa was improved(P 0.05). The viability of boar sperm, as assessed by the abundance of reactive oxygen species and the integrity of the acrosome, plasma membrane, and mitochondrial membrane was not different between nanoselected and control spermatozoa. The fertility of gilts inseminated with control or nanoselected spermatozoa, as well as growth and health of their offspring were not different between(P 0.05).Conclusions: The findings revealed the benefit of magnetic nanoselection for high-throughput targeting of damaged sperm, for removal and rapid and effortless enrichment of semen doses with highly motile, viable,and fertile spermatozoa. Therefore, magnetic nanoselection for removal of abnormal spermatozoa from semen is a promising tool for improving fertility of males, particularly during periods, such as heat stress during the summer months.     

Norms, Values and Symbols in the Intercultural Operations of Companies

Knowledge of the importance of one country values and symbols, which given culture attaches to some elements or live situations helps when doing business on the foreign market. Values can be defined as standards or rules, which are recognized as valuable and important in life. Values are the reflection of what people really believe in and their attitudes towards the most important aspects of live. Values determine our way of thinking, behaving as well as mirror our cultural background. Symbols play an important role in the intercultural environment. Incorrect usage of some of the symbol can be equal to failure while doing business.     

Oxytocin in pig seminal plasma is positively related with in vivo fertility of inseminated sowsOA

Background: Identification of relevant in vivo biomarkers for fertility remains a challenge for the livestock industry.Concentrations of the small peptide hormone oxytocin(OXT), involved in male reproductive function and present in the seminal plasma(SP) of several species could be a robust one. This study characterized concentrations of SPOXT in ejaculates from boars used in artificial insemination(AI) programs aiming to evaluate its relationship with sperm quality variables and in vivo fertili...     

Dietary methionine deficiency stunts growth and increases fat deposition via suppression of fatty acids transportation and hepatic catabolism in Pekin ducksOA

Background: Although methionine(Met), the first-limiting dietary amino acid, has crucial roles in growth and regulation of lipid metabolism in ducks, mechanisms underlying are not well understood. Therefore, the objective was to use dietary Met deficiency to investigate the involvement of Met in lipid metabolism and fat accumulation of Pekin ducks.Methods: A total of 150 male Pekin ducks(15-d-old, 558.5 ± 4.4 g) were allocated into 5 groups(6 replicates with 5 birds each) and fed corn and soybea...     

Enzymatically prepared alginate oligosaccharides improve broiler chicken growth performance by modulating the gut microbiota and growth hormone signalsOA

Background Alginate oligosaccharide(AOS) holds great potential as a novel feed supplement in farm animals. However,the effects of AOS on chicken health and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study aimed to optimize the enzymatic preparation of AOS by using bacterial alginate lyases expressed in yeast, investigate the effects of the prepared AOS on the growth performance and gut health of broiler chickens, and reveal the underlying mechanisms.Results Five alginate lyases fro...     

Genetic parameters of drinking and feeding traits of wean-to-finish pigs under a polymicrobial natural disease challengeOA

Background: The pork industry faces unprecedented challenges from disease, which increases cost of production and use of antibiotics, and reduces production efficiency, carcass quality, and animal wellbeing. One solution is to improve the overall resilience of pigs to a broad array of common diseases through genetic selection. Behavioral changes in feeding and drinking are usually the very first clinical signs when animals are exposed to stressors such as disease. Changes in feeding and drinking...