Milk production of crossbred daughters of high- and low-milk EPD Angus and Hereford bulls.

Milk yield from 273 Angus- and Hereford-sired cows and preweaning performance of their calves were used to determine how accurately milk EPD of Angus and Hereford sires predicted milk production of crossbred daughters and subsequent calf performance. Mean milk EPD (kg) for high Angus (HA), low Angus (LA), high Hereford (HH), and low Hereford (LH) bulls (n = 41) selected as sires were +8.7, -6.2, +7.6, and -4.8, respectively. Cows calved in spring or fall from 1992 to 1997 and yielded a total of 660 records. Twenty-four-hour milk production of the cows was estimated by two weigh-suckle-weigh measurements at monthly intervals. The statistical model included breed, milk EPD level, sire of cow within breed and milk EPD level, year, season, cow age, calf sire, sex, and all two- and three-way interactions. Means were obtained for monthly milk production, total milk production, time and yield of peak production, monthly calf weights, monthly cow weights and body condition scores (1 through 9), and calf birth and weaning data. The least squares means for 24-h milk production (kg) of HA, LA, HH, and LH with P-values for high vs low, across breeds, were, respectively, as follows: mo 1: 6.9, 5.9, 7.1, and 5.7 (P < 0.01); mo 2: 7.2, 6.1, 6.9, and 5.7 (P < 0.01); mo 3: 6.1, 5.1, 5.1, and 4.3 (P = 0.01); mo 4: 6.1, 4.9, 4.9, and 4.8 (P = 0.01); mo 5: 4.8, 4.0, 4.2, and 3.8 (P = 0.01); mo 6: 4.7, 3.4, 3.2, and 3.0 (P < 0.01); and mo 7: 3.7, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.0 (P = 0.05). Least squares means for total milk (kg) were 911.4, 729.6, 758.0, and 664.2 (P < 0.01); for yield at peak (kg/d) were 7.0, 5.7, 6.1, and 5.2 (P < 0.01); for birth weight (kg) were 37.1, 37.9, 38.3, and 38.8 (P = 0.31); for 205-d weight (kg) were 237.3, 218.2, 222.2, and 214.1 (P < 0.01); for final cow weight (kg) were 482.4, 505.4, 509.5, and 511.7 (P = 0.11); and for final cow BCS were 4.9, 5.3, 5.1, and 5.2 (P < 0.01). The correlations of total production with the monthly productions were 0.52, 0.56, 0.52, 0.54, 0.35, 0.37, and 0.31 (P < 0.01) and were 0.12 with birth weight, 0.45 with 205-d weight, -0.12 with final cow weight, and -0.26 with final cow body condition score (all P < 0.01). Daughters of high-milk EPD sires produced more milk and weaned heavier calves than those of low-milk EPD sires at the expense of body condition. These results suggest that sire milk EPD are sufficiently associated with milk yield and calf performance to be useful tools in genetic improvement of preweaning performance.     

A genome-wide association study of type 2 diabetes in Finns detects multiple susceptibility variants

Identifying the genetic variants that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in humans has been a formidable challenge. Adopting a genome-wide association strategy, we genotyped 1161 Finnish T2D cases and 1174 Finnish normal glucose-tolerant (NGT) controls with >315,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and imputed genotypes for an additional >2 million autosomal SNPs. We carried out association analysis with these SNPs to identify genetic variants that predispose to T2D, compared our T2D association results with the results of two similar studies, and genotyped 80 SNPs in an additional 1215 Finnish T2D cases and 1258 Finnish NGT controls. We identify T2D-associated variants in an intergenic region of chromosome 11p12, contribute to the identification of T2D-associated variants near the genes IGF2BP2 and CDKAL1 and the region of CDKN2A and CDKN2B, and confirm that variants near TCF7L2, SLC30A8, HHEX, FTO, PPARG, and KCNJ11 are associated with T2D risk. This brings the number of T2D loci now confidently identified to at least 10.     

Stability of expression of reference genes in porcine peripheral blood mononuclear and dendritic cells

Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is a critical tool used to evaluate changes in gene expression. The precision of this tool is reliant upon the selection of reference genes whose expression remains unaltered in culture conditions and following stimulation. Stably expressed reference genes are used to normalize data so observed changes in expression are not due to artifacts but rather reflect physiological changes. In this study, we examined the expression stability of the porcine genes glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), succinate dehydrogenase complex subunit A (SDHA), eukaryotic elongation factor 1 gamma-like protein (eEF1), ribosomal protein L19 (RPL19), beta-actin (ACTB) and ATP synthase mitochondrial F0 complex (ATP5G1) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), monocytes, monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs), blood isolated dendritic cells (BDCs) and T cells with or without stimulation with lipolysaccharide (LPS). An M value was used as a measure of gene stability as determined using geNORM software. Recommendations for the use of reference genes include using GAPDH and B-actin in PBMCs: RPL19 and SDHA in T cells; RPL19 and B-actin in monocytes; RPL-19 and SDHA in BDCs: and RPL-19 and ATP5GA in MoDCs.     

Charge Donation by Calcium into the t1g Band of C60

Photoemission spectra of compounds prepared by the reaction of C(60) films with calcium show two distinct metallic phases, whereas alkali-doped C(60) films have only one. In the first phase the bulk t(1u) band, derived from the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of C(60), is partially occupied. This is followed by an insulating phase that has the composition Ca(3)C(60) in which the t(1u) band is filled and has properties analogous to those of K(6)C(60). Continued exposure to calcium produces a second metallic phase in which electrons are donated into the t(1g) band. The superconductivity of Ca(5)C(60) is associated with the t(1g) band.     

Observations on dystocia in a romney flock

The mating and lambing records for 1964–1972 of a Romney stud that had been experiencing a serious dystocia problem were investigated. Until 1970 between 20 and 31% of ewes required assistance at lambing but this level then fell to 18% in 1971, 11% in 1972, 3.3% in 1973 and 4.0% in 1974. The decline in dystocia evident in the latter years of the investigation is considered to have been brought about largely by the culling of ewes that were repeatedly assisted at parturition and by the selection of rams that sired lambs of lower birth weight.

Dystocia in this flock was highly correlated with the mean birth weight of single lambs ( r =0.84, p<0.01). Fifty nine percent of assisted single lambs were males; ram lambs were heavier at birth than ewe lambs. Apart from the year 1966, primiparous ewes required no more assistance than older ewes and, except for that year, ewes bearing singles required the same levelof assistance as those bearing twins.

An effect of the sire on the incidence of dystocia was demonstrated for four of the eight lambings studied and was related to the birth weight of the lambs. Thirty four percent of ewes that had been assisted to lamb once had to be assisted again the following year as compared with a 16% assistance rate necessary for those ewes that had not been helped at the previous lambing, thus establishing a high level of repeatability for the condition (p<0.001).     

FIRST-PASS RADIONUCLIDE ANGIOGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF AORTOILIAC THROMBOEMBOLISM IN A HORSE

First-pass radionuclide angiography of the terminal aorta was performed in 3 normal horses and a 6-year old Standardbred intact male with aortoiliac thromboembolism. Thromboembolism caused chronic bilateral hind limb lameness, more severe in the right hind limb, was detected by rectal examination, and confirmed using transrectal ultrasonography. Using ^99mTc-HDP, first-pass radionuclide angiography was combined with hind limb and pelvis bone(delayed) scintigraphy and revealed marked reduction in blood flow through both external iliac arteries and absence of blood flow in the internal iliac arteries. Quantitative analysis showed a decreased activity in the right iliac vessels in the clinic patient consistent with reduced blood flow when compared to control horses. First-pass radio-nuclide angiography provided a method to obtain diagnostic images of the terminal aorta and branches and a method to diagnose aortoiliac thromboembolism in the horse.