Effect of resistant starch on the intestinal health of old dogs: fermentation products and histological features of the intestinal mucosa

The effects of resistant starch (RS) intake on nutrient digestibility, microbial fermentation products, faecal IgA, faecal pH, and histological features of the intestinal mucosa of old dogs were evaluated. The same formulation was extruded in two different conditions: one to obtain elevated starch cooking degree with low RS content (0.21%) and the other lower starch cooking with high RS content (1.46%). Eight geriatric Beagles (11.5 ± 0.38 years old) were fed each diet for 61 days in a crossover design. Food intake, nutrient digestibility, fermentation products, faecal pH, and faecal IgA were examined via variance analysis. Histological results of intestinal biopsies were assessed via Wilcoxon test for paired data. The morphometric characteristics of large intestine crypts were evaluated via paired t tests (p < .05). Protein, fat, and energy digestibilities were higher for the low‐RS diet (p < .05). Dogs receiving the high‐RS diet had lower faecal pH and higher values for propionate, butyrate, total volatile fatty acids, and lactate (p < .05). No differences between diets were found in the histological parameters of the gut mucosa, and only a tendency for deeper crypts in the descending colon was observed for dogs fed the high‐RS diet (p = .083). The intake of a corn‐based kibble diet manufactured with coarse ground raw material and low starch gelatinization to obtain 1.4% of RS affected microbial fermentation products and faecal pH and tended to increase crypt depth in the descending colon of old dogs.     

Effect of sweet potato vines on performance parameters and some carcass characteristics of rabbits

Conventional feedstuffs in Brazil are expensive, which has led to the search for less conventional cheaper and locally available feedstuffs. Thus, this study was carried out to determine the dietary effect of dry sweet potato vines (SPV) on the performance and some carcass characteristics of rabbits. A total of twenty‐seven weaned White New Zealand rabbits (14 male and 13 female) 35 days old with an average initial weight of 755 g were allocated into three treatments. Nine rabbits were assigned to each treatment in a completely randomized design. Three diets were formulated to similar protein and energy levels: 0SPV – diet without inclusion of dry sweet potato vines; 10SPV – diet with 10% alfalfa hay replaced by dry sweet potato vines; and 15SPV – diet with 15% of alfalfa hay replaced by dry sweet potato vines. The experiment lasted for 49 days during which data for feed intake and body weight were recorded. The daily feed intake ranged from 73.17 to 78.02 g; daily weight gain from 22.32 to 23.17 g; feed conversion ratio (FCR) from 3.16 to 3.49 and final live weight ranged from 1839.44 to 1880.55 g. None of the evaluated performance parameters as well as carcass weight, heart weight and percentages of fat and protein in meat were significantly affected by any of the tested dietary treatments. However, the liver weight was statistically lower in animals fed the diets containing 10% of SPV, mainly due to lower glucose content. Glycogen within the tissue, did not differ significantly among treatments. It was therefore concluded that up to 15% of SPV can successfully be included in the diet of rabbits as a cheaper replacement for alfalfa hay without adversely affecting performance.     

Heritability and genetic correlations between rumination time and production traits in Holstein dairy cows during different lactation phases

So far, rumination has been used as a proxy for monitoring dairy cow health at farm level. However, investigating its genetic aspects as well as its correlation with other important productive traits may turn this management tool into a new informative selection criterion. However, scientific evidences on genetic correlation among rumination time (RT) and milk production and milk composition are still scarce. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the heritability of RT across three lactation phases and its genetic correlation with milk production, milk composition and somatic cell count (SCC). Results of our study showed that heritability for RT was 0.34 and was constant across lactation. The mean genetic correlations between RT and milk production and composition traits were 0.07 (milk production), ?0.07 (protein yield), ?0.31 (fat yield), and ?0.32 (fat/protein ratio). The mean genetic correlation between RT and the SCC was 0.05.     

Transgenerational epigenetic variance for body weight in meat quails

We aimed to estimate transgenerational epigenetic variance for body weight using genealogical and phenotypic information in meat quails. Animals were individually weighted from 1 week after hatching, with weight records at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days of age (BW7, BW14, BW21, BW28, BW35 and BW42, respectively). Single‐trait genetic analyses were performed using mixed models with random epigenetic effects. Variance components were estimated by the restricted maximum likelihood method. A grid search for values of autorecursive parameter (λ) ranging from 0 to 0.5 was used in the variance component estimation. This parameter is directly related to the reset coefficient (ν) and the epigenetic coefficient of transmissibility (1‐ν). The epigenetic effect was only significant for BW7. Direct heritability estimates for body weight ranged in magnitude (from 0.15 to 0.26), with the highest estimate for BW7. Epigenetic heritability was 0.10 for BW7, and close to zero for the other body weights. The inclusion of the epigenetic effect in the model helped to explain the residual and non‐Mendelian variability of initial body weight in meat quails.     

Melatonin reduces apoptotic cells,SOD2 and HSPB1 and improves the in vitro production and quality of bovine blastocysts

Effects of adding different concentrations of melatonin (10^?7, 10^?9 and 10^?11 M) to maturation (Experiment 1; Control, IVM  + 10^?7, IVM  + 10^?9, IVM  + 10^?11) and culture media (Experiment 2; Control, IVC  + 10^?7, IVC  + 10^?9, IVC  + 10^?11) were evaluated on in vitro bovine embryonic development. The optimal concentration of melatonin (10^?9 M) from Experiments 1–2 was tested in both maturation and/or culture media of Experiment 3 (Control, IVM  + 10^?9, IVC  + 10^?9, IVM /IVC  + 10^?9). In Experiment 1, maturated oocytes from Control and IVM  + 10^?9 treatments showed increased glutathione content, mitochondrial membrane potential and percentage of Grade I blastocysts (40.6% and 43%, respectively). In Experiment 2, an increase in the percentage of Grade I blastocysts was detected in IVC  + 10^?7 (43.5%; 56.7%) and IVC  + 10^?9 (47.4%; 57.4%). Moreover, a lower number and percentage of apoptotic cells in blastocysts were observed in the IVC  + 10^?9 group compared to Control (3.8 ± 0.6; 3.6% versus 6.1 ± 0.6; 5.3%). In Experiment 3, the IVC  + 10^?9 treatment increased percentage of Grade I blastocysts with a lower number of apoptotic cells compared to IVM /IVC  + 10^?9 group (52.6%; 3.0 ± 0.5 versus 46.0%; 5.4 ± 1.0). The IVC  + 10^?9 treatment also had a higher mRNA expression of antioxidant gene (SOD 2) compared to the Control, as well as the heat shock protein (HSPB 1) compared to the IVM  + 10^?9. Reactive oxygen species production was greater in the IVM /IVC  + 10^?9 treatment group. In conclusion, the 10^?9 M concentration of melatonin and the in vitro production phase in which it is used directly affected embryonic development and quality.     

Interactions between different media and follicle‐stimulating hormone supplementation on in vitro culture of preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian tissue derived from collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu Linneaus, 1758)

The aim was to verify the effect of follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) supplementation to α‐MEM+ or TCM199+ media on the in vitro development of ovarian preantral follicles (PFs) derived from collared peccaries. Ovaries (n = 5 pairs) were collected and divided into fragments destined to control group (non‐cultured) or treatments that were cultured for 7 days. The PFs morphology, growth and activation were evaluated by classical histology. The immunohistochemistry markers Ag‐NOR and PCNA were used for nuclear proliferation analysis, and the picrosirius red labelling was used for ovarian extracellular matrix (ECM) evaluation. After 7‐day culture, only the TCM199+ treatment maintained the proportion of intact PFs similar to day 1 (63.2%), but no differences were found among treatments (p > .05). In addition, a significant increase in the growing follicles proportion was verified for all the treatments, indicating follicular activation (p > .05). By the Ag‐NOR analysis, only the TCM199+/FSH maintained the nuclear proliferation similar to the first day (p > .05). The picrosirius red staining revealed that the ECM remained intact in all the treatments (p > .05). We suggest the use of TCM199+ medium supplemented of FSH for the in vitro development of peccaries PFs under 7‐day culturing conditions.     

ACE inhibition in goats under fixed‐time artificial insemination protocol increases the pregnancy rate and twin births

To assess the effect of the angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition on the efficiency of the fixed‐time artificial insemination (TAI), 69 goats were divided randomly into two groups: enalapril (n = 35) and control (n = 34). In the experiment, all animals underwent the protocol of fixed‐time artificial insemination for 12 days. Enalapril group received enalapril maleate dissolved in saline (Enalapril, Lab Teuto Ltda) subcutaneously at the following doses: 0.2 mg/kg/day in D0‐D2; 0.3 mg/kg/day in D3‐D6 and 0.4 mg/kg/day in D7‐D11. The control group received the corresponding volume of 0.9% saline solution. We performed a single insemination 36 hr after sponge removal using frozen semen from two adult male goats with recognized fertility. The ultrasound pregnancy diagnosis was 30 days after the artificial insemination (AI). There was significant increase in pregnancy rates and twinning as well as a decrease in foetal loss in animals receiving enalapril (p < .01). The use of ACE inhibitors during the TAI protocol was shown to be a promising alternative to increase the efficiency of such reproductive biotechnology.     

Equine foetal gender determination in mid‐ to late gestational mares: A practical inquiry

In recent years, the interest in equine foetal gender determination (FGD) during gestation increased remarkably. Ultrasonographic FGD can be performed in two different periods during gestation. The earliest examination can take place at a gestational age of 60–70 days, whereby the genital tubercle is used to differentiate between male and female foeti. The time window of the second approach is wider (120–210 days), and there are more characteristics to take into consideration. In this article, the feasibility and accuracy of ultrasonographic FGD in mid‐ to late gestation are evaluated. One hundred twenty‐one mares from different breeds with a pregnancy stage between 120 and 270 days were examined once, using B‐scale ultrasonography (Esaote MyLab™ClassC). None of the mares were sedated nor shaved, and the procedure was completed within 15 min. Diagnosis was firstly based on the gonads. The final judgement was made based on all visible foetal reproductive organs. In three cases with a pregnancy stage beyond 257 days, FGD was not possible. All of the examined mares in which a FGD could be performed gave birth to a healthy foal. In 98% of the examinations (116/118), the diagnosis was correctly made. In both cases of misdiagnosis, only one characteristic was seen during the procedure and wrongly interpreted. Beyond 210 days of pregnancy, the extremities can preclude a good visualization of the inguinal region. In conclusion, equine FGD in mid‐ to late gestation is an accessible and accurate technique, although a good ultrasound device is a prerequisite and experience and expertise is necessary.     

Idiopathic eosinophilic colitis lesions of the equine small (descending) colon

Five horses with a primary surgical lesion of the small (descending) colon were diagnosed with eosinophilic colitis based on visual and histopathological examination. These were evident as visibly striking, hyperaemic, focal lesions of the small colon, with serosal petechiation, oedema and marked thickening of the intestinal wall at the site. Areas of focal necrosis were also evident. The gross appearance of the lesions were considered to be sufficiently severe in all cases to merit resection, due to concerns about intestinal necrosis and septic peritonitis. An inability to fully exteriorise the affected portion of intestine to perform a resection and anastomosis necessitated intraoperative euthanasia of one horse. A total of three horses survived to hospital discharge. Eosinophilic colitis lesions are a rare cause of severe small colon disease, but should be considered in cases with similar visual characteristics.     

Pedotransfer functions to assess adsorbed phosphate using iron oxide content and magnetic susceptibility in an Oxisol

Adsorbed phosphate in soils can be chemically extracted; however, this process is both time‐consuming and not cost‐effective if large numbers of samples have to be analysed. Indirect assessment of adsorbed phosphate by pedotransfer functions (PTFs) can help optimize fertilizer strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the spatial variability of adsorbed phosphate (P_ads), iron oxides and magnetic susceptibility (MS) in oxisols and to calibrate PTFs to predict P_ads. A total of 308 soil samples were collected from Hapludox and Eutrudox soils formed from sandstone in Brazil. The contents of clay (196–607 g/kg), iron oxides (40–165 g/kg), MS (1.2–29 × 10^?6 m³/kg) and P_ads (327–842 mg/kg) were in the range of typical values for these highly weathered soils. This study showed that the attributes studied were spatially dependent. Geomorphic surfaces enabled understanding of spatial variability and helped to develop a more efficient sampling scheme to calibrate PTFs. Moreover, the adsorbed phosphate in these oxisols could be predicted by a PTF using iron oxides and MS as predictors. The MS attribute enabled the most accurate prediction (concordance coefficient = 0.95, root‐mean‐square error = 46 mg/kg and relative improvement in root‐mean‐square error = ?4.12) of spatial variability through PTF compared to other predictors.