Parent of origin genetic effects on milk production traits in a population of Iranian Holstein cows.

The aim was to estimate the relative contribution of imprinting effects from both paternal and maternal sides to phenotypic variation in milk production traits including 305 days milk yield (MY), average daily milk production (ADM), fat percentage (F%), protein percentage (P%), 305 days fat yield (FY), 305 days protein yield (PY), ratio of fat percentage to protein percentage (F:P) and somatic cell score (SCS) in Iranian Holstein cows. To do this, each trait was analysed with a series of four animal models, which were identical for fixed and additive genetic effects but differed for combinations of paternal and maternal imprinting effects. The log-likelihood ratio test (LRT) and Akaike's information criteria (AIC) were used to select the best model for each trait. Correlations between traits due to additive and imprinting effects were estimated by bivariate analyses. For all traits studied, fitting the imprinting effect led to a better data fit. Also, it resulted in a noticeable decrease in additive genetic variance from 8% (SCS) to 28% (F:P). A significant maternal imprinting effect was detected on all traits studied. Estimates of maternal imprinting heritability ( h mi 2 $$ {h}_{\mathrm{mi}}^2 $$ ) were 0.07 ± 0.02, 0.04 ± 0.01, 0.06 ± 0.01, 0.05 ± 0.01, 0.5 ± 0.01, 0.09 ± 0.02, 0.07 ± 0.02 and 0.06 ± 0.01 for MY, ADM, F%, P%, FY, PY, F:P and SCS, respectively. For F:P, in addition to the maternal imprinting effect, a significant paternal imprinting component was also detected with a 7% contribution to phenotypic variance of F:P. Estimates of direct heritability ( h a 2 $$ {h}_{\mathrm{a}}^2 $$ ) were 0.29 ± 0.02, 0.17 ± 0.01, 0.22 ± 0.02, 0.11 ± 0.01, 0.18 ± 0.02, 0.22 ± 0.02, 0.15 ± 0.04 and 0.06 ± 0.01 for MY, ADM, F%, P%, FY, PY, F:P and SCS, respectively. Maternal imprinting correlations (rmi) were in a wide range between -0.75 ± 0.15 (P%-SCS) and 0.95 ± 0.11 (MY-ADM). Additive genetic correlations (ra) ranged between -0.54 ± 0.05 (MY-P%) and 0.99 ± 0.01 (MY-ADM) and phenotypic correlations (rp) ranged from -0.30 ± 0.01 (MY-F%) to 0.93 ± 0.01 (MY-ADM). The Spearman's correlation between additive breeding values including and excluding imprinting effects deviated from unity especially for top-ranked animals implying re-ranking of top animals following the inclusion of imprinting effects in the model. Since including imprinting effects in the model resulted in better data fit and re-ranking of top animals, including these effects in the genetic evaluation models for milk production traits was recommended.

AMP-activated protein kinase mediates (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) to promote lipid synthesis in mastitis cows.

Mastitis, a serious threat to the health and milk production function of dairy cows decreases milk quality. Blood from three healthy cows and three mastitis cows were collected in this study and their transcriptome was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq platform. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened according to the |log2FoldChange| > 1 and P-value < 0.05 criteria. Pathway enrichment and functional annotation were performed through KEGG and GO analyses. Finally, the mechanism of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) mediation of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) to promote lipid metabolism in mastitis cows was analyzed in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs). Transcriptome analysis revealed a total of 825 DEGs, with 474 genes showing increased expression and 351 genes showing decreased expression. The KEGG analysis of DEGs revealed that they were mainly linked to tumour necrosis factor, nuclear factor-κB signalling pathway, and lipid metabolism-related signalling pathway, whereas GO functional annotation found that DEGs were enriched in threonine and methionine kinase activity, cellular metabolic processes, and cytoplasm. AMPK expression, which is involved in several lipid metabolism pathways, was downregulated in mastitis cows. The results of in vitro experiments showed that the inhibition of AMPK promoted the expression of lipid synthesis genes in lipopolysaccharide-induced BMECs and that EGCG could promote lipid synthesis by decreasing the expression of AMPK and downregulating the expression of inflammatory factors in inflammatory BMECs. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that AMPK mediated EGCG to inhabit of inflammatory responses and promote of lipid synthesis in inflammatory BMECs.

Effect of seven days heat stress on feed and water intake, milk characteristics, blood parameters, physiological indicators, and gene expression in Holstein dairy cows.

This study examined the effects of 7 days of heat stress on eight early lactating Holstein cows in climate-controlled chambers. The early lactating Holstein cows (42 ± 2 days in milk, 29.27 ± 0.38 kg/day milk yield, 1.21 ± 0.05 parity) were subjected to two 14-day periods, each consisting of 7 days of adaptation and 7 days of heat stress. Conditions were set to 22 °C and 50% humidity during adaptation, followed by heat stress periods with low-temperature, low-humidity (LTLH, 71 THI) and high-temperature, high-humidity (HTHH, 86 THI) treatments. Data from the last 7 days were analyzed using a mixed procedure in SAS. In the study, the HTHH group displayed marked physiological and biochemical changes on 14 days of heat stress exposure compared to the LTLH group. Firstly, the HTHH group's dry matter intake decreased by approximately 12% while their water intake increased by about 23%. Secondly, both milk yield and milk protein production in the HTHH group decreased by 10% and 20%, respectively. Thirdly, there was a reduction in white blood cells, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and platelets in the HTHH group, with concurrent increases in glucose, non-esterified fatty acids, and albumin concentrations. Additionally, the HTHH group exhibited elevated plasma concentrations of cortisol and haptoglobin. Moreover, the gene expression of heat shock protein 70 and heat shock protein 90 was significantly upregulated in the HTHH group's peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Lastly, key physiological indicators such as rectal temperature, heart rate, and skin temperature showed substantial elevations in the HTHH group. Considering the enormous negative effects observed in the analyzed blood metabolites, milk yield and compositions, and heat shock protein gene expression, early lactating Holstein cows were found to be more vulnerable to HTHH than LTLH over a 7 days exposure to heat stress.

An investigation of antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of Taraxacum coreanum (white dandelion) in lactating Holstein dairy cows.

Objective: The aim of this investigation was to examine the impact of Taraxacum coreanum (known as dandelion) (TC) and TC mixtures with milk thistle (MT) or Aspergillus oryzae (AO) as feed additives on the immune response, milk quality, and milk production in Holstein cows over 6 weeks of administration. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two healthy Holstein dairy cows were provided 30 kg of total mixed ration (TMR) with no TC, 90 gm TC, 54 gm TC + 36 gm MT, or 54 gm TC + 36 gm AO 40% groups. The feed additives were supplied daily in two equal portions (per 45 gm) by topdressing the TMR for 6 weeks. Milk and blood samples were collected weekly. Results: In the TC-treated cows (TC, TC + MT, and TC + AO groups), significantly lower peripheral blood white blood cell (WBC) counts at 6 weeks and milk somatic cell counts (SCCs) at 4-6 weeks of administration were observed. Concentrations of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) were notably elevated in cows treated with TC for 4-6 weeks, while levels of proinflammatory cytokines concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and chemokine (IL-8) were significantly reduced in TC-treated cows after 3-6 weeks of administration. Conclusion: These results suggested that TC or a TC mixture with other medicinal herbs supplementations enhanced the serum antioxidative activities and, consequently, might suppress the adverse immune response due to lower serum TNF-α and IL-8 release supported by lower WBC and SCC counts.

Relative availability of five inorganic magnesium sources in non-pregnant non-lactating Holstein cows.

Inorganic sources of Mg are commonly used in dairy cow diets, but their availability varies significantly. This study assessed the relative availability of 4 commonly used inorganic Mg sources and a novel alkalinizing proprietary mineral blend [PMB; Multesium (GLC Minerals, LLC, Green Bay, WI, USA)]. The study was a duplicated 6 × 6 Latin square, with 12 nonlactating, non-pregnant Holstein dairy cows assigned to a square based on BW and parity. Cows were fed 90% of their voluntary DMI (diet contained 0.21% Mg). Each experimental period lasted 7 d. On d 2 of each period, urinary catheters were fitted. Total urine collection started on d 3 for 48 h with samples collected and measured every 12 h. On d 4, 30 g of Mg were administered as boluses with gelatin capsules: negative control (one empty capsule), magnesium oxide (MgO), magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), calcium magnesium hydroxide [CaMg(OH)4], calcium magnesium carbonate [CaMg(CO3)2], and PMB [a blend of Ca and Mg sources that includes CaMg(CO3)2, CaMg(OH)4, and MgO]. Blood samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 3, 12, and 24 h after treatment administration on d 4 of each treatment period. Urine and blood samples were analyzed for Mg and Ca concentration. Statistical analyses were conducted with PROC GLIMMIX including treatment, time, period, square, treatment × time, treatment × period, and time × period as fixed effects, and cow nested within square as a random effect in the model. Urinary Mg excretion for 4 of the Mg sources studied [PMB, MgO, CaMg(OH)4, and MgSO4] increased significantly, representing an increase of at least 40.8% relative to control. The supplementation of CaMg(CO3)2 did not significantly increase relative to control. There were no significant changes in blood Mg concentration with treatment; but, a significant treatment × time effect was observed. Calcium-rich sources [PMB, CaMg(OH)4, CaMg(CO3)2] had lower blood Mg concentrations at 12 or 24 h after treatment than control and CaMg(CO3)2. Based on urinary Mg excretion 24 h after treatment, 4 of the Mg sources evaluated (including PMB) showed a similar availability, however, the availability of the commercial CaMg(CO3)2 source included in our study was similar to the negative control (no-supplemented cows).

Organophosphate Esters in Raw Cow Milk and Cow's Drinking Water and Feed from China: Occurrence, Regional Distribution, and Dietary Exposure Assessment.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) have been widely produced and used, while little is known about their occurrence in the food chain and potential sources. In this study, raw cow milk, cow drinking water, and feed were collected from pastures across China, and OPEs were tested to explore the occurrence and transmission of OPEs in the food chain and to further assess daily OPE intakes for cows and humans via certain food consumption. The median level of ∑OPEs (sum of 15 OPEs) in raw milk was 2140 pg/mL, and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP) was the most abundant OPE. Levels of OPEs in water were lower than those in raw milk except for triethyl phosphate (TEP), while levels of most OPEs in feed were significantly higher than those in raw milk (adjusted by dry weight). The estimated dietary intake of OPEs via feed for cows was 2530 ng/kg bw/day, which was much higher than that via water (742 ng/kg bw/day), indicating that feed was a more critical exposure source. For liquid milk consumers, the high-exposure (95th) estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of ∑15OPE were 20 and 7.11 ng/kg bw/day for 3-17 years and adults, respectively, and it is obvious that cows had much heavier OPE intake. Finally, the calculated hazard indexes (HIs) suggested that the intake of OPEs via cow milk consumption would not pose significant health risks to the Chinese population.

Ayurveda in the integrative management of bovine secondary recumbency-a case report.

Downer cow syndrome, or secondary recumbency, is a condition primarily affecting dairy cows, where the animal is unable to rise and stand, due to unknown cause. It is usually associated with poor prognosis. Terminal downers are euthanized in most countries. A four-year old Kasarkode dwarf-cow, post-calving was brought up laterally recumbent with heavy nasal discharge, labored breathing, loss of appetite and signs of dehydration on 6th day of its recumbency. Before this, the patient was diagnosed with milk fever and standard treatment with calcium borogluconate was administered intravenously. The animal was left to succumb under unprotected conditions, due to various constraints on euthanasia. After adopting the cow, Nasya was started immediately to avoid death due to sepsis and shock. The animal was drenched with Ayurvedic fluids containing deepana-pacana herbs. Sternal recumbency, warm and moistened muzzle was observed on the fourth day of commencing ayurvedic treatment. Respiratory distress was minimal. Drastic prognostic shift from "no hope" to "good" was possible within 6 days thanks to Nasya, and the animal was stable. Thereafter, integrative care comprising of antibiotics, rehydrating IV fluids, and supplementations, along with ayurvedic medicines was initiated. Ruminal-fluid obtained from slaughterhouse was used for ruminal-flora replacement. Rumination on 14th day, cow on its feet by 19th day and complete healing of decubital ulcers by approximately 40 days was recorded. A downed cow which did not respond to standard veterinary care was managed with Ayurveda-integrated veterinary care. Ayurveda herbs like bamboo leaves (Bambusa vulgaris), green chiretta (Andrographis paniculata) that cattle prefer eating during certain illness, turn out to be useful for Ayurvedic management. Hence, Ayurveda veterinary medicine might be, a good choice for integrative management of terminal downers, preventing early death in downed dairy cows.

Antibacterial Food Packaging Nanomaterial Based on Atomic Layer Deposition for Long-Term Food Storage.

The aim of the present work is to use the latest achievements of nanotechnology (atomic layer deposition, ALD) in the field of food packaging to prevent biofilm formation by food-associated bacteria. Some potential applications of nanotechnology in the food packaging industry are studied in the manuscript, in the field of antibacterial materials for food packaging. The ALD technique was used to synthesize vanadium (V)-doped TiO2 thin nanofilm on commercially available polypropylene (PP) food container to enhance an antibacterial activity for potential use in food packaging, to reduce spoilage, thereby, prolonging the food shelf- life. To better understand the ability and effectiveness of the antimicrobial packaging material of V-doped TiO2, to prevent the biofilm formation by dairy-associated pathogenic bacteria, the coated and uncoated PP containers with a fresh raw cow's milk were tested. We have illustrated the effectiveness of ALD Al2O3 + TiVOx nanocoating against populations of milk-borne pathogenic bacteria.

miRNA-protein-metabolite interaction network reveals the regulatory network and players of pregnancy regulation in dairy cows.

Pregnancy is a complex process involving complex molecular interaction networks, such as between miRNA-protein, protein-protein, metabolite-metabolite, and protein-metabolite interactions. Advances in technology have led to the identification of many pregnancy-associated microRNA (miRNA), protein, and metabolite fingerprints in dairy cows. An array of miRNA, protein, and metabolite fingerprints produced during the early pregnancy of dairy cows were described. We have found the in silico interaction networks between miRNA-protein, protein-protein, metabolite-metabolite, and protein-metabolite. We have manually constructed miRNA-protein-metabolite interaction networks such as bta-miR-423-3p-IGFBP2-PGF2α interactomes. This interactome is obtained by manually combining the interaction network formed between bta-miR-423-3p-IGFBP2 and the interaction network between IGFBP2-PGF2α with IGFBP2 as a common interactor with bta-miR-423-3p and PGF2α with the provided sources of evidence. The interaction between bta-miR-423-3p and IGFBP2 has many sources of evidence including a high miRanda score of 169, minimum free energy (MFE) score of -25.14, binding probability (p) of 1, and energy of -25.5. The interaction between IGFBP2 and PGF2α occurs at high confidence scores (≥0.7 or 70%). Interestingly, PGF2α is also found to interact with different metabolites, such as PGF2α-PGD2, PGF2α-thromboxane B2, PGF2α-PGE2, and PGF2α-6-keto-PGF1α at high confidence scores (≥0.7 or 70%). Furthermore, the interactions between C3-PGE2, C3-PGD2, PGE2-PGD2, PGD2-thromboxane B2, PGE2-thromboxane B2, 6-keto-PGF1α-thromboxane B2, and PGE2-6-keto-PGF1α were also obtained at high confidence scores (≥0.7 or 70%). Therefore, we propose that miRNA-protein-metabolite interactomes involving miRNA, protein, and metabolite fingerprints of early pregnancy of dairy cows such as bta-miR-423-3p, IGFBP2, PGF2α, PGD2, C3, PGE2, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, and thromboxane B2 may form the key regulatory networks and players of pregnancy regulation in dairy cows. This is the first study involving miRNA-protein-metabolite interactomes obtained in the early pregnancy stage of dairy cows.

Quantification of the Environmental Impact of Feeding Yeast Probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae Actisaf Sc 47 in Dairy Cow: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach.

Today, one of the major challenges of dairy farmers is to reduce their environmental footprint to establish more effective, efficient, and sustainable production systems. Feed additives such as yeast probiotics could potentially allow them to achieve these objectives through the improvement of milk production, feed efficiency, and ration valorization, hence mitigating the environmental impacts of milk production. In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) principle was performed to estimate the environmental impact of the production and supplementation of a commercial yeast probiotic (Actisaf Sc 47) in three trials performed in three different countries that are representative for around 50% of the milk production in Europe: France (French trial), United Kingdom (UK trial), and Germany (German trial). For each trial, two groups of animals were compared: control, without Actisaf Sc 47 supplementation, used as baseline; and experimental, with Actisaf Sc 47 supplementation at 5 or 10 g/cow/day. Different impact categories were analyzed for each group to calculate the impact of producing 1 kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk. An initial analysis was done only during the period of Actisaf Sc 47 supplementation and showed than the supplementation with Actisaf Sc 47 reduced, on average by 5%, the carbon footprint during the three trials. A second analysis was done via the extrapolation of all the data of each trial to an annual farm level, including the lactation period (305 days), dry period (60 days), and the period with and without Actisaf Sc 47 supplementation. Reported at a farm annual scale, the average reduction allowed by Actisaf Sc 47 supplementation was 2.9, 2.05, 2.47, 1.67, 2.28, 2.18, 2.14, and 2.28% of the carbon footprint, land use, water use, resource use, acidification, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, and terrestrial eutrophication, respectively. On average, the production of 1 kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk by using Actisaf Sc 47 was shown to improve environmental impacts compared to control. Regarding Actisaf Sc 47 production, the LCA showed that the production of 1 kg of Actisaf Sc 47 emitted 2.1 kg CO2 eq with a negligible contribution to total the carbon footprint of milk ranging from 0.005 to 0.016%. The use of Actisaf Sc 47 in dairy cows could then result in different positive outcomes: improving performance and efficiency while reducing the global carbon footprint.

When Implementing the Presynch-11/Ovsynch Reproductive Management Program, the Fertility of Lactating Dairy Cows Improved When They Received Timed Artificial Insemination Compared with the Inclusion of Estrus Detection.

Artificial insemination 12 h following observed standing estrus is a standard estimate of the fertility levels of cattle. The main objective of this study was to determine if controlling ovarian development with a fertility program could alter the fertility of lactating dairy cows. Lactating dairy cows (n = 1356) 60-66 days in milk (DIM) were randomly assigned to receive timed AI following Presynch-11/Ovsynch (Presynch-11) or a combination of estrus detection and timed AI using the Presynch-11/Ovsynch program (Estrus + TAI). Cows in standing estrus, following the first two cloprostenol sodium (CLO) injections, in the Estrus + TAI group were artificially inseminated using the AM/PM rule. Cows in this group that were not observed in standing estrus received Ovsynch and TAI beginning 11 d after the second CLO injection. Cows in the Presynch-11 group received two injections of 500 µg CLO 14 d apart but were not observed for estrus. The first GnRH (100 µg) of Ovsynch was administered 11 d following the second CLO injection. All cows in the Presynch-11-Ovsynch group received TAI following Ovsynch. Cows in this treatment were then assigned randomly to receive either CLO or dinoprost 7 d following the first GnRH of Ovsynch. The final GnRH of Ovsynch was administered 56 h later and TAI 16 h after the final GnRH. Pregnancies/AI (P/AI) were greater (p < 0.001) for the Presynch-11 group compared with the Estrus + TAI group (45 vs. 31%). Primiparous cows had greater fertility following observed standing estrus compared with multiparous cows. Days in milk at the first AI were greater (p < 0.01) in the Presynch-11 group vs. the Estrus + TAI group (98 vs. 80) but less variable (p < 0.01). The range of DIM at the first AI was 95 to 101 in the Presynch-11 group and 60 to 101 in the Estrus + TAI group. Within the Presynch-11 group, there were no differences in the rate of luteolysis or P/AI for the prostaglandin type at the final PGF2α of Ovsynch. Multiparous cows treated with Presynch-11 had >60% chance of pregnancy compared with multiparous cows receiving AI following standing estrus. In summary, lactating dairy cows receiving timed AI following the Presynch-11/Ovsynch program had improved fertility compared with a group of cows that received AI following standing estrus or, if not observed in estrus, timed AI. This comparison indicated that controlling ovarian development with GnRH and PGF2α positively impacted the fertility of lactating dairy cows.

Goat Milk Allergy and a Potential Role for Goat Milk in Cow's Milk Allergy.

In many parts of the world, goat milk has been part of the human diet for millennia. Allergy to goat's milk, not associated with allergy to cow's milk, is a rare disorder, although some cases have been described. Goat milk proteins have substantial homology with cow's milk proteins and even show cross-reactivity; therefore, they are not advised as an alternative to cow's milk for infants with IgE-mediated cow's milk allergies. However, there are indications that, due to the composition of the goat milk proteins, goat milk proteins show lower allergenicity than cow's milk due to a lower αS1-casein content. For this reason, goat milk might be a better choice over cow's milk as a first source of protein when breastfeeding is not possible or after the breastfeeding period. Additionally, some studies show that goat milk could play a role in specific types of non-IgE-mediated cow milk allergy or even in the prevention of sensitization to cow's milk proteins. This review discusses a possible role of goat milk in non-IgE mediated allergy and the prevention or oral tolerance induction of milk allergy.

Whole-genome sequencing of Enterococcus faecalis probiotic strains isolated from raw milk of healthy cows.

We report the draft genomes of two Enterococcus faecalis strains MBBL1 and MBBL2, isolated from raw milk of healthy cows. The genome of MBBL1 is 2,681,695 bp with 57.41× coverage, and MBBL2 is 2,681,119 bp with 99.81× coverage, spanned across 14 and 13 contigs, respectively.

The impact of storage, handling, and treatment on nutritional quality and safety of animal milk: A protocol for the systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Human milk has been shown to reduce severe morbidity in preterm/low-birth-weight infants and is therefore the recommended nutritional source. When infants cannot receive maternal milk, donor human milk (DHM) is recommended. The use of human milk banking facilities is increasing to meet the need for DHM. DHM is unique compared to maternal milk as it must be processed and stored. The processing and storage of animal milk has been more rigorously studied than human milk and can serve as proxy to create DHM banking guidelines. Methods and Analysis: We will search electronic databases, grey literature, and the websites of relevant international organizations. We will include studies that evaluated the impact of storage, handling, and treatment on the nutritional quality and safety of animal milk. We will not restrict study date, language, or design. If sufficient homogeneity exists between studies, we will conduct a meta-analysis. We will evaluate the methodological quality of each study using the SYRCLE's (Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation) risk of bias tool. (1) We will evaluate the overall certainty of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Conclusion: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, commissioned by the World Health Organization, we will synthesize the available literature regarding the impact of various storage, handling, and treatment practices on the nutritional quality and safety of animal milk.

Lipid Profile of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives (PBMAs) and Cow's Milk: A Comparison.

Some consumers are replacing cow's milk with plant-based milk alternatives (PBMAs). The present study aimed to characterize the lipid profiles of cow's milk (n = 60) and PBMA types (soya, oat, rice, almond, coconut, and hazelnut; n = 10 per type). Significant differences were found in the fatty acid (FA) profiles of PBMAs and milk, particularly in FA diversity (15 FAs in PBMAs vs 54 FAs in milk) and the proportion of prime FA groups. The FA profile of coconut was dominated by saturated FAs (SFA), whereas monounsaturated FAs (MUFA) or polyunsaturated FAs (PUFA) were dominant in the remaining PBMA types. Cholesterol was not detected in any PBMA type. The FA profile of milk FAs was dominated by SFA; however, different individual SFA have varying health outcomes. Additionally, milk contains some FA groups with health-promoting properties, such as methyl-branched-chain FAs (BCFA) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), both of which are absent in PBMAs.

Fetal sex effects on maternal health can now be tested via randomization: A first-in-class illustration in cows on glucoregulatory outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The maternal-offspring relationship, such as whether fetal sex influences maternal health, is essential to explore to advance prenatal and maternal health. While associations exist between fetal sex and maternal health outcomes, it is unclear whether these reflect a causal relationship. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that fetal sex can be randomly assigned to test the causal effect of fetal sex on maternal outcomes. METHODS: Holstein dairy cows were stratified and randomized using sealed opaque envelopes to be artificially inseminated with either X- or Y-sorted bull semen until 40 cows became pregnant. Monthly body weight measurements were recorded, and an intravenous glucose tolerance test was performed 30 days before the expected calving day. The primary outcome was insulin area under the curve (AUC), and secondary outcomes were clearance rate, half-life, and AUC for glucose, insulin, and non-esterified fatty acid concentrations. An intention-to-treat (ITT) approach using multiple imputation was employed for primary analysis, and an as-treated (AT) approach was used for secondary analysis. RESULTS: We demonstrated that we could successfully randomize the assignment of fetal sex to dams and test for causal effects of fetal sex on glucoregulatory outcomes using dairy cows as a model. Insulin AUC was not statistically different between groups (ITT p = 0.857, AT p = 0.874), and other outcomes were also not statistically different (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that causal effects of fetal sex on maternal outcomes can be causally tested in dairy cows. Our study did not provide statistical evidence to support an effect of fetal sex on maternal glucose-related outcomes.

Insight into the performance and microbial community of anaerobic digestion treating cow manure with a novel iron-functionalized activated biochar.

The main objective of this research was to evaluate the impacts of FeCl3-activated biochar (FA-BC) on anaerobic digestion (AD) treating cow manure. The study focused on improving AD performance and understanding microbial community structure with the addition of FA-BC, while comparing FA-BC with other conductive additives, such as pristine biochar (P-BC), NaOH-activated biochar (NA-BC), and magnetite. Key findings indicated that FA- BC significantly enhanced the AD performance, supported by an increase in CH4 yield of 11-16% and a reduction in the lag phase by 51%. The high surface area and electrical conductivity of FA-BC synergistically facilitated direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), leading to these improvements. On contrast, P-BC and NA-BC were not efficient in enhancing the AD performance due to relatively low electrical conductivity. P-BC also improved the CH4 yield, but less effectively than FA-BC. The effects of NA-BC varied with its dosage, showing inhibition at higher dosages due to excessive surface area. Magnetite, despite its high conductivity, made the limited enhancement in CH4 yield owing to its low surface area. Additionally, the statistical analyses revealed that each additive differently affected specific bacterial and archaeal groups depending on their physical and chemical properties. Thus, these findings suggest that FA-BC would be a highly promising additive for enhan cing AD systems, with potential applications in waste management and renewable energy production.

A new dataset for video-based cow behavior recognition.

A new video based multi behavior dataset for cows, CBVD-5, is introduced in this paper. The dataset includes five cow behaviors: standing, lying down, foraging,rumination and drinking. The dataset comprises 107 cows from the entire barn, maintaining an 80% stocking density. Monitoring occurred over 96 h for these 20-month-old cows, considering varying light conditions and nighttime data to ensure standardization and inclusivity.The dataset consists of ranch monitoring footage collected by seven cameras, including 687 video segment samples and 206,100 image samples, covering five daily behaviors of cows. The data collection process entailed the deployment of cameras, hard drives, software, and servers for storage. Data annotation was conducted using the VIA web tool, leveraging the video expertise of pertinent professionals. The annotation coordinates and category labels of each individual cow in the image, as well as the generated configuration file, are also saved in the dataset. With this dataset,we propose a slowfast cow multi behavior recognition model based on video sequences as the baseline evaluation model. The experimental results show that the model can effectively learn corresponding category labels from the behavior type data of the dataset, with an error rate of 21.28% on the test set. In addition to cow behavior recognition, the dataset can also be used for cow target detection, and so on.The CBVD-5 dataset significantly influences dairy cow behavior recognition, advancing research, enriching data resources, standardizing datasets, enhancing dairy cow health and welfare monitoring, and fostering agricultural intelligence development. Additionally, it serves educational and training needs, supporting research and practical applications in related fields. The dataset will be made freely available to researchers world-wide.

Cyt b gene as a valid molecular authentication marker of cow leathers.

Authentication of true (genuine) cow leathers is in high demand to promote merchandise and economic growth. The present study employs RT-PCR-based TaqMan assay to facilitate the identification. Species-specific primers and probes were designed utilizing the existing NCBI data on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes, particularly the cytochrome b region (Cyt b). Mitochondrial DNA extracted from leather samples of both Bos taurus and Bos indicus and analyzed following the appropriate procedures. The RT-PCR results showed the designed primers and probes are exceptionally precise for cow leather samples. The established detection limit for the assay is estimated as 0.1 ng of DNA. In summary, the amplifiable mtDNA extracted from finished leather enables the identification of authentic cow leathers using the RT-PCR TaqMan assay, representing a pioneering report in this field.