Colorimetry analysis of coat color and its relationship with fiber traits in alpacas.

Addressing the improvement of the textile characteristics is currently required in natural color production of alpaca fiber. This study analyses the possibility of implementing a genetic improvement program aiming to reduce the fiber diameter and the percentage of medullation in natural colors under the incomplete definition of the natural colors of alpaca fiber. The study considers color determination analysis in three separate steps. The first step aimed at finding the values of lightness (L*), red/green axis (a*), yellow/blue axis (b*) of three-dimensional space of color and chroma (C*ab), tone (h*ab) and color difference (ΔE) with mathematical models for the description of the coat color. The second analysis is aimed at estimating genetic parameters of color traits and their correlation with fiber traits (fiber diameter, standard deviations and percentage of medullation - PM). The third step was to determine the potential selection criteria of breeding animals based on the parameters provided by a three-dimensional space values regarding the coat color assignment in alpacas. The colorimetric data were taken using a Chroma meter device analyzing 3 008 records from Huacaya type alpacas, collected between 2018 and 2019. In the first objective of the study, the color traits were subjected to a principal component analysis. The analysis of variance components and the estimation of genetic parameters were carried out using a restricted maximum likelihood procedure. The discriminant analysis was used for the correct assignment of the coat color. The principal component analysis results showed that the L*, a*, b*, h*ab and ΔE values can be grouped into two Principal Components (PC) to describe the color, where the L* value is mainly distributed in PC2, b* is distributed in PC1, while a* is distributed in both components. The heritabilities found were 0.144, 0.128, 0.151, 0.104 and 0.152 for L*, a*, b*, PC1 and PC2. The relevant genetic correlations were between L*-PM (-0.557) and b*-PM (-0.622). The discriminant analysis showed a high percentage of correct assignment in white (99.15%) and black (99.19%) coat colors for Huacaya type alpacas, while for the intermediate colors, the accuracy was lower. The three analyses showed that there is no pure natural color, but a range of color variation. It is better to use the values of the three-dimensional space and within them, the values of L* and b* are potential selection criteria to be included in a genetic improvement program.

Genetic and phenotypic aspects of early reproductive performance in Raeini Cashmere goats.

This study used pedigree information and data collected from 1979 to 2012 at the Raeini Cashmere goat breeding station, located in Baft City in Kerman Province in southeastern Iran. Genetic and phenotypic parameters for early reproductive traits of breeding does, including total numbers of kids born at first kidding (LSB1), total numbers of kids weaned at first kidding (LSW1), total birth weight of all kids born at first kidding (LWB1), total weaning weight of all kids weaned at first kidding (LWW1), and age at first kidding (AFK), were estimated using a Bayesian approach via Gibbs sampling. Posterior means for heritability estimates of LSB1, LSW1, LWB1, LWW1, and AFK were statistically significant, with values of 0.12, 0.23, 0.17, 0.15, and 0.46, respectively. Low-to-moderate additive genetic variation was present for the studied reproductive traits. Estimated genetic correlations among LSB1, LSW1, LWB1, and LWW1 were statistically significant and ranged from 0.12 between LWB1 and LWW1 to 0.72 between LSB1 and LSW1. Corresponding phenotypic correlation estimates were also statistically significant and ranged from 0.04 between LWB1 and LWW1 to 0.55 between LSB1 and LSW1. Posterior means of genetic and phenotypic correlations between AFK and other studied traits were statistically significant only for LSB1 and LWB1. For LSB1, LSW1, LWB1, and LWW1, we conclude that genetic and phenotypic improvement in any of these traits in Raeini Cashmere does would favorably influence all of the other traits. However, does that first kidded at younger ages have smaller litters at birth and lower litter birth weights at their first parity.

Genetic parameters for medullated fiber and its relationship with other productive traits in alpacas.

The alpaca fiber diameter (FD) varies from 18 to 36 µm, being the finer fiber categories highly appreciated. However, the alpaca fiber presents some limitations in the textile industry due to the high incidence of fiber medullation and diameter variability, both reduces the comfort feeling of the garments. Decreasing or even removing medullation could be a possible selection objective in alpaca breeding programs for increasing economic value of the alpaca fiber. Therefore, the present work aimed to estimate genetic parameters regarding medullation traits, as well as the genetic correlations with other economical important traits, to be able to select the appropriate criteria to reduce or remove medullation on alpaca fiber and help to reduce the prickle factor in the garments. The data was collected from 2000 to 2017 and belonged to the Pacomarca experimental farm. There were 3698 medullation records corresponding to 1869 Huacaya and 414 Suri genetic types. The fiber samples were taken from the mid side, and were analyzed in an OFDA 100® device. The traits analyzed were percentage of medullation (PM), medullated fiber diameter (MFD), FD, standard deviation of FD, greasy fleece weight as fiber traits; density, crimp in Huacaya and lock structure in Suri, head conformation, leg coverage as morphological traits; weaning weight and age at first calving as secondary and functional traits. Genetic parameters were estimated via a multitrait restricted maximum likelihood. The heritabilities for PM and MFD were 0.225 and 0.237 in Huacaya genetic type and 0.664 and 0.237 in Suri genetic type, respectively; heritabilities for other traits were moderate for productive and morphological traits, and low to moderate for secondary and functional traits. The genetic correlations PM-FD and MFD-FD were high and favorable in both genetic types, between 0.531 and 0.975; the genetic correlation PM-MFD was 0.121 in Huacaya and 0.427 in Suri. The rest of genetic correlations with other traits were in general moderate and favorable. The repeatabilities were 0.556 and 0.668 for PM, and 0.322 and 0.293 for MFD in Huacaya and Suri genetic types, respectively. As a conclusion, PM was identified to be a good selection criterion, probably combined in an index with FD to reduce prickling factor.

Microliter viscometry using a bright-field microscope: η-DDM.

The rheological properties of a medium can be inferred from the Brownian motion of colloidal tracer particles using the microrheology procedure. The tracer motion can be characterized by the mean-squared displacement (MSD). It can be calculated from the intermediate scattering function determined by Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM). Here we show that DDM together with the empirical Cox-Merz rule is particularly suited to measure the steady-shear viscosity, i.e. the viscosity towards zero frequency, due to its ability to provide reliable information on long time and length scales and hence small frequencies. This method, η-DDM, is tested and illustrated using three different systems: Newtonian fluids (glycerol-water mixtures), colloidal suspensions (protein samples) and a viscoelastic polymer solution (aqueous poly(ethylene oxide) solution). These tests show that common lab equipment, namely a bright-field optical microscope, can be used as a convenient and reliable microliter viscometer. Because η-DDM requires much smaller sample volumes than classical rheometry, only a few microliters, it is particularly useful for biological and soft matter systems.

Cross-validation analysis for genetic evaluation models for ranking in endurance horses.

Ranking trait was used as a selection criterion for competition horses to estimate racing performance. In the literature the most common approaches to estimate breeding values are the linear or threshold statistical models. However, recent studies have shown that a Thurstonian approach was able to fix the race effect (competitive level of the horses that participate in the same race), thus suggesting a better prediction accuracy of breeding values for ranking trait. The aim of this study was to compare the predictability of linear, threshold and Thurstonian approaches for genetic evaluation of ranking in endurance horses. For this purpose, eight genetic models were used for each approach with different combinations of random effects: rider, rider-horse interaction and environmental permanent effect. All genetic models included gender, age and race as systematic effects. The database that was used contained 4065 ranking records from 966 horses and that for the pedigree contained 8733 animals (47% Arabian horses), with an estimated heritability around 0.10 for the ranking trait. The prediction ability of the models for racing performance was evaluated using a cross-validation approach. The average correlation between real and predicted performances across genetic models was around 0.25 for threshold, 0.58 for linear and 0.60 for Thurstonian approaches. Although no significant differences were found between models within approaches, the best genetic model included: the rider and rider-horse random effects for threshold, only rider and environmental permanent effects for linear approach and all random effects for Thurstonian approach. The absolute correlations of predicted breeding values among models were higher between threshold and Thurstonian: 0.90, 0.91 and 0.88 for all animals, top 20% and top 5% best animals. For rank correlations these figures were 0.85, 0.84 and 0.86. The lower values were those between linear and threshold approaches (0.65, 0.62 and 0.51). In conclusion, the Thurstonian approach is recommended for the routine genetic evaluations for ranking in endurance horses.

Describing magnetorheology under a colloidal glass approach.

The equilibrium structure and dynamics of magnetorheological (MR) fluids are studied in this work by simulations, where particles are modeled as dipoles with a quasihard spherical core. Upon increasing the interaction strength, controlled experimentally by the magnetic field, elongated clusters grow and, for intense fields, thick columns form, aligned with the field. The dynamics of the system is monitored by the mean-squared displacement and density correlation functions, which show an increasing slowing down with the attraction strength. The correlation function shows a two-step decay, with a separation between microscopic and long time dynamics, a typical hallmark of undercooled fluids. We have therefore analyzed the dynamics of this MR fluid using the typical concepts for undercooled fluids. Thus, the second decay of the density correlation function is fitted with a stretched exponential, and the wave-vector dependence of the fitting parameters studied. Both the amplitude and the time scale oscillate in phase with the structure factor. Our results support the idea that the magnetorheological effect is in fact the manifestation of a colloidal system approaching an attractive glass transition (or gel transition).

Modulating birth weight heritability in mice.

Expected genetic response is proportional to the heritability of the trait, and this parameter is considered inherent of a specific trait in a particular population. However, models assuming heterogeneity in residual variance lead to different estimates of heritability across combinations of systematic (environmental) effects. Modifying the residual variance of the birth weight by artificial selection was shown to be feasible in a divergent selection experiment in mice. The objectives of this work were to 1) estimate the evolution of the heritability of birth weight in mice in the mentioned experiment, and 2) estimate different heritability regarding systematic effects. Data came from eleven generations of a divergent selection experiment to modify the residual variability of birth weight in mice. A total of 15,431 birth weight records from 959 females and 1,641 litters in combination with 14,786 pedigree records were used. The model used for analysis included generation, litter size, sex, and parity number as systematic effects. Each record of birth weight was assigned to the mother of the pup in the model which assumes that the residual variance is heterogeneous and partially under genetic control. Differences in heritability between lines reached values of 0.06 in the last generations. Choosing the most extreme values of systematic effects, the birth weight heritability ranged from 0.04 to 0.22. From these results, the possibility of modulating the heritability for this trait could be explored in 1 of 2 ways: selecting to decrease the residual variability, or choosing the specific levels of the systematic effects.

Genetic parameters estimation for preweaning traits and their relationship with reproductive, productive and morphological traits in alpaca.

The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters for preweaning traits and their relationship with reproductive, productive and morphological traits in alpacas. The data were collected from 2001 to 2015 in the Pacomarca experimental farm. The data set contained data from 4330 females and 3788 males corresponding to 6396 and 1722 animals for Huacaya and Suri variants, respectively. The number of records for Huacaya and Suri variants were 5494 and 1461 for birth weight (BW), 5429 and 1431 for birth withers height (BH), 3320 and 896 for both weaning weight (WW) and average daily gain (DG) from birth to weaning, 3317 and 896 for weaning withers height (WH), and 5514 and 1474 for survival to weaning. The reproductive traits analyzed were age at first calving and calving interval. The fiber traits were fiber diameter (FD), standard deviation of FD (SD), comfort factor and coefficient of variation of FD and the morphological traits studied were density, crimp in Huacaya and lock structure in Suri, head, coverage and balance. Regarding preweaning traits, model of analysis included additive, maternal and residual random effects for all traits, with sex, coat color, number of calving, month-year and contemporary group as systematic effects, and age at weaning as linear covariate for WW and WH. The most relevant direct heritabilities for Huacaya and Suri were 0.50 and 0.34 for WW, 0.36 and 0.66 for WH, 0.45 and 0.20 for DG, respectively. Maternal heritabilities were 0.25 and 0.38 for BW, 0.18 and 0.32 for BH, 0.29 and 0.39 for WW, 0.19 and 0.26 for WH, 0.27 and 0.36 for DG, respectively. Direct genetic correlations within preweaning traits were high and favorable and lower between direct and maternal genetic effects. The genetic correlations of preweaning traits with fiber traits were moderate and unfavorable. With morphological traits they were high and positive for Suri but not for Huacaya and favorable for direct genetic effect but unfavorable for maternal genetic effect with reproductive traits. If the selection objective was meat production, the selection would have to be based on the direct genetic effect for WW but not on the maternal genetic effect that has been shown to have less relevance. Other weaning traits such as WH or DG would be indirectly selected.

Designing an early selection morphological linear traits index for dressage in the Pura Raza Español horse.

Making a morphological pre-selection of Pura Raza Español horses (PRE) for dressage is a challenging task within its current breeding program. The aim of our research was to design an early genetic selection morphological linear traits index to improve dressage performance, using 26 morphological linear traits and six dressage traits (walk, trot, canter, submission, general impression - partial scores - and total score) as selection criteria. The data set included morphological linear traits of 10 127 PRE (4159 males and 5968 females) collected between 2008 and 2013 (one record per horse) and 19 095 dressage traits of 1545 PRE (1476 males and 69 females; 12.4 records of average) collected between 2004 and 2014. A univariate animal model was applied to predict the breeding values (PBV). A partial least squares regression analysis was used to select the most predictive morphological linear traits PBV on the dressage traits PBV. According to the Wold Criterion, the 13 morphological linear traits (width of head, head-neck junction, upper neck line, neck-body junction, width of chest, angle of shoulder, lateral angle of knee, frontal angle of knee, cannon bone perimeter, length of croup, angle of croup, ischium-stifle distance and lateral hock angle) most closely related to total score PBV, partial scores PBV and gait scores PBV (walk, trot and canter) were selected. A multivariate genetic analysis was performed among the 13 morphological linear traits selected and the six dressage traits to estimate the genetic parameters. After it, the selection index theory was used to compute the expected genetic response using different strategies. The expected genetic response of total score PBV (0.76), partial scores PBV (0.04) and gait scores PBV (0.03) as selection objectives using morphological linear traits PBV as criteria selection were positive, but lower than that obtained using dressage traits PBV (1.80, 0.16 and 0.14 for total score PBV, partial scores PBV and gait scores PBV) or dressage traits PBV and morphological linear traits PBV (2.97, 0.16 and 0.15 for total score PBV, partial scores PBV and gait scores PBV), as selection criteria. This suggests that it is possible to preselect the PRE without dressage traits PBV using as selection criteria the morphological linear traits PBV, but the expected genetic response will be lower.

Correlated genetic trends for production and welfare traits in a mouse population divergently selected for birth weight environmental variability.

The objective of this work was to study the changes that, selecting for environmental variability of birth weight (BW), could bring to other interesting traits in livestock such as: survivability at weaning (SW), litter size (LS) and weaning weight (WW), their variability assessed from standard deviations of LS, standard deviation of WW (SDWW) and also the total litter weight at birth (TLBW) and total litter weight at weaning. Data were registered after eight generations of a divergent selection experiment for BW environmental variability in mice. Genetic parameters and phenotypic and genetic evolution were assessed using linear homoscedastic and heteroscedastic models in which the traits were attributed to the female, except BW and WW that were in some models also attributed to the pup. Genetic correlation between the trait and variability levels was -0.81 for LS and -0.33 for WW. Clear divergent phenotypic trends were observed between lines for LS, WW and SDWW. Although animals were heavier in the high line, TLBW and at weaning was greater in the low line. Despite the negative genetic correlation that was obtained, SDWW was also higher in the high line. Heritabilities were 0.21 and 0.06, respectively, for LS and SW. Both phenotypic and genetic trends showed clear superiority of the low line over the high line for these traits, but inferior for WW. Heteroscedastic model performed similar to the homoscedastic model when there was enough information. Considering LS and survival, the low line was preferred from a welfare point of view, but its superiority from the productivity perspective was not clear. Robustness seemed higher as shown by a low variation and having a benefit to the animal welfare, but this still remains unclear. It was concluded that low variation benefits the welfare of animals.

Genetic control of the environmental variance for birth weight in seven generations of a divergent selection experiment in mice.

Data from seven generations of a divergent selection experiment designed for environmental variability of birth weight were analysed to estimate genetic parameters and to explore signs of selection response. A total of 10 783 birth weight records from 638 females and 1127 litters in combination with 10 007 pedigree records were used. Each record of birth weight was assigned to the mother of the pup in a heteroscedastic model, and after seven generations of selection, evidence of success in the selection process was shown. A Bayesian analysis showed that success of the selection process started from the first generation for birth weight and from the second generation for its environmental variability. Genetic parameters were estimated across generations. However, only from the third generation onwards were the records useful to consider the results to be reliable. The results showed a consistent positive and low genetic correlation between the birth weight trait and its environmental variability, which could allow an independent selection process. This study has demonstrated that the genetic control of the birth weight environmental variability is possible in mice. Nevertheless, before the results are applied directly in farm animals, it would be worth confirming any other implications on other important traits, such as robustness, longevity and welfare.

Estimation of genetic parameters for reproductive traits in alpacas.

One of the main deficiencies affecting animal breeding programs in Peruvian alpacas is the low reproductive performance leading to low number of animals available to select from, decreasing strongly the selection intensity. Some reproductive traits could be improved by artificial selection, but very few information about genetic parameters exists for these traits in this specie. The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for six reproductive traits in alpacas both in Suri (SU) and Huacaya (HU) ecotypes, as well as their genetic relationship with fiber and morphological traits. Dataset belonging to Pacomarca experimental farm collected between 2000 and 2014 was used. Number of records for age at first service (AFS), age at first calving (AFC), copulation time (CT), pregnancy diagnosis (PD), gestation length (GL), and calving interval (CI) were, respectively, 1704, 854, 19,770, 5874, 4290 and 934. Pedigree consisted of 7742 animals. Regarding reproductive traits, model of analysis included additive and residual random effects for all traits, and also permanent environmental effect for CT, PD, GL and CI traits, with color and year of recording as fixed effects for all the reproductive traits and also age at mating and sex of calf for GL trait. Estimated heritabilities, respectively for HU and SU were 0.19 and 0.09 for AFS, 0.45 and 0.59 for AFC, 0.04 and 0.05 for CT, 0.07 and 0.05 for PD, 0.12 and 0.20 for GL, and 0.14 and 0.09 for CI. Genetic correlations between them ranged from -0.96 to 0.70. No important genetic correlations were found between reproductive traits and fiber or morphological traits in HU. However, some moderate favorable genetic correlations were found between reproductive and either fiber and morphological traits in SU. According to estimated genetic correlations, some reproductive traits might be included as additional selection criteria in HU.

Secondary malignant transformation of testicular teratomas: case series and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Teratomas are a spectrum of neoplasms that can undergo malignant transformation. In the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of tumors, this entity was classified as «teratoma with somatic-type malignancy¼, was defined as a malignant neoplasm of non-germinal phenotype that originates in a teratoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present a serie of nine cases of testicular teratomas with secondary malignant transformation. From January 1995 to December 2011, we found a total of 306 cases of testicular tumors. Mixed germ cell tumors were the most frequently diagnosed malignancy with 45.7%. RESULTS: Teratoma with secondary malignant transformation, represented 2.9% of all germinal tumors. Five cases originated within a mixed germ cell tumor, two cases from mature teratomas, and two from immature teratomas. The predominante malignant somatic component were sarcomas; two cases of chondrosarcoma, one rhabdomyosarcoma, and one case showing foci of chondrosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma. The case of osteosarcoma is notable for its rarity. Two cases showed epithelial malignancy in the form of an adenocarcinoma, and finally, two cases were primitive neuroectodermal tumors. At the time of diagnosis, five patients had metastases. CONCLUSION: The transformation of germ cell tumors to somatic type malignancies is rare. The malignant component can originate from any of the three germ lines. These tumors are resistant to standard chemotherapy for a germ cell tumor and the clinical stage is the most important prognostic factor. At our institution, the malignant component that appeared most frequently was chondrosarcoma.

Modelling genetic evaluation for dressage in Pura Raza Español horses with focus on the rider effect.

The most popular use of the Pura Raza Español horse in sport is for dressage competitions. Tests on young sport horses were first established in 2004 in Spain to collect data for the genetic evaluation of this breed's suitability for dressage. The aim of this study was to compare eight different models to find out the most appropriate way to include the rider in the genetic evaluation of dressage. A progressive removal of systematic effects from model was also analysed. A total of 8867 performance records collected between 2004 and 2011 from 1234 horses aged between 4 and 6 years old were used. The final score in the dressage test was used as the performance trait. The pedigree matrix contained 8487 individuals. A BLUP animal model was applied using a Bayesian approach with TM software. The horse's age, gender, travelling time, training level, stud of birth and event were included as systematic effects in all the models. Apart from the animal and residual effects that were present in all models, different models were compared combining random effects such as the rider, match (i.e. rider-horse interaction) and permanent environmental effects. A cross-validation approach was used to evaluate the models' prediction ability. The best model included the permanent environmental, rider and match random effects. As far as systematic effects are concerned, the event or the stud of birth was essential effects needed to fit the data.

Weighting fibre and morphological traits in a genetic index for an alpaca breeding programme.

Nowadays, the fibre diameter (FD) is considered the main selection objective in alpaca populations all over the world. International Committee for Animal Recording recommendations define the FD and its CV as the first two traits to be considered in breeding programmes for this specie. In addition to these main criteria, other selection criteria of economic value used are comfort factor (CF) or standard deviation (s.d.); also other less important traits being used as selection objectives are these morphological traits: density (DE), crimp (CR) or lock structure (LS) for, respectively, Huacaya (HU) and Suri (SU) ecotypes, head (HE), coverage (CO) and balance (BA). The goal of this study was to establish how to implement a combined selection index starting from genetic parameters and to study the expected correlation between genetic trends by considering different alternative procedures of weighting all the involved traits, and the consequences of a wrongly proceeding way. Heritabilities and genetic and phenotypic correlations were estimated from the data set belonging to the PACOMARCA experimental farm for SU and HU. Two approaches were used to check the consequences of a set of subjective weights essayed. The coefficients of selection indexes were obtained for two sets of reference weights. In addition, equivalent weights were drawn if applied those reference values as coefficients of hypothetical selection indexes directly on phenotypes; relative expected genetic responses were computed in different cases. Results showed that almost in all cases for both ecotypes, the weight applied to CF should be surprisingly negative. Concerning genetic responses, only CO was compromised in some cases for the HU ecotype. The essayed methodology allowed explaining the differences between ecotypes in the genetic trends. The proposed methodology was shown to be effective to study the relative importance of the traits granted by the manager of a breeding scheme.

Genetic parameters for birthweight environmental variability in mice.

Data from a divergent experiment for birthweight (BrW) environmental variability were used to estimate genetic parameters for BrW trait and its environmental variability by fitting both homoscedastic (HO) and heteroscedastic (HE) models. A total of 5 475 records of BrW from animals born from inbred dams, and 7 140 pedigree records were used. The heritability of BrW using the model HO was 0.27, with the litter effect much more important, 0.43. The model HE provided a genetic correlation between the trait and its environmental variability that was very high and negative, -0.97, and a high value for the additive genetic variance for environmental variability, suggesting an artefact in the model. The residual skewness was found to be essentially null. A model considering the genetic correlation null was also fitted, and used to obtain the breeding values for the selection process. Moreover, the trait was considered as maternal resulting in similar estimates under the model HO, but more reasonable for the genetic correlation between the trait and its environmental variability of 0.48 with a value of 0.25 for the additive genetic variance regarding environmental variability under the model HE. This led to the conclusion that environmental variability of BrW in mice must be selected via dams. Estimated parameters in a reduced dataset without inbred animals did not substantially change this conclusion.

Intraprostatic distribution and long-term follow-up after AdV-tk immunotherapy as neoadjuvant to surgery in patients with prostate cancer.

A phase I-II study to evaluate gene-mediated cytotoxic immunotherapy in newly diagnosed prostate cancer before radical prostatectomy was conducted in Monterrey, Mexico. First, to investigate delivery of adenovirus to the prostate, fluorescently labeled vector was injected into fresh prostatectomy specimens and distribution was visually analyzed. The optimal volume and site instillation was then used for transrectal ultrasound guided intraprostatic injection in 10 patients with adenocarcinoma scheduled for radical prostatectomy. Each received two apical and two basal 0.5 ml injections of AdV-tk for a total of 1 × 10(11) vp followed by 14 days of prodrug. Nine patients continued to tumor resection: six high risk, one intermediate and two low risk. In vivo vector distribution was analyzed from the resected tissue of four patients. Patients were monitored for tumor progression and acute and long-term safety. For vector delivery, two apical and two basal injections of 0.5 ml led to optimal organ-wide distribution ex vivo and in vivo. Cytotoxicity was evidenced by transient rise in PSA and tumor histology. There were no significant adverse events deemed related to the treatment and no late toxicities after median follow-up of 11.3 years. All six high-risk patients had positive surgical margins and one had seminal vesicle involvement. Despite slow PSA rise post surgery in three of these patients, none developed metastases. The intermediate- and low-risk patients had complete resections and none have progressed. In conclusion, in vivo transrectal ultrasound guided instillation of an adenoviral vector into four sites in the prostate was practical as an outpatient procedure, well tolerated and led to distribution throughout the intraprostatic tumor mass. AdV-tk demonstrated no significant acute or late toxicities. Trends in PSA and disease progression conveyed the possibility of a sustained immune response against residual disease.

Pedigree analysis and inbreeding depression on growth traits in Brazilian Marchigiana and Bonsmara breeds.

The study of population structure by pedigree analysis is useful to identify important circumstances that affect the genetic history of populations. The intensive use of a small number of superior individuals may reduce the genetic diversity of populations. This situation is very common for the beef cattle breeds. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to analyze the pedigree and possible inbreeding depression on traits of economic interest in the Marchigiana and Bonsmara breeds and to test the inclusion of the individual inbreeding coefficient (F(i)) or individual increases in inbreeding coefficient (ΔF(i)) in the genetic evaluation model for the quantification of inbreeding depression. The complete pedigree file of the Marchigiana breed included 29,411 animals born between 1950 and 2003. For the Bonsmara breed, the pedigree file included 18,695 animals born between 1988 and 2006. Only animals with at least 2 equivalent generations of known pedigree were kept in the analyses of inbreeding effect on birth weight, weaning weight measured at about 205 d, and BW at 14 mo in the Marchigiana breed, and on birth weight, weaning weight, and scrotal circumference measured at 12 mo in the Bonsmara breed. The degree of pedigree knowledge was greater for Marchigiana than for Bonsmara animals. The average generation interval was 7.02 and 3.19 for the Marchigiana and Bonsmara breed, respectively. The average inbreeding coefficient was 1.33% for Marchigiana and 0.26% for Bonsmara. The number of ancestors explaining 50% of the gene pool and effective population size computed via individual increase in coancestry were 13 and 97.79 for Marchigiana and 41 and 54.57 for Bonsmara, respectively. These estimates indicate reduction in genetic variability in both breeds. Inbreeding depression was observed for most of the growth traits. The model including ΔF(i) can be considered more adequate to quantify inbreeding depression. The inclusion of F(i) or ΔF(i) in the genetic evaluation model may not result in better fit to the data. A genetic evaluation with simultaneous estimation of inbreeding depression can be performed in Marchigiana and Bonsmara breeds, providing additional information to producers and breeders.

Restricting inbreeding while maintaining selection response for weight gain in Mus musculus.

An experiment with mice was designed to test the relative efficiency of three selection methods that help to minimize the rate of inbreeding during selection. A common house mice (Mus musculus) population was selected for 17 generations to increase the weight gain between 21 and 42 days. The population was split at random into three lines A, B and C where three selection methods were applied: individual selection and random mating, weighted selection with random mating and individual selection with minimum coancestry mating, respectively. There were three replicates for each line. Cumulated selection response was similar in the three lines, but there were differences in the level of inbreeding attained (in percentage): 31.24 (method A), 24.72 (method B) and 27.88 (method C). As consequence, lines B and C (weighted selection and minimum coancestry) showed a lower value of deterioration of fitness traits (the intrauterine mortality and the mortality at birth) than line A (random mating).

Genetic parameters for growth of fiber diameter in alpacas.

The alpaca is the most important fiber producer of the South American camelid species, and is an important source of income for the Andean communities. Nowadays, fiber diameter is considered the main selection objective in alpaca populations throughout the world. However, fiber diameter increases with the age of the animals, and it would be preferable to select those animals that maintain a thin fiber throughout their life span. The goal of this study was to describe the genetic relationship between fiber diameter at weaning age (6 mo) and the evolution of fiber diameter along the life span. The analysis of the evolution of fiber diameter was studied as a useful model for canalization and as a longitudinal trait by hierarchical Bayesian analysis. The results suggested that substantial genetic variation exists for fiber diameter and also for the variability and linear growth of the fiber diameter. Thus, a genetic selection program is plausible to modify the evolution of fiber diameter with time, together with a favorable correlated decrease in fiber diameter.