The Canadian Cow-Calf Surveillance Network - productivity and health summary 2018 to 2022.

Cow-calf surveillance data provide critical information about changing herd demographics, productivity, health, and management as well as the opportunity to investigate the impact of differing management practices. A national cow-calf network was established to collect baseline information on herd health, production performance measures, and management. Questionnaires were used to collect information on herd attributes as well as data for the calving season, breeding, pregnancy testing, and weaning for herds from across Canada. From 2018 to 2022, a total of 565 calving record questionnaires, representing 110,658 calving female records from 171 herds were returned, along with 543 herd breeding to weaning questionnaires. Suggested benchmark values based on the 25th percentiles from Western and Eastern Canada were determined to be <5% for non-pregnancy, <2% for calf death from birth to 24 h, and < 2% for calf death from 24 h to weaning. Herds from Eastern Canada were more likely to report any assistance at calving (p < 0.001) than herds from Western Canada. Participating herds from the east had longer breeding (p < 0.001) and calving (p < 0.001) seasons than those from the west and were also more likely to use artificial insemination or embryo transfer (p < 0.001). Timing of calving season and use of large pastures for calving were not associated with mortality at birth. Herds that started calving before April were more likely to have calves die before 30 d than those that started calving later; however, this difference was not observed between 30 d and weaning. Herds that started to calve earlier were also more likely to report treating more calves for bovine respiratory disease, diarrhea, and navel or joint infections as well as to calf deaths from respiratory disease. Calves from herds in the east were more likely to be treated or die from diarrhea than from the west. Females from herds that started calving later were less likely to be pregnant. The unique longitudinal productivity and health data resulting from this network established a national baseline to address region-specific needs for knowledge translation and solutions to enhance productivity and support sustainability.

Varied microbial community assembly and specialization patterns driven by early life microbiome perturbation and modulation in young ruminants.

Perturbations and modulations during early life are vital to affect gut microbiome assembly and establishment. In this study, we assessed how microbial communities shifted during calf diarrhea and with probiotic yeast supplementation (Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii, SCB) and determined the key bacterial taxa contributing to the microbial assembly shifts using a total of 393 fecal samples collected from 84 preweaned calves during an 8-week trial. Our results revealed that the microbial assembly patterns differed between healthy and diarrheic calves at 6- and 8-week of the trial, with healthy calves being stochastic-driven and diarrheic calves being deterministic-driven. The two-state Markov model revealed that SCB supplementation had a higher possibility to shift microbial assembly from deterministic- to stochastic-driven in diarrheic calves. Furthermore, a total of 23 and 21 genera were specific ecotypes to assembly patterns in SCB-responsive (SCB-fed calves did not exhibit diarrhea) and nonresponsive (SCB-fed calves occurred diarrhea) calves, respectively. Among these ecotypes, the area under a receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that Blautia and Ruminococcaceae UCG 014, two unidentified genera from the Ruminococcaceae family, had the highest predictiveness for microbial assembly patterns in SCB-responsive calves, while Prevotellaceae, Blautia, and Escherichia-Shigella were the most predictive bacterial taxa for microbial assembly patterns in SCB-nonresponsive calves. Our study suggests that microbiome perturbations and probiotic yeast supplementation serving as deterministic factors influenced assembly patterns during early life with critical genera being predictive for assembly patterns, which sheds light on mechanisms of microbial community establishment in the gut of neonatal calves during early life.

Review: Opportunities and challenges for the genetic selection of dairy calf disease traits.

Interest in dairy cow health continues to grow as we better understand health's relationship with production potential and animal welfare. Over the past decade, efforts have been made to incorporate health traits into national genetic evaluations. However, they have focused on the mature cow, with calf health largely being neglected. Diarrhoea and respiratory disease comprise the main illnesses with regard to calf health. Conventional methods to control calf disease involve early separation of calves from the dam and housing calves individually. However, public concern regarding these methods, and growing evidence that these methods may negatively impact calf development, mean the dairy industry may move away from these practices. Genetic selection may be a promising tool to address these major disease issues. In this review, we examined current literature for enhancing calf health through genetics and discussed alternative approaches to improve calf health via the use of epidemiological modelling approaches, and the potential of indirectly selecting for improved calf health through improving colostrum quality. Heritability estimates on the observed scale for diarrhoea ranged from 0.03 to 0.20, while for respiratory disease, estimates ranged from 0.02 to 0.24. The breadth in these ranges is due, at least in part, to differences in disease prevalence, population structure, data editing and models, as well as data collection practices, which should be all considered when comparing literature values. Incorporation of epidemiological theory into quantitative genetics provides an opportunity to better determine the level of genetic variation in disease traits, as it accounts for disease transmission among contemporaries. Colostrum intake is a major determinant of whether a calf develops either respiratory disease or diarrhoea. Colostrum traits have the advantage of being measured and reported on a continuous scale, which removes the issues classically associated with binary disease traits. Overall, genetic selection for improved calf health is feasible. However, to ensure the maximum response, first steps by any industry members should focus efforts on standardising recording practices and encouragement of uploading information to genetic evaluation centres through herd management software, as high-quality phenotypes are the backbone of any successful breeding programme.

A retrospective study of thermal events on the mortality rate of hutch-reared dairy calves.

Introduction: Heat stress in hutch-reared dairy calves (Bos taurus) is highly relevant due to its adverse effects on animal welfare, health, growth, and economic outcomes. This study aimed to provide arguments for protecting calves against heat stress. It was hypothesized that the thermal stress caused by high ambient temperature in summer months negatively affects the survival rate in preweaning calves. Methods: In a retrospective study, we investigated how calf mortality varied by calendar month and between thermoneutral and heat stress periods on a large-scale Hungarian dairy farm (data of 46,899 calves between 1991 and 2015). Results: The daily mortality rate was higher in the summer (8.7-11.9 deaths per 10,000 calf days) and winter months (10.7-12.5 deaths per 10,000 calf-days) than in the spring (6.8-9.2 deaths per 10,000 calf-days) and autumn months (7.1-9.5 deaths per 10,000 calf-days). The distribution of calf deaths per calendar month differed between the 0-14-day and 15-60-day age groups. The mortality risk ratio was highest in July (6.92). The mortality risk in the 0-14-day age group was twice as high in periods with a daily mean temperature above 22°C than in periods with a daily mean of 5-18°C. Conclusions: Heat stress abatement is advised in outdoor calf rearing when the mean daily temperature reaches 22°C, which, due to global warming, will be a common characteristic of summer weather in a continental region.

The associations between lumbar proprioception and postural control during and after calf vibration in people with and without chronic low back pain.

The relationships of lumbar proprioception with postural control have not been clarified in people with chronic low back pain. This study aimed to compare the associations between lumbar proprioception and postural control in response to calf vibration in individuals with and without chronic low back pain. In this study, we recruited twenty patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP group) and twenty healthy control subjects (HC group) aged between 18 and 50 years. This study was a cross-sectional study and completed from May 2022 to October 2022. The passive joint repositioning sense (PJRS) test for two positions (15° and 35°) were used to assess lumbar proprioception and expressed as the mean of reposition error (RE). Postural control was tested by adding and removing calf vibration while standing on a stable force plate with eyes closed. The sway velocity in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction of center of pressure (COP) data with a window of 15s epoch at baseline, during and after calf vibration was used to evaluate postural control. Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to compare the difference of lumbar proprioception between two groups, and the independent t-tests were used to compare the difference of postural control at baseline and during vibration, and a mixed design ANOVA was used to compare the difference of postural control during post-perturbation. In addition, to explore the association between postural control and lumbar proprioception and pain intensity, Spearman's correlations were used for each group. The major results are: (1) significantly higher PJRS on RE of 15° (CLBP: 95% CI [2.03, 3.70]; HC: 95% CI [1.03, 1.93]) and PJRS on RE of 35° (CLBP: 95% CI [2.59, 4.88]; HC: 95% CI [1.07, 3.00]) were found in the CLBP group; (2) AP velocity was not different between the CLBP group and the HC group at baseline and during calf vibration. However, AP velocity was significantly larger in the CLBP group compared with the HC group at epoch 2-14 after calf vibration, and AP velocity for the CLBP group took a longer time (23 epochs) to return to the baseline after calf vibration compared with the HC group (9 epochs); (3) lumbar proprioception represented by PJRS on RE of 15°correlated negatively with AP velocity during and after vibration for the HC group. Within the CLBP group, no significant relationships between PJRS on RE for two positions (15° and 35°) and AP velocity in any postural phases were found. In conclusion, the CLBP group has poorer lumbar proprioception, slower proprioceptive reweighting and impaired postural control after calf vibration compared to the HC group. Lumbar proprioception offers different information on the control strategy of standing control for individuals with and without CLBP in the situations with proprioceptive disturbance. These results highlight the significance of assessing lumbar proprioception and postural control in CLBP patients.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with DNA copy number changes in a Japanese black calf.

A 2-month-old Japanese Black calf exhibited mandibular and superficial cervical lymph node swelling. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the superficial cervical lymph node revealed large lymphoblast-like cells with mitoses. Hematological examination revealed remarkable lymphocytosis with atypical lymphocytes. Increased activities of serum total lactate dehydrogenase and thymidine kinase were detected. At necropsy, generalized swelling of lymph nodes was observed. Histopathological analysis revealed diffuse proliferation of medium-sized round centroblastic neoplastic cells that were positive for CD20, CD79α, PAX5, and BLA-36, and negative for CD3, CD5, CD10, and CD34. The calf was diagnosed with centroblastic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) based on these findings. Analysis of DNA copy number variation revealed an increased copy number for the GIMAP family relative to that in healthy cattle. Moreover, decreases in copy numbers of GBP-1, MIR3141, OR5P1E, and PTPRG relative to those in healthy cattle were also observed. Because DNA copy number variation represent a major contribution to the somatic mutation landscapes in human tumors, these findings suggest that DNA copy number changes might have contributed to the onset of DLBCL in the present case.

Effects of milk replacer powder added to pasteurized whole milk over different durations on dairy calves fed ground starter diet with alfalfa hay.

Adding milk replacer powder (MRP) to whole milk during the entire preweaning period can increase growth but raises concern because of low starter feed intake and slumps in average daily gain (ADG) at weaning and postweaning. In the current study, effects of adding MRP to pasteurized whole milk (PWM) during d 10-41 or d 10-59 of age were investigated in comparison with PWM. Calves [24 females and 21 males; 39.8 ± 1.85 kg body weight (BW)] were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 treatments: 1) conventional protocol, 5 L/d PWM from d 3-56, and 2.5 L/d from d 57-59 of age (CONV; TS intake = 31.9 kg), 2) short duration of adding MRP to PWM protocol, 5 L/d PWM from d 3-9, 5 L/d PWM + MRP (18% TS) from d 10-41, 5 L/d PWM from d 42-56, and 2.5 L/d PWM from d 57-59 (SD; TS intake = 42.3 kg), 3) long duration of adding MRP to PWM protocol, 5 L/d PWM from d 3-9, 5 L/d PWM + MRP from d 10-56, 2.5 L/d PWM + MRP form d 57-59 (LD; TS intake = 47.7 kg). The osmolality of PWM and PWM + MRP was 278 and 519 mOsm/L, respectively. Calves were weaned on d 60, and the study terminated on d 75. There was a treatment × time interaction for starter intake, where intake was greater for CONV than other treatments from d 14-41 and was greater in CONV than LD during d 42-48 and d 56-62 of age. Final BW was lower in CONV calves than LD calves. Weaning BW and overall hip height were lower in CONV calves than other treatments. The CONV calves had lower ADG at d 14-27 and 35-41 and SD calves had lower ADG at d 42-48 than other treatments. Calves fed CONV treatment had lower ruminal acetate and greater propionate than SD calves during preweaning. Calves fed LD treatment had lower total volatile fatty acids and tended to have greater ruminal pH than other treatments. Calves fed CONV had greater neutrophils and neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio and lower lymphocytes than other treatments. Glucose concentration was greater for LD versus other treatments at d 56, and lower for SD versus other treatments at d 70 of study. Insulin concentration and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance index were greater in LD compared with other treatments during preweaning but were not different postweaning. Serum BHB was greater in CONV than other treatments. Albumin was greater for CONV versus other treatments at d 56, however, it was greater in LD-fed calves at d 70 of study. Results indicate that feeding a PWM + MRP to the calves during the entire preweaning period resulted in lower starter feed intake around weaning, but overall starter intake was similar with a greater final BW and fewer health related issues throughout the study. Shifting a PWM + MRP to the conventional whole milk at d 40 of age decreased the ADG of calves.

Effects of transport age (14 d vs. 28 d of age) on blood total cholesterol, insulin and IGF-1 concentrations of veal calves.

The main aim of the current study was to find biomarkers of health in calves transported at different ages. The selected blood parameters were total cholesterol, insulin and IGF-1 and the longitudinal study investigated whether or not these concentrations were different between calves that were transported from the dairy farm to the veal farm at 14 d or 28 d of age. Relationships between these blood variables and health characteristics of veal calves were investigated. In a 34-wk study period, a total of 683 calves originating from 13 Dutch dairy farms were transported at an age of 14 or 28 d to 8 Dutch veal farms. Calves were blood sampled the first wk after birth (mean and SD: 4.4 ± 2.1 d), a day before transport (mean and SD: 25.8 ± 7.3 d) and in wk 2 post-transport (mean and SD: 36.7 ± 12.2 d). In these samples, insulin, IGF-1 and total cholesterol were determined and analyzed with a linear mixed model (LMM). Individual medical treatments were recorded from birth until the day of transport at the dairy farm, and from the moment of arrival at the veal farm until slaughter, and analyzed as a binary response variable (calf treated or not) with a generalized linear mixed model. Fecal (calf with or without loose or liquid manure) and navel (calves with or without swollen and inflamed navel) scores measured during a single visit in wk 2 post-transport were also analyzed as binary response variables, whereas carcass weights at slaughter age were analyzed with a LMM. Cholesterol, insulin and IGF-1 were included as covariates in the previous models to test their relationships with the likelihood of calves being medically treated, fecal and navel scores, and carcass weights. One day before transport 28 d-old calves had higher blood cholesterol (Δ = 0.40 mmol/l) and IGF-1 (Δ = 53.6 ng/ml) concentrations, and evidence of higher insulin (Δ = 12.2 µU/ml) compared with 14 d-old calves. In wk 2 post-transport, 28-d old calves had higher blood IGF-1 (Δ = 21.1 ng/ml), with evidence of higher insulin (Δ = 12.2 µU/ml) concentrations compared with 14-d old calves. Cholesterol concentration measured one day before transport and in wk 2 post-transport had a positive relationship with carcass weight at slaughter (ß = 4.8 and 7.7 kg/mmol/l, respectively). Blood cholesterol concentration in wk 2 post-transport was negatively associated with the fecal score measured at the same sampling moment (ß = -0.55/mmol/l), with the likelihood of a calf of being treated with antibiotics (ß = -0.36/mmol/l) and other medicines (ß = -0.45/mmol/l) at the veal farm. Blood IGF-1 concentration in wk 2 post-transport was negatively associated with the likelihood of a calf of being treated with antibiotics and other medicines (both ß = -0.01/ng/ml) at the veal farm, and with fecal score recorded in wk 2 post-transport (ß = -0.004/ng/ml). When looking at the blood indicators, it appeared that calves transported at 28 d of age were more developed compared with 14 d old calves, thus transport at an older age might be more beneficial for the animals. It can be concluded that both blood cholesterol and IGF-1 concentrations seemed to be valuable biomarkers of health and energy availability in veal calves.

Characterization of structural, genotoxic, and immunological effects of methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) induced DNA modifications: Implications for inflammation-driven carcinogenesis.

Genotoxic DNA damaging agents are the choice of chemicals for studying DNA repair pathways and the associated genome instability. One such preferred laboratory chemical is methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). MMS, an SN2-type alkylating agent known for its ability to alkylate adenine and guanine bases, causes strand breakage. Exploring the outcomes of MMS interaction with DNA and the associated cytotoxicity will pave the way to decipher how the cell confronts methylation-associated stress. This study focuses on an in-depth understanding of the structural instability, induced antigenicity on the DNA molecule, cross-reactive anti-DNA antibodies, and cytotoxic potential of MMS in peripheral lymphocytes and cancer cell lines. The findings are decisive in identifying the hazardous nature of MMS to alter the intricacies of DNA and morphology of the cell. Structural alterations were assessed through UV-Vis, fluorescence, liquid chromatography, and mass spectroscopy (LCMS). The thermal instability of DNA was analyzed using duplex melting temperature profiles. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed gross topographical and morphological changes. MMS-modified DNA exhibited increased antigenicity in animal subjects. MMS was quite toxic for the cancer cell lines (HCT116, A549, and HeLa). This research will offer insights into the potential role of MMS in inflammatory carcinogenesis and its progression.

Exercise-induced calf muscle hyperemia quantified with dynamic blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) imaging.

Muscle hyperemia in exercise is usually the combined result of increased cardiac output and local muscle vasodilation, with the latter reflecting muscle's capacity for increased blood perfusion to support exercise. In this study, we aim to quantify muscle's vasodilation capability with dynamic BOLD imaging. A deoxyhemoglobin-kinetics model is proposed to analyze dynamic BOLD signals acquired during exercise recovery, deriving a hyperemia index (HI) for a muscle group of interest. We demonstrated the method's validity with calf muscles of healthy subjects who performed plantar flexion for muscle stimulation. In a test with exercise load incrementally increasing from 0 to 16 lbs., gastrocnemius HI showed considerable variance among the 4 subjects, but with a consistent trend, i.e. low at light load (e.g. 0-6 lbs) and linearly increasing at heavy load. The high variability among different subjects was confirmed with the other 10 subjects who exercised with a same moderate load of 8 lbs., with coefficient of variance among subjects' medial gastrocnemius 87.8%, lateral gastrocnemius 111.8% and soleus 132.3%. These findings align with the fact that intensive exercise induces high muscle hyperemia, but a comparison among different subjects is hard to make, presumably due to the subjects' different rate of oxygen utilization. For the same 10 subjects who exercised with load of 8 lbs., we also performed dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI to measure muscle perfusion (F). With a moderate correlation of 0.654, HI and F displayed three distinctive responses of calf muscles: soleus of all the subjects were in the cluster of low F and low HI, and gastrocnemius of most subjects had high F and either low or high HI. This finding suggests that parameter F encapsulates blood flow through vessels of all sizes, but BOLD-derived HI focuses on capillary flow and therefore is a more specific indicator of muscle vasodilation. In conclusion, the proposed hyperemia index has the potential of quantitatively assessing muscle vasodilation induced with exercise.

A highly divergent enteric calicivirus in a bovine calf in India.

A highly divergent bovine calicivirus was identified in an Indian calf with enteritis. The whole genome of this virus was sequenced, revealing distinct amino acid motifs in the polyprotein encoded by open reading frame 1 (ORF1) that are unique to caliciviruses. Phylogenetic analysis showed that it was related to members of the genus Nebovirus of the family Caliciviridae. Although it showed only 33.7-34.2% sequence identity in the VP1 protein to the nebovirus prototype strains, it showed 90.6% identity in VP1 to Kirklareli virus, a nebovirus detected in calves with enteritis in Turkey in 2012. An in-house-designed and optimized reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was used to screen 120 archived bovine diarrhoeic fecal samples, 40 each from the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, revealing frequent circulation of these divergent caliciviruses in the bovine population, with an overall positivity rate of 64.17% (77/120). This underscores the importance of conducting a comprehensive investigation of the prevalence of these divergent caliciviruses and assessing their associations with other pathogens responsible for enteritis in India.

Early-life contact with non-maternal adult cows and a pasture-based rearing environment influence behavioural responses of dairy heifers to novelty.

The complexity experienced in early life can affect trait development of individuals, including sociability and fearfulness. The modern dairy calf's rearing environment often lacks environmental and social complexity. This study examined the effects of early-life, non-maternal adult contact and access to a physically complex environment on the responses of dairy heifers to several stressors, including restraint, social isolation, and novelty at 18 months of age. From the age of 2-13 weeks, 60 dairy heifers (Bos taurus) were reared according to one of three treatments applied to 20 calves each: (1) Hand-reared at pasture in groups of ten, with three unrelated dry cows (+S); (2) Hand-reared at pasture in groups of ten (-S); or (3) Hand-reared in sheds in groups of 10-12 as a commercial control (CC). At 13 weeks, all treatment groups were mixed and managed at pasture as a single herd. At 18 months, the responses of 50 heifers to restraint in a crush, social isolation and a novel object were observed (+S = 16, -S = 17, CC = 17). Treatment did not influence responses to restraint or social isolation, but influenced some indicators of fearfulness during exposure to a novel object. Six +S heifers interacted with the novel object compared to 0 -S and one CC, and CC heifers spent around 50% more time in vigilance than +S or -S heifers. Dairy heifers provided with early-life social enrichment in the form of non-maternal adult contact may have reduced fear of novelty. The implications for lifelong ability to adapt to novel situations, such as entry into the milking herd, should be assessed.

Development and application of one-step multiplex Real-Time PCR for detection of three main pathogens associated with bovine neonatal diarrhea.

Introduction: Neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) is one of the most common diseases in calves, causing huge economic and productivity losses to the bovine industry worldwide. The main pathogens include bovine rotavirus (BRV), bovine coronavirus (BCoV), and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K99. Since multiple infectious agents can be involved in calf diarrhea, detecting each causative agent by traditional methods is laborious and expensive. Methods: In this study, we developed a one-step multiplex Real-Time PCR assay to simultaneously detect BRV, BCoV, and E. coli K99+. The assay performance on field samples was evaluated on 1100 rectal swabs of diseased cattle with diarrhea symptoms and compared with the conventional gel-based RT-PCR assay detect BRV, BCoV, and E. coli K99+. Results: The established assay could specifically detect the target pathogens without cross-reactivity with other pathogens. A single real-time PCR can detect ~1 copy/µL for each pathogen, and multiplex real-time PCR has a detection limit of 10 copies/µL. Reproducibility as measured by standard deviation and coefficient of variation were desirable. The triple real-time PCR method established in this study was compared with gel-based PT-PCR. Both methods are reasonably consistent, while the real-time PCR assay was more sensitive and could rapidly distinguish these three pathogens in one tube. Analysis of surveillance data showed that BRV and BCoV are major enteric viral pathogens accounting for calves' diarrhea in China. Discussion: The established assay has excellent specificity and sensitivity and was suitable for clinical application. The robustness and high-throughput performance of the developed assay make it a powerful tool in diagnostic applications and calf diarrhea research. ​.

Quantification of play behaviour in calves using automated ultra-wideband location data and its association with age, weaning and health status.

Play behaviour can act as an indicator of positive animal welfare. Previous attempts to predict play behaviour in farmed calves are limited because of the classification methods used, which lead to overestimation, and the short time periods that calves are observed. The study aimed to automatically classify and quantify play behaviour in farmed calves using location data from ultra-wide band sensors and to investigate factors associated with play behaviour. Location data were collected from 46 calves in three cohorts for a period of 18 weeks. Behavioural observations from video footage were merged with location data to obtain a total of 101.36 h of labelled data. An AdaBoost ensemble learning algorithm was implemented to classify play behaviour. To account for overestimation, generally seen in low-prevalence behaviours, an adjusted count technique was applied to the outputs of the classifier. Two generalized linear mixed models were fitted to investigate factors (e.g. age, health) associated with duration of play and number of play instances per day. Our algorithm identified play behaviour with > 94% accuracy when evaluated on the test set with no animals used for training, and 16% overestimation, which was computed based on the predicted number of samples of play versus the number of samples labelled as play on the test set. The instances and duration of play behaviour per day significantly decreased with age and sickness, whilst play behaviour significantly increased during and after weaning. The instances of play also significantly decreased as mean temperature increased. We suggest that the quantification method that we used could be used to detect and monitor other low prevalence behaviours (e.g. social grooming) from location data, including indicators of positive welfare.

Yubi-Wakka Test for Sarcopenia Screening in the Community: Comparative Agreement, Diagnostic Performance and Validity with Calf Circumference Measurements.

BACKGROUND: Screening tools such as calf circumference (CC) and Yubi-wakka (finger-ring) test have been recognized as effective tools by Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 (AWGS'19) for sarcopenia screening but their comparative agreement, diagnostic performance and validity are unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine: (i)agreement between calf and finger-ring circumference, (ii)diagnostic performance for low muscle mass and AWGS'19 sarcopenia diagnosis, (iii)correlation with muscle mass, strength, and physical performance, and (iv)association with frailty, life space mobility and physical activity. METHODS: We studied 187 healthy community-dwelling older adults (mean age=66.8+7.0years) from the GERILABS-2 study. CC was measured via (i) both calves in sitting and standing positions, and (ii) Yubi-wakka test by encircling the thickest part of the non-dominant calf with index fingers and thumbs of both hands. We performed Cohen's kappa to check for agreement, area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) to compare diagnostic performance, partial correlations adjusted for age and gender to compare convergent validity, and logistic regression to determine predictive validity for outcome measures. RESULTS: Sarcopenia prevalence was 24.0% (AWGS'19). Yubi-wakka identified 16.6% of participants as screen-positive ("smaller"), showing moderate agreement only with non-dominant sitting CC measurements (k=0.421,p<0.001) and having lower diagnostic performance in determining low muscle mass (AUC=0.591 vs 0.855-0.870,p<0.001; sensitivity=57.1% vs 75.5-90.8%; specificity=58.4% vs 70.8-80.9%) and sarcopenia diagnosis (AUC=0.581 vs 0.788-0.818,p<0.001; sensitivity=55.6% vs 57.5-71.8%; specificity=74.4% vs 75.6-88.9%) compared to CC measurements. Yubi-wakka correlated significantly with muscle mass, grip strength and knee extension but not physical performance. When adjusted for age, gender and hypertension, Yubi-wakka was significantly associated with frailty (OR=3.96,95%CI:1.09-14.38), life space mobility (OR=2.38,95%CI:1.08-5.24) and physical activity (OR=2.50,95%CI:1.07-5.86). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Yubi-wakka provides a self-administered, low-cost and practicable community screening tool for sarcopenia. Our study affirmed the convergent and predictive validity of Yubi-wakka, albeit with lower sensitivity and specificity in diagnostic performance compared to CC measurements.

New Perspectives in the Association between Anthropometry and Mortality: The Role of Calf Circumference.

AIMS: Considering the impact of sarcopenia on mortality, and the difficulty to assessment of body composition, the hypothesis of the study is that calf circumference (CC) is closely related to mortality in older patients. The aim of the study was to analyze the potential role of CC to predict mortality in old individuals at 3, 6 and 12 months after discharge from hospital. METHODS: Patients aged >65 years were recruited for this retrospective study from September 2021 to March 2022. Their physical and body composition characteristics (including Body Mass Index-BMI and Mini Nutritional Assessment-MNA) were measured; data on mortality at 3 (T3), 6 (T6) and 12 (T12) months after discharge were recorded. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the 2019 European Consensus criteria. RESULTS: Participants were 192 older adults (92 women), with a mean age of 82.8±7.0 years. Sarcopenic people were 41. The mortality rate was higher in sarcopenic people only at T3 and T6. CC had comparable validity in predicting mortality to that of MNA and ASMMI (Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass), and was better than BMI and serum albumin at each time point. Youden's index showed that the best cut-off for CC for predicting mortality was 30.6 cm both at T3 (sensitivity: 74%; specificity: 75%) and T6 (sensitivity: 75%; specificity: 67%). At the Cox regression model for mortality, high values of CC (HR 0.73, CI95% 0.60-0.89/p<0.001) and ADL scores (HR 0.72, CI95% 0.54-0.96/p=0.04) were protective factors at T6 and T12 respectively; at T12 high comorbidity rate was a risk factor (HR 1.28, IC95% 1.02-1.62/p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: CC has a validity comparable to MNA and ASMMI in predicting mortality at 3, 6 and 12 months after hospital discharge. Moreover, it can be considered an independent predictor of medium-term mortality in the hospitalized older population. CC can be an effective method for the prognostic stratification of these patients, due to its simplicity and immediacy.

A rare case of adventitious placentation (diffuse semi-placenta) in a Jersey cow.

Placental abnormalities more frequently occur during pregnancy of somatic cell clones and may lead to pregnancy loss or dystocia. Adventitious placentation, or diffuse semi-placenta, is determined by the development of areas of accessory placentation between the cotyledons due to the abnormal growth of placentomes.After a full-term pregnancy, a 3-year-old Jersey heifer was referred for dystocia which resulted in the delivery of a dead calf. The cause of dystocia was found to be foetal malposition, while the placenta was physiologically expelled after dystocia resolution.Grossly, cotyledons appeared reduced in size and number in one placental horn, while the surface of the other horn was covered with microplacentomes. Numerous villous structures without trophoblastic coating were highlighted after histopathology. The dominant sign was an inflammatory reaction. The findings were consistent with inter-cotyledonal placentitis, which led to adventitial placentation.Diffuse semi-placenta compensates for the inadequate development of placentomes and may occur as a congenital or acquired defect. The outcome depends on its severity: in the worst scenario, pregnancy may not proceed beyond midterm and may be complicated by hydrallantois. In the case under examination, the dimensions of the cotyledons (from 2 to 10 cm) allowed for the natural course of pregnancy.

Vitamin and mineral supplementation to beef heifers during gestation: impacts on morphometric measurements of the neonatal calf, vitamin and trace mineral status, blood metabolite and endocrine profiles, and calf organ characteristics at 30 h after birth.

To examine the effects of feeding a vitamin and mineral supplement to beef heifers throughout gestation on mineral status and hormone/endocrine profiles in the dam and calf, and morphometric characteristics and organ mass of the calf at 30 h after birth, Angus-based heifers (n = 72, 14 to 15 months of age, initial body weight [BW] = 380.4 ± 50.56 kg) were estrus synchronized and artificially inseminated (AI) with female-sexed semen. Heifers were blocked by BW and randomly assigned to receive either a basal diet (CON; n = 36) or a basal diet plus a vitamin and mineral supplement (VTM; n = 36) via an individual feeding system beginning at breeding, with both diets targeting BW gains of 0.45 kg heifer-1•d-1. Heifers not pregnant after first AI (CON, n = 19; VTM, n = 18) were re-bred via AI 60 d after treatment initiation, and heifers gestating female fetuses (CON, n = 7; VTM, n = 7) received treatments throughout gestation and were experimental units for this study. Calves were separated from their dams and fed colostrum replacer within 2 h of birth and euthanized 30 h after the first feeding. Calf morphometrics were recorded, and tissues were weighed and sampled. Serum from the dam at calving and serum, liver, and muscle from the calf at 30 h were analyzed for concentrations of minerals. Serum from the dam and calf were analyzed for concentrations of leptin, vitamins A, D, and E, cortisol, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor 1. All response variables were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Calf body morphometrics and BW of the dam at calving (P ≥ 0.32), calf organ weights (P ≥ 0.21), and calf ovarian follicle counts (P ≥ 0.13) were not affected by maternal treatment. Concentrations of Se and Co in calf serum and Se in calf liver were increased (P ≤ 0.02) in VTM. Serum concentrations of Co and vitamin A in the dam were greater (P ≤ 0.01) in supplemented compared with non-supplemented dams, and serum concentrations of vitamin D were greater (P ≤ 0.0003) in supplemented dams and calves compared with the non-supplemented cohort. Maternal supplementation supported vitamin and mineral status in the neonate, yet had no discernable impact on BW, organ mass, or circulating hormones/metabolites in the calf. Evaluating offspring at later postnatal time points is warranted to determine if prenatal vitamin and mineral supplementation affects performance, health, metabolism, and efficiency of energy utilization in key metabolic tissues in the calf.

Multi-spectroscopic and in silico investigation of gambogic acid-calf thymus DNA interactions.

Gambogic acid (GA), a xanthanoid compound, is derived from Garcinia Hanbury gamboge resin. Studying GA's DNA binding and targeting processes is crucial to understanding its tumor-targeting potentiality. This study used spectroscopic and in silico methods to investigate the GA-calf thymus DNA-binding interaction. The results of the UV-visible absorbance spectroscopy revealed that GA binds to DNA and forms a complex. Investigation of fluorescence quenching using ethidium bromide-DNA revealed that GA displaced ethidium bromide, and the type of quenching was static in nature, as determined by Stern-Volmer plot data. Thermodynamic analysis of the DNA-GA complex revealed a spontaneous, favorable interaction involving hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Quenching experiments with potassium iodide, Acridine orange, and NaCl verified GA's groove-binding nature and the presence of weak electrostatic interactions. The thermal melting temperature of DNA in its native and bound states with GA did not differ significantly (69.27° C to 71.25° C), validating the binding of GA to the groove region. Furthermore, the groove-binding nature of GA was confirmed by studying its interaction with ssDNA and DNA viscosity. The methods of DSC, FT-IR, and CD spectroscopy have not revealed any structural aberrations in DNA bound with GA. Molecular docking and modeling studies revealed that GA has a groove-binding nature with DNA, which is consistent with prior experimental results. Finally, the findings shed information by which GA attaches to DNA and provide insights into its recognized anticancer effects via topoisomerase inhibition causing DNA cleavage, inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.