Milk somatic cell DNA isolation and characterization of κ-casein gene in Halari donkey milk.

Halari donkey breed is one of the indigenous breeds of India and its population is rapidly decreasing. The Jenny milk is more similar to human milk, exhibits a wide range of probiotic diversity and hypo-allergenicity, especially among infants suffering from cow and buffalo milk protein allergy. Some studies indicated low levels of κ-casein fraction of casein protein in donkey milk. The k-casein gene was not amplified from the DNA derived from the milk somatic cells of Halari donkeys. The Halari donkey milk has low somatic cells count. We report the first isolation of DNA from milk somatic cells of Halari donkeys with subsequent characterization of k-casein gene. Through our work, we showed that the milk somatic cells can be used as a non-invasive source for DNA isolation towards molecular studies. It also proved the presence of k-casein gene in Halari donkey milk by its amplification from isolated DNA.

Genome-Wide Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism-Based Genomic Diversity and Runs of Homozygosity for Selection Signatures in Equine Breeds.

The horse, one of the most domesticated animals, has been used for several purposes, like transportation, hunting, in sport, or for agriculture-related works. Kathiawari, Marwari, Manipuri, Zanskari, Bhutia, Spiti, and Thoroughbred are the main breeds of horses, particularly due to their agroclimatic adaptation and role in any kind of strong physical activity, and these characteristics are majorly governed by genetic factors. The genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of these Indian equine breeds using microsatellite markers have been reported, but further studies exploring the SNP diversity and runs of homozygosity revealing the selection signature of breeds are still warranted. In our study, the identification of genes that play a vital role in muscle development is performed through SNP detection via the whole-genome sequencing approach. A total of 96 samples, categorized under seven breeds, and 620,721 SNPs were considered to ascertain the ROH patterns amongst all the seven breeds. Over 5444 ROH islands were mined, and the maximum number of ROHs was found to be present in Zanskari, while Thoroughbred was confined to the lowest number of ROHs. Gene enrichment of these ROH islands produced 6757 functional genes, with AGPAT1, CLEC4, and CFAP20 as important gene families. However, QTL annotation revealed that the maximum QTLs were associated with Wither's height trait ontology that falls under the growth trait in all seven breeds. An Equine SNP marker database (EqSNPDb) was developed to catalogue ROHs for all these equine breeds for the flexible and easy chromosome-wise retrieval of ROH along with the genotype details of all the SNPs. Such a study can reveal breed divergence in different climatic and ecological conditions.

Reducing Perinatal Mortality in India: Two-Years Results of the IRIA Fetal Radiology Samrakshan Program.

Aim The aim of the study is to determine improvements in perinatal mortality at the end of the first 2 years from the initiation of the Samrakshan program of the Indian Radiological and Imaging Association. Methods Samrakshan is a screening program of pregnant women that uses trimester-specific risk assessment protocols including maternal demographics, mean arterial pressure, and fetal Doppler studies to classify women as high risk or low risk for preterm preeclampsia (PE) and fetal growth restriction (FGR). Low dose aspirin 150 mg daily once at bedtime was started for pregnant women identified as high risk in the 11-13 6/7 weeks screening. The third-trimester screening focused on the staging of FGR and protocol-based management for childbirth and risk assessment for PE. Outcomes of childbirth including gestational age at delivery, development of PE, and perinatal mortality outcomes were collected. Results Radiologists from 38 districts of 16 states of India participated in the Samrakshan program that screened 2,816 first trimester, 3,267 second trimester, and 3,272 third trimester pregnant women, respectively. At 2 years, preterm PE was identified in 2.76%, preterm births in 19.28%, abnormal Doppler study in 25.76% of third trimester pregnancies, and 75.32% of stage 1 FGR delivered at term. The neonatal mortality rate was 9.86/1,000 live births, perinatal mortality rate was 18.97/1,000 childbirths, and maternal mortality was 58/100,000 live births compared with 29.5, 36, and 113, respectively in 2016. Conclusion Fetal Doppler integrated antenatal ultrasound studies in Samrakshan led to a significant reduction in preterm PE rates, preterm birth rates, and a significant improvement in mean birth weights. Perinatal, neonatal, and maternal mortality rates are significantly better than the targets for 2030 set by the Sustainable Development Goals-3.