农林科学最新文献

This study aims to explore the effects of Yin and Yang Double Supplement Compound Chinese Medicine Preparations (YYSBFF) on the reproductive performance, antioxidant levels, and immunity of dairy goats. For the experiment, 36 Alps milk goats were selected and randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 18 goats in each group. The ewes in the experimental group were fed with YYSBFF for 14 d prior to breeding and farrowing. The results of the experiment showed that the estrus rate, embryo acceptance rate, and lamb birth weight in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group, and the weak lamb rate was significantly lower. Moreover, the experimental group exhibited higher levels of reproductive hormones (FSH, LH), antioxidant factors (T-SOD, GSH-Px, MDA), and immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG) compared to the control group. There were no significant differences in liver and kidney function indicators (ALT, AST, TP, ALB, CREA, UREA) between the experimental and control groups (p > .05). These findings indicate that YYSBFF can enhance the reproductive performance of dairy goats by regulating the level of sex hormones, while also improving the body's antioxidant and immune abilities.

The study assessed the inclusion level effects of a phytogenic blend (PB) on performance and critical molecular biomarkers related to detoxification (Aryl hydrocarbon receptor; AhR) and antioxidant (Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2; Nrf2) responses in layers' ovary and liver. Layers (n = 385; 21-week-old; Hy-Line Brown) were allotted to 5 treatments with 7 replicates of 11 hens each, for a 12-week feeding trial. Treatments were: control (CON) without PB or supplementation with PB at 250 (PB250), 750 (PB750), 1000 (PB1000) and 1500 mg/kg diet (PB1500), respectively. Performance was determined weekly for the 12-week experimental period. At the 6^th and 12^th experimental week ovarian and liver samples were collected for gene expression analysis. Increasing PB inclusion level, improved linearly and quadratically overall laying rate, egg mass and FCR, with optimal (P ≤ 0.001) performance notable in the PB750 compared to CON. The nutrigenomic analysis revealed that PB inclusion resulted (P ≤ 0.05) in consistent beneficial modulation of the AhR/Nrf2 pathway-related genes assessed at the 6^th and 12^th experimental week, both in the ovary and the liver of laying hens. In conclusion, PB beneficially modulated the ovarian and hepatic adaptive cytoprotection and supported the laying performance improvements recorded, with PB750 displaying the optimal benefits.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary isatidis root polysaccharide (IRP) on diarrhea, immunity, and intestinal health in weanling piglets. Forty healthy piglets were randomly assigned to five groups receiving varying dosages of IRP. The findings indicated that different concentrations of IRP significantly reduced diarrhea scores (p < 0.01). Notably, the serum levels of immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G increased linearly and quadratically (p < 0.01), while immunoglobulin M also showed a linear increase (p < 0.05) in IRP-fed piglets. The secretory immunoglobulin A levels in ileal contents were significantly higher compared to control piglets (p < 0.01). Key intestinal health parameters, including villus height, villus height-to-crypt depth ratio, and goblet cell numbers, showed linear and quadratic increases in both the jejunum and ileum (p < 0.05), while crypt depth decreased significantly (p < 0.01). Additionally, the expression of IL-10, ZO-1, occludin, and mucin2 was upregulated linearly and quadratically in IRP-fed piglets (p < 0.05). In cultured IPEC-J2 cells, ZO-1 and occludin expression levels significantly increased upon exposure to 400 μg/mL IRP (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the relative abundances of Escherichia coli, Ralstonia pickettii, and Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis decreased linearly with increasing dietary IRP concentration. In conclusion, IRP shows promise as an effective dietary supplement for mitigating diarrhea and enhancing intestinal health in early weaned piglets.

Weaning stress-induced diarrhea is a serious issue in pig production. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of glucose oxidase (GOD) as an antibiotic substitute to alleviate diarrhea and improve gut health in weaned piglets. According to a randomized complete block design, 250 piglets weaned around 21 d of age were allocated into 5 groups (5 replicates/group), which received a basal diet without or with supplemental 200 mg/kg antibiotic, 500, 1000 and 2000 U/kg GOD, respectively. Dietary treatments did not affect (p > 0.05) growth performance of piglets. However, supplemental all doses of GOD were equivalent or superior to antibiotic to reduce (p < 0.05) diarrhea as well as increase (p < 0.05) thymus index, hepatic and colonic antioxidant properties. GOD addition at 1000 and 2000 U/kg reduced (p < 0.05) cecal and rectal pH value, respectively. They also displayed similar or superior efficacy to antibiotic in improving (p < 0.05) duodenal and jejunal morphology along with certain tight junction proteins expression of jejunum and colon. Collectively, GOD represents an antibiotic alternative to reduce diarrhea of weaned piglets through associating with ameliorations of intestinal structure and functions.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) presents a major threat to global poultry production, necessitating a thorough understanding of its evolutionary relationships for effective control measures. This study presents a novel distance-based Minimum Span Clustering (MSClustering) method to cluster 311 IBV strains, with a comparison of its results to the established IBV classification. Phylogenetic network and recombination analyses were employed to investigate IBV evolutionary relationships and transmission pathways. The phylogenetic network revealed distinct clusters reflecting relationships between IBV strains. Importantly, these network patterns, combined with recombination event analysis, suggest an unrecognized role for migratory birds in IBV dissemination, highlighting potential transmission pathways beyond established poultry trade routes. These findings contribute to advancing our understanding of IBV evolution and support the development of targeted strategies for controlling viral outbreaks in poultry populations. While statistical limitations may affect threshold estimation for smaller networks, our MSClustering method significantly accelerates processing speeds-approximately 100,000 times faster than PhyML when analyzing the dataset-enabling comprehensive-scale phylogenetic analysis of viruses.

Canine mammary tumor (CMT) is a prevalent and destructive disease often diagnosed at an advanced stage, leading to poor outcomes. Currently, there is a lack of effective biomarkers for early detection and prognostic prediction of CMT. To improve CMT detection, we established a multiplexed immunoassay using a fluorescence bead-based suspension array system to measure serum levels of autoantibodies against four CMT-associated proteins (AGR2, HAPLN1, IGFBP5, and TYMS) in CMT patients. Our data revealed that serum levels of the four autoantibodies (anti-AGR2, anti-HAPLN1, anti-IGFBP5, and anti-TYMS) were significantly elevated in CMT patients (n = 158) compared to healthy individuals (n = 39). Notably, serum levels of anti-AGR2, anti-HAPLN1, and anti-TYMS in the dogs with stage I CMT (n = 56) were higher than those in the healthy group. Using a marker panel consisting of the four autoantibodies for detecting malignant CMT (n = 125) achieved a sensitivity of 50.4% and a specificity of 90%. Furthermore, higher levels of anti-AGR2, anti-HAPLN1, anti-IGFBP5, and anti-TYMS were associated with poorer survival in CMT patients. Collectively, we established a multiplexed immunoassay platform to detect serum autoantibodies and demonstrated that a tailored autoantibody marker panel shows potential clinical applicability for the diagnosis and prognosis of CMT.

Bovine mammosphere-derived epithelial cell (MDEC) cultures are heterogeneous and enriched for stem and progenitor cells. We previously reported that the bovine MDEC secretome, comprised of all bioactive factors secreted by the cells, displays regenerative properties, exerts antimicrobial effects, and modulates neutrophil activity, positioning it as a promising non-antibiotic biologic therapy for infectious diseases important to the dairy industry, like mastitis. Mastitis is defined as inflammation of the udder, and it is typically caused by bacterial infection. The effect of the MDEC secretome on macrophages, a first line of defense against bacterial infections in the udder, is unknown and could impact the utility of the secretome as a therapy for mastitis. To address this, we isolated bovine monocytes from peripheral blood and maintained them as an unpolarized (M0) population or polarized them into M1 or M2 phenotypes. Macrophages cultured with the secretome of bovine MDECs were assessed for their ability to phagocytose labeled bacterial particles and accumulate reactive oxygen species (ROS). We used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate a subpopulation of MDECs that exert enhanced effects on macrophages. We found that the secretome of MDECs that do not express cluster of differentiation (CD) 73, a cell surface enzyme used as a marker for mesenchymal stromal cells, most strongly increased macrophage phagocytosis and ROS accumulation. These findings will help optimize the generation of the bovine MDEC secretome as a suitable treatment option for mastitis.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease is a highly contagious transboundary animal disease. FMD has caused a significant economic impact globally due to direct losses and trade restrictions on animals and animal products. This study utilized multi-distance spatial cluster analysis, kernel density analysis, directional distribution analysis to investigate the spatial distribution patterns of historical FMD epidemics. A multi-algorithm ensemble model considering climatic, geographic, and social factors was developed to predict the suitability area for FMDV, and then risk maps of FMD for each species of livestock were generated in combination with the distribution of livestock. The results show that all serotypes of FMD exhibit significant clustering with a clear tendency toward a directional distribution. Serotypes A and O are widespread in Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America. Serotype Asia 1 is prevalent in Asia. Serotype SAT2 is prevalent in Africa and the Middle East, while Serotypes SAT1 and SAT3 are restricted to Africa. Ecological niche modeling reveals temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and vegetation are important factors influencing the occurrence of FMD. Except for buffaloes, the distribution of high-risk areas for FMD occurrence in other livestock species is quite widespread. The areas primarily include the southern region of North America, the northern, southern, and eastern regions of South America, the Mediterranean region, the eastern region of Europe, the central and southern regions of Africa, the central, eastern, and southern regions of Asia, and parts of Australia. These findings will provide valuable insights into the prevention and control of FMD.

The natural flavonoid quercetin, which exhibits a range of biological activities, has been implicated in liver disease resistance in recent research. In vivo study attesting to quercetin's protective effect against metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is inadequate, however. Here, our investigation explored the potential benefits of quercetin in preventing MAFLD in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). The results revealed that quercetin ameliorated the aberrant enhancement of body and liver weight. The hepatic histological anomalie induced by MAFLD were also mitigated by quercetin. HFD-induced imbalance in serum LDL, HDL, AST, ALT, TG, and LDH was mitigated by quercetin. Mechanically, we found that quercetin improved lipid metabolism by reducing lipogenesis proteins including ACC, FASN, and SREBP-1c and enhancing β-oxidation proteins including PPARα and CPT1A. In vitro study demonstrated that quercetin regulated hepatic lipid metabolism by targeting SREBP-1c and PPARα. Additionally, quercetin enhanced the antioxidant capacity in HFD-treated mice by downregulating Nrf2 and HO-1 expressions and upregulating SOD and GPX1 expressions. The hyper-activation of inflammation was also restored by quercetin via eliminating the phosphorylation of IκBα and NF-κB p65. Collectively, our observations highlight that quercetin exerts hepatoprotective properties in MAFLD mice by regulating hepatic lipid metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammatory response.

This study evaluated the impact of vaccine diluents (peptone or water) on the protective effects of Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) vaccine. Vaccinated broilers were challenged with different doses of wild-type S. Typhimurium through dust. At the time of cull, vaccine load was highest in caeca and lowest in spleen. Wild-type S. Typhimurium was detectable after 24 hrs only in the vaccinated birds challenged with 108 CFU and positive control. S. Typhimurium load was lower in the organs of the groups challenged with 104 and 106 compared to the 108 CFU group. The caecal microbiota alpha diversity of the vaccinated or vaccinated and challenged chickens differed from the positive and negative control groups. Beta diversity of the positive control clustered separately from all other treatment groups, showing that vaccine caused minimal changes in gut microbiota structure. The vaccinated and/or wild-type challenged chickens showed significantly higher abundance of Anaerostignum, Lachnoclostridium, Intestinimonas, Colidextribacter, Monoglobus, Acetanaerobacterium and Subdoligranulum. Outcomes from this study demonstrate that the vaccine effectively protected broiler chickens from S. Typhimurium infection and helped maintain a more stable gut microbiota structure, reducing the impact of S. Typhimurium on gut health. Vaccine diluent did not affect gut microbiota composition.