Rest stops during road transport: Impacts on performance and acute-phase protein responses of feeder cattle

Angus x Hereford steers (n = 42) and heifers (n = 21) were ranked by gender and BW on d 0 of the experiment and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: 1) no transport and full access to feed and water (CON); 2) continuous road transport for 1,290 km (TRANS), or 3) road transport for 1,290 km, with rest stops every 430 km (STOP; total of 2 rest stops). Treatments were applied from d 0 to 1 of the experiment. Cattle from TRANS and STOP treatments were transported in separate commercial livestock trailers, within a single 2.1 x 7.2 m compartment, but through the exact same route. During each rest stop, STOP cattle were unloaded and offered mixed alfalfa-grass hay and water for ad libitum consumption for 2 h. Upon arrival of STOP and TRANS on d 1, cattle were ranked by sex and BW within each treatment and assigned to 21 feedlot pens (7 pens/treatment; 2 steers and 1 heifer/pen). Full BW was recorded before (d -1 and 0) treatment application and at the end of experiment (d 28 and 29). Total DMI was evaluated daily from d 1 to 28. Blood samples were collected on d 0 (before loading of TRANS and STOP cattle), 1 (immediately after unloading of TRANS and STOP cattle), 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28. Body weight shrink from d 0 to d 1 was reduced (P < 0.01) in CON compared to TRANS and STOP, and reduced in STOP compared to TRANS. Mean ADG was greater (P < 0.05) in CON compared to TRANS and STOP, but similar (P = 0.68) between TRANS and STOP. No treatment effects were detected (P >= 0.18) on hay, concentrate, and total DMI. Mean G: F was greater (P = 0.05) in CON compared to STOP, tended to be greater (P = 0.08) in CON compared to TRANS, and similar (P = 0.85) between TRANS and STOP. Plasma cortisol concentrations were greater (P <= 0.04) in TRANS compared to CON and STOP on d 1, and greater (P = 0.04) in TRANS compared to CON on d 4. Serum NEFA concentrations were greater (P < 0.01) in TRANS compared to CON and STOP on d 1, and greater (P <= 0.05) in TRANS compared to CON on d 4 and 7. Mean plasma ceruloplasmin concentrations were similar (P = 0.19) among treatments. Plasma haptoglobin concentrations were greater (P <= 0.04) in TRANS compared to CON and STOP on d 1, and in STOP compared to CON on d 1. In conclusion, inclusion of rest stops during a 1,290-km transport prevented the increase in circulating cortisol and alleviated the NEFA and haptoglobin response elicited by transport, but did not improve feedlot receiving performance of transported cattle.

Genome-Wide Mapping of Loci Explaining Variance in Scrotal Circumference in Nellore Cattle

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Efficacy of Surface Treatments on the Bond Strength of Resin Cements to Two Brands of Zirconia Ceramic

Purpose: To compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of two cements to two Y-TZP ceramics subjected to different surface treatments.Materials and Methods: Zirconia specimens were made from Lava (n = 36) and IPS e.max ZirCAD (n = 36), and their surfaces were treated as follows: no treatment (control), silica coating with 30-mu m silica-modified alumina (Al2O3) particles (CoJet Sand), or coating with liners Lava Ceram for Lava and Intensive ZirLiner for IPS e.max ZirCAD. Composite resin cylinders were bonded to zirconia with Panavia F or RelyX Unicem resin cements. All specimens were thermocycled (6000 cycles at 5 degrees C/55 degrees C) and subjected to SBS testing. Data were analyzed by post-hoc test Tamhane T2 and Scheffe tests (alpha = 0.05). Failure mode was analyzed by stereomicroscope and SEM.Results: With both zirconia brands, CoJet Sand showed significantly higher SBS values than control groups only when used with RelyX Unicem (p = 0.0001). Surface treatment with liners gave higher SBS than control groups with both ceramic brands and cements (p < 0.001). With both zirconia brands, the highest SBS values were obtained with the CoJet and RelyX Unicem combination (> 13.47 MPa). Panavia F cement showed significantly better results when coupled with liner surface treatment rather than with CoJet (p = 0.0001, SBS > 12.23 MPa). In untreated controls, Panavia F showed higher bond strength than RelyX Unicem; the difference was significant (p = 0.016) in IPS e.max ZirCAD. The nontreated specimens and those treated with CoJet Sand exhibited a high percentage of adhesive and mixed A (primarily adhesive) failures, while the specimens treated with liners presented an increase in mixed A and mixed C (primarily cohesive) failures as well as some cohesive failure in the bulk of Lava Ceram for both cements.Conclusion: CoJet Sand and liner application effectively improved the SBS between zirconia and luting cements. This study suggests that different interactions between surface treatments and luting cements yield different SBS: in clinical practice, these interactions should be considered when combining luting cements with surface treatments in order to obtain the maximum bond strength to zirconia restorations.

Expression of receptors for BMP15 is differentially regulated in dominant and subordinate follicles during follicle deviation in cattle

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Cattle-Derived Microsatellite Markers to Study the Water Buffalo Genome

Microsatellites are well-known DNA markers used in a variety of studies such as genome mapping, genetic diversity analysis, genetic conservation and phylogenetic studies. Although microsatellites are important markers, their development and characterization demands extensive time and high cost. Thus, before new markers are developed for a particular species, it is worthwhile to test the available markers from related species. In the present study, we evaluate cattle-derived microsatellite markers for genetic studies of water buffalo. Eighty-five percents of a total of 120 microsatellite markers were optimized using buffalo DNA (Bubalus bubalis). The results showed in this paper were also deposited in the National Center for Biological Information database (NCBI) (ProbeDB and UniSTS) for use in population genetic studies of buffalo by the scientific community. The use of heterologous primers significantly reduces the cost of developing specific markers for buffalo, providing a useful short cut for the genetic population analysis and gene mapping studies.

Reference Gene Selection for Gene Expression Analysis of Oocytes Collected from Dairy Cattle and Buffaloes during Winter and Summer

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Crude glycerin in diets for feedlot Nellore cattle

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Genotype by environment interaction for post-weaning weight gain, scrotal circumference, and muscling score of composite beef cattle in different regions of Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Association between JY-1 gene polymorphisms and reproductive traits in beef cattle

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Characterization of the Exonic Regions of the JY-1 Gene in Zebu Cattle and Buffaloes

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Genetic parameters for production traits of dairy Gyr (Bos indicus) x Holstein cattle estimated with a random regression model

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Assessing resistance of ivermectin and moxidectin against nematodes in cattle naturally infected using three different methodologies

The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and the faecal egg count efficacy test (FECET) to assess the resistance status of ivermectin (630 mu g/g) and moxidectin (200 mu g/kg), using the controlled efficacy test as a reference, and whether the results of the EPG are equivalent to the efficacy results from the parasitological necropsies. Two experiments were conducted. The results demonstrate that it was not possible to demonstrate that the EPG values were equivalent with the ivermectin and moxidectin efficacy obtained by parasitological necropsies, mainly if the phenomenon of parasites resistance is not advanced in a determined field population. Maybe the FECET technique would be possibly better than the FECRT. The high anthelmintic efficacy of 200 mu g/kg moxidectin, in naturally infected cattle, against field population of nematodes that are resistant to 630 mu g/kg ivermectin, was observed in this study. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of clinical safety and anthelmintic efficacy of aurixazole administed orally at 24 mg/kg in cattle

The current study evaluated, in vivo, the clinical safety and the anthelmintic efficacy of 24% aurixazole (24 mg/kg), administered orally, in bovines. Two experiments were conducted: the first one evaluating the clinical safety of 24% aurixazole (24 mg/kg) in cattle, and a second one evaluating the anthelmintic efficacy of aurixazole (24 mg/kg) against gastrointestinal nematodes on naturally infected cattle. Based on the results of clinical safety, no alterations on clinical and haematological signs and on the biochemical values obtained in animals treated orally with aurixazole 24 mg/kg were observed. Regarding the results of reduction or efficacy, obtained by eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) counts, the formulation of aurixazole reached values superior to 99% (arithmetic means) in all post-treatment dates. In two occasions, this formulation reached maximum efficacy (100%). Comparing these results with the reduction percentages obtained by EPG counts, it is possible to verify that the values obtained by all three formulations were compatible with the efficacy results. Aurixazole reached maximum efficacy (100%) against Haemonchus placei, Cooperia spatulata and Oesophagostomum radiatum. Against Cooperia punctata, this formulation reached an efficacy index of 99.99%. Regarding aurixazole, no specific trials were conducted on the field in order to evaluate the behaviour of this molecule against helminths that are resistant to other molecules, specially isolated levamisole and disophenolat: Due to this fact, future studies will be necessary to assess the effectiveness of aurixazole against strains of nematodes that are resistant to levamisole and disophenolat, but the results of clinical safety and efficacy described in this study allow us to conclude that the aurixazole molecule, concomitantly with other measures and orally administered formulations, can be another important tool in the control of nematodes parasitizing bovines. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Historic of therapeutic efficacy of albendazol sulphoxide administered in different routes, dosages and treatment schemes, against Taenia saginata in cattle experimentally infected

The present study aimed to notify the history of albendazole sulphoxide (ALB-SO) and albendazole (ALBZ) efficacy against Taenia saginata cysticercus (Cysticercus bovis) parasitizing experimentally infected bovines. A total of 11 efficacy trials were performed between the years of 2002 and 2010. In order to perform these trials, animals were individually inoculated with 2 x 104 eggs of T. saginata in each study's day zero (DO). For every trial, a positive control group (untreated infected animals) and a negative control group (animals that were neither infected nor treated) were used. ALB-SO or ALB were administered in the different dosages, in different days of treatments. In a last study with this formulation, this active principle was administered orally, mixed with the mineral supplement, on the 60th DPI, in a dosage of 30 mg/kg. In all trials, on the 100th DPI, all animals were euthanized and submitted to the sequenced slicing of 26 anatomical segments (fragments of approximately five millimeters) for the survey of T. saginata cysticercus. With the obtained results it is possible to verify that in the first trials, conducted in 2002, ALB-SO reached, independently of dosage and treatment scheme, efficacies superior to 98% (arithmetic means). The trials conducted in 2005 (2.5 mg/kg on the 30th, 60th, and 90th DPI) obtained values of efficacy all inferior to 60%. In 2008, the trials with 2.5 and 7.7 mg/kg demonstrated efficacy values inferior to 40%, for both dosages and treatment schemes (30th/60th/90th DPI and 60th DPI). When this formulation was administered orally on the dosage of 30 mg/kg on the 60th DPI, the efficacy against T. saginata cysticercus reached 88.28%. ALB administered orally showed efficacy values of 0.0%, 29.88% and 28.64% in the dosages of 5, 10 and 15 mg/kg, respectively, using the treatment schemes described above for each dosage. Based on the results of these trials, conducted in an eight year period (2002-2010) using the sequenced slicing method for evaluating the efficacy of the aforementioned formulations against T. saginata cysticercus, it is possible to observe that, amongst the few molecules used in the chemotherapic treatment against T. saginata larvae, ALB-SO, administered in varied routes, dosages and treatment schemes, the studies conducted in 2008, 2009, and 2010, have a low therapeutic efficacy against C bovis in Brazil, while ALBZ had insignificant efficacy values against T. saginata larvae parasitizing experimentally infected bovines. However, future studies using molecular biology will be necessary to assess whether the difference on the efficacy of the ALB-SO can be related to strain or another specific factor. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Crude Glycerin associated with starch or fiber-based energy ingredients at two levels of concentrate for beef cattle

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)