Estimation of inbreeding and effective population size of full-blood Wagyu cattle registered with the American Wagyu Cattle Association

The objective of this research was to examine the population structure of full-blood (100%) Wagyu cattle registered in the United States with the American Wagyu Association, with the aim of estimating and comparing the levels of inbreeding from both pedigree and genotypic data. A total of 4132 full-blood Wagyu cattle pedigrees were assessed and used to compute the inbreeding coefficients (FIT and FST ) and the effective population size (Ne ) from pedigree data for the period 1994 to 2011. In addition to pedigree analysis, 47 full-blood Wagyu cattle representing eight prominent sire lines in the American Wagyu cattle population were genotyped using the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip. Genotypic data were then used to estimate genomic inbreeding coefficients (FROH ) by calculating runs of homozygosity. The mean inbreeding coefficient based on the pedigree data was estimated at 4.80%. The effective population size averaged 17 between the years 1994 and 2011 with an increase of 42.9 in 2000 and a drop of 1.8 in 2011. Examination of the runs of homozygosity revealed that the 47 Wagyu cattle from the eight prominent sire lines had a mean genomic inbreeding coefficient (FROH ) estimated at 9.08% compared to a mean inbreeding coefficient based on pedigree data of 4.8%. These data suggest that the mean genotype inbreeding coefficient of full-blood Wagyu cattle exceeds the inbreeding coefficient identified by pedigree. Inbreeding has increased slowly at a rate of 0.03% per year over the past 17 years. Wagyu breeders should continue to utilize many sires from divergent lines and consider outcrossing to other breeds to enhance genetic diversity and minimize the adverse effects of inbreeding in Wagyu.

Characterization of NaTaO3 synthesized by ultrasonic method

NaTaO(3) perovskite-like materials were synthesized using sodium acetate and tantalum ethoxide as precursors in an ultrasonic bath at room temperature. The pristine sample was thermally treated at 600 °C and characterized using XRD, N(2) physisorption, DRS, SEM and TEM techniques. The structural characterization by X-ray powder diffraction revealed that the crystallization of the NaTaO(3) phase prepared at 600 °C showed agglomerates sizes in the micrometric scale, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). On the other hand, well-defined NaTaO(3) particles in the nanometric scale were determined using TEM. It was found that, for the treated sample, the band gap and BET area was 3.8 eV and 9.5m(2) g(-1), respectively. The annealed perovskite, deposited onto ITO glass, presented an important variation in the open circuit potential transient during UV light irradiation in neutral solution, compared with its counterpart prepared by solid-state method. These intrinsic properties, given by the preparation route, might be appropriate for increase its photocatalytic activity.

Identification of chromosomal locations associated with tail biting and being a victim of tail-biting behaviour in the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)

The objective of this study was to identify loci associated with tail biting or being a victim of tail biting in Norwegian crossbred pigs using a genome-wide association study with PLINK case-control analysis. DNA was extracted from hair or blood samples collected from 98 trios of crossbred pigs located across Norway. Each trio came from the same pen and consisted of one pig observed to initiate tail biting, one pig which was the victim of tail biting and a control pig which was not involved in either behaviour. DNA was genotyped using the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay. After quality assurance filtering, 53,952 SNPs remained comprising 74 animals (37 pairs) for the tail biter versus control comparison and 53,419 SNPs remained comprising 80 animals (40 pairs) for the victim of tail biting versus control comparison. An association with being a tail biter was observed on Sus scrofa chromosome 16 (SSC16; p = 1.6 × 10(-5)) and an unassigned chromosome (p = 3.9 × 10(-5)). An association with being the victim of tail biting was observed on Sus scrofa chromosomes 1 (SSC1; p = 4.7 × 10(-5)), 9 (SSC9; p = 3.9 × 10(-5)), 18 (SSC18; p = 7 × 10(-5) for 9,602,511 bp, p = 3.4 × 10(-5) for 9,653,881 bp and p = 5.3 × 10(-5) for 29,577,783 bp) and an unassigned chromosome (p = 6.1 × 10(-5)). An r(2) = 0.96 and a D' = 1 between the two SNPs at 9 Mb on SSC18 indicated extremely high linkage disequilibrium, suggesting that these two markers represent a single locus. These results provide evidence of a moderate genetic association between the propensity to participate in tail-biting behaviour and the likelihood of becoming a victim of this behaviour.

Meta-analysis of two genome-wide association studies of bovine paratuberculosis

Background

Bovine paratuberculosis (ParaTB) also known as Johne's disease, is a contagious fatal disease resulting from infection by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Previous studies have identified loci associated with ParaTB using different measurements to define cases and controls. The objective of this study was to combine the data from two recent studies to identify genetic loci associated with MAP tissue infection and humoral immune response, defined by MAP ELISA-positive cattle, by comparing cases and control animals for one or both measures of infection.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The two populations used for the association analyses were a cohort of MAP tissue infected animals and control Holstein cows from the USA and the second cohort composed of ELISA-positive and ELISA-negative Holstein cows from Italy. Altogether 1190 cattle were genotyped with the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip. SNP markers were removed if the minor allele frequency <0.01 or genotyping failure was >5%. Animals were removed with >5% genotyping failure. Whole genome association analyses were conducted with the GRAMMAR-CG method using two different definitions of control populations.

Conclusion/Significance

The analyses identified several loci (P<5 e-05) associated with ParaTB, defined by positive ELISA and presence of bacteria in tissue compared to ELISA and tissue negative animals, on chromosomes 1, 12 and 15 and one unassigned SNP. These results confirmed associations on chromosome 12 and the unassigned SNP with ParaTB which had been found in the Italian population alone. Furthermore, several additional genomic regions were found associated with ParaTB when ELISA and tissue positive animals were compared with tissue negative samples. These loci were on chromosomes 1, 6, 7, 13, 16, 21,23 and 25 (P<5 e-05). The results clearly indicate the importance of the phenotype definition when seeking to identify markers associated with different disease responses.

Short communication: refinement of genetic regions associated with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis tissue infection and tolerance to Johne's disease

Johne's disease is a highly transmissible bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP). The objective of this study was to refine the locus associated with MAP tissue infection and the locus associated with tolerance to Johne's disease. Using a genome-wide association analysis, single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with MAP tissue infection and tolerance to Johne's disease on Bos taurus autosome (BTA)3 and BTA15, respectively, have previously been identified. A 235-kb region on BTA3 was evaluated with 42 single nucleotide polymorphisms, and a 193-kb region on BTA15 was evaluated with 54 single nucleotide polymorphisms in a group of 209 Holstein cows. Using a single marker association analysis and haplotype tests, we refined a region of 10.6 kb on BTA3 as being associated with MAP tissue infection and a region of 6.5 kb on BTA15 as being associated with tolerance to Johne's disease.

Fine Mapping of Loci on BTA2 and BTA26 Associated with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Persistent Infection and Linked with Bovine Respiratory Disease in Cattle

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is considered to be the most costly infectious disease in the cattle industry. Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is one of the pathogens involved with the BRD complex of disease. BVDV infection also negatively impacts cow reproduction and calf performance. Loci associated with persistently infected animals (BVD-PI) and linked with BRD have previously been identified near 14 Mb on bovine chromosome 2 (BTA2) and 15.3 Mb on bovine chromosome 26 (BTA26). The objective of this study was to refine the loci associated with BVD-PI and linked with BRD. Association testing for BVD-PI was performed on a population of 65 BVD-PI calves, 51 of their dams, and 60 unaffected calves (controls) with 142 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on BTA2 and 173 SNPs on BTA26. Comparisons were made between BVD-PI calves and controls calves and the dams of BVD-PI calves and controls calves. For the linkage analysis of BRD, the same markers were used to genotype two half-sib families consisting of the sires and 72 BRD positive and 148 BRD negative offspring. Using an allelic chi-square test, 11 loci on BTA2 and 8 loci on BTA26 were associated with the dams of the BVD-PI calves (P < 0.05) and 4 loci on BTA2 and 11 loci on BTA26 were associated with BVD-PI calves. This demonstrates that although some of the loci on BTA2 and BTA26 are jointly involved in the fetal and dam response to BVD-PI infection, there are loci that are solely associated with the maternal or fetal susceptibility to disease. One locus on BTA2 and two loci on BTA26 were found to be linked (P < 0.05) with BRD. The regions linked with BRD were also associated with BVD-PI demonstrating that both the broad (BRD) and narrow (BVD-PI) definition of disease identified shared genomic regions as important in disease susceptibility. These results further refined the loci associated with BVD-PI and linked with BRD.

Oxidative stress and anxiety-like symptoms related to withdrawal of passive cigarette smoke in mice: beneficial effects of pecan nut shells extract, a by-product of the nut industry

The present study evaluated the role of pecan nut (Carya illinoensis) shells aqueous extract (AE) against oxidative damage induced by cigarette smoke exposure (CSE) and behavioral parameters of smoking withdrawal. Mice were passively exposed to cigarette smoke for 3 weeks (6, 10, and 14 cigarettes/day) and orally treated with AE (25 g/L). CSE induced lipid peroxidation in brain and red blood cells (RBC), increased catalase (CAT) activity in RBC, and decreased plasma ascorbic acid levels. AE prevented oxidative damage and increased antioxidant defenses of mice exposed to cigarette smoke. In addition, AE reduced the locomotor activity and anxiety symptoms induced by smoking withdrawal, and these behavioral parameters showed a positive correlation with RBC lipid peroxidation. Our results showed the beneficial effects of this by-product of the pecan industry, indicating its usefulness in smoking cessation.

Identification of loci associated with tolerance to Johne's disease in Holstein cattle

Johne's disease, caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map), is a fatal disease in cattle. The objective of this study was to identify loci associated with tolerance in cows infected with Map. Tolerance was defined as a cow's fitness at a given level of Map infection intensity. Fitness was measured by Map faecal cultures, and Map infection intensity was measured by culturing four gut tissues. The quantitative phenotype of tolerance was defined by numerical indexes of cultures of peak (peak tolerance, PT) and average (average tolerance, AT) faecal and tissue Map from 245 Holstein cows. The categorical phenotype was defined as: ≥ 100 cfu Map tissue infection, and faecal shedding ≥ 75 cfu (intolerant) or <10 cfu (tolerant cows). In 94 cows, Map was identified in ≥ 1 tissue, including 44 cows with ≥ 100 Map tissue cfu and 36 with ≥ 1 faecal cfu. A genome-wide association analysis was performed after filtering, leaving genotypes for 45,789 SNPs in 90 animals for the quantitative phenotype and 16 cases and 25 controls for the categorical analysis of tolerance. rs41748405:A>C (BTA15) was associated with PT (P = 1.12 × 10(-7)) and AT (P = 2.17 × 10(-6)). Associations were identified with PT and adjacent SNPs ss61512613:A>G and ss61530518:A>G (BTA6) (P < 3.0 × 10(-5)), and with AT for ss61469568:A>G (BTA 2) (P = 3.3 × 10(-5)) and ss86284768:A>G (BTA1) (P = 3.31 × 10(-5)). For the categorical phenotype, an association was found with ss8632653:A>G (BTA6) (P < 5.0 × 10(-5)). This is the first study to identify loci associated with tolerance to Johne's disease.

Loci on Bos taurus chromosome 2 and Bos taurus chromosome 26 are linked with bovine respiratory disease and associated with persistent infection of bovine viral diarrhea virus

The objective of this study was to identify loci linked with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and subsequently to determine if these same loci were associated with bovine viral diarrhea virus persistent infection (BVD-PI) in affected calves or their dams. A genome-wide linkage study using 312 microsatellites was conducted to identify loci linked with BRD in a Brahman × Hereford sire half-sib family. Disease incidence was recorded from birth to slaughter by daily monitoring. Linkage was suggestive for a QTL on BTA2 (F = 7.31, P = 0.007) and BTA26 (F = 10.46, P = 0.001). Six and 7 markers were added and genotyped between 110 and 126 cM on BTA2 and between 42 and 72 cM on BTA26, respectively, in the intervals where linkage was found. These markers were used to reevaluate the Brahman × Hereford family and to evaluate 3 additional crossbred half-sib families. Linkage was found with BRD on BTA2 (F = 4.94, P < 0.01), with a peak at 110 cM, and on BTA26 (F = 4.03, P < 0.05), with peaks at 42 and 52 cM. The same markers were then tested for an association with BVD-PI in 1) BVD-PI calves compared with age-matched unaffected calves from the same herd or 2) dams with BVD-PI compared with age-matched unaffected calves. Sixty commercial beef cow-calf herds were tested for BVD-PI, and 79 calves from 8 ranches had BVD-PI. Four of 6 markers were associated (P = 4.8 × 10(-9) to P = 0.01) with BVD-PI on BTA2, and 4 of 7 markers were associated (P = 0.008 to P = 0.04) with BVD-PI on BTA26 when BVD-PI calves were compared with unaffected calves. The comparison of BVD-PI dams with unaffected calves detected associations with BVD-PI for all markers tested on BTA2 (P = 3 × 10(-9) to P = 0.005) and for 3 of 7 markers on BTA26 (P = 1.4 × 10(-6) to P = 0.006).

A whole genome association analysis identifies loci associated with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection status in US holstein cattle

The purpose of this study was to identify loci associated with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) infection status in US Holsteins using the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip whole genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay. Two hundred forty-five cows from dairies in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont enrolled in longitudinal herd studies between January 1999 and November 2007 were assessed for the presence of Map in both faecal and tissue samples. An animal was considered tissue infected if any sample contained at least one colony forming unit of Map per gram of tissue (CFU/g) and the same definition was employed for faecal samples. Each animal was genotyped with the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip and after quality assurance filtering, 218 animals and 45 683 SNPs remained. We sought to identify loci associated with four different case/control classifications: presence of Map in the tissue, presence of Map in faeces, presence of Map in both tissue and faeces and presence of Map in tissue but not faeces. A case-control genome wide association study was conducted to test the four different classifications of Map infection status (cases) when compared with a Map-negative control group (control). Regions on chromosomes 1, 5, 7, 8, 16, 21 and 23 were identified with moderate significance (P < 5 x 10(-5)). Two regions, one on chromosome 3 (near EDN2) and another on chromosome 9 (no positional gene candidates), were identified with a high level of association to the presence of Map in tissue and both tissue and faeces respectively (P < 5 x 10(-7), genome-wide Bonferonni P < 0.05).

Electrochemical therapy to treat cancer (in vivo treatment)

The aim of this paper is to present the evaluations and results attained by our research group from the clinical applications of Electrochemical Therapy (EChT in short) on tumors, specifically of cats and dogs. Our in vivo results indicate that EChT is an effective cancer treatment. Application of EChT in human beings was approved by National Health Surveillance Agency, which is linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Health. To make EChT available for cancer patients in the Brazil, basic studies were conducted and a Phase I clinical trial was started.

CpG motif-based adjuvant as a replacement for Freund's complete adjuvant in a recombinant LHRH vaccine

This study compared: (1) Freund's complete adjuvant and CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) 2006 in water-in-oil emulsion as adjuvants; and (2) increasing doses of a recombinant ovalbumin-LHRH (ova-LHRH) fusion protein as an antigen for a contraceptive vaccine. Treatment groups (n=8 heifers/group) were: one untreated control group; five groups receiving CpG ODN with different doses of ova-LHRH (1.5; 2.3; 3.4; 5.1; and 7.6 mg); and one group receiving 3.4 mg ova-LHRH in Freund's. Heifers were immunized at weeks 0 and 14. All vaccine treatments caused gonadal regression and estrus suppression. CpG ODN is a suitable replacement for Freund's for LHRH immunization.

Development and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of clomazone residues in surface water

A method is described for the determination of clomazone residues in surface water by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. The method involves solid-phase extraction with C18 extraction tubes. Clomazone was separated on a C18 column with a mobile phase of methanol-water (65:35, v/v) at pH 4.0 and a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min. After optimization of the extraction and separation conditions, the method was validated. The method developed can be used for determination of clomazone in surface water, at the limit of 0.1 mcirog/l set by the European Union drinking water directive, with a 400-fold preconcentration.

Determination of acrylic acid in air by using diffusion denuder tubes combined with HPLC technique

A procedure for the determination of atmospheric acrylic acid in air at the microgram m-3 to mg m-3 level is described. Diffusion-based sampling, designed to discriminate gaseous analytes from their particulate counterparts, has been used. Acrylic acid is collected with an efficiency of > 98% in tubular denuders coated with sodium hydroxide-barium hydroxide-hydroquinone monomethyl ether, and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with UV absorbance detection. The detection limit is 2.9 micrograms m-3 at a flow rate of 0.5 L min-1 and 30 min sampling time. A precision (p = 0.95, n = 10) of 7.5% of the overall procedure was achieved at the 100 micrograms m-3 level. Results of laboratory studies concerning the effect of the coating reagent and the relative humidity on the sampling efficiency as well as possible interferences, in particular by ozone, and the elimination of these interferences are discussed. This method was developed to monitor workplace atmospheres as well as ambient air in industrial environments.

Determination of deltamethrin in cattle dipping baths by high-performance liquid chromatography

Deltamethrin (S)-alpha-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl) (1R,3R)-3-(2, 2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylate is classified as a pyrethroid pesticide that is largely used as an acaricide and scabicide. For bovines, especially, the treatment is done with the aid of dipping baths of the pyrethroid solution. Analytical control of the concentration of deltamethrin in these baths must be done periodically in order to guarantee treatment efficacy. In the proposed procedure, the sample is prepared by centrifugation followed by filtration and measurement by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with spectrophotometric detection at 275 nm. Separation is done in a Nucleosil C-18 column with acetonitrile-water as the mobile phase. A calibration curve was constructed with external standards, and a detection limit of 0.2 mg L(-)(1) was obtained. In the samples analyzed, only ca. 20% of the total deltamethrin content was found in the solution. The results obtained demonstrate the potential of the described procedure for the determination of deltamethrin in animal baths.

Partial hemispheric disconnection syndrome of traumatic origin

A patient presented left-sided apraxia, constructional disturbances with the right hand and left tactile anomia after a severe head injury. MRI showed a callosal lesion involving the middle and posterior third of the truncus. This finding supports the thesis that the posterior callosum plays a predominant role in the interhemispheric mediation for praxis, as well as in the right-left transfer of spatial information guiding constructional performance. Left-sided apraxia was evident on imitation, on verbal command and on visual presentation of an object, but not on tactual presentation and during the actual use of objects. Moreover, apraxia on imitation showed a more rapid recovery than apraxia on verbal command. These data are consistent with the hypothesis of a left-hemisphere dominance for praxis, which is almost absolute when the retrieval of the appropriate gesture requires a semantic analysis of the stimulus.