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In this work, we used Raman spectroscopy to identify compounds present at different maturation stages of the exocarp of scarlet eggplant and two banana cultivars, ‘prata’ and ‘nanica’. Raman spectral analyses of both fruits showed bands attributed to phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, and fatty acids. During the scarlet eggplant's maturation process, Raman spectral profile changes are mainly observed in the carotenoid content rather than flavonoids. Furthermore, it is suggested that naringenin chalcone together with β-carotene determines the orange-red color of the ripe stage. Variations in chemical composition among the maturation stages of bananas were observed predominantly in ‘prata’ when compared to ‘nanica’. In contrast to scarlet eggplant changes in the spectral profile were more evident in the content of the flavonoid/phenolic acids. The in situ analysis was demonstrated to be useful as a guide in selecting bioactive compounds on demand from low-cost horticultural waste.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to 7 million deaths and more than 770 million confirmed cases worldwide. The Spike glycoprotein (SP) is responsible for recognizing and binding to angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) in the host cell membrane and seems to modulate host cellular signaling pathways. Here, we investigate the effects of SP (stabilized in prefusion conformation) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC-C) lineage on the ACE-2 expression profile and in cell glucose metabolism. Our data indicate that SP binds to ACE-2, is internalized by HUVEC-C cells, and positively modulates ACE-2 expression. In addition, SP alone induces a transient increase in glucose uptake and a decrease in lactate production, characterizing itself as a metabolic regulating protein. The present study is the first to demonstrate that SP induces a slight change in cell metabolism, promotes the overexpression of ACE-2 and its increased availability in the membrane of endothelial cells in a time-dependent fashion.

Abstract Background Natural products are an important source of bioproducts with pharmacological properties. Here we investigate the components of leaves from M. tomentosa Benth. (Fritsch) (Chrysobalanaceae) and its effects on bacterial cell growth, biofilm production and macrophage activity. Methods The effect of the different leaf extracts against bacterial cell growth was performed using the microdilution method. The most active extract was analyzed by mass spectrometry, and its effect on bacterial biofilm production was evaluated on polystyrene plates. The extract effect on macrophage activity was tested in the RAW264.7 cell line, which was stimulated with different concentrations of the extract in the presence or absence of LPS. Results We show that the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract was the most effective against bacterial cell growth. EtOAc extract DI-ESI (-)MSn analysis showed the presence of a glycosylated flavonoid tentatively assigned as myricetin 3-O-xylosyl-rhamnoside (MW 596). Also, the EtOAc extract increased biofilm formation by S. aureus and inhibited cytokine and NO production induced by LPS in RAW macrophages. Conclusion M. tomentosa flavonoid-enriched EtOAc extract presented a bactericidal and anti-inflammatory pharmacological potential.

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate blood cells and metabolites, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), digestibility, internal organs weight and histology, gene expression, and spleen cell proliferation of pre-weaned bull calves supplemented with a blend of essential oils in milk replacer (MR). Sixteen newborn Holstein × Gyr crossbred dairy bull calves, with body weight at birth of 33.3 ± 3.7 kg, were housed in individual sand bedded pens, blocked by genetic composition, and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments in a randomized complete block design: Control (CON, n = 8) and blend of essential oils supplementation (BEO, n = 8, 1 g/day/calf, Apex Calf, Adisseo, China). The commercial blend was composed by plant extracts derived from anise, cinnamon, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Animals were fed 5 L of MR/day reconstituted at 15% (dry matter basis), divided into two equal meals. Water and starter were provided ad libitum. ß-hydroxybutyrate, urea, and glucose were evaluated weekly, IGF-1 was evaluated biweekly, and total blood cell count was performed every four weeks until the end of the trial at eight weeks of age. Feed samples were collected three times a week and polled for weekly analysis. Apparent total nutrient digestibility was determined from d 56 to 60 of age. On d 60 ± 1, animals were euthanized for organ weight, histology, spleen cell proliferation, and intestinal gene expression analysis. Data were analyzed independently using linear mixed models using the REML method in the nlme package in R for continuous outcomes. A non-parametric test was used for ordered categorical outcomes using the Artools package in R. There were no differences between groups for blood evaluations, digestibility, gene expression, and a spleen cell proliferation assay. However, BEO calves presented a heavier pancreas, heavier intestines, bigger ileum villi, and higher cecum butyrate levels (P

The LABEXTRACT plant extract bank, featuring diverse members of the Myrtaceae family from Brazilian hot spot regions, provides a promising avenue for bioprospection. Given the pivotal roles of the Spike protein and 3CLpro and PLpro proteases in SARS-CoV-2 infection, this study delves into the correlations between the Myrtaceae species from the Atlantic Forest and these targets, as well as an antiviral activity through both in vitro and in silico analyses. The results uncovered notable inhibitory effects, with Eugenia prasina and E. mosenii standing out, while E. mosenii proved to be multitarget, presenting inhibition values above 72% in the three targets analyzed. All extracts inhibited viral replication in Calu-3 cells (EC50 was lower than 8.3 µg·mL−1). Chemometric analyses, through LC-MS/MS, encompassing prediction models and molecular networking, identified potential active compounds, such as myrtucommulones, described in the literature for their antiviral activity. Docking analyses showed that one undescribed myrtucommulone (m/z 841 [M − H]−) had a higher fitness score when interacting with the targets of this study, including ACE2, Spike, PLpro and 3CLpro of SARS-CoV-2. Also, the study concludes that Myrtaceae extracts, particularly from E. mosenii and E. prasina, exhibit promising inhibitory effects against crucial stages in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Compounds like myrtucommulones emerge as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents, warranting further exploration.

As neoplasias gástricas são menos prevalentes em cães e gatos e se manifestam como perda de apetite, perda de peso, vômitos (com ou sem sangue), poliúria, polidipsia e fezes com sangue, levando à anemia. Helicobacter spp. é uma bactéria Gram-negativa, em forma de espiral, flagelada, que infecta a mucosa gástrica de humanos e animais como cães e gatos. Helicobacter spp é a causa de diversas doenças de gravidade variável. Estudos demonstraram a relação dessa bactéria com gastrite humana, úlceras gástricas e duodenais e tumores gástricos. Apesar de ocorrer em humanos, a relação entre esses tumores e cães é considerada inconclusiva, principalmente, pela falta de pesquisas. O presente relato descreve a avaliação clínica de um paciente diagnosticado com sarcoma indiferenciado por provável infiltrado de Helicobacter spp na região antro pilórica, sendo considerada uma forma rara de apresentação em cães. Destaca-se que a complexidade diagnóstica desses casos esteja relacionada à inespecificidade dos sinais clínicos e da necessidade de biopsia para comprovação diagnóstica.

Since the advent of Covid-19, several natural products have been investigated regarding their in silico interactions with SARS-CoV-2 proteases ˗ 3CLpro and PLpro, two of the most important pharmacological targets for antiviral development. Phenylethanoid glycosides (PG) are a class of natural products present in important medicinal plants and a drug containing this group of active ingredients has been successfully used in the treatment of Covid-19 in China. Thus, a dataset with 567 derivatives of this class was built from reviews published between 1994 and 2020, and their interaction against both SARS-CoV-2 proteases was investigated. The virtual screening was performed by filtering the PGs through the evaluation of scores based on the AutoDock Vina, GOLD/ChemPLP, and GOLD/GoldScore evaluation functions. The bRO5 pharmacokinetic parameters of the PGs ranked in the previous step were analyzed and their interaction with key amino acid residues of the 3CLpro and PLpro enzymes was evaluated. Ninety-eight compounds were identified by computational approaches against PLpro and 80 PGs against 3CLpro. Of these, four interacted with key catalytic residues of PLpro, which is an indicative of inhibitory activity, and three compounds interacted with catalytic key residues of 3CLpro. Of these, five PGs occur in plants of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), while two are components of plants/formulations currently used in the Covid-19 protocols in China. The data presented here show the potential of PGs as selective inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro and PLpro.

The increased demand for food worldwide, the reduced land availability for livestock production, the increasing cost of animal feed and the need for mitigating livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions have driven the search for animal feeding systems that proves more efficient. To tackle this problem, we propose the use of computational support to help researchers compare data on feed efficiency, therefore improving economic and environmental gains. As a solution, we present an integrative architecture capable of combining heterogeneous data from multiple experiments related to dairy cattle feed efficiency indices. The proposed architecture, called FeedEfficiencyService, classifies animals according to feed efficiency indices and allows visualizations through ontologies and inference engines. The results obtained from a case study with researchers from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation – Dairy Cattle (EMBRAPA) demonstrate that this architecture is a supporting tool in their daily work routine. The researchers highlighted the importance of the proposed architecture as it allows analyzing animal data, comparing experiments, having reliable data analyses, and standardizing and organizing data from experiments. The novelty of our approach is the use of ontologies and inference engines to enable the discovery of new knowledge and new relationships between data from feed efficiency-related experiments. We store such data, relationships, and analyses of results in an integrated repository. This solution ensures unified access to the processing history and data from diverse experiments, including those conducted at external research centers.

Diarrhea and respiratory diseases pose significant challenges in the rearing of pre-weaned calves, motivating the investigation of tools to improve gastrointestinal tract development, health, and overall performance in young calves. Consequently, the primary objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an additive incorporated into milk replacer to promote the development and health of the animals. Forty-six dairy calves were randomly assigned into two treatments: control (CON, n = 23; with 15 females and 8 males), and sodium butyrate (SB, n = 23; with 15 females and 8 males). The calves in the SB treatment group were supplemented with 4 g/d of unprotected sodium butyrate (Adimix, Adisseo, China), added to the milk replacer from 4 to 60 days of age. Water and starter were fed ad libitum. The study evaluated several parameters, including feed intake, nutrient digestibility, ruminal pH, ammonia and volatile fatty acids, blood metabolites (glucose, insulin-like growth factor type 1, urea, β–hydroxybutyrate), hemogram, health scores, performance, and feed efficiency. Bull calves were euthanized at 60 days of age for organ comparison, while heifer calves were assessed for carryover effects up to 90 days of age. Data were analyzed independently using linear mixed models using the nlme package in R, and the Artools package for non-parametric categorical outcomes. Although the feed intake and performance variables exhibited differences within weeks, no divergence was observed between treatment groups. Notably, a positive treatment-by-week interaction was identified for starter feed intake (p = 0.02) and total dry matter intake (p = 0.04) during pre-weaning for CON animals. Ruminal parameters, blood metabolites, and hemogram values such as glucose, urea, insulin-like growth factor type 1, mean corpuscular value, lymphocytes, and neutrophils displayed differences within weeks during the pre-weaning stage, but similar results within groups. No differences between supplemented and non-supplemented calves were found across nutrient digestibility, organ development, and histology. Regarding health scores, differences were noted within weeks for fecal and respiratory scores during the pre-weaning stage, and only the respiratory score during the post-weaning stage. Consequently, butyrate supplementation did not elicit improvements or negative effects in the body development or health status of dairy calves.

Seed germination in Melocactus and other cactus species is hampered by dormancy. However, most studies failed to achieve high seed-germination rates, suggesting a complex mechanism of dormancy in Cactaceae. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate whether factors such as light and phytoregulators overcome the dormancy in the seeds of the friar’s crown cactus (Melocactus zehntneri). Two consecutive experimental sets were designed: one with seed germination under filter paper conditions and different wavelengths and Photosynthetically Photon Flux Densities (PPFDs); and one in vitro experiment using a culture medium to evaluate the influence of different phytoregulators, such as gibberellic acid (GA3), benzylaminopurine (BAP) and ethephon (ET), both in the germination of seeds of M. zehntneri. Seeds of M. zehntneri are positive photoblastic. Red light and gradual increases in PPFD resulted in the highest germination rates (60.8–61.7%) and germination speed index (4.4–4.5). In vitro seeding in culture media increased the germination percentage to 76% in control without phytoregulators. Ethephon showed a major effect in releasing the germination of dormant seeds of M. zehntneri, totaling 98% of seeds germinated under in vitro conditions, while GA3 and BAP showed minor or no effect on germination. The present study resulted in an efficient in vitro technique for germination and a better understanding of cacti seed dormancy.

Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected over 400 million people worldwide, leading to 6 million deaths. Among the complex symptomatology of COVID-19, hypercoagulation and thrombosis have been described to directly contribute to lethality, pointing out platelets as an important SARS-CoV-2 target. In this work, we explored the platelet proteome of COVID-19 patients through a label-free shotgun proteomics approach to identify platelet responses to infection, as well as validation experiments in a larger patient cohort. Exclusively detected proteins (EPs) and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in the proteomic dataset and thus classified into biological processes to map pathways correlated with pathogenesis. Significant changes in the expression of proteins related to platelet activation, cell death, and antiviral response through interferon type-I were found in all patients. Since the outcome of COVID-19 varies highly among individuals, we also performed a cross-comparison of proteins found in survivors and nonsurvivors. Proteins belonging to the translation pathway were strongly highlighted in the nonsurvivor group. Moreover, the SARS-CoV-2 genome was fully sequenced in platelets from five patients, indicating viral internalization and preprocessing, with CD147 as a potential entry route. In summary, platelets play a significant role in COVID-19 pathogenesis via platelet activation, antiviral response, and disease severity.

IntroductionInfluenza A virus (IAV) is one of the leading causes of respiratory tract infections in humans, representing a major public health concern. The various types of cell death have a crucial role in IAV pathogenesis because this virus may trigger both apoptosis and necroptosis in airway epithelial cells in parallel. Macrophages play an important role in the clearance of virus particles, priming the adaptive immune response in influenza. However, the contribution of macrophage death to pathogenesis of IAV infection remains unclear.MethodsIn this work, we investigated IAV-induced macrophage death, along with potential therapeutic intervention. We conducted in vitro and in vivo experiments to evaluate the mechanism and the contribution of macrophages death to the inflammatory response induced by IAV infection.ResultsWe found that IAV or its surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) triggers inflammatory programmed cell death in human and murine macrophages in a Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4)- and TNF-dependent manner. Anti-TNF treatment in vivo with the clinically approved drug etanercept prevented the engagement of the necroptotic loop and mouse mortality. Etanercept impaired the IAV-induced proinflammatory cytokine storm and lung injury.ConclusionIn summary, we demonstrated a positive feedback loop of events that led to necroptosis and exacerbated inflammation in IAV-infected macrophages. Our results highlight an additional mechanism involved in severe influenza that could be attenuated with clinically available therapies.

Dairy cattle systems have targeted improvements in feed efficiency by selecting animals that can convert less feed into more products. Residual feed intake (RFI) has been the index of choice when selecting dairy cattle for feed efficiency. Nonetheless, RFI studies have focused on lactating cows, and the crucial importance of pre-weaning efficiency on farm profitability and cow productivity has been mostly neglected. This review discusses the current knowledge of how RFI divergence relates to nutrient metabolism in pre-weaning dairy calves, including the advantages and limitations of evaluating RFI in this phase. Existing literature indicates that nutrient utilization, energy metabolism, protein metabolism, vitamin metabolism, intestinal development, and hindgut bacterial populations may be implicated in RFI divergence between pre-weaning calves. Techniques developed to date to evaluate RFI in this phase are still evolving to better adapt to the unique characteristics of this phase, and more research is needed to fill in the gaps in our current understanding of early-life feed efficiency divergence in cattle. However, current results suggest great potential for selecting high-efficiency calves while in pre-weaning to accelerate the progress of genetic selection in dairy cattle.

Reactive dairy cows are more susceptible to stress, and this may result in negative effects on milk yield and quality. The aims of this study were to investigate the relationships between temperament traits and concentration of milk cortisol and oxytocin, milk yield, milkability, and milk quality in Holstein-Gyr cows. Temperament traits were assessed in 76 Holstein-Gyr cows in the milking parlor (by scoring milking reactivity and recording the numbers of steps and kicks during pre-milking udder preparation and when fitting the milking cluster) and during handling in the corral (by measuring the time to enter in the squeeze chute, ET and flight speed, FS). Milk samples were collected for milk quality (% fat, % protein, % lactose, and somatic cell count, SCC), and milk cortisol and oxytocin. Milk yield, milking time, and average flow were also measured. The calmer cows during milking management (class 'low') produced milk with higher protein (p = 0.028) content and tendencies for lower fat (p = 0.056) and higher lactose (p = 0.055) contents. Regarding the hormones, the most reactive cows (class 'high') in the milking and handling corral produced milk with higher concentrations of cortisol (p

ABSTRACT We aimed to evaluate the effects of the addition of oregano (Origanum vulgare) or green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) extracts (separately and associated) on feed intake, milk production, and hematological and antioxidant profiles of dairy cows. For that purpose, 16 Holstein and 16 Holstein-Gyr cows with 526.3±10.2 kg and within the first third of lactation were distributed according to a complete block design with measurements repeated in time. Treatments were control (CON), addition of 0.056% of oregano extract (OR), addition of 0.028% of green tea extract (GT), addition of a mixture of OR and GT extract (0.056% each) in the diet (MIX). Hematological and antioxidant profiles were monitored. Data were subjected to ANOVA, with block, treatment, days, and their interactions considered as fixed effects and animal and the residue as random effects. In Holstein cows, GT increased feed intake and milk yield compared with CON; in Holstein-Gyr crossbred cows, OR showed increased intake and GT increased milk yield compared with CON. Compared with CON, GT and OR decreased eosinophils concentration; OR showed the highest neutrophils concentration and neutrophils to leukocyte ratio. Compared with CON, OR presented increased catalase (CAT) activity, while GT increased the reduced glutathione concentration. The MIX treatment reduced CAT activity compared with OR, presented the lowest concentration of oxidized dichlorofluorescein in the erythrocytes (DCFER) and plasma (DCFPLA), and increased eosinophils concentration compared with GT and OR. Extracts differently affected feed intake and milk yield depending on genetic group. Feeding green tea and oregano extracts separately or associated distinctly affects the antioxidant indicators of lactating dairy cows.

Ruminants digest plant biomass more efficiently than monogastric animals due to their symbiotic relationship with a complex microbiota residing in the rumen environment. What remains unclear is the relationship between the rumen microbial taxonomic and functional composition and feed efficiency (FE), especially in crossbred dairy cattle (Holstein x Gyr) raised under tropical conditions. In this study, we selected twenty-two F1 Holstein x Gyr heifers and grouped them according to their residual feed intake (RFI) ranking, high efficiency (HE) (n = 11) and low efficiency (LE) (n = 11), to investigate the effect of FE on the rumen microbial taxa and their functions. Rumen fluids were collected using a stomach tube apparatus and analyzed using amplicon sequencing targeting the 16S (bacteria and archaea) and 18S (protozoa) rRNA genes. Alpha-diversity and beta-diversity analysis revealed no significant difference in the rumen microbiota between the HE and LE animals. Multivariate analysis (sPLS-DA) showed a clear separation of two clusters in bacterial taxonomic profiles related to each FE group, but in archaeal and protozoal profiles, the clusters overlapped. The sPLS-DA also revealed a clear separation in functional profiles for bacteria, archaea, and protozoa between the HE and LE animals. Microbial taxa were differently related to HE (e.g., Howardella and Shuttleworthia) and LE animals (e.g., Eremoplastron and Methanobrevibacter), and predicted functions were significatively different for each FE group (e.g., K03395—signaling and cellular process was strongly related to HE animals, and K13643—genetic information processing was related to LE animals). This study demonstrates that differences in the rumen microbiome relative to FE ranking are not directly observed from diversity indices (Faith’s Phylogenetic Diversity, Pielou’s Evenness, Shannon’s diversity, weighted UniFrac distance, Jaccard index, and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity), but from targeted identification of specific taxa and microbial functions characterizing each FE group. These results shed light on the role of rumen microbial taxonomic and functional profiles in crossbred Holstein × Gyr dairy cattle raised in tropical conditions, creating the possibility of using the microbial signature of the HE group as a biological tool for the development of biomarkers that improve FE in ruminants.

Summary: Floating photovoltaic (FPV) plants present several benefits in comparison with ground-mounted photovoltaics (PVs) and could have major positive environmental and technical impacts globally. FPVs do not occupy habitable and productive areas and can be deployed in degraded environments and reduce land-use conflicts. Saving water through mitigating evaporation and improving water security in arid regions combined with the flexibility for deployment on different water bodies including drinking water reservoirs are other advantages of FPVs. They also have higher efficiency than ground-mounted PV solar and are compatible with the existing hydropower infrastructures, which supports diversifying the energy supply and its resilience. Despite the notable growth of FPVs on an international scale, lack of supporting policies and development roadmaps by the governments could hinder FPVs’ sustainable growth. Long-term reliability of the floating structures is also one of the existing concerns that if not answered could limit the expansion of this emerging technology.

Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. The infection is usually symptomatic and most common symptoms are fever accompanied by joint pain and swelling. In most cases symptoms subside within a week. However, severe prolonged and disabling joint pain, that may persist for several months, even years, are reported. Although the pathogenesis of Chikungunya infection is not fully understood, the evolution to severe disease seems to be associated with the activation of immune mechanisms and the action of inflammatory mediators. Platelets are recognized as inflammatory cells with fundamental activities in the immune response, maintenance of vascular stability and pathogenicity of several inflammatory and infectious diseases. Although the involvement of platelets in the pathogenesis of viral diseases has gained attention in recent years, their activation in Chikungunya has not been explored. The aim of this study was to analyze platelet activation and the possible role of platelets in the amplification of the inflammatory response during Chikungunya infection. We prospectively included 132 patients attended at the Quinta D’Or hospital and 25 healthy volunteers during the 2016 epidemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We observed increased expression of CD62P on the surface of platelets, as well as increased plasma levels of CD62P and platelet-derived inflammatory mediators indicating that the Chikungunya infection leads to platelet activation. In addition, platelets from chikungunya patients exhibit increased expression of NLRP3, caspase 4, and cleaved IL-1β, suggestive of platelet-inflammasome engagement during chikungunya infection. In vitro experiments confirmed that the Chikungunya virus directly activates platelets. Moreover, we observed that platelet activation and soluble p-selectin at the onset of symptoms were associated with development of chronic forms of the disease. Collectively, our data suggest platelet involvement in the immune processes and inflammatory amplification triggered by the infection.

We aimed to determine the energy requirements for maintenance and gain of 18 prepubertal dairy heifers of three breed compositions (BC; Holstein, Gyr, and Holstein × Gyr). Diets were formulated for gains of 0, 400, and 800 g/day, corresponding to 1.0×, 1.5×, and 2.0× maintenance, respectively. Each dairy BC had six animals with an initial body weight (iBW) of 219.8 ± 32 kg, 215.8 ± 33 kg, and 228.3 ± 33 kg for Holstein, Gyr, and Holstein × Gyr, respectively. The experiment was designed as a completely randomized design in a factorial scheme 3 × 3 [three BC and three feeding levels (FL)]. Digestibility and metabolism assays were performed to determine energy losses through feces and urine. Heat production was determined using the continuous measurement of oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and methane emissions in respiration chambers. Energy requirements for maintenance (NEm) were calculated based on the relationship between heat production (HP) and metabolizable energy intake (MEI). The efficiency of use of metabolizable energy for maintenance (km) was obtained from the ratio between NEm and metabolizable energy requirements for maintenance. The net energy requirements for growth (NEg) were estimated from the model RE = β0 × EBW0.75 × EBGβ1, where RE is the retained energy (Mcal/day), EBW is empty body weight (kg0.75), and EBG is the empty body gain (kg/day). The efficiency of use of metabolizable energy for gain (kg) was estimated as the slope of the regression between RE and MEI for gain. Gyr heifers presented NEm 15% lower (98 kcal/kg of BW0.75) than HG crossbred animals. Holstein and crossbred heifers had similar NEm, 102 and 112 kcal/kg of BW0.75, respectively. The km was 0.71, 0.74, and 0.75 for HG, Holstein, and Gyr, respectively. Net energy requirement for gain (NEg) did not differ across BC, and a single equation was fit for all BC: RE = 0.069 × BW0.75 × BGW0.852. A single kg of 0.65 was observed for all three BC. Breed composition affected the energy requirements for maintenance and the energy partition, and those differences should be considered when estimating requirements for Gyr, Holstein × Gyr crossbred, and Holstein heifers.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) transmission occurs even among fully vaccinated individuals; thus, prompt identification of infected patients is central to control viral circulation. Antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) are highly specific, but sensitivity is variable. Discordant RT-qPCR vs. Ag-RDT results are reported, raising the question of whether negative Ag-RDT in positive RT-qPCR samples could imply the absence of infectious viruses. To study the relationship between negative Ag-RDT results with virological, molecular, and serological parameters, we selected a cross-sectional and a follow-up dataset and analyzed virus culture, subgenomic RNA quantification, and sequencing to determine infectious viruses and mutations. We demonstrated that RT-qPCR positive while SARS-CoV-2 Ag-RDT negative discordant results correlate with the absence of infectious virus in nasopharyngeal samples. A decrease in sgRNA detection together with an expected increase in detectable anti-S and anti-N IgGs was also verified in these samples. The data clearly demonstrate that a negative Ag-RDT sample is less likely to harbor infectious SARS-CoV-2 and, consequently, has a lower transmissible potential.

Traditional medicine shows several treatment protocols for COVID-19 based on natural products, revealing its potential as a possible source of anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Ampelozizyphus amazonicus is popularly used in the Brazilian Amazon as a fortifier and tonic, and recently, it has been reported to relieve COVID-19 symptoms. This work aimed to investigate the antiviral potential of A. amazonicus, focusing on the inhibition of spike and ACE2 receptor interaction, a key step in successful infection. Although saponins are the major compounds of this plant and often reported as its active principles, a polyphenol-rich extract was the best inhibitor of the spike and ACE2 interaction. Chemical characterization of A. amazonicus bark extracts by LC-DAD-APCI-MS/MS before and after clean-up steps for polyphenol removal showed that the latter play an essential role in maintaining this activity. The effects of the extracts on viral replication were also assessed, and all samples (aqueous and ethanol extracts) demonstrated in vitro activity, inhibiting viral titers in the supernatant of Calu-3 cells after 24 hpi. By acting both in the SARS-CoV-2 cell entry process and its replication, A. amazonicus bark extracts stand out as a multitarget agent, highlighting the species as a promising candidate in the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.

ABSTRACT Objective: Post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a common metabolic complication after liver transplant that negatively affects a recipient's survival and graft function. This study aims to identify risk factors associated with diabetes after liver transplant. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted from September to November 2019. Data collection was performed by chart review, and patients were divided into 3 groups: patients without diabetes mellitus (DM), patients with pre-transplant diabetes mellitus, and patients with PTDM. Results: Two hundred and forty-seven patients’ medical charts were screened, and 207 patients were included: 107 without DM, 42 with pre-transplant DM, and 58 with PTDM. The leading cause for liver transplant was hepatitis C, followed by hepatocellular carcinoma secondary to alcohol. There was a higher exposure to tacrolimus in patients without DM ( P = 0.02) and to ciclosporin in patients with pre-transplant DM, compared to others ( P = 0.005). Microscopic interface inflammatory activity was more severe in patients without DM as well as those with PTDM ( P = 0.032). There was a higher prevalence of steatosis in recipients with pre-transplant DM than there was in others ( P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression identified the following independent risk factors for DM: cirrhosis due to alcohol, hepatitis C, and triglycerides. For PTDM, these independent risk factors were cirrhosis due to alcohol, hepatitis C, and prednisone exposure. Conclusion: Alcoholic cirrhosis is a risk factor for PTDM in liver recipients. Liver transplant recipients with a pre-transplant history of cirrhosis due to alcohol, hepatitis C, and prednisone exposure deserve more caution during PTDM screening.

A Leishmaniose Tegumentar é uma doença infecciosa, não contagiosa, causada por diferentes espécies do protozoário Leishmania sp. O acometimento em mucosas é menos frequente e ocorre, principalmente, nas vias aéreas superiores. No entanto, há relatos de lesões genitais, sobretudo em formas graves e imunossuprimidos, como na coinfecção pelo HIV. Paciente, 48 anos, sexo feminino, vivendo com HIV desde 1997, em uso irregular de terapia antirretroviral (TARV), iniciou com úlcera em mucosa genital, na região de pequenos lábios, em dezembro/2020. Foi primeiro tratada para herpes simples com aciclovir, sem melhora. Em 21/12/20 foi realizada uma biópsia de mucosa que evidenciou a presença de amastigotas de Leishmania spp. e, por isso, iniciado tratamento com Antimoniato de Meglumina (Glucantime®) por 30 dias, sem melhora. Na época, apresentava contagem de LT CD4+ de 524 células/µL e carga viral (CV) de 249 cópias/mL. Comparece à primeira consulta ambulatorial no Hospital de Doenças Tropicais Anuar Auad de Goiás em 09/03/21, com lesão progressiva, onde foi colhido uma nova biópsia da mucosa, evidenciando a espécie Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Informa que em 2019 apresentou lesão semelhante, optado por exérese desta e, na época, apresentava LT CD4+ de 557 células/µL e CV de 365 cópias/mL. Foi iniciado, em 01/04/2021, tratamento com Anfotericina B Lipossomal, sem melhora. Nova contagem de LT CD4+ de 522 células/µL e CV de 1.254 cópias/mL em 05/05/2021 e, no dia 28/06/2021, paciente retorna ao hospital com aumento considerável da lesão. Visto isso, foi proposto um terceiro tratamento, combinando Anfotericina B Lipossomal, Antimoniato de Meglumina e Pentoxifilina, evoluindo com melhora da lesão e início do processo de cicatrização, porém retirados antes do prazo proposto devido a aumento de amilase e queixas de mialgia e artralgia. Na coinfecção HIV/LT, devido morfologias e localizações atípicas, o diagnóstico pode ser tardio, sendo necessário considerar a Leishmaniose entre as doenças oportunistas. Instituir o tratamento adequado é fundamental, neste caso, foi iniciado primeiramente o Antimoniato de Meglumina e, posteriormente, antes do prazo de 180 dias de cicatrização, o tratamento de escolha com Anfotericina B. Ainda, a paciente nunca apresentou CV indetectável, provavelmente influenciando na piora da lesão. Portanto, o uso regular da TARV é essencial para supressão virológica e prevenção de complicações e recidivas.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the association between the acceptance on the part of the patients and their reasons to consent to or refuse medical student attendance during gynecological outpatient care, considering the participants’ demographic characteristics, consultation experience, and gender bias or lack thereof. Methods Face-to-face interviews with patients waiting for gynecological consultations that had been scheduled in advance at Hospital Universitário de Brasília. Contingency analyses were used to determine the levels of association among the patient variables. The accepted significance level was values of p

This perspective paper elaborates on how the burden of environmental issues on public health and the economy led China’s government to declare its revised environmental policies or “war on pollution”. It explains the importance of photovoltaic solar (PV), electric vehicles (EV), and carbon capture and storage (CCS) in helping China to mitigate its environmental concerns while maintaining economic growth. China already leads PV solar and EV manufacturing; however, it has not made a tangible contribution to CCS technology yet. On the other hand, CCS is far behind its envisaged role in contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and supporting countries to meet their net carbon zero targets. China’s existing coal power plants are good candidates to be retrofitted with CCS. Similar to PV and EV technologies, China could influence this technology globally, by reducing the uncertainties, demonstrating the viability, and driving the costs lower. China’s revised policies have been effective and shown global impacts, but their implementations remain as strong as the political will behind them.

Twelve multiparous 7/8 Holstein x Gyr dairy cows were fed diets based on chopped sugarcane supplied in natura (control) or after being hydrolyzed (fresh matter basis) for 24 h with 0.5%, 1% or 2% calcium oxide (CaO). The voluntary consumption and digestibility of dietary nutrients, milk production and composition, and feeding behavior of cows were evaluated. A switchback design with three periods, four treatments and three blocks was used. The linear and quadratic effects of the treatments were analyzed using orthogonal contrasts, and the effects were considered significant when P ? 0.05. Compared to the that in the control treatment, the Ca concentration increased by 297%, 570% and 1,083% in the diets including sugarcane hydrolyzed with 0.5%, 1% and 2% CaO, respectively, while the respective Ca:P ratios were 6.58:1, 10.70:1 and 19.77:1 (control Ca:P ratio: 1.55:1). The hydrolysis of sugarcane with increasing amounts of CaO promoted a linear reduction (P < 0.01) in the intake of dry matter (DM), nonfibrous carbohydrates, crude protein (CP), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (NDFap) and ether extract. The intake of total digestible nutrients, acid detergent fiber (ADF), lignin, hemicelluloses and cellulose presented quadratic behavior (P < 0.01) in response to increasing CaO concentrations used for sugarcane hydrolysis. Increases in the amount of CaO used for sugarcane hydrolysis had no effect on the digestibility of NDFap (P > 0.05), but there were linear reductions (P < 0.05) in the digestibility of DM, OM and ADF; the production of milk corrected or not corrected to 4% fat; and the content of protein, lactose and total solids. Linear reductions (P < 0.05) were also observed in the production of all milk components. Only the milk fat content was not altered (P > 0.05) in response to the inclusion of hydrolyzed sugarcane in the diets. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of sugarcane hydrolysis with increasing amounts of CaO on the time the cows spent idle, ruminating and feeding, but there was a linear increase (P < 0.05) in the minutes spent ruminating 1 kg of DM and NDF. Chopped sugarcane hydrolyzed for 24 h with 0.5% to 2.0% CaO should not be used as exclusive roughage in diets for Holstein x Gyr dairy cows with an average milk production of 10 kg day?1.

Due to the high acid, oxygen and water contents of fast pyrolysis oil, it requires the improvement of its fuel properties by further upgrading, such as catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). In this study, Nb2O5 was evaluated as a support of Pd-based catalysts for HDO of fast pyrolysis oil. A Pd/SiO2 catalyst was used as a reference. Additionally, the impact of iron as a promoter in two different loadings was investigated. The activity of the synthesized catalysts was evaluated in terms of H2 uptake and composition of the upgraded products (gas phase, upgraded oil and aqueous phase) through elemental analysis, Karl Fischer titration, GC-MS/FID and 1H-NMR. In comparison to SiO2, due to its acid sites, Nb2O5 enhanced the catalyst activity towards hydrogenolysis and hydrogenation, confirmed by the increased water formation during HDO and a higher content of hydrogen and aliphatic protons in the upgraded oil. Consequently, the upgraded oil with Nb2O5 had a lower average molecular weight and was therefore less viscous than the oil obtained with SiO2. When applied as a promoter, Fe enhanced hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis, although it slightly decreased the acidity of the support, owing to its oxophilic nature, leading to the highest deoxygenation degree (42.5 wt.%) and the highest product HHV (28.2 MJ/kg).

Nine non-lactating Holstein x Gyr cattle were fed with rations based on chopped sugarcane supplied in natura (control) or hydrolyzed (fresh matter basis) for 24 h with 1% or 2% calcium oxide (CaO), which corresponds to 3.1% or 6.2% CaO on a dry matter (DM) basis, respectively. Ruminal parameters (pH and ammonia N, acetate, propionate and butyrate concentrations) as well as the kinetics of fluid and particulate passage in the gastrointestinal tract from cattle were evaluated. A design using three 3 x 3 contemporaneous Latin Squares (LS) was adopted. The studies of kinetics of fluid and particulate passage were performed using the external markers cobalt-EDTA and chromium-mordanted-NDF, respectively. The ruminal parameters were analyzed according to a 3 x 3 LS replicated three times with repeated measures in time using mixed models that included the fixed effects of treatment (level of CaO), time of sampling and their interaction and the following random effects: LS, animal(LS), period of LS and period*animal (LS). The kinetic parameters of fluid and particulate passage were analyzed using mixed models with treatment as a fixed effect and period of LS, animal(LS) and LS as random effects. The linear and quadratic effects of the treatments were analyzed using orthogonal contrasts. Significant differences were declared at P ? 0.05. No treatment*time interaction was observed (P > 0.05) for any ruminal parameter. A linear effect (P = 0.0279) of CaO inclusion on ruminal pH was observed, but there were no effects (P > 0.05) of the treatments on the ammonia N, acetate, butyrate and total volatile fatty acid ruminal concentrations. There was a quadratic effect (P = 0.05) of the addition of CaO on the ruminal propionate concentration. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of the treatments on the particulate rate of passage in the rumen as well as on the mean retention time in this compartment and in the total gastrointestinal tract. On the other hand, the addition of CaO to sugarcane promoted a linear increase (P = 0.0258) in the particulate post-ruminal passage rate and, consequently, a linear reduction (P = 0.0363) of the mean retention time in the cecum-proximal colon. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of the sugarcane hydrolysis with CaO on the ruminal parameters of the kinetics of fluid passage (dilution rate, retention time and turnover rate). The addition of 3.1% or 6.2% CaO on a DM basis (1% or 2% CaO on a fresh matter basis, respectively) of sugarcane does not improve ruminal fermentation, nor does it increase the fluid or particulate passage in the rumen of non-lactating Holstein x Gyr cattle.

The terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) has become standard technology for vegetation dynamics monitoring. TLS time series have significant underlying application in investigating structural development and dynamics on a daily and seasonal scale. However, the high potential of TLS for the monitoring of long-term temporal phenomena in fully grown trees with high spatial and temporal resolution has not yet been fully explored. Automated TLS platforms for long-term data collection and monitoring of forest dynamics are rare; and long-term TLS time series data is not yet readily available to potential end-user, such as forestry researchers and plant biologists. This work presents an automated and permanent TLS measurement station that collects high frequency and high spatial resolution TLS time series, aiming to monitor short- and long-term phenological changes at a boreal forestry field station (0.006° angular resolution, one scan per hour). The measurement station is the first of its kind considering the scope, accuracy, and length of the time series it produces. The TLS measurement station provides a unique dataset to monitor the 3D physical structure of a boreal forest, enabling new insights into forest dynamics. For instance, the information collected by the TLS station can be used to accurately detect structural changes in tree crowns surrounding the station. These changes and their timing can be linked with the phenological state of plants, such as the start of leaf-out during spring growing season. As the first results of this novel station, we present time series data products collected with the station and what detailed information it provides about the phenological changes in the test site during the leaf sprout in spring.

The aim of this study was to evaluate how the inclusion of a blend of essential oils in milk replacer (MR) affects different outcomes of dairy heifers. The outcomes evaluated: feed intake, performance, body development, blood cells and metabolites, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), rumen fermentation, fecal scores, and respiratory scores. All outcomes were evaluated during pre-weaning (4-60 d of age), and carry-over effects during post-weaning (61-90 d of age) periods. The experimental units utilized were 29 newborn Holstein × Gyr crossbred dairy heifers, with genetic composition of 5/8 or more Holstein and 3/8 or less Gyr and body weight (BW) at birth of 32.2 ± 5.2 kg. Experimental units were assigned to either a control (CON, n = 15) or a blend of essential oil supplementation (BEO, n = 14) treatment, maintaining a balance of genetic composition. The BEO was supplemented in the MR with 1 g/d/calf of a blend of essential oils (Apex Calf, Adisseo, China) composed by plant extracts derived from anise, cinnamon, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. During the pre-weaning phase, all heifers were fed 5 L of MR/d reconstituted to 15% (dry matter basis), divided into two equal meals. Water and starter were provided ad libitum. During the post-weaning, animals received a maximum of 3 kg of starter/d, and ad libitum corn silage, divided into two meals. Feed intake, fecal and respiratory scores were evaluated daily. The BW was measured every three days, while body development was recorded weekly. Blood samples were collected on 0, 30, and 60 d of age for total blood cell count, weekly and on the weaning day to determinate ß-hydroxybutyrate, urea and glucose, and biweekly for IGF-1. Ruminal parameters (pH, volatile fatty acids, ammonia-N, and acetate:propionate proportion-C2:C3) were measured on days 14, 28, 42, 60, 74 and 90. A randomized complete block design with an interaction between treatment and week was the experimental method of choice to test the hypothesis of the BEO's effect on all outcomes. An ANOVA procedure was used for continuous outcomes, and a non-parametric test was used for the ordered categorical outcomes, both adopting a CI = 95%. Results indicated that there was not enough evidence to accept the alternative hypothesis of the effect of BEO in MR on feed intake, performance, body development, and blood metabolites during both pre-weaning and post-weaning periods. However, results indicated that the inclusion of BEO in MR significantly affects the proportion of C2:C3 during pre- and post-weaning (P = 0.05). Similarly, the effect was significant for basophil (P ≤ 0.001), and platelet (P = 0.04) counts pre-weaning. The interaction between week and treatment was also significant for lymphocytes (P ≤ 0.001), revealing a cumulative effect. Lastly, fecal scores were also significant (P = 0.04) during pre-weaning, with lower values for BEO. The BEO contributed to ruminal manipulation in pre-weaning and carry-over effects in post-weaning, immunity improvement, and decreased morbidity of neonatal diarrhea in the pre-weaning phase.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the physical form of starter and inclusion of hay in the diet of preweaning dairy calves on performance, digestibility, ruminal development, and mRNA expression of genes involved in ruminal metabolism. Holstein × Gyr crossbred male calves (n = 38 1day old) were assigned to 3 treatments for 9 weeks: Control (n = 13; pellet starter with 4 mm diameter and 18 mm length and 4% steam-flaked corn), Ground (n = 12; same starter of the control but ground pass through a 4.0 mm sieve), or Ground plus 5% chopped Tifton hay GH (n = 13). All calves were fed 4 L/d of whole milk up to 63 d of age and were abruptly weaned at 64 d of age. Water and diets were offered ad libitum. Samples of ruminal contents were obtained from all animals at 30, 45, and 60 d of age to evaluate pH, ammonia nitrogen, and volatile fatty acids (VFA). At 55 d of age, an apparent digestibility assay was performed using 18 animals (n = 6/ treatment). At 65 d of age, the 18 animals were euthanized to evaluate the development of the digestive tract. The physical form of starter and the dietary inclusion of hay did not influence starter intake (Control 326 g/d, Ground 314 g/d and GH 365 g/d), daily weight gain (Control 541g/d, Ground 531g/d and GH 606g/d), feed efficiency, apparent nutrient digestibility, energy partitioning, nitrogen balance, ruminal pH, ammonia nitrogen concentration, VFA, the development of the digestive tract and the mRNA expression of genes involved in AGV metabolism.

This study aimed to estimate energy requirements of pregnant Holstein × Gyr cows. Different planes of nutrition were established by two feeding regimens: ad libitum or maintenance. Sixty-two nonlactating cows with average body weight of 480 ± 10.1 kg and an age of 5 ± 0.5 years were used. Cows were divided into three groups: pregnant (n = 44), non-pregnant (n = 12), and baseline reference (n = 6). The 56 pregnant and non-pregnant cows were randomly allocated into a feeding regimen: ad libitum or maintenance. To evaluate the effects of days of pregnancy, pregnant and non-pregnant animals were slaughtered at 140, 200, 240, and 270 days of pregnancy. Energy requirements for maintenance differed between pregnant and non-pregnant cows, thus two equations were developed. Net energy and metabolizable energy requirements for maintenance of non-pregnant cows were 82 kcal/kg empty body weight0.75/day and 132 kcal/kg empty body weight0.75/day, respectively. The efficiency of use of metabolizable energy for maintenance of non-pregnant cows was 62.4%. Net energy and metabolizable energy for maintenance of pregnant cows were 86 kcal/kg empty body weight0.75/day and 137 kcal/kg empty body weight0.75/day, respectively. Efficiency of use of metabolizable energy for maintenance of pregnant cows was 62.5%. The efficiency of use of metabolizable energy for gain was 41.9%. The efficiency of use of metabolizable energy for pregnancy was 14.1%. Furthermore, net energy requirement for pregnancy was different from zero from day 70 of pregnancy onwards. In conclusion, net energy and metabolizable energy requirements for maintenance of non-pregnant cows are different from pregnant cows. Furthermore, we believe that the proposed non-linear equations to estimate net energy requirements for pregnancy are more adequate than current NRC equation, and should be recommended for Holstein × Gyr cows.

The objectives of this study were: i) to classify animals into groups of high and low feed efficiency (FE) using three FE indexes (Residual feed intake (RFI), Residual weight gain (RG) and Feed conversion efficiency (FCE)), and ii) to evaluate whether crossbreed Holstein x Gyr heifers divergent for FE indexes exhibit differences in nutrient intake and digestibility, energy partitioning, heat production, methane emissions, nitrogen partitioning and blood parameters. Thirty-five heifers were housed in a tie-stall, received ad libitum TMR (75:25, corn silage: concentrate) and were ranked and classified into high (HE) or low efficiency (LE) for RFI, RG and FCE. The number of animals for each HE group were 13 (< 0.5 standard deviation (SD) for RFI, 11 for RG and 11 for FCE (> 0.5 SD) and for the LE were 10 (> 0.5 SD) for RFI, 11 for RG and 12 for FCE (< 0.5 SD). Gas exchanges (O2 consumption, CO2 and CH4 production) in open-circuit respiratory chambers and whole tract digestibility trial was performed. A completely randomized experimental design was used and the data were analyzed by ANOVA and correlation study. High efficiency animals for RFI produced less CO2, consumed less O2 and had lower heat production (HP). Methane production was positively correlated with RFI. High efficiency RG had higher O2 consumption and CO2 production in relation to LE-RG. High efficiency FCE had greater NFC digestibility, higher positive energy balance (EB) and excreted (11.4 g/d) less nitrogen in urine. High efficiency RG and FCE groups emitted less CH4 per kg of weight gain than LE animals. Animals HE for RFI and FCE had lower β-hydroxybutyrate and higher glucose concentrations, respectively. The differences in intake, digestibility, energy and nitrogen partition, CH4 emission, blood metabolic variables and heat production between the HE and LE groups varied according to the efficiency indexes adopted. The HP (kcal/d/BW0.75) was lower for HE animals for RFI and FCE indexes.

The objectives of this study were: (1) to identify and rank phenotypically divergent animals for residual feed intake (RFI) regarding their efficiency (high: HE or low: LE); (2) to evaluate their relationships with ingestive behavior, ruminal and blood parameters, performance, and infrared thermography; and (3) to determine if such measurements can be used as feed efficiency markers in rearing dairy heifers. Thirty-eight heifers, 143 d ± 4 (Mean ± SD) of age and 108.7 kg ± 17.9 of body weight were used. The animals were fed with a total mixed ration during the 91 d of the trial. A phenotypic divergence of DMI for RFI was observed between −0.358 and 0.337 kg/d for HE and LE, respectively. Dry matter intake (DMI) was lower in the HE (2.5 kg DMI/d vs. 3.1 kg DMI/d), as was the number of visits to the feed bin with consumption (59 vs. 71). Feed intake was the best predictor of said divergence. Water intake and number of visits to the feed bin were presented moderate correlations with RFI. The ruminal fermentation variables, blood metabolites, blood hormones (such as the other ingestive behavior variables), and infrared thermography were not able to accurately predict HE or LE animals.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of increasing the contents of total solids (TS) in whole milk, by adding increasing amounts of milk replacer powder, on the behavior of dairy heifers. Holstein-Gyr crossbred heifers (n = 60) were distributed in four treatments: 13.5, 16.1, 18.2, and 20.4% TS. From 5 to 55 days of age, heifers received 6 L per day of liquid feed, which was reduced by half from 56 to 59 days. Heifers were weaned at 60 days of age and monitored until 90 days, and their behavior was evaluated weekly. During gradual weaning and after weaning, heifer behavior was recorded 1 hour before and 1 hour after liquid feed was offered, and, during weaning, it was evaluated by the scan method. Heifers fed liquid feed containing 20.4% TS present a higher number of play behaviors, spent less time standing, and spent more time ruminating than those that received liquid feed with 13.5% TS, indicating that a higher nutritional plan during weaning is an effective strategy to reduce stress in this period.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of reducing crude protein (CP) contents in diets with a constant metabolizable protein content on the intake, performance, nitrogen balance, and nutrient digestibility of lactating Holstein-Gyr cows. Animals (n = 24, 103±23 days in milk) were allocated to four treatments (n = 6 per group) with different CP contents: 127, 132, 139, and 156 g kg-1 dry matter (DM). DM intake was not affected by treatments. CP intake and digestibility increased linearly with higher CP contents. Milk yield (23.7±3 kg per day) and the percentages of milk protein (3.3±0.2%) and fat (3.8±0.5%) were not affected by CP reduction. Milk and blood urea nitrogen increased linearly with the increase of CP in the diet, similarly to urinary nitrogen excretion. Nitrogen use efficiency was 29.8 and 22.4% when CP was 127 and 156 g kg-1 DM, respectively. Reducing CP in diets fed to mid-lactating Holstein-Gyr cows increases nitrogen use efficiency and maintains the productive performance of the cows.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to quantify the net requirements for the maintenance (NRm) and growth (NRg), as well as the retention coefficient (RC) of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and magnesium, of Holstein calves. The NRm were 87.8, 20.8, 4.36, 2.21, and 1.01 mg kg-1 of empty body weight for Ca, P, Na, K, and Mg, respectively. The RC was 0.882, 0.473, 0.274, 0.088, and 0.052 for Ca, P, Na, K, and Mg respectively. The requirements of Ca and P of Holstein calves are higher than those estimated for adult animals.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the addition of the methanolic extract of Urochloa humidicola at four different concentrations (0, 75, 150, and 250 g L-1) on the in vitro rumen fermentation of Urochloa brizantha. The following variables were evaluated by the in vitro gas production technique: kinetic parameters; rumen degradation of dry matter; and production and concentration of the methane and carbon dioxide gases and of the acetate, propionate, and butyrate short-chain fatty acids. The addition of the methanolic extract reduces the production of gases generated from the degradation of non-fibrous carbohydrates (fraction A) in 9.55, 6.67, and 13.33%, respectively, at the concentrations of 75, 150, and 250 g L-1, compared with the control group, but it negatively affects the degradation of the dry matter of U. brizantha at the concentrations of 150 and 250 g L-1. The extract shows negative quadratic effect on gas production during 12 and 24 hours of U. brizantha incubation. The extract of U. humidicola reduces methane production and increases short-chain fatty acid production at the concentrations of 75, 150, and 250 g L-1.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of nutritional plans and breed composition on nutrient intake and digestibility, nitrogen balance, and performance of dairy heifers in tropical conditions. Thirty-six heifers - 12 Holstein, 12 Gyr, and 12 Gyrolando F1 (½ Holstein × ½ Gyr) - were housed in a tie-stall system and randomly distributed, adopting a completely randomized design in a 3×3 factorial arrangement (nutritional plans and breed composition). The diets were formulated to enable weight gains of 200, 400, and 800 g per day, corresponding to the nutritional plans 11, 14, and 19 g kg-1 body weight (BW), respectively. The intake of dry matter, fibrous fractions (g kg-1 BW-0.75), and metabolizable energy (kcal-1 BW-0.75) in the 11-g kg-1 plan were greater for Gyr heifers than for Gyrolando and Holstein heifers. Ether extract digestibility was 13.85% higher for Gyr heifers compared with Gyrolando F1 in the 19-g kg-1 plan. The increase in the nutritional plans shows a quadratic response to nutrient intake and a linear response to average daily gain, but does not affect the digestibility coefficients. Gyr and Gyrolando F1 heifers present similar nutritional efficiency to that of Holstein heifers.

The objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate feed efficiency indexes and their relationships with body measurements and blood and ruminal metabolites in the pre-weaning period; (2) to determine if such measurements can be used as feed-efficiency markers during the pre-weaning period. Holstein–Gyr heifer calves (n = 36), enrolled between 4 and 12 weeks of age, were classified into two residual feed intake (RFI) and residual body weight gain (RG) groups: high efficiency (HE; RFI, n = 10; and RG, n = 9), and low efficiency (LE; RFI, n = 10; and RG, n = 8). Calves were fed whole milk (6 L/day) and solid feed ad libitum. Body developments were measured weekly and feed intake (milk and solid feed) daily during the whole period. Blood samples were collected at 12 weeks of age and analyzed for glucose, insulin and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). Samples of ruminal content were collected on the same day and analyzed for pH, NH3-N, and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Among the growth characteristics, only the initial hip width differed between the RFI groups, and withers height differed between the RG groups. Concentration of BHB was greater and glucose: insulin ratios tended to be greater in LE-RG animals. Butyric acid proportions were similar among RFI groups, but tended to be greater for HE-RG than for LE-RG. Overall, correlation coefficients between RFI or RG and blood, rumen, or morphometric markers were low. Thus, it is unlikely that measurements of metabolic indicators, per se, will be useful in the early identification of more efficient animals. Understanding the underlying physiological basis for improved feed efficiency in dairy heifers requires further investigation.

The use of precision farming technologies, such as milking robots, automated calf feeders, wearable sensors, and others, has significantly increased in dairy operations over the last few years. The growing interest in farming technologies to reduce labor, maximize productivity, and increase profitability is becoming noticeable in several countries, including Brazil. Information regarding technology adoption, perception, and effectiveness in dairy farms could shed light on challenges that need to be addressed by scientific research and extension programs. The objective of this study was to characterize Brazilian dairy farms based on technology usage. Factors such as willingness to invest in precision technologies, adoption of sensor systems, farmer profile, farm characteristics, and production indexes were investigated in 378 dairy farms located in Brazil. A survey with 22 questions was developed and distributed via Google Forms from July 2018 to July 2020. The farms were then classified into seven clusters: (1) top yield farms; (2) medium–high yield, medium-tech; (3) medium yield and top high-tech; (4) medium yield and medium-tech; (5) young medium–low yield and low-tech; (6) elderly medium–low yield and low-tech; and (7) low-tech grazing. The most frequent technologies adopted by producers were milk meters systems (31.7%), milking parlor smart gate (14.5%), sensor systems to detect mastitis (8.4%), cow activity meter (7.1%), and body temperature (7.9%). Based on a scale containing numerical values (1–5), producers indicated “available technical support” (mean; σ2) (4.55; 0.80) as the most important decision criterion involved in adopting technology, followed by “return on investment—ROI” (4.48; 0.80), “user-friendliness” (4.39; 0.88), “upfront investment cost” (4.36; 0.81), and “compatibility with farm management software” (4.2; 1.02). The most important factors precluding investment in precision dairy technologies were the need for investment in other sectors of the farm (36%), the uncertainty of ROI (24%), and lack of integration with other farm systems and software (11%). Farmers indicated that the most useful technologies were automatic milk meters systems (mean; σ2) (4.05; 1.66), sensor systems for mastitis detection (4.00; 1.57), automatic feeding systems (3.50; 2.05), cow activity meter (3.45; 1.95), and in-line milk analyzers (3.45; 1.95). Overall, the concerns related to data integration, ROI, and user-friendliness of technologies are similar to those of dairy farms located in other countries. Increasing available technical support for sensing technology can have a positive impact on technology adoption.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of bulk tank milk (BTM), WM, and PWM on the intake, ruminal parameters, blood parameters, health, and performance of dairy calves. Forty-five male crossbred dairy calves (Gyr × Holstein) were used. On their fourth day of age, animals were grouped according to body weight, serum protein levels, and genetic composition. Three treatments were assessed: BTM (n = 15), WM from cows in antibiotic treatment (n = 15), and PWM via high-temperature, short-time pasteurization (72–74 °C for 16 s) (n = 15). During the experimental period (from 4 to 60 d of age), animals were fed 6 L of milk/d, divided into two equal meals. Water and concentrate were provided ad libitum. Daily measurements were made for milk, concentrate, and water intakes, as well as for fecal and respiratory scores. Rumen fluid and blood were sampled weekly. The following parameters were evaluated: volatile fatty acids (VFAs), pH and ammonia-N in rumen fluid, and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and glucose in blood. Animals were weighed at birth, 4 d of age, and weekly up to 60 d of age. At the end of the experimental period (60 ± 1 d), all animals were euthanized for pulmonary evaluation. The randomized complete design with an interaction between treatment and week was the experimental method of choice for testing the hypothesis of the treatment’s effect on all evaluated outcomes. Animals in the BTM treatment had higher milk dry matter intake (DMI), followed by WM and PWM calves. Concentrate DMI was lower for BTM in comparison to WM and PWM calves. However, total DMI showed no significant differences between treatments. The rumen fluid from calves receiving PWM had higher concentrations of acetate and propionate than that of BTM and WM animals. No differences were observed between treatments for blood glucose and BHB concentrations. Health parameters (fecal and respiratory scores) and pneumonia occurrence showed no significant difference between treatments. No differences were observed for average daily gain (ADG) or body growth. Feeding WM and PWM did not show significant negative effects on the intake, ruminal parameters, blood parameters, health, or performance of dairy calves.

The social, economic, and environmental impacts of climate change have been shown to affect poorer populations throughout the world disproportionally, and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 has only exacerbated the use of less sustainable energy, fuel, and chemical sources. The period of economic and social recovery following the pandemic presents an unprecedented opportunity to invest in biorefineries based on the pyrolysis of agricultural residues. These produce a plethora of sustainable resources while also contributing to the economic valorization of first-sector local economies. However, biomass-derived pyrolysis liquid is highly oxygenated, which hinders its long-term stability and usability. Catalytic hydrogenation is a proposed upgrading method to reduce this hindrance, while recent studies on the use of nickel and niobium as low-cost catalysts, both abundant in Brazil, reinforce the potential synergy between different economic sectors within the country. This review gathers state-of-the-art applications of these technologies with the intent to guide the scientific community and lawmakers alike on yet another alternative for energy and commodities production within an environmentally sustainable paradigm.

Seed germination in Melocactus and other cactus species is hampered by dormancy. However, most studies failed to achieve high seed-germination rates, suggesting a complex mechanism of dormancy in Cactaceae. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate whether factors such as light and phytoregulators overcome the dormancy in the seeds of the friar's crown cactus (Melocactus zehntneri). Two consecutive experimental sets were designed: one with seed germination under filter paper conditions and different wavelengths and Photosynthetically Photon Flux Densities (PPFDs); and one in vitro experiment using a culture medium to evaluate the influence of different phytoregulators, such as gibberellic acid (GA3), benzylaminopurine (BAP) and ethephon (ET), both in the germination of seeds of M. zehntneri. Seeds of M. zehntneri are positive photoblastic. Red light and gradual increases in PPFD resulted in the highest germination rates (60.8–61.7%) and germination speed index (4.4–4.5). In vitro seeding in culture media increased the germination percentage to 76% in control without phytoregulators. Ethephon showed a major effect in releasing the germination of dormant seeds of M. zehntneri, totaling 98% of seeds germinated under in vitro conditions, while GA3 and BAP showed minor or no effect on germination. The present study resulted in an efficient in vitro technique for germination and a better understanding of cacti seed dormancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sexual abuse of animals has persisted prehistoric times and is currently studied in the disciplines of history, medicine, psychiatry, veterinary medicine and law. The Portuguese legislation has no explicit reference to sexual contact with animals and the Spanish legislation had recently added “sexual exploitation of animals” which could be interpreted as implying the element of profit. The principal aim of this thesis is to prove that cases of animal sexual abuse in Portugal and Spain are not so infrequent as we may believe. We aim to establish the incidence and frequency of cases of sexual abuse detected by veterinarians in Portugal and Spain and to show that people are actively searching for zoophilic content online in these two countries. An online survey was made and directed to Spanish and Portuguese veterinarians. Our results left no doubt about the existence of such abuses in Portugal and Spain (8.2% of veterinarians in our study had encountered or at least suspected of cases of sexual abuse). Moreover, our analyses via Google Trends proved that people are currently looking for zoophilic content online. With that said, we hope to authenticate the urgent need to change legislation to protect the victims of these abuses and to encourage other investigators to focus on this neglected subject.

The objective of this study was to (a) evaluate the effect of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with soybean cake (SBC) on feeding behavior, rumen fermentation, milk production, nutrient digestibility and CH4 emissions and (b) investigate whether a face-mask technique could be used to predict daily methane (CH4) emissions in dairy cattle. The experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design, with 32 crossbred Holstein × Gyr cows (days in milk (DIM): 112 ± 25.1) randomly assigned to the following treatments (n = 8/group) for 75 days: (1) 0% SBC, (2) 6% SBC, (3) 14% SBC, and (4) 23% SBC, in place of SBM on a dry matter (DM) basis. Across the final 4 weeks of the study, CH4 production was estimated using the proposed face-mask technique subsequent to a respiration chamber measurement for an evaluation of treatment efficacy and face-mask accuracy. There was no effect of SBM replacement by SBC on intake, feeding or drinking behavior (P > 0.21). Total VFA concentration, the individual proportions of VFA and blood metabolites were not altered (P > 0.17) by SBC, however there was a tendency for decreased (P = 0.08) lactate and plasma urea nitrogen (P = 0.07) concentration associated with SBC addition. Fat-corrected milk yield (FCM4%) and composition was not affected (P > 0.27) by SBC; however, there was a tendency for decreased total milk solids (P = 0.07) and milk fat (P = 0.08) associated with 23% SBC treatment. There was no treatment × technique interaction (P > 0.05) effect on gas measurements. A maximum reduction (P = 0.01) in CH4 yield (g/kg DM) and intensity (g/kg milk) of 11 and 20%, respectively, was observed for the 14% SBC inclusion. Compared to the week of mask measurements, chambers decreased (P = 0.01) intake (kg/d, %BW) and increased (P = 0.05) FCM4%. The face-mask method over estimated O2 consumption by 5%. The face-mask method accurately predicted daily CH4 emissions when compared to the chamber at the same time-point. However, there was a linear bias of CH4 outputs so further evaluation of the calculation of total CH4 from a spot measurement is required.

The objectives of this study were: 1) to classify animals into groups of high and low feed efficiency using two feed efficiency indexes (Residual feed intake (RFI) and residual feed intake and body weight gain (RIG)), and 2) to evaluate if pre-weaning heifer calves divergent for feed efficiency indexes exhibit differences in performance, body measurements, digestibility, energy partitioning, and nitrogen partitioning. A total of 32 Gyr heifer calves were enrolled in a 63-d trial and classified into two feed efficiency (FE) groups based on RFI and RIG (mean ± 0.5 SD). The groups were classified as high efficiency (HE) RFI (HE RFI, n = 9; HE RIG, n = 10), and low efficiency (LE) RFI (LE RFI, n = 10; LE RIG, n = 11). The remaining animals were classified as intermediate (n = 13 (RFI) and n = 11 (RIG)). HE and LE calves had RFI values of-0.052 and 0.049 kg/d (P < 0.05), respectively. The HE RFI group consumed 8.9% less solid diet than the LE RFI group. HE RFI animals exhibited an increased digestibility of crude protein and ether extract and tended to have greater total dry and organic matter digestibility. LE RFI animals had greater gross energy and nitrogen intake, though greater fecal losses resulted in a tendency to reduce energy and nitrogen use efficiency. HE and LE calves had RIG values of 0.080 and -0.077kg/d (P ≤ 0.01), respectively. HE RIG animals exhibited greater average daily gain (9.4%), body weight (BW), and heart girth, though HE RIG group exhibited narrower hip width. HE RIG animals tended to have greater ether extract digestibility but greater methane losses (% of gross energy). HE RFI in pre-weaning heifers seems to be related to differences in digestibility. Divergent animals for RIG during the assessed phase appear to differ in body measurements, which may be related to differences in the composition of the gain.