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Water is the wonder of nature which is an essential source of nutrient for all forms of life. It helps in proper digestion, energy metabolism, transport of nutrients and metabolites, cellular functions, and excretion of waste materials from our body and animals. Furthermore, water plays a vital role in body thermoregulatory and electrolyte health, and performance the fluidity and cushioning environment for the developing fetus in the human and animals. The quality of water determines the health and productivity of milk and their quality, as it causes bioaccumulation of water solutes in the milk and body tissues. Therefore, its quality has to be good for optimum health, and performance of dairy cattle. The high-altitude environments have limited surface and groundwater resources and more dependent on snow precipitations, very deep bore well groundwater, and mountain river. Recently, quality of high-altitude water resources has become questionable due to more environmental pollution, climate change, and high anthropogenic activities at high altitude. Therefore, there is a continuous requirement to monitor water quality, dairy product quality, and cattle health for prevention and control of waterborne diseases. This review reveals the water quality and the probable effects on the health performance of dairy cattle with a particular emphasis on high-altitude regions. From this review, it can be concluded that global warming and an increase in tourists at high-altitude regions have caused deterioration of water quality, which may affect the health, reproduction, and production of quality dairy products. This may lead to bioaccumulation of some toxic molecules and metals into higher food chain and affecting public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ladakh is the cold-desert high-altitude region located in the Trans-Himalayan region of India. This region is characterized by very harsh environmental conditions with hypobaric hypoxia-induced oxidative stress in domestic animals. In these circumstances this study has been carried out to analyze the effects of different seasons and high altitude stress on serum and milk antioxidant status of cow to monitor health and milk production. A total of 140 clinically healthy lactating Jersey cross-bred cows were used for the sample collection in the two successive season's viz. summer and winter. Blood lipid peroxidation was significantly (p < 0.05) higher during the winter season. Whereas, the blood and milk antioxidant capacity was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the winter season as compared to the summer season. Milk production showed significant (p < 0.05) higher in the summer seasons than the winter season. This study indicated unfavourable THI for dairy cattle which caused stress to Jersey crossbred cows. This physiological status was attributed to changes in antioxidant status in studied animals. This is also supported by the antioxidant capacity of milk samples. Hence, microenvironment management should be given utmost importance for the better cattle health management in this region for the better production level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ladakh is an important part of the Trans‐Himalayan region located between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south in the state of Jammu and Kashmir of India. The local cattle from Leh and Ladakh region, known as “Ladakhi cattle” is a unique germplasm having an excellent adaptation potential to high altitude hypobaric stress. In the present study, an effort was made to evaluate the transcriptional pattern of hypoxia inducing factor‐1 (HIF‐1) and several of its regulated genes in PBMCs of local Ladakhi cattle, Holstein Frisian crosses, Jersey (exotic) maintained at high altitude region and Sahiwal (Bos indicus) and Karan Fries (cross bred) cattle maintained in tropical environment. The combined data set indicated increased expression of HIF‐1 and its regulated genes viz., glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and hexokinase (HK2) in high altitude cattle indicating their importance in maintaining cellular homeostasis during high altitude hypoxia. The data indicated that hypoxia associated genes accumulated under hypoxic conditions are part of an essential adaptive component for adaptation to the high altitude of the trans‐Himalayan region. In contrary, higher expression of molecular chaperons’ viz., HSP70 and HSP90 in tropically adapted cattle give tolerance to high ambient temperature prevalent in tropical condition. In conclusion, HIF‐1 and its regulatory genes could be termed as important candidates for producing homeostatic responses to hypoxia in cattle populations reared in higher altitudes of the Trans‐Himalayan region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ponies have immense relevance for logistic support for civil population and troops in hilly and high altitude areas. There is no information on specific biomarkers of endurance performance under high altitude stress condition, which could be supportive in the identification of elite ponies for deployment at high altitude. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the physiological responses, hematological, biochemical, metabolic, and antioxidant biomarker during endurance exercise in ponies at high altitude. For this study, total 5 mares were put on endurance exercise at 4-6 m/sec speed for 30 min on 30 m track situated at 3,500 m altitude for 28 days period. The result showed a significant change in physiological responses, and some hematological, biochemical, metabolic and antioxidant parameters viz. glutathione peroxidase, creatinine kinase-MB, lactic acid, total protein, glucose, hexokinase, cortisol, and interleukin-6 level at different phase of endurance exercise. In conclusion, this study showed the alteration in physiological responses and some hematological and physio-biochemical metabolic parameters during the endurance exercise. Hence, these parameters could be considered as biomarkers for evaluation of endurance performance in ponies at high altitude before putting them under load carrying deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme climatic conditions and hypobaric hypoxia at high altitude hinders the growth and productivity of chickens. The present study was carried out to examine the effect of aqueous extract of Prunus armeniaca seeds on health, survivability, antioxidants, plasma biochemical parameters, and immune status of broiler chickens at high altitude. Phytochemical analysis of extract revealed the presence of high phenolics, flavonoids, and carotenoids contents. Before the in vivo study, in vitro efficacy evaluation indicated a significant protective effect of the extract in chicken peripheral blood lymphocytes. For in vivo study, experimental groups include control (fed the basal diet), and treatment T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 which received an aqueous extract of P. armeniaca in drinking water at concentrations of 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, and 800 mg/kg body weight of chicken respectively, along with basal diet for 42 days. Body weight was significantly increased in all treatment groups as compared to control group and the highest body weight was recorded in T3 group. Higher profit was gained in treatment groups due to lesser mortality in chickens. Moreover, chicken in the treatment groups had significantly higher total antioxidant capacity, free radical scavenging activity, interleukin-2, total protein, albumin, globulin level and lower malondialdehyde, interleukin-6, glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, ALT and AST level as compared to control group. Results suggest that, P. armeniaca extract at 200 mg/kg body weight of chicken, exhibited the beneficial effect on growth performance and survivability rate of broilers and therefore, could be useful as phytogenic feed additive for broiler chickens at high altitude cold desert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extremes of climate and hypobaric hypoxia cause poor growth performance in broiler chickens at high altitude. The current study was designed to investigate the effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of Rhodiola imbricata on antioxidant, cytokines, blood biochemical and growth performance of broilers at high altitude (3500 m). For invivo study, one day-old broiler chicks of average initial body weight 36.40±0.42 g were randomly assigned to seven groups in three replicates (10 chicks in each replicate) as per completely randomized design. Experimental groups included control (fed basal diet), and treatment T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 which received hydro-alcoholic extract of Rhodiola imbricata in drinking water @ 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, and 800 mg/kg body weight of chicken respectively, along with basal diet. Blood samples were collected at 0, 21st, and 42nd day. HPLC analysis of extract revealed the presence of salidroside and p-tyrosol. As a result of this study, birds in T5 group had significantly higher body weight as compared to other groups. Furthermore, they had significantly higher total antioxidant capacity, free radical scavenging activity, interleukin-2, total protein, globulin, HDL level and lower malondialdehyde, interleukin-6, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, glucose, A/G, ALT, AST level as compared to control group. Our results suggest that, Rhodiola imbricata extract @ 400 mg/kg body weight of chicken, exhibited beneficial effect on growth performance and therefore, can be used as a phytogenic feed additive for broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment is usually attributed as the major climatic factor affecting animal health and production system in all agro-climatic zones. There are various environmental components viz. temperature, radiation, snowfall, wind, precipitation, humidity etc. that impact animal health and productivity. Ladakh is a remote and difficult terrain of India for studying the impact of climate change on livestock production. This area is situated at high altitude, which varies from 10,000 to 12,000 feet from mean sea level (MSL) and temperature range is 35° to –35°C. The atmospheric oxygen pressure is 30% short of MSL. Therefore, this region exhibits hypobaric-hypoxia, extreme cold and dry-arid climate for most of the year, which restrict the growth and productivity of the different livestock populations, including dairy cattle. However, demands are very high for milk and milk products by local people, Indian troops deployed in this region and tourists. Availability of fodder and high altitude stress-induced maladies, mountain sickness (brisket edema), stunted growth, infertility, mastitis pneumonia, etc. severely limits the dairy development, which has increased the gap between supply and demand of dairy products in this region. The impact of climate change on livestock production in Ladakh is a relatively ignored research area. Since the literature on the effect of climate change on dairy cattle productivity in Leh-Ladakh is scarce, therefore, the present article reviewed the available reports and presents authors’ own observations on how this climate change impacted on health, production and reproduction of dairy cattle in high altitude cold desert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]