Non-genetic factors and correlation studies in cattle

The data comprised of 3272 birth weight (BWT), 3091 weaning weight (WWT), 2112 yearling weight (YWT) and 1978 eighteen month weight (18-MO) pedigree records were collected from an experimental indigenous Tuli cattle herd maintained at Matopos Research Station, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, over the period 1988-1997 were used for this study. The mean BWT, WWT, YWT and 18-MO during the study period were from 28.14± 0.07 kg, 176.43± 0.07 kg, 176.58± 0.07 kg and 242.68 ± 0.07 kg with, respectively. It was found that sire, year of birth, sex of calf, age of damhad significant effect (p<0.01) effect on all growth trait. It was inferred that male calves were significantly heavier than female calves. The birth weight and weaning weight were found to be highest in seven and eight year groups, respectively, and the lowest in three-year group. The inconsistency of literature estimates indicates the importance of estimation of environmental factors that affect growth traits within specific experimental herds and environment. Correction of environmental effects is necessary to increase accuracy for selection of growth traits in indigenous Tuli cattle.In the development of any breeding plan knowledge of various properties of traits under consideration is required. Bivariate and multivariate analyses fitting an animal model, were conducted by means of (ASREML)procedures to obtain the genetic correlations. The fixed effects included in the model were sex, year of birth and age of dam. Heritability estimates for growth traits associated with the bivariate analyses were higher than those obtained using multivariate analyses. The phenotypic correlations between growth traits from both bivariate and multivariate analyses were positive and, were moderate to high. The genetic correlation between birth weight and weaning weight was positive and moderate. The genetic correlation between birth weight and post-weaning growth traits were moderate and positive, indicating that these traits are not under exactly the same genetic control. Selection for yearling weight may increase birth weight due to positive indirect selection response and high heritability (h2a). Birth weight is a good indicator of post-weaning growth traits in this herd

Systematic environmental influences and variances due to direct and maternal effects and trends for yearling weight in cattle

Pedigree yearling records from 1021 local Tuli calves born at Matopos Research Station were analyzed for non genetic factors, genetic parameers and trends on the yearling weight. It was found that sre year of brth, sex of calf age of dam had sgnfcant effect (p < 0.01) on a growthtrait. The inconsistency of literature estimates indicated the importance o estmation of environmental factors that affect yearling weight within specific experimental herds and environment. Model incorporating both direct and maternal additive genetic effect, covariance and correlations of direct-maternal and permanent environmental maternal effects was adopted for thestudy Directand maternal heritabity estmates of 0.18 ± 0.001 and 0.04 ± 0001 were observed, respectvely. Direct-maternal genetic correlaton was low andposive, 0.07± 0.012. The regression of average direct breeding values on year was almost zero and the regression of average maternal breeding values on year 0.03 kg/yr. Correction of environmental effects was necessary to increase accuracy for selection of yearling weight in local Tuli cattle. Maternal genetic effects should be included in a model of covariance components estimation at 12 months of age.Keywords: Non genetic, Direct, Maternal trends, Yearling weight, Growth traits, Tuli cattl

The challenges of food law enforcement : perceptions of environmental health practitioners in the Northwest of England

In the United Kingdom (UK) food law and its enforcement are currently governed by European and domestic law through a regulatory framework that seeks to provide a high level of public health protection to ensure food is safe for human consumption. Government reports recommend the need for alternative enforcement tools for those responsible for enforcing food law so that they can properly address any failures within a food business thus preventing foodborne incidents from recurring. It is important to know whether there are challenges enforcers face when dealing with breaches of the law that may be difficult to identify hidden problems. This study aims to analyse the views reflected by Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) currently working in food law enforcement in Local Authorities (LAs) across the North West of England. The study focuses on food inspections and current enforcement strategies. This study builds on existing literature to examine EHP perceptions of the effectiveness of tools available to them in the area of food inspections and enforcement. This study fills the gap in the literature by conducting a qualitative methodology of the perceptions and views of EHPs to gain knowledge about the successes and failures of inspection practices including the practicality of the food hygiene rating scheme and how other forms of enforcement measures would affect enforcement practices in England. In lieu of the current economic climate, it was also important to gauge the opinions of enforcement officers on the future of environmental health and more specifically food law enforcement. Twenty-one Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) from seventeen Local Authorities in the North West of England took part in this study. All the participants were either directly involved in the enforcement of food law or managed a team of enforcement officers. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews via Skype. All participants were asked the same questions. A number of important findings were obtained from the data. The results showed that there is gender and race disparity when it comes to the use of certain regulatory interventions and enforcement tools. In addition, an EHPs level of experience and if they had previously worked in other areas of environmental health are also significant factors of perceptions towards food law enforcement. This has implications as to whether the demographics of a local authority has a bearing on enforcement decisions and perceptions of how the law is interpreted. This is an essential insight which the literature does not discuss. The study also reinforced support for mandatory disclosure of the inspection results of food businesses but revealed that the use of the FHRS may not be the best way to assess food business compliance since it does not provide the desired accuracy to assess compliance. The implications of such findings make it essential to provide a sound framework for enforcement so that high standards of food safety are maintained

Evaluation of carcass performance of Matebele goats managed extensively based on the eruption of permanent incisors teeth

Matebele goats were slaughtered at different state of permanent incisors eruption 1st pair (I1 )(237records), 2nd pair (I2 )(312 records), 3rd pair (I3 )(237records), 4th pair (I4)(232 ), Broken Mouth (BM)(214) and Smooth Mouth (SM)(218) over a period of 15 years (1989- 2004) and analysed for carcass performance. Performance parameters and weight of organs as a percentage of empty body weight (EBW) containing the effects of number of permanent incisors at I1, I2, I3, I4,, BM and SM were analysed using the General Linear Models. Live weight averaged 21.57 kg &#177; 0.02, 27.01&#177; 0.02 kg, 28.40&#177; 0.02 kg, 28.88&#177; 0.02 kg, 36.92&#177; 0.02 kg and 37.33&#177; 0.02 kg for goats slaughtered at I1, I2, I3, I4,,, BM and SM, respectively. There was a significant (p&lt;0.01) difference in slaughter weight at different periods of permanent incisors teeth eruptions. The goats slaughtered at I1 and I2 had significantly heavier hot carcass mass,cold carcass mass and rib barrel than those slaughtered I3, I4,, BM and SM. The goats slaughtered at I3 had the highest dressing percentage and goats slaughtered at BM had the lowest dressing percentage (DP). For external noncarcass components, the proportion of the head did not change but it was the feet proportion that increased markedly from I1 to I3 which coincided with the decrease in pelt. The proportion of hind barrel, head and kidney fat seemed to be constant. There was a significant (p&lt; 0.01) difference between mesenteric fat amongst teeth groups, which increased with increasing number of permanent incisors eruption representing age increase. The lower proportion of noncarcass components in I3 may have contributed to a higher DP

Comparative epigenetic analysis of tumour initiating cells and syngeneic EPSC-derived neural stem cells in glioblastoma

Epigenetic mechanisms which play an essential role in normal developmental processes, such as self-renewal and fate specification of neural stem cells (NSC) are also responsible for some of the changes in the glioblastoma (GBM) genome. Here we develop a strategy to compare the epigenetic and transcriptional make-up of primary GBM cells (GIC) with patient-matched expanded potential stem cell (EPSC)-derived NSC (iNSC). Using a comparative analysis of the transcriptome of syngeneic GIC/iNSC pairs, we identify a glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-mediated mechanism of recruitment of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in GBM. Integrated analysis of the transcriptome and DNA methylome of GBM cells identifies druggable target genes and patient-specific prediction of drug response in primary GIC cultures, which is validated in 3D and in vivo models. Taken together, we provide a proof of principle that this experimental pipeline has the potential to identify patient-specific disease mechanisms and druggable targets in GBM

Conducting clinical research in a resource-constrained setting: lessons from a longitudinal cohort study in The Gambia.

Clinical research conducted to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards is increasingly being undertaken in resource-constrained low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) settings. This presents unique challenges that differ from those faced in high-income country (HIC) contexts, due to a dearth of infrastructure and unique socio-cultural contexts. Field experiences by research teams working in these LMIC contexts are thus critical to advancing knowledge on successful research conduct in these settings. The Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has operated in The Gambia, a resource-constrained LMIC for over 70 years and has developed numerous research support platforms and systems. The unit was the lead clinical collaborator in a recently completed Expanded Program on Immunization Consortium (EPIC) study, involving a multicountry collaboration across five countries including the USA, Canada, Belgium, Papua New Guinea and The Gambia. The EPIC study recruited and completed follow-up of 720 newborn infants over 2 years. In this paper, we provide in-depth field experience covering challenges faced by the Gambian EPIC team in the conduct of this study. We also detail some reflections on these challenges. Our findings are relevant to the international research community as they highlight practical day-to-day challenges in conducting GCP standard clinical research in resource-constrained LMIC contexts. They also provide insights on how study processes can be adapted early during research planning to mitigate challenges

A systematic review of task- shifting for HIV treatment and care in Africa

BACKGROUND: Shortages of human resources for health (HRH) have severely hampered the rollout of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa. Current rollout models are hospital- and physician-intensive. Task shifting, or delegating tasks performed by physicians to staff with lower-level qualifications, is considered a means of expanding rollout in resource-poor or HRH-limited settings. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review. Medline, the Cochrane library, the Social Science Citation Index, and the South African National Health Research Database were searched with the following terms: task shift*, balance of care, non-physician clinicians, substitute health care worker, community care givers, primary healthcare teams, cadres, and nurs* HIV. We mined bibliographies and corresponded with authors for further results. Grey literature was searched online, and conference proceedings searched for abstracts. RESULTS: We found 2960 articles, of which 84 were included in the core review. 51 reported outcomes, including research from 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The most common intervention studied was the delegation of tasks (especially initiating and monitoring HAART) from doctors to nurses and other non-physician clinicians. Five studies showed increased access to HAART through expanded clinical capacity; two concluded task shifting is cost effective; 9 showed staff equal or better quality of care; studies on non-physician clinician agreement with physician decisions was mixed, with the majority showing good agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Task shifting is an effective strategy for addressing shortages of HRH in HIV treatment and care. Task shifting offers high-quality, cost-effective care to more patients than a physician-centered model. The main challenges to implementation include adequate and sustainable training, support and pay for staff in new roles, the integration of new members into healthcare teams, and the compliance of regulatory bodies. Task shifting should be considered for careful implementation where HRH shortages threaten rollout programmes

Age-Dependent Maturation of Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Cytokine Responses in Gambian Infants

The global burden of neonatal and infant mortality due to infection is staggering, particularly in resource-poor settings. Early childhood vaccination is one of the major interventions that can reduce this burden, but there are specific limitations to inducing effective immunity in early life, including impaired neonatal leukocyte production of Th1-polarizing cytokines to many stimuli. Characterizing the ontogeny of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated innate immune responses in infants may shed light on susceptibility to infection in this vulnerable age group, and provide insights into TLR agonists as candidate adjuvants for improved neonatal vaccines. As little is known about the leukocyte responses of infants in resource-poor settings, we characterized production of Th1-, Th2-, and anti-inflammatory- cytokines in response to agonists of TLRs 1-9 in whole blood from 120 Gambian infants ranging from newborns (cord blood) to 12 months of age. Most of the TLR agonists induced TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 in cord blood. The greatest TNFα responses were observed for TLR4, -5, and -8 agonists, the highest being the thiazoloquinoline CLO75 (TLR7/8) that also uniquely induced cord blood IFNγ production. For most agonists, TLR-mediated TNFα and IFNγ responses increased from birth to 1 month of age. TLR8 agonists also induced the greatest production of the Th1-polarizing cytokines TNFα and IFNγ throughout the first year of life, although the relative responses to the single TLR8 agonist and the combined TLR7/8 agonist changed with age. In contrast, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 responses to most agonists were robust at birth and remained stable through 12 months of age. These observations provide fresh insights into the ontogeny of innate immunity in African children, and may inform development of age-specific adjuvanted vaccine formulations important for global health