An outbreak associated with streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus in layers : evidence of fecal transmission

Major disease outbreaks caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus seldom are reported in poultry. Besides acute septicemia, infection can result in a subacute or chronic form of disease with described mortality rates of 11% to 80%. Previously, the source of infection in poultry was linked to horses in which this bacterium can be present as an opportunistic pathogen on mucus membranes. The main route of spreading and being maintained within a poultry flock, after entering the stable, however, remains unclear. This case report describes an outbreak associated with S. zooepidemicus affecting a flock of 28 500 layer hens housed in an aviary system with free range. Besides sudden deaths, clinical signs of depression were noticed. Between 44 and 61 wk of age a total mortality of 23% was observed. Egg production dropped from 92% to 83%. Bacterial titration revealed substantial numbers of S. zooepidemicus present in the ceca of a healthy chicken. This novel finding hypothesizes that transmission of the infection within the flock might occur through the fecal route

Corn Silage Yield and Quality, and Soil Health Metrics After Fall Cover Crop Grazing

Integrated crop-livestock systems can potentially produce more product per unit of land with minimal impacts on soil health and cash crop quality. In the Upper Midwest there is an opportunity to graze fall cover crops (CC) after winter wheat in a corn-wheat rotation. In East Lansing, Michigan, two CC treatments: 1) a pure brassica mixture (PURE), and 2) a complex mixture containing legumes, warm and cool season grasses, and brassicas (MIX) were planted after wheat, and grazed by lambs in the fall seasons of 2019 to 2021. The following year, soil health, corn yield and quality were measured from plots corresponding to a non-grazed control and plots grazed in October, November, and December. There was no significant effect on spring soil bulk density and penetration resistance (PR) regardless of CC mixture or the timing of grazing, although PR was numerically higher in the grazed plots. Corn crude protein, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber were not different across graze date or CC treatments (P \u3e 0.05), although corn contained more starch when grown after MIX grazed in November (P=0.02). The difference in starch was possibly an artifact of spatial variability across the site. Corn dry matter yield was lower in the non-grazed control (15.35 Mg ha-1) when compared to the grazing treatments in October (17.37 Mg ha-1) and December (17.19 Mg ha-1) (P=0.03). Grazing cover crops in the fall may improve corn yield the following year without causing soil compaction or changing corn quality

Genome-wide association study of concentrations of iron and other minerals in longissimus muscle of Angus cattle1

The objective of this study was to characterize variation and identify SNP and chromosomal regions associated with mineral concentrations in LM of Angus beef cattle. Samples of LM from 2,285 Angus cattle were obtained and concentrations of seven minerals including iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc were quantified. Genomic DNA extracted from the ground beef sample used for mineral composition was genotyped with the Bovine SNP50 Infinium II BeadChip and effects of SNP on each trait were estimated using the Bayes-Cπ module of GenSel software. Pedigree-based estimates of heritabilities and corresponding genetic variances indicate iron was the only mineral concentration, which could be considered a good candidate for manipulation by genomic selection. The amount of variation that could be accounted for by SNP genotypes was concordant with pedigree-based heritabilities and varied from very low for potassium and sodium (< 0.09) to medium-high (0.37) for iron. Though significant chromosomal regions were identified for all minerals analyzed in this study, further study focused on iron. Seven regions on six chromosomes (1, 2, 7, 10, 15 and 28) were identified to have major effect on iron content of LM in Angus cattle. The accuracy of direct genomic values (DGV) for iron concentration was estimated using a five-fold cross-validation strategy. The accuracy of DGV estimated as the genetic correlation between DGV and the phenotype (iron concentration) adjusted for contemporary groups was 0.59. A bivariate animal model was used to estimate genetic correlations between iron concentrations and a reduced set of economically important carcass traits: HCW, ribeye area, calculated USDA yield grade, percent KPH, and marbling score. The genetic correlations between iron concentration and HCW, percentage KPH, marbling score and ribeye area were small (-0.19 - 0.15) and non-significant. Although still weak (0.22), a positive significant genetic correlation was identified between iron content and USDA calculated yield grade. Beef is a major contributor of iron and zinc in the human diet, and this study found that iron content might be effectively manipulated through marker-assisted selection programs, without compromising other carcass and palatability traits

Genetic parameters for carnitine, creatine, creatinine, carnosine, and anserine concentration in longissimus muscle and their association with palatability traits in Angus cattle

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for carnitine, creatine, creatinine, carnosine, and anserine concentration in LM and to evaluate their associations with Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and beef palatability traits. Longissimus muscle samples from 2,285 Angus cattle were obtained and fabricated into steaks for analysis of carnitine, creatine, creatinine, carnosine, anserine, and other nutrients, and for trained sensory panel and WBSF assessments. Restricted maximum likelihood procedures were used to obtain estimates of variance and covariance components under a multiple-trait animal model. Estimates of heritability for carnitine, creatine, creatinine, carnosine, and anserine concentrations in LM from Angus cattle were 0.015, 0.434, 0.070, 0.383, and 0.531, respectively. Creatine, carnosine, and anserine were found to be moderately heritable, whereas almost no genetic variation was observed in carnitine and creatinine. Moderate positive genetic (0.25, P \u3c 0.05) and phenotypic correlations (0.25, P \u3c 0.05) were identified between carnosine and anserine. Medium negative genetic correlations were identified between creatine and both carnosine (-0.53, P\u3c 0.05) and anserine (-0.46, P \u3c 0.05). Beef and livery/metallic flavor were not associated with any of the 5 compounds analyzed (P \u3e 0.10), and carnitine concentrations were not associated (P \u3e 0.10) with any of the meat palatability traits analyzed. Carnosine was negatively associated with overall tenderness as assessed by trained sensory panelists. Similar negative associations with overall tenderness were identified for creatinine and anserine. Painty/fishy was the only flavor significantly and negatively associated with creatinine and carnosine. These results provide information regarding the concentration of these compounds, the amount of genetic variation, and evidence for negligible associations with beef palatability traits in LM of beef cattle

Vitamin D supplementation in cutaneous malignant melanoma outcome (ViDMe): a randomized controlled trial.

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Genetic parameters for concentrations of minerals in longissimus muscle and their associations with palatability traits in Angus cattle

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for concentrations of minerals in LM and to evaluate their associations with beef palatability traits. Samples of LM from 2,285 Angus cattle were obtained and fabricated into steaks for analysis of mineral concentrations and for trained sensory panel assessments. Nine minerals, including calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc, were quantified. Restricted maximum likelihood procedures were used to obtain estimates of variance and covariance components under a multiple-trait animal model. Estimates of heritability for mineral concentrations in LM varied from 0.01 to 0.54. Iron and sodium were highly and moderately heritable, respectively, whereas the other minerals were lowly heritable except for calcium, copper, and manganese, which exhibited no genetic variation. Strong positive genetic correlations existed between iron and zinc (0.49, P \u3c 0.05), between magnesium and phosphorus (0.88, P \u3c 0.05), between magnesium and sodium (0.68, P \u3c 0.05), and between phosphorus and potassium (0.69, P \u3c 0.05). Overall tenderness assessed by trained sensory panelists was positively associated with manganese, potassium, and sodium and negatively associated with phosphorus and zinc concentrations (P \u3c0.05). Juiciness assessed by trained sensory panelists was negatively associated with magnesium and positively associated with manganese and sodium concentrations (P \u3c 0.05). Livery or metallic flavor was not associated with any of the minerals (P \u3e 0.05). Beefy flavor was positively associated with calcium, iron, and zinc and negatively associated with sodium concentration, whereas a painty or fishy flavor was positively associated with sodium and negatively associated with calcium and potassium concentrations (P \u3c 0.05). Beef is a major contributor of iron and zinc in the human diet, and these results demonstrate sufficient genetic variation for these traits to be improved through marker-assisted selection programs without compromising beef palatability

Estimation of relationships between mineral concentration and fatty acid composition of longissimus muscle and beef palatability traits

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of beef LM nutrient components on beef palatability traits and evaluate the impact of USDA quality grade on beef palatability. Longissimus muscle samples from related Angus cattle (n = 1,737) were obtained and fabricated into steaks for trained sensory panel, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), lipid oxidation measured by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), fatty acid, and mineral composition analysis. Pearson phenotypic correlations were obtained by the correlation procedure of SAS. Beef palatability data were analyzed by the GLM procedure of SAS with USDA quality grade as the main effect. Specific mineral concentrations did not demonstrate strong correlations with WBSF or sensory traits (r = −0.14 to 0.16). However, minerals appeared to have a stronger relationship with flavor; all minerals evaluated except Ca and Mn were positively correlated (P \u3c 0.05) with beef flavor. Stearic acid (C18:0), C18:2, C20:4, and PUFA were negatively correlated (P \u3c 0.05) with all 3 panelist tenderness traits (r = −0.09 to −0.22) and were positively correlated (P \u3c 0.05) with WBSF (r = 0.09 to 0.15). The MUFA were positively correlated (P \u3c 0.05) with panelist tenderness ratings (r = 0.07 to 0.10) and negatively associated (P\u3c 0.05) with WBSF (r = −0.11). The strongest correlations with juiciness were negative relationships (P \u3c 0.05) with C18:2, C18:3, C20:4, and PUFA (r = −0.08 to −0.20). Correlations with beef flavor were weak, but the strongest was a positive relationship with MUFA (r = 0.13). Quality grade affected (P \u3c 0.05) WBSF, TBARS, and all trained sensory panel traits, except livery/metallic flavor. As quality grade increased, steaks were more tender (P \u3c 0.05), as evidenced by both WBSF and sensory panel tenderness ratings. Prime steaks were rated juiciest (P \u3c 0.05) by panelists, whereas Select and Low Choice were similarly rated below Top Choice for sustained juiciness. Quality grade influenced (P \u3c 0.05) beef flavor, but not in a linear fashion. Although there were significant correlations, these results indicate tenderness, juiciness, and flavor are not strongly influenced by individual nutrient components in beef LM. Furthermore, the positive linear relationships between USDA quality grade and beef palatability traits suggest quality grade is still one of the most valuable tools available to predict beef tenderness

Palatability of Beef Strip Loin Steaks Representing Various Marbling and Maturity Levels from Grain-Fed Beef

This study compared palatability traits of beef strip loin steaks with varying marbling scores from young and mature grain-fed beef. Strip loins (n = 150) were selected from grain fed cattle representing ten treatments with the following USDA marbling scores: Slightly Abundant or greater (SLAB+), Moderate or Modest (MD/MT), Small (SM), Slight (SL), and Traces or Practically Devoid (TR/PD) from young “A” maturity carcasses (Y) and mature “C” or greater maturity carcasses (M). Subprimals were fabricated into 2.5-cm steaks at 21 d postmortem and stored frozen until further analysis. Consumer (n = 120) sensory panelists evaluated cooked steaks for tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking. Trained panelists (n = 15 sessions) evaluated each sample for initial and sustained juiciness, initial and sustained tenderness, flavor intensity, and off-flavor intensity. For all traits, consumer and trained panelists’ scores generally decreased with decreasing marbling score, regardless of maturity. According to consumers, maturity had no effect on juiciness or flavor liking within each marbling score, except flavor liking of SLAB+ was greater (P < 0.05) for young than mature carcasses. Conversely, young carcasses had greater tenderness scores than mature within all marbling categories except SM, which translated to greater overall liking of MD/MT, SL, and TR/PD of young compared to their mature counterparts (P < 0.05). Trained panelists detected very few differences between young and mature samples within their respective marbling score; however, M-MD/MT had lower initial and sustained tenderness coupled with greater off-flavor intensity than Y-MD/MT (P < 0.05). Mature samples with SLAB+ and MD/MT marbling were rated greater than or equal to Y-SM for all traits, indicating the presence of marbling from feeding a grain diet prior to harvest may elicit a similar eating experience to young beef by offsetting negative palatability traits often associated with mature beef

Effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride and zinc methionine on growth performance and carcass characteristics of beef bulls

Sixty beef bulls with a body weight (BW) of 314.79 16.2 kg were used to evaluate the effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) and zinc methionine (ZM) on growth performance and carcass characteristics. The experimental design was a randomized complete block, with a factorial 22 arrangement of treatments (ZH: 0 and 0.15 mg kg 1 BW; ZM: 0 and 80 mg kg 1 dry matter). The ZH increased (PB0.05) the final BW, average daily gain, feed conversion, carcass yield and longissimus dorsi area. Bulls fed ZH plus ZM had less (PB0.01) backfat thickness and intramuscular fat (IMF) compared with those fed ZH or ZM alone. The ZH increased (PB0.02) the meat crude protein content and cooking loss. It is therefore concluded that ZH increases growth performance, carcass yield, longissimus dorsi area, and meat crude protein. The interaction of ZM and ZH did not present additional advantages. The reason for the reduction in backfat thickness and IMF by ZH plus ZM is unclear, and implies that our knowledge of b-agonistic adrenergic substances and their interactions with minerals is incomplete

Cumulative incidence and risk factors for cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma metastases in organ transplant recipients: the SCOPE-ITSCC metastases study, a prospective multi-center study.

Solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) are believed to have an increased risk of metastatic cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma (cSCC), but reliable data are lacking regarding the precise incidence and associated risk factors. In a prospective cohort study, including 19 specialist dermatology outpatient clinics in 15 countries, patient and tumor characteristics were collected using standardized questionnaires when SOTRs presented with a new cSCC. After a minimum of 2 years of follow-up, relevant data for all SOTRs were collected. Cumulative incidence of metastases was calculated by the Aalen-Johansen estimator. Fine and Gray models were used to assess multiple risk factors for metastases. Of 514 SOTRs who presented with 623 primary cSCCs, 37 developed metastases with a 2-year patient-based cumulative incidence of 6.2%. Risk factors for metastases included location in the head and neck area, local recurrence, size >2cm, clinical ulceration, poor differentiation grade, perineural invasion and deep invasion. A high-stage tumor that is also ulcerated showed the highest risk of metastasis, with a 2-year cumulative incidence of 46.2% (31.9% - 68.4%). SOTRs have a high risk of cSCC metastases and well-established clinical and histological risk factors have been confirmed. High-stage, ulcerated cSCCs have the highest risk of metastasis. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.