Cow serum and colostrum immunoglobulin (IgG1) concentration of five suckler cow breed types and subsequent immune status of their calves

peer-reviewedB. Murphy would like to gratefully acknowledge receipt of a Walsh Fellowship provided by Teagasc.The objective of this study was to determine the effect of cow breed type on (a) cow serum and colostrum immunoglobulin (IgG1) concentrations and (b) subsequent calf serum IgG1 concentration and zinc sulphate turbidity (ZST) units. Five cow breed types were examined: LF (Limousin × Friesian), LLF (Limousin × (Limousin × Friesian)), L (Limousin), C (Charolais) and SLF (Simmental × (Limousin × Friesian)). Three blood samples were taken by jugular venipuncture from the cows at approximately 90, 60 and 30 days pre partum, at parturition and at 15 days or more post partum and from the calves at 48 (40 to 56) h post partum. Prior to suckling a 20 ml sample of colostrum was obtained. Milk yield was estimated using the weigh-suckleweigh technique. The decrease in serum IgG1 concentration in cows between 90 days pre partum and parturition was greater (P < 0.01) for LF cows than all other breed types, except SLF. There was no difference between LLF, L, C and SLF cows. There was no effect of cow breed type on colostrum IgG1 concentration. Milk yield was higher (P < 0.001) for LF cows than all other breed types, while that of SLF was higher than the three remaining breed types, which were similar. Calf serum IgG1 concentration and ZST units were higher (P < 0.01) for the progeny of LF cows than all others except SLF. There was no difference between the progeny of LLF, L, C and SLF cows. Calf serum IgG1 was affected by cow breed type and showed a positive relationship with cow serum IgG1 decreases in late pregnancy

Performance and feed intake of five beef suckler cow genotypes and pre-weaning growth of their progeny

peer-reviewedThe effect of beef suckler cow genotype on feed intake, performance, milk yield and on pre-weaning growth of their progeny was determined over four lactations. The five cow genotypes examined were Limousin (L), Charolais (C), Limousin × Holstein-Friesian (LF), Limousin × (Limousin × Holstein-Friesian) (LLF) and Simmental × (Limousin × Holstein-Friesian) (SLF). The herd calved in spring and the progeny spent from April until weaning (October/ November) at pasture with their dams. Live weight (kg) at the start of the indoor winter period was greater (P 0.05) between the genotypes but followed a similar trend to grass silage intake. The decrease in live weight over the indoor winter period was greater (P < 0.01) for L and C cows than for LLF and SLF, whereas LF were intermediate. The increase in live weight during the grazing season was greater (P < 0.01) for C cows than all except L, which were intermediate. Calving difficulty score was greater (P < 0.01) for C cows than LLF, L and SLF, whereas LF were intermediate. Birth weight of calves from LF cows was lower (P < 0.001) than C with L being intermediate, but greater than LLF, with SLF being intermediate. Milk yield (kg/day) was higher (P < 0.001) for LF (9.7) and SLF (8.7) cows than the other genotypes (5.5 to 7.0), which did not differ significantly. Pre-weaning live-weight gain was greater (P < 0.001) for progeny of LF cows than all other genotypes except SLF, which in turn were greater than L and C, with LLF being intermediate. In conclusion, calf pre-weaning growth was higher for cow genotypes with higher milk yield, which was also associated with higher cow DM intake.B. Murphy was in receipt of a Walsh Fellowship provided by Teagasc

Post-weaning growth, ultrasound and skeletal measurements, muscularity scores and carcass traits and composition of progeny of five beef suckler cow genotypes

peer-reviewedB. Murphy was in receipt of a Walsh Fellowship provided by Teagasc.Post-weaning growth, ultrasound and skeletal measurements, muscularity scores, and carcass traits and composition of the progeny of spring-calving Limousin (L), Charolais (C), Limousin × Holstein-Friesian (LF), Limousin × (Limousin × Holstein-Friesian) (LLF) and Simmental × (Limousin × Holstein-Friesian) (SLF) cow genotypes was determined over 3 years. Bull and heifer progeny were slaughtered at ~460 and ~610 days of age, respectively. Post-weaning growth did not differ significantly between the genotypes. Progeny from LF and SLF cows had the highest (P<0.001) carcass gain per day of age, whereas progeny from L and C cows had the highest (P < 0.01) carcass conformation score and lowest (P < 0.001) fat score. The proportion of meat in the car¬cass was higher (P < 0.001) and bone lower (P < 0.001), and meat to bone ratio higher (P < 0.001) for the progeny of L cows than all other genotypes, which were similar. Carcass fat proportion was similar for progeny of L and C cows and lower (P < 0.001) than LLF and SLF, with LF being intermediate. The progeny from L cows tended to have the greatest proportion of hind-quarter in the carcass. Genotype effects were mini¬mal when the proportion of high-value cuts was expressed relative to weight of meat in the carcass and hind-quarter. In conclusion, there was no effect of cow genotype on the performance of their progeny from weaning to slaughter. However, crossbred cows with good maternal (milk) traits produced progeny with a higher carcass weight per day of age, whereas the purebred continental cows produced progeny with superior carcass classification traits.Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Programm

Preoperative imaging in primary hyperparathyroidism patients using 4DCT subtraction maps, a report of three cases

Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) is one of the preoperative imaging modalities that can be used to localize a parathyroid adenoma in primary hyperparathyroidism patients however, sensitivity differs in literature and could be improved especially for multiglandular hyperplasia or double adenomas. The most robust feature on the 4DCT for the differentiation between parathyroid adenoma and thyroid gland tissue is arterial enhancement. To make this better visible, we have developed a subtraction map that shows arterial enhancement as a color scale to increase sensitivity for 4DCT. In this report of 3 cases, we present the usefulness of this subtraction map in a 54-year-old male, a 57-year-old female and a 51-year-old male. Subtraction maps may increase sensitivity for 4DCT, especially for multiglandular hyperplasia or double adenomas.</p

A rare presentation of the Klinefelter's syndrome

A 16 years old boy with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) was not suspected of having Klinefelter's syndrome until he complained of painful gynecomastia. He was under haemodialysis for 2 years. At first, he was in an approximately full pubertal development (P5, G5), but he had a small and a firm testis (length 2.2cm) and some degree of facial male pattern hair. He also had a decreased upper to lower body segment ratio and despite having chronic renal failure, he was taller than his parents and siblings. His laboratory tests showed high levels of FSH and normal levels of LH and testosterone. With regards to all these findings, we suspected that there might be an occult Klinefelter's syndrome. So, we made his karyotype that showed a 47XXY pattern. Because there are only a few number of cases that have occult Klinefelter's syndrome in the basis of chronic renal failure, we decided to report this case

Cohort study ON Neuroimaging, Etiology and Cognitive consequences of Transient neurological attacks (CONNECT): Study rationale and protocol

Background: Transient ischemic attacks (TIA) are characterized by acute onset focal neurological symptoms and complete recovery within 24hours. Attacks of nonfocal symptoms not fulfilling the criteria for TIA but lacking a clear alternative diagnosis are called transient neurological attacks (TNA). Although TIA symptoms are transient in nature, cognitive complaints may persist. In particular, attacks consisting of both focal and nonfocal symptoms (mixed TNA) have been found to be associated with an increased risk of dementia. We aim to study the prevalence, etiology and risk factors of cognitive impairment after TIA or TNA. Methods/Design: CONNECT is a prospective cohort study on cognitive function after TIA and TNA. In total, 150 patients aged ≤45years with a recent (<7days after onset) TIA or TNA and no history of stroke or dementia will be included. We will classify events as: TIA, nonfocal TNA, or mixed TNA. Known short lasting paroxysmal neurological disorders like migraine aura, seizures and Ménière disease are excluded from the diagnosis of TNA. Patients will complete a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and undergo MRI <7days after the qualifying event and again after six months. The primary clinical outcomes will be cognitive function at baseline and six months after the primary event. Imaging outcomes include the prevalence and evolution of DWI lesions, white matter hyperintensities and lacunes, as well as resting state networks functionality and white matter microstructural integrity. Differences between types of event and DWI, as well as determinants of both clinical and imaging outcomes, will be assessed. Discussion: CONNECT can provide insight in the prevalence, etiology and risk factors of cognitive impairment after TIA and TNA and thereby potentially identify a new group of patients at increased risk of cognitive impairment

Monitoring the T-Cell Receptor Repertoire at Single-Clone Resolution

The adaptive immune system recognizes billions of unique antigens using highly variable T-cell receptors. The αβ T-cell receptor repertoire includes an estimated 10(6) different rearranged β chains per individual. This paper describes a novel micro-array based method that monitors the β chain repertoire with a resolution of a single T-cell clone. These T-arrays are quantitative and detect T-cell clones at a frequency of less than one T cell in a million, which is 2 logs more sensitive than spectratyping (immunoscope), the current standard in repertoire analysis. Using T-arrays we detected CMV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell clones that expanded early after viral antigen stimulation in vitro and in vivo. This approach will be useful in monitoring individual T-cell clones in diverse experimental settings, and in identification of T-cell clones associated with infectious disease, autoimmune disease and cancer

Taxed and untaxed beverage intake by South African young adults after a national sugar-sweetened beverage tax: A before-and-after study

Background In an effort to prevent and reduce the prevalence rate of people with obesity and diabetes, South Africa implemented a sugar-content-based tax called the Health Promotion Levy in April 2018, one of the first sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes to be based on each gram of sugar (beyond 4 g/100 ml). This before-and-after study estimated changes in taxed and untaxed beverage intake 1 year after the tax, examining separately, to our knowledge for the first time, the role of reformulation distinct from behavioral changes in SSB intake. Methods and findings We collected single-day 24-hour dietary recalls from repeat cross-sectional surveys of adults aged 18–39 years in Langa, South Africa. Participants were recruited in February–March 2018 (pre-tax, n = 2,459) and February–March 2019 (post-tax, n = 2,489) using door-to-door sampling. We developed time-specific food composition tables (FCTs) for South African beverages before and after the tax, linked with the diet recalls. By linking pre-tax FCTs only to dietary intake data collected in the pre-tax and post-tax periods, we calculated changes in beverage intake due to behavioral change, assuming no reformulation. Next, we repeated the analysis using an updated FCT in the post-tax period to capture the marginal effect of reformulation. We estimated beverage intake using a 2-part model that takes into consideration the biases in using ordinary least squares or other continuous variable approaches with many individuals with zero intake. First, a probit model was used to estimate the probability of consuming the specific beverage category. Then, conditional on a positive outcome, a generalized linear model with a log-link was used to estimate the continuous amount of beverage consumed. Among taxed beverages, sugar intake decreased significantly (p < 0.0001) from 28.8 g/capita/day (95% CI 27.3–30.4) pre-tax to 19.8 (95% CI 18.5–21.1) post-tax. Energy intake decreased (p < 0.0001) from 121 kcal/capita/day (95% CI 114–127) pre-tax to 82 (95% CI 76–87) post-tax. Volume intake decreased (p < 0.0001) from 315 ml/capita/day (95% CI 297–332) pre-tax to 198 (95% CI 185–211) post-tax. Among untaxed beverages, sugar intake increased (p < 0.0001) by 5.3 g/capita/day (95% CI 3.7 to 6.9), and energy intake increased (p < 0.0001) by 29 kcal/capita/day (95% CI 19 to 39). Among total beverages, sugar intake decreased significantly (p = 0.004) by 3.7 (95% CI -6.2 to -1.2) g/capita/day. Behavioral change accounted for reductions of 24% in energy, 22% in sugar, and 23% in volume, while reformulation accounted for additional reductions of 8% in energy, 9% in sugar, and 14% in volume from taxed beverages. The key limitations of this study are an inability to make causal claims due to repeat cross-sectional data collection, and that the magnitude of reduction in taxed beverage intake may not be generalizable to higher income populations. Conclusions Using a large sample of a high-consuming, low-income population, we found large reductions in taxed beverage intake, separating the components of behavioral change from reformulation. This reduction was partially compensated by an increase in sugar and energy from untaxed beverages. Because policies such as taxes can incentivize reformulation, our use of an up-to-date FCT that reflects a rapidly changing food supply is novel and important for evaluating policy effects on intake

Disparate MgII Absorption Statistics towards Quasars and Gamma-Ray Bursts : A Possible Explanation

We examine the recent report by Prochter et al. (2006) that gamma-ray burst (GRB) sight lines have a much higher incidence of strong MgII absorption than quasar sight lines. We propose that the discrepancy is due to the different beam sizes of GRBs and quasars, and that the intervening MgII systems are clumpy with the dense part of each cloudlet of a similar size as the quasars, i.e. < 10^16 cm, but bigger than GRBs. We also discuss observational predictions of our proposed model. Most notably, in some cases the intervening MgII absorbers in GRB spectra should be seen varying, and quasars with smaller sizes should show an increased rate of strong MgII absorbers. In fact, our prediction of variable MgII lines in the GRB spectra has been now confirmed by Hao et al. (2007), who observed intervening FeII and MgII lines at z=1.48 to be strongly variable in the multi-epoch spectra of z=4.05 GRB060206.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures; substantially revised model calculation; accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Science as a Lette