Relatedness among cryo-bank bulls of the Yakutian Cattle breed as estimated with microsatellite data

We analysed 30 autosomal microsatellites in order to clarify genetic relatedness between these bulls and provide recommendations for the use of their semen in conservation and breed management

Very Wideband automated On-Wafer noise figure and Gain measurements At 50-110

On-wafer noise figure and insertion gain measurement set-ups have been developed over 50-110 GHz frequency range. Wafer scale noise figure and insertion gain measurements can be done in an automatic manner using PC controlled automated probe station and in-house written software. In narrow band measurements, large systematic errors may remain undiscovered. These errors are usually caused by reflections in the set-up, which are difficult to calibrate out. Wideband measurements are often the only method, which can efficiently reveal these errors. This aspect is increasingly important as frequency increases

Functionality of oat fiber concentrate and faba bean protein concentrate in plant-based substitutes for minced meat

Oat has been recognized for its health-promoting fiber, beta-glucan, while protein-rich faba bean has remained underutilized in Nordic countries despite its good nutritional quality. This research investigated the functionality of oat fiber concentrate and faba bean protein concentrate in plant-based substitutes for minced meat (SMs). The resulting product aimed at mimicking the mechanical and physicochemical characteristics of beef minced meat (BM) and its applications (i.e., fried and burger patty). In this regard, the mechanical properties (e.g., chewiness, Young's modulus) of original/fried SMs were comparable to or higher than those of original/fried BM. SM patties (45% SMs) were structurally weaker than beef burger patties (100% BM). The rheological analysis showed that the presence of oat fiber concentrate increased the gel-like properties of the blend, which correlated with the overall strength of original SMs (e.g., Young's modulus). The results suggested that SMs could be used as BM for the preparation of vegetarian meat-like products.Peer reviewe

Whole blood transcriptome analysis reveals footprints of cattle adaptation to sub‐arctic conditions

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Elämänlaadun ja toimintakyvyn muutokset ikääntyneillä aivoverenkiertohäiriön sairastaneilla kävelyn ja käden tehostetun käytön kuntoutuksen aikana

65–85-vuotiaiden aivoverenkiertohäiriön (AVH:n) sairastaneiden (n = 270) kuntoutustutkimus toteutettiin osana Kelan kehittämishanketta. Kontrolloimattomassa seurantatutkimuksessa selvitettiin laitos- ja avomuotoisen kävely- ja käsikuntoutuksen aikana tapahtuneita muutoksia elämänlaadussa ja toimintakyvyssä. Kävelykuntoutus sisälsi painokevennettyä ja muuta kävelyharjoittelua. Käsikuntoutus sisälsi halvaantuneen käden tehostetun käytön harjoittelua. Kävelykuntoutuksen perusjakson kesto laitos- ja avokuntoutuksessa oli 20/18 vrk, käsikuntoutuksen 14/13 vrk. Seurantajaksot I (6 vrk) ja II (2 vrk, loppumittaukset) toteutettiin 6 ja 12 kuukauden kuluttua perusjakson päättymisestä. Alkutilanteessa kävelyn avokuntoutujissa itsenäisesti käveleviä (FAC) oli enemmän kuin laitoskuntoutujissa. Laitoskuntoutujilla itsenäisesti kävelevien määrä kasvoi 45 %:sta 63 %:iin. Molemmilla ryhmillä kävelymatka (6 min) piteni. Laitoskuntoutujilla motorinen ja kognitiivinen toiminta (FIM) paranivat. Avokuntoutujien motoriset ja prosessitaidot (AMPS) paranivat. Laitoskuntoutujien elämänlaatupisteet ympäristön osa-alueella (WHOQOL-BREF) nousivat. Alkutilanteessa yläraajan toimintakyky (WMFT) oli käden laitoskuntoutujilla parempi kuin avokuntoutujilla. Molemmissa ryhmissä halvaantuneen yläraajan toimintakyky koheni. Laitoskuntoutujien puristusvoima (dynamometri) ja avokuntoutujilla motoriset taidot (AMPS) paranivat. Tutkittavien iän, sukupuolen, sairastamisajan ja toimintakyvyn lähtötason yhteyttä tutkittiin toimintakykyä kuvaavien mittareiden muutoksiin. Vain alhainen lähtötaso ennakoi parempaa edistymistä mittaustuloksissa. Ikääntynyttä AVH:n sairastanutta kannattaa kuntouttaa kävelyn, halvaantuneen yläraajan käytön sekä päivittäisistä toiminnoista suoriutumisen parantamiseksi

Patterns of homozygosity in insular and continental goat breeds

Background: Genetic isolation of breeds may result in a significant loss of diversity and have consequences on health and performance. In this study, we examined the effect of geographic isolation on caprine genetic diversity patterns by genotyping 480 individuals from 25 European and African breeds with the Goat SNP50 BeadChip and comparing patterns of homozygosity of insular and nearby continental breeds. Results: Among the breeds analysed, number and total length of ROH varied considerably and depending on breeds, ROH could cover a substantial fraction of the genome (up to 1.6 Gb in Icelandic goats). When compared with their continental counterparts, goats from Iceland, Madagascar, La Palma and Ireland (Bilberry and Arran) displayed a significant increase in ROH coverage, ROH number and F ROH values (P value < 0.05). Goats from Mediterranean islands represent a more complex case because certain populations displayed a significantly increased level of homozygosity (e.g. Girgentana) and others did not (e.g. Corse and Sarda). Correlations of number and total length of ROH for insular goat populations with the distance between islands and the nearest continental locations revealed an effect of extremely long distances on the patterns of homozygosity. Conclusions: These results indicate that the effects of insularization on the patterns of homozygosity are variable. Goats raised in Madagascar, Iceland, Ireland (Bilberry and Arran) and La Palma, show high levels of homozygosity, whereas those bred in Mediterranean islands display patterns of homozygosity that are similar to those found in continental populations. These results indicate that the diversity of insular goat populations is modulated by multiple factors such as geographic distribution, population size, demographic history, trading and breed management

Predictors of hospital and one-year mortality in intensive care patients with refractory status epilepticus: a populationbased study

Background: The aim was to determine predictors of hospital and 1-year mortality in patients with intensive care unit (ICU)-treated refractory status epilepticus (RSE) in a population-based study.Methods: This was a retrospective study of the Finnish Intensive Care Consortium (FICC) database of adult patients (16 years of age or older) with ICU-treated RSE in Finland during a 3-year period (2010-2012). The database consists of admissions to all 20 Finnish hospitals treating RSE in the ICU. All five university hospitals and 11 out of 15 central hospitals participated in the present study. The total adult referral population in the study hospitals was 3.92 million, representing 91% of the adult population of Finland. Patients whose condition had a post-anoxic aetiological basis were excluded.Results: We identified 395 patients with ICU-treated RSE, corresponding to an annual incidence of 3.4/100,000 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.04-3.71). Hospital mortality was 7.4% (95% CI 0-16.9%), and 1-year mortality was 25. 4% (95% CI 21.2-29.8%). Mortality at hospital discharge was associated with severity of organ dysfunction. Mortality at 1 year was associated with older age (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.033, 95% CI 1.104-1.051, p = 0.001), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score (aOR 1.156, CI 1.051-1.271, p = 0.003), super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE) (aOR 2.215, 95% CI 1.20-3.84, p = 0.010) and dependence in activities of daily living (ADL) (aOR 2.553, 95% CI 1.537-4.243, p < 0.0001).Conclusions: Despite low hospital mortality, 25% of ICU-treated RSE patients die within a year. Super-refractoriness, dependence in ADL functions, severity of organ dysfunction at ICU admission and older age predict long-term mortality

Dual origins of dairy cattle farming - evidence from a comprehensive survey of European Y-chromosomal variation

BACKGROUND: Diversity patterns of livestock species are informative to the history of agriculture and indicate uniqueness of breeds as relevant for conservation. So far, most studies on cattle have focused on mitochondrial and autosomal DNA variation. Previous studies of Y-chromosomal variation, with limited breed panels, identified two Bos taurus (taurine) haplogroups (Y1 and Y2; both composed of several haplotypes) and one Bos indicus (indicine/zebu) haplogroup (Y3), as well as a strong phylogeographic structuring of paternal lineages. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Haplogroup data were collected for 2087 animals from 138 breeds. For 111 breeds, these were resolved further by genotyping microsatellites INRA189 (10 alleles) and BM861 (2 alleles). European cattle carry exclusively taurine haplotypes, with the zebu Y-chromosomes having appreciable frequencies in Southwest Asian populations. Y1 is predominant in northern and north-western Europe, but is also observed in several Iberian breeds, as well as in Southwest Asia. A single Y1 haplotype is predominant in north-central Europe and a single Y2 haplotype in central Europe. In contrast, we found both Y1 and Y2 haplotypes in Britain, the Nordic region and Russia, with the highest Y-chromosomal diversity seen in the Iberian Peninsula. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that the homogeneous Y1 and Y2 regions reflect founder effects associated with the development and expansion of two groups of dairy cattle, the pied or red breeds from the North Sea and Baltic coasts and the spotted, yellow or brown breeds from Switzerland, respectively. The present Y1-Y2 contrast in central Europe coincides with historic, linguistic, religious and cultural boundaries.Penedo, Lenstra mail

Genomic selection strategies for breeding adaptation and production in dairy cattle under climate change

Livestock production both contributes to and is affected by global climate change, and substantial modifications will be required to increase its climate resilience. In this context, reliance on dominant commercial livestock breeds, featuring small effective population sizes, makes current production strategies vulnerable if their production is restricted to environments, which may be too costly to support under future climate scenarios. The adaptability of animal populations to future environments will therefore become important. To help evaluate the role of genetics in climate adaptation, we compared selection strategies in dairy cattle using breeding simulations, where genomic selection was used on two negatively correlated traits for production (assumed to be moderately heritable) and adaptation (assumed to have low heritability). Compared with within-population breeding, genomic introgression produced a more positive genetic change for both production and adaptation traits. Genomic introgression from highly adapted but low production value populations into highly productive but low adaptation populations was most successful when the adaptation trait was given a lower selection weight than the production trait. Genomic introgression from highly productive population to highly adapted population was most successful when the adaptation trait was given a higher selection weight than the production trait. Both these genomic introgression schemes had the lowest risk of inbreeding. Our results suggest that both adaptation and production can potentially be improved simultaneously by genomic introgression