ESTUDOS DE CARACTERÍSTICAS REPRODUTIVAS DE ANIMAIS DA RAÇA CANCHIM, CRIADOS A PASTO, NO ESTADO DO PARANÁ, BRASIL

Beef production efficiency depends heavely on reproductive performance. Information on age at first calving indicates sexual precocity. Good management of young animal and elimination of factors that negatively interfere with growth and development of heifers contribute to shorten age at first calving. This trait, together with calving interval and conception rate of heifers after their first calving were studied from records of 3.091 Canchim females, born from 1974 through 1998, at Estação Experimental Fazenda Modelo/IAPAR, Ponta Grossa-PR. Data were analyzed using SAS program. Average calving interval, computed using least squares methods, was 16.79 ± 0.43 months, with coefficient of variation equal to 32.07. The R square from the statistical model was 19.84%. For calving interval, only year of birth, month of birth and month of previous calving were significant. When interval between first and second calving was studied, month of previous calving was not significant. Considering that data came from controlled animals, the average calving interval was too long in contrast with the ideal (12 months). Improving management practices should result in shorter calving interval in this herd.A produção eficiente de gado de corte depende muito do seu desempenho reprodutivo. Informações sobre a idade ao primeiro parto evidenciam a precocidade do animal. A boa criação dos animais jovens e a eliminação de fatores que interferem negativamente no crescimento e desenvolvimento das novilhas contribuem para diminuir a idade ao primeiro parto.  Essa característica, juntamente com o intervalo de partos e a taxa de reconcepção de novilhas Canchim foram estimadas analisando-se registros pertencentes ao banco de dados do Instituto Agronômico do Paraná (IAPAR), totalizando 3.091 partos, ocorridos no período de 1974 a 1998. Esses dados foram analisados utilizando o programa SAS, para se processar as respectivas análises estatísticas. A média para o intervalo de partos geral, estimada pelo método dos quadrados mínimos, foi de 16,79 ± 0,43 meses. O modelo estatístico justificou 19,84%, com um coeficiente de variação de 32,07. Das fontes de variação do modelo, apenas mês, ano e mês do parto anterior foram significativos para o intervalo de partos (geral). Quando se estudou essa característica entre o primeiro e segundo parto, o mês do parto anterior não foi significativo, apenas mês e ano de parto o foram. Considerando que os dados são provenientes de animais controlados, constatou-se médias elevadas em relação ao ideal (12 meses). A implementação de melhorias no manejo para esses animais pode reduzir os valores de intervalo entre partos na propriedade

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Discovery of widespread transcription initiation at microsatellites predictable by sequence-based deep neural network

Using the Cap Analysis of Gene Expression (CAGE) technology, the FANTOM5 consortium provided one of the most comprehensive maps of transcription start sites (TSSs) in several species. Strikingly, ~72% of them could not be assigned to a specific gene and initiate at unconventional regions, outside promoters or enhancers. Here, we probe these unassigned TSSs and show that, in all species studied, a significant fraction of CAGE peaks initiate at microsatellites, also called short tandem repeats (STRs). To confirm this transcription, we develop Cap Trap RNA-seq, a technology which combines cap trapping and long read MinION sequencing. We train sequence-based deep learning models able to predict CAGE signal at STRs with high accuracy. These models unveil the importance of STR surrounding sequences not only to distinguish STR classes, but also to predict the level of transcription initiation. Importantly, genetic variants linked to human diseases are preferentially found at STRs with high transcription initiation level, supporting the biological and clinical relevance of transcription initiation at STRs. Together, our results extend the repertoire of non-coding transcription associated with DNA tandem repeats and complexify STR polymorphism