Effect of restricted feeding under rearing on reproduction, body condition and blood metabolites of rabbit does selected for growth rate

[EN] Young rabbit females selected for growth rate can have nutritional needs which may not be met by the common practice of feed restriction during rearing in commercial rabbit production. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of two different feeding programmes: restricted and ad libitum feeding, applied in young rabbit females for one month at the end of rearing, on reproductive performance, body condition and circulating metabolic hormones and metabolites in a rabbit line selected by growth rate in 3 consecutive reproductive cycles. Thus, twenty-four 16-week-old does were randomly assigned to a group in which the daily recommended nutrient intakes were satisfied (fed restricted: 130 g/day, n=13) or a group fed to satiety (ad libitum: 235.5 g/day, n=11) during one month. Then, all does were inseminated in 3 consecutive cycles using a 42-day reproductive cycle. Measurements of does’ body weight, perirenal fat thickness and plasma leptin, non-esterified-fatty-acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB) and fructosamine were performed at artificial insemination (AI), parturition and weaning time in 3 consecutive cycles. Reproductive performance of does was evaluated based on fertility, litter size at parturition, prolificacy and productivity. Differences in body weight were found only in the 1st cycle, ad libitum fed females being heavier than restricted ones. Nevertheless, body weight variances disappeared in later cycles. No differences were found in perirenal fat thickness. Finally, in ad libitum fed females slight differences were found in plasma levels of NEFAs (452 vs. 258 μekv/L and 527 vs. 306 μekv/L for 1st and 2nd cycles) and BOHB (0.26 vs. 0.03 mM for 2nd cycle), but disappeared in the 3rd reproductive cycle. Fertility, prolificacy and productivity was not significantly affected by the feeding programme. Nevertheless, total litter size showed to be higher in ad libitum fed females at second parturition (8.7 vs. 5.9 kits). Therefore, the evaluated feeding programmes until first AI in females selected by growth rate had no effect on their reproductive outcomes, as the global reproductive performance was not affected.This work was supported by the Spanish Research Project AGL2014- 53405-C2-1-P (CICYT). Carmen Naturil was supported by a research grant from the Education Ministry of the Valencian Regional Government (programme VALi+d. ACIF ⁄ 2013 ⁄ 296). English text version revised by N. Macowan English Language Service.Naturil-Alfonso, C.; Marco-Jiménez, F.; Pascual, J.; Vicente, J. (2017). Effect of restricted feeding under rearing on reproduction, body condition and blood metabolites of rabbit does selected for growth rate. World Rabbit Science. 25(4):303-312. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2017.6848SWORD30331225

Comparison of two techniques for the morphometry study on gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) spermatozoa and evaluation of changes induced by cryopreservation

[EN] The development of powerful software has made possible spermatozoa morphology studies. However, some problems have emerged in relation to protocol standardization to compare results from different laboratories. This study was carried out to compare two techniques commonly used (staining vs phase contrast technique) for the morphometry study of gilthead sea bream spermatozoa using an integrated sperm analysis system (ISAS). Spermatozoa morphometry values were significantly affected by the technique used, and phase contrast technique was found to be the more accurate method, showing lower coefficients of variation on spermatozoa morphometry parameters measurements. Moreover, it has been shown that cryopreservation process produces damage in gilthead sea bream spermatozoa, causing negative effects in sperm parameters as spermatozoa morphometry (a decrease in cell volume), motility (from 95 to 68% motile cells) and viability (from 95 to 87% of live cells), being the addition of freezing medium containing cryoprotectant (DMSO) an important factor that caused the morphometry changes. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This work was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN; AGL2007-64040-C03-00, Project SELECTBREAM). V. Gallego and I. Mazzeo were supported by predoctoral scholarships financed by the Spanish MICINN and Generalitat Valenciana, respectively. D.S. Penaranda had a postdoctoral grant from UPV.Gallego Albiach, V.; Peñaranda, D.; Marco Jiménez, F.; Mazzeo, I.; Pérez Igualada, LM.; Asturiano Nemesio, JF. (2012). Comparison of two techniques for the morphometry study on gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) spermatozoa and evaluation of changes induced by cryopreservation. Theriogenology. 77(6):1078-1087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2011.10.010S1078108777

Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus From Animals and Animal Products in the UK

[EN] Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) is an emerging problem in many parts of the world. Although animal-adapted LA-MRSA has been known for many years, recent reports suggest a possible increasing trend in the zoonotic transmission of LA-MRSA in Europe. Since its emergence in the early 2000¿s, several investigations have indicated that persons in prolonged, repeated contact with affected livestock are at a higher risk of becoming colonized with LA-MRSA. LA-MRSA monitoring in livestock is voluntary under current EU legislation, and not all member states, including the UK, participate. UK LA-MRSA isolates have been detected through scanning surveillance, where samples are submitted from clinically diseased livestock for diagnostic investigation, and research studies. Surveys conducted on retail beef, pig and poultry meat on sale in the UK have also detected LA-MRSA. Taken together these results suggest that LA-MRSA is present in the UK, possibly at low prevalence level, as suggested by available evidence. In this review, we examine the data available from UK livestock and animal products, and make recommendations for future. We also review the findings from whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the possible lineage of some UK livestock isolates.We are grateful to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate in the UK for funding this work through VMD0533. FM-J contributed during a sabbatical to the APHA with a grant from Consellería de Educación y Ciencia of Generalitat Valenciana (BEST/2017/050). CM contributed during a sabbatical to the APHA which was supported by a Lecturer research grant from the Santander bank (programme XIII Convocatoria de ayudas a la movilidad investigadora CEU-Banco Santander).Anjum, MF.; Marco-Jiménez, F.; Duncan, D.; Marin-Orenga, C.; Smith, RP.; Evans, SJ. (2019). Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus From Animals and Animal Products in the UK. Frontiers in Microbiology. 10:1-7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02136S171

Maternal vaccination as a Salmonella Typhimurium reduction strategy on pig farms

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Smith, R. , Andres, V. , Martelli, F. , Gosling, B. , Marco‐Jimenez, F. , Vaughan, K. , Tchorzewska, M. and Davies, R. (2018), Maternal vaccination as a Salmonella Typhimurium reduction strategy on pig farms. J Appl Microbiol, 124: 274-285. doi:10.1111/jam.13609, which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/10.1111/jam.13609. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.[EN] AimsThe control of Salmonella in pig production is necessary for public and animal health, and vaccination was evaluated as a strategy to decrease pig prevalence. Methods and ResultsThe study examined the efficacy of a live Salmonella Typhimurium vaccine, administered to sows on eight commercial farrow-to-finish herds experiencing clinical salmonellosis or Salmonella carriage associated with S. Typhimurium or its monophasic variants. Results of longitudinal Salmonella sampling were compared against eight similarly selected and studied control farms. At the last visit (similar to 14months after the start of vaccination), when all finishing stock had been born to vaccinated sows, both faecal shedding and environmental prevalence of Salmonella substantially declined on the majority of vaccinated farms in comparison to the controls. A higher proportion of vaccine farms resolved clinical salmonellosis than controls. However, Salmonella counts in positive faeces samples were similar between nonvaccinated and vaccinated herds. ConclusionsThe results suggest that maternal vaccination is a suitable option for a Salmonella Typhimurium reduction strategy in farrow-to-finish pig herds. Significance and Impact of the StudySalmonella vaccines have the potential to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella in pigs and result in a reduction of human cases attributed to pork.The authors thank the participating farmers and their vets involved in this study. The work was funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) under project OZO344, and has been accomplished during the stay of Professor PhD. Francisco Marco-Jimenez in Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA-Weybridge) with a grant of Conselleria de Educacion y Ciencia of Generalitat Valenciana. The authors also gratefully acknowledge IDT Biologika GmbH for supplying the vaccine and providing guidance on its use.Smith, R.; Andrés, V.; Martelli, F.; Gosling, B.; Marco Jiménez, F.; Vaughan, K.; Tchorzewska, M.... (2018). Maternal vaccination as a Salmonella Typhimurium reduction strategy on pig farms. Journal of Applied Microbiology. 124(1):274-285. https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.13609S274285124

Phosphomannosylation and the functional analysis of the extended Candida albicans MNN4-like gene family

We thank Luz A. López-Ramírez (Universidad de Guanajuato) for technical assistance. This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (ref. CB2011/166860; PDCPN2014-247109, and FC 2015-02-834), Universidad de Guanajuato (ref. 000025/11; 0087/13; ref. 1025/2016; Convocatoria Institucional para Fortalecer la Excelencia Académica 2015; CIFOREA 89/2016), Programa de Mejoramiento de Profesorado (ref. UGTO-PTC-261), and Red Temática Glicociencia en Salud (CONACYT-México). NG acknowledges the Wellcome Trust (086827, 075470, 101873, and 200208) and MRC Centre for Medical Mycology for funding (N006364/1). KJ was supported by a research visitor grant to Aberdeen from China Scholarship Council (CSC No. 201406055024). The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02156/full#supplementary-materialPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Revalorization of sunflower stalks as novel sources of cellulose nanofibrils and nanocrystals and their effect on wheat gluten bionanocomposite properties

[EN] Novel gluten based bionanocomposites reinforced with cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) extracted from sunflower stalks by respectively a steam explosion treatment and a hydrolysis procedure, were prepared by casting/evaporation. The extracted cellulose nanomaterials, both CNC and CNF, were embedded in gluten matrix and their effect was investigated. Morphological investigations highlighted that gluten based bionanocomposites showed a homogenous morphology, the absence of visible cellulose nanoreinforcements, and the presence of holes for Gluten CNF nanocomposites. Gluten CNF showed a reduction of water vapour permeability coefficients but the values are higher respect to gluten reinforced with CNC. This behaviour could be related to the ability of CNC to increase the tortuous path of gas molecules. Moreover, the results from thermal, mechanical and barrier properties confirmed the strong interactions obtained between CNC and gluten matrix during the process. The study suggested the possibility to re-valorise agricultural wastes with potential applications as reinforcement in polymer matrix bionanocomposites. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reservedFortunati, E.; Luzi, F.; Jiménez Marco, A.; Gopakumar, D.; Puglia, D.; Thomas, S.; Kenny, J.... (2016). Revalorization of sunflower stalks as novel sources of cellulose nanofibrils and nanocrystals and their effect on wheat gluten bionanocomposite properties. Carbohydrate Polymers. 149:357-368. doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.04.120S35736814

Sub-250 fs, 650 kW Peak Power Harmonic Mode-Locked Fiber Laser with InN-based SESAM

43rd. European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC 2017), Gothemburg, 17-21 Sept.We demonstrate ultrafast harmonically mode-locked fiber lasing in up to 6-km-long rings at 1.56μm with InN SESAM. Fundamental mode-locking with pulse width of 239fs, pulse energy of 155nJ and peak power of 650kW is achieved with a 1-km-long cavity.European CommissionMinisterio de Economía y CompetitividadComunidad de Madri

Dataset on water–glycerol flow in a horizontal pipeline with and without leaks

The dataset presented in this article was collected in a laboratory flow circuit, which was designed to investigate highviscosity flows. The data set is composed of 1200 s (equivalent to 12,000 samples) of mass flow and pressure measurements taken at five points along the pipeline. The first 300 s were recorded when the flow in the loop was composed only of glycerol. The remaining data were acquired when the flow was composed of a water–glycerol mixture. During the data acquisition, two extractions were produced. The research reported in [1] uses 160 s of the data provided here. This article explains in detail the experimental set-up and the principal instruments used for obtaining the dataset. The dataset is in the form of seven columns: Time, Mass Flow, Pressure 1, Pressure 2, Pressure 3, Pressure 4, Pressure 5, in supplementary Excel and Matlab files

Long-term and transgenerational effects of cryopreservation on rabbit embryos

The short-term effects of cryopreservation and embryo transfer are well documented (reduced embryo viability, changes in pattern expression), but little is known about their long-term effects. We examined the possibility that embryo vitrification and transfer in rabbit could have an impact on the long-term reproductive physiology of the offspring and whether these phenotypes could be transferred to the progeny. Vitrified rabbit embryos were warmed and transferred to recipient females (F0). The offspring of the F0 generation were the F1 generation (cryopreserved animals). Females from F1 generation offspring were bred to F1 males to generate an F2 generation. In addition, two counterpart groups of noncryopreserved animals were bred and housed simultaneously to F1 and F2 generations (CF1 and CF2, respectively). The reproductive traits studied in all studied groups were litter size (LS), number born alive at birth (BA), and postnatal survival at Day 28 (number of weaned/number born alive expressed as percentage). The reproductive traits were analyzed using Bayesian methodology. Features of the estimated marginal posterior distributions of the differences between F1 and their counterparts (F1 - CF1) and between F2 and their counterparts (F2 - CF2) in reproductive characters found that vitrification and transfer procedures cause a consistent increase in LS and BA between F1 and CF1 females (more than 1.4 kits in LS and more than 1.3 BA) and also between F2 and CF2 females (0.96 kits in LS and 0.94 BA). We concluded that embryo cryopreservation and transfer procedures have long-term effects on derived female reproduction (F1 females) and transgenerational effects on female F1 offspring (F2 females).Lavara García, R.; Baselga Izquierdo, M.; Marco Jiménez, F.; Vicente Antón, JS. (2014). Long-term and transgenerational effects of cryopreservation on rabbit embryos. Theriogenology. 81(7):988-992. doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2014.01.030S98899281