A prospective cohort study examining the association of claw anatomy and sole temperature with the development of claw horn disruption lesions in dairy cattle

Foot characteristics have been linked to the development of sole lesions (sole hemorrhage and sole ulcers) and white line lesions, also known as claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL). The objective of this study was to examine the association of claw anatomy and sole temperature, with the development of CHDL. A cohort of 2,352 cows was prospectively enrolled from 4 UK farms and assessed at 3 time points; before calving (T1-Precalving), immediately post-calving (T2-Calving), and in early lactation. At each time point body condition score was recorded, a thermography image of each foot was taken for sole temperature measurement, the presence of CHDL was assessed by veterinary surgeons, and an ultrasound image was taken to retrospectively measure the digital cushion and sole horn thickness. Additionally, at the post-calving time point, foot angle and heel depth were recorded. Four multivariable logistic regression models were fit to separately examine the relationship of pre-calving and post-calving explanatory variables with the development of either white line lesions or sole lesions. Explanatory variables tested included digital cushion thickness, sole horn thickness, sole temperature, foot angle, and heel depth. Farm, parity, body condition score, and the presence of a lesion at the time of measurement were also included in the models. A thicker digital cushion shortly after calving was associated with decreased odds of cows developing sole lesions during early lactation (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.65 – 0.84). No association was found between digital cushion thickness and the development of white line lesions. Sole temperature post-calving was associated with increased odds of the development of sole lesions (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.02 – 1.05), and sole temperature before and post-calving was associated with the development of white line lesions (T1-Precalving; OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01 – 1.07, T2-Calving; OR: 0.96 95% CI: 0.93 – 0.99). Neither foot angle nor heel depth was associated with the development of either lesion type. However, an increased sole horn thickness after calving reduced the odds of cows developing sole lesions during early lactation (OR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.83 – 0.93), highlighting the importance of maintaining adequate sole horn when foot trimming. Before calving, animals with a lesion at the time of measurement and a thicker sole were more likely to develop a sole lesion (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.09 – 1.40), compared with those without a sole lesion. The results presented here suggest that white line and sole lesions may have differing etiopathogenesis. Results also confirm the association between the thickness of the digital cushion and the development of sole lesions, highlight the association between sole horn thickness and sole lesions, and challenge the potential importance of foot angle and heel depth in the development of CHDL

Genetic parameters of sole lesion recovery in Holstein cows

Sole hemorrhage and sole ulcers, referred to as sole lesions, are important causes of lameness in dairy cattle. The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters of a novel trait reflecting how well cows recovered from sole lesions and the genetic correlation of this trait with overall susceptibility to sole lesions. A cohort of Holstein dairy cows was prospectively enrolled on 4 farms and assessed at 4 timepoints: before calving, immediately after calving, in early lactation, and in late lactation. At each timepoint, sole lesions were recorded at the claw level by veterinary surgeons and used to define 2 binary traits: (1) susceptibility to sole lesions-whether animals were affected with sole lesions at least once during the study or were unaffected at every assessment, and (2) sole lesion recovery-whether sole lesions healed between early and late lactation. Animals were genotyped and pedigree details extracted from the national database. Analyses were conducted with BLUPF90 software in a single-step framework; genetic parameters were estimated from animal threshold models using Gibbs sampling. The genetic correlation between both traits was approximated as the correlation between genomic estimated breeding values, adjusting for their reliabilities. A total of 2,025 animals were used to estimate the genetic parameters of sole lesion susceptibility; 44% of animals recorded a sole lesion at least once during the study period. The heritability of sole lesion susceptibility, on the liability scale, was 0.25 (95% highest density interval = 0.16-0.34). A total of 498 animals were used to estimate the genetic parameters of sole lesion recovery; 71% of animals had recovered between the early and late lactation assessments. The heritability of sole lesion recovery, on the liability scale, was 0.27 (95% highest density interval = 0.02-0.52). The approximate genetic correlation between each trait was -0.11 (95% confidence interval = -0.20 to -0.02). Our results indicate that recovery from sole lesions is heritable. If this finding is corroborated in further studies, it may be possible to use selective breeding to reduce the frequency of chronically lame cows. As sole lesion recovery appears to be weakly genetically related to sole lesion susceptibility, successful genetic improvement of sole lesion recovery would benefit from selection on this trait directly.</p

Genomic architecture and prediction of censored time-to-event phenotypes with a Bayesian genome-wide analysis

While recent advancements in computation and modelling have improved the analysis of complex traits, our understanding of the genetic basis of the time at symptom onset remains limited. Here, we develop a Bayesian approach (BayesW) that provides probabilistic inference of the genetic architecture of age-at-onset phenotypes in a sampling scheme that facilitates biobank-scale time-to-event analyses. We show in extensive simulation work the benefits BayesW provides in terms of number of discoveries, model performance and genomic prediction. In the UK Biobank, we find many thousands of common genomic regions underlying the age-at-onset of high blood pressure (HBP), cardiac disease (CAD), and type-2 diabetes (T2D), and for the genetic basis of onset reflecting the underlying genetic liability to disease. Age-at-menopause and age-at-menarche are also highly polygenic, but with higher variance contributed by low frequency variants. Genomic prediction into the Estonian Biobank data shows that BayesW gives higher prediction accuracy than other approaches

The Claiborne Corridor: Mid-Anchor Business Profiles 2014

The New Orleans Business Alliance and the Mayor’s Office of Place-based Planning are working closely with the Livable Claiborne Communities Initiatives to encourage the maintenance, development and expansion of businesses throughout the city with a special focus on the LCC. The reports that follow identify mid-anchor businesses that have contributed to the social and economic wealth of the City of New Orleans for, in some cases, hundreds of years. The hope is that these businesses will be supported through new City initiatives to improve façades, marketability and expand employment opportunities. The research and resources provided by the students at UNO will support these efforts and hopefully contribute to the reinvestment and redevelopment of the new New Orleans

Association between a genetic index for digital dermatitis resistance and the presence of digital dermatitis, heel horn erosion and interdigital hyperplasia in Holstein cows

Digital dermatitis (DD) is a polybacterial disease endemic to most UK dairy farms. It poses a major financial and welfare threat and is characterized by high incidence and recurrence rates. We aimed to investigate the association between the UK estimated breeding value for resistance to digital dermatitis, the Digital Dermatitis Index (DDI) and the frequency of DD, heel horn erosion (HHE), and interdigital hyperplasia (IH) in a population of Holstein dairy cows. We enrolled and genotyped 2,352 cows from 4 farms in a prospective cohort study. Foot lesion records were recorded by veterinary surgeons for each animal at 4 time points during a production cycle, starting at approximately 2 mo before calving and ending in late lactation. Importantly, these records were not used in the calculation of the DDI. Lesion records were matched to the animal's own DDI (n = 2,101) and their sire's DDI (n = 1,812). Digital Dermatitis Index values in our study population ranged from -1.41 to +1.2 and were transformed to represent distance from the mean expressed in standard deviations. The relationship between the DDI and the presence of DD was investigated using a logistic regression model, with farm, parity, and a farm-parity interaction fitted as covariates. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to evaluate the relationship between HHE and DDI with farm fitted as a covariate. Finally, a univariable logistic regression model with DDI as explanatory variable was used to investigate the relationship between IH and DDI. The odds ratio of an animal being affected by DD was 0.69 for one standard deviation (SD) increase in the animal's DDI (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.63-0.76). The odds of HHE and IH were 0.69 (95%CI = 0.62-0.76) and 0.58 (95%CI = 0.49-0.68) respectively for one SD increase in DDI. The adjusted probability of DD was 32% (95% CI = 27-36%) for cows with mean DDI value of 0 while it was 24% (95% CI = 20-29%) in cows with a DDI value of +1. Sire DDI breeding values were standardized in the same way and then binned into terciles creating an ordinal variable representing bulls of high, medium, and low genetic merit for DD resistance. The daughters of low genetic merit bulls were at 2.05 (95% CI = 1.60-2.64), 1.96 (95% CI = 1.53-2.50), and 2.85 (95% CI = 1.64-5.16) times greater odds of being affected by DD, HHE, and IH respectively compared with the daughters of high genetic merit bulls. The results of this study highlight the potential of digital dermatitis genetic indexes to aid herd management of DD, and suggest that breeding for resistance to DD, alongside environmental and management control practices, could reduce the prevalence of the disease.</p

The Claiborne Corridor: Mid-Anchor Business Profiles 2014

The New Orleans Business Alliance and the Mayor’s Office of Place-based Planning are working closely with the Livable Claiborne Communities Initiatives to encourage the maintenance, development and expansion of businesses throughout the city with a special focus on the LCC. The reports that follow identify mid-anchor businesses that have contributed to the social and economic wealth of the City of New Orleans for, in some cases, hundreds of years. The hope is that these businesses will be supported through new City initiatives to improve façades, marketability and expand employment opportunities. The research and resources provided by the students at UNO will support these efforts and hopefully contribute to the reinvestment and redevelopment of the new New Orleans

A prospective cohort study of factors associated with the digital cushion thickness in dairy cattle.

Key factors such as stage of lactation, parity and body fat reserves have been associated with the digital cushion thickness, however, there are discrepancies between the results of previously published studies. The objective of this study was to examine the association of stage of lactation, body fat reserves, parity, and lesion incidence with the digital cushion thickness (DCT) in a large cohort of intensively monitored cows. Across 4 UK farms, 2,352 cows were prospectively enrolled and assessed at 4 time points; before calving (T1-Precalving), immediately post-calving (T2-Calving), in early lactation (T3-Early) and late lactation (T4-Late). At each time point body condition score was recorded, the presence of sole lesions (sole ulcers and sole hemorrhage) and white line lesions were assessed by veterinarians, and an ultrasound image was taken to retrospectively measure the back-fat thickness in the pelvic (BFT) region and the digital cushion on the hind left lateral claw. Mixed effects multivariable linear regression models, with the cow as a random effect were fit to examine the association between explanatory variables and the DCT. Explanatory variables tested were farm, parity, stage of lactation, body condition score, BFT, height, the presence of a lesion at the time of measurement, the chronicity of a lesion during early lactation, predicted maximum daily milk yield and the rate of milk production rise in early lactation. Stage of lactation and farm were both associated with the DCT, however an interaction was present and this DCT pattern of change was farm dependent. Two distinct patterns emerged; one indicated the nadir to occur shortly after calving, the other indicated the nadir to occur during early lactation. Neither back fat thickness nor BCS were significantly associated with the DCT. Heifers displayed thinner digital cushions compared with multiparous cows, however, this effect was dependent on the stage of lactation, with heifers having a thinner digital cushion up until late lactation, by which time the DCT was commensurate with multiparous animals. Sole lesions and white line lesions at the time of measurement were associated with the DCT (sole lesion; Estimate: -0.07mm, 95% CI: -0.14-0.00, P = 0.039, white line lesion; Estimate: 0.28mm, 95% CI: 0.15-0.42, P < 0.001)