Effect of cyclic heat stress and supplemented inorganic and organic zinc source levels on grow-finish pig growth performance, estimated body composition, intestinal morphology and gene expression.

Heat stress is a physiologic state where an animal can no longer properly regulate it’s body temperature to prevent hyperthermia. It has been well documented that heat stress can negatively impact feed intake, growth performance, carcass characteristics, gut morphology and integrity in swine. Finishing swine are particularly sensitive to heat stress which costs the U.S. swine industry millions of dollars annually. There are several ways heat challenges can be mitigated to reduce the negative impacts of heat stress during warmer temperatures, one of which being nutrition. Knowing that heat stress alters intestinal barrier function and morphology, we took a holistic approach in assessing how supplementing finishing pigs with an inorganic zinc source and an organic/inorganic zinc blend during cyclic heat stress could potentially improve gut function and thus growth performance and carcass characteristics. Six hundred cross-bred pigs were housed under thermoneutral (TN) or cycling heat (HS) conditions simulating summer heat with acute 3-day heat waves for a 70-day study. Thermoneutral conditions were 18.9–16.7°C throughout the study. Heat stress pigs were housed at the same temperature as TN from d 0-18, then increasing temperatures d 18-21 (28°C/24°C for 12h:12h, 50.0% humidity) followed by 30°C/26.7°C (12h:12h, 52.4% humidity) d 24-70 except during acute heat (32-33°C/29-30°C, 12h:12h, 51.5% humidity) on d 21-24, 42-45, and 63-66. Treatments were arranged in a 2×6 factorial with main effects of environment (HS vs. TN) and six dietary zinc supplementations, from either an inorganic (ZnO) or organic (Availa®Zn) source. Dietary Zn treatments were: 1) 50 mg/kg ZnO; 2) 130 mg/kg ZnO: 3) 50 mg/kg organic Zn; 4) 50 mg/kg ZnO + 40 mg/kg organic Zn; 5) 50 mg/kg ZnO + 60 mg/kg organic Zn; and 6) 50 mg/kg ZnO + 80 mg/kg organic Zn. Pigs (5/pen) were blocked by initial BW (72.2 kg) and randomly allotted to 1 of 12 temperature and diet treatment combinations across 10 replicates. There were 5 rooms per thermal environment, each containing 2 blocks of dietary treatments. Body weight and feed intake were determined at the beginning/end of each acute and chronic heat event. All pigs were ultrasonically scanned at the 10th rib for loin eye area (LEA) and backfat (BF) to calculate percent lean on d 63. Pigs were marketed on d 64 (TN) and d 71 (HS). Growth performance, carcass characteristics, and gut morphology were analyzed by the MIXED procedure and gene expression was anazlyzed with the GLM procedure in SAS 9.4. At d 63, HS pigs were lighter (124.11 vs. 128.34 kg; P \u3c 0.001), had lower overall ADG (826 vs. 901 g/d; P \u3c 0.001), ADFI (2.740 vs. 3.032 kg/d; P\u3c.001), but tended to have greater G:F (0.301 vs. 0.297; P = 0.1204). A diet by environment interaction was noted for overall ADG (P = 0.0039) and ADFI (P \u3c 0.001). The interaction is an order of magnitude in the reduction of ADG as a result of diet 5 having only a 3.9% reduction in ADG whereas diet 6 had 14.4% reduction in ADG under HS conditions. Pigs under HS had less BF at the 10th rib (16.9 vs. 18.0 mm; P \u3c 0.001) and a smaller LEA (53.5 vs. 55.2 cm2; P \u3c 0.001), but a greater calculated percent lean (54.6 vs. 54.1%; P = 0.039). Overall, HS pigs used 6.13 L more water per day than TN pigs (P = 0.0007) with the biggest difference in water utilization during the d 42-45 acute heat wave (6.17 vs. 15.6 L/pig/day; P \u3c 0.0001). Cyclic heat stress simulating summer conditions reduced growth performance by approximately 8.3%, resulting in 4 kg lighter pigs after 63d. To explore how zinc supplementation impacted gut morphology and jejunal gene expression during cyclical HS, one pig/pen (n=80) from diets 1, 2, 3, and 6 from each environment was harvested on d 65 at the Purdue University meats lab. Intestinal tissue was collected and analyzed for gene expression (heat shock proteins (HSP) 27, 70, and 90, occludin, and mucin-2) and morphology (n=80). Ileal villi were shorter in HS pigs (P=0.020) and jejunal HSP70 (P \u3c 0.080) also tended to increase with HS. A 3-way interaction (Environment x Zn Source x Zn Level) was observed for villus height (P \u3c 0.02) and HSP27 (P = 0.05) expression in the jejunum. The villus height 3-way interaction was primarily caused by the 50 mg/kg inorganic Zn treatment increasing villus height under HS and all other treatments decreasing villus height under HS. Under TN conditions, HSP 27 increases as inorganic levels of Zn increase from 50 to 130 mg/kg with no changes for organic Zn levels in TN conditions. However, in HS conditions both 130 mg/kg of inorganic and organic zinc levels remain low while the 50 mg/kg become elevated for both Zn sources. A tendency (P \u3c 0.10) for a Zn Source x Zn Level was observed for Jejunal HSP70 and HSP27 expression with 130 mg/kg of inorganic Zn causing an increased expression and 130 mg/kg of organic Zn causing a decreased expression relative to 50 mg/kg of each source. Finally, HSP90 expression was greater (P \u3c 0.05) in pigs supplemented with organic Zn compared to pigs supplemented with inorganic Zn. In conclusion, under TN conditions pigs appear to require at least 130 mg/kg of Zn for optimal growth rate, regardless of source, and a blend of organic and inorganic supplemental zinc at 110 mg/kg may have helped mitigate the reduction in growth performance due to a simulated summer heat stress. Additionally, supplemental zinc and environment can have an impact on gut morphology and gene expression, however, the mechanism behind zinc level and source and how it impacts intestinal chaperone protein and tight junction proteins expression is not well known and warrants further research

Fifteen species in one: deciphering the Brachionus plicatilis species complex (Rotifera, Monogononta) through DNA taxonomy

Understanding patterns and processes in biological diversity is a critical task given current and rapid environmental change. Such knowledge is even more essential when the taxa under consideration are important ecological and evolutionary models. One of these cases is the monogonont rotifer cryptic species complex Brachionus plicatilis, which is by far the most extensively studied group of rotifers, is widely used in aquaculture, and is known to host a large amount of unresolved diversity. Here we collate a dataset of previously available and newly generated sequences of COI and ITS1 for 1273 isolates of the B. plicatilis complex and apply three approaches in DNA taxonomy (i.e. ABGD, PTP, and GMYC) to identify and provide support for the existence of 15 species within the complex. We used these results to explore phylogenetic signal in morphometric and ecological traits, and to understand correlation among the traits using phylogenetic comparative models. Our results support niche conservatism for some traits (e.g. body length) and phylogenetic plasticity for others (e.g. genome size)

2017 Research & Innovation Day Program

A one day showcase of applied research, social innovation, scholarship projects and activities.https://first.fanshawec.ca/cri_cripublications/1004/thumbnail.jp

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Construction of a Dye-Sensitized Photoelectrochemical Solar Cell 30 using Plum Pigment Extract

Plums (Prunus Salicina) are darkly colored fruits which are known to contain anthocyanin pigments. During photosynthesis, anthocyanins are what protects the fruits from UV light and help attract pollinators to them such as bees. Anthocyanins were used to construct dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical solar cells since they are able to bind titanium dioxide to the hydroxide groups in their chemical structure. The process for extraction of the pigments included soaking the peels of the plums in acidified ethanol solution. The absorbance spectrum was obtained with a UV-VIS spectrophotometer which showed a peak at 530 nanometers. The plums’ pigment extract will be used to modify the titanium dioxide in dye-sensitized solar cells which will be further characterized measuring photocurrents with and without irradiation

Effect of Cyclic Heat Stress and Supplemented Inorganic and Organic Zinc Source Levels on Grow-Finish Pig Growth Performance, Estimated Body Composition, Intestinal Morphology and Gene Expression

Heat stress is a physiologic state where an animal can no longer properly regulate it’s body temperature to prevent hyperthermia. It has been well documented that heat stress can negatively impact feed intake, growth performance, carcass characteristics, gut morphology and integrity in swine. Finishing swine are particularly sensitive to heat stress which costs the U.S. swine industry millions of dollars annually. There are several ways heat challenges can be mitigated to reduce the negative impacts of heat stress during warmer temperatures, one of which being nutrition. Knowing that heat stress alters intestinal barrier function and morphology, we took a holistic approach in assessing how supplementing finishing pigs with an inorganic zinc source and an organic/inorganic zinc blend during cyclic heat stress could potentially improve gut function and thus growth performance and carcass characteristics. Six hundred cross-bred pigs were housed under thermoneutral (TN) or cycling heat (HS) conditions simulating summer heat with acute 3-day heat waves for a 70-day study. Thermoneutral conditions were 18.9–16.7 °C throughout the study. Heat stress pigs were housed at the same temperature as TN from d 0–18, then increasing temperatures d 18–21 (28 °C/24 °C for 12h:12h, 50.0% humidity) followed by 30 °C/26.7 °C (12h:12h, 52.4% humidity) d 24–70 except during acute heat (32–33 °C/29–30 °C, 12h:12h, 51.5% humidity) on d 21–24, 42–45, and 63–66. Treatments were arranged in a 2×6 factorial with main effects of environment (HS vs. TN) and six dietary zinc supplementations, from either an inorganic (ZnO) or organic (Availa®Zn) source. Dietary Zn treatments were: 1) 50 mg/kg ZnO; 2) 130 mg/kg ZnO: 3) 50 mg/kg organic Zn; 4) 50 mg/kg ZnO + 40 mg/kg organic Zn; 5) 50 mg/kg ZnO + 60 mg/kg organic Zn; and 6) 50 mg/kg ZnO + 80 mg/kg organic Zn. Pigs (5/pen) were blocked by initial BW (72.2 kg) and randomly allotted to 1 of 12 temperature and diet treatment combinations across 10 replicates. There were 5 rooms per thermal environment, each containing 2 blocks of dietary treatments. Body weight and feed intake were determined at the beginning/end of each acute and chronic heat event. All pigs were ultrasonically scanned at the 10th rib for loin eye area (LEA) and backfat (BF) to calculate percent lean on d 63. Pigs were marketed on d 64 (TN) and d 71 (HS). Growth performance, carcass characteristics, and gut morphology were analyzed by the MIXED procedure and gene expression was anazlyzed with the GLM procedure in SAS 9.4. At d 63, HS pigs were lighter (124.11 vs. 128.34 kg; P < 0.001), had lower overall ADG (826 vs. 901 g/d; P < 0.001), ADFI (2.740 vs. 3.032 kg/d; P < .001), but tended to have greater G:F (0.301 vs. 0.297; P = 0.1204). A diet by environment interaction was noted for overall ADG ( P = 0.0039) and ADFI (P < 0.001). The interaction is an order of magnitude in the reduction of ADG as a result of diet 5 having only a 3.9% reduction in ADG whereas diet 6 had 14.4% reduction in ADG under HS conditions. Pigs under HS had less BF at the 10th rib (16.9 vs. 18.0 mm; P < 0.001) and a smaller LEA (53.5 vs. 55.2 cm2; P < 0.001), but a greater calculated percent lean (54.6 vs. 54.1%; P = 0.039). Overall, HS pigs used 6.13 L more water per day than TN pigs (P = 0.0007) with the biggest difference in water utilization during the d 42–45 acute heat wave (6.17 vs. 15.6 L/pig/day; P < 0.0001). Cyclic heat stress simulating summer conditions reduced growth performance by approximately 8.3%, resulting in 4 kg lighter pigs after 63d. To explore how zinc supplementation impacted gut morphology and jejunal gene expression during cyclical HS, one pig/pen (n = 80) from diets 1, 2, 3, and 6 from each environment was harvested on d 65 at the Purdue University meats lab. Intestinal tissue was collected and analyzed for gene expression (heat shock proteins (HSP) 27, 70, and 90, occludin, and mucin-2) and morphology (n = 80). Ileal villi were shorter in HS pigs (P = 0.020) and jejunal HSP70 (P < 0.080) also tended to increase with HS. A 3-way interaction (Environment x Zn Source x Zn Level) was observed for villus height (P < 0.02) and HSP27 (P = 0.05) expression in the jejunum. The villus height 3-way interaction was primarily caused by the 50 mg/kg inorganic Zn treatment increasing villus height under HS and all other treatments decreasing villus height under HS. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.

Identification of Protein and Lipid Biomarkers of Infertility in Young Boars and Prepubertal Gilts

Reproductive efficiency in sows and boars affects the profitability of swine production systems. However, breeding stock selection is primarily based on progeny performance traits such as feed efficiency, growth rate, carcass characteristics, physical appearance, and structure, especially for terminal sire lines, with less emphasis on reproduction. While maternal sire lines are co-selected for reproductive traits including birth litter size, number weaned, weaning weight, and wean to estrus interval, currently, there is no single test predictive of fertility, and thus subfertile males and sub-fertile or even infertile females enter the swine breeding herds (Oh et al., 2006b; Safranski, 2008). Thus, to maximize economic returns and swine production efficiency there is a need for a biomarker to identify boars and gilts with the greatest reproductive potential before admittance into the breeding herd. The overall aim of the described studies was to determine if biomarkers of fertility of boars and gilts could be identified in biological samples taken prior to or just after animals entering the breeding herds using high throughput omic screening tools resulting from recent advancements in mass spectrometry. Current semen evaluation techniques only identify boars with fertility issues associated with sperm motility, morphology, and concentration. We know that seminal plasma proteins are essential for proper sperm function and play an important role in fertilization. Therefore, we hypothesized that fertility differences could be reflected in the seminal plasma proteome profiles. A fertility index was created from 110 boars with data on total born and farrowing rate following 50 single-sired matings. Thirty-two of the 110 boars were identified as having extreme phenotypes for total born and farrowing rate and were categorized into one of the following: high farrowing rate and high total born (HFHB; n=9), high farrowing rate with low total born (HFLB; n=10), low farrowing rate and low total born (LFLB; n=9), and low farrowing rate with high total born (LFHB; n=4). The seminal plasma proteins were isolated and measured using label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). There were 436 proteins measured in at least one sample across all animals, with 245 proteins considered for analysis (detected in samples of at least n=3 animals/phenotype). Of the 245 proteins, 56 were differentially abundant (P\u3c 0.05) between the high fertility phenotype (HFHB) and at least one of the three subfertile groups. Proteins previously associated with fertility such as Porcine seminal protein I (PSP-I) and epididymis-specific alpha-mannosidase (MAN2B2) and free radical detoxification such as superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), peroxiredoxin 4 (PRDX4), and glutathione peroxidase 6 (GPX6) were more abundant in HFHB. Subfertile phenotypes had a greater abundance of blood microparticle proteins, biomarkers of inflammation, and lower inositol-1-monophosphatase (IMPA1), which regulates inositol production. Findings supported that seminal plasma protein profiles were distinct between boars with different fertility phenotypes and have the potential to predict boar reproductive performance. The selection of replacement females for the sow herd is one of the most important facets in sow system management. However, selection of gilts for sow herd replacements is primarily based on how the animal appears such as feet and leg confirmation, the gilt’s underline, and parent past performance

Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Prehabilitation Program Prior to Breast Cancer Surgery: A Critically Appraised Topic

The purpose of our project is to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a prehabilitation (prehab) program for patients undergoing breast cancer surgery as compared to only receiving post-surgical rehabilitation. Our clinical mentor has recently obtained certification as a lymphedema specialist and is assisting with the opening of an outpatient mastectomy clinic through the Methodist University systems. Through our research process, we critically appraised two Level II articles, two Level III articles, and one Level IV article. Positive outcomes related to the feasibility were identified, however there is limited significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of the intervention. We recommend using the intervention with caution and monitoring based on the preliminary nature of the current evidence. Further studies should be conducted to determine the effectiveness of the intervention

Metabolic Shift in Porcine Spermatozoa during Sperm Capacitation-Induced Zinc Flux

Mammalian spermatozoa rely on glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation for energy leading up to fertilization. Sperm capacitation involves a series of well-regulated biochemical steps that are necessary to give spermatozoa the ability to fertilize the oocyte. Additionally, zinc ion (Zn2+) fluxes have recently been shown to occur during mammalian sperm capacitation. Semen from seven commercial boars was collected and analyzed using image-based flow cytometry before, after, and with the inclusion of 2 mM Zn2+ containing in vitro capacitation (IVC) media. Metabolites were extracted and analyzed via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), identifying 175 metabolites, with 79 differentially abundant across treatments (p p < 0.05). With zinc inclusion, we observed an increase in metabolites such as lactic acid, glucitol, glucose, fructose, myo-inositol, citric acid, and succinic acid, while saturated fatty acids including palmitic, dodecanoic, and myristic acid decreased compared to 4 h IVC, indicating regulatory shifts in metabolic pathways and fatty acid composition during capacitation. These findings underscore the importance of metabolic changes in improving artificial insemination and fertility treatments in livestock and humans