Effects of thermal stress on physiological state and hormone concentrations in Holstein cows under arid climatic conditions

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of heat stress on the physiology of dairy cows and to detect the relationship between rectal temperature (RT) and respiration rate (RR), heart rate (HR), and plasma concentrations of cortisol, thyroxine, and prolactin. During the experiment, 44 Holstein cows were allocated to two groups for each season. The average temperature-humidity index (THI) values were 55 ± 2.31 in winter and 78 ± 1.9 in summer. As the THI values increased from 55 to 78, RR rose by 35 inspirations per minute, HR by 3 beats per minute, and RT by 1.2 °C. In addition, the average concentration of cortisol increased from 19.30 to 21.04 nmol/L, and prolactin from 58.52 to 129.79 ngm/L, whereas free thyroxine decreased from 15.43 to 14.01 pmol/L. Plasma sodium and potassium concentrations were similar in the two seasons. These results confirmed that RT is an indicator of the response in dairy cows to hot environmental temperatures. However, they also showed signs of stress, which were reflected in higher levels of cortisol and in certain physiological responses

Variation in Attraction to Host Plant Odors in an Invasive Moth Has a Genetic Basis and is Genetically Negatively Correlated with Fecundity

Lepidopteran insects are major pests of agricultural crops, and mated female moths exploit plant volatiles to locate suitable hosts for oviposition. We investigated the heritability of odor-guided host location behavior and fecundity in the cosmopolitan oriental fruit moth Grapholita (Cydia) molesta, an oligophagous herbivore that attacks fruit trees. We used a full-sib/half-sib approach to estimate the heritability and the genetic correlation between these two traits. Results document a considerable genetic basis for olfactory attraction of females (h 2 =0.37±0.17) and their fecundity (h 2 =0.32±0.13), as well as a genetic trade-off between female attraction and fecundity (r g =−0.85±0.21). These estimations were empirically corroborated by comparing two strains maintained in the laboratory for different numbers of generations. The long-term reared strain lost its olfactory discrimination ability but achieved significantly higher fecundity compared with the short-term reared strain. Our results highlight that genetic studies are relevant for understanding the evolution of odor-guided behavior in herbivore insects and for judging the promise of pest management strategies involving behavioral manipulation with plant volatile

Information and Communication Technologies for Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry in Jammu and Kashmir

Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is growing in all spheres of activity. Veterinary Sciences andAnimal Husbandry should therefore be no exception. Efforts are needed to incorporate ICT in all endeavours related to livestock development in Jammu and Kashmir. All organizations and departments concerned with Veterinary Sciences andAnimal Husbandry need to realize the potential of ICT for the speedy and timely dissemination of information modules to the livestock rearers.The awareness among livestock rearers about the information and availability of ICT services is the first step to be taken to increase livestock rearers' participation in ICT initiatives.Access to information and communication is essential to the stakeholders at alllevels in the process of development. Various information and communication technology tools in knowledge and information dissemination needed for livestock rearers and possible IT application tools in realizing their needs in Jammu and Kashmir are discussed

A systematic review on treatment-related mucocutaneous reactions in COVID-19 patients

Most of drugs could have certain mucocutaneous reactions and COVID-19 drugs are not an exception that we focused. We systematically reviewed databases until August 15, 2020 and among initial 851 articles, 30 articles entered this study (20 case reports, 4 cohorts, and 6 controlled clinical trials). The types of reactions included AGEP, morbiliform drug eruptions, vasculitis, DRESS syndrome, urticarial vasculitis, and so on. The treatments have been used before side effects occur, included: antimalarial, anti-viral, antibiotics, tocilizumab, enoxaparin and and so on. In pandemic, we found 0.004 to 4.15 of definite drug-induced mucocutaneous reactions. The interval between drug usage and the eruption varied about few hours to 1 month; tightly dependent to the type of drug and hydroxychloroqine seems to be the drug with highest mean interval. Antivirals, antimalarials, azithromycin, and tocilizumab are most responsive drugs for adverse drug reactions, but antivirals especially in combination with antimalarial drugs are in the first step. Types of skin reactions are usually morbilliform/exanthematous maculopapular rashes or urticarial eruptions, which mostly may manage by steroids during few days. In the setting of HCQ, specific reactions like AGEP should be considered. Lopinavir/ritonavir is the most prevalent used drug among antivirals with the highest skin adverse reaction; ribarivin and remdisivir also could induce cutaneous drug reactions but favipiravir has no or less adverse effects. Logically the rate of dermatologic adverse effects among anivirals may relate to their frequency of usage. Rarely, potentially life-threatening reactions may occur. Better management strategies could achieve by knowing more about drug-induced mucocutaneous presentations of COVID-19. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC

The Audio Frequency Conductance Study of Some Metal Succinate Salts in Aqueous Medium at Different Temperatures (Part Ii: Zinc, Nickel and Cobalt Succinates)

The electrical conductances of aqueous solutions of zinc, nickel and cobalt succinates have been measured at four temperatures in the temperature range from 298.15K to 313.15K. The limiting molar conductances (Λo), association constants (KA) and the closest distances of approach (a) were calculated using the complete and modified forms of Fouss-Hsia (F/H) and Pitts (P). Quantitative results showed that these salts do not behave as "strong" electrolytes, and that their dissociations are far from complete. The abnormally law conductances of these electrolytes are due to the ion pair formation. The Walden product values, as well as the standard thermodynamic functions (DHo, DGo, DSo) for association reactions have been evaluated

Angus Ground Beef Has Higher Overall Consumer Acceptability than Grass-Fed Ground Beef

Ground beef is considered one of the major sources of animal protein in the U.S., accounting for approximately 40% of beef consumption per capita (USDA, 2011). Consumers’ concern about animal welfare, sustainable production, and low fat products has influenced purchasing decisions, resulting in an increased demand for grass-fed ground beef (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, 2007). Grass-fed cattle are fed natural based forages or grass-hay, thus resulting in a higher deposition of omega-3 fatty acids in meat. Meat from grain-fed cattle has a lower omega-3 content due to the saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid profile found in a grain based diet. Additionally, grass-fed ground beef contains three times more omega-3 fatty acids than traditional grain-fed ground beef; however, there is no evidence to support that grass-fed ground beef is a healthier choice for consumers than traditional ground beef (Smith, 2013). Several studies have looked at the flavor profile between grass-fed and grain-fed beef in order to identify whether the omega-3 fatty acids found in grass-fed ground beef play a key role on consumer flavor acceptability. A high content of omega-3 fatty acids accelerates oxidization of meat, and consequently causes potential adverse effects on meat palatability traits. Consumer sensory evaluation was conducted to evaluate consumer palatability ratings of grass-fed ground beef in comparison to Angus and commodity ground beef

The relationship between alcohol use and dementia in adults aged more than 60 years: a combined analysis of prospective, individual-participant data from 15 international studies

Aim: To synthesize international findings on the alcohol–dementia relationship, including representation from low- and middle-income countries. Methods: Individual participant data meta-analysis of 15 prospective epidemiological cohort studies from countries situated in six continents. Cox regression investigated the dementia risk associated with alcohol use in older adults aged over 60 years. Additional analyses assessed the alcohol–dementia relationship in the sample stratified by sex and by continent. Participants included 24 478 community dwelling individuals without a history of dementia at baseline and at least one follow-up dementia assessment. The main outcome measure was all-cause dementia as determined by clinical interview. Results: At baseline, the mean age across studies was 71.8 (standard deviation = 7.5, range = 60–102 years), 14 260 (58.3%) were female and 13 269 (54.2%) were current drinkers. During 151 636 person-years of follow-up, there were 2124 incident cases of dementia (14.0 per 1000 person-years). When compared with abstainers, the risk for dementia was lower in occasional [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.68–0.89], light–moderate (HR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.70–0.87) and moderate–heavy drinkers (HR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.51–0.77). There was no evidence of differences between life-time abstainers and former drinkers in terms of dementia risk (HR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.81–1.18). In dose–response analyses, moderate drinking up to 40 g/day was associated with a lower risk of dementia when compared with lif-time abstaining. Among current drinkers, there was no consistent evidence for differences in terms of dementia risk. Results were similar when the sample was stratified by sex. When analysed at the continent level, there was considerable heterogeneity in the alcohol–dementia relationship. Conclusions: Abstinence from alcohol appears to be associated with an increased risk for all-cause dementia. Among current drinkers, there appears to be no consistent evidence to suggest that the amount of alcohol consumed in later life is associated with dementia risk

Risk factors and cognitive correlates of white matter hyperintensities in ethnically diverse populations without dementia: The COSMIC consortium

INTRODUCTION: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are an important imaging marker for cerebral small vessel diseases, but their risk factors and cognitive associations have not been well documented in populations of different ethnicities and/or from different geographical regions. METHODS: We investigated how WMHs were associated with vascular risk factors and cognition in both Whites and Asians, using data from five population-based cohorts of non-demented older individuals from Australia, Singapore, South Korea, and Sweden (N = 1946). WMH volumes (whole brain, periventricular, and deep) were quantified with UBO Detector and harmonized using the ComBat model. We also harmonized various vascular risk factors and scores for global cognition and individual cognitive domains. RESULTS: Factors associated with larger whole brain WMH volumes included diabetes, hypertension, stroke, current smoking, body mass index, higher alcohol intake, and insufficient physical activity. Hypertension and stroke had stronger associations with WMH volumes in Whites than in Asians. No associations between WMH volumes and cognitive performance were found after correction for multiple testing. CONCLUSION: The current study highlights ethnic differences in the contributions of vascular risk factors to WMHs