Study of the Stability of Creatine Kinase in Control Materials

Peer Reviewe

Acute phase proteins in cattle and swine : A review

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UABThe major acute phase proteins (APPs) in cattle are haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA), and in swine, are Hp, SAA, C-reactive protein (CRP), and Pig major acute phase protein (Pig-MAP). Many methodologic assays are presently available to measure these parameters, which are still being improved to increase their specificity, sensitivity, user-friendliness, and economic availability. In cattle, the main applications are the diagnosis and monitoring of frequent diseases such as mastitis and metritis in dairy cows and respiratory problems in young calves. In pigs, APPs are useful in the control of bacterial and viral infections, and they may be used at the slaughterhouse to monitor subclinical pathologies and improve food safety. The utility of APP in animal production must not be forgotten; optimization of protocols to improve performance, welfare, and nutrition may benefit from the use of APPs. Other sample types besides serum or plasma have potential uses; APP determination in milk is a powerful tool in the control of mastitis, saliva is a non-invasive sample type, and meat juice is easily obtained at the slaughterhouse. Increasing our knowledge of reference intervals and the influence of variables such as age, breed, sex, and the season is important. Finally, worldwide harmonization and standardization of analytical procedures will help to expand the use of APPs

Biochemical and proteomic analyses of the physiological response induced by individual housing in gilts provide new potential stress markers

BACKGROUND: The objective assessment of animal stress and welfare requires proper laboratory biomarkers. In this work, we have analyzed the changes in serum composition in gilts after switching their housing, from pen to individual stalls, which is generally accepted to cause animal discomfort. RESULTS: Blood and saliva samples were collected a day before and up to four days after changing the housing system. Biochemical analyses showed adaptive changes in lipid and protein metabolism after the housing switch, whereas cortisol and muscular markers showed a large variability between animals. 2D-DIGE and iTRAQ proteomic approaches revealed variations in serum protein composition after changing housing and diet of gilts. Both techniques showed alterations in two main homeostatic mechanisms: the innate immune and redox systems. The acute phase proteins haptoglobin, apolipoprotein A-I and α1-antichymotrypsin 3, and the antioxidant enzyme peroxiredoxin 2 were found differentially expressed by 2D-DIGE. Other proteins related to the innate immune system, including lactotransferrin, protegrin 3 and galectin 1 were also identified by iTRAQ, as well as oxidative stress enzymes such as peroxiredoxin 2 and glutathione peroxidase 3. Proteomics also revealed the decrease of apolipoproteins, and the presence of intracellular proteins in serum, which may indicate physical injury to tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Housing of gilts in individual stalls and diet change increase lipid and protein catabolism, oxidative stress, activate the innate immune system and cause a certain degree of tissue damage. We propose that valuable assays for stress assessment in gilts may be based on a score composed by a combination of salivary cortisol, lipid metabolites, innate immunity and oxidative stress markers and intracellular proteins

Introducing the special issue on acute phase proteins in veterinary medicine

Measurement of acute phase proteins (APPs) has now become part of routine laboratory testing for companion animals in many areas of the world. As useful markers of infectious and inflammatory diseases, APPs have been shown to have value in many areas, including health assessments, prognosis, herd health, and animal welfare. The increased use of all acute phase reactants in domesticated animals has been paralleled by an increase in research detailing the measurement and application in non-domesticated mammals. There are many challenges for future research in this still-developing field.http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/vcp2023-02-26hj2023Centre for Veterinary Wildlife StudiesCompanion Animal Clinical Studie

Storage of agricultural products in O Castelo de Laias (Cenlle, Ourense). Conservation and consumption strategies

The hillfort of O Castelo de Laias, next to the Miño River, has provided an extended sequence of occupation, from Late Bronze Age-1st Iron Age, to a Roman Early Imperial phase. In the upper enclosure of the castro a singular ensemble of structures for the storage of agricultural products was found, dating from the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. This enclosure had a monumental wall and its surface was prepared with terraces to place the granaries, while the houses spread out on the slope. In this paper it is proposed a systematization of data on the construction and features of the grain-containers and of the stored products, basically cereals, as well as a social interpretation, taking into account the storage capacity and the composition of what was stored in each container.El asentamiento de O Castelo de Laias, junto al río Miño, ha proporcionado una larga secuencia de ocupación, desde la Edad del Bronce Final-Primera Edad del Hierro hasta una fase altoimperial romana. El recinto superior del castro conserva un singular conjunto de estructuras para el almacenamiento de productos agrarios, datadas en los ss. IV y III a. C. Este recinto fue amurallado y su superficie acondicionada mediante bancales, para permitir la instalación de los graneros, mientras las viviendas se extendieron por la ladera. En este artículo, se propone una sistematización de los datos sobre la construcción y características de los contenedores; los productos almacenados, básicamente cereales, y una interpretación en clave social, teniendo en cuenta la capacidad de almacenamiento y la composición de lo almacenado en cada depósito

Age-Related Serum Biochemical Reference Intervals Established for Unweaned Calves and Piglets in the Post-weaning Period

The purpose of the present study is to establish the influence of age on serum biochemistry reference intervals (RIs) for unweaned calves and recently-weaned piglets using large number of animals sampled at different ages from populations under different season trials. Specifically, milk replacer (MR)-fed calves from April–July 2017 (n = 60); from December 2016–March 2017 (n = 76) and from April–August 2018 (n = 57) and one group of healthy weaned piglets (n = 72) were subjected to the study. Serum enzymes and metabolites of calves at age of 24 h (24 h after colostrum intake), 2, 5, and 7 weeks from merged trials and piglets at 0, 7, and 14 days post-weaning (at 21, 28, and 35 days of age) were studied. The main variable is age whereas no major trial- or sex-biased differences were noticed. In calves, ALT, AST, GGT, GPx, SOD, NEFAs, triglycerides, glucose, creatinine, total protein, and urea were greatly elevated (p < 0.001) at 24 h compared with other ages; glucose, creatinine, total protein, and urea constantly decreased through the age; cholesterol's lowest level (p < 0.001) was found in 24 h compared with other ages and the levels of haptoglobin remained unchanged (p > 0.1) during the study. In comparison with the adult RIs, creatinine from 24 h, NEFAs from 2 w, GGT from 5 w, and urea from 7 w are fully comparable with RIs or lie within RIs determined for adult. In piglets, no changes were noticed on glucose (p > 0.1) and haptoglobin (p > 0.1) and there were no major changes on hepatic enzymes (ALT, AST, and GGT), total protein, creatinine and urea even though several statistical differences were noticed on 7 days post-weaning. Cholesterol, triglycerides, NEFAs, cortisol and PigMAP were found increased (p < 0.05) while TNF-alpha was found less concentrated (p < 0.001) at 0 days post-weaning compared with other times. Moreover, the RIs of creatinine and GGT are fully comparable with RIs or lie within RIs determined for adult. In conclusion, clinical biochemistry analytes RIs were established for unweaned calves and recently-weaned piglets and among them some can vary at different ages

Serum haptoglobin dynamics in pigs vaccinated or not vaccinated against porcine circovirus type 2

The present work describes the serum haptoglobin (Hp) dynamics in piglets vaccinated and non-vaccinated with a commercial porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) vaccine at 3 weeks of age, and its relationship with the average daily weight gain (ADWG). The field study was carried out on two farms (A and B) with a previous clinical history of PCV2-systemic disease (PCV2-SD). The aim of the study was to assess whether Hp could be used as a surrogate marker of PCV2 vaccine efficacy. PCV2 infection was confirmed by quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) in pigs from both farms, but PCV2-SD was only diagnosed in farm A. No statistically significant relation was found between serum Hp concentration and the percentage of qPCR positive animals and the treatment applied (PCV2 vaccination) in both farms. On the other hand, using linear regression analysis, a significant negative correlation between the area under the curve of Hp (AUC) and ADWG was observed for farm A (p < 0.00001) and B (p = 0.01). Based on the obtained determination coefficient (R 2) values, AUC explained 20.0 and 11.6% of the observed ADWG for farms A and B, respectively. The present study supports that the measurement of acute phase proteins may be an indicator of ADWG in pig farms, but it was not apparently feasible to use the serum Hp concentration as a surrogate marker of PCV2 vaccine efficacy