Impact Of Two-Stage Weaning On Calf Growth, Behavior, and Vocalizations

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1174/thumbnail.jp

Effect of Gestation Length on Litter Size and Piglet Birth Weight

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1019/thumbnail.jp

Effect of Calcium Supplementation on Gestation Length, Number Born Live, and Number of Stillborns

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1016/thumbnail.jp

Short communication: Effects of fluoxetine on lactation at weaning in sheep

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been considered for use in the dairy industry to aid in dry-off procedures because of their ability to delay the onset of lactation. Fluoxetine (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; FLX) is an agent that has been shown to delay the onset of lactogenesis stage II when taken during pregnancy and lactation in women. Two experiments were conducted to determine whether ewes would be an appropriate model to evaluate the effects of FLX on milk production at weaning. In the first experiment, 12 Suffolk cross ewes (body weight = 83.4 ± 12.2 kg; body condition score = 2.1 ± 0.4) in late lactation were assigned to treatments of 0 (control), 40, or 80 mg of FLX. They were given a single subcutaneous injection with the appropriate level of FLX mixed with propylene glycol at 0700 h on approximately d 78 of lactation (the day lambs were removed). In the second experiment, 18 Suffolk cross ewes (body condition score = 1.8 ± 0.3) from a previous lactation study were selected in late lactation. On approximately d 66 following parturition, weaning was initiated and ewes received a single oral bolus treatment (0, 80, or 160 mg of FLX). Treatment was administered using gelatin capsules containing the appropriate dose of FLX. For both experiments, milk production was estimated: in experiment 1 on d 0 (before treatment), 1, 2, and 3 (after treatment) at 0800 and 1100 h, and in experiment 2 on d 0, 1, and 2 following treatment at 0800 or 1100 h. Milk production was measured over a 3-h period. We observed no treatment differences or day effects on milk production in either experiment. In experiments 1 and 2, as the dose of FLX increased, milk production decreased linearly. Serum lactose concentrations were depressed in ewes treated with FLX in experiment 1 but similar across treatments in experiment 2. Overall, FLX depressed milk production in ewes; therefore, there is potential to use FLX as a dry-off agent in the dairy industry

Genetic polymorphisms associated with exertional rhabdomyolysis

Exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) occurs in young, otherwise healthy, individuals principally during strenuous exercise, athletic, and military training. Although many risk factors have been offered, it is unclear why some individuals develop ER when participating in comparable levels of physical exertion under identical environmental conditions and others do not. This study investigated possible genetic polymorphisms that might help explain ER. DNA samples derived from a laboratory-based study of persons who had never experienced an episode of ER (controls) and clinical ER cases referred for testing over the past several years were analyzed for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes. These included angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE), α-actinin-3 (ACTN3), creatine kinase muscle isoform (CKMM), heat shock protein A1B (HSPA1B), interleukin 6 (IL6), myosin light chain kinase (MYLK), adenosine monophosphate deaminase 1 (AMPD1), and sickle cell trait (HbS). Population included 134 controls and 47 ER cases. The majority of ER cases were men (n = 42/47, 89.4 %); the five women with ER were Caucasian. Eighteen African Americans (56.3 %) were ER cases. Three SNPs were associated with ER: CKMM Ncol, ACTN3 R577X, and MYLK C37885A. ER cases were 3.1 times more likely to have the GG genotype of CKMM (odds ratio/OR = 3.1, confidence interval/CI 1.33-7.10), 3.0 times for the XX genotype of ACTN3 SNP (OR = 2.97, CI 1.30-3.37), and 5.7 times for an A allele of MYLK (OR = 21.35, CI 2.60-12.30). All persons with HbS were also ER cases. Three distinct polymorphisms were associated with ER. Further work will be required to replicate these findings and determine the mechanism(s) whereby these variants might confer susceptibility