Your period and your pregnancy, a cohort study of pregnant patients investigating the associations between menstruation and birth outcomes in Australia: study protocol.

Introduction: Early pregnancy care involves the screening and identification of women with risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes, including stillbirth or preterm birth, to tailor pregnancy care and interventions accordingly. Most stillbirths and approximately two-thirds of preterm births, however, occur in the absence of evident risk factors. The majority of stillbirths occur in the preterm period, yet there are few interventions targeting this period, and progress to reduce stillbirth rates remains slow.

Associations of Body Condition Score, Body Condition Score Change, and Hyperketonemia with Mastitis, Reproduction, and Milk Production.

Body condition score (BCS) and hyperketonemia (HYK) have been associated with diseases, fertility, and culling but data are contradictory about their association with pregnancy loss. Our objective was to conduct a retrospective cohort study to investigate associations between BCS, BCS change (ΔBCS), blood β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and HYK with mastitis, pregnancy/artificial insemination (P/AI), pregnancy loss (PGL), milk yield, and risk of leaving the herd on a Michigan dairy farm that uses an automated milking system (AMS). We recorded BCS for cows prepartum (14 d before calving), postpartum (14-21 DIM), and multiparous cows were evaluated for HYK between 3 and 7 DIM.

On-farm supplementation of rumen-protected niacin: A randomized clinical trial.

B vitamins, including niacin (vitamin B), are synthesized by rumen microbes, but supplementation may provide additional benefits for ruminant health and productivity. Supplementing rumen-protected niacin (RPN) during the transition period can reduce lipolysis after calving and, consequently, may improve health and fertility of dairy cattle later in lactation. Our objective was to determine if supplementing RPN during the first 21 DIM would improve the health of dairy cows on a commercial dairy farm.

The effect of a dominant kinase-dead Csf1r mutation associated with adult-onset leukoencephalopathy on brain development and neuropathology.

Amino acid substitutions in the kinase domain of the human CSF1R protein are associated with autosomal dominant adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP). To model the human disease, we created a disease-associated mutation (Glu631Lys; E631K) in the mouse Csf1r locus. Previous analysis demonstrated that heterozygous mutation (Csf1r) had a dominant inhibitory effect on CSF1R signaling in vitro and in vivo but did not recapitulate human disease pathology.

Evaluation of a portable fluorometer for the quantification of vitamin E in blood at key physiological stages of dairy cattle.

Vitamin E is essential in mitigating the impact of oxidative stress on periparturient dairy cows and neonatal calves. Therefore, it is essential to measure circulating vitamin E concentrations accurately. Currently, the only reliable method is an expensive and time-consuming procedure using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

The effect of replacing conventional alfalfa hay with lower-lignin alfalfa hay on feed intake, nutrient digestibility, and energy utilization in lactating Jersey cows.

Lower-lignin (LoL) varieties of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) have been developed in recent years and have the potential to positively affect animal performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing the proportion of LoL alfalfa hay in diets fed to lactating dairy cows.

Microglia protect against age-associated brain pathologies.

Microglia are brain-resident macrophages that contribute to central nervous system (CNS) development, maturation, and preservation. Here, we examine the consequences of permanent microglial deficiencies on brain aging using the Csf1r mouse model. In juvenile Csf1r mice, we show that microglia are dispensable for the transcriptomic maturation of other brain cell types.

Cell adhesion molecule CD44 is dispensable for reactive astrocyte activation during prion disease.

Prion diseases are fatal, infectious, neurodegenerative disorders resulting from accumulation of misfolded cellular prion protein in the brain. Early pathological changes during CNS prion disease also include reactive astrocyte activation with increased CD44 expression, microgliosis, as well as loss of dendritic spines and synapses. CD44 is a multifunctional cell surface adhesion and signalling molecule which is considered to play roles in astrocyte morphology and the maintenance of dendritic spine integrity and synaptic plasticity.

Effects of rumen-protected niacin on inflammatory response to repeated intramammary lipopolysaccharide challenges.

Nutritional strategies that improve an animal's resilience to various challenges may improve animal health and welfare. One such nutrient is niacin, which has reduced inflammation in mice, humans, and swine; however, niacin's anti-inflammatory effects have not been investigated in cattle. Our objective was to determine whether rumen-protected niacin (RPN) alters lactating dairy cows' inflammatory response to intramammary LPS challenges, whether RPN resulted in any carryover effects, and whether repeated LPS challenges result in signs of immune tolerance or innate immune training.

Ionic Liquid-Glycol Mixtures for Direct Air Capture of CO: Decreased Viscosity and Mitigation of Evaporation Via Encapsulation.

Herein we address the efficiency of the CO sorption of ionic liquids (IL) with hydrogen bond donors (e.g., glycols) added as viscosity modifiers and the impact of encapsulating them to limit sorbent evaporation under conditions for the direct air capture of CO.

Investigation of HCAR2 antagonists as a potential strategy to modulate bovine leukocytes.

Background: Dairy cows experiencing ketosis after calving suffer greater disease incidence and are at greater risk of leaving the herd. In vitro administration of beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA; the primary blood ketone) has inhibitory effects on the function of bovine leukocytes. BHBA is a ligand of HCAR2 and the activation of these receptors promotes an anti-inflammatory response which may be related with immunosuppression observed in transition dairy cattle.

Diabetes in pregnancy: Women's views of care in a multi-ethnic, low socioeconomic population with midwifery continuity-of-care.

Background: Diabetes in pregnancy is diagnosed in 6% of pregnancies annually in Aotearoa-New Zealand, disproportionately affecting multi-ethnic, low socio-economic women. Little is known about the care experience of this population within the model of midwifery continuity-of-care, including views of telehealth care.

Aim: Increase understanding of the experience of diabetes in pregnancy care, including telehealth, among multi-ethnic, low socio-economic women receiving midwifery continuity-of-care.

Prevalence of female genital mutilation and associated factors among women and girls in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) has zero health benefits. It can lead to short- and long-term risks and complications, including physical, sexual, and mental health and well-being of girls and women. It is a worldwide public health issue with more than 80% prevalence in Africa.

Subcutaneous lysophosphatidylcholine administration promotes a febrile and immune response in Holstein heifer calves.

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is immunomodulatory in nonruminants; however, the actions of LPC on immunity in cattle are undefined. Our objective was to study the effects of LPC administration on measures of immunity, liver health, and growth in calves. Healthy Holstein heifer calves (n = 46; age 7 ± 3 d) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments (n = 10 to 11 calves/treatment): a milk replacer diet unsupplemented with lecithin in the absence (CON) or presence of subcutaneously (s.

Adipose Tissue Inflammation: Linking Physiological Stressors to Disease Susceptibility.

The study of adipose tissue (AT) is enjoying a renaissance. White, brown, and beige adipocytes are being investigated in adult animals, and the critical roles of small depots like perivascular AT are becoming clear. But the most profound revision of the AT dogma has been its cellular composition and regulation.

Decreased fetal movements: Report from the International Stillbirth Alliance conference workshop.

Maternal reports of decreased fetal movement (DFM) are a common reason to present to maternity care and are associated with stillbirth and other adverse outcomes. Promoting awareness of fetal movements and prompt assessment of DFM has been recommended to reduce stillbirths. However, evidence to guide clinical management of such presentations is limited.

Belowground insect herbivory induces systemic volatile emissions that strengthen neighbouring plant resistance aboveground.

Plants transmit ecologically relevant messages to neighbouring plants through chemical cues. For instance, insect herbivory triggers the production of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), which can enhance neighbouring plant defences. HIPVs are emitted from directly damaged plant tissues and from systemic, nondamaged tissues.

Prevalence of female genital mutilation and associated factors among daughters aged 0-14 years in sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel analysis of recent demographic health surveys.

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a harmful traditional practice involving the partial or total removal of external genitalia for non-medical reasons. Despite efforts to eliminate it, more than 200 million women and girls have undergone FGM, and 3 million more undergo this practice annually. Tracking the prevalence of FGM and identifying associated factors are crucial to eliminating the practice.

Wettability-tuned silica particles for emulsion-templated microcapsules.

Pickering emulsions play a significant role in generating advanced materials and have widespread application in personal care products, consumer goods, crude oil refining, energy management, Herein, we report a class of wettability tuned silica-based Pickering emulsifiers which stabilize a diverse range of fluid-fluid interfaces: oil/water, ionic liquid/oil, and oil/oil, and their use to prepare microcapsules interfacial polymerization. To alter particle wettability, colloidal suspensions of SiO particles (22 nm) were modified silanization with reagents of varied hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, giving particles that could be dispersed in solvents that became the continuous phase of the emulsions. To test the viability of this system as templates for the fabrication of composite materials, the different particle-stabilized emulsions were coupled with interfacial polymerization, leading to microcapsules with polyurea/silica shells.

Effects of dietary rumen-protected choline supplementation to periparturient dairy cattle on inflammation and metabolism in mammary and liver tissue during an intramammary lipopolysaccharide challenge.

The objective of this experiment was to examine the effects of supplementation and dose of rumen-protected choline (RPC) on markers of inflammation and metabolism in liver and mammary tissue during an intramammary lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Parous Holstein cows were blocked by calving month and randomly assigned within block to receive 45 g/d of RPC (20.4 g/d of choline ions; CHOL45), 30 g/d of RPC (13.

Analysis of Jersey versus Holstein breed profitability on north central US dairies.

With over 9 million cows in the United States, Holstein is the dominant breed in the US dairy population; however, the US Jersey population is growing. The objective of this study was to determine the profitability of Holstein and Jersey cows managed similarly on the same farms. Holstein and Jersey economic performance was compared within 3 north central US dairies, each milking more than 500 cows.