Beta-Glucans Improve the Mammary Innate Immune Response to Endotoxin Challenge in Dairy Ewes.

This study evaluated short-term immune responses of dairy ewes supplemented with barley β-glucan (BG) following an intramammary lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. In the adaptation period, 36 ewes were fed an alfalfa hay diet ad libitum and barley grain cv. Hispanic (3.

Review: Exploring the use of precision livestock farming for small ruminant welfare management.

Small ruminant (sheep and goat) production of meat and milk is undertaken in diverse topographical and climatic environments and the systems range from extensive to intensive. This could lead to different types of welfare compromise, which need to be managed. Implementing Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) and other new or innovative technologies could help to manage or monitor animal welfare.

When to shear dairy ewes: before breeding, during pregnancy or let them unshorn?

Shearing dairy ewes may improve their fitness and heat tolerance during late pregnancy, with positive effects on lambs and lactation performances. To test this hypothesis, two Mediterranean breeds (MN, Manchega, n = 43; LC, Lacaune, n = 28), differing in lactation performances and fleece traits, were submitted to three shearing strategies: (i) shorn before breeding (SBB), (ii) shorn at day 100 of pregnancy (S100) and (iii) unshorn (CO). Ewes were bred in spring and gestated during summer.

Preoperative Alpha-Fetoprotein and Radiological Total Tumor Diameter as Predictors of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Liver Transplantation.

Background: Liver transplantation is a unique treatment opportunity for patients with chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Selection of HCC patients for transplantation was revolutionized by Milan-based criteria, but tumor recurrence and shortage of organs are still a major concern. Nowadays, additional preoperative tumor parameters can help to refine the graft allocation process.

Incidental Finding of Multiple Synchronous Neoplasms in Explanted Liver After Transplantation: A Case Report.

Liver transplantation is the only potentially curative treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease. After the procedure, histopathologic analysis of the liver explant may reveal neoplasms that were not previously diagnosed in preoperative imaging examinations. This incidental finding of primary liver neoplasms in the explant is not an uncommon situation in liver transplant, and hepatocarcinomas and cholangiocarcinomas are the types of tumors most frequently encountered in this scenario.

Refractory Hypernatremia and Osmotic Demyelination Syndrome After Liver Transplantation: A Case Report.

Osmotic demyelination syndrome is an uncommon neurologic condition, characterized by noninflammatory demyelination involving the pons and other areas of the central nervous system. As chronic hyponatremia is frequently associated with cirrhosis, patients undergoing liver transplantation are at an increased risk for developing this condition. We report the case of a patient who developed refractory hypernatremia and osmotic demyelination syndrome after liver transplantation.

Liver Transplant and Active Ulcerative Colitis: A Case Report.

Background: The association between ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis has been described for several years and can be classified as having a distinct disease phenotype from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The simultaneous occurrence of decompensated liver disease requiring liver transplant and active IBD is a management challenge, considering that these patients may be at increased risk of infections, thromboembolic events, bleeding, and drug hepatotoxicity.

Case Presentation: We describe a case of a 37-year-old patient with UC and sclerosing cholangitis presenting with severe decompensated rectocolitis complicated with thromboembolic phenomena and severe liver dysfunction who underwent liver transplant while using biological therapy to control bowel disease.

Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis Type 2 and Recurrence After Liver Transplantation: A Case Report.

Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2 (PFIC2) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the ABCB11 gene. Clinical manifestations include cholestasis with low γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), hepatosplenomegaly, and severe pruritus. Liver transplantation is required for individuals with progressive liver disease or failure of the bypass procedure and has been considered curative.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Secondary to Tuberculosis After Liver Transplantation: A Case Report.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HL) is a rare syndrome characterized by a hyperinflammatory state, resulting from an excessive but ineffective immune response. There is a continuous stimulation of TCD8 + lymphocytes, associated with an uncontrolled release of cytokines, causing the infiltration of multiple organs by histiocytes and activated lymphocytes. HL can be a primary condition as a consequence of genetic disorder that most often affects children, or it can be secondary to neoplasms, autoimmune conditions or various infectious diseases in patients of all ages.

Liver Transplantation After Acute Portal Vein Thrombosis: Case Report.

Background: Portal vein thrombosis is a relatively frequent complication in patients with liver cirrhosis. Its detection and management are essential to avoid worsening portal hypertension or liver function complications. This complication can also negatively impact or even preclude liver transplant.

Responses to melatonin of 2 breeds of dairy ewes in early lactation under autumn photoperiod conditions.

A total of 72 dairy ewes of 2 breeds (MN, Manchega, 72.4 ± 1.9 kg of body weight, n = 36; LC, Lacaune, 77.

Effect of Soybean Oil Supplementation on Milk Production, Digestibility, and Metabolism in Dairy Goats under Thermoneutral and Heat Stress Conditions.

In a previous work, we observed that heat-stressed goats suffer reductions in milk yield and its contents of fat and protein. Supplementation with soybean oil (SBO) may be a useful strategy to enhance milk quality. In total, eight multiparous Murciano-Granadina dairy goats (42.

Milk Production and Energetic Metabolism of Heat-Stressed Dairy Goats Supplemented with Propylene Glycol.

Heat-stressed dairy animals increase their reliance on glucose. This elevated glucose demand is partially met by increasing the conversion of glucogenic amino acids (AA) in the liver. Propylene glycol (PG) is a glucogenic precursor and was not tested in dairy goats under thermoneutral (TN) and heat stress (HS) conditions simultaneously.

Effects of Cold Exposure on Some Physiological, Productive, and Metabolic Variables in Lactating Dairy Goats.

Low winter temperatures in some regions have a negative impact on animal performance, behavior, and welfare. The objective of this study was to evaluate some physiological, metabolic, and lactational responses of dairy goats exposed to cold temperatures for 3 weeks. Eight Murciano-Granadina dairy goats (41.

Sensing solutions for improving the performance, health and wellbeing of small ruminants.

Diversity of production systems and specific socio-economic barriers are key reasons explaining why the implementation of new technologies in small ruminants, despite being needed and beneficial for farmers, is harder than in other livestock species. There are, however, helpful peculiarities where small ruminants are concerned: the compulsory use of electronic identification created a unique scenario in Europe in which all small ruminant breeding stock became searchable by appropriate sensing solutions, and the largest small ruminant population in the world is located in Asia, close to the areas producing new technologies. Notwithstanding, only a few research initiatives and literature reviews have addressed the development of new technologies in small ruminants.

Heat stress affects some physiological and productive variables and alters metabolism in dairy ewes.

Heat stress (HS) has a significant economic impact on the global dairy industry. However, the mechanisms by which HS negatively affects metabolism and milk synthesis in dairy ewes are not well defined. This study evaluated the production and metabolic variables in dairy ewes under controlled HS conditions.

Suppression of prolactin and reduction of milk secretion by effect of cabergoline in lactating dairy ewes.

The effects of cabergoline, an ergot derivative and dopamine receptor agonist, were investigated in 30 ewes of 2 dairy breeds (Manchega; MN, n = 15; Lacaune; LC, n = 15). Ewes were in a similar late-lactation stage, but differed in milk yield according to breed (MN vs. LC, 1.

500 Consecutive Liver Transplants: The Outcomes of a New Transplantation Program in the Middle West of Brazil.

Introduction: Liver transplantation is the standard treatment for end-stage liver disease. Brazil holds the third highest number of liver transplants performed per year, but center maldistribution results in high discrepancies in accessing this treatment. In 2012, an interstate partnership successfully implemented a new liver transplantation program in the middle west of Brazil.

The application of omics in ruminant production: a review in the tropical and sub-tropical animal production context.

The demand for animal products (e.g. dairy and beef) in tropical regions is expected to increase in parallel with the public demand for sustainable practices, due to factors such as population growth and climate change.

Transmission of cryptococcosis by liver transplantation: A case report and review of literature.

Background: Cryptococcosis is a fungal infection caused by the yeast-like encapsulated basidiomycetous fungus of the () species complex. These fungi are ubiquitous in soil and bird droppings, and infection by them is an important global health concern, particularly in immunosuppressed patients, such as organ transplant recipients and those infected by the human immunodeficiency virus. The fungus usually enters the body through the respiratory tract, but extremely rare cases of infection acquired by transplantation of solid organs have been reported.

Impact of Donor Positive Blood Culture in Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation.

Introduction: In the era of shortage of organs for donation, transplantation from suboptimal donors is an expanding alternative to minimize waitlist mortality. In that sense, the safety of using organs from bacteremic donors has been a recurrent matter of discussion. We aimed to evaluate the influence of donor positive blood culture in the recipient and graft outcomes after liver transplantation from deceased donors.

Milk yield, milk composition, and milk metabolomics of dairy goats intramammary-challenged with lipopolysaccharide under heat stress conditions.

Heat stress and mastitis are major economic issues in dairy production. The objective was to test whether goat's mammary gland immune response to E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could be conditioned by heat stress (HS).

Prenatal heat stress effects on gestation and postnatal behavior in kid goats.

Consequences of heat stress during pregnancy can affect the normal development of the offspring. In the present experiment, 30 Murciano-Granadina dairy goats (41.8 ± 5.

Lactational Responses of Heat-Stressed Dairy Goats to Dietary L-Carnitine Supplementation.

Heat stress causes significant losses in milk production, and nutritional strategies are needed to alleviate its effects. Endogenous carnitine synthesis is also reduced by heat stress (HS). Carnitine plays a central role in fatty acid oxidation and buffers the toxic effects of acyl groups.

Disseminated Sporotrichosis in a Liver Transplant Patient: A Case Report.

Sporotrichosis is an infection caused by the fungus of the Sporothrix schenckii complex and can be particularly harmful in immunocompromised patients. We report the case of a 26-year-old male patient with a previous history of pulmonary infection who underwent a liver transplant for Budd-Chiari syndrome. After the procedure, he presented with persistent fever and leukocytosis.