Resistance to natural tick infestation varies with age and coat and hair traits in a tropically adapted beef cattle breed.

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus causes considerable livestock production losses. Knowledge of the traits that influence tick resistance contributes to the development of breeding strategies designed to improve herd productivity. Within this context, this study evaluated the resistance of Caracu, a tropically adapted cattle breed, to R.

Performance, feed efficiency, feeding behavior, and cortisol concentration of lambs ranked for Residual Feed Intake and Residual Intake and Gain.

This study aimed to evaluate the performance, feed efficiency, feeding behavior, and cortisol concentrations of lambs ranked into different groups of Residual Feed Intake (RFI) and Residual Intake and Gain (RIG). Forty Santa Inês lambs with a mean initial age of 120 ± 30 days and mean initial (IBW) and final body weight (FBW) of 28.9 ± 3.

Characteristics of growth, carcass and meat quality of sheep with different feed efficiency phenotypes.

The objective was to evaluate the performance, carcass and meat quality of 40 lambs classified by RFI (residual feed intake) and RIG (residual intake and gain). Dry matter intake (DMI) was recorded to calculate the RFI and RIG, classified as efficient, moderately or inefficient. After the confinement period, they were slaughtered and the carcass and meat quality were determined.

Expression of candidate genes for residual feed intake in tropically adapted Bos taurus and Bos indicus bulls under thermoneutral and heat stress environmental conditions.

The objectives of this study were to measure the relative expression of the ATP1A1, NR3C1, POMC, NPY, and LEP genes in Caracu (Bos taurus) and Nelore (Bos indicus) bulls submitted to feed efficiency tests at high environmental temperatures, and to evaluate differences in adaptability to tropical conditions between breeds. Thirty-five Caracu and 30 Nelore bulls were submitted to a feed efficiency test using automated feeding stations. At the end of the test, the animals were subjected to thermoneutral (TN) and heat stress (HS) conditions.

Silvopastoral system is an alternative to improve animal welfare and productive performance in meat production systems.

Climate change is a reality and global surface temperature is projected to rise substantially in the next 80 years. Agriculture practices will have to adapt to climate change, and also help to mitigate this effect using, among other strategies, forest conservation and management. Silvopastoral systems have been adopted in tropical climate livestock areas but their benefits on thermal comfort and reproductive performance of beef cows are not completely known.

Effect of thermal stress on basic seminal characteristics of Gyr bulls.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of thermal stress indices and minimum temperature on the semen quality of dairy Gyr bulls and to determine whether the minimum night temperature is able to balance the thermal stress that occurred during the day. A total of 922 semen samples were collected from 391 bulls aged between 15 and 49 months, which participated in progeny pretest trials, from December 2011 to April 2017. Semen characteristics (ejaculate volume, gross motility, sperm motility, sperm vigor, sperm concentration, and percentage of total defects) and scrotal circumference were analyzed.

Ultrasonographic characteristics of the testes, epididymis and accessory sex glands and arterial spectral indices in peri- and post-pubertal Nelore and Caracu bulls.

Ultrasonography can provide information about the integrity of organs; however, rarely is applied to the reproductive organ evaluation of bulls. The objective of the present study was to characterize and compare values for variables and ultrasonographic characteristics of the testes, epididymis and accessory sex glands, as well as spectral Doppler indices of the testicular and internal iliac arteries, between peri- and post-pubertal Nelore and Caracu bulls. Nelore (n = 203) and Caracu (n = 79) bulls were assigned by age class: peri-pubertal (12-15 months) and post-pubertal (> 22 months).

Evaluation of Parasitological Homeopathic Complex in the Control of Gastrointestinal Nematodes in Peripartum Sheep.

Background: The appearance of anthelmintic resistance has made it difficult to control verminosis in sheep, leading to increased research to find alternative nematode control. The use of homeopathy in veterinary medicine has been studied as an alternative for the treatment and control of some diseases. In this study, ewes received an anti-parasitic homeopathic complex medicine during the critical peripartum period of increased susceptibility to nematodes.

Variation in DNA methylation in the KvDMR1 (ICR2) region in first-trimester human pregnancies.

Objective: To investigate the levels of DNA methylation in the KvDMR1 (KvLQT1 differentially methylated region 1) in embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: University medical center and clinical hospital.

The Apoptotic, Angiogenic and Cell Proliferation Genes CD63, S100A6 e GNB2L1 are Altered in Patients with Endometriosis.

Objective:  The aim of the present study was to analyze the expression of the , , and genes, which participate in mechanisms related to the complex pathophysiology of endometriosis.

Methods:  A case-control study was conducted with 40 women who were diagnosed with endometriosis, and 15 fertile and healthy women. Paired samples of eutopic endometrium and endometriotic lesions (peritoneal and ovarian endometriotic implants) were obtained from the women with endometriosis in the proliferative ( = 20) or secretory phases ( = 20) of the menstrual cycle.

Evaluation of cooling and freezing systems of bovine semen.

Semen cryopreservation comprises different steps, among them are the cooling and freezing rates which significantly influence the quality of thawed sperm. Different systems with variable freezing rates are used for freezing bull semen in the field, with a consequence of variable success rates. The objective of this study was to compare different systems for freezing bull semen in the field.

Minor corral changes and adoption of good handling practices can improve the behavior and reduce cortisol release in Nellore cows.

Inadequate corral facilities and improper handling are major causes of stress in beef cattle. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of minor changes in the corral and adoption of good handling practices on the behavior, cortisol release, and time spent taking blood samples in Nellore cows. Minor corral changes included obstructing the cow's vision when the handler walked deep into the animal's flight zone and the elimination of bright objects, color contrasts, puddles, shadows, and darkness in the corral.

Corpus luteum dynamics after ovulation induction with or without previous exposure to progesterone in prepubertal Nellore heifers.

The objectives of this study were 1) to monitor corpus luteum (CL) dynamics after two different protocols of ovulation induction in prepubertal Nellore heifers, and 2) to determine differences in luteal function. Fifty-seven heifers (weight 289.61 ± 32.

Peritoneal Fluid From Infertile Women With Minimal/Mild Endometriosis Compromises the Meiotic Spindle of Metaphase II Bovine Oocytes: A Pilot Study.

Some studies have demonstrated alterations in the composition of peritoneal fluid (PF) from women with endometriosis. Controversial studies have suggested that impaired oocyte quality may be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis-related infertility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the spindle and chromosome distribution of in vitro-matured oocytes in the presence of 2 concentrations of PF from infertile women with minimal/mild endometriosis (EI/II) compared to fertile controls.

Effect of seminal plasma removal before cryopreservation of bovine semen obtained by electroejaculation on semen quality and in vitro fertility.

Cryopreservation of bull semen is a common biotechnology procedure in cattle breeding. However, when the ejaculate is obtained by electroejaculation, wide variation is observed in the sperm/seminal plasma (SP) ratio that can affect the freezability of semen in this species. The removal of SP may improve the quality of frozen bull semen.

Genetic analysis on accumulated productivity and calving intervals in Nelore cattle.

The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for accumulated productivity (ACP), first calving interval (CI1), second calving interval (CI2), and mean calving interval (MCI) in Nelore beef cattle. The ACP trait is a reproduction index and comprises the total number of calves born per dam, weight of weaned calves, and age of the dam at calving. Genetic parameters were estimated by the average information restricted maximum likelihood method in two-trait analyses.

Higher SOD1 Gene Expression in Cumulus Cells From Infertile Women With Moderate and Severe Endometriosis.

It is questioned whether worsening of oocyte quality and oxidative stress (OS) are involved in the pathogenesis of infertility related to endometriosis and in compromised intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes. Cumulus cells (CCs) protect oocytes from entering apoptosis induced by OS. Thus, we carried out a case-control study comparing expression of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4; genes encoding for the main antioxidant enzymes) in CCs from mature oocytes of 26 infertile patients with minimal/mild endometriosis, 14 patients with moderate/severe endometriosis, and 41 controls undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation for ICSI, using real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Down-regulation of the CYP19A1 gene in cumulus cells of infertile women with endometriosis.

Aromatase plays a fundamental role in the establishment of oocyte quality, which might be compromised in infertile women with endometriosis. The expression of the CYP19A1 gene (that encodes aromatase) was compared in cumulus cells and oestradiol concentrations in the follicular fluid of infertile women with and without endometriosis submitted to ovarian stimulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Cumulus cells were isolated and the expression of the CYP19A1 was quantitated through real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Sugarcane and mulberry silage supplementation of sheep during the peripartum period.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplementation with silage made from sugarcane alone or mulberry and sugarcane on the gastrointestinal nematodes and hematological parameters in peripartum Santa Inês ewes. Three groups, each of 15 ewes, were supplemented with either 100 % sugarcane silage or sugarcane silage and mulberry at ratios of either 75:25 or 50:50. The variables analyzed were weight, body condition, packed cell volume, total plasma protein, hemoglobin, total leukocytes, eosinophils, and number of parasite eggs per gram of feces.

Effect of IGF1, GH, and PIT1 markers on the genetic parameters of growth and reproduction traits in Canchim cattle.

The availability of dense genomic information has increased genome-wide association studies for the bovine species; however research to assess the effect of single genes on production traits is still important to elucidate the genes functions. On this study the association of IGF1, GH, and PIT1 markers with growth and reproductive traits (birth weight, weaning weight, weight at 12 and 18 months of age, preweaning average daily weight gain, age and weight at first calving, and scrotal circumference at 12 and 18 months of age) were assessed by means of the variance component approach. The phenotypes were adjusted and then analyzed under two animal models, one which considered the polygenic and genotype (IGF1, GH or PIT1 markers) effects (Model 1), and the other which considers only the polygenic effect (Model 2).

Caldesmon: new insights for diagnosing endometriosis.

Considerable effort has been invested in searching for less invasive methods of diagnosing endometriosis. Previous studies have indicated altered levels of the CALD1 gene (encoding the protein caldesmon) in endometriosis. The aims of our study were to investigate whether average CALD1 expression and caldesmon protein levels are differentially altered in the endometrium and endometriotic lesions and to evaluate the performance of the CALD1 gene and caldesmon protein as potential biomarkers for endometriosis.

Differentially expressed genes in eutopic and ectopic endometrium of women with endometriosis.

Objective: To elucidate the potential mechanisms involved in the physiopathology of endometriosis. We analyzed the differential gene expression profiles of eutopic and ectopic tissues from women with endometriosis.

Design: Prospective laboratory study.