Accounting for the nuclear and mito genome in dairy cattle breeding-A simulation study.

Mitochondria play a significant role in numerous cellular processes through proteins encoded by both the nuclear genome (nDNA) and mito genome (mDNA), and increasing evidence shows that traits of interest might be affected by mito-nuclear interactions. Whereas the variation in nDNA is influenced by mutations and recombination of parental genomes, the variation in mDNA is solely driven by mutations. In addition, mDNA is inherited in a haploid form, from the dam.

Comparisons of longitudinal radiographic measures of keel bones, tibiotarsal bones, and pelvic bones versus post-mortem measures of keel bone damage in Bovans Brown laying hens housed in an aviary system.

Keel bone damage, include deviations and fractures, is common in both white and brown laying hens, regardless of the housing system. Radiography for assessing birds' keel bones is was proposed by previous studies. However, radiographs show only 2 out of 3 dimensions of the dissected keel bones.

Improving Glycerol Electrooxidation Performance on Nanocubic PtCo Catalysts.

As glycerol (GLY) has emerged as a highly functional and cheap platform molecule and as an abundant biodiesel production byproduct, possible conversion methods have been investigated. One of the promising approaches is the glycerol electrooxidation (GEOR) on noble metal-based catalysts. Although noble metals, especially Pt, are generally very stable at different pH and highly selective toward three-carbon (C3) products, their electrocatalytic performance can be further improved by morphology tuning and alloying with non-noble metals like Co.

Tuneable C3 product selectivity of glycerol electrooxidation on cubic and dendritic Pt nanocatalysts.

Glycerol, being an abundant and cheap by-product of biodiesel production, has emerged as a raw material that can be recycled into value-added compounds. In the present study, Pt nanoparticles of cubic (Pt) and dendritic (Pt) morphologies were investigated as catalysts for the glycerol electrooxidation reaction (GEOR) at 20 °C. To optimise the electrocatalytic performance and GEOR selectivity towards three-carbon (C3) products, namely lactate, glycerate, and tartronate, the effects of morphology, electrolyte composition, and applied potential were studied.

Signals of selection and ancestry in independently feral Gallus gallus populations.

Recent work indicates that feralisation is not a simple reversal of domestication, and therefore raises questions about the predictability of evolution across replicated feral populations. In the present study we compare genes and traits of two independently established feral populations of chickens (Gallus gallus) that inhabit archipelagos within the Pacific and Atlantic regions to test for evolutionary parallelism and/or divergence. We find that feral populations from each region are genetically closer to one another than other domestic breeds, despite their geographical isolation and divergent colonisation histories.

Serum neurofilament light for detecting disease activity in individual patients in multiple sclerosis: A 48-week prospective single-center study.

Background: Serum neurofilament light (sNfL) reflects neuroaxonal damage and is now used as an outcome in treatment trials of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). However, the diagnostic properties of sNfL for monitoring disease activity in individual patients warrant further investigations.

Method: Patients with suspected relapse and/or contrast-enhancing lesions (CELs) were consecutively included and performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain at baseline and weeks 28 and 48.

The regulation of methylation on the Z chromosome and the identification of multiple novel Male Hyper-Methylated regions in the chicken.

DNA methylation is a key regulator of eukaryote genomes, and is of particular relevance in the regulation of gene expression on the sex chromosomes, with a key role in dosage compensation in mammalian XY systems. In the case of birds, dosage compensation is largely absent, with it being restricted to two small Male Hyper-Methylated (MHM) regions on the Z chromosome. To investigate how variation in DNA methylation is regulated on the Z chromosome we utilised a wild x domestic advanced intercross in the chicken, with both hypothalamic methylomes and transcriptomes assayed in 124 individuals.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a pasireotide subcutaneous depot (CAM4071) and comparison with immediate and long-acting release pasireotide.

Purpose: To assess the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety and tolerability of subcutaneous depot CAM4071, a novel, ready-to-use pasireotide formulation.

Methods: This was a phase 1, randomised, open-label study in healthy volunteers. After a single 600 µg dose of pasireotide immediate release (IR), participants were randomised to one of eight groups to receive either a CAM4071 upper thigh (5, 10, 20, 40 or 80 mg) or buttock (20 mg) injection or multiple pasireotide IR 900 µg upper thigh injections twice daily or a single pasireotide long-acting release (LAR) 60 mg intramuscular buttock injection.

Functional Nanostructures from Sol-Gel Synthesis Using Keggin Polyoxometallate Phosphotungstic Acid as a Precursor.

Subjecting phosphotungstic acid solutions to low pH in combination with introduction of polyvalent cations led to the formation of nanostructured microspheres of approximately 2 μm in size, as shown by scanning electron microscopy, which were almost insoluble and resistant to degradation at neutral and high pH. These microspheres were composed of secondary nanospheres with diameters around 20 nm as revealed by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Investigations of the crystal structure of a potential intermediate of this process, namely, acidic lanthanum phosphotungstate, [La(HO)](HO)[PWO](HO), showed a tight network of hydrogen bonding, permitting closer packing of phosphotungstic acid anions, thereby confirming the mechanism of the observed self-assembly process.

Building in vitro tools for livestock genomics: chromosomal variation within the PK15 cell line.

Background: Cultured porcine cell lines are powerful tools for functional genomics and in vitro phenotypic testing of candidate causal variants. However, to be utilised for genomic or variant interrogation assays, the genome sequence and structure of cultured cell lines must be realised. In this work, we called variants and used read coverage in combination with within-sample allele frequency to detect potential aneuploidy in two immortalised porcine kidney epithelial (PK15) cell lines and in a pig embryonic fibroblast line.

Clinical stage and plasma neurofilament concentration in adults with Friedreich ataxia.

Objectives: Friedreich Ataxia (FRDA) is the most common recessive ataxia disorder. Yet, little is known of the prevalence in Sweden. In the future, there may be effective disease-modifying therapies, and use of clinical rating scales as well as possible biomarkers in serum or cerebrospinal fluid may be of importance.

Genetic markers associated with bone composition in Rhode Island Red laying hens.

Background: Bone damage has welfare and economic impacts on modern commercial poultry and is known as one of the major challenges in the poultry industry. Bone damage is particularly common in laying hens and is probably due to the physiological link between bone and the egg laying process. Previous studies identified and validated quantitative trait loci (QTL) for bone strength in White Leghorn laying hens based on several measurements, including bone composition measurements on the cortex and medulla of the tibia bone.

A genome-wide association study for loin depth and muscle pH in pigs from intensely selected purebred lines.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) aim at identifying genomic regions involved in phenotype expression, but identifying causative variants is difficult. Pig Combined Annotation Dependent Depletion (pCADD) scores provide a measure of the predicted consequences of genetic variants. Incorporating pCADD into the GWAS pipeline may help their identification.

Genomics in animal breeding from the perspectives of matrices and molecules.

Background: This paper describes genomics from two perspectives that are in use in animal breeding and genetics: a statistical perspective concentrating on models for estimating breeding values, and a sequence perspective concentrating on the function of DNA molecules.

Main Body: This paper reviews the development of genomics in animal breeding and speculates on its future from these two perspectives. From the statistical perspective, genomic data are large sets of markers of ancestry; animal breeding makes use of them while remaining agnostic about their function.

Population structure and hybridisation in a population of Hawaiian feral chickens.

Chickens are believed to have inhabited the Hawaiian island of Kauai since the first human migrations around 1200AD, but numbers have peaked since the tropical storms Iniki and Iwa in the 1980s and 1990s that destroyed almost all the chicken coops on the island and released large numbers of domestic chickens into the wild. Previous studies have shown these now feral chickens are an admixed population between Red Junglefowl (RJF) and domestic chickens. Here, using genetic haplotypic data, we estimate the time of the admixture event between the feral population on the island and the RJF to 1981 (1976-1995), coinciding with the timings of storm Iwa and Iniki.

BiCoOF-A Polar, Ferrimagnetic Aurivillius Oxide-Fluoride.

Aurivillius oxides have been a research focus due to their ferroelectric properties, but by replacing oxide ions by fluoride, divalent magnetic cations can be introduced, giving Bi OF ( = Fe, Co, and Ni). Our combined experimental and computational study on BiCoOF indicates a low-temperature polar structure of 2 symmetry (analogous to ferroelectric BiWO) and a ferrimagnetic ground state. These results highlight the potential of Aurivillius oxide-fluorides for multiferroic properties.

Genomic prediction with whole-genome sequence data in intensely selected pig lines.

Background: Early simulations indicated that whole-genome sequence data (WGS) could improve the accuracy of genomic predictions within and across breeds. However, empirical results have been ambiguous so far. Large datasets that capture most of the genomic diversity in a population must be assembled so that allele substitution effects are estimated with high accuracy.

Predictors of Early Neurological Deterioration and Functional Outcome in Acute Ischemic Stroke: The Importance of Large Artery Disease, Hyperglycemia and Inflammatory Blood Biomarkers.

Background: Early neurological deterioration (END) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) can be associated with poor outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between infarction subtypes, biomarkers and END, and to identify patients with risk of unfavorable functional outcome.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study enrolled 101 patients with AIS.

No increase of serum neurofilament light in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients switching from standard to extended-interval dosing of natalizumab.

Background: Accumulating evidence supports the efficacy of administering natalizumab (NZ) with extended-interval dosing (EID) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Objectives: We switched NZ dosing from 4-week to 6-week intervals in patients with RRMS, and investigated the effect on serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) concentrations.

Methods: We included two cohorts of patients with RRMS treated with NZ: one received the standard-interval dosing (4 weeks) at baseline, and were switched to 6-week intervals (EID4-6,  = 45).