Genetic parameters of endocrine fertility traits based on in-line milk progesterone profiles in Swedish Red and Holstein dairy cows.

Evaluating fertility traits based on endocrine progesterone profiles is becoming a promising option to improve dairy cow fertility. Several studies have been conducted on endocrine fertility traits, mainly in the Holstein breed. In this study, focusing also on the Swedish Red (SR) breed, genetic parameters were estimated for classical and endocrine fertility traits, the latter based on in-line milk progesterone records obtained for 14 Swedish herds using DeLaval Herd Navigator (DeLaval International, Tumba, Sweden).

Production level, fertility, health traits, and longevity in local and commercial dairy breeds under organic production conditions in Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and Sweden.

Our aim was to map the performance of local (native) dairy cattle breeds in Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and Sweden with regard to production, fertility, longevity, and health-associated traits and to compare them with commercial (modern) breeds. For this purpose, we analyzed test-day records (July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2014) and treatment records (Austria, Sweden) of cows managed on organic farms. We performed country-wise comparisons of 123,415 lactations from Original Braunvieh (OB) and Grey Cattle (AL) with Braunvieh (BV; Brown Swiss blood >60%) in Switzerland; AL with BV (Brown Swiss blood >50%) in Austria; Polish Black and White (ZB), Polish Red and White (ZR), and Polish Red (RP) with Polish Holstein Friesian (PHF) in Poland; and Swedish Red (SRB) with Swedish Holstein (SH) in Sweden.

Conventional, but not remote ischemic preconditioning, reduces iNOS transcription in liver ischemia/reperfusion.

Aim: To study the effects of preconditioning on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and interleukin 1 (IL-1) receptor transcription in rat liver ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI).

Methods: Seventy-two male rats were randomized into 3 groups: the one-hour segmental ischemia (IRI, n = 24) group, the ischemic preconditioning (IPC, n = 24) group or the remote ischemic preconditioning (R-IPC, n = 24) group. The IPC and R-IPC were performed as 10 min of ischemia and 10 min of reperfusion.

N-acetyl cysteine improves glycogenesis after segmental liver ischemia and reperfusion injury in pigs.

Objective: N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an antioxidative molecule known to protect liver tissue from oxygen radical species generated during ischemia and reperfusion (IR). Nutritional and toxicology studies have shown that NAC also improves glucose metabolism and glycogen stores. We hypothesized that NAC improves glycogenesis and that impaired glycogenesis is a key element in IR injury.