Phenotypic and genetic diversity of domestic yak (Bos grunniens) in high-altitude rangelands of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

Due to climate change, irrigated agriculture may become restricted in the mountain valleys in northern Pakistan in the future. Hence, the importance of yak (Bos grunniens) keeping in the mountain ranges as risk-mitigating strategy for mountain dwellers will potentially increase. However, little is known about the current status of the domestic yak in this region.

Unraveling Admixture, Inbreeding, and Recent Selection Signatures in West African Indigenous Cattle Populations in Benin.

The Dwarf Lagune and the Savannah Somba cattle in Benin are typical representatives of the endangered West African indigenous Shorthorn taurine. The Lagune was previously exported to African and European countries and bred as Dahomey cattle, whereas the Somba contributed to the formation of two indigenous hybrids known as Borgou and Pabli cattle. These breeds are affected by demographic, economic, and environmental pressures in local production systems.

Genomic loci and genetic parameters for uterine diseases in first-parity Holstein cows and associations with milk production and fertility.

Based on the clinical stage (e.g., vaginal discharge) and bacterial species, several forms of uterine diseases (UD) exist and can be classified as different traits [i.

A variance component estimation approach to infer associations between Mendelian polledness and quantitative production and female fertility traits in German Simmental cattle.

Background: Managing beneficial Mendelian characteristics in dairy cattle breeding programs implies that the correlated genetic effects are considered to avoid possible adverse effects in selection processes. The Mendelian trait polledness in cattle is traditionally associated with the belief that the polled locus has unfavorable effects on breeding goal traits. This may be due to the inferior breeding values of former polled bulls and cows in cattle breeds, such as German Simmental, or to pleiotropic or linkage effects of the polled locus.

Efficacy of combined oral contraceptives for depressive symptoms and overall symptomatology in premenstrual syndrome: pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Objective: Combined oral contraceptives are often considered a treatment option for women with premenstrual syndrome or premenstrual dysphoric disorder also seeking contraception, but evidence for this treatment is scarce. We aimed to determine (1) the level of evidence for the efficacy of combined oral contraceptives in managing premenstrual depressive symptoms and overall premenstrual symptomatology and (2) the comparative efficacy of combined oral contraceptives (the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews registration number CRD42020205510).

Data Sources: We searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, EMCare, and Embase from inception to June 3, 2021.

Hormonal contraceptive use and depressive symptoms: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Background: Observational studies suggest that hormonal contraceptive use may increase depressive symptoms in women, but it is unclear whether the effect is causal.

Aims: To quantitatively examine the evidence from randomised clinical trials for the link between hormonal contraceptive use and depressive symptoms.

Method: We performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials comparing women randomised to any form of a hormonal contraceptive with women randomised to any other form of a (non-)hormonal contraceptive or placebo.

Genetic diversity and population structure in divergent German cattle selection lines on the basis of milk protein polymorphisms.

The aim of this study was to analyze the genetic structure of the casein cluster in eight selection lines of the Holstein Friesian (HF), German Simmental (GS) and German Black Pied cattle ("Deutsches Schwarzbuntes Niederungsrind", DSN) breeds. A total of 2962 milk samples were typed at -casein ( -CN), -casein ( -CN), -casein ( -CN) and -casein ( -CN) loci using isoelectric focusing. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one ( -CN) to five ( -CN), and the average expected heterozygosity and polymorphic information content of all loci were 0.

A multi-breed GWAS for morphometric traits in four Beninese indigenous cattle breeds reveals loci associated with conformation, carcass and adaptive traits.

Background: Specific adaptive features including disease resistance and growth abilities in harsh environments are attributed to indigenous cattle breeds of Benin, but these breeds are endangered due to crossbreeding. So far, there is a lack of systematic trait recording, being the basis for breed characterizations, and for structured breeding program designs aiming on conservation. Bridging this gap, own phenotyping for morphological traits considered measurements for height at withers (HAW), sacrum height (SH), heart girth (HG), hip width (HW), body length (BL) and ear length (EL), including 449 cattle from the four indigenous Benin breeds Lagune, Somba, Borgou and Pabli.

Genetic and nongenetic profiling of milk β-hydroxybutyrate and acetone and their associations with ketosis in Holstein cows.

Ketosis is a metabolic disorder of increasing importance in high-yielding dairy cows, but accurate population-wide binary health trait recording is difficult to implement. Against this background, proper Gaussian indicator traits, which can be routinely measured in milk, are needed. Consequently, we focused on the ketone bodies acetone and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), measured via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in milk.

The role of agro-ecological factors and transboundary transhumance in shaping the genetic diversity in four indigenous cattle populations of Benin.

The indigenous cattle population of Benin is a diverse mix of taurine and hybrid breeds shaped by diverse ecological and climatic conditions with eight agro-ecological zones (AEZ). Presumably, the taurine breeds face current endangerment due to ongoing indicine introgression following climate change and transboundary transhumance. The aim of the study was to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of the indigenous breeds Lagune, Somba, Pabli and Borgou considering spatial agro-ecological and socio-economic factors (transhumance) based on 50k SNP and microsatellite data.

Assessing selection signatures within and between selected lines of dual-purpose black and white and German Holstein cattle.

The aim of this study was to detect selection signatures considering cows from the German Holstein (GH) and the local dual-purpose black and white (DSN) population, as well as from generated sub-populations. The 4654 GH and 261 DSN cows were genotyped with the BovineSNP50 Genotyping BeadChip. The geographical herd location was used as an environmental descriptor to create the East-DSN and West-DSN sub-populations.

Are scurs in heterozygous polled (Pp) cattle a complex quantitative trait?

Background: Breeding genetically hornless, i.e. polled, cattle provides an animal welfare-friendly and non-invasive alternative to the dehorning of calves.

Multi-breed genome-wide association studies across countries for electronically recorded behavior traits in local dual-purpose cows.

Basic bovine behavior is a crucial parameter influencing cattle domestication. In addition, behavior has an impact on cattle productivity, welfare and adaptation. The aim of the present study was to infer quantitative genetic and genomic mechanisms contributing to natural dual-purpose cow behavior in grazing systems.

Allele substitution and dominance effects of CD166/ALCAM gene polymorphisms for endoparasite resistance and test-day traits in a small cattle population using logistic regression analyses.

The study investigated the effects of four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) gene on liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) infections (FH-INF), gastrointestinal nematode infections (GIN-INF) and disease indicator traits [e.g. somatic cell score (SCS), fat-to-protein ratio (FPR)] in German dual-purpose cattle (DSN).

Phenotypic relationships, genetic parameters, genome-wide associations, and identification of potential candidate genes for ketosis and fat-to-protein ratio in German Holstein cows.

Energy demand for milk production in early lactation exceeds energy intake, especially in high-yielding Holstein cows. Energy deficiency causes increasing susceptibility to metabolic disorders. In addition to several blood parameters, the fat-to-protein ratio (FPR) is suggested as an indicator for ketosis, because a FPR >1.

Genome-wide associations and functional gene analyses for endoparasite resistance in an endangered population of native German Black Pied cattle.

Background: Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), liver flukes (Fasciola hepatica) and bovine lungworms (Dictyocaulus viviparus) are the most important parasitic agents in pastured dairy cattle. Endoparasite infections are associated with reduced milk production and detrimental impacts on female fertility, contributing to economic losses in affected farms. In quantitative-genetic studies, the heritabilities for GIN and F.

Genetic line comparisons and genetic parameters for endoparasite infections and test-day milk production traits.

Keeping dairy cows in grassland systems relies on detailed analyses of genetic resistance against endoparasite infections, including between- and within-breed genetic evaluations. The objectives of this study were (1) to compare different Black and White dairy cattle selection lines for endoparasite infections and (2) the estimation of genetic (co)variance components for endoparasite and test-day milk production traits within the Black and White cattle population. A total of 2,006 fecal samples were taken during 2 farm visits in summer and autumn 2015 from 1,166 cows kept in 17 small- and medium-scale organic and conventional German grassland farms.

Evaluation of breeding strategies for polledness in dairy cattle using a newly developed simulation framework for quantitative and Mendelian traits.

Background: Intensified selection of polled individuals has recently gained importance in predominantly horned dairy cattle breeds as an alternative to routine dehorning. The status quo of the current polled breeding pool of genetically-closely related artificial insemination sires with lower breeding values for performance traits raises questions regarding the effects of intensified selection based on this founder pool.

Methods: We developed a stochastic simulation framework that combines the stochastic simulation software QMSim and a self-designed R program named QUALsim that acts as an external extension.

The NIDDK Central Repository at 8 years--ambition, revision, use and impact.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Central Repository makes data and biospecimens from NIDDK-funded research available to the broader scientific community. It thereby facilitates: the testing of new hypotheses without new data or biospecimen collection; pooling data across several studies to increase statistical power; and informative genetic analyses using the Repository's well-curated phenotypic data. This article describes the initial database plan for the Repository and its revision using a simpler model.