Model nematodes as a practical innovation to promote high throughput screening of natural products for anthelmintics discovery in South Asia: Current challenges, proposed practical and conceptual solutions.

With the increasing prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in animals recorded globally, and the threat of resistance in human helminths, the need for novel anthelmintic drugs is greater than ever. Most research aimed at discovering novel anthelmintic leads relies on high throughput screening (HTS) of large libraries of synthetic small molecules in industrial and academic settings in developed countries, even though it is the tropical countries that are most plagued by helminth infections. Tropical countries, however, have the advantage of possessing a rich flora that may yield natural products (NP) with promising anthelmintic activity.

New paradigms in research on Dirofilaria immitis.

Since the advent of ivermectin (along with melarsomine and doxycycline), heartworm has come to be viewed as a solved problem in veterinary medicine, diminishing investment into non-clinical research on Dirofilaria immitis. However, heartworm infections continue to pose problems for practitioners and their patients and seem to be increasing in frequency and geographic distribution. Resistance to preventative therapies (macrocyclic lactones) complicates the picture.

Influence of preovulatory estradiol treatment on the maintenance of pregnancy in beef cattle receiving in vivo produced embryos.

This experiment was designed to determine the role of preovulatory estradiol in pregnancy retention after embryo transfer (ET). Cows were synchronized with the 7-d CO-Synch + CIDR® protocol. On d0 (d-2 =CIDR® removal), cows were grouped by estrual status (estrual [Positive Control] and nonestrual), and nonestrual cows were administered Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) and randomly assigned to either no treatment (Negative Control) or Estradiol (0.

Effects of prenatal and postnatal melatonin supplementation on overall performance, male reproductive performance, and testicular hemodynamics in beef cattle.

Melatonin has been documented to alleviate compromised pregnancies and enhance livestock performance traits. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of prenatal and postnatal melatonin supplementation on overall calf performance and dam milking traits in relation to calves, molecular factors involved in growth and metabolism of calves, along with testicular physiology and fertility traits in subsequent bulls. On days 190, 220 and 250 of gestation, dams (N = 60) were administered either two subdermal ear melatonin implants (preMEL) or no implants (preCON).

Impacts of Rumen Degradable or Undegradable Protein Supplementation on Supplement Intake and Performance of Yearling Heifers and Cows Grazing Dryland Pastures.

Angus and Red Angus-based yearling heifers (n = 40) and lactating cows (n = 51) were each used in a complete randomized design and stratified by weight and body condition score to one of two treatments: (1) pressed supplement block containing rumen undegradable protein (RUP) and (2) pressed supplement block containing rumen degradable protein (RDP). Heifer and cow supplement intake displayed (p < 0.01) a treatment × period interaction.