Three White Leghorn strains, their two-way crosses, and two commercial lines were used to study the effects of aging on several parameters related to performance of fitness and nonfitness traits during the first laying cycle of hens housed three per cage. Egg number of the survivors (EPF) and egg number including mortality and morbidity (EPM) were divided into 12 periods of 28 d each, starting at age at sexual maturity. Egg weight (EW), specific gravity (SG), and albumen height (AH) were measured at 240, 350, and 450 d of age. Mean heterosis was significant over time, except for AH, increasing in magnitude with age for EPF, EPM, EW, and AH. Reciprocal effects were more important for egg quality than for egg production traits and were influenced by age. The age-related changes in additive, Z-chromosome, and heterotic effects varied among strains, showing that strains differ in their genetic schemes in response to aging. Nonadditive, environmental, and phenotypic variances increased with age for all traits. Additive variance increased with age for EPF, EW, and AH. Z-chromosome variance increased with age for EW and AH. Heritabilities decreased with age, except for EPF and AH. On average, genetic variance increased with advancing age. Improvement in lifetime performance may be obtained by selecting birds at older ages. As the relative increase with age in additive variance was larger for egg production than for egg quality traits, selection for the latter could be performed at early stages.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ps/82.8.1223 | DOI Listing |
Mult Scler
January 2025
Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Background: Spinal cord (SC) atrophy is a key imaging biomarker of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Progressive MS is more common in men and postmenopausal women.
Objective: Investigate the impact of sex and menopause on SC measurements in persons with MS (pwMS).
Breastfeed Med
January 2025
Neonatology, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
Pasteurized donor human milk must be provided when mother's own milk (MOM) is not available for preterm infants. There are concerns that human milk banks (HMBs) and the use of donor milk may potentially reduce breastfeeding rates. To compare feeding during hospitalization and at discharge before and after the opening of a HMB and to evaluate the proportion of milk provided by mothers of premature babies, comparing the intake of MOM in infants born of donor and no donor mothers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPol J Vet Sci
December 2024
Nicolaus Copernicus University Veterinary Clinic, Szosa Bydgoska 13, 87-100 Toruń, Poland.
Proper management of cattle reproduction has a major impact on the efficiency and profitability of dairy production. Ultrasound examination and transrectal palpation or the pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG) test are currently the most commonly used methods for pregnancy diagnosis. However, alternative methods to those mentioned above are constantly being sought in order to minimise stress during the examination, the cost of veterinary services and to reduce the rate of errors in pregnancy diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Clin Transl Neurol
January 2025
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Objective: We describe neurologic phenotype, clinical associations, and outcomes in autoimmune brainstem encephalitis.
Methods: Medical records of neural-IgG positive autoimmune brainstem encephalitis patients diagnosed at Mayo Clinic (January 1, 2006-December 31, 2022) were reviewed.
Results: Ninety-eight patients (57 male) were included.
Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm
January 2025
From the Department of Neurology and Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Neurology (A.D., L.C., J.J.-W.C., B.G.W., S.A.B., S.J.P., E.P.F.), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN; Department of Neurosciences (A.D.), Biomedicine, and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Italy; Department of Radiology (K.N.K.), Mayo Clinic; Department of Ophthalmology (J.J.-W.C.), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN; Department of Neurology (D.M.W., C.V.-S.), Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ; Department of Neurology (B.G.W.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville; Department of Neurology (A.S.L.-C.), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, FL; Neurology Unit (E.S.), University Hospital of Sassari, Italy; and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (S.J.P., E.P.F.), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN.
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