417 results match your criteria: "UCD School of Agriculture[Affiliation]"

A 2-Year Randomized Controlled Trial With Low-Dose B-Vitamin Supplementation Shows Benefits on Bone Mineral Density in Adults With Lower B12 Status.

J Bone Miner Res

December 2022

Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK.

Folate, vitamins B12, B6, and riboflavin are required for one-carbon metabolism and may affect bone health, but no previous randomized trial has investigated all four nutrients in this context. We investigated the effect of low-dose B-vitamins for 2 years on bone mineral density (BMD) in a dual-centered, 2-year randomized controlled trial (RCT) in adults aged ≥50 years. Eligible participants not consuming B-vitamin supplements or fortified foods >4 times weekly were randomized to receive daily either combined folic acid (200 μg), vitamin B12 (10 μg), vitamin B6 (10 mg), and riboflavin (5 mg), or "active" placebo, whereby both the intervention and placebo groups received vitamin D (10 μg).

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Protein intake and its effect on sleep outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Nutr Rev

February 2023

are with the UCD Institute of Food and Health, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Context: Poor sleep is increasingly seen as an issue of public health concern. In recent years, there has been growing interest in protein as a route to improve sleep outcomes; however, the evidence is limited and inconclusive.

Objective: To examine, using a systematic review and meta-analysis, the effect of increased protein intake (≥1 g/kg//d, ≥25% of total energy intake, or protein supplementation of ≥10 g/d/) on sleep outcomes in adults.

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Scope: Gut microbiota alterations are associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Yeast β-glucans are potential modulators of the innate immune-metabolic response, by impacting glucose, lipid, and cholesterol homeostasis. The study examines whether yeast β-glucan interacts differentially with either an obese healthy or obese diabetic gut microbiome, to impact metabolic health through hepatic effects under high-fat dietary challenge.

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Bacterial Keystone Taxa Regulate Carbon Metabolism in the Earthworm Gut.

Microbiol Spectr

October 2022

State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciencesgrid.9227.e, Nanjing, China.

As important ecosystem engineers in soils, earthworms strongly influence carbon cycling through their burrowing and feeding activities. Earthworms do not perform these roles in isolation, because their intestines create a special habitat favorable for complex bacterial communities. However, how the ecological functioning of these earthworm-microbe interactions regulates carbon cycling remains largely unknown.

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High-resolution transcriptomics of bovine purified protein derivative-stimulated peripheral blood from cattle infected with Mycobacterium bovis across an experimental time course.

Tuberculosis (Edinb)

September 2022

Animal Genomics Laboratory, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland; UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland. Electronic address:

Objectives: Improved bovine tuberculosis (bTB) diagnostics with higher sensitivity and specificity are urgently required. A better understanding of the peripheral blood transcriptional response of Mycobacterium bovis-infected animals after bovine purified protein derivative (PPD-b) stimulation of whole blood-an important component of current bTB diagnostics-will provide new information for development of better diagnostics.

Methods: RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to study the peripheral blood transcriptome after stimulation with PPD-b across four time points (-1 wk pre-infection, and +1 wk, +2 wk, and +10 wk post-infection) from a 14-week M.

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Article Synopsis
  • * All African cattle have taurine mitochondrial DNA, even those with significant zebu ancestry, indicating historical human influence through the importation of zebu bulls from South Asia.
  • * Research shows mitonuclear coevolution in hybrid African cattle, revealing increased taurine ancestry in nuclear genes linked to mitochondria, suggesting incompatibility between the taurine mitochondria and zebu nuclei.
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Low-moisture foods (LMF) have clear advantages with respect to limiting the growth of foodborne pathogens. However, the incidences of species in LMF reported in recent years raise concerns about food quality and safety, particularly when these foods are used as ingredients in more complex higher moisture products. This literature review describes the interlinked pathways of sporulation and biofilm formation by species and their underlying molecular mechanisms that contribute to the bacteriums' persistence in LMF production environments.

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Insulin secretion following ingestion of a carbohydrate load affects a multitude of metabolic pathways that simultaneously change direction and quantity of interorgan fluxes of sugars, lipids and amino acids. In the present study, we aimed at identifying markers associated with differential responses to an OGTT a population of healthy adults. By use of three metabolite profiling platforms, we assessed these postprandial responses of a total of 202 metabolites in plasma of 72 healthy volunteers undergoing comprehensive phenotyping and of which half enrolled into a weight-loss program over a three-month period.

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Article Synopsis
  • Small effective population sizes and inbreeding in Thoroughbred racehorses can lead to inbreeding depression, resulting from harmful recessive mutations.
  • Using genomic data from over 6,000 horses, researchers found that a 10% increase in inbreeding correlates with a 7% decrease in the likelihood of ever racing.
  • A specific haplotype associated with lower racing probability overlaps a gene important for cartilage health, suggesting that smarter breeding strategies could enhance the overall health and welfare of the breed.
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A comparative analysis of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from human and feline plasma.

Sci Rep

June 2022

UCD School of Medicine, College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Article Synopsis
  • Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny particles that transport biological materials in the body and have been extensively studied under the MISEV framework for standardizing research in this area since 2018.
  • Research has primarily focused on human EVs, but there's growing interest in applying the same standards to animal models, particularly felines, for comparative disease studies.
  • The study found that EVs isolated from healthy humans and felines shared similar characteristics, suggesting that the MISEV guidelines can be effectively applied to feline EV research, potentially benefiting our understanding of diseases in both species.
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The complex (MTBC) contains the causative agents of tuberculosis (TB) in mammals. The archetypal members of the MTBC, and , cause human tuberculosis and bovine tuberculosis, respectively. Although and share over 99.

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Biochemical and molecular characterization of sialylated cervical mucins in sheep†.

Biol Reprod

August 2022

Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Biomaterials Research Cluster, Bernal Institute, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Limerick, Limerick, V94 T9PX, Ireland.

Sialic acid occupies terminal positions on O-glycans of cervical mucins, where they contribute to the increased viscosity of mucin thereby regulating sperm transport. This study characterized the sialylated cervical mucins from follicular phase mucus of six European ewe breeds with known differences in pregnancy rates following cervical artificial insemination (AI) using frozen-thawed semen at both synchronized and natural estrus cycles. These were Suffolk (low fertility) and Belclare (medium fertility) in Ireland, Ile de France and Romanov (both with medium fertility) in France, and Norwegian White Sheep (NWS) and Fur (both with high fertility) in Norway.

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The control of bacterial contaminants on meat is a key area of interest in the food industry. Bacteria are exposed to a variety of stresses during broiler processing which challenge bacterial structures and metabolic pathways causing death or sublethal injury. To counter these stresses, bacteria possess robust response systems that can induce shifts in the transcriptome and proteome to enable survival.

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Evidence for local and international spread of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis through whole genome sequencing of isolates from the island of Ireland.

Vet Microbiol

May 2022

UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland; UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland; UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland; UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland. Electronic address:

We describe application of whole genome sequencing (WGS) to a collection of 197 Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) isolates gathered from 122 cattle herds across 27 counties of the island of Ireland. We compare WGS to MAP diversity quantified using mycobacterial interspersed random unit - variable number tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR). While MIRU-VNTR showed only two major types, WGS could split the 197 isolates into eight major groups.

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Transcriptome Profiling of Developing Ovine Fat Tail Tissue Reveals an Important Role for in Regulation of Adipogenesis.

Front Cell Dev Biol

March 2022

Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing, China.

Fat-tail sheep exhibit a unique trait whereby substantial adipose tissue accumulates in the tail, a phenotype that is advantageous in many agroecological environments. In this study, we conducted histological assays, transcriptome analysis and functional assays to examine morphogenesis, characterize gene expression, and elucidate mechanisms that regulate fat tail development. We obtained the microstructure of tail before and after fat deposition, and demonstrated that measurable fat deposition occurred by the 80-day embryo (E80) stage, earlier than other tissues.

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The parasite, causes redwater fever in cattle and a rare, albeit life-threatening disease in humans. In Ireland, has always been considered an important pathogen as the high incidence of redwater fever precluded areas of the country from cattle farming. Moreover a relatively large proportion of human cases were reported here.

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Purpose: High-fat and low-fibre discretionary food intake and FTO genotype are each associated independently with higher risk of obesity. However, few studies have investigated links between obesity and dietary patterns based on discretionary food intake, and the interaction effect of FTO genotype are unknown. Thus, this study aimed to derive dietary patterns based on intake of discretionary foods, saturated fatty acids (SFA) and fibre, and examine cross-sectional associations with BMI and waist circumference (WC), and interaction effects of FTO genotype.

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Survive and thrive: Control mechanisms that facilitate bacterial adaptation to survive manufacturing-related stress.

Int J Food Microbiol

May 2022

UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 D04V4W8, Ireland; UCD Institute of Food and Health, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 D04V4W8, Ireland; UCD Centre for Food Safety, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 D04V4W8, Ireland.

The control of bacterial contaminants on chicken meat is a key area of interest in the broiler industry. Microbes that pose a significant food safety risk on chicken include Campylobacter spp., Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli.

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Background: Psychotic experiences (PEs) are associated with an increased risk of future psychotic and non-psychotic mental disorders. The identification of biomarkers of PEs may provide insights regarding the underlying pathophysiology.

Methods: The current study applied targeted lipidomic approaches to compare plasma lipid profiles in participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort who did (n = 206) or did not (n = 206) have PEs when aged approximately 24 years.

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Despite the economic importance of grass-based livestock production in Ireland and the fact that many veterinarians and farmers regard tickborne fever (TBF) as an increasingly important disease, especially in sheep, little is currently known about the prevalence and genetic diversity of its causative agent, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In the present study, 1376 nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from woodland, farmland, bog and limestone pavement habitats were screened for A. phagocytophilum using TaqMan PCR.

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Feeding habits and multifunctional classification of soil-associated consumers from protists to vertebrates.

Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc

June 2022

J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.

Article Synopsis
  • - Soil organisms play a crucial role in ecosystem functions by breaking down carbon and nutrients, directly impacting plant growth, biodiversity, and human nutrition.
  • - While soil ecologists often use functional groups to analyze these organisms, there's a lack of comprehensive knowledge about the feeding habits of many soil taxa, despite advancements in molecular and biochemical tools over the past two decades.
  • - The review synthesizes current knowledge on the feeding habits of various soil organisms, revealing that many traditionally defined functional groups exhibit omnivorous feeding patterns and interconnected trophic relationships, challenging existing models of soil food webs.
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The emergence and dissemination of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is a growing concern to animal and public health. However, little is known about the spread of CRE in food and livestock and its potential transmission to humans. To identify CRE strains from different origins and sources, 53 isolates were cultured from 760 samples including retail meat products, patients, and porcine excrement.

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Metabolomics is increasingly applied to investigate diet-disease associations in nutrition research. However, studies of metabolite reproducibility are limited, which could hamper their use within epidemiologic studies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the metabolite reproducibility during 4 months in a free-living population.

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Effectiveness of a fortified drink in improving B vitamin biomarkers in older adults: a controlled intervention trial.

Nutr Metab (Lond)

December 2021

UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, Institute of Food and Health, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Background: Older adults are reported to have sub-optimal B vitamin status; targeted food-based solutions may help to address this. The objectives of the OptiAge food intervention study were to develop and investigate the effectiveness of a B vitamin-fortified drink in improving B vitamin biomarkers in older Irish adults with a primary outcome of change in the B vitamin biomarker status.

Methods: A double-blinded randomised controlled trial was performed in parallel at University College Dublin and Ulster University.

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