The objective of our study was to determine the antioxidative potential of a plant extract (PE) mixture composed of carvacrol, capsicum oleoresin and cinnamaldehyde against high n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-induced oxidative stress in young pigs. Thirty-two weaned castrated male crossbred pigs (BW 10.9 kg; n = 32) were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments (n = 8). The negative control diet (Cont) contained 17.2% energy from fat. Oxidative stress was induced in three of the four experimental groups with the inclusion of n-3 PUFA rich linseed oil. Linseed oil substituted wheat starch in the diet to elevate the amount of energy from fat to 34.1%. One of these diets served as a positive control (Oil), one was additionally supplemented with 271.2 mg/kg of PE mixture and one with 90.4 mg/kg α-tocopheryl acetate (Vit E). After 14 days of treatment, blood and urine were collected for the determination of lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. Lipid peroxidation was studied by plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, 24 h urinary MDA and F2-isoprostane (iPF2α-VI) excretion, total antioxidant status of plasma and glutathione peroxidase assays. Lymphocyte DNA fragmentation and 24 h urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine excretion were measured to determine DNA damage. Consumption of n-3 PUFA rich linseed oil increased the amount of MDA in plasma and urine, and induced DNA damage in lymphocytes, but did not elevate the amount of iPF2α-VI excreted in the urine. The supplementation with PE and with Vit E did not reduce MDA levels in plasma and urine, but it decreased the percentage of DNA damage in lymphocytes (P < 0.001). The PE reduced the urinary iPF2α-VI excretion in comparison to the Cont diet. The results show that PE and Vit E supplemented to pigs in concentrations of 271.2 mg/kg and 90.4 mg/kg, respectively, can effectively protect pig’s blood lymphocytes against oxidative DNA damage, thus suggesting their potentially beneficial effects on the immune system under dietary-induced oxidative stress.

This study used individual weekly results for 160 non-lactating Holstein–Friesian dairy cows in the last 5 weeks of gestation to develop regression equations based on forage NDF content and individual body condition score (BCS) for predicting dry matter (DM) intake. Results were used from treatments in which cows received the same forage and no concentrates throughout the dry period. Ten different conserved forages, either grass silages or mixtures of grass silage and barley straw, were fed in six different experiments and forage NDF ranged from 452 to 689 g/kg DM. On average cows gained 390 g live weight per day, which is less than conceptus growth at this stage – suggesting some mobilisation of maternal tissues to support conceptus growth. BCS remained unchanged at 2.5 over the dry period. DM intake declined from 10.79 kg/day 5 weeks before calving to 9.32 kg/day in the week before calving, with half of this decline occurring in the final week before calving. Intake as a percentage of live weight was moderately predicted (R2 = 0.61 for the entire period) from measures of diet composition (NDF) and cow state (BCS). There were highly significant negative effects of forage NDF and increased BCS on DM intake. The effect of BCS on DM intake was greatly reduced in the week before calving, possibly as a result of a change in metabolic priorities from gaining to losing body reserves.

Genetic selection and better control of the environment of the pigs have resulted in increased production levels concerning both reproduction and growth. Such high performances imply high physiological demands that may deteriorate health and welfare. The aims of this paper are to review the physiological challenges that pigs are facing, to identify possible consequences on health and welfare, to propose ways of detecting and correcting problems whenever possible. At weaning, piglets are submitted to abrupt changes in food supply, housing and social environment. Behavioural changes and efficient adaptations of the digestive tract are critical for their health and welfare. Physiological demands to support these adaptations and risks of failure are inversely related to the age of the pigs. During fattening, modern pigs have high daily weight gain especially of lean tissue as well as elevated feed conversion rate. These high growth performances are suspected to favour stress and disease susceptibility, undesirable behaviours as well as leg weakness, but further experimental data are necessary to validate these effects and find their origin. In reproductive females, high prolificacy generates elevated foetal demands for nutrients and space that are not fully met as shown by an increased number of light piglets having difficulties to adapt successfully to the neonatal life. During lactation, sows with high milk production have high nutrient requirements leading to intense catabolism that may affect their health, welfare and future reproductive abilities.

Osteochondrosis is a growth disorder in the cartilage of young animals and is characterised by lesions found in the cartilage and bone. This study identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with six osteochondrosis lesion traits in the elbow joint of finishing pigs. The traits were: thickening of the cartilage, lesion in the subchondral bone, irregular cartilage surface, fissure under the cartilage, an irregular sagittal central groove and depression of the proximal edge of the radius. The study comprised 7172 finishing pigs from crossing 12 Duroc boars with 600 crossbred Landrace × Large White sows and included 462 single nucleotide polymorphism markers. The results showed 18 QTLs exceeding the 5% genome-wide threshold. The QTLs associated with lesions in the medial part of the condylus humeri (assumed to be the four main osteochondrosis traits) were, in most cases, at common locations, whereas the QTLs associated with depression of the proximal edge of the radius in general were on the same chromosomes but at separate locations. The detected QTLs explain a large part of the genetic variation, which is promising for incorporating osteochondrosis into a breeding programme using marker-assisted selection.

The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of cholesterol. We have studied the role of the HMGCR gene in pig lipid metabolism by means of expression and structural analysis. We describe here the complete coding region of this gene in pigs and report two synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding region. We have, additionally, studied the association of one of these polymorphisms (HMGCR:c.807A>C) with several lipid deposition- and cholesterol-related traits in a half-sib population generated from a commercial Duroc line, showing in some families a positive relationship of HMGCR:c.807A allele with serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-bound cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and also with intramuscular fat (IMF) content of gluteus medius muscle. We have also assessed the expression levels in muscle and in liver from 68 Duroc individuals corresponding to the most extreme animals for the analysed traits. Liver HMGCR expression correlated negatively with the serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, carcass lean percentage and stearic acid content, while muscle expression correlated also negatively with the carcass lean percentage, stearic and linoleic acids content, but showed a positive correlation with the serum lipid cholesterol (HDL, LDL and total cholesterol), IMF and muscle oleic and palmitic fatty acid content. With this information, we have performed an association analysis of expression data with lipid metabolism phenotypic levels and the HMGCR genotype. The results indicate that HMGCR expression levels in muscle are different in the two groups of pigs with extreme values for fat deposition and total cholesterol levels, and also between animals with the different HMGCR genotypes.

Eight multiparous lactating Holstein–Friesian cows were used to evaluate the partitioning of dietary nitrogen (N) from diets based on mixtures of red clover and maize silages in comparison with diets based on ryegrass silage. All cows received 4 kg/day of a standard dairy concentrate with one of four forage treatments in an incomplete changeover design with three 4-week periods. Three treatments were based on mixtures of red clover and maize silage. N intake was altered both by varying the ratio of these silages (40/60 and 25/75 on a dry matter (DM) basis) and by an additional treatment for which the DM intake of the 40/60 mixture was restricted to the level achieved with grass silage. Rumen passage rates were estimated from faecal excretion curves following a pulse oral dose of Dysprosium-labeled silage and urinary excretion of purine derivatives (PD) was used as an index of rumen microbial protein synthesis. Red clover silage mixtures led to significantly increased feed intake (21.5, 20.7 and 15.2 kg DM/day for 40/60 and 25/75 red clover/maize silage mixtures and grass silage, respectively), milk production (25.8, 27.8 and 20.0 kg/day for the same treatments, respectively) and milk component yields, but were without effect on milk fat and protein concentrations. The large increase in the yield of milk (24.5 kg/day) and milk components for the restricted red clover/maize silage treatment, in comparison with the grass silage treatment, was proportionately greater than the increase in DM intake (16.6 kg DM/day). There were no significant treatment effects on diet digestibility, while the higher intakes of red clover silage mixtures were associated with higher rumen passage rates (5.82%, 6.24% and 4.55%/h, respectively). There were significant effects of both N intake and forage source on the partitioning of dietary N between milk and urine. When dietary protein was diluted by the inclusion of maize silage, red clover silage led to increased milk N and reduced urinary N in comparison with grass silage. Improvements in N utilisation may be related to increased dietary starch and/or rumen passage rates leading to increased microbial protein synthesis for these treatments. Urinary excretion of PD was significantly higher for all diets based on mixtures of red clover and maize silages, in comparison with grass silage. Urinary N output was close to literature predictions based on N intake for the diet based on ryegrass silage, but 40 to 80 g/day (25% to 30%) less than predicted for the diets based on the mixtures of red clover and maize silages.

Two experiments were conducted in a subtropical latitude to determine the response of Alpine male goats to a treatment with artificially long days (experiment 1), and the response of anovulatory lactating Alpine does exposed to males treated only with artificially long days (experiment 2). In experiment 1, one group of males was kept under natural photoperiod (n = 4) while another was exposed to 2.5 months of artificially long days (16 h of light/day) from 1 December (n = 4). Plasma testosterone concentrations were determined weekly. Intensity of odor of males was determined every 2 weeks. Sexual behavior of bucks was observed during 3 days about 90 days after the end of the long day treatment. A treatment-by-time interaction was detected for testosterone secretion (P < 0.001). In control males, low plasma concentrations of testosterone were observed from March to June. In contrast, in long-day treated males, high levels of testosterone were observed from March to June (P < 0.05). A treatment-by-time interaction was detected for the intensity of male odor (P < 0.01). The male odor was stronger in long-day treated bucks than in untreated ones from March to June (P < 0.05). The number of ano-genital sniffing, nudging and flehmen was greater in long-day treated males than in untreated ones when exposed to anestrous does (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, one group of males was left under natural photoperiod variations (n = 5) and the other (n = 5) was submitted to the same photoperiodic treatment described in experiment 1. On 3 May, three untreated and three long-day treated males were put in contact with anestrous Alpine does left under natural photoperiod. Fertility was higher in does exposed to light-treated males (36/45, 80%) than those in contact with untreated ones (3/45, 7%; P < 0.05). Prolificacy was similar (P > 0.05) in does exposed to treated (1.8 ± 0.1) and untreated males (1.7 ± 0.3). These results indicate that the sexual activity of Alpine male goats raised in subtropical latitudes can be induced using only artificially long days and that such males are effective in stimulating reproductive activity in anovulatory females in late spring.

This study explored the potential for using seed cake from hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) as a protein feed for dairy cows. The aim was to evaluate the effects of increasing the proportion of hempseed cake (HC) in the diet on milk production and milk composition. Forty Swedish Red dairy cows were involved in a 5-week dose–response feeding trial. The cows were allocated randomly to one of four experimental diets containing on average 494 g/kg of grass silage and 506 g/kg of concentrate on a dry matter (DM) basis. Diets containing 0 g (HC0), 143 g (HC14), 233 g (HC23) or 318 g (HC32) HC/kg DM were achieved by replacing an increasing proportion of compound pellets with cold-pressed HC. Increasing the proportion of HC resulted in dietary crude protein (CP) concentrations ranging from 126 for HC0 to 195 g CP/kg DM for HC32. Further effects on the composition of the diet with increasing proportions of HC were higher fat and NDF and lower starch concentrations. There were no linear or quadratic effects on DM intake, but increasing the proportion of HC in the diet resulted in linear increases in fat and NDF intake, as well as CP intake (P < 0.001), and a linear decrease in starch intake (P < 0.001). The proportion of HC had significant quadratic effects on the yields of milk, energy-corrected milk (ECM) and milk protein, fat and lactose. The curvilinear response of all yield parameters indicated maximum production from cows fed diet HC14. Increasing the proportion of HC resulted in linear decreases in both milk protein and milk fat concentration (P = 0.005 and P = 0.017, respectively), a linear increase in milk urea (P < 0.001), and a linear decrease in CP efficiency (milk protein/CP intake; P < 0.001). In conclusion, the HC14 diet, corresponding to a dietary CP concentration of 157 g/kg DM, resulted in the maximum yields of milk and ECM by dairy cows in this study.

The fatty acid composition of sperm affects the fertilization rate. The objective was to investigate the effects of dietary fish oil (as a source of n-3 fatty acids) on semen quality and sperm fatty acid composition in sheep. Eight Zandi fat-tailed rams were randomly allocated into two groups and fed either a control diet or a diet supplemented with fish oil. Both diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous and were fed for 13 weeks, starting in the middle of the breeding season. Semen samples were collected weekly and their characteristics evaluated by standard methods, whereas samples collected at the start and end of the study were assessed (gas chromatography) for sperm lipid composition. Mean (±s.e.m.) sperm concentrations (4.3 × 109 ± 1.3 × 108v. 3.9 × 109 ± 1.3 × 108 sperm/ml and percentages of motile (77.25 ± 3.34 v. 60.8 ± 3.34) and progressively motile sperm (74.13 ± 1.69 v. 62.69 ± 1.69) were significantly higher in the fish oil group than control. Dietary fish oil increased the proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3) in sperm fatty acid composition. We concluded that feeding fish oil as a source of n-3 fatty acids attenuated seasonal declines in semen quality in rams, perhaps through increased DHA in sperm.

Equations for predicting the meat, fat and bone proportions in beef carcasses using the European Union carcass classification scores for conformation and fatness, and hindquarter composition were developed and their accuracy was tested using data from 662 cattle. The animals included bulls, steers and heifers, and comprised of Holstein–Friesian, early- and late-maturing breeds × Holstein–Friesian, early-maturing × early-maturing, late-maturing × early-maturing and genotypes with 0.75 or greater late-maturing ancestry. Bulls, heifers and steers were slaughtered at 15, 20 and 24 months of age, respectively. The diet offered before slaughter includes grass silage only, grass or maize silage plus supplementary concentrates, or concentrates offered ad libitum plus 1 kg of roughage dry matter per head daily. Following the slaughter, carcasses were classified mechanically for conformation and fatness (scale 1 to 15), and the right side of each carcass was dissected into meat, fat and bone. Carcass conformation score ranged from 4.7 to 14.4, 5.4 to 10.9 and 2.0 to 12.0 for bulls, heifers and steers, respectively; the corresponding ranges for fat score were 2.7 to 11.5, 3.2 to 11.3 and 2.8 to 13.3. Prediction equations for carcass meat, fat and bone proportions were developed using multiple regression, with carcass conformation and fat score both included as continuous independent variables. In a separate series of analyses, the independent variable in the model was the proportion of the trait under investigation (meat, fat or bone) in the hindquarter. In both analyses, interactions between the independent variables and gender were tested. The predictive ability of the developed equations was assed using cross-validation on all 662 animals. Carcass classification scores accounted for 0.73, 0.67 and 0.71 of the total variation in carcass meat, fat and bone proportions, respectively, across all 662 animals. The corresponding values using hindquarter meat, fat and bone in the model were 0.93, 0.87 and 0.89, respectively. The bias of the prediction equations when applied across all animals was not different from zero, but bias did exist among some of the genotypes of animals present. In conclusion, carcass classification scores and hindquarter composition are accurate and efficient predictors of carcass meat, fat and bone proportions.

This paper describes the relationship between protein-bound phenols in red clover, induced by different degrees of damaging before wilting and varying wilting duration, and in silo lipid metabolism. The ultimate effect of these changes on rumen biohydrogenation is the second focus of this paper. For this experiment, red clover, damaged to different degrees (not damaged (ND), crushing or frozen/thawing (FT)) before wilting (4 or 24 h) was ensiled. Different degrees of damaging and wilting duration lead to differences in polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, measured as increase in protein-bound phenols. Treatment effects on fatty acid (FA) content and composition, lipid fractions (free FAs, membrane lipids (ML) and neutral fraction) and lipolysis were further studied in the silage. In FT, red clover lipolysis was markedly lower in the first days after ensiling, but this largely disappeared after 60 days of ensiling, regardless of wilting duration. This suggests an inhibition of plant lipases in FT silages. After 60 days of ensiling no differences in lipid fractions could be found between any of the treatments and differences in lipolysis were caused by reduced FA proportions in ML of wilted FT red clover. Fresh, wilted (24 h) after damaging (ND or FT) and ensiled (4 or 60 days; wilted 24 h; ND or FT) red clover were also incubated in rumen fluid to study the biohydrogenation of C18:3n-3 and C18:2n-6 in vitro. Silages (both 60 days and to a lower degree 4 days) showed a lower biohydrogenation compared with fresh and wilted forages, regardless of damaging. This suggests that lipids in ensiled red clover were more protected, but this protection was not enhanced by a higher amount of protein-bound phenols in wilted FT compared with ND red clover. The reduction of rumen microbial biohydrogenation with duration of red clover ensiling seems in contrast to what is expected, namely a higher biohydrogenation when a higher amount of FFA is present. This merits further investigation in relation to strategies to activate PPO toward the embedding of lipids in phenol–protein complexes.

An experiment was conducted to examine whether weaned piglets would display preference for a food containing a pharmacological level of zinc oxide (ZnO). A total of 60 piglets were weaned at 7.8 kg ± 0.14 (s.e.m.) and 27.8 ± 0.11 days of age into eight mixed sex groups of seven or eight piglets per pen. Groups were balanced for litter origin, weaning weight and sex. Piglet feeding behaviour was constantly recorded by a multi-spaced feeding behaviour recording system (Leeds University Feeding Behaviour System) in each pen. Each pen of pigs was offered ad libitum access to two different foods (16.2 MJ digestible energy, 16 g lysine/kg), which differed only in the level of ZnO supplementation: unsupplemented (U) or supplemented (Z; ZnO 3100 mg/kg). Both foods contained a basal level of zinc (100 mg/kg). Feeding time was recorded for each individual at each trough. Piglets were weighed at weaning and at 7 and 13 days thereafter. The experiment ran for 13 days. Any piglet observed with post-weaning scour (Y) was recorded and treated appropriately whereas healthy piglets were categorised as N (no scour). Preference for a food was defined as being significantly different from 50% of total feed intake or time spent feeding. There was no difference between piglet numbers selecting each food as their first meal. However, within the first 24 h, piglets preferred (P < 0.001) food U, spending only 36.3% (32.2 to 40.5; 95% confidence interval) of feeding time at food Z. Throughout the experiment, piglets showed aversion (P < 0.001) to food Z, consumption being 8.9% (5.1 to 13.6) and 15.7% (8.9 to 23.9) of total intake in weeks 1 and 2, respectively. Individual piglets showed their preference for food U with only 16.6% (14.6 to 18.5) and 21.8% (19.6 to 24.0) of feeding time spent on food Z in weeks 1 and 2, respectively. Scouring piglets did not show any difference in feeding behaviour from healthy piglets in either week. Average piglet gain (of all piglets) was low, at 0.039 ± 0.03 and 0.272 ± 0.04 kg/day in weeks 1 and 2, respectively. Given a choice, weaned piglets showed a clear preference for the food U even when exhibiting post-weaning scour. It can be concluded that the newly weaned, naïve, piglet is not able to recognise a food with clear health and performance benefits but selected the food U due to the reduced palatability of the food Z.

For some time now prebiotics have been proposed to improve health by stimulation of beneficial bacteria in the intestine of humans and animals. The current study is aiming to show effects of feeding of either 2% inulin or 2% lactulose in milk replacer on performance and intestinal morphology of male Holstein–Friesian calves. After 20 weeks of feeding inulin led to significantly higher daily weight gains than lactulose while control animals ranged between the experimental feedings. Ingestion of milk replacer was reduced in lactulose treated animals. Additionally differences of villus height in jejunum (P = 0.07) and ileum (P = 0.03) could be found with an increase for lactulose treated animals and a decrease for inulin treated animals. In ileum the density of proliferative epithelial cells tended to be lower in inulin treated and higher in lactulose treated animals (P = 0.08). Both inulin and lactulose tended to decrease the quantity of goblet cells in the tips of ileal villi (P = 0.07). Both prebiotics can affect performance and intestinal morphology of calves and may as such affect animal health. But effects differ between substances.

Prenatal growth is sensitive to the direct and indirect effects of maternal dietary intake; manipulation can lead to behavioural and physiological changes of the offspring later in life. Here, we report on three aspects of how a high-salt diet during pregnancy (conception to parturition) may affect the offspring’s response to high oral salt loads: (i) dietary preferences for salt; (ii) response to salt and water balance and aldosterone and arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations after an oral salt challenge; (iii) concentrations of insulin and leptin after an oral salt challenge. We used two groups of lambs born to ewes fed either a high-salt (13% NaCl) diet during pregnancy (S lambs; n = 12) or control animals born to ewes fed a conventional (0.5% NaCl) diet during pregnancy (C lambs; n = 12). Lambs were subjected to short- (5 min) and long-term (24 h) preference tests for a high-salt (13% NaCl) or control diet, and the response to an oral challenge with either water or 25% NaCl solution were also carried out. Weaned lambs born to ewes fed high salt during pregnancy did not differ in their preference for dietary salt, but they did differ in their physiological responses to an oral salt challenge. Results indicate that these differences reflect an alteration in the regulation of water and salt balance as the metabolic hormones, insulin and leptin, were not affected. During the first 2 h after a single salt dose, S lambs had a 25% lower water intake compared to the C lambs. S lambs had, on average, a 13% lower AVP concentration than the C lambs (P = 0.014). The plasma concentration of aldosterone was higher in the S lambs than in the C lambs (P = 0.013). Results suggest that lambs born to ewes that ingest high amounts of salt during pregnancy are programmed to have an altered thirst threshold, and blunted response in aldosterone to oral salt loads.

D+ (high digestion efficiency) and D− (low digestion efficiency) genetic chicken lines selected for divergent digestion efficiency were compared in this experiment. Gizzard functions were tested in terms of digesta mean retention time and reactions to high dilution of a corn diet with 15% coarse sunflower hulls. The corn standard (S) and high fibre (F) experimental diets were given from 9 days of age to chickens from both lines. Besides the measurements of growth efficiencies (9 to 20 days), digestibilities (20 to 23 days) and gut anatomy (0, 9, 29, 42 and 63 days), two digestive transit studies were performed at 9 and 29 days of age. For the transit studies, the S and F diets were labelled with 0.5% TiO2 and 1% Cr-mordanted sunflower hulls. These diets were fed ad libitum during 3 days, and then the birds were euthanized. The digestive contents were analysed for the determination of marker concentrations and mean retention times (MRTs) in digestive compartments (crop + oesophagus, proventriculus + gizzard, duodenum + jejunum, ileum, rectum + cloaca and caeca) were determined. D+ birds were confirmed as better digesters than D− birds during the growth period, in association with larger gizzard and pancreas, and lighter small intestine in D+ than in D−birds. The MRT in the proventriculus-gizzard system, higher in D+ than in D− birds, was a major factor associated with differences between D+ and D− birds regarding digestion efficiencies and gut anatomy. Diet dilution with fibres reduced differences in digestion efficiencies and proventriculus-gizzard MRT between lines. Differences in gut anatomy between lines tended to disappear after 8 weeks of age. In conclusion, this study showed that MRT in the proventriculus-gizzard system was a major factor associated with genotype differences between the D+ and D− genetic chicken lines selected for divergent digestion efficiency, with longer MRT found in D+ than in D− birds.

A 2 × 2 factorial experiment (n = 12 replicates per treatment, 4 pigs per replicate) was performed to investigate the effects of seaweed extracts, laminarin (derived ß-glucans) and fucoidan (sulphated polysaccharides), independently or in combination on post-weaning piglet performance and selected microbial populations. At weaning, the piglets (24 days of age, 6.4 kg live weight) were assigned to one of the four dietary treatments: (T1) basal diet, (T2) basal diet with 300 p.p.m. laminarin, (T3) basal diet with 240 p.p.m. fucoidan, (T4) basal diet with 300 p.p.m. laminarin and 240 p.p.m. fucoidan. Pigs offered diets supplemented with laminarin had an increased daily gain (P < 0.01), and gain-to-feed ratio (P < 0.05) compared to pigs offered diets without laminarin supplementation during the experimental period (days 0 to 21). Pigs offered laminarin-supplemented diets had an increased faecal dry matter and reduced diarrhoea (P < 0.05) during the critical 7 to 14 day period. Pigs offered diets containing laminarin had reduced faecal Escherichia coli populations. There was a significant interaction (P < 0.01) on faecal Lactobacilli populations between laminarin and fucoidan. Pigs offered the fucoidan diet had an increased Lactobacilli population compared to pigs offered the basal diet. However, there was no effect of fucoidan on faecal Lactobacilli populations when laminarin was added. Overall, the reduction in E. coli population and the increase in daily gain suggest that laminarin may provide a dietary means to improve gut health after weaning.

This study aimed to investigate whether pre- and early postnatal experiences of rearing hens contribute to the ability to cope with infectious challenges at an older age. In a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, 352 Lohmann Brown chicks were exposed to either suboptimal or optimized incubation plus hatch conditions, and to cage or enriched rearing from week 0 to 7 of age. After week 7 all rearing conditions were similar until the end of the experiment. The development of adaptive capacity to infectious challenges was investigated by introducing an Eimeria and Infectious Bronchitis (IB) infection on day 53 and day 92, respectively. BW gain and feed intake during the infections, duodenal lesions and amount of positive stained CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and macrophages at day 4 and day 7 after Eimeria infection, as well as the IB antibody titer throughout the experimental period were determined. The results showed a significant interaction between incubation plus hatch and rearing environment. Optimized incubation plus hatch conditions followed by an enriched rearing environment resulted in the least weight loss (P < 0.05) and the highest feed intake (P < 0.01) from day 3 to day 7 after the Eimeria infection (day 56 to 60 of age), compared with all other treatments. In addition, the optimized × enriched chicks had the highest BW gain from day 7 to day 14 after IB infection (day 99 to 106 of age), compared with chicks housed in a cage environment (P < 0.01). Besides the interaction, optimized incubation plus hatch alone resulted in reduced macrophage numbers in the duodenal tissue at day 4 after Eimeria infection, compared with suboptimal incubation plus hatch, whereas the enriched rearing environment stimulated the recovery of intestinal damage caused by Eimeria (P < 0.05) and reduced the production of specific antibodies after IB infection (P < 0.05), compared with the cage environment. In conclusion, this study shows that early life experiences can indeed affect the capacity of rearing hens to cope with an Eimeria and IB infection at an older age, in which performance of chicks is best maintained after optimized incubation plus hatch followed by enriched rearing. This suggests that the development of adaptive capacity to infectious challenges can be influenced with management during a short period in pre- or early postnatal life, but that effects last for a considerable time after cessation of the specific management.

The aim of this review article is to provide an overview of the role of pigs as a biomedical model for humans. The usefulness and limitations of porcine models have been discussed in terms of metabolic, cardiovascular, digestive and bone diseases in humans. Domestic pigs and minipigs are the main categories of pigs used as biomedical models. One drawback of minipigs is that they are in short supply and expensive compared with domestic pigs, which in contrast cost more to house, feed and medicate. Different porcine breeds show different responses to the induction of specific diseases. For example, ossabaw minipigs provide a better model than Yucatan for the metabolic syndrome as they exhibit obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension, all of which are absent in the Yucatan. Similar metabolic/physiological differences exist between domestic breeds (e.g. Meishan v. Pietrain). The modern commercial (e.g. Large White) domestic pig has been the preferred model for developmental programming due to the 2- to 3-fold variation in body weight among littermates providing a natural form of foetal growth retardation not observed in ancient (e.g. Meishan) domestic breeds. Pigs have been increasingly used to study chronic ischaemia, therapeutic angiogenesis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and abdominal aortic aneurysm as their coronary anatomy and physiology are similar to humans. Type 1 and II diabetes can be induced in swine using dietary regimes and/or administration of streptozotocin. Pigs are a good and extensively used model for specific nutritional studies as their protein and lipid metabolism is comparable with humans, although pigs are not as sensitive to protein restriction as rodents. Neonatal and weanling pigs have been used to examine the pathophysiology and prevention/treatment of microbial-associated diseases and immune system disorders. A porcine model mimicking various degrees of prematurity in infants receiving total parenteral nutrition has been established to investigate gut development, amino acid metabolism and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Endoscopic therapeutic methods for upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding are being developed. Bone remodelling cycle in pigs is histologically more similar to humans than that of rats or mice, and is used to examine the relationship between menopause and osteoporosis. Work has also been conducted on dental implants in pigs to consider loading; however with caution as porcine bone remodels slightly faster than human bone. We conclude that pigs are a valuable translational model to bridge the gap between classical rodent models and humans in developing new therapies to aid human health.

(Co)variance components and genetic parameters of weight at birth (BWT), weaning (3WT), 6, 9 and 12 months of age (6WT, 9WT and 12WT, respectively) and first greasy fleece weight (GFW) of Bharat Merino sheep, maintained at Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, Avikanagar, Rajasthan, India, were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood, fitting six animal models with various combinations of direct and maternal effects. Data were collected over a period of 10 years (1998 to 2007). A log-likelihood ratio test was used to select the most appropriate univariate model for each trait, which was subsequently used in bivariate analysis. Heritability estimates for BWT, 3WT, 6WT, 9WT and 12WT and first GFW were 0.05 ± 0.03, 0.04 ± 0.02, 0.00, 0.03 ± 0.03, 0.09 ± 0.05 and 0.05 ± 0.03, respectively. There was no evidence for the maternal genetic effect on the traits under study. Maternal permanent environmental effect contributed 19% for BWT and 6% to 11% from 3WT to 9WT and 11% for first GFW. Maternal permanent environmental effect on the post-3WT was a carryover effect of maternal influences during pre-weaning age. A low rate of genetic progress seems possible in the flock through selection. Direct genetic correlations between body weight traits were positive and ranged from 0.36 between BWT and 6WT to 0.94 between 3WT and 6WT and between 6WT and 12WT. Genetic correlations of 3WT with 6WT, 9WT and 12WT were high and positive (0.94, 0.93 and 0.93, respectively), suggesting that genetic gain in post-3WT will be maintained if selection age is reduced to 3 months. The genetic correlations of GFW with live weights were 0.01, 0.16, 0.18, 0.40 and 0.32 for BWT, 3WT, 6WT, 9WT and 12WT, respectively. Correlations of permanent environmental effects of the dam across different traits were high and positive for all the traits (0.45 to 0.98).

The lean-to-fat ratio, that is, the relative masses of muscle and adipose tissue, is a criterion for the yield and quality of bovine carcasses and meat. This review describes the interactions between muscle and adipose tissue (AT) that may regulate the dynamic balance between the number and size of muscle v. adipose cells. Muscle and adipose tissue in cattle grow by an increase in the number of cells (hyperplasia), mainly during foetal life. The total number of muscle fibres is set by the end of the second trimester of gestation. By contrast, the number of adipocytes is never set. Number of adipocytes increases mainly before birth until 1 year of age, depending on the anatomical location of the adipose tissue. Hyperplasia concerns brown pre-adipocytes during foetal life and white pre-adipocytes from a few weeks after birth. A decrease in the number of secondary myofibres and an increase in adiposity in lambs born from mothers severely underfed during early pregnancy suggest a balance in the commitment of a common progenitor into the myogenic or adipogenic lineages, or a reciprocal regulation of the commitment of two distinct progenitors. The developmental origin of white adipocytes is a subject of debate. Molecular and histological data suggested a possible transdifferentiation of brown into white adipocytes, but this hypothesis has now been challenged by the characterization of distinct precursor cells for brown and white adipocytes in mice. Increased nutrient storage in fully differentiated muscle fibres and adipocytes, resulting in cell enlargement (hypertrophy), is thought to be the main mechanism, whereby muscle and fat masses increase in growing cattle. Competition or prioritization between adipose and muscle cells for the uptake and metabolism of nutrients is suggested, besides the successive waves of growth of muscle v. adipose tissue, by the inhibited or delayed adipose tissue growth in bovine genotypes exhibiting strong muscular development. This competition or prioritization occurs through cellular signalling pathways and the secretion of proteins by adipose tissue (adipokines) and muscle (myokines), putatively regulating their hypertrophy in a reciprocal manner. Further work on the mechanisms underlying cross-talk between brown or white adipocytes and muscle fibres will help to achieve better understanding as a prerequisite to improving the control of body growth and composition in cattle.