Interpretation of 25-OH-D3, NEFA, and calcium correlations among cow and calf pairs

In the present study, the aim was to determine alteration of NEFA, calcium and vitamin D3 levels in cow and calf pairs at parturition as well as correlation between each parameter levels. For this purpose, a cow-side device employing the enzymatic colorimetric method was used for measurement of NEFA and calcium levels. On the other hand, serum 25(OH)D3 analysis was performed using the fluorescence immunochromatographic method at the laboratory in the Faculty. Blood samples were taken from Vena jugularis of 15 Simmental cow and calf pairs immediately after parturition and placed in serum and heparinized tubes. In cow and calf pairs, concentration of vitamin D3 (15.6-120 and 31.8-120 ng/mL, respectively), NEFA (0.12-1.2 and 0.09-0.8 mmol/L, respectively) and calcium (1.8 ± 0.9 and 2.2 ± 0.6 mmol/L, respectively) were determined. There was no significant correlation between NEFA, Ca, and vitamin D3 in cows and calf pairs. Taking into account several co-factors that influenced test results, which could not easily be excluded, further studies may be warranted with larger cow-calf pair populations. In conclusion, vitamin D3 concentration in calves is not affected by the negative energy balance of dams in the parturition period.

Major Nutritional Metabolic Alterations Influencing the Reproductive System of Postpartum Dairy Cows

Early successful conception of postpartum dairy cows is crucial in determining the optimum reproductive efficiency and profitability in modern dairy farming. Due to the inherent high production potential of modern dairy cows, the extra stress burden of peri-parturient events, and associated endocrine and metabolic changes causes negative energy balance (NEBAL) in postpartum cows. The occurrence of NEBAL is associated with excessive fat mobilization in the form of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs). The phenomenon of NEFA mobilization furthers with occurrence of ketosis and fatty liver in postpartum dairy cows. High NEFAs and ketones are negatively associated with health and reproductive processes. An additional burden of hypocalcemia, ruminal acidosis, and high protein metabolism in postpartum cows presents further consequences for health and reproductive performance of postpartum dairy cows. This review intends to comprehend these major nutritional metabolic alterations, their mechanisms of influence on the reproduction process, and relevant mitigation strategies.

COVID-19 and the Wuhan Diary –how does the overseas Chinese community react to group criticism?

We conduct an online survey to explore how Chinese people living in Germany perceive and react to group criticism in the context of the debate on the Wuhan Diary, a chronicle about life during the lockdown in Wuhan. We find that the majority rating of the book is a lukewarm “neither like nor dislike.” Most participants are open to criticism in principle and do not agree that the book only spreads so-called “negative-energy”. However, many participants were skeptical about the objectivity of the book and concerned about its potential use by so-called anti-China forces, even though the degree of blind patriotism is relatively low in our sample. The factors influencing the book’s evaluation are intriguing: perceived Western sentiment, media exposure and uncritical patriotism all affect COVID-19-related conspiracy beliefs, which in turn lead to a more negative evaluation of the book. A cluster analysis reveals two groups which differ in terms of properties like blind patriotism, belief in certain conspiracies, and also demographic parameters. Our results shed light on identity politics, motivated beliefs, and collective narcissism.

Dynamics of productivity and indicators of functional homeostasis of lactating cows when supplements based on natural zeolites enriched with a biocomplex of free L-amino acids are introduced into the diet

Purpose: to study the effect of feeding lactating cows with a feed additive enriched with a biocomplex of free L-amino acids of plant origin on the indicators of functional homeostasis, productivity and quality characteristics of milk.Materials and methods. Research and production tests were carried out on the basis of the OS "Streletskaya" branch of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Federal Research Center of Legumes and Groats". To conduct scientific and production tests, 2 groups of cows of 3-4 lactation were formed, 70 heads each. The groups were formed on the principle of analogous pairs.The cows of the experimental group, starting from the second day after calving, in the morning, once a day, received a granulated feed additive "ZEO-AMINO" (Russia) fraction 0.2-0.7 mm at the rate of 2% of the dry matter of the ration daily for the first 100 days lactation. Experimental animals were monitored daily. Clinical examination of animals was carried out with obligatory control of the general condition, thermometry, counting of respiratory movements and rumen contractions, assessment of the udder condition. The productivity of cows was determined according to the results of control milking. Morphological and biochemical blood tests were performed.Results. It was revealed that the daily use of a granular feed additive of fraction 0.2-0.7 mm, starting from the second day after calving, once a day at the rate of 2% of the dry matter of the diet during the first 100 days of lactation, contributes to an increase in the average daily milk yield of cows on average by 15.9%; by 7 months lactation, an increase in the average daily milk yield was established by an average of 18.3%. It was found that feeding the supplement to cows after calving due to better absorption of nitrogen in the diet and accumulation of proteins in the animal's body allows partially neutralizing the negative consequences of negative energy balance after calving, and contributes to a more intensive recovery of live weight loss, which is reliably confirmed by indicators of animal productivity. The results of a biochemical blood test suggest that the use of a feed supplement in obtaining milk has a positive effect on the assimilation of the diet, metabolism and assimilation processes in the body, activates a number of vital functions during the normal course of physiological processes and ensuring functional homeostasis, which ultimately determines increasing the milk production of animals. Analysis of the quality indicators of milk allows us to conclude that the mass fraction of fat when feeding the additive increased by an average of 0.12 abs. %; the mass fraction of protein increased by an average of 0.22 abs.%.Conclusion. To increase milk productivity, reduce the negative effects of negative energy balance after calving, and more intensively restore body weight loss, as well as increase the efficiency of using feed proteins and normalize metabolic processes, it is recommended that daily use of the feed granulated dietary supplement "ZEO-AMINO" fraction in the diets of dairy cows 0.2-0.7 mm at the rate of 2% of the dry matter of the diet, starting from the second day after calving, once a day during the first 100 days of lactation.

Lipid Metabolism in the Cattle in Different Stages of Reproductive Cycle

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding dairy cows in different stages of reproductive cycle on biochemical parameters and oxidative stress. To evaluate the effect of oxidative stress on lipids and lipid metabolism and to determine the impact of nutrition and energy balance on oxidative stress in peripartum period and in early lactation. Concentrations of different biochemical parameters were measured but for this paper the most important ones were indicators of oxidative stress, cholesterol and triglycerides and also albumin. Factors associated with oxidative stress were period 3 weeks before calving and related to that negative energy balance and also content of nonfiber carbohydrates in the diet in peripartum period. However, further studies will be needed to more precisely determine the specific effects of diet and energy balance on oxidative stress in cows and to establish normal ranges for these biomarkers of oxidative stress.

The Correlation between Extracellular Heat Shock Protein 70 and Lipid Metabolism in a Ruminant Model

Metabolic stress in early lactation cows is characterized by lipolysis, ketogenesis, insulin resistance and inflammation because of negative energy balance and increased use of lipids for energy needs. In this study the relationship between lipid metabolite, lipid-based insulin resistance, and hepatocyte functionality indexes and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) with extracellular heat shock protein 70 (eHsp70) was investigated. The experiment included 50 cows and all parameters were measured in blood serum. In cows with a more pronounced negative energy balance, the following was determined: a higher concentration of eHsp70, TNF-α, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), NEFA to insulin and NEFA to cholesterol ratio and lower concentration of cholesterol, very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL) and liver functionality index (LFI). The eHsp70 correlated negatively with the values of cholesterol, VLDL, LDL, and triglycerides, while correlated positively with the level of NEFA and BHB. A higher concentration of eHsp70 suggests the development of fatty liver (due to a higher NEFA to cholesterol ratio and lower LFI) and insulin resistance (due to a lower revised quantitative insulin sensitivity check index RQUICKI-BHB and higher NEFA to insulin ratio). The eHsp70 correlated positively with TNF-α. Both TNF-α and eHsp70 correlated similarly to lipid metabolites. In cows with high eHsp70 and TNF-α values we found higher concentrations of NEFA, BHB, NEFA to insulin and NEFA to cholesterol ratio and a lower concentration of triglycerides and VLDL cholesterol compared to cows that had only high TNF-α values. Based on the positive correlation between eHsp70 and TNF-α, their similar relations, and the additional effect of eHsp70 (high TNF-α + eHsp70 values) on lipid metabolites we conclude that eHsp70 has pro-inflammatory effects implicating lipolysis, fatty liver, and fat tissue insulin resistance.

Human-wildlife conflict and community perceptions towards wildlife conservation in and around Wof-Washa Natural State Forest, Ethiopia: a case study of human grivet monkey conflict

Background: Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is predicted to increase globally in the vicinity of protected areas and occurs in several different contexts and involves a range of animal taxonomic groups whose needs and requirements overlap with humans. Human-monkey conflict exists in different forms more in developing countries and ranks amongst the main threats to biodiversity conservation. Grivet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops aethiops) are any slender agile Old-World monkeys of the genus Cercopithecus. This study was conducted to investigate the status of human grivet monkey conflict and the attitude of local communities towards grivet monkey conservation in and around Wof-Washa Natural State Forest (WWNSF), Ethiopia from September 2017 to May 2018. Questionnaire survey (143) was used to study the human-grivet monkey conflict and its conservation status. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the responses were compared using a nonparametric Pearson chi-square test. Results: Majority of respondents from both gender (male= 67.1%; female= 74.1%) were not supporting grivet monkey conservation due to its troublesome crop damaging effect. There was significant difference in respondents perceptions towards grivet monkey conservation based on distance of farmland from the forest (χ2= 12.7, df =4, P = 0.013). There was no significant difference in the techniques used by villagers to deter crop raiders (χ2= 14.73, df =15, P = 0.47). There was significant difference in respondents expectations on the mitigation measures to be taken by government (χ2= 40.01, df =15, P = 0.000). Based on the questionnaire result, 42.5 ± SD 8.68 of respondents in all villages elucidated that the causes of crop damage was habitat degradations.Conclusion: The encroachment of local communities in to the forest area and exploitation of resources that would be used by grivet monkey and enhanced crop damage by grivet monkey exacerbated the HGMC in the study area. As a result grivet monkeys have been killed relentlessly as a consequence of crop damage. This was due to negative energy developed in human perspective. Thus, awareness creation education program and feasible crop damage prevention techniques need to be implemented.

Modulation Instability of Hydro-Elastic Waves Blown by a Wind with a Uniform Vertical Profile

An interesting physical phenomenon was recently observed when a fresh-water basin is covered by a thin ice film that has properties similar to the property of a rubber membrane. Surface waves can be generated under the action of wind on the air–water interface that contains an ice film. The modulation property of hydro-elastic waves (HEWs) in deep water covered by thin ice film blown by the wind with a uniform vertical profile is studied here in terms of the airflow velocity versus wavenumber. The modulation instability of HEWs is studied through the analysis of coefficients of the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation with the help of the Lighthill criterion. The NLS equation is derived using the multiple scale method in the presence of airflow. It is demonstrated that the potentially unstable hydro-elastic waves with negative energy appear for relatively small wind speeds, whereas the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability arises when the wind speed becomes fairly strong. Estimates of parameters of modulated waves for the typical conditions are given.

NEFAs Influence the Inflammatory and Insulin Signaling Pathways Through TLR4 in Primary Calf Hepatocytes in vitro

Transition dairy cows are often in a state of negative energy balance because of decreased dry matter intake and increased energy requirements, initiating lipid mobilization and leading to high serum β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFAs) levels, which can induce ketosis and fatty liver in dairy cows. Inflammation and insulin resistance are also common diseases in the perinatal period of dairy cows. What is the relationship between negative energy balance, insulin resistance and inflammation in dairy cows? To study the role of non-esterified fatty acids in the nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κB) inflammatory and insulin signaling pathways through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), we cultured primary calf hepatocytes and added different concentrations of NEFAs to assess the mRNA and protein levels of inflammatory and insulin signaling pathways. Our experiments indicated that NEFAs could activate the NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathway and influence insulin resistance through TLR4. However, an inhibitor of TLR4 alleviated the inhibitory effects of NEFAs on the insulin pathway. In conclusion, all of these results indicate that high-dose NEFAs (2.4 mM) can activate the TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathway and reduce the sensitivity of the insulin pathway through the TLR4/PI3K/AKT metabolic axis.

Leptin—A Potential Bridge between Fat Metabolism and the Brain’s Vulnerability to Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review

Background: Obesity and being overweight have been described as potential causes of neurological disorders. Leptin, a peptide expressed in fat tissue, importantly participates in energy homeostasis and storage and has recently been identified for its signaling receptors in neuronal circuits of the brain. Aim: To elucidate whether the endogenous modulation of leptin can be a protection against neuropsychiatric disorders. Method: A systematic review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA-P method, and reports of studies containing data of leptin concentrations in healthy individuals with or without obesity were retrieved from the PubMed database, using the combinations of Mesh terms for “Leptin” and “Metabolism”. Results: Forty-seven randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, dating from 2000 to 2021, were included in the qualitative synthesis. Discussion and conclusions: Leptin secretion displays a stabilizing pattern that is more sensitive to a negative energy intake imbalance. Leptin levels influence body weight and fat mass as a pro-homeostasis factor. However, long-term exposure to elevated leptin levels may lead to mental/behavioral disorders related to the feeding and reward systems.