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Topic Review
Lipid Deposition and Metabolism in Local Pig Breeds
Intensive selective breeding and genetic improvement of relatively few pig breeds led to the abandonment of many low productive local pig breeds. However, local pig breeds are better adapted to their specific environmental conditions and feeding resources and therefore represent a valuable genetic resource. They accumulate larger amounts of fat, which generally contains more monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids; they exhibit a higher adipocyte size and higher activity of lipogenic enzymes. Studies using the transcriptomic approach highlighted several processes like immune response, fatty-acid turn-over, oxidoreductase activity and mitochondrial function which differ between local and modern pig breeds.
  • 811
  • 07 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Beef Cattle Metatarsal Growth Plate Lesions
Young beef bulls are predisposed to develop diseases of the growing skeleton, especially growth plate lesions. These lesions jeopardize both welfare and production, often leading to anticipated culling and reduced weight gain. However, beef cattle are prey animals and do not exhibit signs of pain and lameness until the disease becomes extensive and severe. Fast methods to screen for growth plate lesions' presence could lead to prompt treatment of the affected animals, enhancing recovery and diminishing losses.
  • 811
  • 19 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Herbivory in Rewilding
The vision of rewilding is to return ecosystems to a “natural” or “self-willed” state with trophic complexity, dispersal (and connectivity) and stochastic disturbance in place. The concept is gaining traction, particularly in Europe where significant land abandonment has taken place in recent years. However, in reality, the purest form of rewilding (Rewilding Max) is constrained by a number of context-specific factors whereby it may not be possible to restore the native species that form part of the trophic structure of the ecosystem if they are extinct (for example, mammoths, Mammuthus spp., aurochs, Bos taurus primigenius). In addition, populations/communities of native herbivores/predators may not be able to survive or be acceptable to the public in small scale rewilding projects close to areas of high human density or agricultural land. Therefore, the restoration of natural trophic complexity and disturbance regimes within rewilding projects requires careful consideration if the broader conservation needs of society are to be met. Here we highlight the importance of herbivory as a key factor in rewilding.
  • 810
  • 26 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Preclinical Urethral Tissue Engineering Studies
While the reasons the positive results obtained in preclinical studies for urethral repair have not been reproduced in the subsequent clinical trials are complex, poorly designed experiments and a lack of quality in reporting might be some of the main reasons that hinder clinical translation. However, the quality of reporting in preclinical urethral tissue engineering studies remains unclear. Moreover, it is unknown if the quality of reporting has improved as a consequence of the introduction of the ARRIVE guidelines.
  • 809
  • 10 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Effects of Respiratory Viruses on the Bronchial Endothelium
Endothelial cells (ECs) comprise the inner surface of blood vessels as a single-cell layer that has the function of a semi-permeable barrier between circulating blood and underlying tissue; with a similar function in lymphatic vessels. ECs largely influence the spectrum of tissues that a virus can reach via circulation. ECs are effectors of the host response to viral infections; however, activation of host response to viruses occurs both in infected as well as uninfected cells, due to the diffusion of second messengers across intercellular gap junctions, and the secretion of paracrine mediators
  • 809
  • 30 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Impaired ROS Generation in Mitochondria
The excessive formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and impairment of defensive antioxidant systems leads to a condition known as oxidative stress. The main source of free radicals responsible for oxidative stress is mitochondrial respiration. The deleterious effects of ROS on cellular biomolecules, including DNA, is a well-known phenomenon that can disrupt mitochondrial function and contribute to cellular damage and death, and the subsequent development of various disease processes. 
  • 809
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Jatropha Biodiesel Source
Environmental pollution is one of the most pressing challenges in today’s world. The main cause of this pollution is fuel emissions from automobiles and other sources. As industrialization progresses, people will be unable to compromise on the use of energy to power heavy machines and will be forced to seek out the best options. As a consequence, utilizing green fuel, such as biodiesel derived from natural sources, is a realistic option. Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae) is recognized as the greatest feedstock for biodiesel production throughout the world, and it has gained a huge market value in the recent years. Conventional cultivation alone will not be sufficient to meet the global need for the plant’s biomass for the production of biodiesel. Adoption of plant tissue culture techniques that improve the biomass availability is an immediate need.
  • 807
  • 24 May 2022
Topic Review
Biologically Converted Agricultural Byproducts in Chicken Nutrition
 Agricultural and agro-industrial activities generate thousands of tons of byproducts. Converting these agricultural byproducts into valuable entities would be an environmentally friendly, sustainable, and viable part of byproduct management. Upon recycling to make new products, the process contributes to socio-economic value and maintaining environmental health and paves the way for realizing energy security and a circular economy.
  • 807
  • 16 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Targeting Platelet Activation in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is defined as permanent dilatation of the abdominal aorta, which most commonly occurs in the infrarenal region in humans. Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a potentially fatal vascular disease that involves complex multifactorial hemodynamic, thrombotic, inflammatory, and aortic wall remodeling processes. However, its mechanisms are incompletely understood. It has become increasingly clear that platelets are involved in pathological processes of vascular diseases beyond their role in hemostasis and thrombosis. Platelet activation with membrane receptors and secreted mediators promotes thrombus formation and the accumulation of inflammatory cells, which may play an important role in the development of AAA by destroying the structural integrity and stability of the vessel wall. Turbulent blood flow in aortic aneurysms promotes platelet activation and aggregation. Platelet count and heterogeneity are important predictive, diagnostic, and prognostic indicators of AAA.
  • 806
  • 21 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Oxidative Stress and Poultry
A challenge facing the poultry industry is related to the spread of pathogens within commercial farms and, consequently, its high dependence on antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals. Although the inclusion of antibiotics at sub-therapeutical levels in broiler diets has proven to be an efficient strategy through which to suppress the pathogenic bacteria in the gut and enhance animal performance, their usage as growth promoters has been banned in Europe due to concerns regarding the consequences of antibiotic resistance on human health. Under this context, plenty of phytochemicals and antioxidants are being explored in broiler diets.
  • 805
  • 15 Apr 2024
Topic Review
Marine Polysaccharides and Pigs Weaning
Weaning is the most crucial event in commercial pig farms in terms of animal productivity and health. The newly weaned pig not only transits from milk to a solid and more complex diet, but is also subjected to additional stressors including separation from sow and littermates, co-mingling with unknown pigs, adaptation to new environmental settings, and increased pathogen exposure. All these stressors result in reduced feed intake, lasting up to 48 h post-weaning, which is the main driver of the observed gastrointestinal dysfunction, poor performance, and post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD). Marine polysaccharides from macroalgae and chitin provide an interesting source of novel bio-actives and are interesting group of natural dietary supplements for use in pig nutrition due to their prebiotic, antibacterial, and immunomodulatory activities. Hence, they offer great potential as preventatives and prophylactics in pig diets.
  • 803
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Tail-Biting in Pigs
Tail-biting is globally recognized as a welfare concern for commercial swine production. Substantial research has been undertaken to identify risk factors and intervention methods to decrease and understand this vice. Tail-biting appears to be multifactorial and has proven difficult to predict and control. 
  • 800
  • 12 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Housing Risk for Pigs in European Fattening Farms
Pig welfare is affected by housing conditions, the minimum requirements of which are set up by EU legislation. Animal and non-animal-based measures are useful indicators to investigate housing risk factors for pig welfare. An observational study on 51 pig farms in seven EU countries, aimed at investigating housing risk factors for the welfare of finishing pigs, showed body weight and presence of bedded solid floored resting area (BED) identifying three clusters of farms. Farms with BED were featured by no or limited tail docking, larger availability of manipulable materials and lower number of pigs per farm and per annual work unit. In these farms, less skin and ear lesions were found, compared with lean pigs of farms without BED, which were characterized by lower pig space allowance, mortality rate and medication cost. In farms without BED, heavy pigs were featured by more space per pig, more pigs per drinker and higher mortality rate and medication cost per pig, compared to lean pigs. No statistical difference in tail lesions was found between the three farm clusters, although tail docking was performed in all farms without BED and not performed on most farms with BED. 
  • 800
  • 22 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Designing Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria Consortia
Plant growth-promoting bacteria are commonly used in agriculture, particularly for seed inoculation. Multispecies consortia are believed to be the most promising form of these bacteria. However, designing and modeling bacterial consortia to achieve desired phenotypic outcomes in plants is challenging. 
  • 800
  • 04 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Mechanisms of Fe Deficiency in the Rhizosphere
One of the most significant constraints on agricultural productivity is the low availability of iron (Fe) in soil, which is directly related to biological, physical, and chemical activities in the rhizosphere. The rhizosphere has a high iron requirement due to plant absorption and microorganism density. Plant roots and microbes in the rhizosphere play a significant role in promoting plant iron (Fe) uptake, which impacts plant development and physiology by influencing nutritional, biochemical, and soil components. The concentration of iron accessible to these live organisms in most cultivated soil is quite low due to its solubility being limited by stable oxyhydroxide, hydroxide, and oxides. The dissolution and solubility rates of iron are also significantly affected by soil pH, microbial population, organic matter content, redox processes, and particle size of the soil. In Fe-limiting situations, plants and soil microbes have used active strategies such as acidification, chelation, and reduction, which have an important role to play in enhancing soil iron availability to plants. In response to iron deficiency, plant and soil organisms produce organic (carbohydrates, amino acids, organic acids, phytosiderophores, microbial siderophores, and phenolics) and inorganic (protons) chemicals in the rhizosphere to improve the solubility of poorly accessible Fe pools. The investigation of iron-mediated associations among plants and microorganisms influences plant development and health, providing a distinctive prospect to further our understanding of rhizosphere ecology and iron dynamics.
  • 798
  • 16 May 2023
Topic Review
Soil Microbial Indicators within Rotations
Corn and soybean monocultures clustered indicator microbes, while chisel tillage and no-till also showed contrasting effects. Soil organic matter amounts and pH categorized bacterial community structure. Fungal abundance increased under continuous corn compared to continuous soybean. Many archaeal ASVs were ammonia-oxidizers closely associated with specific pH requirements.
  • 797
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
AKR1B10
Preventing the cytokine storm observed in COVID-19 is a crucial goal for reducing the occurrence of severe acute respiratory failure and improving outcomes. The analysis of transcriptomic data from lung samples of patients who died from COVID-19 demonstrates an increased expression of the gene encoding AKR1B10.
  • 795
  • 23 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Deleterious Effects of Heat Stress on Poultry Production
High environmental temperature is one of the significant factors challenging poultry production during hot seasons or in tropical areas causing heat stress (HS). The detrimental effects of HS on broilers range from reduced growth performance to impaired poultry meat quality. HS impairs physiological responses caused by alteration in blood parameters, which could lead to impaired product quality by reducing moisture content and altering the production of antioxidant enzymes resulting in increased oxidative stress. There has been a focus on the use of nutritional supplements as a cost effective HS amelioration strategy, such as betaine and polyphenols. Supplementing broiler chicken’s diets with polyphenols aims to enhance growth performance via reduced levels of oxidative stress in tissues under HS conditions. Furthermore, using betaine as an osmolyte aims to protect tissues during osmotic stress conditions.
  • 793
  • 31 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Adverse Vaccine Reactions in Pets
A number of studies have demonstrated adverse reactions in pets after administering vaccines to both dogs and cats. Concern about adverse effects has led to revised guidelines that alter the recommended frequency and methods/locations for both vaccination of dogs and feline vaccination.
  • 793
  • 01 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Cover Crops for Weed Management
Cover crops are an important component of integrated weed management programs in annual and perennial cropping systems because of their weed suppressive abilities. They influence weed populations using different mechanisms of plant interaction which can be facilitative or suppressive. However, the question often arises if cover crops can be solely relied upon for weed management or not. The most common methods of weed suppression by an actively growing cover crop include competition for limited plant growth resources that result in reduced weed biomass, seed production, and hence reductions in the addition of seeds to the soil seedbank. Cover crop mulches suppress weeds by reducing weed seedling emergence through allelopathic effects or physical effects of shading. However, there is a great degree of variability in the success or failure of cover crops in suppressing weeds that are influenced by the cover crop species, time of planting, cover crop densities and biomass, time of cover crop termination, the cash crop following in the rotation, and the season associated with several climatic variables.
  • 793
  • 15 Feb 2023
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