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Journal of Dairy Science Jul 2024The objective was to evaluate the effects of separate offering of feed ingredients (SF) and frequency of concentrate feeding versus offering a TMR, on lactational...
Separate offering of forages and concentrates to lactating dairy cows: Effects on lactational performance, enteric methane emission, and efficiency of nutrient utilization.
The objective was to evaluate the effects of separate offering of feed ingredients (SF) and frequency of concentrate feeding versus offering a TMR, on lactational performance, ruminal fermentation, enteric CH emissions, nutrient digestibility, N use efficiency, milk fatty acid profile, and blood variables in mid-lactation dairy cows. Twenty-four Holstein cows (12 primi- and 12 multiparous) averaging (±SD) 141 ± 35 DIM and 43 ± 6 kg/d of milk yield (MY) at the beginning of the study were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design experiment with 3 periods of 28 d each, composed of 7 d for adaptation to the diets, 11 d for estimation of net energy and metabolizable protein requirements, and 10 d for data and samples collection. Cows were grouped based on parity, DIM, and MY into 4 Latin squares. Treatment allocation was balanced for carryover effects, and cows within square were assigned to (1) basal diet fed ad libitum as TMR; (2) basal diet fed as SF with forages fed ad libitum and concentrates fed 3×/d (SF×3); or (3) basal diet fed as SF with forages fed ad libitum and concentrates fed 6×/d (SF×6). Compared with TMR, SF decreased total DMI by 1.2 kg/d. Treatments did not affect MY, milk components, or ECM yield, except for a decrease in milk fat concentration and an increase in milk urea N by SF×3, compared with TMR. Feed efficiency (kg of MY/kg of DMI) was increased by 7% in SF, compared with TMR. Ruminal molar proportion of acetate and acetate-to-propionate ratio were decreased, whereas molar proportion of propionate was increased by SF×3, compared with TMR and SF×6. There was a 9% decrease in daily CH production by SF, compared with TMR. Enteric CH yield (per kg of DMI) was not affected by treatments in the current study. Methane intensity per kilogram of MY tended to be decreased by 10% in SF, compared with TMR. The sums of odd- and branched-chain, odd-chain, and anteiso milk fatty acids tended to be or were increased by SF, compared with TMR. Intake of nutrients tended to be or were decreased by SF, compared with TMR. The digestibility of amylase-treated NDF tended to be decreased and ADF digestibility was decreased by 3% in SF, compared with TMR. Urinary and fecal N excretions were not affected by treatments. As a percentage of total N intake, separate offering of feed ingredients increased milk N secretion, indicating an increased N use efficiency by SF, compared with TMR. Blood total fatty acid concentration was decreased by SF relative to TMR. Compared with both TMR and SF×6, SF×3 increased blood urea N concentration. Overall, feed and N use efficiencies were increased by separate offering of feed ingredients, and increasing the frequency of concentrate feeding promoted ruminal fermentation effects similar to those obtained by feeding a TMR.
Topics: Animals; Cattle; Lactation; Female; Milk; Diet; Methane; Animal Feed; Digestion; Nutrients; Rumen; Fermentation
PubMed: 38942562
DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-24261 -
Journal of Dairy Science Jul 2024Methane, both enteric and from manure management, is the most important greenhouse gas from ruminant livestock, and its mitigation can deliver substantial decreases in... (Review)
Review
Methane, both enteric and from manure management, is the most important greenhouse gas from ruminant livestock, and its mitigation can deliver substantial decreases in the carbon footprint of animal products and potentially contribute to climate change mitigation. Although choices may be limited, certain feeding-related practices can substantially decrease livestock enteric CH emission. These practices can be generally classified into 2 categories: diet manipulation and feed additives. Within the first category, selection of forages and increasing forage digestibility are likely to decrease enteric CH emission, but the size of the effect, relative to current forage practices in the United States dairy industry, is likely to be minimal to moderate. An opportunity also exists to decrease enteric CH emissions by increasing dietary starch concentration, but interventions have to be weighed against potential decreases in milk fat yield and farm profitability. A similar conclusion can be made about dietary lipids and oilseeds, which are proven to decrease CH emission but can also have a negative effect on rumen fermentation, feed intake, and milk production and composition. Sufficient and robust scientific evidence indicates that some feed additives, specifically the CH inhibitor 3-nitrooxypropanol, can substantially reduce CH emissions from dairy and beef cattle. However, the long-term effects and external factors affecting the efficacy of the inhibitor need to be further studied. The practicality of mass-application of other mitigation practices with proven short-term efficacy (i.e., macroalgae) is currently unknown. One area that needs more research is how nutritional mitigation practices (both diet manipulation and feed additives) interact with each other and whether there is synergism among feed additives with different mode of action. Further, effects of diet on manure composition and greenhouse gas emissions during storage (e.g., emission trade-offs) have not been adequately studied. Overall, if currently available mitigation practices prove to deliver consistent results and novel, potent, and safe strategies are discovered and are practical, nutrition alone can deliver up to 60% reduction in enteric CH emissions from dairy farms in the United States.
Topics: Methane; Animals; Animal Feed; Diet; Cattle; Milk; Dairying
PubMed: 38942560
DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-24440 -
Journal of Biochemical and Molecular... Jul 2024
Short communication on "new insights into the combined toxicity of aflatoxin B1 and Fumonisin B1 in HepG2 cells using Seahorse respirometry analysis and RNA transcriptome sequencing".
Topics: Humans; Aflatoxin B1; Fumonisins; Hep G2 Cells; Transcriptome; Sequence Analysis, RNA
PubMed: 38940674
DOI: 10.1002/jbt.23756 -
Environmental Microbiology Reports Aug 2024Understanding and optimising biological pre-treatment strategies for enhanced bio-methane production is a central aspect in second-generation biofuel research. In this...
Understanding and optimising biological pre-treatment strategies for enhanced bio-methane production is a central aspect in second-generation biofuel research. In this regard, the application of fungi for pre-treatment seems highly promising; however, understanding the mode of action is crucial. Here, we show how aerobic pre-treatment of crystalline cellulose with the cellulolytic Trichoderma viride affects substrate degradability during mesophilic, anaerobic digestion. It could be demonstrated that fungal pre-treatment resulted in a slightly reduced substrate mass. Nevertheless, no significant impact on the overall methane yield was found during batch fermentation. Short chain organic acids accumulation, thus, overall degradation dynamics including methane production kinetics were affected by the pre-treatment as shown by Gompertz modelling. Finally, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing followed by ANCOM-BC resulted in up to 53 operative taxonomic units including fermentative, syntrophic and methanogenic taxa, whereby their relative abundances were significantly affected by fungal pre-treatment depending on the duration of the pre-treatment. The results demonstrated the impact of soft rot fungal pre-treatment of cellulose on subsequent anaerobic cellulose hydrolysis as well as on methanogenic activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the direct causal effects of pre-treatment with T. viride on basic but crucial anaerobic digestion parameters in a highly standardised approach.
Topics: Anaerobiosis; Cellulose; Methane; Fermentation; Biofuels; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Hydrolysis; Bacteria; Hypocreales
PubMed: 38940659
DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13281 -
MSystems Jun 2024The Mariana Trench (MT) is the deepest part of the ocean on Earth. Previous studies have described the microbial community structures and functional potential in the...
UNLABELLED
The Mariana Trench (MT) is the deepest part of the ocean on Earth. Previous studies have described the microbial community structures and functional potential in the seawater and surface sediment of MT. Still, the metabolic features and adaptation strategies of the microorganisms involved in nitrogen cycling processes are poorly understood. In this study, comparative metagenomic approaches were used to study microbial nitrogen cycling in three MT habitats, including hadal seawater [9,600-10,500 m below sea level (mbsl)], surface sediments [0-46 cm below seafloor (cmbsf) at a water depth between 7,143 and 8,638 mbsl], and deep sediments (200-306 cmbsf at a water depth of 8,300 mbsl). We identified five new nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) lineages that had adapted to the oligotrophic MT slope sediment, their CO fixation capability through the reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) or Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle; an anammox bacterium might perform aerobic respiration and utilize sedimentary carbohydrates for energy generation because it contains genes encoding type A cytochrome oxidase and complete glycolysis pathway. In seawater, abundant alkane-oxidizing species can fix inert N released from other denitrifying and/or anammox bacteria. This study further expands our understanding of microbial life in the largely unexplored deepest part of the ocean.
IMPORTANCE
The metabolic features and adaptation strategies of the nitrogen cycling microorganisms in the deepest part of the ocean are largely unknown. This study revealed that anammox bacteria might perform aerobic respiration in response to nutrient limitation or O fluctuations in the Mariana Trench sediments. Meanwhile, an abundant alkane-oxidizing species could fix N in hadal seawater. This study provides new insights into the roles of hadal microorganisms in global nitrogen biogeochemical cycles. It substantially expands our understanding of the microbial life in the largely unexplored deepest part of the ocean.
PubMed: 38940525
DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00243-24 -
The Journal of Physical Chemistry... Jun 2024Photocatalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (CH) into propene (CH) under mild conditions holds great potential in the chemical industry, but understanding how...
Photocatalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (CH) into propene (CH) under mild conditions holds great potential in the chemical industry, but understanding how active species participate in CH conversion remains a significant challenge. Here, the wavelength-dependent activities of bridging oxygen (O) and the Ti-bound oxygen adatom (O) of model rutile (R) TiO(110) in CH conversion have been investigated. Under 257 and 343 nm irradiation, hole-trapped O and O can abstract the hydrogen atom of CH, forming the CHCHCH radical and CH. However, the rate of CH conversion with hole-trapped O is strongly dependent on the wavelength, primarily producing the CH radical. In the case of hole-trapped O, CH is the main product, which is nearly independent of wavelength. The differences in the wavelength-dependent activity and product selectivity are likely due to dynamic control rather than thermodynamic control. The result provides a deeper understanding of the dynamic processes involved in the conversion of light alkanes in TiO photocatalysis.
PubMed: 38940377
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c01035 -
Lipids in Health and Disease Jun 2024Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a prevalent chronic liver condition. However, the potential therapeutic benefits and underlying mechanism of nicotinate-curcumin...
BACKGROUND
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a prevalent chronic liver condition. However, the potential therapeutic benefits and underlying mechanism of nicotinate-curcumin (NC) in the treatment of NASH remain uncertain.
METHODS
A rat model of NASH induced by a high-fat and high-fructose diet was treated with nicotinate-curcumin (NC, 20, 40 mg·kg), curcumin (Cur, 40 mg·kg) and metformin (Met, 50 mg·kg) for a duration of 4 weeks. The interaction between NASH, Cur and Aldo-Keto reductase family 1 member B10 (AKR1B10) was filter and analyzed using network pharmacology. The interaction of Cur, NC and AKR1B10 was analyzed using molecular docking techniques, and the binding energy of Cur and NC with AKR1B10 was compared. HepG2 cells were induced by Ox-LDL (25 µg·ml, 24 h) in high glucose medium. NC (20µM, 40µM), Cur (40µM) Met (150µM) and epalrestat (Epa, 75µM) were administered individually. The activities of ALT, AST, ALP and the levels of LDL, HDL, TG, TC and FFA in serum were quantified using a chemiluminescence assay. Based on the changes in the above indicators, score according to NAS standards. The activities of Acetyl-CoA and Malonyl-CoA were measured using an ELISA assay. And the expression and cellular localization of AKR1B10 and Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCα) in HepG2 cells were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence.
RESULTS
The results of the animal experiments demonstrated that NASH rat model induced by a high-fat and high-fructose diet exhibited pronounced dysfunction in liver function and lipid metabolism. Additionally, there was a significant increase in serum levels of FFA and TG, as well as elevated expression of AKR1B10 and ACCα, and heightened activity of Acetyl-CoA and Malonyl-CoA in liver tissue. The administration of NC showed to enhance liver function in rats with NASH, leading to reductions in ALT, AST and ALP levels, and decrease in blood lipid and significant inhibition of FFA and TG synthesis in the liver. Network pharmacological analysis identified AKR1B10 and ACCα as potential targets for NASH treatment. Molecular docking studies revealed that both Cur and NC are capable of binding to AKR1B10, with NC exhibiting a stronger binding energy to AKR1B10. Western blot analysis demonstrated an upregulation in the expression of AKR1B10 and ACCα in the liver tissue of NASH rats, accompanied by elevated Acetyl-CoA and Malonyl-CoA activity, and increased levels of FFA and TG. The results of the HepG2 cell experiments induced by Ox-LDL suggest that NC significantly inhibited the expression and co-localization of AKR1B10 and ACCα, while also reduced levels of TC and LDL-C and increased level of HDL-C. These effects are accompanied by a decrease in the activities of ACCα and Malonyl-CoA, and levels of FFA and TG. Furthermore, the impact of NC appears to be more pronounced compared to Cur.
CONCLUSION
NC could effectively treat NASH and improve liver function and lipid metabolism disorder. The mechanism of NC is related to the inhibition of AKR1B10/ACCα pathway and FFA/TG synthesis of liver.
Topics: Curcumin; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Animals; Humans; Hep G2 Cells; Aldo-Keto Reductases; Rats; Male; Triglycerides; Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase; Aldehyde Reductase; Diet, High-Fat; Molecular Docking Simulation; Liver; Metformin; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Disease Models, Animal; Rhodanine; Thiazolidines
PubMed: 38937844
DOI: 10.1186/s12944-024-02162-5 -
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. A Jun 2024Metal oxide clusters with atomic oxygen radical anions are important model systems to study the mechanisms of activating and transforming very stable alkane molecules...
Metal oxide clusters with atomic oxygen radical anions are important model systems to study the mechanisms of activating and transforming very stable alkane molecules under ambient conditions. It is extremely challenging to characterize the activation and conversion of methane, the most stable alkane molecule, by metal oxide cluster anions due to the low reactivity of the anionic species. In this study, using a ship-lock type reactor that could be run at relatively high pressure conditions to provide a high number of collisions in ion-molecule reactions, the rate constants of the reactions between (MoO)O ( = 1-21) cluster anions and the light alkanes (C-C) were measured under thermal collision conditions. The relationships among the reaction rates of different alkanes were obtained to establish a model to predict the low rate constants with methane from the high rate constants with C-C alkanes. The model was tested by using available experimental results in literature. This study provides a new method to estimate the relatively low reactivity of atomic oxygen radical anions with methane on metal oxide clusters.
PubMed: 38937133
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.4c01163 -
Animal : An International Journal of... Jun 2024Feed efficiency is an important trait of dairy production. However, assessing feed efficiency is constrained by the associated cost and difficulty in measuring...
Feed efficiency is an important trait of dairy production. However, assessing feed efficiency is constrained by the associated cost and difficulty in measuring individual feed intake, especially on pastures. The objective of this study was to investigate short-term feed efficiency traits of herbage-fed dairy cows and screening of potential biomarkers (n = 238). Derived feed efficiency traits were ratio-based (i.e., feed conversion ratio (FCR) and N use efficiency (NUE)) or residual-based (i.e., residual feed intake (RFI), residual energy intake (REI), and residual N intake (RNI)). Thirty-eight Holstein and 16 Swiss Fleckvieh dairy cows underwent a 7-d measurement period during mid- and/or late-lactation. The experimental data (n = 100 measurement points) covered different lactational and herbage-fed system situations: mid-lactation grazing (n = 56), late-lactation grazing (n = 28), and late-lactation barn feeding (n = 16). During each measuring period, the individual herbage intake of each cow was estimated using the n-alkane marker technique. For each cow, biomarkers representing milk constituents (n = 109), animal characteristics (n = 13), behaviour, and activity (n = 46), breath emissions (n = 3), blood constituents (n = 35), surface, and rectal temperature (n = 29), hair cortisol (n = 1), and near-infrared (NIR) spectra of faeces and milk (n = 2) were obtained. The relationships between biomarkers and efficiency traits were statistically analysed with univariate linear regression and for NIR spectra using partial least squares regression with feed efficiency traits. The feed efficiency traits were interrelated with each other (r: -0.57 to -0.86 and 0.49-0.81). The biomarkers showed varying R values in explaining the variability of feed efficiency traits (FCR: 0.00-0.66, NUE: 0.00-0.74, RFI: 0.00-0.56, REI: 0.00-0.69, RNI: 0.00-0.89). Overall, the feed efficiency traits were best explained by NIR spectral characteristics of milk and faeces (R: 0.25-0.89). Biomarkers show potential for predicting feed efficiency in herbage-fed dairy cows. NIR spectra data analysis of milk and faeces presents a promising method for estimating individual feed efficiency upon further validation of prediction models. Future applications will depend on the ability to improve the robustness of biomarkers to predict feed efficiency in a greater variety of environments (locations), managing conditions, feeding systems, production intensities, and other aspects.
PubMed: 38935984
DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2024.101211 -
Inorganic Chemistry Jun 2024Alkane elimination reactions between the diamino- and dianilino-bridged tetrakis(phenolate) proligands and precursors M(CHSiMe)(THF), M(CHCH--NMe) (M = Sc and Y), and...
Alkane elimination reactions between the diamino- and dianilino-bridged tetrakis(phenolate) proligands and precursors M(CHSiMe)(THF), M(CHCH--NMe) (M = Sc and Y), and Hf(CHPh) were investigated. The diamino-bridged afforded nonsymmetric complex incorporating two metal centers in different coordination environments. This one and other dinuclear compounds , , and were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and X-ray diffraction study (for and ) and turned out to be symmetric in solution. Compound , upon treatment with 2 equiv of 2-phenylpyridine, afforded symmetric bis(aryl) product , which was authenticated by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The mechanism of its formation was studied by DFT computations and presumably involves a cooperative reorganization process within the nonsymmetric parent to afford a symmetric isomer prior to its reaction with 2-phenylpyridine.
PubMed: 38935765
DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c01111