bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Analysis of B19 virus contamination in plasma pools for manufacturing, by using a competitive polymerase chain reaction assay
Authors: Gallinella G. , Moretti E. , Nardi G. , Zuffi E. , Bonvicini F. , Bucci E. , Musiani M. , Zerbini M. 
Published: March 2003

Background and Objectives The presence of B19 virus in blood poses a risk of transmission of the virus via blood or blood products. Screening processes for manufacturing should be aimed at achieving production plasma pools with B19 virus contamination levels below 104 genome equivalents/ml (geq/ml) in order to prevent transmission of infection through plasma derivatives.Materials and Methods The suitability of a competitor plasmid as an internal analytical standard for the detection of B19 virus in plasma pools was assessed by using a competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Seventy‐five plasma pools, each consisting of 960 single donations, were analysed for B19 virus contamination following a lysis treatment.Results The amount of competitor plasmid in the competitive PCR assay established, with good accuracy, a threshold value for discrimination of the viral load in plasma pools. Analysis of samples from plasma pools showed that 12% of pools were contaminated with B19 virus at levels above the set threshold value.Conclusions The competitive PCR assay developed proved to be effective for discrimination of the B19 virus contamination level in screening of plasma pools for manufacturing.
Broad‐spectrum virus reduction in red cell concentrates using INACTINE™ PEN110 chemistry
Authors: Lazo A. , Tassello J. , Jayarama V. , Ohagen A. , Gibaja V. , Kramer E. , Marmorato A. , Billia‐Shaveet D. , Purmal A. , Brown F. , Chapman J. 
Published: March 2003

Background and Objectives The risk of transmission of blood‐borne pathogens by transfusion is a persistent problem in medicine. To address this safety issue, INACTINE™ PEN110 chemistry is being utilized to develop a process for preparing pathogen‐reduced red blood cell concentrates (RBCC). The purpose of this study was to characterize the virucidal effectiveness of the INACTINE™ PEN110 chemistry in full units of RBCC by using a panel of viruses with diverse properties in composition, size and shape.Materials and Methods The panel included four enveloped (bovine viral diarrhoea virus, pseudorabies virus, vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus and sindbis virus), six non‐enveloped (porcine parvovirus, human adenovirus 2, reovirus 3, vesicular exanthema of swine virus, bluetongue virus, and foot and mouth disease virus) and cell‐associated (human immunodeficiency) viruses. All viruses were individually spiked into CPD/AS‐1, CP2D/AS‐3 and CPD/AS‐5 RBCC units and treated with 0·1% PEN110 (vol/vol) at 22 ± 2 °C for up to 22 ± 2 h. The PEN110 treatment reaction was stopped by chemical quenching, and residual virus was assayed. The cytotoxicity effect of PEN110‐treated RBCC on indicator cells and the potential interference with the ability of the virus to infect indicator cells was determined and taken into consideration for calculating the virus‐reduction factors, to avoid underestimation or overestimation of the virus reduction.Results The kinetics of inactivation for viruses spiked into CPD/AS‐1, CP2D/AS‐3 and CPD/AS‐5 RBCC were equivalent. All viruses analysed in this study were reduced to the limit of detection of the assay. The reduction factors for the virus panel ranged from 4·2 to 7·5 log10/ml.Conclusions The results from the study demonstrate for the first time that a pathogen‐reduction technology for RBCC can achieve a broad‐spectrum virucidal effect against both enveloped and non‐enveloped viruses. The broad spectrum of virucidal activity of INACTINE™ PEN110, and equivalent kinetics of virus inactivation in RBCC prepared using different commercially available RBC storage solutions, demonstrate the robustness of this pathogen‐reduction process.
Allelopathic Effect of Conyza albida on Avena sativa and Spirodela polyrhiza
Authors: Economou G. , Tzakou O. , Gani A. , Yannitsaros A. , Bilalis D. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe allelopathic influence of four plant tissues of Conyza albida (stems, leaves and inflorescences) on oat growth were investigated using in vivo tests. Oat growth (fresh and dry weights of above and underground parts) was inhibited from phytotoxic activity of upper leaves and inflorescence tissues of C. albida in pot studies. The inhibition was significantly higher than in the other tissues studied. The inhibiting action of crude extracts and volatile compounds from young plants (rosette) and mature plants were examined using two bioassay methods: (a) seed germination and radicle growth of oat and (b) fresh weight of duckweed plants. Both bioassayed species exhibited greater phytotoxic response from the young plants, collected in winter, than from the mature ones.
Effects of Hail on Evapotranspiration and Plant Temperature of Maize
Authors: Anda A. , Burucs Z. , Lõke Z. , Decsi É. K. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThe effect of natural and artificial hail on the evapotranspiration of maize (Zea mays L.) was studied. In 1998, observations were made after a natural hailstorm, while in 1999 hail was simulated by lacerating the leaves parallel with the leaf veins. Plants of one treatment were grown in a lysimeter. In addition to evapotranspiration, measurements were also made on plant temperature. Among physiological processes, the modifications occurring in evapotranspiration could be divided into two distinct phases. On the days immediately following the damage the raised plant temperature caused by the wounds indicated a reduction in evapotranspiration leading to less efficient plant cooling. Later, in both the natural and artificial hail treatments, changes in evapotranspiration depended on the weather. The changes in evapotranspiration and plant temperature after natural and artificial hail injury were similar in nature. The yield loss was less than 10 %, in agreement with data in the literature on the effect of simulated hail injury. However, it can be expected that further study of simulated hail injuries will lead to a better understanding of the changes in plant water balance caused by hail.
Spring Cereals for Forage and Grain Production in a Cool Maritime Climate
Authors: Todd A. G. , Spaner D. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractNewfoundland's climate is marginal for agricultural production. The availability of locally grown cereal grain and high‐quality forage are major limitations to successful animal agriculture in this region. Here, our overall objective was to compare several spring cereal species for both annual forage and grain production in Newfoundland's cool Maritime climate. Several varieties of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), wheat (Triticum aesitivum L.), oats (Avena sativa L.) and pea (Pisum sativum L.)–cereal mixtures for forage yield and quality, as well as grain yield and maturity, were compared in field trials on the east and west coasts in both 1999 and 2000. Barley headed earliest, yielded greatest forage dry matter, had lowest forage protein and acid detergent fibre (ADF) percentages, and had neutral detergent fibre (NDF) mean values greater than those of pea–cereal mixtures, but less than those of oats and wheat. Forage harvested from pea–cereal mixtures was similar to that of barley for yield, ADF and NDF, while P and protein percentage were much greater. Barley matured 10–15 days earlier than both wheat and oats. In general terms, all three spring cereals exhibited similar grain yield potential. Oats tillered less, but compensated by producing more kernels spike−1. Days to maturity for cereal grains in western Newfoundland were roughly similar to those reported for the Maritime provinces of Canada. Yield and maturity results for both forage and grain production suggest that eastern Newfoundland is a unique agro‐ecoregion in North America, and agronomic recommendations specific to other regions may not be applicable in this region.
Associations between the c‐myc proto‐oncogene and carcass quality traits in the pig: evidence for epistasis with the Ryr1‐gene
Authors: Reiner By G. , Moser G. , Geldermann H. , Dzapo V. 
Published: March 2003

The nucleotide sequence data referred to in this paper have been submitted to GenBank and have been assigned the accession number X97040. c‐myc is an ubiquitous nuclear phosphoprotein involved in the regulation of cell‐growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Higher nuclear levels of c‐myc block adipogenesis and trigger the onset of myogenesis and folliculogenesis. The c‐myc proto‐oncogene has the potential of a mediator between second messengers such as calcium and cAMP and gene expression. As both are involved in stress‐susceptibility and carcass quality in the pig, this study investigates associations between c‐myc genotypes and carcass quality traits as well as interactions with the Ryr1 genotype in this species. An association between c‐myc and carcass fat traits was evident, but did not reach genome‐wide significance levels. Significance niveaus, explained variance and mean differences between the homozygotes of the Ryr1‐gene which clearly decreased from the AA‐genotype to the BB‐genotype of c‐myc are indicating a gene interaction between both genes. Mean differences in lean percentage (expressed in SD) decreased by 89.2% in ME × PI and by 86.3% in WS × PI. The existing but weakly developed significances of the association between c‐myc and carcass fat traits are discussed under the aspect of epistatic nullification.
Genetic aspects of productive and reproductive traits in a Murrah buffalo herd in São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Tonhati H. , Vasconcellos F. B. , Albuquerque L. G. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryThis study investigated genetic trends of some productive and reproductive traits in a herd of Murrah buffalo raised in São Paulo, Brazil. Variance components for milk production (MP), length of lactation (LL), calving interval (CI) and age of first calving (AFC) were estimated by the restricted maximum likelihood method, using an animal model. Estimated heritability values were 0.38; 0.01; 0.10 and 0.20 for MP, LL, CI and AFC, respectively. Estimated repeatability values were 0.50, 0.13 and 0.20 for MP, LL and CI, respectively. Means of predicted breeding values for cows, dams and sires according to calving year and the genetic correlations were presented.
Genetic diversity among some cattle breeds in the Alpine area
Authors: Del Bo L. , Polli M. , Longeri M. , Ceriotti G. , Looft C. , Barre‐Dirie A. , Dolf G. , Zanotti M. 
Published: March 2003

Seven autochthonous Italian cattle breeds bred in the alpine area (Aosta Black Pied, Aosta Red Pied, Aosta Chestnut, Oropa Red Pied, Grey Alpine, Rendena and Burlina) were investigated in order to characterise their genetic structure and to study their phylogenetic origin. Two cattle breeds from Germany (Original German Brown and Holstein) and four from Switzerland (Simmental, Herens, Evolene and Brown Swiss) were included in the study in order to determine the genetic diversity existing among Italian local breeds, similar breeds bred on the other side of the Alps and in the well known Holstein.Seventeen microsatellites, of the internationally accepted panel for the study of cattle biodiversity, were used for the analysis.Microsatellites were highly polymorphic with a mean number of 5,5 alleles (ranging from 2 to 12 per locus). For each locus, allelic frequencies, heterozygosity (H) and the Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) were computed. The genetic equilibrium according to Hardy–Weinberg was calculated for each population and for each locus. Allele frequencies were used to estimate genetic distances and to draw a phylogenetic tree. The two closest breeds were Aosta Red Pied and Aosta Black Pied, while the two genetically most different were Holstein and Aosta Chestnut. Aosta valley breeds, Evolene and Herens constituted a tight cluster in the phylogenetic consensus tree. Principal component analysis showed a similar pattern for all the alpine breeds, while Holstein and Original German Brown were far away. The genetic differences among breeds were in accordance with their geographical and historical origins.
Estimates of environmental effects and genetic parameters for body measurements and weight in Brahman cattle raised in Mexico
Authors: Magnabosco C. D. U. , Ojala M. , De Los Reyes A. , Sainz R. D. , Fernandes A. , Famula T. R. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryA Derivative Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood (DFREML) algorithm was used with single trait and two traits animal models to estimate the variance and covariance components and thus, heritabilities and phenotypic, genetic and environmental correlations among nine different body measurements and weights of Brahman cattle raised in Mexico. The following measurements were considered: hip width, pin width, hip‐pin width, anterior height, posterior height, body length, thorax perimeter, scrotal circumference and weight. The analysis was based on a total of 1018 animals, born between 1992 and 1995, from 17 herds in the Mexican States of Chiapas, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Tamaulipas and Veracruz. The model included the following fixed effects: herd, year‐season of birth, sex, age of the animal and feed management. The only random effect was the direct additive genetic contribution of each animal. All fixed effects in the model were significant for all traits (p < 0.05). Estimated heritabilities for the traits were: hip width 0.57, pin width 0.32, hip‐pin width 0.41, anterior height 0.56, posterior height 0.54, body length 0.32, thorax perimeter 0.49, scrotal circumference 0.02 and weight 0.66. The magnitude of the heritabilities was medium to high, with the exception of scrotal circumference. The genetic correlations among all body measurements were consistently positive and high, ranging from 0.64 to 1.00. Although other measures showed higher genetic correlations with weight, thorax perimeter combines a high value (0.70) with ease and repeatability, making it a useful field measurement to estimate body weight when scales are not available.
Fat deposition in tropical sheep as adaptive attribute to periodic feed fluctuation
Authors: Ermias E. , Yami A. , Rege J. E. O. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryRuminants adapt to periodic fluctuation in feed resources by accumulating fat stores during favourable periods. Thus, genetic variations, among ruminant genotypes, in the capacity to deposit fat could be exploited through breeding to improve animal productivity in traditional tropical production systems. Based on this premise, breed differences among weights of principal adipose depots and total body fat were estimated in Menz (n = 303) and Horro (n = 151) sheep of Ethiopia. Animals were kept on supplemental feeding, for about 3.5 months, until slaughter at about 17 months of age and pre‐slaughter live weight of 25 kg. Except the combined weight of tail and rump fat (TRF) which was similar (p > 0.05) in the two breeds, weights of subcutaneous and intermuscular fat (SIF), internal fat (IF) as well as total dissected body fat (TotDF), total ether‐extracted body fat (TotEE) and TotFAT (TotDF plus ‘residual’ fat, fat recovered by ether‐extraction from non‐adipose tissues) were significantly (p < 0.01) higher in the Menz. TotDF, TotEE and TotFAT were 1.91 ± 0.04, 2.05 ± 0.06 and 2.64 ± 0.06 kg, respectively, in the Menz and 1.50 ± 0.05, 1.44 ± 0.06 and 2.02 ± 0.07 kg, respectively, in the Horro. Implications of breed differences in fat distribution among depots, and possible consequences of genetic improvement of some of the depots on adaptation to climatic and nutritional stresses as well as some production objectives are discussed.
Genetic conservation of five endangered Spanish donkey breeds
Authors: Aranguren‐Mendez J. , Jordana J. , Gomez M. 
Published: March 2003

SummaryThe genetic diversity of most livestock species is being reduced, and it is not possible to preserve all of these livestock breeds. In order to preserve as much of the genetic diversity as possible, we must first have a robust method of measuring genetic diversity among breeds. Three different methods of study that graphically represent relationships among breeds are presented; Weitzman's method, principal component analysis (PCA) and a neighbour‐joining tree with allele sharing. Diversity was evaluated on the basis of 15 microsatellite markers typed over a total of 513 DNA samples collected from five Spanish donkey breeds. Breed differentiation was confirmed by the clustering based on the genetic distances between individuals, which essentially grouped all individuals in discrete clusters. The genetic distance among breeds was used to measure the global diversity of the set in breeds considered, and to evaluate the marginal loss of diversity attached to each breed. The Catalana breed appeared to be the most ‘unique’ in the set considered. In addition to this, the usefulness of global evaluations of diversity using molecular markers to choose breeds is worthy of conservation.
Gene expression in different tissues of lactating cows of differing metabolic type: 1. Comparison of mRNA patterns by the differential display method
Authors: Schwerin M. , Voigt J. , Wegner J. , Kühn Ch. , Ender K. , Hagemeister H. 
Published: March 2003

Among other factors the nutrient utilization of a cow is influenced by its individual physiological and genetic predisposition. There are large differences within cows in the manner of partition of the nutrients that may affect the size and activity of the individual organs and the whole body composition. High genetic merit dairy cows have a higher potential rate of protein excretion than medium genetic merit dairy cows even when energy and protein intake are equal. Medium genetic merit dairy cows show higher potential rates of protein and fat deposition of the body. This phenomenon was partly explained by the regulatory functions of the hormone insulin (see Brockman and Laarveld 1986; Broucek et al. 1991; Wylie et al. 1998). Additionally, it is widely considered that the somatotropic axis [growth hormone, growth hormone releasing factor and insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I)], could be involved, as one of the key control and balance mechanisms which regulate the partition of nutrients (Breier and Sauerwein 1995; Schams 1995; Knight 1997). Several studies have provided insights into the physiological action of these and further hormones, transport proteins and enzymes, e.g. the erythrocyte‐type glucose transporter, the insulin‐responsive glucose transporter or the glycerol‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase, and indicate that these molecules may affect nutrient repartitioning and utilization as well as milk yield, growth and fat accumulation (Mathews et al. 1988; Bauman and Vernon 1993; Burton et al. 1994; Girard et al. 1994; Binelli et al. 1995; Zhao et al. 1996; Abe et al. 1997). However, the mechanisms of regulation of most of these processes are insufficiently known.This paper presents a comparison of mRNA patterns of tissues potentially associated with protein and energy turnover in lactating cows of different metabolic types. The technique of differential display of messenger RNA species originally described by Liang and Pardee (1992), has already been applied as a powerful tool for cloning genes that are differentially expressed in various tissues or under altered conditions in the same tissue (e.g. Liang et al. 1993; Aiello et al. 1994; Li et al. 1994; Nishio et al. 1994). This method was applied to characterize the expression patterns in 12 tissues of three cows with divergent metabolic types (milk type, meat/milk type, and meat type) by the display of differentially and identically expressed cDNA bands. The aims of this exploratory study were first to indicate which of the 12 tissues analysed are mainly involved in trait differentiation according to their differentially displayed mRNA patterns. Secondly, the results of this study represent the prerequisite for the identification of tissue‐specific expressed sequence tags in general, and individual or type‐dependent differentially expressed sequence tags in particular.
Untersuchungen zur prophylaktischen Wirkung der Verfütterung eines Probiotikums und von erregerspezifischen Kolostrum‐ und Dotterantikörpern bei neugeborenen Kälbern
Authors: Von Erhard M. H. , Leuzinger K. , Stangassinger M. 
Published: March 2003

Studies on the prophylactic effect of feeding probiotics, pathogen‐specific colostrum antibodies or egg yolk antibodies in newborn calvesThe prophylactic efficacy of feeding probiotics, specific egg yolk antibodies and specific colostrum antibodies on neonatal diarrhoea was investigated in a field trial with calves, grouped (n = 39/40 per group) according to the following treatments: Group I: feeding no additive; Group II: feeding probiotics (5 g powder/day with Bacillus cereus var. toyoi); Group III: feeding egg powder (10 g/day with specific egg yolk antibodies against rotavirus, coronavirus and Escherichia coli F5); Group IV: feeding colostrum antibodies (10 ml/day containing 1 g bovine immunoglobulins with specific antibodies against rotavirus, coronavirus and E. coli antigens); Group V: feeding egg powder together with probiotics (according to group II and III). The additives were given twice daily with the meal from day 2 to day 14 post‐natum. The presence of infectious agents was proved in fecal samples of all calves. Intestinal infections with rotavirus (30.8% of the calves) predominated compared to those with coronavirus (7.1%), E. coli F5 (1.5%) and cryptosporidia (24.2%). In contrast to earlier studies, the manifestation of diarrhoea did not differ significantly between the five groups. Only the growth rate of the calves between day 2 and day 14 of life as a measure of their welfare showed treatmentFspecific differences. The control group (I) showed the lowest body weight gain of about 5.8 kg (SD 5.0), whereas in the treated groups it averaged 6.3 kg (SD 4.1, p = 0,60; group II), 6.8 kg (SD 4.3, p = 0.36; group III), 6.9 kg (SD 4.7, p = 0.61; group IV) and 7.7 kg (SD 4.9, p = 0.08; group V). Considering only the rotavirus‐positive calves the body weight gain of the control group (I) was 3.5 kg (SD 4.8) and of the treated groups was 3.8 kg (SD 3.3, p = 0.65; II), 5.0 kg (SD 3.5, p = 0.54; III), 6.6 kg (SD 4.5, p = 0.05; IV) and 6.1 kg (SD 5.0, p = 0.13; V). Obviously, the feeding of antibodies from colostrum or from egg powder does increase the mean body weight gain. The feeding of probiotics alone has nearly no effect. However, in the combination with specific egg antibodies probiotics seem to have a synergistic effect. In serum from the 198 newborn calves the IgG concentration averaged 4.9 mg/ml serum (SD 3.3). From 93 dams of these calves a sample of the first colostrum could be obtained showing a mean IgG concentration of 22.0 mg/ml (SD 11.0). IgG levels in the colostrum and in the serum have been positively correlated (r = 0.37, p < 0.05). Calves with a high intensity of diarrhoea had a significantly (p = 0.01) lower mean IgG serum level (3.7 mg/ml; n = 36; SD 2.5) than calves without diarrhoea (5.6 mg/ml; n = 75; SD 4.0).