Journal of animal science最新文献

{"title":"Ultra-short heart rate variability recordings: Are they reliable for use with resting sows?","authors":"Christopher J Byrd, Jennifer M Young, Dominique M Sommer","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag337","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag337","url":null,"abstract":"Lay Summary Heart rate variability (HRV) measurement, or the change in interval length between subsequent heart beats over time, is commonly used to measure physiological stress in animals. Analysis of HRV typically requires 5 minutes of data for reliable assessment of short-term stress. However, obtaining 5 minutes of data can be difficult in livestock production settings. This study evaluated whether shorter dataset lengths could reliably replace the standard 5-minute dataset required for assessing HRV in mature sows housed individually or in groups. Our results indicate that root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) can be reliably measured using 4 minutes of data instead of the standard 5-minute dataset. Other HRV traits (average inter-beat interval length and standard deviation of the inter-beat intervals) could be measured using data sets shorter than 5 minutes but their results were less reliable.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"43 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149221428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Proteomic and metabolomic profiles link lightness and eating quality in aged pork with normal pH","authors":"Arya Niraula, Chaoyu Zhai, Logan G Johnson, Steven M Lonergan, Elisabeth Huff-Lonergan, Jacqueline M Chaparro, Kenneth J Prusa, Chen Zhu, Jessica E Prenni, Mahesh N Nair","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag332","url":null,"abstract":"Meat lightness is an important trait influencing pork quality, with lighter pork often linked to inferior tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Although the effects of extreme pH conditions on meat quality are well studied, the biochemical mechanisms underlying variation in pork lightness within normal ultimate pH remain unclear. Here, we used low-ionic-strength soluble proteomics and metabolomics to characterize approximately 2-wk aged pork loins that differed in lightness (Dark category, Hunter L*=45.4±1.2, n = 28; Intermediate category: Hunter L*=48.1±0.6, n = 29; Light category: Hunter L*=50.8±1.0, n = 29) but with normal 24 h pH (5.5 < pH < 6.0). Chops in the Light category had lower eating quality, water-holding capacity, and post-aging pH (P < 0.05) than those in the Intermediate and Dark categories. The Light category had higher sugar abundance than the other categories and lower amino acid abundance than the Dark category (P < 0.05). Proteins associated with pH-dependent denaturation, structural protein proteolysis, location-specific membrane degradation, and aminopeptidase activity differed in abundance between the Dark and Light categories (P < 0.05). The lower ultimate pH in the Light category may reflect greater glycolytic activity despite similar lactate production. It may also alter the solubility of sarcoplasmic proteins, potentially increasing lightness via light scattering and toughness via protein aggregation. Changes in structural protein solubility with increasing pork lightness may reflect protein-specific postmortem proteolysis. In the Light category, the protein patterns are consistent with less degradation of intracellular membranes but greater disruption of transverse tubule (plasma) membranes. This disruption could facilitate reduced sarcoplasmic protein concentration and allow intracellular fluid to move more rapidly into the extracellular space, increasing purge loss and reducing juiciness. It could also lower sarcoplasmic protein abundance and increase surface light scattering. Greater aminopeptidase abundance in the Dark category may help explain the observed accumulation of proteinogenic (protein-building) amino acids and their products, which could contribute to desirable flavor formation via higher-pH Maillard reaction while reducing off-flavors. Together, these findings suggest that postmortem energy metabolism, water-soluble protein abundances, proteolysis, and membrane integrity contribute to variation in pork lightness and eating quality within the normal ultimate pH ranges.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149218663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of supplemental leucine and lysine on metabolic and inflammatory responses of neutrophils and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in growing cattle","authors":"Miriam Garcia, Kimberly A Pearl, Evan C Titgemeyer, Barry J Bradford","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag324","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag324","url":null,"abstract":"This study evaluated effects of postruminal leucine and lysine supplementation on hematological variables and ex vivo neutrophil and peripheral mononuclear cell (PBMC) responses in steers. Rumen-cannulated steers (n = 7; BW = 173 kg, 5 mo) were assigned to a 6 × 6 Latin square, with one treatment sequence replicated in the seventh steer. Treatments were a factorial arrangement of leucine (0, 15, or 30 g/d) and lysine (0 or 6 g/d) administered via continuous abomasal infusion. Blood was collected on d 7 of infusion for hematological analysis and isolation of neutrophils and PBMC. Neutrophil function was assessed by phagocytosis and oxidative burst, and metabolic responses by glucose concentrations in spent media with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Peripheral mononuclear cells were cultured under concanavalin A (ConA) with or without LPS to evaluate cytokine production, glucose, and mRNA expression. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS with period, lysine, and leucine as fixed effects and steer as a random effect, and orthogonal contrasts were used to evaluate linear and quadratic effects of leucine and their interactions with lysine and LPS. Most hematological variables were not affected by treatment. Lysine increased platelet counts and decreased lymphocyte counts (P = 0.04), whereas hemoglobin tended to increase linearly with increasing leucine (P = 0.10). Neutrophil glucose utilization was not affected by main effects; however, a linear leucine × LPS was detected (P = 0.04), with glucose decreasing as leucine increased in the absence of LPS, but not under LPS. Neutrophil phagocytosis and oxidative burst were not affected by treatment. For PBMC, glucose concentrations were lower under ConA than ConA + LPS (P < 0.001), and a lysine × quadratic leucine was detected (P = 0.01). For PBMC, leucine linearly decreased TNFA (P = 0.05), GLUT1 (P = 0.07), and GLUT3 (P = 0.05) mRNA abundance, whereas lysine tended to increase NFKB1 (P = 0.09). Production of TNF-α was greater under ConA than ConA + LPS (P < 0.001) and was not affected by treatment. In contrast, IFN-γ increased under ConA + LPS (P < 0.001), increased linearly with leucine (P = 0.02), and tended to increase with lysine (P = 0.10). These results show that leucine modulated metabolic responses in neutrophils and both metabolic and inflammatory responses in PBMC, whereas lysine primarily influenced selected hematological variables, with limited effects on PBMC inflammatory signaling.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Weather Resilience of Hays Converter Beef Heifers with Divergent Residual Feed Intake Across Different Environmental Conditions.","authors":"Arturo Macias Franco, Aghata Elins Moreira da Silva, Graham Plastow, Gleise Medeiros da Silva","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag329","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examines whether efficiency of feed utilization affects heifer resilience in intensively fed Hays Converter beef heifers in Western Canada from 2019 to 2023. A total of 106 heifers were tested in five yearly contemporary groups; 18-27 per year, each group tested for 75 ± 5 d to determine residual feed intake (RFI) during winter (2019; age 8 mo ± 16 d) and spring (2020-2023; age 12 mo ± 12 d). Performance parameters, including dry matter intake (DMI), and feeding behavior, were recorded daily, and body weight (BW), average daily gain, and gain-to-feed ratio (G:F = ADG/DMI) recorded weekly. Environmental parameters over the years were used to calculate the current effective temperature index (CETI), which was used as a continuous covariate. Resilience was assessed using individual nonlinear models that predicted cumulative feed intake (CFI). Deviations from the modelled CFI curve lasting at least two consecutive days and exceeding 1.5 standard deviations (or 3% of the expected CFI) were classified as perturbations, each labelled as an intake shortfall or an intake increase. Resilience indicators were then analyzed as linear mixed models with RFI class, CETI, perturbation start day (PSD), perturbation direction, and their interactions as fixed effects, and year as a random effect. Environmental conditions affected all performance parameters (P < 0.05). Low-RFI heifers ate less (6.51 vs 7.59 kg DMI/d; P < 0.001) and converted feed more efficiently (0.182 vs 0.144 kg/kg; P < 0.001) while gaining at the same rate (P = 0.98). Of all identified perturbations (383 total), 198 were shortfalls, and 185 were intake increases. Intake increases were predominant during cold risk. No resilience indicator, nor the number of perturbations per heifer, differed among RFI classes; low-RFI heifers were numerically the most stable, with only a tendency for lower deviation variance (P = 0.095). Our data indicate that perturbation number and severity are driven by climatic risk. These findings suggest that extreme climatic risk strongly affects heifer performance and that selecting for efficiency of feed utilization does not reduce animal resilience under climate conditions of Western Canada.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149181625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dam parity of origin is associated with lifetime productivity in first parity sows.","authors":"Julia Adriana Calderón Díaz, Sebastián Casiró, Craig Richard Garth Lewis","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag338","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag338","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sow lifetime productivity is a key driver of productivity and sustainability in pig production systems. While primiparous sow progeny differs from those born to multiparous sows during early growth, less is known about whether dam parity (DP) of origin influences lifetime productivity once females enter the breeding herd. The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between DP and lifetime growth, reproductive performance, and longevity in replacement gilts born from different parity groups. Production records from 7,662 purebred Large White females entering 11 European multiplier herds during a 5-year were analyzed. Data included females' DP (i.e. DP1, DP2 and DP3+), litter of origin total born (TB) and born alive (BA) piglets, lifetime daily weight gain (LDWG) until end of the testing period, age at first service, age at first successful service, age at first farrowing, TB, BA, and wean-to-service interval (WSI) from parity 1 to 6, parity at removal, removal type (i.e. dead vs culled) and removal reasons. Sows were matched in a 1:1:1 ratio, with one female per dam parity group, based on litter of origin characteristics. Differences in early-life indicators and reproductive traits across parities were evaluated using mixed models. Longevity was assessed using survival and competing risks models, partitioning removals into mortality and culling and further by cause. DP1 sows exhibited lower LDWG and reached key reproductive milestones later, being on average 6 days older at first mating, first successful mating, and first farrowing compared with females born to DP2 and DP3+ sows (P < 0.001). During early parities, DP1 females produced fewer TB and BA piglets, translating into 0.3 to 0.5 fewer piglets per litter, respectively during their lifetime compared with females born to DP2 and DP3+ sows. Overall removal risk was greater for DP1 sows (P < 0.001). Differences in removal were driven primarily by greater culling for reproductive failure (DP1 vs DP2: Sub-distribution hazard ratio (SHR)=0.84; P = 0.007; DP1 vs DP3+: SHR=0.72; P < 0.001) and unknown causes (DP1 vs DP2: SHR=0.82; P < 0.001; DP1 vs DP3+: SHR=0.57; P < 0.001). In conclusion, dam parity of origin is associated with differences in early-life performance, reproductive output, and reasons for removal across the productive life. These differences were incremental and accumulated over parities, indicating that dam parity acts as a risk modifier rather than a deterministic factor for sow longevity.</p>","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149181686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gestational heat stress alters maternal vaginal microbiome, plasma metabolic markers, and preweaning offspring performance in Bos indicus -influenced cow-calf pairs","authors":"Vinicius S Izquierdo, Cassio C Brauner, Luciana M Sousa, Cecilia C Rocha, Jimena Laporta, Francisco Peñagaricano, Mario Binelli, João H J Bittar, Nicole C Burdick Sanchez, Reinaldo F Cooke, João M B Vendramini, Philipe Moriel","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag335","url":null,"abstract":"This 3-year study evaluated the effects of gestational access to shade on maternal performance, vaginal microbiome composition, and offspring preweaning performance in beef cows. On day 0 of each year (92 ± 20 days prepartum), 176 multiparous, pregnant Brangus crossbred beef cows (25 to 37.5% Bos indicus) were stratified by bull, body weight (BW; 548 ± 51 kg) and body condition score (BCS; 5.52 ± 0.70; scale of 1 to 9), and randomly assigned to 1 of 16 bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) pastures (11 cows and 8.1 ha per pasture). Treatments were randomly assigned to pastures on day 0 of each year (8 pastures per treatment) and consisted of cows provided (SH) or not (NSH) access to artificial shade (3.27 m2 per cow) from day 0 to 90. Cows were provided free-choice access to artificial shade from day 91 until calf weaning on day 330 (240 ± 20 days of age). Non-binary and binary data were analyzed as a complete randomized study using the MIXED and GLIMMIX procedure of SAS, respectively. Effects of treatment × day × year and treatment × year were not detected (P ≥ 0.11) for any variable, except for calf preweaning BW (P = 0.01). Shade access improved (P ≤ 0.05) cow BCS on days 30, 60, and 150 and modified plasma metabolites, including lower cortisol on day 30 and greater glucose and IGF-1 but lower urea nitrogen on day 60. Shade also reduced (P ≤ 0.05) body surface and rectal temperatures on day 60, respiration rates, and intravaginal temperatures from 1000 to 1400 h. Plasma non-esterified fatty acids, whole blood mRNA expression of heat shock proteins, and reproductive success did not differ (P ≥ 0.12) between treatments. Relative abundance of Blautia and Methanobrevibacter on day 30 were greater (P ≤ 0.05) in SH vs. NSH cows. At birth, gestational access to shade did not impact (P ≥ 0.41) calf plasma cortisol and serum immunoglobulin G but increased (P ≤ 0.05) calf plasma haptoglobin and BW. At weaning, calf BW was greater (P ≤ 0.04) in year 1 but was less (P = 0.05) in years 2 and 3 for NSH vs. SH calves. In conclusion, gestational shade access improved maternal thermoregulation, body condition, and metabolic profile, while modestly shifting the prepartum vaginal microbiome. These maternal responses were accompanied by greater calf birth weight, although weaning performance varied by year, underscoring the dynamic nature of gestational heat stress impacts in subtropical grazing systems.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149152584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling finishing pig growth performance and carcass response to dietary net energy using ingredient nutrient values from four different databases","authors":"Hilario M Cordoba, Mike D Tokach, Jordan T Gebhardt, Joel M DeRouchey, Jason C Woodworth, Robert D Goodband","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag333","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag333","url":null,"abstract":"Data from 91 grow-finish pig experiments with diets differing in net energy (NE) and other nutrients were used in a meta-analysis to model growth performance and carcass characteristics based on the diet's NE, crude protein (CP), standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and lysine to NE (Lys:NE) ratio. Energy and nutrient concentrations in all diets were determined using values from four different databases (NRC, 2012 [NRC]; CVB, 2022 [CVB]; INRA, 2024 [INRA]; Rostagno et al., 2024 [BR]). Stepwise selection using Akaike information criteria was used for model selection considering the linear, quadratic, and interactive effects of NE, SID Lys, CP, NDF, Lys:NE ratio, and body weight. Model variable predictors were generated using a linear mixed model. Selected models indicated that ADG and G:F increased as dietary NE increases in the four databases evaluated. However, the magnitude of response in G:F differed between ingredient databases at the early and late stages of the finishing period. The model using BR database appears to overestimate ADG when diets with concentrations of NDF are used. The 4 models predicted greater changes in ADG and G:F when the Lys:NE ratio was maintained compared to when a constant SID Lys level was used. Dressing percentage (DP), backfat depth (BF), and loin depth (LD) increased and percentage lean (PL) decreased as NE increased with different magnitudes of response depending on the database. However, when a constant Lys:NE ratio was not maintained, increasing NE did not change DP predictions using the BR database, with the NRC and INRA models predicting a slight increase only at high NE levels. The CVB model suggested a similar response in DP whether Lys:NE ratio was maintained or not. For all the ingredient databases, BF and PL were predicted to linearly increase and decrease, respectively, as NE increased whether the Lys:NE ratio was maintained or not, but the changes were greater without maintaining the Lys:NE ratio. The models predicted LD to increase quadratically, with a greater response at low NE levels and the response plateauing at high dietary NE, regardless of whether the Lys to NE was maintained or not. In conclusion, the models generated provide estimates of the magnitude of the change for growth and carcass parameters of grow-finish pigs when dietary NE and other nutrients changed, with the magnitude of the changes being greater when Lys:NE ratio are maintained compared to constant levels of Lys.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"53 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149152583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in bovine follicular fluid cytokine profile associated with oocyte developmental competence","authors":"R Esposito, F Piscopo, C Benedetti, M Kosior, G Albero, V Longobardi, M Hoelker, B Gasparrini","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag334","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag334","url":null,"abstract":"This work aimed to evaluate the cytokine profile of bovine follicular fluid (FF) enclosing oocytes with contrasting developmental competence (Experiment 1) to identify competence-associated biomarkers. The FF was collected from individual 2-4 mm follicles of abattoir-derived ovaries, diluted in PBS, centrifuged, and stored at - 80 °C. At the same time, the corresponding oocytes were individually matured, fertilized, and cultured. On day 8 of culture, the stored FF samples were retrospectively assigned to three different categories corresponding to: oocytes that reached the blastocyst stage (B), cleaved oocytes (C), and uncleaved oocytes (U). A panel of 30 cytokines was analyzed in sixteen individual follicles per category using the Quantibody® Bovine Cytokine Array 30 kit. Ttumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was higher (P &amp;lt; 0.05) in the B group than in the U group, with similar values recorded in the C group. The concentration of Acidic Fibroblast Growth Factor (aFGF) was reduced (P &amp;lt; 0.01) in the B group compared to the C and U groups. The B group had lower (P &amp;lt; 0.05) levels of Interleukin-15 (IL-15) than the C group, with no significant difference compared with the U group. The Interferon Gamma-Induced Protein 10 (IP-10) levels were lower (P &amp;lt; 0.05) in both the B and C groups compared to the U group. A decrease in Interleukin-17a (IL-17a) was observed only in the C group compared to the other groups. Another objective of the present study was to assess whether including TNF-α, which showed significantly higher abundance (P &amp;lt; 0.05) in FF corresponding to competent oocytes, in a simulated physiological oocyte maturation system (SPOM) would improve embryo yields (Experiment 2). Therefore, bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured in SPOM with 0, 0.28 ng/mL, 0.46 ng/mL, and 1 ng/mL TNF-α, fertilized, and cultured to the blastocyst stage. However, TNF-α supplementation during SPOM did not improve embryo development compared with the control. In conclusion, the cytokine profile of FF varied according to oocyte developmental competence, enabling the identification of TNF-α as a potential positive marker and aFGF, IP-10, and IL-15 as negative markers of competence.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149152585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An in-feed oral glucose test increases post-prandial high molecular weight adiponectin concentration in horses","authors":"Melody A de Laat, Fang I Li, Danielle M Fitzgerald, James M McGree","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag336","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag336","url":null,"abstract":"Adiponectin is a fat-derived adipocytokine that has been associated with laminitis risk in ponies. Factors that affect sampling timing for measurement of adiponectin concentration have been inadequately investigated. This study aimed to determine the effect of an oral glucose test (OGT) and fed-state on adiponectin concentration in horses and ponies. Blood samples were collected before and after an OGT in 85 horses and ponies and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin concentration was measured. Total adiponectin concentration was measured in a subset of 25 animals. Assays validated for use with horse plasma were used. Next, HMW adiponectin was measured before and for up to 4 hours after the consumption of three different diets in ponies: pasture (n = 16), a soyabean meal diet (n = 10) or diet with added maize and molasses (n = 5). The groups were compared with a Kruskal Wallis rank sum test, with Dunn’s post-hoc test, and timepoints with a signed-rank, or Pearson’s, test. The ratios were compared with a paired t-test. Stepwise rank-based regression was used to consider multiple predictors for the change in HMW adiponectin concentration during the OGT. Friedman’s test was used to examine changes in concentration over time after meal consumption. Both the OGT and the diet containing maize caused a larger (P &amp;lt; 0.05) change in blood glucose concentration (0h to 2h) than the pasture or diet with soyabean meal. The OGT meal increased (P &amp;lt; 0.001) median [IQR] post-prandial HMW adiponectin concentration at the 2 h timepoint (4.02 [2.23—6.88] µg/mL), compared to the pre-test sample (2.75 [1.17—5.69] µg/mL). However, median [IQR] total adiponectin concentration did not change from the 0 h (7.78 [4.19—12.7] µg/mL) to the 2 h sample (6.48 [4.04—12.8] µg/mL). The proportion of HMW multimers in the total adiponectin concentration increased (P = 0.01) from 37% to 54% post-prandially. Pasture grazing and consumption of a soyabean or maize based meal did not result in a change in HMW adiponectin concentration over time. Blood samples for the measurement of HMW adiponectin should be taken before animals receive an in-feed OGT.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"75 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149152604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of physically effective fiber on animal growth performance, carcass characteristics, digestibility, and rumination in finishing beef cattle","authors":"Mallory E LeDoux, R Ryan Reuter, David L Lalman, Andrew P Foote","doi":"10.1093/jas/skag327","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag327","url":null,"abstract":"The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of altering dietary peNDF concentration by modifying forage particle size on digestibility, rumination, and performance of finishing beef steers. Forty crossbred beef steers (initial BW = 387 ± 38.2 kg) were blocked by BW and assigned to 10 pens with 4 steers per pen. Pens were then randomly assigned to one of two dietary treatments (n = 5 pens per treatment; 4 steers per pen). Diets were formulated identically, differing only in forage particle size. Prairie hay was processed through a commercial tub grinder equipped with a 17.8-cm or 10.2-cm screen, resulting in mean particle sizes of 11.54 and 7.68 mm for long-cut and short-cut, respectively. Treatments were based on dry-rolled corn and included 8% long-cut or 8% short-cut prairie hay (DM basis). Particle distribution and peNDF were estimated using the Penn State Particle Separator. Data were analyzed using mixed models. Treatment was included as a fixed effect and block as a random effect for pen-level variables, with pen serving as the experimental unit. For variables measured on individual animals, animal nested within pen was included as a random effect, and day was included as a repeated measure with animal nested within pen as the subject. Decreasing forage particle size reduced dietary peNDF from 14.23 to 12.33% of DM (P = 0.014). Neutral detergent fiber digestibility was reduced in short-cut TMR (P &amp;lt; 0.001), whereas DM and starch digestibility were unaffected (P ≥ 0.62). Feedlot performance and carcass characteristics did not differ between treatments (P ≥ 0.18). Fecal pH differed between treatments at specific sampling days, resulting in a treatment × day interaction (P = 0.001). Serum amyloid A concentrations tended to be greater for long-cut TMR (P = 0.09). Rumination time did not differ between treatments (P = 0.53). These results suggest that a 1.90 percentage-point decrease in dietary peNDF via forage particle size did not affect growth performance, rumination behavior, or carcass characteristics in finishing beef cattle, but may reduce NDF digestibility.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"53 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149152597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}