Animals最新文献

{"title":"Development of Machine Learning Models for Estimating Metabolizable Protein Supply from Feed in Lactating Dairy Cows.","authors":"Mingyung Lee, Dong Hyeon Kim, Seongwon Seo, Luis O Tedeschi","doi":"10.3390/ani15050687","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15050687","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate prediction of protein utilization in dairy cows is essential for optimizing nutrition and milk yield to achieve sustainable cattle production. This study aimed to develop novel machine learning models to predict rumen-undegradable protein (RUP) and duodenal microbial nitrogen (MicN) based on dietary protein intake. A dataset comprising 1779 observations from 436 scientific publications was used to train support vector regression (SVR) and random forest regression (RFR) models. Different predictor sets were identified for each model, including factors such as days in milk (DIM), dry matter intake (DMI), dietary fiber content, and crude protein fractions. Model performance was evaluated using statistical metrics, including the coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), with results compared to existing NASEM (2021) models. The RFR model provided the most precise and unbiased predictions for RUP (R² = 0.60, RMSEP = 0.326 kg/d, CCC = 0.71), while the SVR model was most effective for MicN (R² = 0.76, RMSEP = 42.4 g/d, CCC = 0.86). Both models outperformed traditional methods, demonstrating the potential of machine learning in improving protein utilization predictions. Future studies could explore hybrid approaches integrating conventional and AI-based models to enhance predictive accuracy.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11898976/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143612913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Supplemental Trace Mineral Source on Haircoat and Activity Levels in Senior Dogs.","authors":"Laura A Amundson, Allison A Millican, Erik Swensson, Mike L McGilliard, Dana Tomlinson","doi":"10.3390/ani15050686","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15050686","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trace minerals (TMs) are pivotal for animal wellbeing and appearance. This study evaluated the effects of TM (Zn, Mn, Cu, and Fe) sources on senior dogs' haircoat and activity. Dogs (mean age 9.16 yr) were fed a control diet (inorganic TM) for 14 d before being assigned to one of three treatments for 3 mo. Treatments included inorganic (Control; <i>n</i> = 10), amino acid-complexed (TMC; <i>n</i> = 17; ZINPRO^® ZnMet + Zinpro^® Availa^® Mins) or lysine and glutamic acid-complexed (TMC-LG; <i>n</i> = 16; Zinpro^® ProPath^®) supplemental TM. Treatments were formulated to provide standard (Control-100 ppm Zn, 5 ppm Mn, 12 ppm Cu, 45 ppm Fe) or product-recommended (TMC and TMC-LG-100 ppm Zn, 25 ppm Mn, 7 ppm Cu, 45 ppm Fe) TM levels (DM basis). Hair length, regrowth, and shedding were measured along with activity. Dogs fed TMC (26.43 mm; 11.64 mm/mo) and TMC-LG (27.87 mm; 12.6 mm/mo) had significantly (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) longer hair that grew faster compared to the Control (18.93 mm; 9.14 mm/mo). At 3 mo TMC-LG-fed dogs had 0.38 g less shed hair, and TMC-fed dogs had 0.87 h more active time/d compared to the Control (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). Dogs fed TMC and TMC-LG had superior haircoat characteristics and activity compared to the Control.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11899368/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143613066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolomics Study Revealed the Effects of CaO-Treated Maize Straw on the Rumen Metabolites.","authors":"Hui Wang, Mingjun Shi, Zhanxia Ma, Xuewei Zhang, Huiyong Shan, Xiaofeng Xu, Suyu Quan, Junqin Zhang, Yujia Tian","doi":"10.3390/ani15050674","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15050674","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As an important limiting factor, lignin hinders the utilization rate of maize straw in ruminants. CaO treatment increases the feed digestibility of maize straw by disrupting the ester bonds between hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin in maize straw. Our previous research found that CaO treatment of corn straw may increase its feed digestibility by altering the rumen microbes' abundance. This study further investigated the molecular mechanism of CaO treatment to enhance feed utilization and also examined its ongoing effects on rumen metabolites. Rumen fluid was collected to analyze microbial metabolites using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) non-targeted metabolomics. Maize straw (moisture content of 60%) treated with four levels of CaO (0%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) was used as the fermentation substrate for a 6 h <i>in vitro</i> culture. Based on the effect of CaO-treated maize straw on the rumen microbial diversity, no significant differences were observed in microbial composition between the 0% and 3% treatment groups or between the 5% and 7% treatment groups. However, the microbial structure of the 0% and 3% treatment groups differed from that of the 5% and 7% groups. Therefore, the four levels were divided into a low-efficiency group (LE group: 0% and 3% levels) and a high-efficiency group (HE group: 5% and 7% levels) for principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Compared with the LE group, most of the ruminal metabolites that showed increased levels in the HE group were products of lignin degradation. Among these differential metabolites, Dihydro-3-coumaric acid had a significant positive correlation with <i>Prevotella</i> and fermentation indicators like acetate, propionate, and butyrate. KEGG analysis showed differential metabolites were primarily enriched in the amino acid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis, and cyanoamino acid metabolism. The higher CaO concentration in the HE group effectively disrupted most covalent bonds with lignin, significantly enhancing cellulose degradation and ultimately supporting improved rumen metabolism.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11899395/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143613140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mitochondrial Genome of <i>Grapsus albolineatus</i> and Insights into the Phylogeny of Brachyura.","authors":"Xue Zhang, Sheng Tang, Yaohui Chen, Qiuning Liu, Boping Tang","doi":"10.3390/ani15050679","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15050679","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Brachyura is among the most diverse groups of crustaceans, with over 7000 described species. Crab mitogenomes are important for understanding molecular evolution and phylogenetic relationships. <i>Grapsus albolineatus</i> exhibits specific rearrangements compared with the Pancrustacean ground pattern and other Brachyura species. The gene arrangement of <i>G. albolineatus</i> is similar to that of ancestral crustaceans, barring that of the translocated <i>trnH</i> gene. In phylogenetic analyses, the Bayesian inference estimation was observed to be superior to the maximum likelihood estimation when the nodal support values were compared. Considering the results of the gene rearrangement pattern and phylogenetic analysis, we speculate that <i>G. albolineatus</i> belongs to Grapsidae. Our comparative study indicated that mitogenomes are a useful phylogenetic tool at the subfamily level within Brachyura. The findings indicate that mitogenomes could be a useful tool for systematics in other Brachyuran species.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11898415/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143612799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Natural Savannah Systems Within the \"One Welfare\" Approach: Part 1-Good Farmers' Perspectives, Environmental Challenges and Opportunities.","authors":"Marlyn H Romero, Sergio A Gallego-Polania, Jorge A Sanchez","doi":"10.3390/ani15050677","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15050677","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Colombian Orinoquia is considered one of the eight most important ecosystems in the world. Savannah ecosystems play an essential role in providing ecosystem services. The objectives were (a) to explore and identify the perceptions of traditional farmers and institutional representatives regarding human well-being, animal welfare and the environment, and (b) to identify environmental challenges and opportunities for improvement based on the \"One Welfare\" concept. Three focal groups were developed: male and female farmers and institutional representatives <i>(n =</i> 24) from Vichada. A thematic analysis, coding with an inductive approach and the definition of themes and sub-themes were carried out. The concept of being \"a good farmer\" explains the behavior of the producers, where the perception of human well-being is associated with the value of the family and the sense of pride in their tradition as \"llanero\". Animal welfare was considered a symbol of profitability and prestige for cattle farmers, a concept that, for them, mixed traditional management, water supply, shade and feed, good health and the natural behavior of cattle. Regarding the environment, this concept is based on their awareness of the importance of conserving the natural savannah. Among the environmental challenges described are climate change, solid waste management and the use of controlled burns. Regarding opportunities for improvement, they proposed strengthening institutional dynamics, partnerships, environmental governance and education. Our results can provide information on the \"One Welfare\" approach and the motivation of farmers to care for animals and the environment, a fundamental aspect for developing effective intervention strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11898485/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143612901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hotspot Analysis of Rumen Microbiota and Methane Mitigation in Ruminants: A Bibliometric Analysis from 1998 to 2023.","authors":"Xueyue Zheng, Lijie Tang, Rong Wang, Xiumin Zhang, Min Wang, Duanqin Wu","doi":"10.3390/ani15050681","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15050681","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Methane (CH₄) is the second-most abundant greenhouse gas, following carbon dioxide (CO₂), and has a warming potential 28 times greater than CO₂ [...].</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11899460/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143613067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improvement in the Usability of Meat Inspection Findings for Swine Herd Health Management.","authors":"Darko Maric, Sebastian Vetter-Lang, Johannes Klinger, Nikolaus Böhm, Karin Schwaiger, Annemarie Käsbohrer","doi":"10.3390/ani15050688","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15050688","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Data from post-mortem inspections conducted using official controls on the meat production of slaughtered pigs are generally considered valuable for identifying herd health issues and ensuring meat safety. However, several studies highlighted that a multi-stage assessment of lung changes would provide more useful information on animal health than the implemented binary (yes/no) recording. For this purpose, a new scheme was developed and subsequently used by trained official veterinarians at four slaughterhouses in Austria. Implementation of the multi-stage assessment was carried out in parallel with the conventional assessment, and data collected from both schemes were analyzed and compared to evaluate effectiveness. The analysis of the data (n = 20,345) showed that the most common alteration was low-grade (28.4%), followed by moderate-grade (11.3%,) and then high-grade pneumonia (5.2%). In the case of pleurisy, 88.9% of the carcasses showed no alterations of the pleura, and 11.1% had pathological changes (low-grade pleurisy = 4.7%, moderate-grade pleurisy = 2.7%, high-grade pleurisy = 3.7%). Analysis of the results showed a strong heterogeneity of the frequency of alterations between the batches reflecting various underlying animal health issues. Among the influencing factors, the origin of the pigs had the greatest influence. The project demonstrated that the new evaluation can be carried out easily with no extra time effort once staff are trained and the technological platform for reporting is adapted. The more detailed information ensures more useful feedback is provided to the farmers and supervising veterinarians, thereby ensuing animal welfare and contributing to sustainable, improved animal husbandry.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11899022/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143613114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Animals for the Deceased: Zooarchaeological Analysis of the Bronze Age in the Castillejo del Bonete Site (Terrinches, Ciudad Real, Spain).","authors":"María Ángeles Galindo-Pellicena, Amalia Pérez-Romero, Andrea Gómez-Felipe, Marta Romero-Ruiz, Raquel Blázquez-Orta, Silvia Andreu-Alarcón, Luis Benítez de Lugo Enrich","doi":"10.3390/ani15050680","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15050680","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The 2978 faunal bone remains recovered from the Bronze Age levels at the Castillejo del Bonete site between 2005 and 2019 were analyzed in this study. In the main structure (Great Tumulus 1, Tumulus 2, and Tomb 5), the faunal bone remains were identified and interpreted as offerings in a funerary context. In Enclosure 4, a large building possibly dedicated to the celebration of wakes and rituals-including the eating of food and drinking-in honor of the deceased, the anthropic modifications on the bone surfaces indicate their possible consumption. The cave is constituted by four galleries with inhumations (in Galleries 2, 3, and 4) and pithoi (in Gallery 4). Wild and domestic animals were identified in the cavity, and the caprine (likely sheep) is the best represented taxa in the entire cave. The almost complete skeletal representation; the predominance of fetal, neonate, and juvenile individuals; the absence of anthropic modifications related to consumption, in addition to the bone industry made of caprine bones (such as an eye idol and anthropomorphic artefacts), suggest that caprines were used as offerings to the deceased that accompany them. Postdepositional taphonomic alterations, the animals not having been found in anatomical connection, and the refits of the bones between different stratigraphical units indicate the repeated use of the cave during the Bronze Age.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11899635/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143612748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Dietary Addition of <i>Lentinus edodes</i> on Rumen Flora, Lactation, and Health of Dairy Goats.","authors":"Huijun Shen, Mengyu Wang, Yong Ning, Yiqi Zhao, Baiji Danzeng, Kaixin Li, Huaiping Shi, Weijuan Li","doi":"10.3390/ani15050676","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15050676","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Lentinus edodes</i> (LE) is a nutrient-rich medicinal fungus with potential applications in animal nutrition; however, its effects on dairy goats remain underexplored. This study investigated the impact of dietary LE addition on rumen microbiota, metabolic profiles, serum immunity, and milk quality in lactating dairy goats. Twenty Saanen goats were randomly assigned to a control group (CON, basal diet) or an LE group (basal diet + 25 g <i>Lentinus edodes</i>) for 56 days. Rumen fluid, serum, and milk samples were analyzed using 16S rDNA sequencing, metabolomics, and biochemical assays. The results showed that the addition of LE altered the microbial composition, decreasing the abundance of fibrobacterial flora and <i>Treponema</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.05) while increasing VadinHA49. Metabolomic analysis revealed elevated fumaric acid, lysophospholipids (LysoPE, LysoPG), and D-quinic acid in the rumen (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were significantly enhanced (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The milk somatic cell count (SCC) was reduced by 52.8% (<i>p</i> = 0.005) at day 56, and protein, fat, and total solids increased significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Enrichment of functional metabolites such as D-arabitol and D-tryptophan in milk further highlighted LE's role in improving product value. These findings demonstrate that LE optimizes rumen flora, enhances antioxidant and immune functions, and improves milk quality, supporting its use as a functional feed additive for dairy goats.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11899011/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143613061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vertebral Heart Score and Vertebral Left Atrial Size as Radiographic Measurements for Cardiac Size in Dogs-A Literature Review.","authors":"Radu Andrei Baisan, Vasile Vulpe","doi":"10.3390/ani15050683","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani15050683","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Radiology plays an important role in veterinary cardiology, along with other methods, such as electrocardiography, echocardiography, and biomarkers, in the diagnosis of cardiac diseases. Particularly, thoracic radiography is often used to assess heart size and for confirmation of left-sided congestive heart failure by the presence of pulmonary edema. Many cardiac diseases in dogs are associated with a heart size increase, especially in more advanced stages, and cardiac size assessment has been of great interest for a long time for both clinicians and researchers. A substantial number of methods for heart size measurement has been described; however, two methods, the vertebral heart score and the vertebral left atrial size are currently widely used in dogs. Therefore, the literature provides an abundant number of research articles for using these measurements in both healthy dogs and dogs with cardiac and extra-cardiac pathologic conditions. This review article aims to cover the current use of two radiographic measurements of the heart in healthy and diseased dogs, based on the available literature.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11899317/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143613155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}