Abstracted/indexed

This study aimed to detect a potential association between GHR/AluI polymorphism and milk yield and milk composition traits in dairy cows raised in commercial herds using the PCR-RFLP assay. In conclusion, the GHR gene should be regarded as potential candidate genes in marker-assisted selection programs to improve the performance of milk and related traits in Turkey dairy cattle populations.

Goats are produced in extensive systems with low productive yields. Therefore, intensive systems improve productivity; however, in this system, diet is the most costly parameter. The cottonseed cake has the necessary nutritional characteristics to be able to substitute traditional ingredients (such as soybean meal) and to reduce the diet cost. Thus, it is necessary to determine the best level of inclusion of cottonseed cake in feedlot goats' diets to improve meat production and quality.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance, and performance of feedlot lambs fed diets containing crude glycerin. Although it did not affect the intake and digestibility of most nutrients, the inclusion of 100 and 200 g kg^-1 DM of crude glycerin in lambs' diets tended to worsen performance, indicating that the ideal level of inclusion should be below 100 g kg^-1 DM of crude glycerin.

In this study, we found that 21 mutation loci and 3 haplotypes were significantly associated with litter size in Nubian goat. This would allow breeders to take more precise selection decisions, leading to significantly higher productivity and profitability within the Nubian goat.

The study aimed to highlight the general trend of indigenous Lao pig utilization and the altered reproductive performance with special reference to location and rearing systems. Indigenous pigs are not only important for household consumption, but they also serve as household savings that the households use anytime, i.e. to support their children's education and traditional activity performance. Proper management is needed to improve reproductive performance of indigenous pigs in Laos.

The use of cull ewes has been an adopted practice to increase the profitability of the activity. The production of the ewes can be maximized with the adoption of feedlotting. However, feed is known to be the costliest factor in animal production. In this context, by-products such as cottonseed emerged as an alternative to replace the most commonly used ingredients without affecting animal productivity. Calcium lignosulfonate is a by-product that can be used to improve ruminal digestion.

The regulation of glycolysis and heat shock proteins (HSPs) in Gannan yaks at different altitudes were determined. We found that HIF1A and PDK4 expression and glycolysis-related enzyme level were significantly increased, but CA level was significantly decreased with altitude. HSP27 and HSP60 were highly expressed with altitude. These results are useful to better understand the unique adaptability of Gannan yaks, allowing them to survive in hypoxia conditions.

In this work, we analyzed the effects of trehalose on sheep EEC proliferation and possible mechanisms affecting its role. Our study suggested that exogenous trehalose exhibits antioxidant activity through increasing the activities of CAT, GSH-Px, and the expression level of GPX5. The cell line cultured provides a strong resource for elucidating the transcriptional networks that coordinate functions of sheep epididymis epithelium and have greatly enhanced our understanding of epididymis biology.

The aim of this study was to assess the performance and meat quality of meat-type guinea fowl fed commercial diets under two different feeding programs similar to those for turkeys and broilers. Findings of the study suggest that these diets can be used in meat-type guinea fowl rearing without affecting the productive traits and meat quality. However, due to the lower price of chicken feed (due to lower protein content), its use seems to be more justified from an economic point of view.