Rumen microbiota succession throughout the perinatal period and its association with postpartum production traits in dairy cows:A review

The transition period for dairy cows usually refers to the 3 weeks pre-calving to the 3 weeks post-calving.During this period,dairy cows undergo metabolic and physiological adaptations because of their susceptibility to metabolic and infectious diseases.Poor feeding management under these circumstances may adversely affect the health and subsequent production performance of the cows.Owing to long-term adaptation and evolution,the rumen has become a unique ecosystem inhabited by a complex microbial community closely associated with its natural host.Dietary components are metabolized by the rumen microbiota,and volatile fatty acids and microbial protein products can be used as precursor substances for synthesizing meat and milk components.The successful transition of perinatal dairy cows includes changes in diet,physiology,and the rumen microbiota.Rumen microbial profiles have been confirmed to be heritable and repairable;however,adverse circumstances affect rumen microbial composition,host digestion and metabolism,as well as postpartum production traits of dairy cows for a certain period.Preliminary evidence indicates a close relationship between the rumen microbiota and animal performance.Therefore,changes in rumen microbes during the transition period and the intrinsic links between the microbiota and host postpartum phenotypic traits need to be better understood to optimize production performance in ruminants.

Isomaltooligosaccharide and Bacillus regulate the duration of farrowing and weaning-estrous interval in sows during the perinatal period by changing the gut microbiota of sows

This study investigated the effects of isomaltooligosaccharide(IMO)and Bacillus in perinatal diets on the duration of farrowing and post-weaning estrus,serum reproductive hormone concentrations,and gut microbiota and its metabolites of sows.Multiparous sows(n=130)were fed diets without IMO(control,CON group),or diets containing only IMO(IMO group),IMO and Bacillus subtilis(IMOS group),IMO and Bacillus licheniformis(IMOL group),and IMO and B.subtilis and B.licheniformis(IMOSL group),respectively.The results indicate that the duration of farrowing and post-weaning estrus was shorter in sows in the IMOS,IMOL,and IMOSL groups,and the weaning-estrous interval was lower in sows in the IMOL greoup.In addition,the lowest fecal score was observed in the IMOL group during d 106 to 112 of gestation.Sows in most of the treatment groups had a higher concentration of serum prolactin and prostaglandin at farrowing,but a lower serum concentration of estradiol,oxytocin,and progesterone on d 18 of lactation than sows in the CON group.The treatment groups had a higher abundance of Candidatus Methanoplasma and Bacillus and a lower abundance of Escherichia-Shigella in their feces at farrowing.Furthermore,the treatment groups had higher concentrations of total short-chain fatty acids(SCFA)in feces at farrowing and a higher concentration of branched fatty acids in feces on d 18 of lactation.Furthermore,the abun-dance of Bacillus in feces was positively correlated with serum prostaglandin concentrations and fecal total SCFA of sows at farrowing,but was negatively correlated with the duration of farrowing.Overall,dietary IMO and Bacillus supplementation affected the concentration of serum reproductive hormones and the duration of farrowing and post-weaning estrus,and the gut microbiota is a key factor.

Comparison of protective effects of electroacupuncture and moxibustion at Zusanli(ST 36)on perinatal nicotine exposure-induced lung phenotype in rat offspring

Objective:To compare the effects of electroacupuncture(EA)and moxibustion at Zusanli(ST 36)on the lung phenotype of rat offspring exposed to nicotine during the perinatal period.Methods:Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:the control group(saline only),the model group(nicotine only),the EA group(nicotine+EA at ST 36 acupoints bilaterally),and the moxibustion group(nicotine+moxibustion at ST 36 acupoints bilaterally).n=6 rats per group.On postnatal day 21,the body weight,lung weight,and pulmonary function were determined and lung morphometry was performed.Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma andβ-catenin levels in the lung tissue of offspring were also determined.Results:Perinatal nicotine exposure(PNE)results in decreased body and lung weights of offspring rats,abnormal lung tissue morphology,and significantly altered pulmonary function,showing an increase in total airway resistance and a decrease in tidal volume,minute ventilation,total airway compliance,and peak expiratory flow.Bilateral EA at ST 36 acupoints could block all of these perinatal nicotine-induced effects.Although moxibustion also had protective effects in nicotine-induced offspring lungs,some of these effects did not reach statistical significance,e.g.,protection against the upregulation ofβ-catenin,the downregulation of PPARγsignaling,and the increase in peak expiratory flow.Conclusion:Maternal EA at ST 36 blocked the PNE-induced changes in key developmental signaling pathways,prevented the PNE-induced changes in lung morphology,and protected pulmonary function.Moxibustion at ST 36 showed similar but weaker protective effects against the PNE-induced changes in the exposed offspring.It is important to note that the mechanism underlying the protective effects of moxibustion at ST 36 may be different from those of EA at ST 36,and further research is needed to understand these differences.

Study on the toxic effect of the mixture of organophosphorus pesticide on perinatal rats

Objective To observe the toxic effect of the mixture of organophosphorus pesticide (MOP) on maternal rats and on the growth and development of their offspring. Methods Totally 40 Sprague-Dawley pregnant rats were randomly divided into three MOP dose groups and one control to which their offspring would be assigned. The experimental dosage of MOP and distilled water were administered orally starting on gestation day 15 and continued for 35 days. The physical development indices and the learning ability of F1 rats were measured during lactation. The pathological changes of uterus and liver of F0 rats were observed after weaning, while the weight ratio of uterus and some viscera to body of the F1 were examined. Results There were obvious changes of uterus and liver in the high-dose group of F0. The body-weight accretion of the F1 in high-dose group was obviously lower than that in control group (P<0.05). Some of the MOP F1 rats development indices delayed significantly (P<0.05), the learning ability decreased obviously, and the time of setting up memory prolonged (P<0.05). The ratio of the uterus weight to body-weight in the F1 MOP groups was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). Conclusion The experiment doses of MOP are proved to have significant reproductive toxicity on perinatal rats.

Effects of Supplementation with <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>and Its Fermentation Products on Production Performance and Its Mechanism in Perinatal Dairy Cows

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its fermentation products on performance, blood hormone levels and rumen floral composition in peripartum dairy cows. Sixty perinatal cows were selected and allocated to two groups according to parity and expected date of delivery. Each group was supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its fermentation product 0 or 100 g. The results showed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its fermentation products could significantly increase the feed intake of peripartum dairy cows (P < 0.01), increase the lactose content after 21 days postpartum (P < 0.01), and tend to increase milk production (P = 0.052). There was no significant effect on other milk components, the apparent digestibility of nutrients. There was a tendency to increase milk production and reduce the number of somatic cells in milk;increase blood levels of glucagon (P < 0.01) and β-hydroxybutyrate (P = 0.01), reducing the insulin content (P = 0.02). Saccharomyces cerevisiae reduced the abundance of rumen microbes in peripartum dairy cows but had no effect on rumen microbial diversity. Compared with the control group, the supplemented group showed reductions in the abundance of genera Bacillus (P = 0.03), Butyrivibrio (P = 0.01), Denitrobacterium (P = 0.01), and Mogibacterium (P < 0.01), Porphyromonas (P = 0.05), Saccharofermentans (P < 0.01), Sphaerochaeta (P = 0.02), Streptococcus (P = 0.04) and other genera. There were significant increase in the content of Acidaminococcus (P = 0.03), Allisonella (P < 0.01), Bulleidia (P < 0.01), Corynebacterium (P = 0.01), Dialister (P < 0.01), Faecalibacterium (P = 0.02), Faekalitalea (P = 0.03), Fibrobacter (P = 0.04), Flavobacterium (P = 0.03), Kandleria (P < 0.01), Paraprevotella (P < 0.01), Pyramidobacter (P = 0.05), Roseburia (P < 0.01), Succinivibrio (P < 0.01) and other genera. The main metabolic pathways such as tryptophan metabolism and steroid hormone biosynthesis in perinatal dairy cows were determined for Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its fermentation products.

Early Diagnosis and Prevention of Osteodystrophy in Perinatal Cow

Hydroxyproline is the main component of collagen,accounting for 20% or so of collagen,and metabolic changes in bone collagen directly affect the level of hydroxyproline in the blood.So inspecting the content of hydroxyproline is very important for pathogenesis and prophylactico-therapeutic measures on osteodystrophy of dairy cows.This experiment monitored and studied the change regularity of serum calcium,serum phosphorus and serum free hydroxyproline of perinatal cow in Hebei Province,and discussed a new and early diagnosis way for osteodystrophy.Thus,effective control measures could be implemented before the bone became deformed without any clinical symptom.The paper provided a theoretical foundation for early diagnosis of perinatal cow.

Effects of Perinatal Complications on Coagulation Function in Pregnant Women

Objectives:To investigate the effects of various complications on the coagulation function of perinatal women.Methods:A total of 210 pregnant women between November 2016 and June 2017 were recruited.The coagulation function indexes,including prothrombin time(PT),activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT),fibrinogen(FIB),and thrombin time(TT),were evaluated in pregnant women with group B Streptococcus(GBS),positive nonstress test(NST),scarred uterus,prenatal fever,macrosomia,gestational hypertension,gestational diabetes,premature rupture of membranes(PROMs),threatened abortion,and oligohydramnios.Results:No significant differences were found in PT,APTT,FIB,and TT in pregnant women with GBS,positive NST,scarred uterus,macrosomia,gestational hypertension,gestational diabetes,PROMs,and oligohydramnios.Moreover,significantly decreased PT and APTT and significantly increased TT were found in pregnant women with prenatal fever compared to normal controls,whereas significantly increased TT was also observed in those with threatened abortion.Conclusions:Among the complications that occur in pregnant women,prenatal fever and threatened abortion have important effects on coagulation function.