Body condition score prior to parturition is associated with plasma and adipose tissue biomarkers of lipid metabolism and inflammation in Holstein cows

Background: Previous research has revealed a strong inflammatory response within adipose(AT) tissue during the transition into lactation. Whether this effect is a result of oxidative stress induced by lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation associated with differences in prepartum body condition score remains to be determined. The objectives of this study were to investigate systemic biomarkers of energy balance and inflammation and the expression of lipid metabolismand inflammation-related genes in AT during the transition period in dairy cows.Results: Twenty multiparous Holstein cows were retrospectively divided by body condition score(BCS) prior to parturition into two groups(10 cows/group): BCS ≤ 3.25(Lo BCS) and BCS ≥ 3.75(Hi BCS). Subcutaneous adipose tissue was biopsied from the tail-head region at d-10, 7 and 20 relative to parturition. Plasma was used to evaluate biomarkers of energy balance(EBAL) [free fatty acids(NEFA), glycerol, insulin] and inflammation [IL-1β, haptoglobin, myeloperoxidase, and reactive oxygen metabolites(ROM)]. Although insulin concentration was not affected by BCS, NEFA was overal greater and glycerol lower in HiB CS cows. Greater activity of myeloperoxidase in plasma coincided with increased haptoglobin and IL-1β postpartum in LoB CS cows.Among genes related with oxidative stress, the expression of the cytosolic antioxidant enzyme SOD1 was greater in LoB CS compared to HiB CS. Cows in LoB CS compared with HiB CS had greater overal expression of ABDH5 and ATGL along with ADIPOQ, indicating enhanced basal lipolysis and secretion of adiponectin. Expression of CPT1 A, ACADVL, and ACOX1 was greater overal in HiB CS than LoB CS indicating enhanced NEFA oxidation. Although the temporal increase in plasma NEFA regardless of BCS coincided with the profile of CPT1 A, the gradual decrease in genes related with reesterification of NEFA(PCK1) and glycerol efflux(AQP7) coupled with an increase in glycerol kinase(GK) suggested some stimulation of NEFA utilization within adipose tissue. This idea is supported in part by the gradual decrease in insulin regardless of BCS. Although expression of the inflammation-related gene toll-like receptor 4( TLR4) was greater in Hi BCS versus Lo BCS cows at-10 d, expression of TLR9 was greater in Hi BCS versus Lo BCS at 20 d.These profiles did not seem to be associated with concentrations of pro-inflammatory biomarkers or ROM.Conclusions: Overall, data indicated that cows with BCS 3.25 or lower before calving experienced greater alterations in systemic inflammation and basal lipolysis without excessive increases in NEFA plasma concentrations.Despite the greater plasma NEFA around parturition, cows with BCS 3.75 or higher seemed to have a more active system for catabolism of NEFA and utilization of glycerol within adipose tissue. A linkage between those pathways and risk of disorders postpartum remains to be determined.

Prepartum body conditions affect insulin signaling pathways in postpartum adipose tissues in transition dairy cows

Background: Overconditioned dairy cows are susceptible to excessive lipolysis and increased insulin resistance during the transition period.The associations among body fat reserve,insulin resistance,and lipolysis in adipose tissues(AT) remain to be elucidated.Therefore,this study aimed to investigate whether excessive fat reserves influence the insulin signaling pathway in AT postpartum.Results: Twenty multiparous dairy cows were selected and assigned to one of two groups,according to prepartum body condition score(BCS): Control group(BCS = 3.0–3.5;n = 10) and Overconditioned group(BCS ≥ 4.0;n = 10).Blood samples were collected on days-14,-7,-4,-2,-1,0,1,2,4,7,and 14 relative to parturition.Subcutaneous AT were collected on day 2 following parturition for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses.No differences were observed between the two groups in serum glucose,non-esterified fatty acids,β-hydroxybutyric acid,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)α,insulin,or leptin concentrations during the experimental period.Compared with the control cows,the overconditioned cows had lower serum triglyceride levels and higher adiponectin concentrations.In the AT postpartum,insulin receptor mRNA and protein levels were lower in the overconditioned cows than in the control cows,and no differences were found in glucose transporter 4 mRNA.Compared with the control cows,the overconditioned cows had lower mRNA levels of TNFα and higher mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma(PPARγ) in AT postpartum.The phosphorylated protein kinase B(AKT) content and phosphorylation rate of AKT were increased in the overconditioned cows compared with the control cows,which suggested that the downstream insulin signaling in AT was affected.Conclusions: In the present study,transition dairy cows with higher BCS did not show more fat mobilization.The changes of insulin signaling pathway in AT postpartum of overconditioned cows may be partly related to the expression of PPARγ and TNFα,and the secretion of adiponectin.

BCS cowdition软件在泌乳牛群应用效果的研究

为了更准确客观地评定泌乳奶牛体况,本试验开展了BCS cowdition软件的现场应用效果研究。采用专业人员和非专业人员均应用该软件与人为评分(美国5分评分法)对牛场泌乳奶牛进行体况评分,进行统计分析。结果显示,应用BCS cowdition软件评分,非专业人员与专业人员评分结果差异不显著(P>0.05);专业人员应用BCS cowdition软件与传统评分方法结果差异不显著(P>0.05);在奶牛体况评分3~4分区间,非专业人员应用BCS cowdition软件与传统评分方法的结果差异显著(P<0.05),非专业人员与专业人员都应用传统方法进行体况评分差异显著(P<0.05)。结果表明,BCS cowdition软件因易于掌握、使用方便和准确及数据和图片存储等优点,能更有效地提高奶牛体况评分的效率和准确性,为现场奶牛的体况管理提供了更科学的客观评定工具,值得大力推广应用。

Growth Performance of Arsi, Borana, Harar and HF-Crossbred Bulls Finished under Similar Feeding Condition

The study was conducted to evaluate the fattening performance of Arsi, Borana, Harar and Holstein Friesian crossbred bulls finished under a similar feeding condition at the beef farm in Haramaya University. The average daily weight gain of the four breeds ranges from 0.49 to 0.71 kg. Feed conversion efficiency also ranges from 0.11 - 0.15. Simple linear regression models were used to explore the relationship between live body weight change and change in body condition score as well as seven linear body measurements for all age groups. An average change for a unite of body condition score was equivalent to 20.3, 20.61, 22.42 and 27.78 kg for Borana, Arsi, Harar and Holstein Friesian crossbred bulls respectively. Body condition score was significantly influenced by breeds. There was a significant breed by age interaction effect on the initial body condition score of the four breeds. There was a significant and positive strong association between change in body weight and body condition score. There was a significant and strong correlation between change in body weight and change in Total topline, neck length, heart girth, flank circumference and rump length having correlation coefficients ranges from 0.57 to 0.97. A higher net profit of 7380.47 ETB per head was recorded by Borana bulls followed by Harar bulls, Arsi and Holstein Friesian crossbred with net profit of 5406.86, 5193.29 and 3384.98 ETB per head respectively. Borana bulls are more superior in weight gain and net profit. Bodyweight change could be predicted based on body condition score change during the fattening period.

轻量级卷积神经网络在奶牛体况评分中的应用

为对奶牛体况信息进行高效地实时监测以便满足商业化的需求,提出一种改进轻量级注意力机制网络模型(Shuffle-ECANet)。首先,针对8972幅含有奶牛尾部的图像样本,通过专家对奶牛体况进行人工评分,并构建数据集;然后以轻量级ShuffleNet-v21×网络为基础,在特征提取过程中引入高效的通道注意力模块,强化网络对奶牛体况特征的提取能力。此外,采用H-Swish激活函数,避免神经元坏死现象;最后通过进一步精简网络结构得到Shuffle-ECANet网络模型。结果显示,Shuffle-ECANet模型针对各类别奶牛的识别准确率为97%以上,且在体况评分(body condition scoring,BCS)误差分别为0、≤0.25和≤0.5的体况评价结果中,Shuffle-ECANet模型均优于EfficientNet-v1、MobileNet-v3、ShuffleNet-v21×和ResNet34等模型,证明本研究方法的有效性。

绵羊LEP、LEPR基因多态性与体况评分的相关性分析

【目的】研究特克赛尔×哈萨克杂交(特哈)母羊瘦素(Leptin,LEP)、瘦素受体(Leptin receptor,LEPR)基因多态性(Single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs)及其与体况评分(Body condition score, BCS)之间的相关性。【方法】采用PCR测序技术筛选LEP和LEPR第18外显子中的错义突变,用KASP分型方法进行SNPs分型,并将分型结果与其BCS关联分析。【结果】①在特哈母羊LEP基因上共发现1个SNPs位点,即rs1093355763,在特哈母羊LEPR基因上共发现3个SNPs位点,即rs428867159、rs412929474和g.2770G>A,均属于外显子错义突变,rs428867159和rs412929474属于中度多态(0.25A属于低度多态(PIC≤0.25),均处于Hard-Weinberg平衡状态(P≤0.05)。②rs1093355763位点的基因型效应中,特哈母羊哺乳中期时CA基因型的体重显著高于CC基因型(P<0.05,下同)。rs428867159位点的基因型效应中,特哈母羊产羔期时TT基因型的BCS显著高于CC基因型和CT基因型。g.2770G>A位点的基因型效应中,特哈母羊妊娠120 d时GA基因型的BCS显著高于GG基因型,特哈母羊断奶期时GG基因型的BCS显著高于GA基因型。特哈母羊妊娠120 d时GA基因型的体重显著高于GG基因型。【结论】LEP和LEPR基因中rs1093355763、rs428867159和g.2770G>A位点可以作为特哈母羊BCS和体重的分子标记应用于绵羊育种。

中国西门塔尔牛(草原类型群)胚胎移植技术的应用

[目的]通过胚胎移植技术充分发挥中国西门塔尔牛(草原类型群)优秀母畜的繁殖潜力,为其在繁殖生产中的应用与推广提供技术参考。[方法]对68头青年中国西门塔尔牛(草原类型群)采用CIDR+PG+ADE法进行分批同期发情和胚胎移植,测定发情率、受胎率,根据肉用母牛体况评分技术规程对受体牛的体况进行评分。[结果]中国西门塔尔牛(草原类型)的同期发情率达79.4%,胚胎移植受胎率达40.7%;4月青年母牛发情率相对较高(84.2%),7月受胎率相对较高(45.5%);20~24月龄膘情中等的青年母牛的移植受胎率(60%)显著高于16~19月龄或过于膘大母牛的受胎率;体况评分4~6分的青年母牛受胎率(46.2%)高于体况评分1~3分和7~9分的青年母牛。1头牛进行胚胎移植的成本为1.34万元。[结论]本地区引种胚胎移植的方法从经济上分析是可行的。

奶山羊体况评分技术研究进展

奶山羊体况评分(BCS)可以反映奶山羊能量蓄积程度、营养状况和饲养管理水平。定期对奶山羊进行体况评分有助于实时掌握奶山羊的营养状态,及时发现饲养管理中存在的问题,保证奶山羊健康成长。文章简述了奶山羊体况评分技术的发展进程,体况评分与奶山羊营养状况、繁殖性能的关系及影响奶山羊BSC的主要因素,以期为奶山羊体况评分技术推广与使用提供参考。

基于改进YOLO v5s的轻量级奶牛体况评分方法

奶牛体况评分是评价奶牛产能与体态健康的重要指标。目前,随着现代化牧场的发展,智能检测技术已被应用于奶牛精准养殖中。针对目前检测算法的参数量多、计算量大等问题,以YOLO v5s为基础,提出了一种改进的轻量级奶牛体况评分模型(YOLO-MCE)。首先,通过2D摄像机在奶牛挤奶通道处采集奶牛尾部图像并构建奶牛BCS数据集。其次,在MobileNetV3网络中融入坐标注意力机制(Coordinate attention,CA)构建M3CA网络。将YOLO v5s的主干网络替换为M3CA网络,在降低模型复杂度的同时,使得网络特征提取时更关注于牛尾区域的位置和空间信息,从而提高了运动模糊场景下的检测精度。YOLO v5s预测层采用EIoU Loss损失函数,优化了目标边界框回归收敛速度,生成定位精准的预测边界框,进而提高了模型检测精度。试验结果表明,改进的YOLO v5s模型的检测精度为93.4%,召回率为85.5%,mAP@0.5为91.4%,计算量为2.0×109,模型内存占用量仅为2.28 MB。相较原始YOLO v5s模型,其计算量降低87.3%,模型内存占用量减少83.4%,在保证模型复杂度较低与实时性较高的情况下,实现了奶牛体况的高效评分。此外,改进的YOLO v5s模型的整体性能优于Faster R-CNN、SDD和YOLO v3目标检测模型。本研究为奶牛体况评分商业化提供理论基础和研究思路,为奶牛养殖业提供了智能化解决方案。

影响安格斯犊牛被动免疫成功率的因素研究

[目的]探究安格斯犊牛被动免疫成功率的影响因素。[方法]以安格斯母牛及其犊牛为研究对象,对母牛初乳质量、母牛体况评分及犊牛初乳饲喂量、犊牛初生重以及犊牛断奶后死亡率等进行统计,并测定犊牛血清IgG含量,进而分析影响安格斯犊牛被动免疫成功率及犊牛淘汰率的因素。[结果]饲喂合格初乳(IgG含量≥50 mg/mL)的犊牛被动免疫成功率远大于饲喂不合格初乳的犊牛;被动免疫成功率随初乳饲喂量的增加而升高;随着母牛体况评分的升高,犊牛平均初生重也随之增加且血清平均Brix呈升高的趋势。[结论]犊牛被动免疫成功率受初乳质量和初乳饲喂量的影响。母牛体况评分不仅影响犊牛被动免疫成功率,而且对犊牛平均初生重有显著影响,进而影响犊牛淘汰率。

北京地区荷斯坦牛体型性状表型参数分析

为充分了解北京地区荷斯坦牛的体型外貌特征,试验收集了该地区5个规模化牛场1391头奶牛的个体性状记录,采用9分制评定法评估这些牛只的23个体型线性性状,获得结构容量、尻部、肢蹄、乳房和乳用特征5大性状的加权体型总分,并统计了5个牛场荷斯坦牛的体型总分等级分布及体型性状的表型参数。结果表明,北京地区荷斯坦牛整体发育稳定,体型总分主要集中于“GP”和“G”2个等级。各体型性状中,肢蹄性状在5个牛场之间的稳定性最差,有待改良。该地区总体上,结构容量和乳用特征的平均值较高且与理论最优分差值较小,说明奶牛体躯较大,泌乳能力较好。而悬韧带、尻宽、蹄踵深度、腰强度、前乳房附着、乳房质地等性状与理论最优分相差较大,反映出仍需有针对性地改善荷斯坦牛的体型性状,提高该地区奶牛养殖水平。

妊娠后期母猪体况评分、背膘厚度及胎次对繁殖性能的影响

[目的]探讨妊娠后期母猪的胎次、体况评分及背膘厚度对繁殖性能的影响。[方法]选取同生产批次的丹系妊娠后期(妊娠109 d)母猪654头,分别根据胎次分布、体况评分以及背膘厚度将其分为1~3胎组、1~5分组以及≤10 mm组、11~15 mm组、16~20 mm组、21~25 mm组、>25 mm组,并将1胎组、体况评分3分组、背膘厚度16~20 mm组分别作为对照组,同一指标下的其他组作为试验组。将体况评分、背膘厚度和胎次数据与总产仔数、活仔窝重、活仔数、健仔数、弱仔数、木乃伊胎数和死胎数一并录入IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0统计学软件中的“线性混合模型”进行处理。[结果]妊娠母猪随胎次的增加,总产仔数、活仔窝重、活仔数和健仔数呈现出显著(P<0.05)增加的趋势。妊娠后期母猪背膘厚度在16~20 mm范围内时,总产仔数、活仔数和健仔数达到最大值,弱仔数和死胎数达到最小值;妊娠后期母猪背膘厚度在21~25 mm范围内时,弱仔数、木乃伊胎数和死胎数增加。妊娠后期母猪体况评分为4分时,总产仔数、活仔数和健仔数最多。[结论]妊娠后期母猪的胎次、体况评分和背膘厚度对产仔性能的发挥有影响,可以作为预测母猪繁殖性能的重要参考依据。

Automatic body condition scoring system for dairy cows based on depth-image analysis

Body condition score(BCS)is an important management tool in the modern dairy industry,and one of the basic techniques for animal welfare and precision dairy farming.The objective of this study was to use a vision system to evaluate the fat cover on the back of cows and to automatically determine BCS.A 3D camera was used to capture the depth images of the back of cows twice a day as each cow passed beneath the camera.Through background subtraction,the back area of the cow was extracted from the depth image.The thurl,sacral ligament,hook bone,and pin bone were located via depth image analysis and evaluated by calculating their visibility and curvature,and those four anatomical features were used to measure fatness.A dataset containing 4820 depth images of cows with 7 BCS levels was built,among which 952 images were used as training data.Taking four anatomical features as input and BCS as output,decision tree learning,linear regression,and BP network were calibrated on the training dataset and tested on the entire dataset.On average,the BP network model scored each cow within 0.25 BCS points compared to their manual scores during the study period.The measured values of visibility and curvature used in this study have strong correlations with BCS and can be used to automatically assess BCS with high accuracy.This study demonstrates that the automatic body condition scoring system has the possibility of being more accurate than human scoring.

Hard to fly the nest： A study of body condition and plumage quality in house sparrow fledglings

Contrary to the nestling phase, the post-fledging phase has been less studied probably because it is challenging to follow the chicks after they fledge. However, this phase is crucial to consider when focusing on the life cycle of individuals because it is associated with new demands： After leaving the nest, individuals have to find their own food and cope with a new set of previously unknown stressors. In this study, we aimed at better understanding how energetically demanding the post-ftedging period is in house sparrows Passer domesticus by measuring several indices of a fledgling＇s state （body condition, fat and muscle scores and plumage quality）. If the energetic demands of the post-fledging period are greater than those of the adult life, we predicted that fledglings should be in lower condition and should have a plumage of lower quality relative to adults. Supporting this prediction, the condition and the plumage of fledglings differed dramatically from those of adults. Interestingly, this difference disappeared in autumn. Overall, our results suggest that the post-fledging period is probably one of the most energetically demanding of the life cycle in this species. Supporting this idea, the resighting probability of fledglings was lower relative to adults. However, resighting probability depends on many factors （mortality, dispersal, habitat use and behaviours） and future studies are necessary to tease apart their relative importance in determining resighting probability [Current Zoology 60 （4）： 449-459, 2014].

北京地区夏季奶牛直肠温度及其对产奶量影响初探

本研究旨在通过直肠温度(RT)测定,探究夏季热应激情况下北京地区牛群RT变化规律及其对产奶量的影响。试验实测了2014年7-8月份北京地区3个奶牛场上午、下午奶牛RT、体况评分(BCS)、牛舍内温度,并收集各牛场DHI报告,利用固定模型分析不同场、胎次、泌乳阶段及BCS对RT、测定日产奶量的影响。结果表明:1)803头奶牛的上午、下午RT和日体温差平均值及标准差分别为(38.69±0.45)℃、(38.98±0.50)℃、(0.29±0.53)℃;2)不同场间RT存在差异,泌乳第Ⅰ阶段(1~50d)的奶牛RT显著高于其他泌乳阶段(P<0.05),BCS显著影响下午RT(P<0.05);3)下午RT与BCS平方均对测定日产奶量有显著影响(P<0.05),下午RT每升高1℃,平均日产奶量减少约1.26kg·头^(-1)。夏季热应激情况下北京地区奶牛RT较高,且下午RT过高可导致测定日产奶量降低。因此,管理人员可通过加强防暑降温措施降低体温,并注意控制体况,着重关注泌乳前期牛;RT可作为奶牛热应激相关研究的指标,并为抗热应激奶牛选育计划提供间接选择信息。

中国荷斯坦奶牛体况评分对繁殖性能的影响

体况评分在奶牛的生产中起到很重要的作用,对繁殖性能有一定程度的影响。论文通过对江苏省某奶牛场722头处于产犊产后60d以内的中国荷斯坦牛体况评分进行测定,并收集牛只繁殖性能相关数据,采用多因素方差分析模型分析体况评分、胎次、体况评分时泌乳阶段等因素对奶牛部分繁殖性能的影响。结果表明：BCS=4时母牛妊娠配种次数最少,且产孕间隔最短,而BCS小于2.5的奶牛每次妊娠所需的配种次数也最多,而且从产犊到妊娠所需的时间也最长。该结果提示在奶产后30~60d内进行体况评分对提高奶牛繁殖性能有较强的指示作用。

北京地区荷斯坦牛皮肤褶皱厚度及其影响因素分析

本研究通过测量荷斯坦牛颈部和肋部皮肤褶皱厚度,探究荷斯坦牛颈部和肋部皮肤褶皱厚度特征以及影响皮肤褶皱厚度的因素。使用电子游标卡尺测量了1 523头泌乳期荷斯坦牛颈部和肋部的皮肤褶皱厚度,并同时对奶牛进行体况评分,收集了皮肤褶皱厚度测量月份试验牛场的奶牛生产性能数据。利用固定模型分析场、胎次、泌乳阶段、测定人、体侧及BCS对皮肤褶皱厚度的影响。经测定发现,荷斯坦牛颈部皮肤褶皱厚度为(6.62±0.94)mm,肋部皮肤褶皱厚度为(11.13±1.78)mm。不同场、测定人、胎次、体况评分对颈部皮肤褶皱厚度和肋部皮肤褶皱厚度有显著影响(P<0.05),体侧、泌乳阶段对肋部皮肤褶皱厚度也有显著影响(P<0.05)。颈部皮肤褶皱厚度和肋部皮肤褶皱厚度对BCS的线性回归系数估计值分别为(0.36±0.061)和(0.51±0.116)。本研究结果为荷斯坦牛皮肤褶皱厚度的深度分析,包括遗传分析建模等,奠定了基础。

体况评分在奶牛饲养管理上应用的研究进展

文章简述了体况评分(body condition score,BCS)细则与方法,综述了体况评分体系,体况评分与奶牛健康状况、生产性能、繁殖性能和奶牛福利之间的关系,以及体况评分报告在牧场管理中的撰写与应用。以使体况评分在奶牛的饲养管理上更好的行使其"指示器"的功能。

奶牛三大评分体系在实际生产中的应用

奶牛的体况、粪便和行走评分三大指标是判断奶牛健康与否及衡量奶牛饲养管理水平高低不可或缺的指标,在实际生产中受到广泛重视。鉴于此,在前人研究的基础上,作者对三大评分体系在奶牛饲养管理中的应用进行了综述。

奶牛体况与胎次、泌乳阶段和生产性能的关系

奶牛体况评分是指可根据奶牛身体各部位综合得分来衡量牛的膘情,并用于管理奶牛营养和健康的一种重要方法。某代表性奶牛场泌乳期奶牛的体况评分结果表明,奶牛体况与乳蛋白率、305d估计产奶量呈极显著正相关(P<0.01);第3胎次奶牛体况最好,极显著优于其它胎次(P<0.01);泌乳后期奶牛体况极显著优于其它泌乳阶段(P<0.01);奶牛体况与体细胞分之间显著正相关(P<0.05)。根据奶牛体况评分结果可预测牛奶产量和品质。生产中应通过加强营养和改善饲养管理条件等措施使奶牛体况处于合理范围,以获得产量和品质俱佳的牛奶。